Myopia, particularly high myopia, is a significant risk factor for several ocular pathologies including cataract, glaucoma, and retinal detachment. Excessive axial elongation associated with high myopia can induce biomechanical stretching, increasing the risk of serious complications like posterior staphyloma and myopic maculopathy. Global meta-analyses estimate that approximately 10 million people were visually impaired due to myopic maculopathy in 2015, with 3 million being blind. Recent nationwide surveys in South Korea revealed a prevalence of 65.4% for myopia and 6.9% for high myopia in children and adolescents, highlighting the urgent need for effective management. Delaying the onset and slowing the progression of myopia during childhood and adolescence is crucial for reducing the potential lifetime risk of these complications. This consensus statement, prepared by the Korean Myopia Society for the Korean Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (KAPOS), reviews the current evidence for myopia control interventions and provides management strategies applicable to the South Korean clinical setting. Key interventions covered include lifestyle modifications (outdoor time, near work adjustment), optical methods (myopia-control spectacle lenses, dual-focus soft contact lenses, orthokeratology), and pharmacologic treatment (low-concentration atropine), as well as combination therapies. The statement also addresses patient selection, treatment outcome evaluation using spherical equivalent and axial length changes, and the crucial aspects related to treatment cessation and the rebound effect.

Purpose: We investigated the antiadhesive effects of lidocaine, methylene blue, and atorvastatin, with a focus on preventing remote adhesions in a rat model of postoperative adhesions. Methods: Models were assigned to either the control group (saline infusion only) or treatment groups (group L, lidocaine;group M, methylene blue; or group S, atorvastatin). Adhesions were induced by intestinal or abdominal wall injuries. The rats were sacrificed 2 weeks after surgery. Results: The number of remote adhesions was markedly lower in groups L, M, and S than in the control group. The macroscopic adhesion score was substantially lower in groups L, M, and S than in the control group. Acute and chronic inflammation, as well as fibrosis scores, were also markedly lower in groups L, M, and S than in the control group. IL-1βlevels were considerably reduced in groups L, M, and S at 2 hours after surgery and remained substantially lower in group S at 48 hours. IL-6 levels were markedly reduced in groups M and S at 2 hours and in all treatment groups at 48 hours than in the control group. Conclusion Intraperitoneal administration of lidocaine, methylene blue, and atorvastatin effectively reduced remote adhesion formation, macroscopic and microscopic adhesion scores, and inflammatory cytokine levels in a rat adhesion model.

The integration of regional anesthesia (RA) with general anesthesia (GA) has become a central component of multimodal strategies to improve perioperative pain management. This approach not only enhances analgesic efficacy but also reduces opioid requirements and mitigates opioid-related adverse effects. By targeting peripheral or neuraxial nociceptive pathways, RA attenuates the surgical stress response and decreases central sensitization, complementing the systemic actions of GA. The combined application of RA and GA has shown substantial benefits across a wide range of surgical procedures, including abdominal, thoracic, orthopedic, and pediatric operations. Reported advantages include improved hemodynamic stability, enhanced pulmonary function, earlier ambulation, faster gastrointestinal recovery, and greater patient satisfaction. Moreover, recent evidence indicates a positive association between effective postoperative pain control and long-term outcomes, such as reduced incidence of persistent postsurgical pain, better functional independence, and even improved immune function and survival following cancer surgery. The development of sustained-release local anesthetic delivery systems, which provide localized and prolonged analgesia, further extends the benefits of RA-GA integration into the postoperative period. This review summarizes the mechanistic rationale, clinical applications, and future directions of RA-GA combinations in modern surgical care, with special emphasis on their role in enhanced recovery after surgery protocols.

Purpose: To report a case of recurrent optic neuritis with uveitis in a patient with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)- associated disease.Case summary: A 16-year-old female presented with left eye hyperemia, glare, and headache. The best corrected visual acuity was 1.2 in both eyes with a left relative afferent pupillary defect. Cells in the anterior chamber, optic disc edema, and subretinal fluid were present, and the distal optic nerve was enhanced on orbital magnetic resonance imaging. Although it improved with steroid treatment, it recurred 3 times in 9 months. At the second recurrence, her visual acuity was reduced to light perception, but she responded well to steroids. During the third recurrence, she visited our hospital for the first time and improved with steroid treatment. However, 18 months after treatment, optic neuritis, uveitis, and macular edema occurred, so oral steroids and eye drops were maintained. Serum anti-MOG antibody came out positive, and at the last visit, visual acuity of 1.2 in the left eye and visual function were maintained well. Conclusions MOG antibody disease (MOGAD) frequently recurs and invades various structures of the eye and various clinical manifestations have been reported. Therefore, if optic neuritis is accompanied by inflammation of the anterior chamber and retinal vessels, the possibility of MOGAD should be considered.

Purpose: Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is a rare aggressive subtype of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with limited therapeutic strategies. We attempted to elucidate the evolutionary trajectories of PSC using multiregional and longitudinal tumor samples. Materials and Methods: A total of 31 patients were enrolled in this study and 11 longitudinal samples were available from them. Using whole exome sequencing data, we analyzed the mutational signatures in both carcinomatous and sarcomatous areas in primary tumors of the 31 patients and longitudinal samples obtained from 11 patients. Furthermore, digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry using the Ventana SP263 assay were performed. Results: TP53 was identified as the most frequently altered gene in the primary (74%) and metastatic (73%) samples. MET exon 14 skipping mutations, confirmed by ddPCR, and TP53 mutations were mutually exclusive; whereas, MET exon 14 skipping mutations frequently co-occurred with MDM2 amplification. Metastatic tumors showed dissimilar genetic profiles from either primary component. During metastasis, the signatures of APOBEC decreased in metastatic lesions compared with that in primary lesions. PSC showed higher MET and KEAP1 mutations and stronger PD-L1 protein expression compared with that recorded in other NSCLCs. Conclusion Decreased APOBEC signatures and subclonal diversity were detected during malignant progression in PSC. Frequent MET mutations and strong PD-L1 expression distinguished PSC from other NSCLCs. The aggressiveness and therapeutic difficulties of PSC were possibly attributable to profound intratumoral and intertumoral genetic diversity. Next-generation sequencing could suggest the appropriate treatment strategy for PSC.

Background: To report the clinical manifestations of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) cases after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in Korea. Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included patients diagnosed with NAION within 42 days of COVID-19 vaccination. We collected data on vaccinations, demographic features, presence of vascular risk factors, ocular findings, and visual outcomes of patients with NAION. Results: The study included 16 eyes of 14 patients (6 men, 8 women) with a mean age of 63.5 ± 9.1 (range, 43–77) years. The most common underlying disease was hypertension, accounting for 28.6% of patients with NAION. Seven patients (50.0%) had no vascular risk factors for NAION. The mean time from vaccination to onset was 13.8 ± 14.2 (range, 1–41) days. All 16 eyes had disc swelling at initial presentation, and 3 of them (18.8%) had peripapillary intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid with severe disc swelling. Peripapillary hemorrhage was found in 50% of the patients, and one (6.3%) patient had peripapillary cotton-wool spots. In eight fellow eyes for which we were able to review the fundus photographs, the horizontal cup/ disc ratio was less than 0.25 in four eyes (50.0%). The mean visual acuity was logMAR 0.6 ± 0.7 at the initial presentation and logMAR 0.7 ± 0.8 at the final visit. Conclusion Only 64% of patients with NAION after COVID-19 vaccination have known vascular and ocular risk factors relevant to ischemic optic neuropathy. This suggests that COVID-19 vaccination may increase the risk of NAION. However, overall clinical features and visual outcomes of the NAION patients after COVID-19 vaccination were similar to those of typical NAION.

Objective: To examine the prognostic value of electroneuronography (ENoG) in predicting functional recovery in severe cases of acute facial palsy. Methods: Patients with severe degrees of facial palsy (initial House–Brackmann [HB] grades IV to VI) with available electrodiagnostic studies conducted 2–4 weeks after symptom onset were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were categorized into “good recovery” and “poor recovery” groups, with the former showing mild to no dysfunction (HB I to III) and the latter exhibiting moderate to severe dysfunction (HB IV to VI) on follow-up evaluation, 2 months after onset. ENoG amplitudes in four facial muscles (frontalis, nasalis, orbicularis oculi, and orbicularis oris), as well as age, sex, affected side, disease etiology, comorbidities, and laboratory findings, were compared between the two groups. Results: Thirty-seven patients were included. Twenty-nine of the patients showed “good recovery,” and eight showed “poor recovery” at 2 months after symptom onset. Univariate analysis yielded no significant difference in age, sex, affected side, disease etiology, comorbidities, and laboratory findings between the two groups. Preserved ENoG amplitudes (individual, average, and trimmed means) were significantly higher in the good recovery group than in the poor recovery group (p<0.005). Sex (p=0.038) and the ENoG of the nasalis muscle, acquired 2–4 weeks from symptom onset (p=0.004), showed significant differences in multivariate regression analysis. Conclusion This study suggests that the female sex and lower ENoG of the nasalis muscle, acquired 2–4 weeks from symptom onset, have negative prognostic value for the 2-month functional outcome of severe facial palsy cases.

Background/Aims: Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) has shown promising results in treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). However, whether TARE can provide superior or comparable outcomes to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in patients with HCC and PVTT remains unclear. We compared the outcomes of TARE and TKI therapy in treatment-naïve patients with locally advanced HCC and segmental or lobar PVTT. Methods: This multicenter study included 216 patients initially treated with TARE (n=124) or TKI (sorafenib or lenvatinib; n=92) between 2011 and 2021. Baseline characteristics were balanced using propensity score matching (PSM) or inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). The secondary outcomes included progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR). Results: In the unmatched cohort, the median OS of the TARE and TKI groups were 28.2 and 7.2 months, respectively (p<0.001), and the TARE group experienced significantly and independently longer OS compared to the TKI group (adjusted hazard ratio=0.41, 95% confidence interval=0.28–0.60, p<0.001). Similar results were observed in the study cohorts balanced with IPTW (p=0.003) or PSM (p=0.004). Although PFS was comparable between the two groups, the TARE group showed a trend of prolonged PFS in a subpopulation of patients with Vp1 or Vp2 PVTT (p=0.052). In the matched cohorts, the ORR of the TARE group was 53.0–56.7%, whereas that of the TKI group was 12.3–15.0%. Conclusions For patients with advanced HCC with segmental or lobar PVTT and well-preserved liver function, TARE may provide superior OS compared to sorafenib or lenvatinib.

Background and Objectives: The colonic epithelial layer is a complex structure consisting of multiple cell types that regulate various aspects of colonic physiology, yet the mechanisms underlying epithelial cell differentiation during development remain unclear. Organoids have emerged as a promising model for investigating organogenesis, but achieving organ-like cell configurations within colonic organoids is challenging. Here, we investigated the biological significance of peripheral neurons in the formation of colonic organoids. Methods: and Results: Colonic organoids were co-cultured with human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived peripheralneurons, resulting in the morphological maturation of columnar epithelial cells, as well as the presence of enterochromaffin cells. Substance P released from immature peripheral neurons played a critical role in the development of colonic epithelial cells. These findings highlight the vital role of inter-organ interactions in organoid development and provide insights into colonic epithelial cell differentiation mechanisms. Conclusions Our results suggest that the peripheral nervous system may have a significant role in the development ofcolonic epithelial cells, which could have important implications for future studies of organogenesis and disease modeling.

Background: Large-scale studies about epidemiologic characteristics of renal infarction (RI) are few. In this study, we aimed to analyze the incidence and prevalence of RI with comorbidities in the South Korean population. Methods: We investigated the medical history of the entire South Korean adult population between 2013 and 2019 using the National Health Insurance Service database (n = 51,849,591 in 2019). Diagnosis of RI comorbidities were confirmed with International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Epidemiologic characteristics, distribution of comorbidities according to etiologic mechanisms, and trend of antithrombotic agents were estimated. Results: During the 7-years, 10,496 patients were newly diagnosed with RI. The incidence rate increased from 2.68 to 3.06 per 100,000 person-years during the study period.The incidence rate of RI increased with age peaking in the 70s with 1.41 times male predominance. The most common comorbidity was hypertension, followed by dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. Regarding etiologic risk factor distribution, high embolic risk group, renovascular disease group, and hypercoagulable state group accounted for 16.6%, 29.1%, and 13.7% on average, respectively. For the antithrombotic treatment of RI, the prescription of antiplatelet agent gradually decreased from 17.0% to 13.0% while that of anticoagulation agent was maintained around 35%. The proportion of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants remarkably increased from only 1.4% to 17.6%. Conclusion Considering the progressively increasing incidence of RI and high prevalence of coexisting risk factors, constant efforts to raise awareness of the disease are necessary. The current epidemiologic investigation of RI would be the stepping-stone to establishing future studies about clinical outcomes and optimal treatment strategies.