Background: Serum cystatin C (cysC), which is less affected by sex, race, and muscle mass than creatinine, is a useful biomarker of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The standardization of cysC measurements remains controversial, although a certified reference material (ERM-DA471/IFCC) is available. Moreover, the effect of combinations of cysC reagents and equations for eGFR is unclear. Methods: We conducted a simulation analysis of cysC measured using two reagents standardized against ERM-DA471/IFCC—Gentian cystatin C immunoassay (Gentiancys; GentianAS, Moss, Norway) and Roche Tina-quant Cystatin C Gen.2 (Rochecys; Roche, Mannheim, Germany)—on a Cobas c702 system (Roche) and eGFR generated by eight combinations of four equations: 2012 cystatin C-based Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation (CKD-EPIcys); the Caucasian, Asian, pediatric, and adult equation (CAPAeq); full age spectrum equation (FASeq); and 2023 cystatin C-based European Kidney Function Consortium equation (EKFCcys). Results: A total of 148 participants (mean age, 60.5±14.5 years; 43% female) were enrolled. The mean cysC was 1.72±1.44 mg/L for Gentiancys and 1.71±1.35 mg/L for Rochecys. Regression analysis showed concordance between the reagents within 0.85–4.40 mg/L when using ±7.61% total allowable error. Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient of eGFR, by combining the measuring system and equation, varied from 0.73 to 1.00. Conclusions The equivalence of cysC values at low concentrations (<0.85 mg/L) between the two reagents was unsatisfactory. Results obtained with different measurement systems could lead to larger differences in eGFR varying with the combination.

Background: Gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma (GEA) is unrelated to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and is clinically aggressive compared with HPV-associated usual-type endocervical adenocarcinoma (UEA). The cytological diagnosis falls short of a definitive diagnosis of GEA and is often categorized as atypical glandular cells (AGCs). To improve cytologic recognition, cytological findings of HPV-independent GEA were analyzed and the results compared with HPV-associated UEA. Methods: Cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) smears from eight patients with a histopathologic diagnosis of GEA and 12 control cases of UEA were reviewed. All slides were conventionally prepared and/or liquid-based prepared (ThinPrep) and stained following the Pap method. A mucinous background, architectural, nuclear, and cytoplasmic features were analyzed and compared with UEA. Results: Preoperative cytologic diagnoses of the eight GEA cases were AGCs, favor neoplastic in three cases, adenocarcinoma in situ in one case, and adenocarcinoma in four cases. Cytologically, monolayered honeycomb-like sheets (p = .002) of atypical endocervical cells with vacuolar granular cytoplasm (p = .001) were extensive in GEA, and three-dimensional clusters (p = .010) were extensive in UEA. Although the differences were not statistically significant, background mucin (p = .058), vesicular nuclei (p = .057), and golden-brown intracytoplasmic mucin (p = .089) were also discriminatory findings for GEA versus UEA. Conclusions Although GEA is difficult to diagnose on cytologic screening, GEA can be recognized based on cytologic features of monolayered honeycomb sheets of atypical endocervical cells with abundant vacuolar cytoplasm and some golden-brown intracytoplasmic mucin. UEA cases are characterized by three-dimensional clusters.

Background: Postoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy is recommended for patients with intermediate- and high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer to prevent the recurrence of thyroid cancer. With the recent increase in small thyroid cancer cases, the extent of resection during surgery has generally decreased. Therefore, questions have been raised about the efficacy and long-term side effects of TSH suppression therapy in patients who have undergone a lobectomy. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial in which 2,986 patients with papillary thyroid cancer are randomized into a high-TSH group (intervention) and a low-TSH group (control) after having undergone a lobectomy. The principle of treatment includes a TSH-lowering regimen aimed at TSH levels between 0.3 and 1.99 μIU/mL in the low-TSH group. The high-TSH group targets TSH levels between 2.0 and 7.99 μIU/mL. The dose of levothyroxine will be adjusted at each visit to maintain the target TSH level. The primary outcome is recurrence-free survival, as assessed by neck ultrasound every 6 to 12 months. Secondary endpoints include disease-free survival, overall survival, success rate in reaching the TSH target range, the proportion of patients with major cardiovascular diseases or bone metabolic disease, the quality of life, and medical costs. The follow-up period is 5 years. Conclusion The results of this trial will contribute to establishing the optimal indication for TSH suppression therapy in low-risk papillary thyroid cancer patients by evaluating the benefit and harm of lowering TSH levels in terms of recurrence, metabolic complications, costs, and quality of life.

Objective: Predicting the incidence of emergency patients can be very important for the efficient use of emergency medical resources and the deployment of 119 centers in a pre-hospital setting. The study was conducted to analyze the occurrence of emergency patients using geographic information systems in a pre-hospital setting in Korea. Methods: The basic data used in this study were collected from the 119 centers in Chuncheon-si, Korea, under the firefighting headquarters in Gangwon-do from January 2012 to December 2016. Results: The total number of patients transferred by 119 paramedics was 72,362. Of these, 9,904 (14.7%) were emergency patients; 519 (0.7%) had cardiovascular diseases; 383 (0.5%) had cerebrovascular diseases; 3,043 (4.2%) were trauma patients; 58,413 (80.7%) were non-emergency patients. The occurrence of emergency diseases was slightly lower in the Hyoja-dong area, and it was slightly higher in the area of the outskirts of the city. The incidence of heart disease was low in the Hyoja-dong and Nam-myeon areas, but the incidence of heart disease was highly observed in other areas. The number of trauma patients was 1,265 (41.6%) in the outskirts of the city, a suburban area, showing a relatively higher incidence than other emerging diseases. Conclusion The deployment of ambulances in Chuncheon-si should be carried out considering demographic characteristics and patient occurrence.

Background: Postoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy is recommended for patients with intermediate- and high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer to prevent the recurrence of thyroid cancer. With the recent increase in small thyroid cancer cases, the extent of resection during surgery has generally decreased. Therefore, questions have been raised about the efficacy and long-term side effects of TSH suppression therapy in patients who have undergone a lobectomy. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial in which 2,986 patients with papillary thyroid cancer are randomized into a high-TSH group (intervention) and a low-TSH group (control) after having undergone a lobectomy. The principle of treatment includes a TSH-lowering regimen aimed at TSH levels between 0.3 and 1.99 μIU/mL in the low-TSH group. The high-TSH group targets TSH levels between 2.0 and 7.99 μIU/mL. The dose of levothyroxine will be adjusted at each visit to maintain the target TSH level. The primary outcome is recurrence-free survival, as assessed by neck ultrasound every 6 to 12 months. Secondary endpoints include disease-free survival, overall survival, success rate in reaching the TSH target range, the proportion of patients with major cardiovascular diseases or bone metabolic disease, the quality of life, and medical costs. The follow-up period is 5 years. Conclusion The results of this trial will contribute to establishing the optimal indication for TSH suppression therapy in low-risk papillary thyroid cancer patients by evaluating the benefit and harm of lowering TSH levels in terms of recurrence, metabolic complications, costs, and quality of life.

Background: : Since primary emergency treatment should be performed appropriately and promptly, efficient and accurate communication between paramedics and medical staff is paramount to a successful primary emergency treatment and patient handover. The problem of the training program in Korea is that it concentrates more on in-class lectures, often delivered by non-medical specialists, who may lack in practical experience and without proper communication training. To solve this problem, we have devised a simulation based training that focuses on event debriefings and two-way communication. Methods: : 62 paramedics from 3 stations enrolled in the study. 4 different courses with different emergency situations were created and each course was taken twice resulting in a total of 8 classes. All courses were based on actual cases. The curriculum consisted of subject lectures with guidelines, skill practice courses, and simulation courses based on hands-on method. In simulation courses, paramedics use standardized check list to communicate with medical specialists. All curriculums except subject lectures include debriefing, which allows free talking with educators comprised of medical specialists. In order to measure the educational impact, all students performed self-assessment through a structured questionnaire before and after the training. Results: : Regardless different situations and paramedics’ education level, their performance and communication skills have improved after simulation training course. Paramedics mentioned learning skills in simulation course through communication with medical staffs as the biggest advantage. Conclusion : Receiving the simulation training with standardized communication tools is effective at enhancing the communication between the paramedics and medical staff.

PURPOSE: Data on the efficacy of olanzapine in patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC) are limited. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of olanzapine versus placebo in controlling nausea and vomiting in patients receiving MEC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to determine whether olanzapine can reduce the frequency of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and improve the quality of life (QOL) in patients receiving palonosetron and dexamethasone as prophylaxis for MEC-induced nausea and vomiting. The primary end point was complete response for the acute phase (0-24 hours after chemotherapy). The secondary end points were complete response for the delayed (24-120 hours) and overall phase (0-120 hours), proportion of significant nausea (visual analogue scale ≥ 25 mm), use ofrescue medications, and effect on QOL. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients were randomized to the olanzapine (n=29) and placebo (n=27) groups. Complete response rates were not significantly different between the olanzapine and placebo groups in the acute (96.5% vs. 88.0%, p=0.326), delayed (69.0% vs. 48.0%, p=0.118), and overall phases (69.0% vs. 48.0%, p=0.118). However, the percentage of patients with significant nausea (17.2% vs. 44.0%, p=0.032) and the use of rescue medications (0.03±0.19 vs. 1.88±2.88, p=0.002) were lower in the olanzapine group than in the placebo. Furthermore, the olanzapine group demonstrated better QOL (p=0.015). CONCLUSION: Olanzapine combined with palonosetron and dexamethasone significantly improved QOL and vomiting control among previously untreated patients receiving MEC, although the efficacy was limited to the reduction of the frequency of CINV.
Antiemetics ; Dexamethasone ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Nausea* ; Quality of Life ; Vomiting*

PURPOSE: Peritoneal carcinomatosis in gastric cancer (GC) patients results in extremely poor prognosis. Malignant ascites samples are the most appropriate biological material to use to evaluate biomarkers for peritoneal carcinomatosis. This study identified exosomal MicroRNAs (miRNAs) differently expressed between benign liver cirrhosis-associated ascites (LC-ascites) and malignant gastric cancer-associated ascites (GC-ascites), and validated their role as diagnostic biomarkers for GC-ascites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from exosomes isolated from 165 ascites samples (73 LC-ascites and 92 GC-ascites). Initially, microarrays were used to screen the expression levels of 2,006 miRNAs in the discovery cohort (n=22). Subsequently, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses were performed to validate the expression levels of selected exosomal miRNAs in the training (n=70) and validation (n=73) cohorts. Furthermore, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were determined in ascites samples. RESULTS: The miR-574-3p, miR-181b-5p, miR-4481, and miR-181d were significantly downregulated in the GC-ascites samples compared to the LC-ascites samples, and miR-181b-5p showed the best diagnostic performance for GC-ascites (area under the curve [AUC]=0.798 and 0.846 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively). The diagnostic performance of CEA for GC-ascites was improved by the combined analysis of miR-181b-5p and CEA (AUC=0.981 and 0.946 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We identified exosomal miRNAs capable of distinguishing between non-malignant and GC-ascites, showing that the combined use of miR-181b-5p and CEA could improve diagnosis.
Ascites ; Biomarkers ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Carcinoma ; Cohort Studies ; Diagnosis ; Down-Regulation ; Exosomes ; Humans ; Liver ; MicroRNAs ; Prognosis ; RNA ; Stomach Neoplasms

Anti–glomerular basement membrane (GBM) nephritis is characterized by circulating anti-GBM antibodies and crescentic glomerulonephritis (GN) with deposition of IgG along the GBM. In a limited number of cases, glomerular immune complexes have been identified in anti-GBM nephritis. A 38-year-old female presented azotemia, hematuria, and proteinuria without any pulmonary symptoms. A renal biopsy showed crescentic GN with linear IgG deposition along the GBM and mesangial IgA deposition. The patient was diagnosed as concurrent anti-GBM nephritis and IgA nephropathy. Therapies with pulse methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide administration were effective. Concurrent cases of both anti-GBM nephritis and IgA nephropathy are rare among cases of anti-GBM diseases with deposition of immune complexes. This rare case of concurrent anti-GBM nephritis and IgA nephropathy with literature review is noteworthy.
Adult ; Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease ; Antibodies ; Antigen-Antibody Complex ; Azotemia ; Basement Membrane ; Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G ; Methylprednisolone ; Nephritis ; Proteinuria