Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical course of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) following pancreaticoduodenectomy, focusing on the role of adjuvant chemotherapy and other metabolic changes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 189 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2013 and 2016. NAFLD was diagnosed using computed tomography (CT) imaging, defined as a liver-tospleen attenuation ratio <0.9. Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were assessed using preoperative CT scans. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for NAFLD development. Results: The cumulative incidence of NAFLD increased over time, with rates of 15.9% at one year, 20.4% at three years, and 35.2% at five years post-pancreaticoduodenectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was identified as the only significant independent predictor of NAFLD development (odds ratio, 2.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-6.70; P=0.023). No significant associations were found between NAFLD and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), sarcopenia, or sarcopenic obesity. Serial analysis of NAFLD status in long-term survivors revealed dynamic changes, with some patients experiencing spontaneous remission or recurrence. Conclusion NAFLD is a common, progressive complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy, particularly in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Although no significant associations with PERT or sarcopenia were observed, these areas warrant further investigation. Long-term monitoring and targeted management strategies are recommended to address NAFLD in this population. Future prospective studies are needed to elucidate the natural history and contributing factors of NAFLD after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical course of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) following pancreaticoduodenectomy, focusing on the role of adjuvant chemotherapy and other metabolic changes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 189 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2013 and 2016. NAFLD was diagnosed using computed tomography (CT) imaging, defined as a liver-tospleen attenuation ratio <0.9. Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were assessed using preoperative CT scans. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for NAFLD development. Results: The cumulative incidence of NAFLD increased over time, with rates of 15.9% at one year, 20.4% at three years, and 35.2% at five years post-pancreaticoduodenectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was identified as the only significant independent predictor of NAFLD development (odds ratio, 2.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-6.70; P=0.023). No significant associations were found between NAFLD and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), sarcopenia, or sarcopenic obesity. Serial analysis of NAFLD status in long-term survivors revealed dynamic changes, with some patients experiencing spontaneous remission or recurrence. Conclusion NAFLD is a common, progressive complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy, particularly in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Although no significant associations with PERT or sarcopenia were observed, these areas warrant further investigation. Long-term monitoring and targeted management strategies are recommended to address NAFLD in this population. Future prospective studies are needed to elucidate the natural history and contributing factors of NAFLD after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical course of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) following pancreaticoduodenectomy, focusing on the role of adjuvant chemotherapy and other metabolic changes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 189 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2013 and 2016. NAFLD was diagnosed using computed tomography (CT) imaging, defined as a liver-tospleen attenuation ratio <0.9. Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were assessed using preoperative CT scans. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for NAFLD development. Results: The cumulative incidence of NAFLD increased over time, with rates of 15.9% at one year, 20.4% at three years, and 35.2% at five years post-pancreaticoduodenectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was identified as the only significant independent predictor of NAFLD development (odds ratio, 2.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-6.70; P=0.023). No significant associations were found between NAFLD and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), sarcopenia, or sarcopenic obesity. Serial analysis of NAFLD status in long-term survivors revealed dynamic changes, with some patients experiencing spontaneous remission or recurrence. Conclusion NAFLD is a common, progressive complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy, particularly in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Although no significant associations with PERT or sarcopenia were observed, these areas warrant further investigation. Long-term monitoring and targeted management strategies are recommended to address NAFLD in this population. Future prospective studies are needed to elucidate the natural history and contributing factors of NAFLD after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical course of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) following pancreaticoduodenectomy, focusing on the role of adjuvant chemotherapy and other metabolic changes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 189 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2013 and 2016. NAFLD was diagnosed using computed tomography (CT) imaging, defined as a liver-tospleen attenuation ratio <0.9. Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were assessed using preoperative CT scans. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for NAFLD development. Results: The cumulative incidence of NAFLD increased over time, with rates of 15.9% at one year, 20.4% at three years, and 35.2% at five years post-pancreaticoduodenectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was identified as the only significant independent predictor of NAFLD development (odds ratio, 2.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-6.70; P=0.023). No significant associations were found between NAFLD and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), sarcopenia, or sarcopenic obesity. Serial analysis of NAFLD status in long-term survivors revealed dynamic changes, with some patients experiencing spontaneous remission or recurrence. Conclusion NAFLD is a common, progressive complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy, particularly in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Although no significant associations with PERT or sarcopenia were observed, these areas warrant further investigation. Long-term monitoring and targeted management strategies are recommended to address NAFLD in this population. Future prospective studies are needed to elucidate the natural history and contributing factors of NAFLD after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical course of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) following pancreaticoduodenectomy, focusing on the role of adjuvant chemotherapy and other metabolic changes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 189 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2013 and 2016. NAFLD was diagnosed using computed tomography (CT) imaging, defined as a liver-tospleen attenuation ratio <0.9. Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were assessed using preoperative CT scans. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for NAFLD development. Results: The cumulative incidence of NAFLD increased over time, with rates of 15.9% at one year, 20.4% at three years, and 35.2% at five years post-pancreaticoduodenectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was identified as the only significant independent predictor of NAFLD development (odds ratio, 2.74; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-6.70; P=0.023). No significant associations were found between NAFLD and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), sarcopenia, or sarcopenic obesity. Serial analysis of NAFLD status in long-term survivors revealed dynamic changes, with some patients experiencing spontaneous remission or recurrence. Conclusion NAFLD is a common, progressive complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy, particularly in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Although no significant associations with PERT or sarcopenia were observed, these areas warrant further investigation. Long-term monitoring and targeted management strategies are recommended to address NAFLD in this population. Future prospective studies are needed to elucidate the natural history and contributing factors of NAFLD after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: Data on antimicrobial use at the national level are crucial for establishing domestic antimicrobial stewardship policies and enabling medical institutions to benchmark each other. This study aimed to analyze antimicrobial use in Korean hospitals. Materials and Methods: We investigated antimicrobials prescribed in Korean hospitals between 2018 and 2021 using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment. Primary care hospitals (PCHs), secondary care hospitals (SCHs), and tertiary care hospitals (TCHs) were included in this analysis. Antimicrobials were categorized according to the Korea National Antimicrobial Use Analysis System (KONAS) classification, which is suitable for measuring antimicrobial use in Korean hospitals. Results: Among over 1,900 hospitals, PCHs constituted the highest proportion, whereas TCHs had the lowest representation. The most frequently prescribed antimicrobials in 2021 were piperacillin/β-lactamase inhibitor (9.3%) in TCHs, ceftriaxone (11.0%) in SCHs, and cefazedone (18.9%) in PCHs. Between 2018 and 2021, the most used antimicrobial classes according to the KONAS classification were ‘broad-spectrum antibacterial agents predominantly used for community-acquired infections’ in SCHs and TCHs and 'narrow spectrum beta-lactam agents' in PCHs. Total consumption of antimicrobials decreased from 951.7 to 929.9 days of therapy (DOT)/1,000 patient-days in TCHs and 817.8 to 752.2 DOT/1,000 patient-days in SCHs during study period; however, no reduction was noted in PCHs (from 504.3 to 527.2 DOT/1,000 patient-days). Moreover, in 2021, the use of reserve antimicrobials decreased from 13.6 to 10.7 DOT/1,000 patient-days in TCHs and from 4.6 to 3.3 DOT/1,000 patient-days in SCHs. However, in PCHs, the use increased from 0.7 to 0.8 DOT/1,000 patient-days. Conclusion This study confirmed that antimicrobial use differed according to hospital type in Korea. Recent increases in the use of total and reserve antimicrobials in PCHs reflect the challenges that must be addressed.

Objective: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is recommended for general cognitive evaluation in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. However, age- and education-adjusted cutoffs specifically for PD have not been developed or systematically validated across PD cohorts with diverse education levels. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we utilized data from 1,293 Korean patients with PD whose cognitive diagnoses were determined through comprehensive neuropsychological assessments. Age- and education-adjusted cutoffs were formulated based on 1,202 patients with PD. To identify the optimal machine learning model, clinical parameters and MoCA domain scores from 416 patients with PD were used. Comparative analyses between machine learning methods and different cutoff criteria were conducted on an additional 91 consecutive patients with PD. Results: The cutoffs for cognitive impairment decrease with increasing age within the same education level. Similarly, lower education levels within the same age group correspond to lower cutoffs. For individuals aged 60–80 years, cutoffs were set as follows: 25 or 24 years for those with more than 12 years of education, 23 or 22 years for 10–12 years, and 21 or 20 years for 7–9 years. Comparisons between age- and education-adjusted cutoffs and the machine learning method showed comparable accuracies. The cutoff method resulted in a higher sensitivity (0.8627), whereas machine learning yielded higher specificity (0.8250). Conclusion Both the age- and education-adjusted cutoff methods and machine learning methods demonstrated high effectiveness in detecting cognitive impairment in PD patients. This study highlights the necessity of tailored cutoffs and suggests the potential of machine learning to improve cognitive assessment in PD patients.

Background: The largest outbreak of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 occurred at a preschool in South Korea from June 12 to 29, 2020. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of EHEC infection in this outbreak. Methods: Epidemiological investigation was performed on all 184 children and 19 workers at the preschool using a standard questionnaire to assess symptoms, food intake, attendance, and special activity history. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of confirmed cases was performed to determine genetic relevance. Results: During this outbreak, 103 children were affected, whereas only one infection was identified in adults. Of the 103 pediatric patients, 85 had symptoms (82.5%), including diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloody stool, fever, and vomiting. Thirty-two patients (31.1%) were hospitalized, 15 (14.6%) were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, and 4 (3.9%) received dialysis treatment. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis identified 4 genotypes with high genetic relevance (92.3%). Epidemiological investigation revealed that this outbreak might have occurred from ingesting foods stored in a refrigerator with a constant temperature above 10°C, which was conducive to bacterial growth. Despite several measures after outbreak recognition, new infections continued to appear. Therefore, the preschool was forced to close on June 19 to prevent further person-to-person transmission. Conclusion Our findings from the response to the largest outbreak will help prepare countermeasures against future EHEC outbreak.

Background/Aims: The study investigated the incidence of thromboembolic events (TEE) in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with cisplatin, and analyzed the factors affecting TEE occurrence Methods: Two hundred and fifty-seven patients who started CCRT with cisplatin for H&N cancer from January 2005 to December 2019 were analyzed. Results: TEE occurred in five patients, an incidence rate of 1.9%. The 2-, 4-, and 6-month cumulative incidences of TEE were 0.8%, 1.6%, and 1.9%, respectively. Khorana score was the only factor associated with TEE occurrence (p = 0.010). Conclusions The incidence of TEE in H&N cancer patients who underwent CCRT with cisplatin was relatively low when compared to other types of cancer. However, patients with a high Khorana score require more careful surveillance for possible TEE occurrence.