Purpose: This study was performed to analyze whether adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) can improve the survival outcome for pathological node-negative (ypN0) breast cancer patients who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods: In this meta-analysis, we reviewed papers related to adjuvant RT in ypN0 patients after NAC published between January 2010 and November 2024 using PubMed, EMBASE via Elsevier, Cochrane Library with keywords:“breast neoplasms,” “neoadjuvant therapy,” and “radiotherapy.” The effectiveness of post-mastectomy RT (PMRT) after mastectomy and regional nodal irradiation (RNI) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) was evaluated. The end point of this study was overall survival (OS). Results: We selected 11 retrospective papers for this meta-analysis out of 4,164 English full-text articles. There were 7 PMRT-related and 5 RNI-related papers (1 duplicated) for final analysis. Overall, PMRT in ypN0 patients improved OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.862; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.766–0.972; P = 0.015) after mastectomy. Moreover, OS (HR, 0.774;95% CI, 0.600–0.999; P = 0.049) was also improved by RNI for ypN0 patients after BCS. Conclusion For patients with ypN0 breast cancer who have undergone NAC and surgery, PMRT positively affected the survival outcome of patients. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo adjuvant RT to improve survival for ypN0 breast cancer patients.

These guidelines were developed as a part of the 2021 Academic R&D Service Project of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in response to requests from healthcare professionals in clinical practice for guidance on developing antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). These guidelines were developed by means of a systematic literature review and a summary of recent literature, in which evidence-based intervention methods were used to address key questions about the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents and ASP expansion. These guidelines also provide evidence of the effectiveness of ASPs and describe intervention methods applicable in Korea.

These guidelines were developed as a part of the 2021 Academic R&D Service Project of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in response to requests from healthcare professionals in clinical practice for guidance on developing antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). These guidelines were developed by means of a systematic literature review and a summary of recent literature, in which evidence-based intervention methods were used to address key questions about the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents and ASP expansion. These guidelines also provide evidence of the effectiveness of ASPs and describe intervention methods applicable in Korea.

Objective: The purpose was to review the diagnostic performance of the length of tumor capsular contact (LCC) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting prostate cancer extraprostatic extension (EPE). Materials and Methods: PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched up to March 24, 2019. We included diagnostic accuracy studies that evaluated LCC on MRI for EPE detection using radical prostatectomy specimen histopathology as the reference standard. Quality of studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Sensitivity and specificity were pooled and graphically presented using hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) plots. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore heterogeneity. Results: Thirteen articles with 2136 patients were included. Study quality was generally good. Summary sensitivity and specificity were 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73–0.83) and 0.67 (95% CI 0.60–0.74), respectively. Area under the HSROC was 0.81 (95% CI 0.77–0.84). Substantial heterogeneity was present among the included studies according to Cochran’s Q-test (p < 0.01) and Higgins I2 (62% and 86% for sensitivity and specificity, respectively). In terms of heterogeneity, measurement method (curvilinear vs. linear), prevalence of Gleason score ≥ 7, MRI readers’ experience, and endorectal coils were significant factors (p ≤ 0.01), whereas method to determine the LCC threshold, cutoff value, magnet strength, and publication year were not (p = 0.14–0.93). Diagnostic test accuracy estimates were comparable across all assessed MRI sequences. Conclusion Greater LCC on MRI is associated with a higher probability of prostate cancer EPE. Due to heterogeneity among the studies, further investigation is needed to establish the optimal cutoff value for each clinical setting.

Background and Objectives: Recent studies have described direct reprogramming of mouse and human somatic cells into induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) using various combinations of transcription factors. Although iNSC technology holds a great potential for clinical applications, the low conversion efficiency and limited reproducibility of iNSC generation hinder its further translation into the clinic, strongly suggesting the necessity of highly reproducible method for human iNSCs (hiNSCs). Thus, in orderto develop a highly efficient and reproducible protocol for hiNSC generation, we revisited the reprogramming potentials of previously reported hiNSC reprogramming cocktails by comparing the reprogramming efficiency of distinct factor combinations including ours. Methods: We introduced distinct factor combinations, OSKM (OCT4+SOX2+KLF4+C-MYC), OCT4 alone, SOX2 alone, SOX2+HMGA2, BRN4+SKM+SV40LT (BSKMLT), SKLT, SMLT, and SKMLT and performed comparative analysis of reprogramming potentials of distinct factor combinations in hiNSC generation. Results: Here we show that ectopic expression of five reprogramming factors, BSKMLT leads the robust hiNSC generation (>80 folds enhanced efficiency) from human somatic cells compared with previously described factor combinations. With our combination, we were able to observe hiNSC conversion within 7 days of transduction. Throughout further optimization steps, we found that both BRN4 and KLF4 are not essential for hiNSC conversion. Conclusions Our factor combination could robustly and reproducibly generate hiNSCs from human somatic cells with distinct origins. Therefore, our novel reprogramming strategy might serve as a useful tool for hiNSC-based clinical application.

PURPOSE: To analyze the accuracy of ocular biometry and prediction of postoperative refraction after cataract surgery in acute primary angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) patients treated with laser iridotomy (LI). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 44 patients who underwent cataract surgery after LI due to ACG (ACG group), and 37 patients who underwent cataract surgery without ocular disease other than cataract (control group) from January 2015 to May 2018. An Acrysof® single piece (SN60WF) was used as the intraocular lens. We performed preoperative ocular biometry and intraocular lens power calculations using AL-Scan®. The accuracy of the postoperative refractive power prediction was analyzed according to the anterior chamber depth (ACD) and axial length (AL). RESULTS: The preoperative ACD was 2.29 ± 0.32 mm in the ACG group and 3.15 ± 0.27 mm in the control group (p < 0.01), and the respective AL values were 22.53 ± 0.80 mm and 23.87 ± 1.38 mm (p < 0.01). Using the Haigis formula, patients with an ACD < 2.30 mm in the ACG group (0.52 ± 0.36 diopters [D]) had less accurate results in terms of the mean absolute error than patients with an ACD > 2.31 mm in the ACG group (0.27 ± 0.20 D) and control group (0.27 ± 0.20 D). There was no significant difference in the mean absoluter error between each formula in patients with an AL of < 22.0 mm or > 22.1 mm in the ACG and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients treated with LI due to ACG, those patients with an ACD > 2.31 mm showed no difference in refractory prediction compared to the control group. However, in patients with an ACD < 2.30 mm, the refractory prediction may be inaccurate when using the Haigis formula, a fourth-generation formula that takes into account the ACD.
Anterior Chamber ; Biometry ; Cataract ; Glaucoma, Angle-Closure ; Humans ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Medical Records ; Refractive Errors ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: To identify the prognostic factors that could influence survival and to compare prognoses of the patients with the number of the risk factors that might assist in the adequate management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with bone metastases that showed a heterogeneous range of survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 41 patients, treated with radiotherapy (RT) for bone metastases from HCC from 2014 to 2017, were enrolled retrospectively. Survival was determined by the Kaplan–Meier method from the start of the RT for metastatic bone lesions. Pre-RT clinical features were evaluated and their influences on survival were analyzed. The significant factors were considered to compare survivals according to the number of prognostic factors. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 6.0 months (range, 0.5 to 47.0 months). The median overall survival was 6.5 months, and the 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 35.5% and 13.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the Child-Pugh class A group, alpha-fetoprotein increased more than 30 ng/mL, and HCC size of more than 5 cm were associated with worse overall survival. The median survivals in HCC with none, 1, 2, and 3 of the aforementioned risk factors were 19.5, 9.0, 2.5, and 1.0 months, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results show that the overall survivals were significantly different according to the number of the risk factors among HCC patients with bone metastases who showed various lengths of survival.
alpha-Fetoproteins ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Methods ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Triage

PURPOSE: To explore the feasibility of maximum diameter as a response assessment method for vestibular schwannomas (VS) after stereotactic radiosurgery or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (RT), we analyzed the concordance of RT responses between maximum diameters and volumetric measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two patients receiving curative stereotactic radiosurgery or fractionated stereotactic RT for VS were analyzed retrospectively. Twelve patients were excluded: 4 did not receive follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and 8 had initial MRI scans with a slice thickness >3 mm. The maximum diameter, tumor volume (TV), and enhanced tumor volume (ETV) were measured in each MRI study. The percent change after RT was evaluated according to the measurement methods and their concordances were calculated with the Pearson correlation. The response classifications were determined by the assessment modalities, and their agreement was analyzed with Cohen kappa statistics. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 31.0 months (range, 3.5 to 86.5 months), and 90 follow-up MRI studies were analyzed. The percent change of maximum diameter correlated strongly with TV and ETV (r(p) = 0.85, 0.63, p = 0.000, respectively). Concordance of responses between the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) using the maximum diameters and either TV or ETV were moderate (kappa = 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-0.85) or fair (kappa = 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.59), respectively. CONCLUSION: The percent changes in maximum diameter and the responses in RECIST were significantly concordant with those in the volumetric measurements. Therefore, the maximum diameters can be used for the response evaluation of VS following stereotactic RT.
Classification ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methods ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; Radiosurgery ; Radiotherapy ; Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors ; Retrospective Studies ; Tumor Burden

PURPOSE: Reading speed is one of the methods used to measure near visual function. Although several versions of reading charts in different languages have been introduced, there is no Korean version of the reading chart yet. Therefore, we investigated the reading speed of normal-sighted Korean people using a recently developed reading speed application for the iPad tablet in Korea. METHODS: Normal-sighted participants without presbyopia were included and a third generation retina display iPad was used to measure reading speed. The iPad screen was set to maximum brightness and the examination was performed at a distance of 40 cm. Reading speeds were recorded twice: one for reading the sentence silently (reading only) and one for reading the sentence out loud (reading & speaking). RESULTS: The test sentences used in the application had 18.9 ± 2.6 letters and 6.5 ± 0.7 words on average. Twenty-five males and seventeen females were included. The average of the reading only speed was 202.3 ± 88.4 words per minute (WPM), and that of the reading & speaking speed was 129.7 ± 25.9 WPM, showing a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This Korean reading chart application is the first self-reporting reading chart in Korean. This chart could present a new standard for measuring both reading only and reading & speaking speeds.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Pilot Projects* ; Presbyopia ; Retina

No abstract available.
Aneurysm* ; Neck* ; Rupture*