Background: and Purpose We aimed to determine the proportion of Korean patients with early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who are eligible to receive lecanemab based on the United States Appropriate Use Recommendations (US AUR), and also identify the barriers to this treatment. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 6,132 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or mild amnestic dementia at 13 hospitals from June 2023 to May 2024. Among them, 2,058 patients underwent amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) and 1,199 (58.3%) of these patients were amyloid-positive on PET. We excluded 732 patients who did not undergo brain magnetic resonance imaging between June 2023 and May 2024. Finally, 467 patients were included in the present study. Results: When applying the criteria of the US AUR, approximately 50% of patients with early AD were eligible to receive lecanemab treatment. Among the 467 included patients, 36.8% did not meet the inclusion criterion of a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of ≥22. Conclusions Eligibility for lecanemab treatment was not restricted to Korean patients with early AD except for those with an MMSE score of ≥22. The MMSE criteria should therefore be reconsidered in areas with a higher proportion of older people, who tend to have lower levels of education.

Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in South Korea, imposing substantial physical, emotional, and financial burdens on patients and society. Despite the high burden of symptom and complex care needs of HF patients, palliative care and hospice services remain underutilized in South Korea due to cultural, institutional, and knowledge-related barriers. This position statement from the Korean Society of Heart Failure emphasizes the need for integrating palliative and hospice care into HF management to improve quality of life and support holistic care for patients and their families. By clarifying the role of palliative care in HF and proposing practical referral criteria, this position statement aims to bridge the gap between HF and palliative care services in South Korea, ultimately improving patient-centered outcomes and aligning treatment with the goals and values of HF patients.

Background: and Purpose We aimed to determine the proportion of Korean patients with early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who are eligible to receive lecanemab based on the United States Appropriate Use Recommendations (US AUR), and also identify the barriers to this treatment. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 6,132 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or mild amnestic dementia at 13 hospitals from June 2023 to May 2024. Among them, 2,058 patients underwent amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) and 1,199 (58.3%) of these patients were amyloid-positive on PET. We excluded 732 patients who did not undergo brain magnetic resonance imaging between June 2023 and May 2024. Finally, 467 patients were included in the present study. Results: When applying the criteria of the US AUR, approximately 50% of patients with early AD were eligible to receive lecanemab treatment. Among the 467 included patients, 36.8% did not meet the inclusion criterion of a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of ≥22. Conclusions Eligibility for lecanemab treatment was not restricted to Korean patients with early AD except for those with an MMSE score of ≥22. The MMSE criteria should therefore be reconsidered in areas with a higher proportion of older people, who tend to have lower levels of education.

Background: and Purpose We aimed to determine the proportion of Korean patients with early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who are eligible to receive lecanemab based on the United States Appropriate Use Recommendations (US AUR), and also identify the barriers to this treatment. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 6,132 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or mild amnestic dementia at 13 hospitals from June 2023 to May 2024. Among them, 2,058 patients underwent amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) and 1,199 (58.3%) of these patients were amyloid-positive on PET. We excluded 732 patients who did not undergo brain magnetic resonance imaging between June 2023 and May 2024. Finally, 467 patients were included in the present study. Results: When applying the criteria of the US AUR, approximately 50% of patients with early AD were eligible to receive lecanemab treatment. Among the 467 included patients, 36.8% did not meet the inclusion criterion of a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of ≥22. Conclusions Eligibility for lecanemab treatment was not restricted to Korean patients with early AD except for those with an MMSE score of ≥22. The MMSE criteria should therefore be reconsidered in areas with a higher proportion of older people, who tend to have lower levels of education.

The hygiene hypothesis, first proposed in 1989, suggested that reduced exposure to infections in early life leads to allergic diseases by the defects in the establishment of immune tolerance. Although many studies provided evidence that some exposure conditions, including family size, antibiotics, probiotics, and viral or bacterial infections, are strongly related to the prevalence of allergic diseases, thereby supporting the hygiene hypothesis, some evidence does not provide acceptable results for the hygiene hypothesis. Further, most studies have focused on patients with asthma or atopic dermatitis, not allergic rhinitis. In this review, we summarize the recent studies for and against the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ and identify causal association with the prevalence of allergic rhinitis.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most important opportunistic viral pathogen in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients.The Korean guideline for the prevention of CMV infection in SOT recipients was developed jointly by the Korean Society for Infectious Diseases and the Korean Society of Transplantation. CMV serostatus of both donors and recipients should be screened before transplantation to best assess the risk of CMV infection after SOT. Seronegative recipients receiving organs from seropositive donors face the highest risk, followed by seropositive recipients. Either antiviral prophylaxis or preemptive therapy can be used to prevent CMV infection. While both strategies have been demonstrated to prevent CMV infection post-transplant, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. CMV serostatus, transplant organ, other risk factors, and practical issues should be considered for the selection of preventive measures. There is no universal viral load threshold to guide treatment in preemptive therapy. Each institution should define and validate its own threshold.Valganciclovir is the favored agent for both prophylaxis and preemptive therapy. The evaluation of CMV-specific cellmediated immunity and the monitoring of viral load kinetics are gaining interest, but there was insufficient evidence to issue recommendations. Specific considerations on pediatric transplant recipients are included.

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of thromboembolic events, making oral anticoagulants (OACs) essential for high-risk patients. This fact sheet provides nationwide statistics on AF management for stroke prevention in Korea. We aimed to evaluate current anticoagulation treatment trends and strategies in Korea.MethodThe Korean national health claims database from the National Health Insurance Service was used. AF patients aged ≥ 18 years from 2013 to 2022 were included. OAC use, including warfarin and non-vitamin K antagonist OACs (NOACs), was tracked through prescription data. The rates of OAC use were calculated based on continued use, considering prescription dates and amounts. For patients with multiple encounters, the last encounter was used for analysis. Results: During the study, 20.4% of strokes were accompanied by AF, with AF diagnosed within 6 months before or after the stroke. The number of patients diagnosed with AF after a stroke increased from 4893 in 2013 to 6978 in 2022. Among newly diagnosed AF patients requiring OACs, 51% were not prescribed OACs within 6 months. OAC treatment rates for high-risk AF patients increased from 44.6% in 2013 to 77.5% in 2022, with NOAC prescriptions rising significantly after 2015. Regional variations in OAC prescription rates were observed, with lower rates in suburban/rural areas than in urban regions (76.0% vs. 79.6%, p < 0.001). Conclusions Considerable strokes could have been prevented with earlier AF detection and OAC treatment through more intensive electrocardiogram screening.

Objective: The Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease–Cognition (SCOPA-Cog) was developed to assess cognition in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the SCOPACog (K-SCOPA-Cog). Methods: We enrolled 129 PD patients with movement disorders from 31 clinics in South Korea. The original version of the SCOPA-Cog was translated into Korean using the translation-retranslation method. The test–retest method with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were used to assess reliability. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Korean version (MOCA-K) and the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) were used to assess concurrent validity. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.797, and the ICC was 0.887. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation with the K-MMSE and MOCA-K scores (r = 0.546 and r = 0.683, respectively). Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the K-SCOPA-Cog has good reliability and validity.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a type of rhinitis accompanied by sensitization to allergens. One of the most clinically important allergens is pollen. Recently, due to climate change and CO 2 air pollution, the flowering period starts earlier and persists longer. In addition, antigenicity due to environmental pollution is also being strengthened. As a result, the sensitization rate to pollen antigens is on the rise. It is known that the prevalence of AR especially caused by pollen is rapidly escalating. Although the causal relationship between pollen exposure and the severity of rhinitis is not precisely established, an association of rhinitis symptoms with the time of pollen scattering exists. In addition, the mixed effect of environmental pollution and pollen may play a role in the development of rhinitis symptoms. Therefore, in order to avoid pollen, it is necessary to constantly improve pollen forecast and minimize the contact with pollen indoors and outdoors. Treatment of AR should be performed according to guidelines. Also, continuous efforts to solve the environmental problems affecting the ecology of pollen are needed.

Background/Aims: This study aimed to develop a rehabilitation program for musculoskeletal pain experienced by gastrointestinal endoscopists and to investigate its usefulness. Methods: This was a multicenter cohort study. During the first 2 weeks, a questionnaire regarding daily workload and musculoskeletal symptoms was administered. Then, a rehabilitation program including equipment/posture correction and stretching was conducted during the remaining 6 weeks. Follow-up daily workload and musculoskeletal symptom surveys were distributed during the last 2 weeks. The program satisfaction survey was performed at the 6th and 8th weeks. Results: Among 118 participants (69 men), 94% (n=111) complained of musculoskeletal pain at baseline. Various hospital activities at baseline were associated with multisite musculoskeletal pain, whereas only a few workloads were correlated with musculoskeletal pain after the rehabilitation program. Follow-up musculoskeletal pain was negatively correlated with equipment/ posture program performance; arm/elbow pain was negatively correlated with elbow (R=–0.307) and wrist (R=–0.205) posture; leg/foot pain was negatively correlated with monitor position, shoulder, elbow, wrist, leg, and foot posture. Higher performance in the scope position (86.8% in the improvement vs 71.3% in the aggravation group, p=0.054) and table height (94.1% vs 79.1%, p=0.054) were associated with pain improvement. An increased number of colonoscopy procedures (6.27 in the aggravation vs 0.02 in the improvement group, p=0.017) was associated with pain aggravation. Most participants reported being average (32%) or satisfied (67%) with the program at the end of the study. Conclusions Our rehabilitation program is easily applicable, satisfactory, and helpful for improving the musculoskeletal pain experienced by gastrointestinal endoscopists.