Objective: Cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/R) lead to whole-body ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury, causing multiple organ dysfunction, including ischemic spinal cord injury. The thoracic spinal cord levels are crucial for maintaining the sympathetic functions vital for life. This study examined blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) leakage and astrocyte endfeet (AEF) disruption and their effects on survival, physiological variables, and neuronal damage/death in the intermediate zone (IMZ) at the seventh thoracic spinal cord level after asphyxial CA/R in rats. Methods: The rats underwent whole-body IR injury by asphyxial CA/R. Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted to assess the cumulative survival post-CA/R. The histological changes post-CA/R were evaluated using immunohistochemistry, histofluorescence, and double histofluorescence. Results: No significant differences in body weight, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate were found between the sham and CA/R groups post-CA/R. The survival rates in the CA/R group at 12, 24, and 48 hours were 62.58%, 36.37%, and 7.8%, respectively. Neuronal loss and BSCB leakage began 12 hours post-CA/R, increasing with time. Reactive astrogliosis appeared at 12 hours and increased, while AEF disruption around blood vessels was evident at 48 hours. Conclusion The survival rate declined significantly by 48 hours post-CA/R. Neuronal loss and BSCB leakage in the thoracic spinal cord IMZ was evident at 12 hours and significant by 48 hours, aligning with AEF disruption. Neuronal loss in the thoracic spinal cord IMZ post-CA/R may be related to BSCB leakage and AEF disruption.

Background: and Purpose Treatments for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) such as eculizumab, ravulizumab, satralizumab, and inebilizumab have significantly advanced relapse prevention, but they remain expensive. Rituximab is an off-label yet popular alternative that offers a cost-effective solution, but its real-world efficacy needs better quantification for guiding the application of newer approved NMOSD treatments (ANTs). This study aimed to determine real-world rituximab failure rates to anticipate the demand for ANTs and aid in resource allocation. Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective study involving 605 aquaporin-4-antibody-positive NMOSD patients from 22 centers in South Korea that assessed the efficacy and safety of rituximab over a median follow-up of 47 months. Results: The 605 patients treated with rituximab included 525 (87%) who received continuous therapy throughout the follow-up period (median=47 months, interquartile range=15–87 months). During this period, 117 patients (19%) experienced at least 1 relapse. Notably, 68 of these patients (11% of the total cohort) experienced multiple relapses or at least 1 severe relapse.Additionally, 2% of the patients discontinued rituximab due to adverse events, which included severe infusion reactions, neutropenia, and infections. Conclusions This study has confirmed the efficacy of rituximab in treating NMOSD, as evidenced by an 87% continuation rate among patients over a 4-year follow-up period. Nevertheless, the occurrence of at least one relapse in 19% of the cohort, including 11% who experienced multiple or severe relapses, and a 2% discontinuation rate due to adverse events highlight the urgent need for alternative therapeutic options.

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.

We describe the updated Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology (KSGO) practice guideline for the management of cervical cancer, version 5.1. The KSGO announced the fifth version of its clinical practice guidelines for the management of cervical cancer in March 2024. The selection of the key questions and the systematic reviews were based on data available up to December 2022. Between 2023 and 2024, substantial findings from large-scale clinical trials and new advancements in cervical cancer research remarkably emerged. Therefore, based on the existing version 5.0, we updated the guidelines with newly accumulated clinical data and added 4 new key questions reflecting the latest insights in the field of cervical cancer. For each question, recommendation was formulated with corresponding level of evidence and grade of recommendation, all established through expert consensus.

Objective: The long-term efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy, emphasizing single-session RFA, and identify the factors associated with cases requiring additional RFA sessions to achieve a comparable volume reduction rates (VRR). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated benign thyroid nodules treated with RFA between 2008 and 2018.Treatment efficacy at the 5- and 10-year follow-ups was analyzed. Additionally, subgroup analysis comparing technique efficacy, such as the final VRR, between the single- and multi-session RFA groups was performed. Continuous variables were analyzed using the two-sample t-test or Mann–Whitney U test, and categorical variables were analyzed using the Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 267 nodules from 237 patients (age: 46.3 ± 15.0 years; female: 210/237 [88.6%]) were included. Of these, 60 were analyzed for the 5-year follow-up (mean follow-up duration ± standard deviation: 5.8 ± 0.4 years) and 29 for the 10-year follow-up (10.9 ± 0.9 years). Single-session RFA showed a median VRR of 95.7% (5th year) and 98.8% (10th year), while multi-session RFA showed comparable median VRRs of 97.4% (5th year) and 96.9% (10th year). The vascularity type, demographic factors, nodular components, and locations did not significantly differ between the single-session and multisession RFA groups. However, nodules with pre-RFA volume <10 mL were more prevalent in the single-session RFA group than in the multi-session RFA group (5th year: 64.3% [18/28] vs. 34.4% [11/32], P = 0.040; 10th year: 75.0% [12/16] vs. 23.1% [3/13], P = 0.016). Conclusion Single-session RFA may be sufficient for achieving adequate volume reduction during long-term follow-up for small-volume benign thyroid nodules. A high VRR was maintained regardless of the nodular component, location, demographic factors, or vascularity type. However, large-volume nodules may require multiple RFA sessions to achieve a comparable VRR.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment modality used as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules, recurrent thyroid cancers (RTCs), and primary thyroid microcarcinomas. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) initially developed recommendations for the optimal use of RFA for thyroid tumors in 2009 and revised them in 2012 and 2017. As new meaningful evidence has accumulated since 2017 and in response to a growing global interest in the use of RFA for treating malignant thyroid lesions, the task force committee members of the KSThR decided to update the guidelines on the use of RFA for the management of RTCs based on a comprehensive analysis of current literature and expert consensus.