Background: Active surveillance (AS) has emerged as a viable management strategy for low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), following pioneering trials at Kuma Hospital and the Cancer Institute Hospital in Japan. Numerous prospective cohort studies have since validated AS as a management option for low-risk PTMC, leading to its inclusion in thyroid cancer guidelines across various countries. From 2016 to 2020, the Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study of Active Surveillance on Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma (MAeSTro) enrolled 1,177 patients, providing comprehensive data on PTMC progression, sonographic predictors of progression, quality of life, surgical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness when comparing AS to immediate surgery. The second phase of MAeSTro (MAeSTro-EXP) expands AS to low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tumors larger than 1 cm, driven by the hypothesis that overall risk assessment outweighs absolute tumor size in surgical decision-making. Methods: This protocol aims to address whether limiting AS to tumors smaller than 1 cm may result in unnecessary surgeries for low-risk PTCs detected during their rapid initial growth phase. By expanding the AS criteria to include tumors up to 1.5 cm, while simultaneously refining and standardizing the criteria for risk assessment and disease progression, we aim to minimize overtreatment and maintain rigorous monitoring to improve patient outcomes. Conclusion This study will contribute to optimizing AS guidelines and enhance our understanding of the natural course and appropriate management of low-risk PTCs. Additionally, MAeSTro-EXP involves a multinational collaboration between South Korea and Australia. This cross-country study aims to identify cultural and racial differences in the management of low-risk PTC, thereby enriching the global understanding of AS practices and their applicability across diverse populations.

Background: Active surveillance (AS) has emerged as a viable management strategy for low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), following pioneering trials at Kuma Hospital and the Cancer Institute Hospital in Japan. Numerous prospective cohort studies have since validated AS as a management option for low-risk PTMC, leading to its inclusion in thyroid cancer guidelines across various countries. From 2016 to 2020, the Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study of Active Surveillance on Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma (MAeSTro) enrolled 1,177 patients, providing comprehensive data on PTMC progression, sonographic predictors of progression, quality of life, surgical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness when comparing AS to immediate surgery. The second phase of MAeSTro (MAeSTro-EXP) expands AS to low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tumors larger than 1 cm, driven by the hypothesis that overall risk assessment outweighs absolute tumor size in surgical decision-making. Methods: This protocol aims to address whether limiting AS to tumors smaller than 1 cm may result in unnecessary surgeries for low-risk PTCs detected during their rapid initial growth phase. By expanding the AS criteria to include tumors up to 1.5 cm, while simultaneously refining and standardizing the criteria for risk assessment and disease progression, we aim to minimize overtreatment and maintain rigorous monitoring to improve patient outcomes. Conclusion This study will contribute to optimizing AS guidelines and enhance our understanding of the natural course and appropriate management of low-risk PTCs. Additionally, MAeSTro-EXP involves a multinational collaboration between South Korea and Australia. This cross-country study aims to identify cultural and racial differences in the management of low-risk PTC, thereby enriching the global understanding of AS practices and their applicability across diverse populations.

Background: Active surveillance (AS) has emerged as a viable management strategy for low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), following pioneering trials at Kuma Hospital and the Cancer Institute Hospital in Japan. Numerous prospective cohort studies have since validated AS as a management option for low-risk PTMC, leading to its inclusion in thyroid cancer guidelines across various countries. From 2016 to 2020, the Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study of Active Surveillance on Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma (MAeSTro) enrolled 1,177 patients, providing comprehensive data on PTMC progression, sonographic predictors of progression, quality of life, surgical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness when comparing AS to immediate surgery. The second phase of MAeSTro (MAeSTro-EXP) expands AS to low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tumors larger than 1 cm, driven by the hypothesis that overall risk assessment outweighs absolute tumor size in surgical decision-making. Methods: This protocol aims to address whether limiting AS to tumors smaller than 1 cm may result in unnecessary surgeries for low-risk PTCs detected during their rapid initial growth phase. By expanding the AS criteria to include tumors up to 1.5 cm, while simultaneously refining and standardizing the criteria for risk assessment and disease progression, we aim to minimize overtreatment and maintain rigorous monitoring to improve patient outcomes. Conclusion This study will contribute to optimizing AS guidelines and enhance our understanding of the natural course and appropriate management of low-risk PTCs. Additionally, MAeSTro-EXP involves a multinational collaboration between South Korea and Australia. This cross-country study aims to identify cultural and racial differences in the management of low-risk PTC, thereby enriching the global understanding of AS practices and their applicability across diverse populations.

Background: Active surveillance (AS) has emerged as a viable management strategy for low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), following pioneering trials at Kuma Hospital and the Cancer Institute Hospital in Japan. Numerous prospective cohort studies have since validated AS as a management option for low-risk PTMC, leading to its inclusion in thyroid cancer guidelines across various countries. From 2016 to 2020, the Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study of Active Surveillance on Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma (MAeSTro) enrolled 1,177 patients, providing comprehensive data on PTMC progression, sonographic predictors of progression, quality of life, surgical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness when comparing AS to immediate surgery. The second phase of MAeSTro (MAeSTro-EXP) expands AS to low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tumors larger than 1 cm, driven by the hypothesis that overall risk assessment outweighs absolute tumor size in surgical decision-making. Methods: This protocol aims to address whether limiting AS to tumors smaller than 1 cm may result in unnecessary surgeries for low-risk PTCs detected during their rapid initial growth phase. By expanding the AS criteria to include tumors up to 1.5 cm, while simultaneously refining and standardizing the criteria for risk assessment and disease progression, we aim to minimize overtreatment and maintain rigorous monitoring to improve patient outcomes. Conclusion This study will contribute to optimizing AS guidelines and enhance our understanding of the natural course and appropriate management of low-risk PTCs. Additionally, MAeSTro-EXP involves a multinational collaboration between South Korea and Australia. This cross-country study aims to identify cultural and racial differences in the management of low-risk PTC, thereby enriching the global understanding of AS practices and their applicability across diverse populations.

Background: In early 2024, there was an issue with the supply of the anti-D reagent for blood typing. This reduced the anti-D reagent in our laboratory below the minimum stock level. We validated the appropriateness of using diluted anti-D reagents as a contingency plan in the event of an anti-D reagent shortage. Methods: A total of eight dilutions, ranging from 2X to 256X, were prepared by serial dilution of the low-protein monoclonal anti-D reagent. The original anti-D reagent and the eight anti-D dilutions were used to perform RhD typing by the tube and plate methods. To further evaluate the reactivity and stability of the 8-fold diluted anti-D reagent, RhD typing was performed on internal quality control red blood cells and RhD-positive patient specimens for 30 days. Results: The maximum dilution that gave the same results as the original anti-D reagent in both the tube and plate methods was 8X. The 8X anti-D dilution was tested against internal quality control red blood cells and patient specimens. It showed the same result as the original anti-D reagent, with reactivity remaining constant over 30 days. Conclusion We have confirmed the appropriateness of using a diluted low-protein monoclonal anti-D reagent for RhD typing. Therefore, we suggest that the diluted anti-D method can be considered for priority use in emergencies when the anti-D reagent is in short supply. Although 8X is suggested as an appropriate dilution factor in this study, this may vary depending on the type of product used in each laboratory and the laboratory conditions.

This study was done to evaluate the effect of recombinant human bone morphogenic protein-2 (RhBMP-2) on enhancing the quality and quantity of regenerated bone when injected into distracted alveolar bone. Sixteen adult beagle dogs were assigned to either the control or rhBMP-2 group. After distraction was completed, an rhBMP-2 dose of 330μg in 0.33ml was slowly injected into the distracted alveolar crest of the mesial, middle, and distal parts of the alveolar bone in the experimental group. Histological and micro-computed tomography analyses of regenerated bone were done after 2 and 6 weeks of consolidation. After 6 weeks of consolidation, the vertical defect height of regenerated bone was significantly lower in the rhBMP-2 group (2.2 mm) than in the control group (3.4 mm) (P<0.05). Additionally, the width of the regenerated bone was significantly greater in the rhBMP-2 group (4.3 mm) than in the control group (2.8 mm) (P<0.05). The bone density and volume of regenerated bone in the rhBMP-2 group were denser and greater, respectively, than in the control group after 6 weeks of consolidation (P<0.001). Injection of rhBMP-2 into regenerated bone after a distraction osteogenesis procedure significantly increased bone volume in the dentoalveolar distraction site and improved both the width and height of the alveolar ridge and increased the bone density.

PURPOSE: To compare the new swept-source optical coherence tomography based IOL Master 700 to both the partial coherence interferometry based IOL Master 500 and ultrasound A-scan in terms of the ocular biometry and the prediction of postoperative refractive outcomes. METHODS: A total 67 eyes of 55 patients who received cataract surgery were included in our study. The axial length, anterior chamber depth, and keratometry were measured using IOL Master 700, IOL Master 500, and A-scan. The predictive errors, which are the differences between predictive refraction and post-operative refraction 1 month after surgery, were also compared. RESULTS: Axial length measurements were not successful in 5 eyes measured using IOL Master 700 and in 12 eyes measured using IOL Master 500. The mean absolute postoperative refraction predictive errors were 0.63 ± 0.50 diopters, 0.66 ± 0.51 diopters, and 0.62 ± 0.51 diopters for IOL Master 700, IOL Master 500, and A-scan, respectively, and these values exhibited no statistically significant differences. The mean axial lengths were 24.25 ± 2.41 mm, 24.24 ± 2.40 mm, and 24.22 ± 2.39 mm; the mean anterior chamber depths were 3.09 ± 0.39 mm, 3.17 ± 0.39 mm, and 3.15 ± 0.46 mm; and the mean keratometry values were 44.12 ± 1.82 diopters, 44.57 ± 2.10 diopters, and 43.98 ± 1.84 diopters for the IOL Master 700, IOL Master 500, and A-scan groups, respectively. None of these parameters showed statistically significant differences between the three groups. Regarding pair-wise comparison, there were significant differences between the IOL Master 700 and the other devices. CONCLUSIONS: The ocular biometric measurements measured using IOL Master 700, IOL Master 500, and A-scan showed no significant differences. However, IOL Master 700 demonstrated a superior ability to successfully take biometric measurements compared to IOL Master 500. Therefore, IOL Master 700 is capable of measuring ocular biometry for cataract surgery in clinical practice.
Anterior Chamber ; Biometry* ; Cataract ; Humans ; Interferometry ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Ultrasonography*

PURPOSE: A number of clinical decision tools for osteoporosis risk assessment have been developed to select postmenopausal women for the measurement of bone mineral density. We developed and validated machine learning models with the aim of more accurately identifying the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women compared to the ability of conventional clinical decision tools. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected medical records from Korean postmenopausal women based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The training data set was used to construct models based on popular machine learning algorithms such as support vector machines (SVM), random forests, artificial neural networks (ANN), and logistic regression (LR) based on simple surveys. The machine learning models were compared to four conventional clinical decision tools: osteoporosis self-assessment tool (OST), osteoporosis risk assessment instrument (ORAI), simple calculated osteoporosis risk estimation (SCORE), and osteoporosis index of risk (OSIRIS). RESULTS: SVM had significantly better area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic than ANN, LR, OST, ORAI, SCORE, and OSIRIS for the training set. SVM predicted osteoporosis risk with an AUC of 0.827, accuracy of 76.7%, sensitivity of 77.8%, and specificity of 76.0% at total hip, femoral neck, or lumbar spine for the testing set. The significant factors selected by SVM were age, height, weight, body mass index, duration of menopause, duration of breast feeding, estrogen therapy, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: Considering various predictors associated with low bone density, the machine learning methods may be effective tools for identifying postmenopausal women at high risk for osteoporosis.
Aged ; *Artificial Intelligence ; Bone Density/*physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal

We evaluated the clinical outcome after arthroscopic olecranon osteophyte resection without ligament operation in the elite baseball players who had valgus extension overload syndrome without moderate or severe medial collateral ligament injury. From January 2007 to December 2011, twelve patients underwent arthroscopic osteophyte resection without ligament operation and they were followed for more than 12 months. The mean age was 19.2 years and mean follow-up period was 26 months. The clinical results were evaluated using range of motion, visual analogue scale (VAS) and Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS). After checking osteophyte size and location through 3-dimensional computed tomography, arthroscopic osteophyte resection was performed. Average preoperative extension, flexion, pronation and supination were 2.3degrees, 138.2degrees, 76.4degrees, and 69.1degrees. Average postoperative extension, flexion, pronation and supination had been changed into 0.7degrees, 137.3degrees, 79.1degrees, and 77.3degrees. Average preoperative pain VAS and MEPS were 5.5 and 67.5. Average postoperative pain VAS and MEPS had been changed into 0.4 (p<0.001) and 97.5 (p<0.001). Eleven patients returned to play. Ten cases returned to their own position. No patients were performed other operation for elbow pain. The arthroscopic osteophyte resection in valgus extension overload syndrome with low grade medial ulnar collateral ligament (MUCL) injury or without MUCL injury was a one of the ideal treatment option for early return to pre-injury levels and relief of pain.
Arthroscopy ; Baseball* ; Collateral Ligaments ; Elbow* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Olecranon Process* ; Osteophyte* ; Pain, Postoperative ; Pronation ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Supination

Since laparoscopic liver resection was first introduced in 2001, Korean surgeons have chosen a laparoscopic procedure as one of the treatment options for benign or malignant liver disease. We distributed and analyzed a nationwide questionnaire to members of the Korean Laparoscopic Liver Surgery Study Group (KLLSG) in order to evaluate the current status of laparoscopic liver resection in Korea. Questionnaires were sent to 24 centers of KLLSG. The questionnaire consisted of operative procedure, histological diagnosis of liver lesions, indications for resection, causes of conversion to open surgery, and postoperative outcomes. A laparoscopic liver resection was performed in 416 patients from 2001 to 2008. Of 416 patients, 59.6% had malignant tumors, and 40.4% had benign diseases. A total laparoscopic approach was performed in 88.7%. Anatomical laparoscopic liver resection was more commonly performed than non-anatomical resection (59.9% vs 40.1%). The anatomical laparoscopic liver resection procedures consisted of a left lateral sectionectomy (29.3%), left hemihepatectomy (19.2%), right hemihepatectomy (6%), right posterior sectionectomy (4.3%), central bisectionectomy (0.5%), and caudate lobectomy (0.5%). Laparoscopy-related serious complications occurred in 12 (2.8%) patients. The present study findings provide data in terms of indication, type and method of liver resection, and current status of laparoscopic liver resection in Korea.
*Hepatectomy/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; *Laparoscopy/statistics & numerical data ; Liver/*surgery ; Liver Diseases/pathology/surgery ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology/surgery ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea