Background: With accumulating evidence that achieving a 90% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score (PASI90) has better correlation with improved healthrelated quality of life as compared to PASI75 achievement, there has been demand for establishing new treatment goals for psoriasis. Objective: We investigated whether the short-term PASI90 achievement would predict longer drug survival as compared to PASI75 achievement. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study reviewed 180 treatment series in 128 patients with plaque psoriasis, who were treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (n=12), ustekinumab (n=88), secukinumab (n=23), guselkumab (n=45), and ixekizumab (n=12). The first effectiveness assessment, usually performed within 12 to 20 weeks, was considered a short-term treatment response to biologics. Results: After adjustment for covariates, time-dependent Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that moderate responders (short-term achievement of ≥PASI75 but Conclusion The short-term PASI90 achievement is a better predictor of longer drug survival as compared to PASI75 achievement.

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy for the treatment of dry eye with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for 124 eyes of 62 patients with dry eye with MGD who underwent 3 IPL sessions at 3 week intervals. All patients underwent clinical examination before and during treatment as well as 3 weeks after the last treatment. Measured parameters include Meibomian gland expressibility (MGE), Meibomian gland secretion (MGS) score, tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive break-time (NIBUT), corneal staining score (Oxford scale), Ocular Surface Diseases Index (OSDI), and subjective ocular discomfort improvement. Results: Meibomian gland function (MGE, MGS), ocular surface parameters (NIBUT, Oxford scale) and dry eye symptom (OSDI, subjective ocular discomfort improvement) of patients were significantly improved from baseline to after the 1st IPL, and the 3rd IPL weeks (p < 0.05 for all). However, no significant difference in TMH was observed. Conclusions This study showed that IPL was a useful and effective treatment in patients of dry eye with MGD to stabilizes the tear film and improve meibomian gland function and ocular symptoms.

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy for the treatment of dry eye with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for 124 eyes of 62 patients with dry eye with MGD who underwent 3 IPL sessions at 3 week intervals. All patients underwent clinical examination before and during treatment as well as 3 weeks after the last treatment. Measured parameters include Meibomian gland expressibility (MGE), Meibomian gland secretion (MGS) score, tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive break-time (NIBUT), corneal staining score (Oxford scale), Ocular Surface Diseases Index (OSDI), and subjective ocular discomfort improvement. Results: Meibomian gland function (MGE, MGS), ocular surface parameters (NIBUT, Oxford scale) and dry eye symptom (OSDI, subjective ocular discomfort improvement) of patients were significantly improved from baseline to after the 1st IPL, and the 3rd IPL weeks (p < 0.05 for all). However, no significant difference in TMH was observed. Conclusions This study showed that IPL was a useful and effective treatment in patients of dry eye with MGD to stabilizes the tear film and improve meibomian gland function and ocular symptoms.

Background: Factors other than efficacy and safety could influence the survival of biologics in patients with psoriasis. Little is known about whether different disease groups affect drug survival of biologics or not. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether the availability of alternative biologics and disease groups could influence drug survival of biologics approved for psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis (PsA). Methods: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Health Insurance and Review Assessment data in Korea between January 2009 and August 2019. Results: The drug survival analysis included 5,634 biologic episodes. Ustekinumab was the most frequently prescribed drug (n=2,488, 44.2%). Multivariable time-dependent Cox regression analysis showed that higher age, female sex, no comorbidity, concomitant cyclosporine or acitretin use, biologic-experienced and use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors were predictors of drug discontinuation. PsA was a predictor of drug persistence, particularly for TNF-α inhibitors. Ustekinumab and adalimumab discontinuation significantly increased after introducing secukinumab and ustekinumab, respectively. Conclusion The availability of alternative biologics and disease groups affect biologic drug survival in patients with psoriasis and PsA.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biomechanical effects of a newly proposed Interspinous Process Compressor (IPC) and compare with pedicle screw fixation at surgical and adjacent levels of lumbar spine. METHODS: A three dimensional finite element model of intact lumbar spine was constructed and two spinal fusion models using pedicle screw fixation system and a new type of interspinous devices, IPC, were developed. The biomechanical effects such as range of motion (ROM) and facet contact force were analyzed at surgical level (L3/4) and adjacent levels (L2/3, L4/5). In addition, the stress in adjacent intervertebral discs (D2, D4) was investigated. RESULTS: The entire results show biomechanical parameters such as ROM, facet contact force, and stress in adjacent intervertebral discs were similar between PLIF and IPC models in all motions based on the assumption that the implants were perfectly fused with the spine. CONCLUSION: The newly proposed fusion device, IPC, had similar fusion effect at surgical level, and biomechanical effects at adjacent levels were also similar with those of pedicle screw fixation system. However, for clinical applications, real fusion effect between spinous process and hooks, duration of fusion, and influence on spinous process need to be investigated through clinical study.
Finite Element Analysis ; Intervertebral Disc ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Methods* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Spinal Fusion* ; Spine

This study aimed to investigate current therapeutic strategies for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants in Korea. A total of 2,254 VLBW infants among 2,386 from Korean Neonatal Network cohort born from January 2013 to June 2014 were included. No PDA was seen for 1,206 infants (53.5%) and the infants diagnosed or treated for PDA were 1,048 infants (46.5%). The proportion of infants with PDA was decreased according to the increase in gestational age (GA) and birthweight. Infants with PDA were divided into groups according to the therapeutic strategies of PDA: prophylactic treatment (PT, n = 69, 3.1%), pre-symptomatic treatment (PST, n = 212, 9.4%), symptomatic treatment (ST, n = 596, 26.4%), and conservative treatment (CT, n = 171, 7.6%). ST was the most preferred treatment modality for preterm PDA and the proportion of the patients was decreased in the order of PST, CT, and PT. Although ST was still the most favored treatment in GA < 24 weeks group, CT was more preferred than PST or ST when compared with GA > or = 32 weeks group [CT vs. PST, OR 5.3, 95% CI 1.56-18.18; CT vs. ST, OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.03-8.13]. A total of 877 infants (38.9%) received pharmacological or surgical treatment about PDA, and 35.5% (801 infants) received pharmacological treatment, mostly with ibuprofen. Seventy-six infants (3.4%) received primary ligation and 8.9% (201 infants) received secondary ligation. Diverse treatment strategies are currently used for preterm PDA in Korea. Further analyses of neonatal outcomes according to the treatment strategies are necessary to obtain a standardized treatment guideline for preterm PDA.
Cohort Studies ; Databases, Factual ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/surgery/*therapy ; Echocardiography ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Ibuprofen/therapeutic use ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/analysis ; Republic of Korea

Background: and Purpose We performed a population-based study to determine the prevalence and incidence of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in South Korea using data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database. Methods: Data recorded in the HIRA database between January 2016 and December 2020 were analyzed. The inclusion criteria in this study for patients with CIDP were a diagnostic code of G61.8 in the seventh and eighth revision of the Korean Standard Classification of Disease and a >3-month history of oral immunosuppressant use. The age-adjusted incidence rate and prevalence of CIDP in South Korea were also analyzed. Results: CIDP was newly diagnosed in 953 patients during the study period. The mean age at diagnosis was 58.36 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.74. The age-adjusted incidence rates were 0.22, 0.21, 0.23, 0.30, and 0.25 per 100,000 person-years in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The age-adjusted prevalence was estimated at 1.16 per 100,000 persons in 2020. Age and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index were associated with the in-hospital mortality of patients with CIDP. Infection and cardiovascular disease (CVD) were also significantly associated with the in-hospital mortality of those patients. Acute-onset CIDP was initially diagnosed in an estimated 101 out of 953 patients with CIDP. Conclusions The prevalence and incidence rates of CIDP in South Korea were comparable between this nationwide cohort study and previous studies. Common comorbidities such as CVD and diabetes should be appropriately monitored in patients with CIDP to prevent a poor prognosis and socioeconomic burden.

Purpose: High breast cancer incidence and dense breast prevalence among women in forties are specific to Asian. This study examined the natural history of breast cancer among Korean women. Materials and Methods: We applied a three-state Markov model (i.e., healthy, preclinical, and clinical state) to fit the natural history of breast cancer to data in the Korean National Cancer Screening Program. Breast cancer was ascertained by linkage to the Korean Central Cancer Registry. Disease-progression rates (i.e., transition rates between three states), mean sojourn time (MST) and mammographic sensitivity were estimated across 10-year age groups and levels of breast density determined by the Breast Imaging, Reporting and Data System. Results: Overall prevalence of dense breast was 53.9%. Transition rate from healthy to preclinical state, indicating the preclinical incidence of breast cancer, was higher among women in forties (0.0019; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0017 to 0.0021) and fifties (0.0020; 95% CI, 0.0017 to 0.0022), than women in sixties (0.0014; 95% CI, 0.0012 to 0.0017). The MSTs, in which the tumor is asymptomatic but detectable by screening, were also fastest among younger age groups, estimated as 1.98 years (95% CI, 1.67 to 2.33), 2.49 years (95% CI, 1.92 to 3.22), and 3.07 years (95% CI, 2.11 to 4.46) for women in forties, fifties, and sixties, respectively. Having dense breasts increased the likelihood of the preclinical cancer risk (1.96 to 2.35 times) and decreased the duration of MST (1.53 to 2.02 times). Conclusion This study estimated Korean-specific natural history parameters of breast cancer that would be utilized for establishing optimal screening strategies in countries with higher dense breast prevalence.

Single-cell omics technologies have transformed our investigation of genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic landscapes at the individual cell level. In particular, the application of single-cell RNA sequencing has unveiled the complex transcriptional variations inherent in cardiac cells, offering valuable perspectives into their dynamics. This review focuses on the integration of single-cell omics with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in the context of cardiovascular research, offering a unique avenue to deepen our understanding of cardiac biology. By synthesizing insights from various single-cell technologies, we aim to elucidate the molecular intricacies of heart health and diseases. Beyond current methodologies, we explore the potential of emerging paradigms such as single-cell/spatial omics, delving into their capacity to reveal the spatial organization of cellular components within cardiac tissues. Furthermore, we anticipate their transformative role in shaping the future of cardiovascular research. This review aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field, offering a comprehensive perspective on the synergistic potential of transcriptomic analyses, iPSC applications, and the evolving frontier of spatial omics.