Rectal cancer, which accounts for approximately 40% of colorectal cancers, remains a major clinical concern. Recent advances in diagnostic imaging, surgical techniques, radiotherapy, and systemic treatment have steadily improved rectal cancer outcomes. Considering this, the Korean Rectal Cancer Multidisciplinary (KRCM) Committee has aimed to provide clinicians and policymakers with up-to-date, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to support optimal decision-making, reflecting current evidence, the Korean healthcare context, and patient values and preferences. The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rectal Cancer version 2.0 were developed through multidisciplinary collaboration with related academic societies, building upon and updating the KRCM Clinical Practice Guidelines version 1.0 (titled “Multidisciplinary guidelines for the management of rectal cancer”). These consensus guidelines of the KRCM were established based on a comprehensive literature review, evidence synthesis, with recommendation development guided by the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology, and consideration of applicability in real-world clinical practice under the national health insurance system. Each recommendation has been presented with its strength and level of evidence.

Basal cell adenocarcinoma, considered to be the malignant counterpart of basal cell adenoma, is a rare, low-grade malignant tumor of the salivary glands, accounting for 1-2% of salivary gland malignancies. It predominantly affects the parotid gland, while involvement of the minor salivary glands is exceptionally rare. This report presented a case of basal cell adenocarcinoma involving the left retromolar trigone in a 54-year-old woman. The initial provisional diagnosis suggested a benign or low-grade malignant salivary tumor. Advanced magnetic resonance imagingtechniques, including diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient analysis, aided in the preoperative prediction of malignancy, and an incisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of basal cell adenocarcinoma. This caseunderscored the challenge of distinguishing basal cell adenocarcinoma from benign salivary tumors, as clinical and imaging features often overlap. Surgical excision remains the primary treatment, yielding favorable outcomes;however, long-term follow-up is crucial due to the risk of recurrence.

Basal cell adenocarcinoma, considered to be the malignant counterpart of basal cell adenoma, is a rare, low-grade malignant tumor of the salivary glands, accounting for 1-2% of salivary gland malignancies. It predominantly affects the parotid gland, while involvement of the minor salivary glands is exceptionally rare. This report presented a case of basal cell adenocarcinoma involving the left retromolar trigone in a 54-year-old woman. The initial provisional diagnosis suggested a benign or low-grade malignant salivary tumor. Advanced magnetic resonance imagingtechniques, including diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient analysis, aided in the preoperative prediction of malignancy, and an incisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of basal cell adenocarcinoma. This caseunderscored the challenge of distinguishing basal cell adenocarcinoma from benign salivary tumors, as clinical and imaging features often overlap. Surgical excision remains the primary treatment, yielding favorable outcomes;however, long-term follow-up is crucial due to the risk of recurrence.

Basal cell adenocarcinoma, considered to be the malignant counterpart of basal cell adenoma, is a rare, low-grade malignant tumor of the salivary glands, accounting for 1-2% of salivary gland malignancies. It predominantly affects the parotid gland, while involvement of the minor salivary glands is exceptionally rare. This report presented a case of basal cell adenocarcinoma involving the left retromolar trigone in a 54-year-old woman. The initial provisional diagnosis suggested a benign or low-grade malignant salivary tumor. Advanced magnetic resonance imagingtechniques, including diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient analysis, aided in the preoperative prediction of malignancy, and an incisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of basal cell adenocarcinoma. This caseunderscored the challenge of distinguishing basal cell adenocarcinoma from benign salivary tumors, as clinical and imaging features often overlap. Surgical excision remains the primary treatment, yielding favorable outcomes;however, long-term follow-up is crucial due to the risk of recurrence.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the number of roots and type of root canals in maxillary first and secondpremolars within a selected Korean population utilizing cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Additionally, it sought to investigate potential differences in these features according to sex and tooth type. Materials and Methods: CBCT images of 585 maxillary first premolars and 578 maxillary second premolars from303 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The number of roots was classified based on root morphology, andcanal configurations were categorized into 8 types according to the Vertucci classification. For statistical analysis, chi-square or Fisher exact tests were employed to compare root number and canal morphology according to sex andtooth type. Results: CBCT analysis revealed that 71.5% of maxillary first premolars and 97.6% of maxillary second premolars had 1 root. The most common canal configuration in maxillary first premolars was Vertucci type IV (42.6%), whereas type I predominated in maxillary second premolars (76.5%). Significant differences in root number and canal configurations were found between men and women (P<0.05), with single roots and Vertucci type I canals more commonly observed in women. Conclusion Both maxillary first premolars and maxillary second premolars typically had 1 root, with a smaller percentage possessing 2 roots. Significant sex differences were observed in root number and canal type. This study highlights the variability in root number and canal configuration, emphasizing the importance of recognizing thesevariations to achieve successful endodontic treatment.

Since the role of the liver in metabolic dysfunction, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, was demonstrated, studies on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) have shown associations between fatty liver disease and other metabolic diseases. Unlike the exclusionary diagnostic criteria of NAFLD, MAFLD diagnosis is based on the presence of metabolic dysregulation in fatty liver disease. Renaming NAFLD as MAFLD also introduced simpler diagnostic criteria. In 2023, a new nomenclature, steatotic liver disease (SLD), was proposed. Similar to MAFLD, SLD diagnosis is based on the presence of hepatic steatosis with at least one cardiometabolic dysfunction. SLD is categorized into metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-related/-associated liver disease, alcoholrelated liver disease, specific etiology SLD, and cryptogenic SLD. The term MASLD has been adopted by a number of leading national and international societies due to its concise diagnostic criteria, exclusion of other concomitant liver diseases, and lack of stigmatizing terms. This article reviews the diagnostic criteria, clinical relevance, and differences among NAFLD, MAFLD, and MASLD from a diabetologist’s perspective and provides a rationale for adopting SLD/MASLD in the Fatty Liver Research Group of the Korean Diabetes Association.

Since the role of the liver in metabolic dysfunction, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, was demonstrated, studies on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) have shown associations between fatty liver disease and other metabolic diseases. Unlike the exclusionary diagnostic criteria of NAFLD, MAFLD diagnosis is based on the presence of metabolic dysregulation in fatty liver disease. Renaming NAFLD as MAFLD also introduced simpler diagnostic criteria. In 2023, a new nomenclature, steatotic liver disease (SLD), was proposed. Similar to MAFLD, SLD diagnosis is based on the presence of hepatic steatosis with at least one cardiometabolic dysfunction. SLD is categorized into metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-related/-associated liver disease, alcoholrelated liver disease, specific etiology SLD, and cryptogenic SLD. The term MASLD has been adopted by a number of leading national and international societies due to its concise diagnostic criteria, exclusion of other concomitant liver diseases, and lack of stigmatizing terms. This article reviews the diagnostic criteria, clinical relevance, and differences among NAFLD, MAFLD, and MASLD from a diabetologist’s perspective and provides a rationale for adopting SLD/MASLD in the Fatty Liver Research Group of the Korean Diabetes Association.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the number of roots and type of root canals in maxillary first and secondpremolars within a selected Korean population utilizing cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Additionally, it sought to investigate potential differences in these features according to sex and tooth type. Materials and Methods: CBCT images of 585 maxillary first premolars and 578 maxillary second premolars from303 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The number of roots was classified based on root morphology, andcanal configurations were categorized into 8 types according to the Vertucci classification. For statistical analysis, chi-square or Fisher exact tests were employed to compare root number and canal morphology according to sex andtooth type. Results: CBCT analysis revealed that 71.5% of maxillary first premolars and 97.6% of maxillary second premolars had 1 root. The most common canal configuration in maxillary first premolars was Vertucci type IV (42.6%), whereas type I predominated in maxillary second premolars (76.5%). Significant differences in root number and canal configurations were found between men and women (P<0.05), with single roots and Vertucci type I canals more commonly observed in women. Conclusion Both maxillary first premolars and maxillary second premolars typically had 1 root, with a smaller percentage possessing 2 roots. Significant sex differences were observed in root number and canal type. This study highlights the variability in root number and canal configuration, emphasizing the importance of recognizing thesevariations to achieve successful endodontic treatment.

This report presents the latest statistics on the stroke population in South Korea, sourced from the Clinical Research Collaborations for Stroke in Korea-National Institute for Health (CRCS-K-NIH), a comprehensive, nationwide, multicenter stroke registry. The Korean cohort, unlike western populations, shows a male-to-female ratio of 1.5, attributed to lower risk factors in Korean women. The average ages for men and women are 67 and 73 years, respectively.Hypertension is the most common risk factor (67%), consistent with global trends, but there is a higher prevalence of diabetes (35%) and smoking (21%). The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (19%) is lower than in western populations, suggesting effective prevention strategies in the general population. A high incidence of large artery atherosclerosis (38%) is observed, likely due to prevalent intracranial arterial disease in East Asians and advanced imaging techniques.There has been a decrease in intravenous thrombolysis rates, from 12% in 2017–2019 to 10% in 2021, with no improvements in door-to-needle and door-to-puncture times, worsened by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. While the use of aspirin plus clopidogrel for noncardioembolic stroke and direct oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation is well-established, the application of direct oral anticoagulants for non-atrial fibrillation cardioembolic strokes in the acute phase requires further research. The incidence of early neurological deterioration (13%) and the cumulative incidence of recurrent stroke at 3 months (3%) align with global figures. Favorable outcomes at 3 months (63%) are comparable internationally, yet the lack of improvement in dependency at 3 months highlights the need for advancements in acute stroke care.