Background and Objectives: Pathophysiological changes of right ventricle (RV) after repair of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) are coupled with a highly compliant low-pressure pulmonary artery (PA) system. This study aimed to determine whether pulmonary vascular function was associated with RV parameters and exercise capacity, and its impact on RV remodeling after pulmonary valve replacement. Methods: In a total of 48 patients over 18 years of age with repaired TOF, pulmonary arterial elastance (Ea), RV volume data, and RV-PA coupling ratio were calculated and analyzed in relation to exercise capacity. Results: Patients with a low Ea showed a more severe pulmonary regurgitation volume index, greater RV end-diastolic volume index, and greater effective RV stroke volume (p=0.039, p=0.013, and p=0.011, respectively). Patients with a high Ea had lower exercise capacity than those with a low Ea (peak oxygen consumption [peak VO2 ] rate: 25.8±7.7 vs. 34.3±5.5 mL/kg/min, respectively, p=0.003), while peak VO2 was inversely correlated with Ea and mean PA pressure (p=0.004 and p=0.004, respectively). In the univariate analysis, a higher preoperative RV end-diastolic volume index and RV end-systolic volume index, left ventricular end-systolic volume index, and higher RV-PA coupling ratio were risk factors for suboptimal outcomes. Preoperative RV volume and RV-PA coupling ratio reflecting the adaptive PA system response are important factors in optimal postoperative results. Conclusions We found that PA vascular dysfunction, presenting as elevated Ea in TOF, may contribute to exercise intolerance. However, Ea was inversely correlated with pulmonary regurgitation (PR) severity, which may prevent PR, RV dilatation, and left ventricular dilatation in the absence of significant pulmonary stenosis.

Objective: Various tools using the length-based method for weight estimation and decisions regarding equipment size have been used in pediatric resuscitation globally. The Korean Pediatric Resuscitation Tape (KPRT) is one such tool that has been developed recently. This study was performed to validate the use of KPRT in Korean children. Methods: Data on the measured weights and the endotracheal tube (ETT) sizes used for children aged 12 years or less, who received general anesthesia, were collected by reviewing medical records from June 2018 to October 2020 at two hospitals in the urban areas of Korea. We compared the weight and ETT size estimated by the KPRT to the actually measured weight and ETT size used for the study population. We also calculated the weight and ETT size using an age-based formula and compared these values to the actual values of the patients. We then analyzed the agreement between these estimated values and the actual values of the children. Results: A total of 1,237 children were included in this study. The intra-class correlation coefficient of agreement between the actual weight and estimated weight by the KPRT was 0.94 compared to 0.93 when estimated by the age-based formula. The weighted kappa coefficient of the agreement between the ETT size actually used, and the size estimated by the KPRT was 0.61 compared to 0.74 when estimated by the age-based formula. The estimated ETT sizes using the KPRT were smaller than the actual size used in children under three years old, whereas it was larger for children aged eight years or more. Conclusion Our study showed that the KPRT was a dependable tool for estimating the weight and ETT size of Korean children. Future studies would be needed to augment the reliability of the KPRT in pediatric resuscitation.

Purpose: This study sought to investigate the prognostic significance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in relation to tumor location within the stomach. Materials and Methods: The densities and prognostic significance of TIL subsets were evaluated in 542 gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy. Immunohistochemical staining for CD3, CD4, CD8, forkhead/winged helix transcription factor (Foxp3), and granzyme B was performed. Results: Cardia cancer was associated with significantly lower densities of CD8 T-cells and higher densities of Foxp3 and granzyme B T-cells than non-cardia tumors. Multivariate analysis showed that advanced age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.023; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.006–1.040), advanced T classification (HR, 2.029; 95% CI, 1.106–3.721), lymph node metastasis (HR, 3.319; 95% CI, 1.947–5.658), low CD3 expression (HR, 0.997; 95% CI, 0.994–0.999), and a high Foxp3/CD4 ratio (HR, 1.007; 95% CI, 1.001–1.012) were independent predictors of poor overall survival in cardia cancer patients. In non-cardia cancer patients, total gastrectomy (HR, 2.147; 95% CI, 1.507–3.059), advanced T classification (HR, 2.158; 95% CI, 1.425–3.266), lymph node metastasis (HR, 1.854; 95% CI, 1.250–2.750), and a low Foxp3/CD4 ratio (HR, 0.978; 95% CI, 0.959–0.997) were poor prognostic factors for survival. Conclusions The densities and prognostic effects of TILs differed in relation to the location of tumors within the stomach. The contrasting prognostic effects of Foxp3/CD4 ratio in cardia and non-cardia gastric cancer patients suggests that clinicians ought to consider tumor location when determining treatment strategies.

PURPOSE: It is controversial whether indoor pet exposure is either a risk or protective factor developing sensitization to pet allergens or asthma. Therefore, we investigated whether indoor pet ownership entails a risk for the development of asthma and sensitization in childhood. METHODS: The Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC) is a general-population-based birth cohort study that recruited 2,078 mother-baby dyads in Korea between April and July of 2008. Among 1,577 children who were followed up in 2015, 559 underwent skin prick tests, spirometry and bronchial provocation tests using Provocholine. Having a cat or a dog and the prevalence of asthma were evaluated by using self-reported questionnaires and physicians’ medical records. RESULTS: During infancy, the rate of dog ownership was 4.5% (71 of 1,574) and that of cat ownership was 0.5% (8 of 1,574). Of the subjects, 7.9% (n=109) currently had at least 1 dog and 2.5% (n=34) had at least 1 cat. Pet ownership during infancy was associated with sensitization to cats or dogs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–13.98), wheezing within 12 months (aOR, 5.56; 95% CI, 1.65–18.75) and current asthma (wheezing episode in the last 12 months+diagnosed asthma by physicians) (aOR, 6.36; 95% CI, 1.54–26.28). In contrast, pet ownership during the last 12 months was not associated with sensitization to cats or dogs or current asthma. CONCLUSION: Indoor pet exposure during infancy can be critical for developing sensitization to cats or dogs and asthma in childhood. Avoidance of pet exposure in early life may reduce sensitization to cats or dogs and development of asthma.
Allergens ; Animals ; Asthma ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Cats ; Child ; Cohort Studies ; Dogs ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Methacholine Chloride ; Odds Ratio ; Ownership ; Parturition ; Pets ; Prevalence ; Protective Factors ; Respiratory Sounds ; Risk Factors ; Skin ; Spirometry

PURPOSE: With the emergence of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, profiling a wide range of genomic alterations has become a possibility resulting in improved implementation of targeted cancer therapy. In Asian populations, the prevalence and spectrum of clinically actionable genetic alterations has not yet been determined because of a lack of studies examining high-throughput cancer genomic data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To address this issue, 1,071 tumor samples were collected from five major cancer institutes in Korea and analyzed using targeted NGS at a centralized laboratory. Samples were either fresh frozen or formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) and the quality and yield of extracted genomic DNA was assessed. In order to estimate the effect of sample condition on the quality of sequencing results, tissue preparation method, specimen type (resected or biopsied) and tissue storage time were compared. RESULTS: We detected 7,360 non-synonymous point mutations, 1,164 small insertions and deletions, 3,173 copy number alterations, and 462 structural variants. Fifty-four percent of tumors had one or more clinically relevant genetic mutation. The distribution of actionable variants was variable among different genes. Fresh frozen tissues, surgically resected specimens, and recently obtained specimens generated superior sequencing results over FFPE tissues, biopsied specimens, and tissues with long storage duration. CONCLUSION: In order to overcome, challenges involved in bringing NGS testing into routine clinical use, a centralized laboratory model was designed that could improve the NGS workflows, provide appropriate turnaround times and control costs with goal of enabling precision medicine.
Academies and Institutes ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; DNA ; Humans ; Korea ; Methods ; Paraffin ; Point Mutation ; Precision Medicine ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: Identification of biomarkers to predict recurrence risk is essential to improve adjuvant treatment strategies in stage II/III gastric cancer patients. This study evaluated biomarkers for predicting survival after surgical resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This post-hoc analysis evaluated patients from the CLASSIC trial who underwent D2 gastrectomywith orwithout adjuvant chemotherapy (capecitabine plus oxaliplatin) at the Yonsei Cancer Center. Tumor expressions of thymidylate synthase (TS), excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) were evaluated by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining to determine their predictive values. RESULTS: Among 139 patients, IHC analysis revealed high tumor expression of TS (n=22, 15.8%), ERCC1 (n=23, 16.5%), and PD-L1 (n=42, 30.2%) in the subset of patients. Among all patients, high TS expression tended to predict poor disease-free survival (DFS; hazard ratio [HR], 1.80; p=0.053), whereas PD-L1 positivity was associated with favorable DFS (HR, 0.33; p=0.001) and overall survival (OS; HR, 0.38; p=0.009) in multivariate Cox analysis. In the subgroup analysis, poor DFS was independently predicted by high TS expression (HR, 2.51; p=0.022) in the adjuvant chemotherapy subgroup (n=66). High PD-L1 expression was associated with favorable DFS (HR, 0.25; p=0.011) and OS (HR, 0.22; p=0.015) only in the surgery-alone subgroup (n=73). The prognostic impact of high ERCC1 expression was not significant in the multivariate Cox analysis. CONCLUSION: This study shows that high TS expression is a predictive factor for worse outcomes on capecitabine plus oxaliplatin adjuvant chemotherapy, whereas PD-L1 expression is a favorable prognostic factor in locally advanced gastric cancer patients.
Biomarkers ; Capecitabine ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Disease-Free Survival ; DNA Repair ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Thymidylate Synthase

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Multifocal atrial tachycardia (MAT), in general, has a favorable outcome. However, there are insufficient data regarding MAT in a pediatric population. This study sought to determine the clinical course of MAT and identify potential prognostic factors. METHODS: The medical records of MAT patients from 1997–2015 were reviewed. The arrhythmia control rate and factors for unfavorable outcomes were assessed and compared to those in the literature. RESULTS: Of the 33 included patients (19 boys and 14 girls), 27 were infants less than 1 year of age. The median age at diagnosis was 1.7 months (range, 0 day to 14 years). Fourteen (42%) patients had structural heart disease. Eight (24%) patients had lung disease and 6 (18%) had a syndromic diagnosis belonging to RASopathy. Two patients developed polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, in whom genetic analysis confirmed the presence of the RyR2 mutation several years later. MAT was controlled in 26 patients (84%) within 3.9 months (median; range, 16 days–18.4 years) using an average of 2.4 medications. There were 3 cases of cardiopulmonary mortality. The arrhythmia control rate was higher in the infant group (85%) than in the non-infant group (67%), although this trend was not statistically significant. There was a significantly lower rate of unfavorable outcomes in the idiopathic infant group (n=11) than in the other groups (p=0.008). Considering the findings of previous studies, the mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with structural heart disease than in patients without (21% vs. 5%, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: MAT usually affects infants and has a favorable prognosis, particularly in the idiopathic infant group. However, in the presence of other comorbidities, MAT may have a variable clinical course.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Atrial Flutter ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Infant ; Lung Diseases ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel ; Tachycardia ; Tachycardia, Supraventricular ; Tachycardia, Ventricular

No abstract available.
Pulmonary Artery ; Stents ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; Vocal Cords

A gastrocolocutaneous fistula is a rare complication of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). We report a case of a gastrocolocutaneous fistula presenting with intractable diarrhea and gastrostomy tube malfunction. A 62-year-old woman with a history of multiple system atrophy was referred to us because of PEG tube malfunction. Twenty days prior to presentation, the patient started developing sudden diarrhea within minutes after starting PEG feeding. Fluoroscopy revealed that the balloon of the PEG tube was located in the lumen of the transverse colon with the contrast material filling the colon. Subsequently, the PEG tube was removed and the opening of the gastric site was endoscopically closed using hemoclips. Clinicians should be aware of gastrocolocutaneous fistula as one of the complications of PEG insertion. Sudden onset of diarrhea, immediately after PEG feedings, might suggest this complication, which can be effectively treated with endoscopic closure.
Colon ; Colon, Transverse ; Diarrhea* ; Female ; Fistula* ; Fluoroscopy ; Gastrostomy* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Multiple System Atrophy

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) occurs in two forms. Type 1 AIP is an IgG4-related systemic fibro-inflammatory disease. Type 2 AIP is not associated with altered levels of IgG4, and involves only the pancreas. Here, we report a case of type 2 AIP manifesting as acute pancreatitis in a 20-year-old male with ulcerative colitis. The patient was definitely diagnosed with type 2 AIP based on typical pancreatic imaging, supportive histology, history of ulcerative colitis, and steroid responsiveness.
Colitis, Ulcerative* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Male ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis* ; Ulcer* ; Young Adult