Purpose: This study aimed to develop and implement an antimicrobial stewardship education program for physician assistant nurses and to evaluate its effects on their knowledge and clinical performance. Methods: A quasi-experimental, single-group pre-post design was conducted with 50 physician assistant nurses at a university hospital in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The antimicrobial stewardship education program, developed using the ADDIE model, consisted of 12 sessions including lectures and case-based learning (CBL)-based discussions.Knowledge was measured before and immediately after the intervention, while performance was assessed pre-intervention and four weeks post-program. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: Knowledge scores significantly improved from 44.65±7.45 to 58.50±10.11 (p<.001), and all subdomains showed significant increases (p<.001). Performance scores increased from 3.68±0.77 to 4.28±0.68 (p<.001). Knowledge gain did not differ significantly between the medical and surgical departments (p=.710). Likewise, after adjusting for pre-test scores, no significant difference in performance improvement was observed between the two departments (ANCOVA, p=.170). These results indicate that the program was effective across both departments regardless of their characteristics. Conclusion The antimicrobial stewardship education program improved both knowledge and performance among physician assistant nurses. This program may contribute to the standardization of antimicrobial stewardship education and to appropriate antimicrobial use and the reduction of antimicrobial resistance.

Background: This study aimed to determine whether a shorter high-dose rifampicin regimen is non-inferior to the standard 6-month tuberculosis regimen. Methods: This multicenter, randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial enrolled participants with respiratory specimen positivity by Xpert MTB/RIF assay or Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture without rifampicin-resistance. Participants were randomized at 1:1 to the investigational or control group. The investigational group received high-dose rifampicin (30 mg/kg/day), isoniazid, and pyrazinamide until culture conversion, followed by high-dose rifampicin and isoniazid for 12 weeks. The control group received the standard 6-month regimen. The primary outcome was the rate of unfavorable outcomes at 18 months post-randomization. The non-inferiority margin was set at <6% difference in unfavorable outcomes rates. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04485156) Results: Between 4 November 2020 and 3 January 2022, 76 participants were enrolled. Of these, 58 were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. Unfavorable outcomes occurred in 10 (31.3%) of 32 in the control group and 10 (38.5%) of 26 in the investigational group. The difference was 7.2% (95% confidence interval, ∞ to 31.9%), failing to prove non-inferiority. Serious adverse events and grade 3 or higher adverse events did not differ between the groups. Conclusion The shorter high-dose rifampicin regimen failed to demonstrate non-inferiority but had an acceptable safety profile.

Objective To explore the prognostic value of serum glutathione reductase(GR),superoxide dismutase(SOD),cystatin C(Cys-C),homocysteine(Hcy)and lipoprotein a[Lp(a)]levels in patients with cerebral ischemic stroke(CIS),and to provide a reference for improving the prognosis of CIS patients.Methods 126 patients with CIS admitted to the 980th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force from June 2022 to April 2023 were selected as the observation group,another 126 healthy individuals were selected as the control group at a ratio of 1:1.The expression levels of GR,SOD,Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)in the two groups were detected and compared after admission and during physical examination.The degree of neurological deficit in patients with CIS was classified into mild(NIHSS:2～4 points,n=35),moderate(NIHSS:5～15 points,n=47),moderate-severe(NIHSS:16～20 points,n=26)and severe(NIHSS:21～42 points,n=18)according to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS).The expression of serum GR,SOD,Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)in patients with different degrees of neurological deficit was compared,and the correlation between each indicator and the degree of neurological deficit was analyzed.The observation group received intravenous thrombolytic therapy after admission and was re-examined one day after thrombolysis.After treatment,follow-up visits were conducted for 28 days.According to the patient's condition(modified Rankin scale),patients were divided into good prognosis(n=94)and poor prognosis groups(n=32).The levels of each indicator in patients with different prognoses were compared,and the predictive value of GR,SOD,Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)expression for poor prognosis and early warning were analyzed.Results The expression levels of serum GR(48.54±3.07U/L)and SOD(157.17±25.47U/ml)in the observation group were lower than those in the control group(61.68±3.15U/L,203.63±18.31U/ml),while the expression levels of Cys-C(1.24±0.28mg/L),Hcy(15.21±1.62μmol/L)and Lp(a)(386.53±52.16mg/L)were higher than those in the control group(0.82±0.23mg/L,9.58±0.60μmol/L,257.83±45.34mg/L),with statistically significant differences(t=13.011～36.582,all P<0.05).As the disease progressed,the expression levels of GR and SOD gradually decreased,while the expression levels of Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)gradually increased,with statistically significant differences(F=14.685～197.041,all P<0.05).Spearman analysis,GR and SOD were negatively correlated with the degree of neurological deficit in patients with CIS(r=-0.814,-0.753,all P<0.05),while Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)were positively correlated with the degree of neurological deficit in patients with CIS(r=0.647,0.782,0.724,all P<0.05).The expression of GR and SOD in patients with good prognosis at admission and 1 day after thrombolysis was higher than that in patients with poor prognosis(t=9.109,6.338;2.934,4.358,all P<0.05),while the expression of Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)was lower than that in patients with poor prognosis(t=5.246,5.118,8.561;4.636,5.298,7.461,all P<0.05).The AUC(95%CI)of combined prediction of GR,SOD,Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)at admission was 0.898(0.832～0.945),and the AUC(95%CI)of combined prediction of GR,SOD,Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)at 1 day after thrombolysis was 0.931(0.871～0.968).The RR(95%CI)values caused by the expression of GR,SOD,Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)at 1 day after thrombolysis were 2.868(1.594～5.161),3.194(1.807～5.645),0.155(0.082～0.291),0.150(0.071～0.319)and 0.227(0.119～0.435).Conclusion Abnormal changes in the levels of GR,SOD,Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)are closely related to the degree of neurological deficit and prognosis in patients with CIS.Early combined detection of GR,SOD,Cys-C,Hcy and Lp(a)levels has high predictive value and early warning for evaluating the poor prognosis of patients with CIS.

Objective To compare the effects of different detector combinations of 320-row CT on the image quality and radiation dose of head CT to explore the feasibility of using a wide detector for head CT scanning.Methods Totally 100 patients underwent head CT scanning due to trauma or cerebrovascular disease at some hospital from June to August 2023 were collected prospectively and divided into group A and group B by using block randomization grouping method,with the length of the block group being 2 and 50 patients in each group.In group A,all the detectors had the widths at z-axis direction being 40×0.5 mm and head scanning was completed after multiple exposures;in group B,detector combinations with widths of 280×0.5 mm or 320×0.5 mm were chosen based on the patient's head size in the head-foot direction(z-axis direction),and head scanning was performed with a single-turn exposure.The remaining scanning and image reconstruction parameters in the two groups were kept completely consistent.The head image quality of the 2 groups was evaluated objectively and scored subjectively by 2 radiologists.The volume CT dose index(CTDIvol),dose length product(DLP)and exposure time of the 2 groups were recorded,and the effective dose(ED)was calculated.SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results In terms of objective evaluation of image quality,at the level of the parietal skull group B had the CT value of gray matter,image noise and contrast to noise ratio(CNR)of the images higher than those of group A,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05);at the level of the posterior skull group B had the CT values of gray and white matter,image noise and air noise lower while CNR higher than those of group A,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).In terms of subjective scoring of image quality,at the levels of parietal and posterior skull group A behaved better than group B,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).In group A 5 patients had obvious motion artifacts affecting the diagnosis and the image quality scores not higher than 2,and secondary scanning had to be carried out;In group B all the patients had no obvious motion artifacts and met the diagnosis requirements.When compared with group A Group B had the CTDIvol,DLP,ED and exposure time decreased by 17.44%,17.24%,17.48%and 85.53%,respectively,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).Conclusion A wide detector gains advantages over a 20 mm detector in image quality when 320-row CT is used for head CT scanning,with the diagnosis requirements satisfied.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(4):57-62]

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in both Korea and worldwide. Since 2004, the Korean Practice Guidelines for Gastric Cancer have been regularly updated, with the 4th edition published in 2022. The 4th edition was the result of a collaborative work by an interdisciplinary team, including experts in gastric surgery, gastroenterology, endoscopy, medical oncology, abdominal radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, and guideline development methodology. The current guideline is the 5th version, an updated version of the 4th edition. In this guideline, 6 key questions (KQs) were updated or proposed after a collaborative review by the working group, and 7 statements were developed, or revised, or discussed based on a systematic review using the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed database. Over the past 2 years, there have been significant changes in systemic treatment, leading to major updates and revisions focused on this area.Additionally, minor modifications have been made in other sections, incorporating recent research findings. The level of evidence and grading of recommendations were categorized according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Key factors for recommendation included the level of evidence, benefit, harm, and clinical applicability. The working group reviewed and discussed the recommendations to reach a consensus. The structure of this guideline remains similar to the 2022 version.Earlier sections cover general considerations, such as screening, diagnosis, and staging of endoscopy, pathology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. In the latter sections, statements are provided for each KQ based on clinical evidence, with flowcharts supporting these statements through meta-analysis and references. This multidisciplinary, evidence-based gastric cancer guideline aims to support clinicians in providing optimal care for gastric cancer patients.

Background: This study aimed to determine whether a shorter high-dose rifampicin regimen is non-inferior to the standard 6-month tuberculosis regimen. Methods: This multicenter, randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial enrolled participants with respiratory specimen positivity by Xpert MTB/RIF assay or Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture without rifampicin-resistance. Participants were randomized at 1:1 to the investigational or control group. The investigational group received high-dose rifampicin (30 mg/kg/day), isoniazid, and pyrazinamide until culture conversion, followed by high-dose rifampicin and isoniazid for 12 weeks. The control group received the standard 6-month regimen. The primary outcome was the rate of unfavorable outcomes at 18 months post-randomization. The non-inferiority margin was set at <6% difference in unfavorable outcomes rates. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04485156) Results: Between 4 November 2020 and 3 January 2022, 76 participants were enrolled. Of these, 58 were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. Unfavorable outcomes occurred in 10 (31.3%) of 32 in the control group and 10 (38.5%) of 26 in the investigational group. The difference was 7.2% (95% confidence interval, ∞ to 31.9%), failing to prove non-inferiority. Serious adverse events and grade 3 or higher adverse events did not differ between the groups. Conclusion The shorter high-dose rifampicin regimen failed to demonstrate non-inferiority but had an acceptable safety profile.