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.

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.

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.

Chronic constipation is one of the most common digestive diseases encountered in clinical practice. Constipation manifests as a variety of symptoms, such as infrequent bowel movements, hard stools, feeling of incomplete evacuation, straining at defecation, a sense of anorectal blockage during defecation, and use of digital maneuvers to assist defecation. During the diagnosis of chronic constipation, the Bristol Stool Form Scale, colonoscopy, and a digital rectal examination are useful for objective symptom evaluation and differential diagnosis of secondary constipation. Physiological tests for functional constipation have complementary roles and are recommended for patients who have failed to respond to treatment with available laxatives and those who are strongly suspected of having a defecatory disorder. As new evidence on the diagnosis and management of functional constipation emerged, the need to revise the previous guideline was suggested. Therefore, these evidence-based guidelines have proposed recommendations developed using a systematic review and meta-analysis of the treatment options available for functional constipation. The benefits and cautions of new pharmacological agents (such as lubiprostone and linaclotide) and conventional laxatives have been described through a meta-analysis. The guidelines consist of 34 recommendations, including 3 concerning the definition and epidemiology of functional constipation, 9 regarding diagnoses, and 22 regarding managements. Clinicians (including primary physicians, general health professionals, medical students, residents, and other healthcare professionals) and patients can refer to these guidelines to make informed decisions regarding the management of functional constipation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between the aqueous concentrations of cytokines, chemokine, VEGF and the severity of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. METHODS: Sixty eyes with diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, and 10 eyes of nondiabetic subjects were followed for 6 months. The aqueous levels of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors were measured. The aqueous levels of cytokines were investigated according to the severity of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. RESULTS: The aqueous levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MCP-1, and VEGF were elevated according to the severity of diabetic retinopathy. The aqueous levels of IL-13 were higher in eyes of diabetic patients than in eyes of nondiabetic subjects, but there were no statistically significant difference between diabetic retinopathy and nondiabetic subjects. The aqueous levels of IL-6, MCP-1, and VEGF were positively correlated with central macular thickness in eyes with diabetic macular edema. CONCLUSIONS: The aqueous levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MCP-1, and VEGF were correlated with the severity of diabetic retinopathy. The aqueous levels of IL-6, MCP-1, and VEGF were positively correlated with the severity of macular edema.
Anterior Chamber ; Cytokines ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Eye ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-13 ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukin-8 ; Macular Edema ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

PURPOSE: To report a case of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy treated with an intravitreal injection of 2.5 mg of bevacizumab. CASE SUMMARY: A 38-year-old male complained of visual disturbance in the right eye. He had a history of central serous chorioretinopathy which improved without treatment. Since the patient did not feel any ocular discomfort, he did not visit our clinic for approximately 11 months. At the time of presentation, fundus examination revealed exudative retinal detachment involving the macular area. Additionally, fluorescein angiography revealed multiple early phase hyperfluorescent lesions. Neurosensory detachment around the macula and increased central macular thickness were also observed using optical coherence tomography. Under the diagnosis of chronic central serous chorioretinoapthy, the patient was treated with 2.5 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab. Visual acuity improved two months after treatment, with improvement in both neurosensory retinal detachment and fluorescein leakage. No changes were observed at the six-month follow-up.
Adult ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Central Serous Chorioretinopathy ; Eye ; Fluorescein ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Male ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinaldehyde ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity ; Bevacizumab

PURPOSE: The objectives of this study are to identify the brain centers whose activity changes are related to sexually arousing visual stimuli and to identify the difference between young and middle-aged males by mapping the brain activity with using blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten young heterosexual, right handed males with normal sexual function (mean age: 27 years, age range: 24 to 31) and ten middle-aged heterosexual, right handed males with normal sexual function (mean age: 52 years, age range: 46 to 55) were enrolled into this study. Real-time visual stimulation was performed with the subjects alternatively viewing erotic and non-erotic films to identify the activated brain regions associated with sexual response. Assessments with using a five-point scale were determined after visual stimulation to evaluate the subjective sexual arousal. Brain activity was mapped by performing BOLD-fMRI on a 1.5T MR scanner. After functional scanning, the high-resolution data was analyzed with the SPM analyzing program; the significance of activation was set at p<0.01 or p<0.001. RESULTS: The parietal lobe, frontal lobe, cingulate gyrus, caudate nucleus, thalamus and hypothalamus were noted as the areas of activation specifically associated with viewing the erotic film segments by the young males. For the middle-aged males, these areas were the parietal lobe, frontal lobe, right temporal lobe, cingulate gyrus and caudate nucleus. The thalamus and hypothalamus were activated in only the young males. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the non-activation of the hypothalamus and thalamus in middle-aged males may be associated with the lesser physiological arousal in response to the erotic visual stimuli. The non-invasive visualization of the central nervous system by functional MRI in healthy males has shown the possibility for evaluating the neuroanatomy of the brain that is associated with sexual arousal and its clinical application by comparing young and middle-aged males.
Arousal ; Brain* ; Caudate Nucleus ; Central Nervous System ; Frontal Lobe ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Hand ; Heterosexuality ; Humans ; Hypothalamus ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male* ; Neuroanatomy ; Oxygen ; Parietal Lobe ; Photic Stimulation ; Temporal Lobe ; Thalamus