BACKGROUND: Data on drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment in elderly patients are limited. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of DCB treatment in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) among elderly patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis included 232 patients aged 75 years or older with coronary artery disease who underwent successful PCI using either DCB alone or in combination with drug-eluting stent (DES) based on pre-dilation results (DCB-based PCI). These patients were compared with 1818 elderly patients who underwent second-generation DES implantation (DES-only PCI). The endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: In the DCB-based PCI, 61.2% of patients received DCB-only treatment. Compared to DES-only PCI, the DCB-based PCI group had fewer stents (0.5 ± 0.7 and 1.7 ± 0.8, P < 0.001), shorter stent lengths (13.3 ± 20.9 mm and 37.4 ± 23.0 mm, P < 0.001), and lower usage of small stents with a diameter of 2.5 mm or less (15.6% and 28.7%, P = 0.010). The DCB-based PCI group exhibited lower rate of MACE (5.5% and 13.1%, P = 0.003), target vessel revascularization (1.1% and 5.6%, P = 0.017) and major bleeding (0.7% and 5.1%, P = 0.009) at 2-year follow-up. The reduced risk in 2-year MACE was consistently observed across various matching procedures, with the most significant reduction noted in target vessel revascularization and major bleeding. CONCLUSION The DCB-based PCI reduced stent burden, particularly in the usage of small diameter stents, and was associated with lower risks of MACE, target vessel revascularization, and major bleeding compared to DES-only PCI in elderly patients.

Objective: Chordoma, a rare malignant tumor originating from embryonal notochord remnants, exhibits high resistance to conventional treatments, making surgical resection imperative. However, the factors influencing prognosis specifically for cervical spine chordoma have not been clearly identified. We investigate the prognosis of cervical spine chordoma with factors influential in a nationwide multicenter retrospective study. Methods: This study included all patients diagnosed with cervical spine chordoma at 7 tertiary referral centers from January 1998 to March 2023, excluding those with clivus and thoracic spine chordomas extending into the cervical spine. Local recurrence (LR) was identified through follow-up magnetic resonance imaging, either as reappearance in completely resected tumors or regrowth in residual tumors. The study assessed LR and overall survival, analyzing factors influencing LR and death. Results: Forty-five patients with cervical spine chordoma had a mean age of 46.4 years. Over a median follow-up of 52 months, LR and distant metastasis were observed in 21 (46.7%) and 4 patients (8.9%), respectively, and 16 patients (36%) were confirmed dead. The 5-year and 10-year cumulative LR rates were 51.3% and 60%, respectively, while the 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 82% and 53%. Age was the only significant factor affecting mortality (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.07; p=0.015). Notably, the degree of resection and adjuvant therapy did not statistically significantly impact local tumor control and mortality. Conclusion This study, the largest multicenter retrospective analysis of cervical spine chordoma in Korea, identified age as the only factor significantly affecting patient survival.

Objective: Chordoma, a rare malignant tumor originating from embryonal notochord remnants, exhibits high resistance to conventional treatments, making surgical resection imperative. However, the factors influencing prognosis specifically for cervical spine chordoma have not been clearly identified. We investigate the prognosis of cervical spine chordoma with factors influential in a nationwide multicenter retrospective study. Methods: This study included all patients diagnosed with cervical spine chordoma at 7 tertiary referral centers from January 1998 to March 2023, excluding those with clivus and thoracic spine chordomas extending into the cervical spine. Local recurrence (LR) was identified through follow-up magnetic resonance imaging, either as reappearance in completely resected tumors or regrowth in residual tumors. The study assessed LR and overall survival, analyzing factors influencing LR and death. Results: Forty-five patients with cervical spine chordoma had a mean age of 46.4 years. Over a median follow-up of 52 months, LR and distant metastasis were observed in 21 (46.7%) and 4 patients (8.9%), respectively, and 16 patients (36%) were confirmed dead. The 5-year and 10-year cumulative LR rates were 51.3% and 60%, respectively, while the 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 82% and 53%. Age was the only significant factor affecting mortality (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.07; p=0.015). Notably, the degree of resection and adjuvant therapy did not statistically significantly impact local tumor control and mortality. Conclusion This study, the largest multicenter retrospective analysis of cervical spine chordoma in Korea, identified age as the only factor significantly affecting patient survival.

This research aimed to evaluate the outcomes of autotransplantation in both children and adolescents, with a focus on root growth, and determine the clinical and radiographic factors associated with the success rate. In this study, 73 teeth, autogenously transplanted in 63 patients, were examined over an observation period of 3.2 years on average. The mean age at the time of autotransplantation was 11.9 years. Based on the radiographic criteria, the success rate was 73.97% and the survival rate was 100%. Based on the radiographic criteria, the success rate was 73.97%, and the survival rate was 100%. A significant increase in root length was observed in the transplanted teeth with an open apex. An association was found between the success rate and use of bone graft and surgeon experience. In conclusion, greater clinical experience in autotransplantation (> 36 cases) and prohibiting the use of bone grafts may improve the prognosis of the transplanted teeth in children and adolescents.

Background: In patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), sites of metastatic involvement have been reported to be associated with a difference in survival. However, the frequency and survival according to different sites of metastases in Korean patients with mRCC remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the frequency of metastatic site involvement and the association between sites of metastatic involvement and survival in Korean patients with mRCC. Methods: This retrospective study used the multicenter cohort of the Korean Renal Cancer Study Group mRCC database to identify patients who started targeted therapy between December 2005 and March 2018. Data on the frequency of metastatic organ involvement at the time of mRCC diagnosis and oncologic outcomes according to different sites of metastasis were analyzed. Results: A total of 1,761 patients were eligible for analysis. Of the 1,761 patients, 1,564 (88.8%) had clear cell RCC, and 1,040 (59.1%) had synchronous metastasis. The median number of metastasis sites was 2 (interquartile range [IQR], 1–6). The median age at the initiation of systemic therapy was 60 years (IQR, 29–88), 1,380 (78.4%) were men, and 1,341 (76.1%) underwent nephrectomy. Based on the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium model, patients were stratified into favorable-, intermediate-, and poor-risk groups with 359 (20.4%), 1,092 (62.0%), and 310 (17.6%) patients, respectively. The lung (70.9%), lymph nodes (37.9%), bone (30.7%), liver (12.7%), adrenal gland (9.8%), and brain (8.2%) were the most common sites of metastasis, followed by the pancreas, pleura, peritoneum, spleen, thyroid, and bowel. Among the most common sites of metastasis (> 5%), the median cancer-specific survival (CSS) ranged from 13.9 (liver) to 29.1 months (lung). An association was observed between liver, bone, and pleural metastases and the shortest median CSS (< 19 months). Conclusion In Korean patients with mRCC, metastases to the lung, lymph nodes, bone, liver, adrenal gland, and brain were more frequent than those to other organs. Metastases to the liver, bone, and pleura were associated with poor CSS. The findings of this study may be valuable for patient counseling and guiding future study designs.

Background: In patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), sites of metastatic involvement have been reported to be associated with a difference in survival. However, the frequency and survival according to different sites of metastases in Korean patients with mRCC remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the frequency of metastatic site involvement and the association between sites of metastatic involvement and survival in Korean patients with mRCC. Methods: This retrospective study used the multicenter cohort of the Korean Renal Cancer Study Group mRCC database to identify patients who started targeted therapy between December 2005 and March 2018. Data on the frequency of metastatic organ involvement at the time of mRCC diagnosis and oncologic outcomes according to different sites of metastasis were analyzed. Results: A total of 1,761 patients were eligible for analysis. Of the 1,761 patients, 1,564 (88.8%) had clear cell RCC, and 1,040 (59.1%) had synchronous metastasis. The median number of metastasis sites was 2 (interquartile range [IQR], 1–6). The median age at the initiation of systemic therapy was 60 years (IQR, 29–88), 1,380 (78.4%) were men, and 1,341 (76.1%) underwent nephrectomy. Based on the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium model, patients were stratified into favorable-, intermediate-, and poor-risk groups with 359 (20.4%), 1,092 (62.0%), and 310 (17.6%) patients, respectively. The lung (70.9%), lymph nodes (37.9%), bone (30.7%), liver (12.7%), adrenal gland (9.8%), and brain (8.2%) were the most common sites of metastasis, followed by the pancreas, pleura, peritoneum, spleen, thyroid, and bowel. Among the most common sites of metastasis (> 5%), the median cancer-specific survival (CSS) ranged from 13.9 (liver) to 29.1 months (lung). An association was observed between liver, bone, and pleural metastases and the shortest median CSS (< 19 months). Conclusion In Korean patients with mRCC, metastases to the lung, lymph nodes, bone, liver, adrenal gland, and brain were more frequent than those to other organs. Metastases to the liver, bone, and pleura were associated with poor CSS. The findings of this study may be valuable for patient counseling and guiding future study designs.

Objective: Chordoma, a rare malignant tumor originating from embryonal notochord remnants, exhibits high resistance to conventional treatments, making surgical resection imperative. However, the factors influencing prognosis specifically for cervical spine chordoma have not been clearly identified. We investigate the prognosis of cervical spine chordoma with factors influential in a nationwide multicenter retrospective study. Methods: This study included all patients diagnosed with cervical spine chordoma at 7 tertiary referral centers from January 1998 to March 2023, excluding those with clivus and thoracic spine chordomas extending into the cervical spine. Local recurrence (LR) was identified through follow-up magnetic resonance imaging, either as reappearance in completely resected tumors or regrowth in residual tumors. The study assessed LR and overall survival, analyzing factors influencing LR and death. Results: Forty-five patients with cervical spine chordoma had a mean age of 46.4 years. Over a median follow-up of 52 months, LR and distant metastasis were observed in 21 (46.7%) and 4 patients (8.9%), respectively, and 16 patients (36%) were confirmed dead. The 5-year and 10-year cumulative LR rates were 51.3% and 60%, respectively, while the 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 82% and 53%. Age was the only significant factor affecting mortality (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.07; p=0.015). Notably, the degree of resection and adjuvant therapy did not statistically significantly impact local tumor control and mortality. Conclusion This study, the largest multicenter retrospective analysis of cervical spine chordoma in Korea, identified age as the only factor significantly affecting patient survival.

In addition to cellular damage, ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury induces substantial damage to the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. In this study, we sought to determine whether impaired mitochondrial function owing to IR could be restored by transplanting mitochondria into the heart under ex vivo IR states. Additionally, we aimed to provide preliminary results to inform therapeutic options for ischemic heart disease (IHD). Healthy mitochondria isolated from autologous gluteus maximus muscle were transplanted into the hearts of Sprague–Dawley rats damaged by IR using the Langendorff system, and the heart rate and oxygen consumption capacity of the mitochondria were measured to confirm whether heart function was restored. In addition, relative expression levels were measured to identify the genes related to IR injury. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption capacity was found to be lower in the IR group than in the group that underwent mitochondrial transplantation after IR injury (p < 0.05), and the control group showed a tendency toward increased oxygen consumption capacity compared with the IR group. Among the genes related to fatty acid metabolism, Cpt1b (p < 0.05) and Fads1 (p < 0.01) showed significant expression in the following order: IR group, IR + transplantation group, and control group. These results suggest that mitochondrial transplantation protects the heart from IR damage and may be feasible as a therapeutic option for IHD.

Background: In patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), sites of metastatic involvement have been reported to be associated with a difference in survival. However, the frequency and survival according to different sites of metastases in Korean patients with mRCC remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the frequency of metastatic site involvement and the association between sites of metastatic involvement and survival in Korean patients with mRCC. Methods: This retrospective study used the multicenter cohort of the Korean Renal Cancer Study Group mRCC database to identify patients who started targeted therapy between December 2005 and March 2018. Data on the frequency of metastatic organ involvement at the time of mRCC diagnosis and oncologic outcomes according to different sites of metastasis were analyzed. Results: A total of 1,761 patients were eligible for analysis. Of the 1,761 patients, 1,564 (88.8%) had clear cell RCC, and 1,040 (59.1%) had synchronous metastasis. The median number of metastasis sites was 2 (interquartile range [IQR], 1–6). The median age at the initiation of systemic therapy was 60 years (IQR, 29–88), 1,380 (78.4%) were men, and 1,341 (76.1%) underwent nephrectomy. Based on the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium model, patients were stratified into favorable-, intermediate-, and poor-risk groups with 359 (20.4%), 1,092 (62.0%), and 310 (17.6%) patients, respectively. The lung (70.9%), lymph nodes (37.9%), bone (30.7%), liver (12.7%), adrenal gland (9.8%), and brain (8.2%) were the most common sites of metastasis, followed by the pancreas, pleura, peritoneum, spleen, thyroid, and bowel. Among the most common sites of metastasis (> 5%), the median cancer-specific survival (CSS) ranged from 13.9 (liver) to 29.1 months (lung). An association was observed between liver, bone, and pleural metastases and the shortest median CSS (< 19 months). Conclusion In Korean patients with mRCC, metastases to the lung, lymph nodes, bone, liver, adrenal gland, and brain were more frequent than those to other organs. Metastases to the liver, bone, and pleura were associated with poor CSS. The findings of this study may be valuable for patient counseling and guiding future study designs.