Objective: We investigated the clinical efficacy of anabolic agents compared with bisphosphonates (BPs) for the incidence of new osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) and fracture healing of OVF in the patients with OVF via meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for published RCTs till December 2022. The RCTs that recruited participants with osteoporosis at high-/very high-risk of fracture (a history of osteoporotic vertebral or hip fracture) or fresh OVF were included in this study. We assessed the risk of bias on every included RCTs, estimated relative risk (RR) for the incidence of new OVF and fracture healing of OVF, and overall certainty of evidence. Meta-analyses were performed by Cochrane review manager (RevMan) ver. 5.3. Cochrane risk of bias 2.0 and GRADEpro/GDT were applied for evaluating methodological quality and overall certainty of evidence, respectively. Results: Five hundred eighteen studies were screened, and finally 6 eligible RCTs were included in the analysis. In the patients with prevalent OVF, anabolic agents significantly reduced the incidence of new OVF (teriparatide and romosozumab vs. alendronate and risedronate [RR, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.45–0.71; p < 0.00001; high-certainty of evidence]; teriparatide vs. risedronate [RR, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.37–0.68; p < 0.0001; high-certainty of evidence]). However, there was no evidence of teriparatide compared to alendronate in fracture healing of OVF (RR, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.95–1.60; p = 0.12; low-certainty of evidence). Conclusion In the patients with prevalent OVF, anabolic agents showed a significant superiority for preventing new OVF than BPs, with no significant evidence for promoting fracture healing of OVF. However, considering small number of RCTs in this study, additional studies with large-scale data are required to obtain more robust evidences.

Purpose: The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of the non-invasive radiofrequency hyperthermia (RFHT) device on chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) rat model and investigate the underlying mechanism. Materials and Methods: In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly distributed into three groups: (1) normal control group, (2) CP/CPPS group, and (3) RFHT group. CP/CPPS rat models were induced by 17β-estradiol and dihydrotestosterone for 4 weeks and RFHT was administered for 5 weeks after model establishment. During RFHT administration, core body temperatures were continuously monitored with a rectal probe. After administering RFHT, we assessed pain index for all groups and collected prostate tissues for Western blot analysis, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. We also collected adjacent organs to the prostate including urinary bladder, testes, and rectum for safety assessment via H&E staining along with a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling assay. Results: After administering RFHT, pain in rats was significantly alleviated compared to the CP/CPPS group. RFHT reduced high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) expression and improved inflammation by downregulating subsequent proinflammatory cytokines through inhibition of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. In prostate-adjacent organs, no significant histological alteration or inflammatory infiltration was detected. The area of cell death also did not increase significantly after RFHT. Conclusions In conclusion, RFHT demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the HMGB1-TLR4-NF-κB pathway in CP/CPPS rat models. This suggests that RFHT could serve as a safe and promising therapeutic strategy for CP/CPPS.

Objective: We investigated the clinical efficacy of anabolic agents compared with bisphosphonates (BPs) for the incidence of new osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) and fracture healing of OVF in the patients with OVF via meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for published RCTs till December 2022. The RCTs that recruited participants with osteoporosis at high-/very high-risk of fracture (a history of osteoporotic vertebral or hip fracture) or fresh OVF were included in this study. We assessed the risk of bias on every included RCTs, estimated relative risk (RR) for the incidence of new OVF and fracture healing of OVF, and overall certainty of evidence. Meta-analyses were performed by Cochrane review manager (RevMan) ver. 5.3. Cochrane risk of bias 2.0 and GRADEpro/GDT were applied for evaluating methodological quality and overall certainty of evidence, respectively. Results: Five hundred eighteen studies were screened, and finally 6 eligible RCTs were included in the analysis. In the patients with prevalent OVF, anabolic agents significantly reduced the incidence of new OVF (teriparatide and romosozumab vs. alendronate and risedronate [RR, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.45–0.71; p < 0.00001; high-certainty of evidence]; teriparatide vs. risedronate [RR, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.37–0.68; p < 0.0001; high-certainty of evidence]). However, there was no evidence of teriparatide compared to alendronate in fracture healing of OVF (RR, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.95–1.60; p = 0.12; low-certainty of evidence). Conclusion In the patients with prevalent OVF, anabolic agents showed a significant superiority for preventing new OVF than BPs, with no significant evidence for promoting fracture healing of OVF. However, considering small number of RCTs in this study, additional studies with large-scale data are required to obtain more robust evidences.

Purpose: The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of the non-invasive radiofrequency hyperthermia (RFHT) device on chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) rat model and investigate the underlying mechanism. Materials and Methods: In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly distributed into three groups: (1) normal control group, (2) CP/CPPS group, and (3) RFHT group. CP/CPPS rat models were induced by 17β-estradiol and dihydrotestosterone for 4 weeks and RFHT was administered for 5 weeks after model establishment. During RFHT administration, core body temperatures were continuously monitored with a rectal probe. After administering RFHT, we assessed pain index for all groups and collected prostate tissues for Western blot analysis, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. We also collected adjacent organs to the prostate including urinary bladder, testes, and rectum for safety assessment via H&E staining along with a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling assay. Results: After administering RFHT, pain in rats was significantly alleviated compared to the CP/CPPS group. RFHT reduced high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) expression and improved inflammation by downregulating subsequent proinflammatory cytokines through inhibition of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. In prostate-adjacent organs, no significant histological alteration or inflammatory infiltration was detected. The area of cell death also did not increase significantly after RFHT. Conclusions In conclusion, RFHT demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the HMGB1-TLR4-NF-κB pathway in CP/CPPS rat models. This suggests that RFHT could serve as a safe and promising therapeutic strategy for CP/CPPS.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Korea and the third leading cause of death from cancer. Treatment outcomes for colon cancer are steadily improving due to national health screening programs with advances in diagnostic methods, surgical techniques, and therapeutic agents.. The Korea Colon Cancer Multidisciplinary (KCCM) Committee intends to provide professionals who treat colon cancer with the most up-to-date, evidence-based practice guidelines to improve outcomes and help them make decisions that reflect their patients’ values and preferences. These guidelines have been established by consensus reached by the KCCM Guideline Committee based on a systematic literature review and evidence synthesis and by considering the national health insurance system in real clinical practice settings. Each recommendation is presented with a recommendation strength and level of evidence based on the consensus of the committee.

Viral load and the duration of viral shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are important determinants of the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019.In this study, we examined the effects of viral doses on the lung and spleen of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice by temporal histological and transcriptional analyses. Approximately, 1×105 plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 induced strong host responses in the lungs from 2 days post inoculation (dpi) which did not recover until the mice died, whereas responses to the virus were obvious at 5 days, recovering to the basal state by 14 dpi at 1×102 PFU. Further, flow cytometry showed that number of CD8+ T cells continuously increased in 1×102 PFU-virusinfected lungs from 2 dpi, but not in 1×105 PFU-virus-infected lungs. In spleens, responses to the virus were prominent from 2 dpi, and number of B cells was significantly decreased at 1×105PFU; however, 1×102 PFU of virus induced very weak responses from 2 dpi which recovered by 10 dpi. Although the defense responses returned to normal and the mice survived, lung histology showed evidence of fibrosis, suggesting sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings indicate that specific effectors of the immune response in the lung and spleen were either increased or depleted in response to doses of SARS-CoV-2. This study demonstrated that the response of local and systemic immune effectors to a viral infection varies with viral dose, which either exacerbates the severity of the infection or accelerates its elimination.

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of skin adhesives and to compare postoperative and cosmetic outcomes after wound closure in single-port laparoscopic appendectomy (SPLA) between skin adhesives and steri-strips. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study. We included 22 and 47 patients in whom skin adhesive and steri-strips were used respectively, for skin closure after subcuticular suturing in SPLA between August 2014 and 2020. The patient scar assessment questionnaire (PSAQ) was completed postoperatively to assess postoperative cosmetic outcomes. Results: On the postoperative day, patients in whom skin adhesive was used had significantly lower numeric rating scores than in whom steri-strips were used (2.8 ± 0.8 vs. 3.9 ± 0.8, p < 0.001). The frequency of analgesic administration within 24 hours and between 24 and 48 hours after surgery was significantly lower in the skin adhesive group compared to the wound closure strip group (1.4 ± 0.8 vs. 2.7 ± 1.2, p = 0.013 and 0.2 ± 0.4 vs. 0.7 ± 0.9, p = 0.002, respectively). In the PSAQ, “satisfaction with appearance” and “satisfaction with symptoms” subitem scores were significantly lower in patients in whom skin adhesive was used (11.3 ± 3.0 vs. 15.1 ± 4.5, p = 0.006 and 6.5 ± 1.8 vs. 9.5 ± 3.3, p = 0.003), whereas, “appearance” and “consciousness” subitems revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups. Conclusion Liquid skin adhesive closures seem to be safe and feasible and cause less postoperative pain, resulting in greater patient satisfaction with postoperative scars than wound closure strip closure after subcuticular suturing in SPLA.