Purpose: In Korea, the Act on Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment (LST) was implemented on February 4, 2018. We aimed to investigate relevant factors and clinical changes associated with LST decisions after law enforcement. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study included patients who completed LST documents using legal forms at Asan Medical Center from February 5, 2018, to June 30, 2020. Results: 5,896 patients completed LST documents, of which 2,704 (45.8%) signed the documents in person, while family members of 3,192 (54%) wrote the documents on behalf of the patients. Comparing first year and following year of implementation of the act, the self-documentation rate increased (43.9% to 47.2%, p=0.014). Moreover, the number of LST decisions made during or after intensive care unit admission decreased (37.8% vs. 35.2%, p=0.045), and the completion rate of LST documents during chemotherapy increased (6.6% vs. 8.9%, p=0.001). In multivariate analysis, age < 65 (odds ratio [OR], 1.724; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.538 to 1.933; p < 0.001), unmarried status (OR, 1.309; 95% CI, 1.097 to 1.561; p=0.003), palliative care consultation (OR, 1.538; 95% CI, 1.340 to 1.765; p < 0.001), malignancy (OR, 1.864; 95% CI, 1.628 to 2.133; p < 0.001), and changes in timing on the first year versus following year (OR, 1.124; 95% CI, 1.003 to 1.260; p=0.045) were related to a higher self-documentation rate. Conclusion Age < 65 years, unmarried status, malignancy, and referral to a palliative care team were associated with patients making LST decisions themselves. Furthermore, the subject and timing of LST decisions have changed with the LST act.

Purpose: In Korea, the Act on Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment (LST) was implemented on February 4, 2018. We aimed to investigate relevant factors and clinical changes associated with LST decisions after law enforcement. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study included patients who completed LST documents using legal forms at Asan Medical Center from February 5, 2018, to June 30, 2020. Results: 5,896 patients completed LST documents, of which 2,704 (45.8%) signed the documents in person, while family members of 3,192 (54%) wrote the documents on behalf of the patients. Comparing first year and following year of implementation of the act, the self-documentation rate increased (43.9% to 47.2%, p=0.014). Moreover, the number of LST decisions made during or after intensive care unit admission decreased (37.8% vs. 35.2%, p=0.045), and the completion rate of LST documents during chemotherapy increased (6.6% vs. 8.9%, p=0.001). In multivariate analysis, age < 65 (odds ratio [OR], 1.724; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.538 to 1.933; p < 0.001), unmarried status (OR, 1.309; 95% CI, 1.097 to 1.561; p=0.003), palliative care consultation (OR, 1.538; 95% CI, 1.340 to 1.765; p < 0.001), malignancy (OR, 1.864; 95% CI, 1.628 to 2.133; p < 0.001), and changes in timing on the first year versus following year (OR, 1.124; 95% CI, 1.003 to 1.260; p=0.045) were related to a higher self-documentation rate. Conclusion Age < 65 years, unmarried status, malignancy, and referral to a palliative care team were associated with patients making LST decisions themselves. Furthermore, the subject and timing of LST decisions have changed with the LST act.

Purpose: In Korea, the Act on Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment (LST) was implemented on February 4, 2018. We aimed to investigate relevant factors and clinical changes associated with LST decisions after law enforcement. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study included patients who completed LST documents using legal forms at Asan Medical Center from February 5, 2018, to June 30, 2020. Results: 5,896 patients completed LST documents, of which 2,704 (45.8%) signed the documents in person, while family members of 3,192 (54%) wrote the documents on behalf of the patients. Comparing first year and following year of implementation of the act, the self-documentation rate increased (43.9% to 47.2%, p=0.014). Moreover, the number of LST decisions made during or after intensive care unit admission decreased (37.8% vs. 35.2%, p=0.045), and the completion rate of LST documents during chemotherapy increased (6.6% vs. 8.9%, p=0.001). In multivariate analysis, age < 65 (odds ratio [OR], 1.724; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.538 to 1.933; p < 0.001), unmarried status (OR, 1.309; 95% CI, 1.097 to 1.561; p=0.003), palliative care consultation (OR, 1.538; 95% CI, 1.340 to 1.765; p < 0.001), malignancy (OR, 1.864; 95% CI, 1.628 to 2.133; p < 0.001), and changes in timing on the first year versus following year (OR, 1.124; 95% CI, 1.003 to 1.260; p=0.045) were related to a higher self-documentation rate. Conclusion Age < 65 years, unmarried status, malignancy, and referral to a palliative care team were associated with patients making LST decisions themselves. Furthermore, the subject and timing of LST decisions have changed with the LST act.

Hyperthyroidism, characterized by elevated thyroid hormone levels and thyroid gland hyperplasia or adenoma, is a prevalent endocrinopathy in older cats. Treatment options include antithyroid drugs, surgical thyroidectomy, and radioiodine therapy (RAIT), which is non-invasive treatment option that can achieve complete remission. However, efficacy and safety of RAIT in hyperthyroid cats have not been investigated in South Korea. This study includes 10 hyperthyroid cats with RAIT. Initial assessments comprised history, physical examination, blood analysis, and serum total T4 (tT4) concentration. Thyroid scintigraphy revealed hyperactivity and enlargement of thyroid gland at 24 hours before the RAIT. Radioiodine (RAI) was injected subcutaneously with 2 to 6 mCi, determined by the fixed dose or the scoring system based on severity of clinical signs, tT4 concentration, and thyroid size individually. After RAIT, the concentration of serum tT4 and liver enzymes were significantly decreased at discharge. However, no significant differences were noted in blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, symmetric dimethylarginine, hematocrits, and white blood cell counts pre- and post-treatment. Although 4 cats received RAI twice, clinical signs disappeared and tT4 levels decreased following the RAIT. All 10 cats achieved complete remission after 6 months without critical adverse effect. The safety and the effectiveness of RAIT was confirmed based on protocols reported other countries. Therefore, RAIT could be considered the treatment option and prevent adverse effects from medication or surgery. This preliminary study presents the first evaluation of RAIT for hyperthyroid cats using locally produced RAI in South Korea and provide valuable insight for clinicians and further studies.

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of treatment with drug-coated balloon (DCB) in a large real-world population. Methods: Patients treated with DCBs were included in a multicenter observational registry that enrolled patients from 18 hospitals in Korea between January 2009 and December 2017. The primary outcome was target lesion failure (TLF) defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and clinically indicated target lesion revascularization at 12 months. Results: The study included 2,509 patients with 2,666 DCB-treated coronary artery lesions (1,688 [63.3%] with in-stent restenosis [ISR] lesions vs. 978 [36.7%] with de novo lesions).The mean age with standard deviation was 65.7±11.3 years; 65.7% of the patients were men.At 12 months, the primary outcome, TLF, occurred in 179 (6.7%), 151 (8.9%), 28 (2.9%) patients among the total, ISR, and de novo lesion populations, respectively. A history of hypertension, diabetes, acute coronary syndrome, previous coronary artery bypass graft, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, B2C lesion and ISR lesion were independent predictors of 12 months TLF in the overall study population. Conclusions This large multicenter DCB registry study revealed the favorable clinical outcome of DCB treatment in real-world practice in patient with ISR lesion as well as small de novo coronary lesion.

A 12-year-old intact male Dalmatian dog presented hyporexia and vomiting for 1 week. Blood analysis revealed increased liver enzyme activity. Histopathological examination of the liver confirmed chronic hepatitis with fibrosis and necrosis. Copper staining revealed marked copper accumulation (2,770 ppm; normal range, 200 to 400 ppm), prominent in the centrilobular region, and compatible with copper-associated chronic hepatitis. However, copper metabolism domain containing 1 (COMMD1) mutation predisposing to copper accumulation in the liver tissue was not identified. The dog received medications but died 1 month after first visit. This is the first case of primary copper-associated hepatitis without COMMD1 mutation in a Dalmatian dog in South Korea.

A 2-year-old spayed female Border Collie presented with visual deficits and behavioral changes. Neurological examination revealed bilateral menace response deficit with a normal pupil light reflex. Cerebral cortical thinning, cerebral sulci and cerebellar fissure widening, ventriculomegaly, and cerebral atrophy were observed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Histopathology revealed fluorescent lipopigment accumulation in the cerebrum, and the dog was diagnosed with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. This is the first case report describing the changes in clinical signs, MRI findings, and histopathologic changes in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis in Korea.

Hyponatremia overcorrection can result in irreversible neurologic impairment such as osmotic demyelination syndrome. Few prospective studies have identified patients undergoing hypertonic saline treatment with a high risk of hyponatremia overcorrection. Methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective randomized controlled study, the SALSA trial, in 178 patients aged above 18 years with symptomatic hyponatremia (mean age, 73.1 years; mean serum sodium level, 118.2 mEq/L). Overcorrection was defined as an increase in serum sodium levels by >12 or 18 mEq/L within 24 or 48 hours, respectively. Results: Among the 178 patients, 37 experienced hyponatremia overcorrection (20.8%), which was independently associated with initial serum sodium level (≤110, 110–115, 115–120, and 120–125 mEq/L with 7, 4, 2, and 0 points, respectively), chronic alcoholism (7 points), severe symptoms of hyponatremia (3 points), and initial potassium level (<3.0 mEq/L, 3 points). The NASK (hypoNatremia, Alcoholism, Severe symptoms, and hypoKalemia) score was derived from four risk factors for hyponatremia overcorrection and was significantly associated with overcorrection (odds ratio, 1.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.24–1.61; p < 0.01) with good discrimination (area under the receiver-operating characteristic [AUROC] curve, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66–0.85; p < 0.01). The AUROC curve of the NASK score was statistically better compared with those of each risk factor. Conclusion: In treating patients with symptomatic hyponatremia, individuals with high hyponatremia overcorrection risks were predictable using a novel risk score summarizing baseline information.

Background and Objectives: The outcome benefits of β-blockers in chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) have not been fully assessed. We evaluated the prognostic impact of β-blockers on patients with chronic CAD after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 3,075 patients with chronic CAD were included from the Grand DrugEluting Stent registry. We analyzed β-blocker prescriptions, including doses and types, in each patient at 3-month intervals from discharge. After propensity score matching, 1,170 pairs of patients (β-blockers vs. no β-blockers) were derived. Primary outcome was defined as a composite endpoint of all-cause death and myocardial infarction (MI). We further analyzed the outcome benefits of different doses (low-, medium-, and high-dose) and types (conventional or vasodilating) of β-blockers. Results: During a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 3.1 (3.0–3.1) years, 134 (5.7%) patients experienced primary outcome. Overall, β-blockers demonstrated no significant benefit in primary outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63–1.24), all-cause death (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.60–1.25), and MI (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.49–3.15). In subgroup analysis, β-blockers were associated with a lower risk of all-cause death in patients with previous MI and/ or revascularization (HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.14–0.99) (p for interaction=0.045). No significant associations were found for the clinical outcomes with different doses and types of β-blockers. Conclusions Overall, β-blocker therapy was not associated with better clinical outcomes in patients with chronic CAD undergoing PCI. Limited mortality benefit of β-blockers may exist for patients with previous MI and/or revascularization.

Purpose: A near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging is a promising tool for cancer-specific image guided surgery. Human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2) is one of the candidate markers for gastric cancer. In this study, we aimed to synthesize HER2-specific NIR fluorescence probes and evaluate their applicability in cancer-specific image-guided surgeries using an animal model. Materials and Methods: An NIR dye emitting light at 800 nm (IRDye800CW; Li-COR) was conjugated to trastuzumab and an HER2-specific affibody using a click mechanism. HER2 affinity was assessed using surface plasmon resonance. Gastric cancer cell lines (NCI-N87 and SNU-601) were subcutaneously implanted into female BALB/c nu (6–8 weeks old) mice.After intravenous injection of the probes, biodistribution and fluorescence signal intensity were measured using Lumina II (Perkin Elmer) and a laparoscopic NIR camera (InTheSmart). Results: Trastuzumab-IRDye800CW exhibited high affinity for HER2 (KD =2.093(3) pM).Fluorescence signals in the liver and spleen were the highest at 24 hours post injection, while the signal in HER2-positive tumor cells increased until 72 hours, as assessed using the Lumina II system. The signal corresponding to the tumor was visually identified and clearly differentiated from the liver after 72 hours using a laparoscopic NIR camera. AffibodyIRDye800CW also exhibited high affinity for HER2 (KD =4.71 nM); however, the signal was not identified in the tumor, probably owing to rapid renal clearance. Conclusions Trastuzumab-IRDye800CW may be used as a potential NIR probe that can be injected 2–3 days before surgery to obtain high HER2-specific signal and contrast. Affibodybased NIR probes may require modifications to enhance mobilization to the tumor site.