Purpose: We prospectively compared the diagnostic accuracy of kidney dynamic computed tomography (KDCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) for the assessment of small renal mass (SRM) (≤4 cm). Materials and Methods: Seventy-six patients with SRM (mean age, 58.4±13.1 years) who underwent renal biopsy (n=11) or nephrectomy (partial or radical) (n=65) were enrolled. All patients underwent KDCT, MRI, and CEUS before renal biopsy or nephrectomy. Results: The mean maximal tumor size was 21.0±9.8 mm. The mean R.E.N.A.L nephrometry score was 7.0±1.7. Fifty-six patients had renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (clear cell, 42; papillary, 7; chromophobe, 5; succinate dehydrogenase deficient, 1; unspecified RCC, 1). Twenty patients had a benign tumor (angiomyolipoma, 11; oncocytoma, 3; others, 6). Clinicopathologic variables were comparable in RCC and benign groups. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of KDCT were 89.3%, 10.0%, 73.5%, and 25.0%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of MRI were 89.3%, 10.0%, 73.5%, and 25.0%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of CEUS were 85.7%, 50.0%, 82.8%, and 55.6%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of KDCT, MRI, and CEUS were 68.4%, 68.4%, and 76.3%, respectively. In a subgroup analysis based on clinical tumor size of 10 mm and 20 mm, CEUS also showed the highest diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions CEUS had the highest specificity, PPV, and NPV and may help improve the assessment of SRM.

Background: The Omicron variant has become the most prevalent SARS-CoV-2 variant. Omicron is known to induce milder lesions compared to the original Wuhan strain. Fatal infection of the Wuhan strain into the brain has been well documented in COVID-19 mouse models and human COVID-19 cases, but apparent infections into the brain by Omicron have not been reported in human adult cases or animal models. In this study, we investigated whether Omicron could spread to the brain using K18-hACE2 mice susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: K18-hACE2 mice were intranasally infected with 1 × 105 PFU of the original Wuhan strain and the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. A follow-up was conducted 7 days post infection. All Wuhan-infected mice showed > 20% body weight loss, defined as the lethal condition, whereas two out of five Omicron-infected mice (40%) lost > 20% body weight. Histopathological analysis based on H&E staining revealed inflammatory responses in the brains of these two Omicron-infected mice. Immunostaining analysis of viral nucleocapsid protein revealed severe infection of neuron cells in the brains of these two Omicron-infected mice. Lymphoid depletion and apoptosis were observed in the spleen of Omicron-infected mice with brain infection. Conclusion Lethal conditions, such as severe body weight loss and encephalopathy, can occur in Omicron-infected K18-hACE2 mice. Our study reports, for the first time, that Omicron can induce brain infection with lymphoid depletion in the mouse COVID-19 model.

Objective: No previous study examined impact of dementia in the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We aimed to investigate overall survival (OS) of patients with dementia after receiving HSCT. Methods: Among 8,230 patients who underwent HSCT between 2002 and 2018, 5,533 patients younger than 50 years were first excluded. Remaining patients were divided into those who were and were not diagnosed with dementia before HSCT (dementia group: n = 31; no dementia: n = 2,666). Thereafter, among 2,666 participants without dementia, 93 patients were selected via propensity-matched score as non-dementia group. Patients were followed from the day they received HSCT to the occurrence of death or the last follow-up day (December 31, 2018), whichever came first. Results: With median follow-up of 621 days for dementia group and 654 days for non-dementia group, 2 year-OS of dementia group was lower than that of non-dementia group (53.3% [95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 59.0−80.2%] vs. 68.8% [95% CI, 38.0−68.2%], p = 0.076). In multivariate analysis, dementia had significant impacts on OS (hazard risk = 2.539, 95% CI, 1.166−4.771, p = 0.017). Conclusion Our results indicated that patients diagnosed with dementia before HSCT have 2.539 times higher risk of mortality after transplantation than those not having dementia. With number of elderly needing HSCT is increasing, further work to establish treatment guidelines for the management of HSCT in people with dementia is needed.

Objective: Despite a high prevalence of dementia in older adults hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (SARS-CoV-2), or so called COVID-19, research investigating association between preexisting diagnoses of dementia and prognosis of COVID-19 is scarce. We aimed to investigate treatment outcome of patients with dementia after COVID-19. Methods: We explored a nationwide cohort with a total of 2,800 subjects older than 50 years who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and April 2020. Among them, 223 patients had underlying dementia (dementia group). We matched 1:1 for each dementia- non-dementia group pair yielding 223 patients without dementia (no dementia group) using propensity score matching. Results: Mortality rate after COVID-19 was higher in dementia group than in no dementia group (33.6% vs. 20.2%, p=0.002). Dementia group had higher proportion of patients requiring invasive ventilatory support than no dementia group (34.1% vs. 22.0%, p=0.006). Multivariable analysis showed that dementia group had a higher risk of mortality than no dementia group (odds ratio=3.05, p<0.001). We also found that patients in dementia group had a higher risk of needing invasive ventilatory support than those in no dementia group. Conclusion Our results suggest that system including strengthen quarantines are required for patients with dementia during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Objective: No previous study examined impact of dementia in the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We aimed to investigate overall survival (OS) of patients with dementia after receiving HSCT. Methods: Among 8,230 patients who underwent HSCT between 2002 and 2018, 5,533 patients younger than 50 years were first excluded. Remaining patients were divided into those who were and were not diagnosed with dementia before HSCT (dementia group: n = 31; no dementia: n = 2,666). Thereafter, among 2,666 participants without dementia, 93 patients were selected via propensity-matched score as non-dementia group. Patients were followed from the day they received HSCT to the occurrence of death or the last follow-up day (December 31, 2018), whichever came first. Results: With median follow-up of 621 days for dementia group and 654 days for non-dementia group, 2 year-OS of dementia group was lower than that of non-dementia group (53.3% [95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 59.0−80.2%] vs. 68.8% [95% CI, 38.0−68.2%], p = 0.076). In multivariate analysis, dementia had significant impacts on OS (hazard risk = 2.539, 95% CI, 1.166−4.771, p = 0.017). Conclusion Our results indicated that patients diagnosed with dementia before HSCT have 2.539 times higher risk of mortality after transplantation than those not having dementia. With number of elderly needing HSCT is increasing, further work to establish treatment guidelines for the management of HSCT in people with dementia is needed.

Objective: Despite a high prevalence of dementia in older adults hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (SARS-CoV-2), or so called COVID-19, research investigating association between preexisting diagnoses of dementia and prognosis of COVID-19 is scarce. We aimed to investigate treatment outcome of patients with dementia after COVID-19. Methods: We explored a nationwide cohort with a total of 2,800 subjects older than 50 years who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and April 2020. Among them, 223 patients had underlying dementia (dementia group). We matched 1:1 for each dementia- non-dementia group pair yielding 223 patients without dementia (no dementia group) using propensity score matching. Results: Mortality rate after COVID-19 was higher in dementia group than in no dementia group (33.6% vs. 20.2%, p=0.002). Dementia group had higher proportion of patients requiring invasive ventilatory support than no dementia group (34.1% vs. 22.0%, p=0.006). Multivariable analysis showed that dementia group had a higher risk of mortality than no dementia group (odds ratio=3.05, p<0.001). We also found that patients in dementia group had a higher risk of needing invasive ventilatory support than those in no dementia group. Conclusion Our results suggest that system including strengthen quarantines are required for patients with dementia during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Purpose: To assess patient radiation doses during diagnostic and therapeutic neurointerventional procedures from multiple centers and propose dose reference level (RL). Materials and Methods: Consecutive neurointerventional procedures, performed in 22 hospitals from December 2020 to June 2021, were retrospectively studied. We collected data from a sample of 429 diagnostic and 731 therapeutic procedures. Parameters including dose-area product (DAP), cumulative air kerma (CAK), fluoroscopic time (FT), and total number of image frames (NI) were obtained. RL were calculated as the 3rd quartiles of the distribution. Results: Analysis of 1160 procedures from 22 hospitals confirmed the large variability in patient dose for similar procedures. RLs in terms of DAP, CAK, FT, and NI were 101.6 Gy·cm2, 711.3 mGy, 13.3 minutes, and 637 frames for cerebral angiography, 199.9 Gy·cm2, 3,458.7 mGy, 57.3 minutes, and 1,000 frames for aneurysm coiling, 225.1 Gy·cm2, 1,590 mGy, 44.7 minutes, and 800 frames for stroke thrombolysis, 412.3 Gy·cm2, 4,447.8 mGy, 99.3 minutes, and 1,621.3 frames for arteriovenous malformation (AVM) embolization, respectively. For all procedures, the results were comparable to most of those already published. Statistical analysis showed male and presence of procedural complications were significant factors in aneurysmal coiling. Male, number of passages, and procedural combined technique were significant factors in stroke thrombolysis. In AVM embolization, a significantly higher radiation dose was found in the definitive endovascular cure group. Conclusion Various RLs introduced in this study promote the optimization of patient doses in diagnostic and therapeutic interventional neuroradiology procedures. Proposed 3rd quartile DAP (Gy·cm2) values were 101.6 for diagnostic cerebral angiography, 199.9 for aneurysm coiling, 225.1 for stroke thrombolysis, and 412.3 for AVM embolization. Continual evolution of practices and technologies requires regular updates of RLs.

Numerous studies have investigated quantifying dietary intake according to the weight status of children and adolescents. However, studies on differences in quality among diets remain scarce. This study compared diet quality by weight status and examined correlations between quality of diet and obesity in children and adolescents. Two hundred fourteen children and adolescents aged between 9 and 18 years participated in this study (Normal weight n=104, Obesity n=110). The data related to food intake were investigated by dietary records, Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), and Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and then compared with Dietary Reference Intakes for Korean (KDRIs). In DQI-I, moderation factor (control of unhealthy foods) score was 21.7 in the normal weight group and 19.5 in the obesity group. The normal weight group showed a higher score for moderation factor than the obesity group (P<0.001). Compared with KDRIs, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and zinc intakes were insufficient in both groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that DQI-I moderation was negatively associated with obesity (OR=0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.87) after adjustment for age, gender, income, and total energy intake. Our results suggest that children and adolescents require nutritional education to understand the importance of vitamin and mineral consumption. Especially, education for children and adolescents with obesity needs to emphasize moderation of nutrient intake that can cause diseases with hyper-ingestion such as sodium and high calorie-low nutrition foods.
Adolescent* ; Ascorbic Acid ; Calcium ; Child* ; Diet Records ; Diet* ; Eating ; Education ; Energy Intake ; Folic Acid ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Miners ; Obesity* ; Potassium ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Sodium ; Vitamin B 6 ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins ; Zinc

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of bilateral chronic otitis media (BCOM) and the ratio of unilateral or bilateral cholesteatoma in BCOM. Pre- and post-operative hearing were analyzed to see if bilateral balanced hearing were achieved. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective review was done with a computerized otologic database to identify all patients who underwent surgical treatments for COM between 1998 and 2011, and has a follow up duration for at least 6 months. Comparative analysis between pre- and post-operation hearing was measured by pure tone audiometry and achievement of bilateral balanced hearing was analyzed with 'The Belfast rule of thumb'. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-one (14.5%) of 1938 patients suffered from BCOM, and of these, 73 (25.9%) of the patients with BCOM had cholesteatomas in one (12.4%) or both ears (13.5%). When a patient with BCOM is found with cholesteatoma in one ear, the odds of there being cholesteatoma in the other ear was 52.1%. According to 'The Belfast rule of thumb', it is considered difficult to achieve successful bilateral hearing gains sufficient for the patients to perceive subjective hearing improvements in BCOM. CONCLUSION: Approximately 15% of the COM patients were found with the disease in both ears, and the odds of a patient with BCOM having cholesteatoma in one ear also having cholesteatoma in the other ear was 53.4%. It was difficult to achieve subjective, successful and balanced bilateral hearing gain with three-dimensional hearing improvements.
Audiometry ; Cholesteatoma ; Ear ; Ear, Middle ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hearing ; Humans ; Otitis Media* ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To examine the synergistic effects of both computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation (CACR) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive function in patients with stroke. METHODS: The current double-blind, sham-controlled study enrolled a total of 11 patients who were newly diagnosed with stroke. The patients of the tDCS group (n=6) completed sessions of the Korean computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation program five times a week for 30 minutes a session during a mean period of 18.5 days concomitantly with the anodal tDCS over the bilateral prefrontal cortex combined with the CACR. The patients of the control group (n=5) also completed sessions of the sham stimulation during a mean period of 17.8 days. Anodal tDCS over bilateral prefrontal cortex (F3 and F4 in 10-20 EEG system) was delivered for 30 minutes at an intensity of 2 mA. Cathode electrodes were applied to the non-dominant arm. All the patients were evaluated using the Seoul Computerized Neuropsychological Test (SCNT) and the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS: Mann-Whitney U test revealed a significant difference between the two groups. The patients of the tDCS group achieved a significant improvement in the post/pre ratio of auditory continuous performance test and visual continuous performance test on the SCNT items. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the concomitant use of the tDCS with CACR to the prefrontal cortex may provide additional beneficial effects in improving the cognitive dysfunction for patients with stroke.
Arm ; Electrodes ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Pilot Projects* ; Prefrontal Cortex* ; Rehabilitation* ; Seoul ; Stroke*