Background/Aims: We used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) and retreatment outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who failed direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA) treatment in South Korea. Methods: Using prospectively collected data from the Korean HCV cohort study, we recruited 36 patients who failed DAA treatment in 10 centers between 2007 and 2020; 29 blood samples were available from 24 patients. RASs were analyzed using NGS. Results: RASs were analyzed for 13 patients with genotype 1b, 10 with genotype 2, and one with genotype 3a. The unsuccessful DAA regimens were daclatasvir+asunaprevir (n=11), sofosbuvir+ribavirin (n=9), ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (n=3), and glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (n=1). In the patients with genotype 1b, NS3, NS5A, and NS5B RASs were detected in eight, seven, and seven of 10 patients at baseline and in four, six, and two of six patients after DAA failure, respectively. Among the 10 patients with genotype 2, the only baseline RAS was NS3 Y56F, which was detected in one patient. NS5A F28C was detected after DAA failure in a patient with genotype 2 infection who was erroneously treated with daclatasvir+asunaprevir. After retreatment, 16 patients had a 100% sustained virological response rate. Conclusions NS3 and NS5A RASs were commonly present at baseline, and there was an increasing trend of NS5A RASs after failed DAA treatment in genotype 1b. However, RASs were rarely present in patients with genotype 2 who were treated with sofosbuvir+ribavirin. Despite baseline or treatment-emergent RASs, retreatment with pan-genotypic DAA was highly successful in Korea, so we encourage active retreatment after unsuccessful DAA treatment.

Purpose: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Cataract-related Visual Function Questionnaire (CVFQ). Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study of 141 cataract patients was conducted from March 2022 to June 2022. The questionnaire was created based on a literature review and advice from an expert panel. This study determined its construct validity, criterion validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Results: The CVFQ consists of 15 items distributed among five categories: overall visual quality, overall visual function, distance vision, near vision, and glare. In the exploratory factor analysis of validity, the first three principal components explained 77.8% of the variance. The p-values in the Spearman correlation test comparing the pre- and postoperative total CVFQ score and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were 0.006 and 0.004, respectively. In the reliability analysis, Cronbach’s alpha was > 0.9 for internal consistency and the p-values of each subcategory were all significant in the analysis of test-retest reliability. Conclusions Our results indicate that the CVFQ is useful for measuring the visual quality and visual function of cataract patients in Korea.

Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to identify the detailed job roles of physician assistants working in surgical departments of tertiary hospitals in Korea. Methods: Data were collected via individual in-depth interviews and analyzed using a content analysis method. Participants were 19 physician assistants (PAs), each of whom had been working for more than one year in tertiary hospitals. Results: Overall, 348 codes were extracted and clustered into 75 subcategories (job roles). Thereafter, 75 subcategories were classified into three categories (nursing roles, medical residents’ roles, and physicians’ roles). Among 75 PA job roles, 1 (1.3%) was a nursing role, 7 (9.3%) were nursing or medical residents’ roles, and 67 (89.4%) were physicians’ roles. Physicians’ roles were mostly surgery-associated functions performed in a variety of settings in numerous different ways. Conclusion Establishing educational systems, qualification standards, and payment systems for the PAs and legalizing their professional status are necessary.

Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes of penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) in eyes with Glaucoma Ahmed Valve implants. Methods: The charts of 11 patients who underwent PKP and 11 who underwent DSAEK between February 2016 and June 2018 were retrospectively reviewed; all patients previously underwent Ahmed valve implant surgery. The best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and endothelial cell count were compared 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Graft rejection and graft failure were also evaluated during follow-up. The survival rates were compared using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results: The difference in graft survival rates of the PKP and DSAEK groups was not significant (p = 0.295); however, graft failure occurred earlier in the PKP group (12.9 ± 10.1 vs. 18.8 ± 5.3 months). The postoperative best corrected visual acuity of the PKP group had improved at 1 (p = 0.027) and 3 (p = 0.017) months, while the DSAEK group showed significant improvement at 1, 3, and 6 months (all p = 0.005). Intergroup analysis showed better visual prognosis of the DSAEK group at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery (p = 0.023, p = 0.007, and p = 0.004, respectively). Conclusions In our study, the two corneal transplantation methods did not have significantly different graft survival rates; however, graft failure occured later in the DSAEK group and the postoperative visual acuity was better than in the PKP group. Although further study is needed, performing DSAEK in patients with an Ahmed valve implant seems to be a good alternative to PKP.

Background/Aims: Extrahepatic comorbidities and comedication are important to consider in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) due to the risk of drug-drug interaction (DDI) and the effect of comorbidities on clinical outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the detailed profiles of comorbidities and comedication among Korean CHC patients. Methods: All adult patients (≥18 years old) with a primary diagnostic code of CHC in 2013 were selected from the National Health Insurance claims database. For each patient, all ICD-10 codes listed as primary or secondary diagnoses and all prescribed medications were collected. Results: Among 47,104 CHC patients (median age, 57 years; male, 49.3%), 84.8% had at least one comorbidity for a mean number of 2.4, which increased with age. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension, esophagitis, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and peptic ulcer. Overall, 96.8% of the patients took at least one prescribed medication, with a mean of 8.1 medications/ year, and the three most common drug types were analgesics, gastrointestinal agents, and antibacterials. Use of at least one drug with a DDI risk category of “contraindicated medication” or “required dose- reduction/additional monitoring” was observed in 97% of the overall patients. The proportion of prescribed medications that were contraindicated with DAAs varied from 2.0% to 38.9% depending on the hepatitis C virus regimen. Conclusions The majority of CHC patients had comorbidities; almost all patients took multiple prescribed medications, the number of which increased with age, and significant DDI risk was present in 97% of this Korean patient cohort. Comorbidities and comedication profiles should be considered during DAA therapy.

Background/Aims: The risk factors for the development of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with PBC in Korea through a questionnaire survey. Methods: Consecutively enrolled 103 PBC patients from six referral hospitals and 100 age- and sex-matched community controls participated in this study. A standardized questionnaire survey including demographics, lifestyle, individual and familial medical history and reproductive history was prospectively collected and analyzed. Results: The PBC patients had a mean age of 58.3 years and a female proportion of 86.4%. The age- and sex-matched controls had a similar educational level and economic status to the PBC patients. Among the lifestyle factors, the multivariable analysis showed smoking including both first-hand and second-hand (odds ratio [OR], 2.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 3.93), history of autoimmune diseases (OR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.06 to 6.35), and family history of PBC (OR, 17.76; 95% CI, 1.77 to 2,418.74) were significantly associated with PBC, whereas alcohol intake was negatively associated with PBC. Among reproductive factors, the number of induced abortions was significantly associated with PBC, while the number of full-term deliveries was negatively associated with PBC. Conclusions A family history of PBC, accompanying autoimmune diseases, and smoking were significantly associated with PBC. More induced abortions and less full-term deliveries were associated with PBC in women. In contrast, mild to moderate alcohol intake was negatively associated with PBC. Further studies are warranted to validate the results of this study and to search for clues about the pathogenesis of PBC.

Background: /Aim: This study aimed to establish the real-world effectiveness and safety of grazoprevir/elbasvir (EBR/GZR) therapy in South Korea. Methods: A total of 242 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 or 4 infection who started EBR/GZR were consecutively enrolled from seven tertiary hospitals. Retrospective analysis of the fractions of patients that achieved sustained virological response (SVR) was performed, and the incidence of adverse events was noted. Results: The mean age of enrolled patients was 59.0 ± 12.6 years and 47.5% were males. Patients with HCV genotype 1b accounted for 93.8% (n = 227), and patients with HCV of unspecified genotype 1 accounted for 5.8% (n = 14). Hypertension was the most common comorbid disease (29.8%) followed by diabetes (22.7%) and chronic kidney disease (CKD, 12.4%). SVR rates of treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients were 85.5% (182/213) and 93.1% (27/29), respectively, in the intention-to-treat analyses, whereas in the per-protocol analyses, those were 97.8% (179/183) and 100% (28/28), respectively. Fewer patients with HCV genotype 1 of unspecified subtype achieved SVR (81.8%, n = 11) compared to the patients with SVR infected with genotype 1b (99%, n = 198, p < 0.001). All patients with CKD showed SVR. Itching (12%) and dyspepsia (4.1%) were common adverse events. Of the four patients who discontinued the antiviral therapy, one experienced mild fatigue but neither treatment withdrawal was because of an adverse event. Conclusions EBR/GZR showed high real-world effectiveness and safety in Korean patients with chronic HCV infection regardless of the previous antiviral treatment, liver cirrhosis, or CKD status.

Purpose: To report a case of juvenile dermatomyositis that presented with erythematous swelling on the upper eyelid as the first clinical sign.Case summary: An 11-year-old female patient presented with erythematous swelling of both upper eye lids that persisted for 3 weeks prior to examination. She also had an erythematous rash over both cheeks but no pain or hyperemia in either eye. During anti-inflammatory eye drop treatment under suspicion of blepharitis, a reddish-purple heliotrope rash appeared around the eyelid margin. She also developed fever, arthralgia, multiple oral ulcers, an erythematous scaly rash behind the ear, and erythematous firm papules on the metacarpal (MCP) joint and around the elbow. On evaluation, aspartate aminotransferase was elevated to 184 IU/L, alanine aminotransferase to 352 IU/L, and alkaline phosphatase to 266 IU/L. We performed a skin biopsy. Based on histopathological examination, the eyelid lesion was diagnosed as dermatomyositis and the MCP joint lesion as Gottron’s papule. From the above findings, we diagnosed the patient with juvenile dermatomyositis based on the European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology classification. The patient was treated with prednisolone. Three months after diagnosis, she died from rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia, a complication of juvenile dermatomyositis. Conclusions Heliotrope rash should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with eyelid swelling, for early diagnosis and better prognosis of juvenile dermatomyositis.

Purpose: To report a case of juvenile dermatomyositis that presented with erythematous swelling on the upper eyelid as the first clinical sign.Case summary: An 11-year-old female patient presented with erythematous swelling of both upper eye lids that persisted for 3 weeks prior to examination. She also had an erythematous rash over both cheeks but no pain or hyperemia in either eye. During anti-inflammatory eye drop treatment under suspicion of blepharitis, a reddish-purple heliotrope rash appeared around the eyelid margin. She also developed fever, arthralgia, multiple oral ulcers, an erythematous scaly rash behind the ear, and erythematous firm papules on the metacarpal (MCP) joint and around the elbow. On evaluation, aspartate aminotransferase was elevated to 184 IU/L, alanine aminotransferase to 352 IU/L, and alkaline phosphatase to 266 IU/L. We performed a skin biopsy. Based on histopathological examination, the eyelid lesion was diagnosed as dermatomyositis and the MCP joint lesion as Gottron’s papule. From the above findings, we diagnosed the patient with juvenile dermatomyositis based on the European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology classification. The patient was treated with prednisolone. Three months after diagnosis, she died from rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia, a complication of juvenile dermatomyositis. Conclusions Heliotrope rash should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with eyelid swelling, for early diagnosis and better prognosis of juvenile dermatomyositis.