Incidentally detected gallbladder polyps (GBPs) and gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT) are frequently encountered in clinical practice. However, characterizing GBPs and GBWT in asymptomatic patients can be challenging and may result in overtreatment, including unnecessary follow-ups or surgeries. The Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology (KSAR) Clinical Practice Guideline Committee has developed expert recommendations that focus on standardized imaging interpretation and follow-up strategies for both GBPs and GBWT, with support from the Korean Society of Radiology and KSAR. These guidelines, which address 24 key questions, aim to standardize the approach for the interpretation of imaging findings, reporting, imaging-based workups, and surveillance of incidentally detected GBPs and GBWT. This recommendation promotes evidence-based practice, facilitates communication between radiologists and referring physicians, and reduces unnecessary interventions.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In Korea, childcare facilities providing food service for 100 or more children are required to employ dietitians, while those serving fewer than 100 children must register with the Center for Children's Foodservice Management to receive dietary guidance from its dietitians. This study compared the dietary intake of children who had daycare meals and those who did not to evaluate the impact of dietitian-managed nutritional services. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study analyzed the 24-h recalls from 706 children aged 3–5 yrs using the data from the 2016–2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Among them, 578 children had daycare meals, while 128 did not. The differences in energy contributions from meals and snacks, nutrient intake, and the amount and number of servings of various food groups consumed by these two groups were investigated. RESULTS The daycare meal group (DMG) showed a significantly higher intake of protein, thiamin, niacin, sodium, potassium, and iron during lunch and higher protein and sodium consumption during snack times after adjusting for the energy intake compared to the non-daycare meal group (NDMG). On the other hand, the DMG consumed less sugar and fat during lunch and snack times and less vitamin C during snack times. The DMG also showed higher consumption of legumes and vegetables but lower consumption of sweets during lunch and in the total daily consumption. The overall dietary quality assessed by the mean adequacy ratio was significantly higher among the DMG than in the NDMG CONCLUSION: Children were provided with higher-quality meals in daycare settings than in other environments. These results underscore the importance of nutrition management by dietitians. These findings also highlight the need for nutrition education for caregivers, particularly increasing vegetable intake and reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.

Incidentally detected gallbladder polyps (GBPs) and gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT) are frequently encountered in clinical practice. However, characterizing GBPs and GBWT in asymptomatic patients can be challenging and may result in overtreatment, including unnecessary follow-ups or surgeries. The Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology (KSAR) Clinical Practice Guideline Committee has developed expert recommendations that focus on standardized imaging interpretation and follow-up strategies for both GBPs and GBWT, with support from the Korean Society of Radiology and KSAR. These guidelines, which address 24 key questions, aim to standardize the approach for the interpretation of imaging findings, reporting, imaging-based workups, and surveillance of incidentally detected GBPs and GBWT. This recommendation promotes evidence-based practice, facilitates communication between radiologists and referring physicians, and reduces unnecessary interventions.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In Korea, childcare facilities providing food service for 100 or more children are required to employ dietitians, while those serving fewer than 100 children must register with the Center for Children's Foodservice Management to receive dietary guidance from its dietitians. This study compared the dietary intake of children who had daycare meals and those who did not to evaluate the impact of dietitian-managed nutritional services. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study analyzed the 24-h recalls from 706 children aged 3–5 yrs using the data from the 2016–2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Among them, 578 children had daycare meals, while 128 did not. The differences in energy contributions from meals and snacks, nutrient intake, and the amount and number of servings of various food groups consumed by these two groups were investigated. RESULTS The daycare meal group (DMG) showed a significantly higher intake of protein, thiamin, niacin, sodium, potassium, and iron during lunch and higher protein and sodium consumption during snack times after adjusting for the energy intake compared to the non-daycare meal group (NDMG). On the other hand, the DMG consumed less sugar and fat during lunch and snack times and less vitamin C during snack times. The DMG also showed higher consumption of legumes and vegetables but lower consumption of sweets during lunch and in the total daily consumption. The overall dietary quality assessed by the mean adequacy ratio was significantly higher among the DMG than in the NDMG CONCLUSION: Children were provided with higher-quality meals in daycare settings than in other environments. These results underscore the importance of nutrition management by dietitians. These findings also highlight the need for nutrition education for caregivers, particularly increasing vegetable intake and reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.

Background: and Purpose To determine the clinical phenotypes, relapse timing, treatment responses, and outcomes of children with relapsing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). Methods: We collected the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological data of patients aged <18 years who had been diagnosed with MOGAD at Seoul National University Children’s Hospital between January 2010 and January 2022; 100 were identified as positive for MOG antibodies, 43 of whom experienced relapse. Results: The median age at onset was 7 years (range 2–16 years). The median number of relapses was 2 (range 1–8), and patients were followed up for a median of 65 months (range 5–214 months). The first relapse was experienced before 3 months from onset by 15 patients (34.9%). The most-common initial phenotypes were acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (n=17, 39.5%) and optic neuritis (ON; n=11, 25.6%). The most-common relapse phenotypes were neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (n=9, 20.9%), relapsing ON (n=6, 14.0%), and multiphasic disseminated encephalomyelitis (n=6, 14.0%). Many of the patients (n=18, 41.9%) were not specifically categorized. A high proportion of these patients had non-acute disseminated encephalomyelitis encephalitis. Atypical phenotypes such as prolonged fever or hemiplegic migraine-like episodes were also noted. Mycophenolate mofetil and cyclic immunoglobulin treatment significantly reduced the annual relapse rates. Conclusions Our 43 pediatric patients with relapsing MOGAD showed a tendency toward early relapse and various relapse phenotypes. The overall prognoses of these patients were good regardless of phenotype or response to second-line immunosuppressant treatment.

Background: and Purpose The National Brain Biobank of Korea (NBBK) is a brain bank consortium supported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Korea National Institute of Health, and was launched in 2015 to support research into neurodegenerative disease dementia (NDD). This study aimed to introduce the NBBK and describes clinicopathological correlations based on analyses of data collected from the NBBK. Methods: Four hospital-based brain banks have been established in South Korea: Samsung Medical Center Brain Bank (SMCBB), Seoul National University Hospital Brain Bank (SNUHBB), Pusan National University Hospital Brain Bank (PNUHBB), and Myongji Hospital Brain Bank (MJHBB). Clinical and pathological data were collected from these brain banks using standardized protocols. The prevalence rates of clinical and pathological diagnoses were analyzed in order to characterize the clinicopathological correlations. Results: Between August 2016 and December 2023, 185 brain specimens were collected and pathologically evaluated (SNUHBB: 117; PNUHBB: 27; SMCBB: 34; MJHBB: 7). The age at consent was 70.8±12.6 years, and the age at autopsy was 71.7±12.4 years. The four-most-common clinical diagnoses were Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia (20.0%), idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (15.1%), unspecified dementia (11.9%), and cognitively unimpaired (CU) (11.4%).Most cases of unspecified dementia had a pathological diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) vasculopathy (31.8%) or AD (31.8%). Remarkably, only 14.2% of CU cases had normal pathological findings. The three-most-common pathological diagnoses were AD (26.5%), CNS vasculopathy (14.1%), and Lewy body disease (13.5%). Conclusions These clinical and neuropathological findings provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying NDD in South Korea.

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.