Timely analysis of imaging data is critical for diagnosis and decision-making for proper treatment strategy in the cases of ischemic stroke. Various efforts have been made to develop computer-assisted systems to improve the accuracy of stroke diagnosis and acute stroke triage. The widespread emergence of artificial intelligence technology has been integrated into the field of medicine. Artificial intelligence can play an important role in providing care to patients with stroke. In the past few decades, numerous studies have explored the use of machine learning and deep learning algorithms for application in the management of stroke. In this review, we will start with a brief introduction to machine learning and deep learning and provide clinical applications of machine learning and deep learning in various aspects of stroke management, including rapid diagnosis and improved triage, identifying large vessel occlusion, predicting time from stroke onset, automated ASPECTS (Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score) measurement, lesion segmentation, and predicting treatment outcome. This work is focused on providing the current application of artificial intelligence techniques in the imaging of ischemic stroke, including MRI and CT.

Background: The clinical features of pediatric rhabdomyolysis differ from those of the adults with rhabdomyolysis; however, multicenter studies are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of pediatric rhabdomyolysis and reveal the risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in such cases. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of children and adolescents diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis at 23 hospitals in South Korea between January 2007 and December 2016. Results: Among 880 patients, those aged 3 to 5 years old composed the largest subgroup (19.4%), and all age subgroups were predominantly male. The incidence of AKI was 11.3%. Neurological disorders (53%) and infection (44%) were the most common underlying disorder and cause of rhabdomyolysis, respectively. The median age at diagnosis in the AKI subgroup was older than that in the non-AKI subgroup (12.2 years vs. 8.0 years). There were no significant differences in body mass index, myalgia, dark-colored urine, or the number of causal factors between the two AKI-status subgroups. The multivariate logistic regression model indicated that the following factors were independently associated with AKI: multiorgan failure, presence of an underlying disorder, strong positive urine occult blood, increased aspartate aminotransferase and uric acid levels, and reduced calcium levels. Conclusions Our study revealed characteristic clinical and laboratory features of rhabdomyolysis in a Korean pediatric population and highlighted the risk factors for AKI in these cases. Our findings will contribute to a greater understanding of pediatric rhabdomyolysis and may enable early intervention against rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI.

Incidental thyroid nodules are commonly detected on ultrasonography (US). This has contributed to the rapidly rising incidence of low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma over the last 20 years. The appropriate diagnosis and management of these patients is based on the risk factors related to the patients as well as the thyroid nodules. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) published consensus recommendations for US-based management of thyroid nodules in 2011 and revised them in 2016. These guidelines have been used as the standard guidelines in Korea. However, recent advances in the diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules have necessitated the revision of the original recommendations. The task force of the KSThR has revised the Korean Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System and recommendations for US lexicon, biopsy criteria, US criteria of extrathyroidal extension, optimal thyroid computed tomography protocol, and US follow-up of thyroid nodules before and after biopsy. The biopsy criteria were revised to reduce unnecessary biopsies for benign nodules while maintaining an appropriate sensitivity for the detection of malignant tumors in small (1–2 cm) thyroid nodules. The goal of these recommendations is to provide the optimal scientific evidence and expert opinion consensus regarding US-based diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules.

Background: The incidence of early-onset diabetes is increasing among young adults.However, there are limited data on the characteristics and management of young Korean adults with diabetes. This study assessed the clinical and demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and mental health among young Korean adults with diabetes mellitus. Methods: This cross-sectional study included young Korean adults with diabetes (n = 225) with an onset age of 20–39 years from four university hospitals. Demographic characteristics, management of diabetes, and mental health were assessed using a questionnaire survey. Results: Type 2 diabetes was the most common type (73.3%), and 13.8% of participants were classified as other types or unknown. Approximately, 64.7% of participants had a strong family history of diabetes, and 76% had treatment within three months of diagnosis.Approximately, 11.1% of participants had diabetic complications; 39.1% of participants received insulin injections, including oral anti-diabetic medications. Additionally, 30.4% were smokers, and only 28% had active physical activity; 26.5% of participants had >3 hours of screen time. One third of participants never had breakfast, and 60.5% went out to eat at least three times a week. Half of the participants showed moderate to severe stress perception, and 21.4% of patients had moderate to severe levels of depression based on the Korean version of Beck Depression Inventory score. Conclusion Early-onset diabetes was associated with a strong family history and early insulin treatment. Young adults with diabetes had poor health behaviors and frequent mental depression. These findings suggest the necessity of health policies for improving health behaviors and mental distress.

Background: The incidence of early-onset diabetes is increasing among young adults.However, there are limited data on the characteristics and management of young Korean adults with diabetes. This study assessed the clinical and demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and mental health among young Korean adults with diabetes mellitus. Methods: This cross-sectional study included young Korean adults with diabetes (n = 225) with an onset age of 20–39 years from four university hospitals. Demographic characteristics, management of diabetes, and mental health were assessed using a questionnaire survey. Results: Type 2 diabetes was the most common type (73.3%), and 13.8% of participants were classified as other types or unknown. Approximately, 64.7% of participants had a strong family history of diabetes, and 76% had treatment within three months of diagnosis.Approximately, 11.1% of participants had diabetic complications; 39.1% of participants received insulin injections, including oral anti-diabetic medications. Additionally, 30.4% were smokers, and only 28% had active physical activity; 26.5% of participants had >3 hours of screen time. One third of participants never had breakfast, and 60.5% went out to eat at least three times a week. Half of the participants showed moderate to severe stress perception, and 21.4% of patients had moderate to severe levels of depression based on the Korean version of Beck Depression Inventory score. Conclusion Early-onset diabetes was associated with a strong family history and early insulin treatment. Young adults with diabetes had poor health behaviors and frequent mental depression. These findings suggest the necessity of health policies for improving health behaviors and mental distress.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate chemotherapy patterns and changes in quality of life (QOL) during first-line palliative chemotherapy for Korean patients with unresectable or metastatic/recurrent gastric cancer (GC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thiswas a non-interventional, multi-center, prospective, observational study of 527 patients in Korea. QOL assessments were conducted using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaires (QLQ)-C30 and QLQ-STO22 every 3 months over a 12-month period during first-line palliative chemotherapy. The specific chemotherapy regimens were selected by individual clinicians. RESULTS: Most patients (93.2%) received combination chemotherapy (mainly fluoropyrimidine plus platinum) as their first-line palliative chemotherapy. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 8.2 and 14.8 months, respectively. Overall, “a little” changes (differences of 5-10 points from baseline)were observed in some of the functioning or symptom scales; none of the QOL scales showed either “moderate” or “very much” change (i.e., ≥ 11 point difference from baseline). When examining the best change in each QOL domain from baseline, scales related to some aspects of functioning, global health status/QOL, and most symptoms revealed significant improvements (p < 0.05). Throughout the course of first-line palliative chemotherapy, most patients' QOL was maintained to a similar degree, regardless of their actual response to chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: This observational study provides important information on the chemotherapy patterns and QOL changes in Korean patientswith advanced GC. Overall, first-line palliative chemotherapy was found to maintain QOL, and most parameters showed an improvement compared with the baseline at some point during the course.
Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Global Health ; Humans ; Korea ; Observational Study ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life* ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: Previous studies on adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) are limited by their retrospective design, small numbers of patients, Western populations, or use of an outdated imaging technique. We investigated the characteristics of AIs in Korean patients and compared them with those reported in the largest retrospective study in Italy to discover the effects of improved imaging techniques and ethnicity differences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional observational study including 1005 Korean patients. Levels of plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone, 24-h urinary free cortisol (UFC), serum cortisol after a 1 mg-dexamethasone suppression test, 24-h urinary fractionated metanephrine, and plasma aldosterone and plasma renin activity were measured. All AIs were characterized using computed tomography (CT). RESULTS: Compared with the results of the Italian study, AIs in Korean patients were observed more frequently in men and predominantly on the left side. Korean patients with AIs were slightly younger, and fewer patients underwent surgery. Most AIs were nonfunctional in both studies, while fewer subclinical hypercortisolism and more primary aldosteronism (PA) cases were detected in Korean patients. In our study, high UFC levels showed very low sensitivity, compared to those in the Italian study. In pheochromocytoma or PA cases, there were no hormonal differences between the studies. AIs in Korean patients were smaller, such that a lower cutoff size for detecting adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) could be warranted. CONCLUSION: Recent advances in CT technology were leveraged to provide accurate characteristics of AIs and to detect smaller ACCs.
Adrenocortical Carcinoma ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Aldosterone ; Cushing Syndrome ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Italy ; Korea* ; Male ; Metanephrine ; Observational Study ; Pheochromocytoma ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies* ; Renin ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Kidney transplantation (KT) is an ideal treatment for pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We report the clinical outcomes of pediatric ESRD patients who underwent KT in a single regional center. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 60 pediatric patients who were diagnosed with ESRD and underwent KT in our hospital between January 1985 and June 2016. RESULTS: A total of 60 children and adolescents (40 male, 20 female; mean age, 13.86±4.26 years) were included in this study. Six patients (10.0%) underwent KT immediately after receiving the diagnosis of ESRD, while the others underwent KT after dialysis treatment (mean period of dialysis, 368.7±4,41.8 days). The mean donor age (50 living-related [83.3%], 10 deceased [16.7%]) was 40.0±12.85 years and the male:female ratio was 1.07:1. The most common cause of ESRD was chronic glomerulonephritis. The overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years after KT were 98%, 98%, and 96%, respectively, while the graft survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 93%, 86%, and 68%, respectively. Children who underwent KT before 10 years of age had better monthly growth rates than those who underwent KT later than 10 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: KT is performed less frequently in children than in adults, but causes of ESRD vary and clinical outcomes after KT greatly affect the growth and development of pediatric patients. Therefore, further analysis and monitoring of clinical progression after KT in pediatric ESRD patients are necessary.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Dialysis ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; Graft Survival ; Growth and Development ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Kidney* ; Male ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: Kidney transplantation (KT) is an ideal treatment for pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We report the clinical outcomes of pediatric ESRD patients who underwent KT in a single regional center. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 60 pediatric patients who were diagnosed with ESRD and underwent KT in our hospital between January 1985 and June 2016. RESULTS: A total of 60 children and adolescents (40 male, 20 female; mean age, 13.86±4.26 years) were included in this study. Six patients (10.0%) underwent KT immediately after receiving the diagnosis of ESRD, while the others underwent KT after dialysis treatment (mean period of dialysis, 368.7±4,41.8 days). The mean donor age (50 living-related [83.3%], 10 deceased [16.7%]) was 40.0±12.85 years and the male:female ratio was 1.07:1. The most common cause of ESRD was chronic glomerulonephritis. The overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years after KT were 98%, 98%, and 96%, respectively, while the graft survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 93%, 86%, and 68%, respectively. Children who underwent KT before 10 years of age had better monthly growth rates than those who underwent KT later than 10 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: KT is performed less frequently in children than in adults, but causes of ESRD vary and clinical outcomes after KT greatly affect the growth and development of pediatric patients. Therefore, further analysis and monitoring of clinical progression after KT in pediatric ESRD patients are necessary.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Dialysis ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; Graft Survival ; Growth and Development ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Kidney* ; Male ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tissue Donors

Korean Society of Thyroid-Head and Neck Surgery appointed a Task Force to develop clinical practice guidelines for the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer. This Task Force conducted a systematic search of the EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed databases to identify relevant articles, using search terms selected according to the key questions. Evidence-based recommendations were then created on the basis of these articles. An external expert review and Delphi questionnaire were applied to reach consensus regarding the recommendations. The resulting guidelines focus on the surgical treatment of laryngeal cancer with the assumption that surgery is the selected treatment modality after a multidisciplinary discussion in any context. These guidelines do not, therefore, address non-surgical treatment such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The committee developed 62 evidence-based recommendations in 32 categories intended to assist clinicians during management of patients with laryngeal cancer and patients with laryngeal cancer, and counselors and health policy-makers.
Advisory Committees ; Consensus ; Counseling ; Drug Therapy ; Glottis ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms* ; Neck*