Purpose: The technique for transanal resection of rectal tumors has evolved from conventional methods to minimally invasive approaches. However, the research comparing long-term results between these approaches is limited. Methods: Between 2016 and 2022, a total of 133 patients who underwent transanal excision were analyzed. Patients were classified into 2 groups according to surgical approach: conventional transanal approach (CTA) and minimally invasive transanal approach (MTA). Medical records were analyzed to compare surgical and oncological outcomes between the 2 groups. Results: There were no significant differences observed in patient’s demographics and tumor characteristics, except the MTA group exhibited a statistically longer distance from the anal verge. Although statistical significance was not reached, the MTA group demonstrated a 100% margin-negative rate in contrast to the CTA group, which had worse outcomes for both margin status and fragmentation. Recurrence was observed only in the CTA group containing pT1 rectal cancer and grade 1 neuroendocrine tumor, with negative margins and no fragmentation. Conclusion The minimally invasive approach did not demonstrate statistical superiority but showed technical feasibility through the absence of margin-positive cases and the use of the clip handle method. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and assess broader applicability.

Purpose: The technique for transanal resection of rectal tumors has evolved from conventional methods to minimally invasive approaches. However, the research comparing long-term results between these approaches is limited. Methods: Between 2016 and 2022, a total of 133 patients who underwent transanal excision were analyzed. Patients were classified into 2 groups according to surgical approach: conventional transanal approach (CTA) and minimally invasive transanal approach (MTA). Medical records were analyzed to compare surgical and oncological outcomes between the 2 groups. Results: There were no significant differences observed in patient’s demographics and tumor characteristics, except the MTA group exhibited a statistically longer distance from the anal verge. Although statistical significance was not reached, the MTA group demonstrated a 100% margin-negative rate in contrast to the CTA group, which had worse outcomes for both margin status and fragmentation. Recurrence was observed only in the CTA group containing pT1 rectal cancer and grade 1 neuroendocrine tumor, with negative margins and no fragmentation. Conclusion The minimally invasive approach did not demonstrate statistical superiority but showed technical feasibility through the absence of margin-positive cases and the use of the clip handle method. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and assess broader applicability.

Purpose: The technique for transanal resection of rectal tumors has evolved from conventional methods to minimally invasive approaches. However, the research comparing long-term results between these approaches is limited. Methods: Between 2016 and 2022, a total of 133 patients who underwent transanal excision were analyzed. Patients were classified into 2 groups according to surgical approach: conventional transanal approach (CTA) and minimally invasive transanal approach (MTA). Medical records were analyzed to compare surgical and oncological outcomes between the 2 groups. Results: There were no significant differences observed in patient’s demographics and tumor characteristics, except the MTA group exhibited a statistically longer distance from the anal verge. Although statistical significance was not reached, the MTA group demonstrated a 100% margin-negative rate in contrast to the CTA group, which had worse outcomes for both margin status and fragmentation. Recurrence was observed only in the CTA group containing pT1 rectal cancer and grade 1 neuroendocrine tumor, with negative margins and no fragmentation. Conclusion The minimally invasive approach did not demonstrate statistical superiority but showed technical feasibility through the absence of margin-positive cases and the use of the clip handle method. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and assess broader applicability.

Purpose: The technique for transanal resection of rectal tumors has evolved from conventional methods to minimally invasive approaches. However, the research comparing long-term results between these approaches is limited. Methods: Between 2016 and 2022, a total of 133 patients who underwent transanal excision were analyzed. Patients were classified into 2 groups according to surgical approach: conventional transanal approach (CTA) and minimally invasive transanal approach (MTA). Medical records were analyzed to compare surgical and oncological outcomes between the 2 groups. Results: There were no significant differences observed in patient’s demographics and tumor characteristics, except the MTA group exhibited a statistically longer distance from the anal verge. Although statistical significance was not reached, the MTA group demonstrated a 100% margin-negative rate in contrast to the CTA group, which had worse outcomes for both margin status and fragmentation. Recurrence was observed only in the CTA group containing pT1 rectal cancer and grade 1 neuroendocrine tumor, with negative margins and no fragmentation. Conclusion The minimally invasive approach did not demonstrate statistical superiority but showed technical feasibility through the absence of margin-positive cases and the use of the clip handle method. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and assess broader applicability.

Purpose: The technique for transanal resection of rectal tumors has evolved from conventional methods to minimally invasive approaches. However, the research comparing long-term results between these approaches is limited. Methods: Between 2016 and 2022, a total of 133 patients who underwent transanal excision were analyzed. Patients were classified into 2 groups according to surgical approach: conventional transanal approach (CTA) and minimally invasive transanal approach (MTA). Medical records were analyzed to compare surgical and oncological outcomes between the 2 groups. Results: There were no significant differences observed in patient’s demographics and tumor characteristics, except the MTA group exhibited a statistically longer distance from the anal verge. Although statistical significance was not reached, the MTA group demonstrated a 100% margin-negative rate in contrast to the CTA group, which had worse outcomes for both margin status and fragmentation. Recurrence was observed only in the CTA group containing pT1 rectal cancer and grade 1 neuroendocrine tumor, with negative margins and no fragmentation. Conclusion The minimally invasive approach did not demonstrate statistical superiority but showed technical feasibility through the absence of margin-positive cases and the use of the clip handle method. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and assess broader applicability.

Background: The choice of an appropriate type of orthosis depends on the patient’s specific condition and needs. Different types of orthoses can affect plantar pressure distribution during certain gait patterns. Toe and heel gaits are common patterns of gait assigned for optimal recovery in patients with foot or ankle injuries. This study aimed to evaluate differences in plantar pressure between postoperative shoes and walker boots during toe and heel gaits in healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 30 healthy individuals with a mean age of 21.7 ± 1.2 years were included in this study. Two types of gaits, toe and heel, were performed while wearing each orthosis on the right side of the foot. A standardized running shoe was worn on the left side of the foot. Plantar pressure variables including contact area, peak pressure, and maximum force were collected using the Pedar-X in-shoe pressure measuring system. Results: During toe gait, while both orthoses demonstrated similar offloading in the hindfoot areas, walker boots were superior in reducing the peak pressure (first toe, p = 0.003; second to fifth toes, p < 0.001) and contact area (first toe, p = 0.003; second to fifth toes, p = 0.003) in the forefoot areas. During heel gait, both orthoses demonstrated similar offloading in the toe areas; however, the walker boots were superior in reducing the peak pressure in the lateral hindfoot (p < 0.001). Conclusions The results of our study can serve as a guideline for orthopedic physicians in prescribing an appropriate type of orthosis during specific types of gait for patients following foot and ankle injury and postoperative recovery.

Purpose: This study explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in optimizing radiotherapy protocols for personalized cancer treatment. Specifically, it investigates the role of AI-based segmentation tools in improving accuracy and efficiency across various anatomical regions. Methods: A dataset of 500 anonymized patient computed tomography scans from Chungbuk National University Hospital was used to develop and validate AI models for segmenting organs-atrisk. The models were tailored for five anatomical regions: head and neck, chest, abdomen, breast, and pelvis. Performance was evaluated using Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), Mean Surface Distance, and the 95th Percentile Hausdorff Distance (HD95). Results: The AI models achieved high segmentation accuracy for large, well-defined structures such as the brain, lungs, and liver, with DSC values exceeding 0.95 in many cases. However, challenges were observed for smaller or complex structures, including the optic chiasm and rectum, with instances of segmentation failure and infinity values for HD95. These findings highlight the variability in performance depending on anatomical complexity and structure size. Conclusions AI-based segmentation tools demonstrate significant potential to streamline radiotherapy workflows, reduce inter-observer variability, and enhance treatment accuracy. Despite challenges with smaller structures, the integration of AI enables dynamic, patient-specific adaptations to anatomical changes, contributing to more precise and effective cancer treatments.Future work should focus on refining models for anatomically complex structures and validating these methods in diverse clinical settings.

Purpose: This study explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in optimizing radiotherapy protocols for personalized cancer treatment. Specifically, it investigates the role of AI-based segmentation tools in improving accuracy and efficiency across various anatomical regions. Methods: A dataset of 500 anonymized patient computed tomography scans from Chungbuk National University Hospital was used to develop and validate AI models for segmenting organs-atrisk. The models were tailored for five anatomical regions: head and neck, chest, abdomen, breast, and pelvis. Performance was evaluated using Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), Mean Surface Distance, and the 95th Percentile Hausdorff Distance (HD95). Results: The AI models achieved high segmentation accuracy for large, well-defined structures such as the brain, lungs, and liver, with DSC values exceeding 0.95 in many cases. However, challenges were observed for smaller or complex structures, including the optic chiasm and rectum, with instances of segmentation failure and infinity values for HD95. These findings highlight the variability in performance depending on anatomical complexity and structure size. Conclusions AI-based segmentation tools demonstrate significant potential to streamline radiotherapy workflows, reduce inter-observer variability, and enhance treatment accuracy. Despite challenges with smaller structures, the integration of AI enables dynamic, patient-specific adaptations to anatomical changes, contributing to more precise and effective cancer treatments.Future work should focus on refining models for anatomically complex structures and validating these methods in diverse clinical settings.

Background: and Purpose Unlike other immune-mediated neuropathies, anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) neuropathy is often refractory to immunotherapy. It is necessary to compare the relative efficacies of various immunotherapies and develop objective biomarkers in order to optimize its clinical management. Methods: This study recruited 91 patients with high anti-MAG antibody titers from 7 tertiary hospitals in South Korea. We analyzed the baseline characteristics, therapeutic outcomes, and nerve conduction study (NCS) findings of 68 patients and excluded 23 false positive cases. Results: The rate of positive responses to treatment was highest using zanubrutinib (50%) and rituximab (36.4%), followed by corticosteroids (16.7%), immunosuppressants (9.5%), intravenous immunoglobulin (5%), and plasma exchange (0%). Disability and weakness were significantly associated with multiple NCS parameters at the time of diagnosis, especially distal compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitudes. Moreover, the longitudinal trajectory of the average CMAP amplitudes paralleled the clinical courses, with a 16.2 percentile decrease as an optimal cutoff for predicting a clinical exacerbation (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve=0.792). Conclusions Our study supports the use of NCS as an objective marker for estimating disease burden and tracking clinical changes in patients with anti-MAG neuropathy. We have described the beneficial effects of rituximab and a new drug, zanubrutinib, compared with conventional immunotherapies.

Purpose: Foot pressure measurement devices are used widely in clinical settings for plantar pressure assessments. Despite the availability of various devices, studies evaluating the inter-device reliability are limited. This study compared plantar pressure measurements obtained from HR Mat (Tekscan Inc.) and EMED-n50 (Novel GmbH). Materials and Methods: The study involved 38 healthy male volunteers. The participants were categorized into two groups based on the Meary’s angle in standing foot lateral radiographs: those with normal feet (angles ranging from –4° to 4°) and those with mild flatfeet (angles from –8° to –15°). The static and dynamic plantar pressures of the participants were measured using HR Mat and EMED-n50.The reliability of the contact area and mean force was assessed using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Furthermore, the differences in measurements between the two devices were examined, considering the presence of mild flatfoot. Results: The ICC values for the contact area and mean force ranged from 0.703 to 0.947, indicating good-to-excellent reliability across all areas. EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. The mean force was significantly higher in the forefoot region when measured with EMED-n50, whereas, in the hindfoot region, this difference was observed only during static measurements with HR Mat. Participants with mild flatfeet exhibited significantly higher contact areas in the midfoot region for both devices, with no consistent differences in the other parameters. Conclusion The contact area and mean force measurements of the HR Mat and EMED-n50 showed high reliability. On the other hand, EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. In cases of mild flatfoot, an increase in contact area within the midfoot region was observed, but no consistent impact on the differences between the two devices was evident.