BACKGROUND: Idiopathic duct centric pancreatitis (IDCP) is a subtype of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) that is histologically characterized by granulocytic epithelial lesion and scarce IgG4-positive cells. This subtype of AIP has not been documented in Asian countries. METHODS: We reviewed 38 histologically confirmed AIP cases and classified them into lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis (LPSP) and IDCP. Then, clinicopathological characteristics were compared between LPSP and IDCP. RESULTS: Fourteen cases (36.8%) were IDCP. IDCP affected younger patients more than LPSP. IDCP was associated with ulcerative colitis in 35.7% of cases, whereas LPSP was associated with IgG4-related sclerosing diseases such as cholangitis, retroperitoneal fibrosis or sialadenitis in 41.7% of cases. IDCP was microscopically characterized by neutrophilic ductoacinitis with occasional granulocytic epithelial lesions, whereas LPSP was characterized by storiform inflammatory cell-rich fibrosis and obliterative phlebitis. IgG4-positive cells were not detected in any IDCP case but more than 20 IgG4-positive cells per high-power-field were invariably detected in LPSP cases. All patients with IDCP responded dramatically to steroids without recurrence, whereas 33.3% of patients with LPSP developed recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: IDCP is clinicopathologically distinct from LPSP and can be diagnosed when neutrophilic ductoacinitis or granulocytic epithelial lesions are observed in a pancreatic biopsy under the appropriate clinical setting.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle ; Cholangitis ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Neutrophils ; Pancreatitis ; Phlebitis ; Recurrence ; Retroperitoneal Fibrosis ; Sialadenitis ; Steroids

BACKGROUND: Lymphocytic gastritis (LG) is defined as an infiltration of more than 25 intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) per 100 surface epithelial cells, and the histological differential diagnosis of LG and residual mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma can be difficult. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is regarded as one of the possible causes of LG, but its clinicopathologic features of LG have not been clarified in Korea, which has a much higher prevalence of H. pylori infection than Western countries. We analyzed the clinicopathologic findings of LG in Korean patients and compared the cytologic findings of IELs of LG with those of MALT lymphoma. METHODS: Sixty six cases of LG and 59 cases of MALT lymphoma were selected and clinicopathologic features were analyzed. RESULTS: Eighteen cases (27.3%) of LG were found to be associated with H. pylori infection. The IELs in LG were found to diffusely and regularly infiltrate in the epithelium, but MALT lymphoma showed patchy IELs. IELs in LG and MALT lymphoma were CD 8+T lymphocytes and CD20+B lymphocytes, respectively. The mean nuclear size of IELs in LG was 4.37 micrometer, which was significantly smaller than those in MALT lymphoma (5.19 micrometer). CONCLUSION: LG, a rare variant of chronic gastritis is partly associated with H. pylori infection and more complex unknown causative factors. In addition to the immunophenotyping, the nuclear sizes of IELs can be helpful in the differential diagnosis of LG and residual MALT lymphoma.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Gastritis* ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Korea ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone ; Mucous Membrane ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND: Vasoplegic syndrome is an increasingly recognized disease in perioperative medicine and is characterized by severe hypotension, normal or elevated cardiac output, and decreased systemic vascular resistance. It occurs commonly after cardiopulmonary bypass but may also occur after other types of surgery.CASE: Vasoplegic syndrome developed in our patient during posterior lumbar interbody fusion because of administering nicardipine after phenylephrine. However, the blood pressure did not increase as expected despite simultaneous use of norepinephrine and vasopressin to increase the reduced systemic vascular resistance.CONCLUSIONS: We present a case of vasoplegic syndrome that developed during posterior lumbar interbody fusion and was treated successfully with methylene blue.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Methylene Blue ; Nicardipine ; Norepinephrine ; Phenylephrine ; Vascular Resistance ; Vasoplegia ; Vasopressins

Biliary adenofibroma is a rare tumor with a bile duct origin characterized by a complex tubulocystic non-mucin secreting biliary epithelium with abundant fibrous stroma. The MRI features of biliary adenofibroma are not well established. The authors encountered two patients with biliary adenofibroma and reviewed the literature focusing on the MRI findings. A well-circumscribed multicystic tumor with septal enhancement and no intrahepatic bile duct communication may be the characteristic MRI findings of biliary adenofibroma.
Adenofibroma ; Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

In February 2018, the Withdrawal of the Life-sustaining Treatment (WLST) Decision Act was legalized in Korea. Donation after circulatory death (DCD) after WLST was classified as DCD category III. We report the first case of successful organ donation after WLST in Korea. A 52-year-old male who experienced cerebral hemorrhage was a potential brain-dead donor with donation consent. During the first brain death examination, Babinski reflex was present, which disappeared two days later. Then, electroencephalography was performed five times at intervals of 2 to 3 days, according to the recommendation of a neurologist.The patient was transferred to the OR at 19:30 July 3, 2020. At 20:00, an intensive care unit specialist performed extubation and discontinued vasopressors. Oxygen saturation fell to < 70% in 1 minute, which signaled the beginning of functional warm ischemia. At 20:15, asystole was confirmed; after 5 minutes of “no-touch time,” circulatory death was declared.Organ procurement surgery was initiated, with surgeons performing the recipient surgery ready in the adjacent OR. Through the first successful DCD case, we expected that DCD will be actively implemented in Korea, saving the lives of patient waiting for transplantation and resolving the imbalance between organ receipt and donation.

In February 2018, the Withdrawal of the Life-sustaining Treatment (WLST) Decision Act was legalized in Korea. Donation after circulatory death (DCD) after WLST was classified as DCD category III. We report the first case of successful organ donation after WLST in Korea. A 52-year-old male who experienced cerebral hemorrhage was a potential brain-dead donor with donation consent. During the first brain death examination, Babinski reflex was present, which disappeared two days later. Then, electroencephalography was performed five times at intervals of 2 to 3 days, according to the recommendation of a neurologist.The patient was transferred to the OR at 19:30 July 3, 2020. At 20:00, an intensive care unit specialist performed extubation and discontinued vasopressors. Oxygen saturation fell to < 70% in 1 minute, which signaled the beginning of functional warm ischemia. At 20:15, asystole was confirmed; after 5 minutes of “no-touch time,” circulatory death was declared.Organ procurement surgery was initiated, with surgeons performing the recipient surgery ready in the adjacent OR. Through the first successful DCD case, we expected that DCD will be actively implemented in Korea, saving the lives of patient waiting for transplantation and resolving the imbalance between organ receipt and donation.

Objective: Emergency medical system reform is an important part of the 4th Emergency Medical Care 5-year plan in Korea, published in 2023. However, little is known about the current emergency department (ED) utilization status of local emergency medical agencies (EMAs). We sought to compare the ED utilization code between the emergency medical centers (EMCs) (n=58) and the local EMAs (n=152) based on parameters such as the admission rate or transfer rate in patients with a critical illness. Methods: Consecutive emergency patients registered on the National Emergency Department Information System from January 2022 to December 2022 were included in this study and their records were analyzed. The study included critically ill patients who were defined as having a critical illness code. Results: Among 590,878 (EMC of 450,007; local EMA of 140,871) critical illness code patients, the admission rate was 76.2% for EMCs and 52.9% for local EMAs. Of the critical illness code patients who visited local EMAs, 89.4% were Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) grade 3-5 patients. The hospitalization volume of critical illness code patients in the local EMAs was 74,571, mostly major trauma (47.5%) and ischemic stroke (11.5%). If KTAS grade 1 or 2 patients could not be transferred to the local EMAs, the EMCs covered up to 14,989 ED patients and 74,571 admitted patients additionally. Conclusion If the local EMAs maintain their current roles in the areas of major trauma and ischemic stroke, and take charge of the admission of patients with critical illness codes transferred from the EMC after emergency treatment, then the local EMAs can still maintain their functions even after the proposed emergency medical system reform.

Objective: Emergency medical system reform is an important part of the 4th Emergency Medical Care 5-year plan in Korea, published in 2023. However, little is known about the current emergency department (ED) utilization status of local emergency medical agencies (EMAs). We sought to compare the ED utilization code between the emergency medical centers (EMCs) (n=58) and the local EMAs (n=152) based on parameters such as the admission rate or transfer rate in patients with a critical illness. Methods: Consecutive emergency patients registered on the National Emergency Department Information System from January 2022 to December 2022 were included in this study and their records were analyzed. The study included critically ill patients who were defined as having a critical illness code. Results: Among 590,878 (EMC of 450,007; local EMA of 140,871) critical illness code patients, the admission rate was 76.2% for EMCs and 52.9% for local EMAs. Of the critical illness code patients who visited local EMAs, 89.4% were Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) grade 3-5 patients. The hospitalization volume of critical illness code patients in the local EMAs was 74,571, mostly major trauma (47.5%) and ischemic stroke (11.5%). If KTAS grade 1 or 2 patients could not be transferred to the local EMAs, the EMCs covered up to 14,989 ED patients and 74,571 admitted patients additionally. Conclusion If the local EMAs maintain their current roles in the areas of major trauma and ischemic stroke, and take charge of the admission of patients with critical illness codes transferred from the EMC after emergency treatment, then the local EMAs can still maintain their functions even after the proposed emergency medical system reform.

Background: /Aim: Immune checkpoint proteins regulating T-cell mediated anti-tumor immunity have been reported to affect clinical outcomes in multiple malignancies. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic effect of histological expression of immune checkpoint proteins in patients with resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A total of 221 patients with HCC who underwent curative resection were included. Expression of programmed-cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in tumor cells (tPD-L1) and tumor infiltrating mononuclear cells (TIMCs) (iPD-L1), programmed-cell death-1 in TIMCs (iPD-1), and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 in TIMCs (iCTLA-4) were measured immunohistochemically. Results: Histo-positivity for iCTLA-4, iPD-1, iPD-L1, and tPD-L1 was 32.1%, 42.5%, 35.3%, and 14.9%, respectively. Multivariate logistic analyses revealed that male sex and tumor >5 cm were variables related to iCTLA-4 positivity (odds ratio [OR], 0.46 and 1.94, respectively; P<0.05). Poor differentiation was related to PD-L1 expression in both tumor cells and TIMCs (OR, 2.88 and 3.46, respectively; P<0.05). Microvascular invasion was significantly associated only with iPD-L1 (OR, 2.24; P<0.05). In time-dependent outcome analyses, expression of immune checkpoint proteins in TIMCs (i.e., iCTLA-4, iPD-1, and iPD-L1) was significantly related to longer overall survival and non-cancer-related survival (all P<0.05), but not to time-to-recurrence or cancer-specific deaths. Concurrent activation of the PD-1:PD-L1 and CTLA-4 pathways predicted improved outcomes in terms of overall survival and non-cancer related survival (P=0.06 and P=0.03, respectively). Conclusions Immune checkpoint proteins upregulated in TIMCs in HCC tissues have individual and additive effects in prolonging the survival of patients, specifically in terms of survival not related to cancer recurrence.

Objective: Emergency medical system reform is an important part of the 4th Emergency Medical Care 5-year plan in Korea, published in 2023. However, little is known about the current emergency department (ED) utilization status of local emergency medical agencies (EMAs). We sought to compare the ED utilization code between the emergency medical centers (EMCs) (n=58) and the local EMAs (n=152) based on parameters such as the admission rate or transfer rate in patients with a critical illness. Methods: Consecutive emergency patients registered on the National Emergency Department Information System from January 2022 to December 2022 were included in this study and their records were analyzed. The study included critically ill patients who were defined as having a critical illness code. Results: Among 590,878 (EMC of 450,007; local EMA of 140,871) critical illness code patients, the admission rate was 76.2% for EMCs and 52.9% for local EMAs. Of the critical illness code patients who visited local EMAs, 89.4% were Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) grade 3-5 patients. The hospitalization volume of critical illness code patients in the local EMAs was 74,571, mostly major trauma (47.5%) and ischemic stroke (11.5%). If KTAS grade 1 or 2 patients could not be transferred to the local EMAs, the EMCs covered up to 14,989 ED patients and 74,571 admitted patients additionally. Conclusion If the local EMAs maintain their current roles in the areas of major trauma and ischemic stroke, and take charge of the admission of patients with critical illness codes transferred from the EMC after emergency treatment, then the local EMAs can still maintain their functions even after the proposed emergency medical system reform.