Purpose: This study aimed to report the real-world outcomes of intravesical gemcitabine for bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG)–unresponsive, high-risk, non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (HR-NMIBC) in Korean patients who were unable or unwilling to undergo radical cystectomy (RC). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 131 patients (median age, 69 years; 88.5% men) treated with intravesical gemcitabine for BCG-unresponsive HR-NMIBC at nine centers between May 2019 and April 2022. The primary endpoint was 1-year recurrence-free survival (RFS). The secondary endpoints included factors influencing RFS, progression-free survival (PFS), cystectomy- free survival, cancer-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), and safety. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and risk factors for recurrence were assessed using Cox regression models. Results: Patients were followed up for a median duration of 25 months, with carcinoma in situ (CIS) in 41.9% of the patients. The 1-year and 2-year RFS rates were 68% and 42%, while the 1-year and 2-year PFS rates were 87% and 77%, respectively. No significant factors influencing RFS were identified. Seventeen patients underwent RC during a median follow-up of 16 months, with the condition in three patients progressing to muscle-invasive disease on final pathological analysis. The 2-year CSS and OS rates were 98% and 97%, respectively. Intravesical gemcitabine was well-tolerated, with only seven patients (5.3%) unable to complete the full induction course. Conclusion Our research highlights the potential of intravesical gemcitabine as a viable bladder-sparing treatment option for BCG-unresponsive HR-NMIBC, providing real-world evidence on its safety, efficacy, and tolerability.

Snapping sensations in fingers commonly lead to diagnoses of trigger finger, usually attributed to A1 pulley pathology. However, less common etiologies can present challenges in accurate diagnosis and management. Here, we present a 70-year-old woman with right middle finger snapping, initially diagnosed as trigger finger but unresponsive to corticosteroid injection at the A1 pulley. Physical examination revealed snapping during right third proximal interphalangeal joint flexion. Ultrasound imaging revealed the lateral band’s anomalous movement during flexion, confirming the diagnosis. Conservative management was chosen due to the patient’s preference and mild symptoms. This case highlights the importance of considering uncommon causes of finger snapping and underscores the value of ultrasound in diagnosis, contributing to enhanced clinical recognition and utility of ultrasound for such rare pathologies.

Snapping sensations in fingers commonly lead to diagnoses of trigger finger, usually attributed to A1 pulley pathology. However, less common etiologies can present challenges in accurate diagnosis and management. Here, we present a 70-year-old woman with right middle finger snapping, initially diagnosed as trigger finger but unresponsive to corticosteroid injection at the A1 pulley. Physical examination revealed snapping during right third proximal interphalangeal joint flexion. Ultrasound imaging revealed the lateral band’s anomalous movement during flexion, confirming the diagnosis. Conservative management was chosen due to the patient’s preference and mild symptoms. This case highlights the importance of considering uncommon causes of finger snapping and underscores the value of ultrasound in diagnosis, contributing to enhanced clinical recognition and utility of ultrasound for such rare pathologies.

Snapping sensations in fingers commonly lead to diagnoses of trigger finger, usually attributed to A1 pulley pathology. However, less common etiologies can present challenges in accurate diagnosis and management. Here, we present a 70-year-old woman with right middle finger snapping, initially diagnosed as trigger finger but unresponsive to corticosteroid injection at the A1 pulley. Physical examination revealed snapping during right third proximal interphalangeal joint flexion. Ultrasound imaging revealed the lateral band’s anomalous movement during flexion, confirming the diagnosis. Conservative management was chosen due to the patient’s preference and mild symptoms. This case highlights the importance of considering uncommon causes of finger snapping and underscores the value of ultrasound in diagnosis, contributing to enhanced clinical recognition and utility of ultrasound for such rare pathologies.

Snapping sensations in fingers commonly lead to diagnoses of trigger finger, usually attributed to A1 pulley pathology. However, less common etiologies can present challenges in accurate diagnosis and management. Here, we present a 70-year-old woman with right middle finger snapping, initially diagnosed as trigger finger but unresponsive to corticosteroid injection at the A1 pulley. Physical examination revealed snapping during right third proximal interphalangeal joint flexion. Ultrasound imaging revealed the lateral band’s anomalous movement during flexion, confirming the diagnosis. Conservative management was chosen due to the patient’s preference and mild symptoms. This case highlights the importance of considering uncommon causes of finger snapping and underscores the value of ultrasound in diagnosis, contributing to enhanced clinical recognition and utility of ultrasound for such rare pathologies.

Purpose: The Korean Renal Cancer Study Group (KRoCS) provides consensus recommendations on the role of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CRN) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Materials and Methods: A group of mRCC experts from the Korean Urological Oncology Society convened at the 2021 KRoCS meeting on CRN for mRCC. Results: The consensus document was developed to address 4 questions related that were judged to be the most relevant to patient care: (1) Is there a role for CRN in patients planning targeted therapy? (2) Is there a role for CRN in patients planning immuno-oncology agents? (3) When is the optimal time of CRN in patients planning systemic treatment? (4) What is the ideal patient selection for CRN? The panelists have come up with following consensus. For mRCC patients, CRN should be considered only in those with IMDC (International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium) favorable and intermediate risk disease, regardless of the systemic treatment plans. Timing of CRN should consider the risk group as well as the number of risk factors, but is generally recommended for after assessing the degree of response to initial systemic treatment. Patients with good performance status, limited metastatic burden on top of resectable primary tumor are candidates recommended for CRN with or without metastasectomy with priority. Conclusions In conclusion, there is still a role for CRN in the multimodality treatment of mRCC. Careful patient selection is of paramount importance. As the treatment landscape of mRCC continues to change, the role of CRN in the current immuno-oncology era will require more exploration.

Transforaminal cervical epidural steroid injection (TFCESI) is widely used as conservative treatment for cervical radiculopathy, but severe complications associated with this procedure have been reported. This report was the first case of intramedullary spinal cord hemorrhage following TFCESI. A 67-year-old woman presented with weakness and sensory disturbance in left upper extremity after TFCESI. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging revealed intramedullary spinal cord hemorrhage accompanied by myelopathy at the C2∼C5 level. The patient was administered intravenous methylprednisolone daily (1,000 mg/8 hours) for 5 days and was subsequently transferred to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine for rehabilitation therapy. A month later, the patient’s neurological impairment partially improved. Although TFCESI is rarely associated with major complications, physicians should be cautious when performing the procedure, and remain mindful of the potentially serious complications.

During the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 virus outbreak in Korea, a dog in layer farm contaminated by H5N8 was reported seropositive for HPAI H5N8. To investigate the possibility of adaptation and transmission of HPAI H5N8 to dogs, we experimentally inoculated dogs with H5N8. Viral genes were weakly detected in nasal swabs and seroconversions in inoculated and contact dogs. Although the H5N8 virus did not induced severe clinical signs to dogs, the results suggest that surveillance of farm dogs should continue as a species in which the avian influenza virus may acquire infectivity to mammals through frequent contact with the virus.
Agriculture ; Animal Experimentation ; Animals ; Dogs* ; Genes, Viral ; Influenza in Birds* ; Korea ; Mammals ; Seroconversion ; Virulence

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinicopathologic and oncological outcomes of advanced metastatic testicular cancer in Korean men who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) following chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of 26 patients with testicular cancer who underwent RPLND after chemotherapy at 2 hospitals in Korea between September 2004 and June 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical and histopathological variables such as stage of the testicular cancer, age of the patients during surgery, size of the retroperitoneal lymph nodes (RPLNs), histopathological results, duration and complications related to the surgery, cancer recurrence, and mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: During testicular surgery, the T stage was pT1, pT2, and pT3 in 50% (n=13), 26.9% (n=7), and 15.3% (n=4) of the patients, respectively. Mixed germ cell tumor was the most common finding, seen in 73.1% (n=19) of patients. The indications for RPLND were residual lymph nodes after chemotherapy, 84.6% (n=22); and disease progression and remission, 7.7% (n=2). Pathological analysis revealed viable tumors in 19.2% of patients (n=5), necrotic/fibrotic tissue in 42.3% (n=11), and teratoma in 34.6% (n=9). Intraoperative and postoperative complications occurred in 23.1% (n=6) and 19.2% of patients (n=5). The median duration of follow-up was 27.5 months (interquartile range, 1.3–108.2 months); 11.5% (n=3) patients had recurrence, and 3.8% (n=1) died of progressive metastatic testicular cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Viable germ cell tumors were present in 19.2% of patients with testicular cancer who underwent RPLND after chemotherapy. This is the first study of its kind in the Korean population.
Disease Progression ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Node Excision* ; Lymph Nodes* ; Male ; Mortality ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Teratoma ; Testicular Neoplasms*

Newcastle disease viruses (NDVs) cause systemic diseases in chickens with high mortality. However, little is known about persistence of NDVs in contaminated tissues from infected birds. In this study, we examined viral replication in the feather pulp of chickens inoculated with viscerotropic velogenic NDV (vvNDV) genotype VII. Reverse transcription real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to investigate viral persistence in the samples. vvNDV was detected in the oropharynx and cloaca and viral antigens were detected in the feathers, suggesting that feathers act as sources of viral transmission.
Animals ; Antigens, Viral/analysis ; Chickens ; Cloaca/virology ; Feathers/*virology ; Microbial Viability ; Newcastle Disease/transmission/*virology ; Newcastle disease virus/isolation & purification/*physiology ; Oropharynx/virology ; Poultry Diseases/transmission/*virology ; Virus Replication/*physiology