Background: and Purpose The National Brain Biobank of Korea (NBBK) is a brain bank consortium supported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Korea National Institute of Health, and was launched in 2015 to support research into neurodegenerative disease dementia (NDD). This study aimed to introduce the NBBK and describes clinicopathological correlations based on analyses of data collected from the NBBK. Methods: Four hospital-based brain banks have been established in South Korea: Samsung Medical Center Brain Bank (SMCBB), Seoul National University Hospital Brain Bank (SNUHBB), Pusan National University Hospital Brain Bank (PNUHBB), and Myongji Hospital Brain Bank (MJHBB). Clinical and pathological data were collected from these brain banks using standardized protocols. The prevalence rates of clinical and pathological diagnoses were analyzed in order to characterize the clinicopathological correlations. Results: Between August 2016 and December 2023, 185 brain specimens were collected and pathologically evaluated (SNUHBB: 117; PNUHBB: 27; SMCBB: 34; MJHBB: 7). The age at consent was 70.8±12.6 years, and the age at autopsy was 71.7±12.4 years. The four-most-common clinical diagnoses were Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia (20.0%), idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (15.1%), unspecified dementia (11.9%), and cognitively unimpaired (CU) (11.4%).Most cases of unspecified dementia had a pathological diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) vasculopathy (31.8%) or AD (31.8%). Remarkably, only 14.2% of CU cases had normal pathological findings. The three-most-common pathological diagnoses were AD (26.5%), CNS vasculopathy (14.1%), and Lewy body disease (13.5%). Conclusions These clinical and neuropathological findings provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying NDD in South Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes and current status of reduced-port laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (RLDG) compared with multiport laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (MLDG) based on a 2019 nationwide survey of surgical gastric cancer treatments by the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA). Materials and Methods: The study was conducted retrospectively from March to December 2020 using data from the 2019 KGCA nationwide survey database. To compare RLDG and MLDG based on age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, histological type, tumor invasion, and lymph node metastasis, propensity score matching was performed. Results: Of the 14,076 registered patients with gastric cancer, the five-port approach was the most favored for multiport gastrectomy, accounting for 6,396 (70.9%) cases, followed by the four-port approach, with 1,462 (16.2%) cases. The single-port approach was used in 303 (3.4%) cases, the two-port approach in 95 (1.1%) cases, and the three-port approach in 731 (8.1%) cases. RLDG was performed in 805 patients (6.4%), MLDG was conducted in 4,831 patients (34.3%), and 804 patients were 1:1 matched in each group. The average operation time was shorter in the RLDG (168.2±49.1 min vs. 179.5±61.5 min, P<0.001). No significant difference was found in blood loss (84.8±115.9 cc vs. 75.5±119.6 cc, P=0.152), overall complication rates (11.3% vs. 13.1%, P=0.254), or complications ≥ to grade IIIa (3.2% vs. 4.4%, P=0.240). Conclusions This study revealed that RLDG is a safe and effective surgical option for gastric cancer with the potential to offer shorter operation times without increasing the risk of complications.

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.

Lecanemab and donanemab have received full U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, and subsequently, lecanemab has been approved by the Korean FDA and it has recently entered commercial use in Korea. This has increased interest in anti-amyloid immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease. Anti-amyloid immunotherapy has shown potential to modify the progression of the disease by specifically binding to amyloid β, a key pathological product in Alzheimer’s disease, and eliminating accumulated amyloid plaques in the brain. However, this treatment can be accompanied by a side-effect, amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which requires periodic monitoring by MRI. It is crucial to detect ARIA and accurately assess the severity by radiology. The role of the radiologist is important in this context, requiring proficiency in basic knowledge of ARIA, and in diagnosing/evaluating ARIA. This review aims to comprehensively cover aspects of ARIA, including its definition, pathophysiology, incidence, risk factors, assessment of severity by radiology, differential diagnosis, and management.

Objective: The quantitative assessment of spinal cord volume is still in the early stages of development. Recently, normative morphometric values of the cervical spinal cord have been reported. This study aimed to establish normative values for spinal cord morphometry, extending beyond the cervical region to include the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord, and to examine the influence of sex and ethnicity on these measurements. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 28 young, healthy, East Asian volunteers (14 males and 14 females;mean age, 30.14 ± 4.07 years) who underwent spinal cord MRI using a 3T scanner. The cross-sectional areas (CSAs), anteroposterior (AP) and transverse diameters, and compression ratios of the entire spinal cord were calculated. Additionally, the effects of sex and ethnicity on spinal cord volumetry were evaluated, with the influence of ethnicity assessed by comparing the findings with a Caucasian dataset from the PAM50 study. Results: The CSAs demonstrated two enlargements at the cervical and lumbar levels. The cervical enlargement at C4–5 exhibited an elliptical shape, while the lumbar enlargement at T12 appeared more circular. The CSAs and AP and transverse diameters of the spinal cords in males were significantly larger than that of females (P < 0.001). The spinal cord compression ratios in East Asians were significantly lower than those in Caucasians (P < 0.001). Conclusion This study revealed that the two spinal cord enlargements exhibit different patterns and suggest significant differences in spinal cord morphometric values according to sex and ethnicity.

The anticancer drugs have evolved significantly, spanning molecular targeted therapeutics (MTTs), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Complications associated with these drugs vary widely based on their mechanisms of action. MTTs that target angiogenesis can often lead to complications related to ischemia or endothelial damage across various organs, whereas non-anti-angiogenic MTTs present unique complications derived from their specific pharmacological actions. ICIs are predominantly associated with immunerelated adverse events, such as pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, thyroid disorders, hypophysitis, and sarcoid-like reactions. CAR-T therapy causes unique and severe complications including cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome. ADCs tend to cause complications associated with cytotoxic payloads. A comprehensive understanding of these drug-specific toxicities, particularly using medical imaging, is essential for providing optimal patient care. Based on this knowledge, radiologists can play a pivotal role in multidisciplinary teams. Therefore, radiologists must stay up-to-date on the imaging characteristics of these complications and the mechanisms underlying novel anticancer drugs.

Clinical trials for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy are in the early stages but are expected to progress alongside new treatment approaches. This suggests that imaging will play an important role in monitoring disease progression, treatment response, and treatment-related side effects. There are, however, challenges that remain unresolved, regarding imaging in CAR T-cell therapy. We herein discuss the role of imaging, focusing on how tumor response evaluation varies according to cancer type and target antigens in CAR T-cell therapy. CAR T-cell therapy often produces rapid and significant responses, and imaging is vital for identifying side effects such as cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. Radiologists should be aware of drug mechanisms, response assessments, and associated toxicities to effectively support these therapies. Additionally, this article highlights the importance of the Lugano criteria, which is essential for standardized assessment of treatment response, particularly in lymphoma therapies, and also explores other factors influencing imaging-based evaluation, including emerging methodologies and their potential to improve the accuracy and consistency of response assessments.

Objective: The quantitative assessment of spinal cord volume is still in the early stages of development. Recently, normative morphometric values of the cervical spinal cord have been reported. This study aimed to establish normative values for spinal cord morphometry, extending beyond the cervical region to include the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord, and to examine the influence of sex and ethnicity on these measurements. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 28 young, healthy, East Asian volunteers (14 males and 14 females;mean age, 30.14 ± 4.07 years) who underwent spinal cord MRI using a 3T scanner. The cross-sectional areas (CSAs), anteroposterior (AP) and transverse diameters, and compression ratios of the entire spinal cord were calculated. Additionally, the effects of sex and ethnicity on spinal cord volumetry were evaluated, with the influence of ethnicity assessed by comparing the findings with a Caucasian dataset from the PAM50 study. Results: The CSAs demonstrated two enlargements at the cervical and lumbar levels. The cervical enlargement at C4–5 exhibited an elliptical shape, while the lumbar enlargement at T12 appeared more circular. The CSAs and AP and transverse diameters of the spinal cords in males were significantly larger than that of females (P < 0.001). The spinal cord compression ratios in East Asians were significantly lower than those in Caucasians (P < 0.001). Conclusion This study revealed that the two spinal cord enlargements exhibit different patterns and suggest significant differences in spinal cord morphometric values according to sex and ethnicity.