Primary hypoparathyroidism is a rare disorder that presents with various psychiatric and neurological symptoms. A 50-year-old female patient visited hospital due to recurrent seizures. Despite treatment with phenytoin and diazepam, her seizures persisted. Laboratory tests revealed hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and decreased intact parathyroid hormone level. Following treatment with valproic acid and calcium supplementation, her seizures ceased. Thorough examination including laboratory tests play a crucial role in the accurate diagnosis of primary hypoparathyroidism in a patient with recurrent seizures.

Background/Aims: H2 receptor antagonists (H2RA) have been used to treat gastritis by inhibiting gastric acid. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are more potent acid suppressants than H2RA.However, the efficacy and safety of low-dose PPI for treating gastritis remain unclear. The aim was to investigate the efficacy and safety of low-dose PPI for treating gastritis. Methods: A double-blind, noninferiority, multicenter, phase 3 clinical trial randomly assigned 476 patients with endoscopic erosive gastritis to a group using esomeprazole 10 mg (DW1903) daily and a group using famotidine 20 mg (DW1903R1) daily for 2 weeks. The full-analysis set included 319 patients (DW1903, n=159; DW1903R1, n=160) and the per-protocol set included 298 patients (DW1903, n=147; DW1903R1, n=151). The primary endpoint (erosion improvement rate) and secondary endpoint (erosion and edema cure rates, improvement rates of hemorrhage, erythema, and symptoms) were assessed after the treatment. Adverse events were compared. Results: According to the full-analysis set, the erosion improvement rates in the DW1903 and DW1903R1 groups were 59.8% and 58.8%, respectively. According to the per-protocol analysis, the erosion improvement rates in the DW1903 and DW1903R1 groups were 61.9% and 59.6%, respectively. Secondary endpoints were not significantly different between two groups except that the hemorrhagic improvement rate was higher in DW1903 with statistical tendency. The number of adverse events were not statistically different. Conclusions DW1903 of a low-dose PPI was not inferior to DW1903R1 of H2RA. Thus, lowdose PPI can be a novel option for treating gastritis (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05163756).

Objective: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a global issue that negatively impacts the clinical outcome. Through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic era, overcrowding of ED isolated territory (isolation bed) was aggravated. This study analyzed overcrowding indices of ED isolation beds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study was a single-center, retrospective, observational study. The study analyzed 34,925 patients who visited the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2021 to August 2022. Patients who were treated in isolation beds and regular beds were compared. Among the patients using isolation beds, patients who stayed longer than 720 minutes were also classified and analyzed. Results: During the analysis period, 4,479 and 34,943 patients were treated in the ED isolation bed and ED regular bed, respectively. The overcrowding indices (general ward admission rate, intensive care unit admission rate, ED-length of stay, transfer rate, mortality rate, prolonged ED stay patient ratio) of the isolation beds were significantly higher than those of the ED regular bed (P<0.05). The prolonged ED stay-patient ratio of isolation beds and regular beds was affected by the number of COVID-19 patients (regular bed, r=0.617 and P=0.01; isolation bed, r=0.525 and P=0.03). The average ED-length of stay of isolation beds was longer than that of the ED regular beds. One hundred and forty-five patients were classified as prolonged ED stay patients. Their time from the decision point to the discharge point comprised a higher rate with an average of 76.52%. Conclusion ED isolation beds are more vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks. A proper medical policy and arrangement management system that can flexibly deal with disaster emergencies are required

Purpose: Renal tumors account for approximately 7% of all childhood cancers. These include Wilms tumor (WT), clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) and other rare tumors. We investigated the epidemiology of pediatric renal tumors in Korea. Materials and Methods: From January 2001 to December 2015, data of pediatric patients (0–18 years) newly-diagnosed with renal tumors at 26 hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 439 patients (male, 240), the most common tumor was WT (n=342, 77.9%), followed by RCC (n=36, 8.2%), CCSK (n=24, 5.5%), MRTK (n=16, 3.6%), CMN (n=12, 2.7%), and others (n=9, 2.1%). Median age at diagnosis was 27.1 months (range 0-225.5) and median follow-up duration was 88.5 months (range 0-211.6). Overall, 32 patients died, of whom 17, 11, 1, and 3 died of relapse, progressive disease, second malignant neoplasm, and treatment-related mortality. Five-year overall survival and event free survival were 97.2% and 84.8% in WT, 90.6% and 82.1% in RCC, 81.1% and 63.6% in CCSK, 60.3% and 56.2% in MRTK, and 100% and 91.7% in CMN, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion The pediatric renal tumor types in Korea are similar to those previously reported in other countries. WT accounted for a large proportion and survival was excellent. Non-Wilms renal tumors included a variety of tumors and showed inferior outcome, especially MRTK. Further efforts are necessary to optimize the treatment and analyze the genetic characteristics of pediatric renal tumors in Korea.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in Korea and the world. Since 2004, this is the 4th gastric cancer guideline published in Korea which is the revised version of previous evidence-based approach in 2018. Current guideline is a collaborative work of the interdisciplinary working group including experts in the field of gastric surgery, gastroenterology, endoscopy, medical oncology, abdominal radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and guideline development methodology. Total of 33 key questions were updated or proposed after a collaborative review by the working group and 40 statements were developed according to the systematic review using the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and KoreaMed database. The level of evidence and the grading of recommendations were categorized according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation proposition. Evidence level, benefit, harm, and clinical applicability was considered as the significant factors for recommendation. The working group reviewed recommendations and discussed for consensus. In the earlier part, general consideration discusses screening, diagnosis and staging of endoscopy, pathology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. Flowchart is depicted with statements which is supported by meta-analysis and references. Since clinical trial and systematic review was not suitable for postoperative oncologic and nutritional follow-up, working group agreed to conduct a nationwide survey investigating the clinical practice of all tertiary or general hospitals in Korea. The purpose of this survey was to provide baseline information on follow up. Herein we present a multidisciplinary-evidence based gastric cancer guideline.

Purpose: We conducted a nationwide, multicenter, prospective registry study for newly diagnosed patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) to better define the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, survival outcomes, and the role of upfront autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in these patients. Materials and Methods: Patients with PTCL receiving chemotherapy with curative intent were registered and prospectively monitored. All patients were pathologically diagnosed with PTCL. Results: A total of 191 patients with PTCL were enrolled in this prospective registry study. PTCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) was the most common pathologic subtype (n=80, 41.9%), followed by angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) (n=60, 31.4%). With a median follow-up duration of 3.9 years, the 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 39.5% and 60.4%, respectively. The role of upfront ASCT was evaluated in patients who were considered transplant-eligible (n=59). ASCT was performed as an upfront consolidative treatment in 32 (54.2%) of these patients. There were no significant differences in PFS and OS between the ASCT and non-ASCT groups for all patients (n=59) and for patients with PTCL-NOS (n=26). However, in patients with AITL, the ASCT group was associated with significantly better PFS than the non-ASCT group, although there was no significant difference in OS. Conclusion The current study demonstrated that the survival outcomes with the current treatment options remain poor for patients with PTCL-NOS. Upfront ASCT may provide a survival benefit for patients with AITL, but not PTCL-NOS.

Purpose: To introduce an intuitive method for measuring conjunctival microvascular blood flow velocity by imaging bulbar conjunctival microvessels using a slit-lamp biomicroscope equipped with a zoom lens and an ultra-high-speed camera. Methods: After obtaining consent from 10 patients (1 male, 9 females) who visited Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital from August 21, 2020, to June 12, 2021, the patients were examined under a slit lamp microscope equipped with an ultra-high-speed camera and zoom lens. The blood flow in the conjunctival microvessels was photographed. The captured images were analyzed with ImageJ software to measure the blood flow velocity in the conjunctival microvessels, and we investigated whether the blood flow velocity correlated with the vessel diameter and age. Results: The median age of the subjects was 49.0 years. The mean conjunctival blood flow velocity in 53 microvessels was 0.786 ± 0.468 mm/s. The median conjunctival microvascular diameter was 7.06 μm (interquartile range 5.84 to 9.23 μm). The conjunctival microvascular diameter and blood flow velocity were not significantly correlated (Spearman’s p = 0.177), and the subjects’ age and conjunctival microvascular blood flow velocity were also not correlated (Spearman’s p = 0.669). Conclusions In this study, the blood flow velocity in the bulbar conjunctival microvessels could be measured easily by means of image analysis using a slit-lamp microscope equipped with an ultra-high-speed camera with a zoom lens.

Background/Aims: The Genoss DES™ is a novel, biodegradable, polymer-coated, sirolimus-eluting stent with a cobalt- chromium stent platform and thin strut. Although the safety and effectiveness of this stent have been previously investigated, real-world clinical outcomes data are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this prospective, multicenter trial was to evaluate the clinical safety and effectiveness of the Genoss DES™ in all-comer patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: The Genoss DES registry is a prospective, single-arm, observational trial for evaluation of clinical outcomes after Genoss DES™ implantation in all-comer patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention from 17 sites in South Korea. The primary endpoint was a device-oriented composite outcome of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (MI), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 12 months. Results: A total of 1,999 patients (66.4 ± 11.1 years of age; 72.8% male) were analyzed. At baseline, 62.8% and 36.7% of patients had hypertension and diabetes, respectively. The implanted stent number, diameter, and length per patient were 1.5 ± 0.8, 3.1 ± 0.5 mm, and 37.0 ± 25.0 mm, respectively. The primary endpoint occurred in 1.8% patients, with a cardiac death rate of 1.1%, target vessel-related MI rate of 0.2%, and clinically driven TLR rate of 0.8%. Conclusions In this real-world registry, the Genoss DES™ demonstrated excellent safety and effectiveness at 12 months among all-comer patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. These findings suggest that the Genoss DES™ may be a viable treatment option for patients with coronary artery disease.