Purpose: This study evaluated the postoperative quality of life (QoL) after various types of gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted in Korea using the Korean Quality of Life in Stomach Cancer Patients Study (KOQUSS)-40, a new QoL assessment tool focusing on postgastrectomy syndrome. Overall, 496 patients with gastric cancer were enrolled, and QoL was assessed at 5 time points: preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Results: Distal gastrectomy (DG) and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) showed significantly better outcomes than total gastrectomy (TG) and proximal gastrectomy (PG) with regard to total score, indigestion, and dysphagia. DG, PPG, and TG also showed significantly better outcomes than PG in terms of dumping syndrome and worry about cancer. Postoperative QoL did not differ significantly according to anastomosis type in DG, except for Billroth I anastomosis, which achieved better bowel habit change scores than the others. No domains differed significantly when comparing double tract reconstruction and esophagogastrostomy after PG. The total QoL score correlated significantly with postoperative body weight loss (more than 10%) and extent of resection (P<0.05 for both).Reflux as assessed by KOQUSS-40 did not correlate significantly with reflux observed on gastroscopy 1 year postoperatively (P=0.064). Conclusions Our prospective observation using KOQUSS-40 revealed that DG and PPG lead to better QoL than TG and PG. Further study is needed to compare postoperative QoL according to anastomosis type in DG and PG.

Purpose: This study evaluated the postoperative quality of life (QoL) after various types of gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted in Korea using the Korean Quality of Life in Stomach Cancer Patients Study (KOQUSS)-40, a new QoL assessment tool focusing on postgastrectomy syndrome. Overall, 496 patients with gastric cancer were enrolled, and QoL was assessed at 5 time points: preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Results: Distal gastrectomy (DG) and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) showed significantly better outcomes than total gastrectomy (TG) and proximal gastrectomy (PG) with regard to total score, indigestion, and dysphagia. DG, PPG, and TG also showed significantly better outcomes than PG in terms of dumping syndrome and worry about cancer. Postoperative QoL did not differ significantly according to anastomosis type in DG, except for Billroth I anastomosis, which achieved better bowel habit change scores than the others. No domains differed significantly when comparing double tract reconstruction and esophagogastrostomy after PG. The total QoL score correlated significantly with postoperative body weight loss (more than 10%) and extent of resection (P<0.05 for both).Reflux as assessed by KOQUSS-40 did not correlate significantly with reflux observed on gastroscopy 1 year postoperatively (P=0.064). Conclusions Our prospective observation using KOQUSS-40 revealed that DG and PPG lead to better QoL than TG and PG. Further study is needed to compare postoperative QoL according to anastomosis type in DG and PG.

Purpose: This study evaluated the postoperative quality of life (QoL) after various types of gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted in Korea using the Korean Quality of Life in Stomach Cancer Patients Study (KOQUSS)-40, a new QoL assessment tool focusing on postgastrectomy syndrome. Overall, 496 patients with gastric cancer were enrolled, and QoL was assessed at 5 time points: preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Results: Distal gastrectomy (DG) and pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) showed significantly better outcomes than total gastrectomy (TG) and proximal gastrectomy (PG) with regard to total score, indigestion, and dysphagia. DG, PPG, and TG also showed significantly better outcomes than PG in terms of dumping syndrome and worry about cancer. Postoperative QoL did not differ significantly according to anastomosis type in DG, except for Billroth I anastomosis, which achieved better bowel habit change scores than the others. No domains differed significantly when comparing double tract reconstruction and esophagogastrostomy after PG. The total QoL score correlated significantly with postoperative body weight loss (more than 10%) and extent of resection (P<0.05 for both).Reflux as assessed by KOQUSS-40 did not correlate significantly with reflux observed on gastroscopy 1 year postoperatively (P=0.064). Conclusions Our prospective observation using KOQUSS-40 revealed that DG and PPG lead to better QoL than TG and PG. Further study is needed to compare postoperative QoL according to anastomosis type in DG and PG.

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has contributed to the change in the epidemiology of many infectious diseases. This study aimed to establish the pre-pandemic epidemiology of pediatric invasive bacterial infection (IBI). Methods: A retrospective multicenter-based surveillance for pediatric IBIs has been maintained from 1996 to 2020 in Korea. IBIs caused by eight bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella species) in immunocompetent children > 3 months of age were collected at 29 centers. The annual trend in the proportion of IBIs by each pathogen was analyzed. Results: A total of 2,195 episodes were identified during the 25-year period between 1996 and 2020. S. pneumoniae (42.4%), S. aureus (22.1%), and Salmonella species (21.0%) were common in children 3 to 59 months of age. In children ≥ 5 years of age, S. aureus (58.1%), followed by Salmonella species (14.8%) and S. pneumoniae (12.2%) were common. Excluding the year 2020, there was a trend toward a decrease in the relative proportions of S. pneumoniae (rs = −0.430, P = 0.036), H. influenzae (rs = −0.922, P < 0.001), while trend toward an increase in the relative proportion of S. aureus (rs = 0.850, P < 0.001), S. agalactiae (rs = 0.615, P = 0.001), and S. pyogenes (rs = 0.554, P = 0.005). Conclusion In the proportion of IBIs over a 24-year period between 1996 and 2019, we observed a decreasing trend for S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae and an increasing trend for S. aureus, S. agalactiae, and S. pyogenes in children > 3 months of age. These findings can be used as the baseline data to navigate the trend in the epidemiology of pediatric IBI in the post COVID-19 era.

Methemoglobinemia (MetHb), which is characterized by an increased methemoglobin level, is a rare but potentially fatal disorder caused by congenital enzyme deficiencies or exposure to oxidizing agents, including dapsone. Elevation in the methemoglobin level impairs the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin, produces functional anemia, and induces tissue hypoxia. Such hypoxia results in microcirculation injury and hypoperfusion in the tissue and organs, including the kidney, and is a risk factor for acute kidney injury (AKI). This paper reports a case of AKI caused by dapsone-induced MetHb in a patient with chronic kidney disease, in which the patient ingested approximately 1,500 mg of dapsone in a suicide attempt, which was treated with aggressive management, including methylene blue, ascorbic acid, and transfusion.

Objective: : The purpose of this study is identify the operation status of the neurosurgical care units (NCUs) in neurosurgical residency training hospitals nationwide and determine needed changes by comparing findings with those obtained from the Korean Neurosurgical Society (KNS) and Korean Society of Neurointensive Care Medicine (KNIC) survey of 2010.Method : This survey was conducted over 1 year in 86 neurosurgical residency training hospitals and two neurosurgery specialist hospitals and focused on the following areas : 1) the current status of the infrastructure and operating systems of NCUs in Korea, 2) barriers to installing neurointensivist team systems, 3) future roles of the KNS and KNIC, and 4) a handbook for physicians and practitioners in NCUs. We compared and analyzed the results of this survey with those from a KNIC survey of 2010. Results: : Seventy seven hospitals (87.5%) participated in the survey. Nineteen hospitals (24.7%) employed a neurointensivist or faculty member; Thirty seven hospitals (48.1%) reported high demand for neurointensivists, and 62 hospitals (80.5%) stated that the mandatory deployment of a neurointensivist improved the quality of patient care. Forty four hospitals (57.1%) believed that hiring neurointensivist would increase hospital costs, and in response to a question on potential earnings declines. In terms of potential solutions to these problems, 70 respondents (90.9%) maintained that additional fees were necessary for neurointensivists’ work, and 64 (83.1%) answered that direct support was needed of the personnel expenses for neurointensivists. Conclusion : We hope the results of this survey will guide successful implementation of neurointensivist systems across Korea.

The authors regret that one co-author (Kyung-Hyo Kim) was missing in the article.

PURPOSE: Patients treated with anticancer agents often experience a variety of treatment-related skin problems, which can impair their quality of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and clinical information were evaluated in patients under active anticancer treatment using a questionnaire survey and their medical records review. RESULTS: Of 375 evaluated subjects with anticancer therapy, 136 (36.27%) and 114 (30.40%) were treated for breast cancer and colorectal cancer, respectively. We found that women, breast cancer, targeted agent use, and longer duration of anticancer therapy were associated with higher dermatology-specific quality of life distraction. In addition, itching, dry skin, easy bruising, pigmentation, papulopustules on face, periungual inflammation, nail changes, and palmoplantar lesions were associated with significantly higher DLQI scores. Periungual inflammation and palmoplantar lesions scored the highest DLQI. CONCLUSION: We believe our findings can be helpful to clinicians in counseling and managing the patients undergoing anticancer therapy.
Antineoplastic Agents* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Counseling ; Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Dermatology ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Medical Records ; Pigmentation ; Pruritus ; Quality of Life* ; Skin*

BACKGROUND: Invasive bacterial infections in apparently immunocompetent children were retrospectively analyzed to figure causative bacterial organisms in Korea. METHODS: A total of 947 cases from 25 university hospitals were identified from 2006 to 2010 as a continuance of a previous 10-year period study from 1996 to 2005. RESULTS: Escherichia coli (41.3%), Streptococcus agalactiae (27.7%), and Staphylococcus aureus (27.1%) were the most common pathogens in infants < 3 months of age. S. agalactiae was the most prevalent cause of meningitis and pneumonia and E. coli was the major cause of bacteremia without localizing signs in this group. In children 3 to 59 months of age, Streptococcus pneumoniae (54.2%), S. aureus (20.5%), and Salmonella spp. (14.4%) were the most common pathogens. S. pneumoniae was the leading cause of pneumonia (86.0%), meningitis (65.0%), and bacteremia without localizing signs (49.0%) in this group. In children ≥ 5 years of age, S. aureus (62.8%) was the predominant pathogen, followed by Salmonella species (12.4%) and S. pneumoniae (11.5%). Salmonella species (43.0%) was the most common cause of bacteremia without localizing signs in this group. The relative proportion of S. aureus increased significantly over the 15-year period (1996–2010) in children ≥ 3 months of age (P < 0.001), while that of Haemophilus influenzae decreased significantly in both < 3 months of age group (P = 0.036) and ≥ 3 months of age groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: S. agalactiae, E. coli, S. pneumoniae, and S. aureus are common etiologic agents of invasive bacterial infections in Korean children.
Bacteremia ; Bacterial Infections ; Child ; Epidemiology ; Escherichia coli ; Haemophilus influenzae ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Meningitis ; Pneumonia ; Retrospective Studies ; Salmonella ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Streptococcus pneumoniae

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the technical feasibility of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with the major portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). METHODS: Ten institutions affiliated with the Korean Stereotactic Radiosurgery Group were provided the contours of four cases: the first case was the first branch PVTT with sufficient normal liver volume (NLV), the second was the first branch PVTT with insufficient NLV, the third was the main trunk PVTT at confluence level, and the fourth was the main trunk PVTT with entire length. The institutions were asked to make SBRT plans according to their current treatment protocols and to complete facility questionnaires. RESULTS: Based on institutional protocols, SBRT was feasible in nine institutions for the first case (32–60 Gy in 3–5 fractions), in eight institutions for the second case (32–50 Gy in 3–5 fractions), in seven institutions for the third case (35–60 Gy in 3–5 fractions), and in four institutions for the fourth case (35–42 Gy in 4–5 fractions). The other institutions recommended hypo- or conventional fractionation due to insufficient NLV or gastrointestinal organ proximity. With analysis of the SBRT dose to the central hepatobiliary tract, the major PVTT could theoretically be associated with a high risk of hepatobiliary toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Although SBRT is a technically feasible option for HCC with the major PVTT, there was a variability among the participating institutions. Therefore, further studies will be necessary to standardize the practice of SBRT for the major PVTT.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Clinical Protocols ; Liver ; Portal Vein ; Radiosurgery ; Thrombosis