Objective: This study aimed to identify factors associated with the recovery of mandibular nerve disturbance and to predict the possibility of recovery tailored to individual patients. Materials and Methods: Patients who visited the dental hospital with symptoms of mandibular nerve disturbance from April 2015 to September 2020 were studied. Patients were divided into two groups based on treatment outcomes: recovered or non-recovered. Variables related to recovery included age, sex, onset event of the nerve disturbance, affected area, imaging findings, and treatment methods. The correlation between recovery and these variables was analyzed using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 328 patients were included in the study.Among the variables associated with recovery, the onset event of the symptom (P-value=0.02) and imaging findings (P-value=0.04) were statistically significant. Among the significant variables, the highest proportion of patients (77.78%) recovered without symptoms of onset event, while implant surgery showed the lowest recovery rate (34.25%). Regarding imaging findings, the recovery rate was highest in cases of suspected canal damage (58.82%), while no patients recovered from compression of the canal (0.00%). Conclusion This study highlights the importance of large-scale data analysis and a thorough evaluation of clinical variables to understand mandibular nerve disturbances. The findings provide a basis for improving treatment strategies and reducing the impact of nerve disturbances on patients’ quality of life.

Objective: : Korea’s healthcare system and policy promotes early, actively stroke treatment to improve prognosis. This study represents stroke epidemiology and outcomes in Korea. Methods: : This study investigated data from the Acute Stroke Assessment Registry. The registry collects data from over 220 hospitals nationwide, focusing on quality stroke service management. Data analysis included patient demographics, stroke severity assessment, and discharge prognosis measurement using standardized scales. Results: : Eighty-six thousand five hundred sixty-eight acute stroke patients were collected with demographic and clinical characteristics during 18 months from 2016, 2018, and between 2020 to 2021, focusing on acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and acute ischemic stroke. Of these 86568 patients, 8.3% was SAH, 16.3% ICH, and 74.9% ischemic stroke. Trends showed decreasing SAH and increasing ICH cases over the years. 68.3% stroke patients had the clear onset time. 49.6% stroke patients arrived within 4.5 hours of symptom onset, with more patients treated at general hospitals. Good functional outcomes at discharge was obtained with 58.3% of acute stroke patients, 55.9% of SAH patients, 34.6% of ICH patients, and 63.8% of ischemic stroke patients. Conclusion : The results showed that ischemic stroke was the most common subtype, followed by ICH and SAH. Prognosis differed among subtypes, with favorable outcomes more common in ischemic stroke and SAH compared to ICH.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy combined with meibomian gland expression (MGX) in treating meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) caused by glaucoma eye drops. Methods: This study included 20 patients (aged 18-85 years) who were using glaucoma eye drops and exhibited signs of MGD. Participants underwent four sessions of IPL therapy at 3-week intervals, each followed by MGX. Evaluative measures included the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), best-corrected visual acuity, Schirmer's test, tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining score (CFS), lid margin abnormalities, meibomian gland expressibility (MGE), meibum quality, lipid layer thickness (LLT), and meiboscore. These assessments were conducted before and after each treatment. Results: After treatment, significant improvements were observed across all measured parameters, including OSDI, Schirmer's test, TBUT, CFS, lid margin abnormalities, MGE, meibum quality, LLT, and meiboscore. Conclusions IPL therapy combined with MGX was effective in improving ocular surface and eyelid abnormalities among patients with MGD induced by glaucoma eye drops. Our findings support the use of IPL and MGX as safe and effective adjunct therapies for these patients.

The Korean Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Committee within the Korean Society of Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition was established to develop ERAS guidelines tailored to the Korean context. This guideline focuses on creating the most current evidence-based practice guidelines for ERAS purposes, based on systematic reviews. All key questions targeted randomized controlled trials exclusively, and if fewer than 2 were available, studies employing propensity score matching were also included. Recommendations for each key question were marked with strength of recommendation and level of evidence following internal and external review processes by the committee.

Purpose: Lupus nephritis (LN) can be caused by the complement activation. This study aimed to investigate the differences and clinical implications of the activation pattern of the complement system for pediatric and adult LN patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 40 patients (14 pediatric and 26 adult patients) diagnosed with LN through kidney biopsy. Results: The mean ages at diagnosis of pediatric and adult patients were 11.7±2.92 and 37.3±13.5 years, respectively. At the first LN diagnosis, compared with adult patients, pediatric patients had a higher estimated glomerular filtration rate and milder proteinuria; however, there was no statistical significance. The age-adjusted mean serum complement 3 value was significantly lower in the pediatric group (33.0±11.3 mg/dL) than in the adult group (50.8±25.2 mg/dL) (P<0.01). Based on the findings of kidney biopsy, no significant differences were observed in the severity of pathologic classification and the positive rate of complements between adults and children. However, the chronicity index score of adult patients was significantly higher than that of pediatric patients and in the case of complement 4d, despite a similar positive rate, the intensity was significantly stronger for adults (2.35±0.83 vs. 1.54±0.52, (P=0.04). Conclusions The activation pattern of the complement system in LN differs clinicopathologically between pediatric and adult patients and these differences might play an important role in the age-dependent prognosis of LN.

Objective: This study aimed to identify factors associated with the recovery of mandibular nerve disturbance and to predict the possibility of recovery tailored to individual patients. Materials and Methods: Patients who visited the dental hospital with symptoms of mandibular nerve disturbance from April 2015 to September 2020 were studied. Patients were divided into two groups based on treatment outcomes: recovered or non-recovered. Variables related to recovery included age, sex, onset event of the nerve disturbance, affected area, imaging findings, and treatment methods. The correlation between recovery and these variables was analyzed using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 328 patients were included in the study.Among the variables associated with recovery, the onset event of the symptom (P-value=0.02) and imaging findings (P-value=0.04) were statistically significant. Among the significant variables, the highest proportion of patients (77.78%) recovered without symptoms of onset event, while implant surgery showed the lowest recovery rate (34.25%). Regarding imaging findings, the recovery rate was highest in cases of suspected canal damage (58.82%), while no patients recovered from compression of the canal (0.00%). Conclusion This study highlights the importance of large-scale data analysis and a thorough evaluation of clinical variables to understand mandibular nerve disturbances. The findings provide a basis for improving treatment strategies and reducing the impact of nerve disturbances on patients’ quality of life.

Objective: : Korea’s healthcare system and policy promotes early, actively stroke treatment to improve prognosis. This study represents stroke epidemiology and outcomes in Korea. Methods: : This study investigated data from the Acute Stroke Assessment Registry. The registry collects data from over 220 hospitals nationwide, focusing on quality stroke service management. Data analysis included patient demographics, stroke severity assessment, and discharge prognosis measurement using standardized scales. Results: : Eighty-six thousand five hundred sixty-eight acute stroke patients were collected with demographic and clinical characteristics during 18 months from 2016, 2018, and between 2020 to 2021, focusing on acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and acute ischemic stroke. Of these 86568 patients, 8.3% was SAH, 16.3% ICH, and 74.9% ischemic stroke. Trends showed decreasing SAH and increasing ICH cases over the years. 68.3% stroke patients had the clear onset time. 49.6% stroke patients arrived within 4.5 hours of symptom onset, with more patients treated at general hospitals. Good functional outcomes at discharge was obtained with 58.3% of acute stroke patients, 55.9% of SAH patients, 34.6% of ICH patients, and 63.8% of ischemic stroke patients. Conclusion : The results showed that ischemic stroke was the most common subtype, followed by ICH and SAH. Prognosis differed among subtypes, with favorable outcomes more common in ischemic stroke and SAH compared to ICH.

Primary cholangiocarcinoma is a rare bile duct epithelial neoplasm that can present with atypical clinical manifestations, complicating its diagnosis. A 62-year-old male showed symptoms suggestive of a complicated hepatic cyst that was later identified as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The patient presented with abdominal discomfort without fever. Imaging revealed a large cystic lesion in the liver. Despite the initial treatment for a presumed abscess, a biopsy confirmed cholangiocarcinoma. This case highlights the diagnostic challenge of distinguishing between benign complicated hepatic cysts and malignancies, particularly when typical markers of infection are absent. Early biopsy and vigilant assessments are crucial in such presentations to avoid a delayed diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment.

Hepatic tuberculosis, typically associated with miliary tuberculosis, can occasionally present as localized liver lesions. This case report describes a 77-year-old male presenting with persistent abdominal pain and fever, following an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for bile duct sludge removal. Subsequent computed tomography revealed focal liver lesions. Despite initial treatment with antibiotics for a suspected inflammatory liver abscess, his condition did not improve. A liver biopsy was performed, revealing caseous granulomas, and the tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction result was positive. The patient was diagnosed with primary hepatic tuberculosis, which later disseminated. Oral anti-tuberculosis therapy was initiated and is currently being closely monitored. This case emphasizes the importance of considering hepatic tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of liver lesions, particularly in cases involving cholestatic liver function tests, and persistent symptoms unresponsive to conventional antibiotics.

Background: Skipping breakfast is associated with an increased risk of chronic inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to examine the association between breakfast-eating habits and inflammation, using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as a marker. Methods: A total of 4,000 Korean adult males with no history of myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, or current smoking were included. Data from the 2016–2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for analysis. The frequency of breakfast consumption was assessed through a questionnaire item in the dietary survey section asking participants about their weekly breakfast consumption routines over the past year. Participants were categorized into two groups, namely “0–2 breakfasts per week” and “3–7 breakfasts per week”; hs-CRP concentrations were measured through blood tests. Results: Comparing between the “infrequent breakfast consumption (0–2 breakfasts per week)” and “frequent breakfast consumption (3–7 breakfasts per week)” groups, the mean hs-CRP was found to be significantly higher in the “infrequent breakfast consumption” group, even after adjusting for age, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol consumption, systolic blood pressure, blood pressure medication, fasting blood glucose, and triglycerides (mean hs-CRP: frequent breakfast consumption, 1.36±0.09 mg/L; infrequent breakfast consumption, 1.17±0.05 mg/L; P-value=0.036). Conclusion Less frequent breakfast consumption was associated with elevated hs-CRP levels. Further large-scale studies incorporating adjusted measures of daily eating patterns as well as food quality and quantity are required for a deeper understanding of the role of breakfast in the primary prevention of chronic inflammatory diseases.