1.Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Level, the Lower the Better? Analysis of Korean Patients in the Treat Stroke to Target Trial
Hanim KWON ; Jae-Chan RYU ; Jae-Kwan CHA ; Sang Min SUNG ; Tae-Jin SONG ; Kyung Bok LEE ; Eung-Gyu KIM ; Yong-Won KIM ; Ji Hoe HEO ; Man Seok PARK ; Kyusik KANG ; Byung-Chul LEE ; Keun-Sik HONG ; Oh Young BANG ; Jei KIM ; Jong S. KIM
Journal of Stroke 2025;27(2):228-236
Background:
and Purpose The Treat Stroke to Target (TST) was a randomized clinical trial involving French and Korean patients demonstrating that a lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, <70 mg/dL) target group (LT) experienced fewer cerebro-cardiovascular events than a higher target (90–110 mg/dL) group (HT). However, whether these results can be applied to Asian patients with different ischemic stroke subtypes remains unclear.
Methods:
Patients from 14 South Korean centers were analyzed separately. Patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack with evidence of atherosclerosis were randomized into LT and HT groups. The primary endpoint was a composite of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary or cerebral revascularization, and cardiovascular death.
Results:
Among 712 enrolled patients, the mean LDL-C level was 71.0 mg/dL in 357 LT patients and 86.1 mg/dL in 355 HT patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 24 (6.7%) of LT and in 31 (8.7%) of HT group patients (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]=0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.45–1.33, P=0.353). Cardiovascular events alone occurred significantly less frequently in the LT than in the HT group (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.09–0.80, P=0.019), whereas there were no significant differences in ischemic stroke events (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.60–2.10, P=0.712). The benefit of LT was less apparent in patients with small vessel disease and intracranial atherosclerosis than in those with extracranial atherosclerosis.
Conclusion
In contrast to the French TST, the outcomes in Korean patients were neutral. Although LT was more effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases, it was not so in stroke prevention, probably attributed to the differences in stroke subtypes. Further studies are needed to elucidate the efficacy of statins and appropriate LDL-C targets in Asian patients with stroke.
2.Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Level, the Lower the Better? Analysis of Korean Patients in the Treat Stroke to Target Trial
Hanim KWON ; Jae-Chan RYU ; Jae-Kwan CHA ; Sang Min SUNG ; Tae-Jin SONG ; Kyung Bok LEE ; Eung-Gyu KIM ; Yong-Won KIM ; Ji Hoe HEO ; Man Seok PARK ; Kyusik KANG ; Byung-Chul LEE ; Keun-Sik HONG ; Oh Young BANG ; Jei KIM ; Jong S. KIM
Journal of Stroke 2025;27(2):228-236
Background:
and Purpose The Treat Stroke to Target (TST) was a randomized clinical trial involving French and Korean patients demonstrating that a lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, <70 mg/dL) target group (LT) experienced fewer cerebro-cardiovascular events than a higher target (90–110 mg/dL) group (HT). However, whether these results can be applied to Asian patients with different ischemic stroke subtypes remains unclear.
Methods:
Patients from 14 South Korean centers were analyzed separately. Patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack with evidence of atherosclerosis were randomized into LT and HT groups. The primary endpoint was a composite of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary or cerebral revascularization, and cardiovascular death.
Results:
Among 712 enrolled patients, the mean LDL-C level was 71.0 mg/dL in 357 LT patients and 86.1 mg/dL in 355 HT patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 24 (6.7%) of LT and in 31 (8.7%) of HT group patients (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]=0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.45–1.33, P=0.353). Cardiovascular events alone occurred significantly less frequently in the LT than in the HT group (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.09–0.80, P=0.019), whereas there were no significant differences in ischemic stroke events (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.60–2.10, P=0.712). The benefit of LT was less apparent in patients with small vessel disease and intracranial atherosclerosis than in those with extracranial atherosclerosis.
Conclusion
In contrast to the French TST, the outcomes in Korean patients were neutral. Although LT was more effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases, it was not so in stroke prevention, probably attributed to the differences in stroke subtypes. Further studies are needed to elucidate the efficacy of statins and appropriate LDL-C targets in Asian patients with stroke.
3.Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Level, the Lower the Better? Analysis of Korean Patients in the Treat Stroke to Target Trial
Hanim KWON ; Jae-Chan RYU ; Jae-Kwan CHA ; Sang Min SUNG ; Tae-Jin SONG ; Kyung Bok LEE ; Eung-Gyu KIM ; Yong-Won KIM ; Ji Hoe HEO ; Man Seok PARK ; Kyusik KANG ; Byung-Chul LEE ; Keun-Sik HONG ; Oh Young BANG ; Jei KIM ; Jong S. KIM
Journal of Stroke 2025;27(2):228-236
Background:
and Purpose The Treat Stroke to Target (TST) was a randomized clinical trial involving French and Korean patients demonstrating that a lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, <70 mg/dL) target group (LT) experienced fewer cerebro-cardiovascular events than a higher target (90–110 mg/dL) group (HT). However, whether these results can be applied to Asian patients with different ischemic stroke subtypes remains unclear.
Methods:
Patients from 14 South Korean centers were analyzed separately. Patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack with evidence of atherosclerosis were randomized into LT and HT groups. The primary endpoint was a composite of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary or cerebral revascularization, and cardiovascular death.
Results:
Among 712 enrolled patients, the mean LDL-C level was 71.0 mg/dL in 357 LT patients and 86.1 mg/dL in 355 HT patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 24 (6.7%) of LT and in 31 (8.7%) of HT group patients (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]=0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.45–1.33, P=0.353). Cardiovascular events alone occurred significantly less frequently in the LT than in the HT group (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.09–0.80, P=0.019), whereas there were no significant differences in ischemic stroke events (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.60–2.10, P=0.712). The benefit of LT was less apparent in patients with small vessel disease and intracranial atherosclerosis than in those with extracranial atherosclerosis.
Conclusion
In contrast to the French TST, the outcomes in Korean patients were neutral. Although LT was more effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases, it was not so in stroke prevention, probably attributed to the differences in stroke subtypes. Further studies are needed to elucidate the efficacy of statins and appropriate LDL-C targets in Asian patients with stroke.
4.Deep learning-based automatic segmentation of the mandibular canal on panoramic radiographs: A multi-device study
Moe Thu Zar AUNG ; Sang-Heon LIM ; Jiyong HAN ; Su YANG ; Ju-Hee KANG ; Jo-Eun KIM ; Kyung-Hoe HUH ; Won-Jin YI ; Min-Suk HEO ; Sam-Sun LEE
Imaging Science in Dentistry 2024;54(1):81-91
Purpose:
The objective of this study was to propose a deep-learning model for the detection of the mandibular canal on dental panoramic radiographs.
Materials and Methods:
A total of 2,100 panoramic radiographs (PANs) were collected from 3 different machines: RAYSCAN Alpha (n=700, PAN A), OP-100 (n=700, PAN B), and CS8100 (n=700, PAN C). Initially, an oral and maxillofacial radiologist coarsely annotated the mandibular canals. For deep learning analysis, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) utilizing U-Net architecture were employed for automated canal segmentation. Seven independent networks were trained using training sets representing all possible combinations of the 3 groups. These networks were then assessed using a hold-out test dataset.
Results:
Among the 7 networks evaluated, the network trained with all 3 available groups achieved an average precision of 90.6%, a recall of 87.4%, and a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 88.9%. The 3 networks trained using each of the 3 possible 2-group combinations also demonstrated reliable performance for mandibular canal segmentation, as follows: 1) PAN A and B exhibited a mean DSC of 87.9%, 2) PAN A and C displayed a mean DSC of 87.8%, and 3) PAN B and C demonstrated a mean DSC of 88.4%.
Conclusion
This multi-device study indicated that the examined CNN-based deep learning approach can achieve excellent canal segmentation performance, with a DSC exceeding 88%. Furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of considering the characteristics of panoramic radiographs when developing a robust deep-learning network, rather than depending solely on the size of the dataset.
5.A Multicenter, Prospective, Observational Study to Evaluate Ethanol-Induced Symptoms in Patients Receiving Docetaxel Chemotherapy
Young-Woong WON ; Jin-Hyoung KANG ; Jung Hye KWON ; Dong-Hoe KOO ; Jung Hun KANG ; Chi Hoon MAENG ; Hee Kyung AHN ; Sung Yong OH ; Dae-Won LEE ; Joohyuk SOHN ; So Yeon OH ; Kyung Hee LEE ; Su-Jin KOH ; Keun Seok LEE ; Chan-Kyu KIM ; Ji-Yeon KIM ; Jun Ho JI ; Sung-Bae KIM ; Joo Young HA ; Ho Young KIM
Cancer Research and Treatment 2023;55(4):1096-1103
Purpose:
Several previous studies and case reports have reported ethanol-induced symptoms in patients receiving anticancer drugs containing ethanol. Most docetaxel formulations contain ethanol as a solvent. However, there are insufficient data on ethanol-induced symptoms when docetaxel-containing ethanol is administered. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and pattern of ethanol-induced symptoms during and after docetaxel administration. The secondary purpose was to explore the risk factors for ethanol-induced symptoms.
Materials and Methods:
This was a prospective, multicenter, observational study. The participants filled out ethanol-induced symptom questionnaire on the day of chemotherapy and the following day.
Results:
Data from 451 patients were analyzed. The overall occurrence rate of ethanol-induced symptoms was 44.3% (200/451 patients). The occurrence rate of facial flushing was highest at 19.7% (89/451 patients), followed by nausea in 18.2% (82/451 patients), and dizziness in 17.5% (79/451 patients). Although infrequent, unsteady walking and impaired balance occurred in 4.2% and 3.3% of patients, respectively. Female sex, presence of underlying disease, younger age, docetaxel dose, and docetaxel-containing ethanol amount were significantly associated with the occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms.
Conclusion
The occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms was not low in patients receiving docetaxel-containing ethanol. Physicians need to pay more attention to the occurrence of ethanol-induced symptoms and prescribe ethanol-free or low-ethanol-containing formulations to high-risk patients.
6.Epidemiologic and Clinical Outcomes of Pediatric Renal Tumors in Korea: A Retrospective Analysis of The Korean Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Group (KPHOG) Data
Kyung-Nam KOH ; Jung Woo HAN ; Hyoung Soo CHOI ; Hyoung Jin KANG ; Ji Won LEE ; Keon Hee YOO ; Ki Woong SUNG ; Hong Hoe KOO ; Kyung Taek HONG ; Jung Yoon CHOI ; Sung Han KANG ; Hyery KIM ; Ho Joon IM ; Seung Min HAHN ; Chuhl Joo LYU ; Hee-Jo BAEK ; Hoon KOOK ; Kyung Mi PARK ; Eu Jeen YANG ; Young Tak LIM ; Seongkoo KIM ; Jae Wook LEE ; Nack-Gyun CHUNG ; Bin CHO ; Meerim PARK ; Hyeon Jin PARK ; Byung-Kiu PARK ; Jun Ah LEE ; Jun Eun PARK ; Soon Ki KIM ; Ji Yoon KIM ; Hyo Sun KIM ; Youngeun MA ; Kyung Duk PARK ; Sang Kyu PARK ; Eun Sil PARK ; Ye Jee SHIM ; Eun Sun YOO ; Kyung Ha RYU ; Jae Won YOO ; Yeon Jung LIM ; Hoi Soo YOON ; Mee Jeong LEE ; Jae Min LEE ; In-Sang JEON ; Hye Lim JUNG ; Hee Won CHUEH ; Seunghyun WON ;
Cancer Research and Treatment 2023;55(1):279-290
Purpose:
Renal tumors account for approximately 7% of all childhood cancers. These include Wilms tumor (WT), clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) and other rare tumors. We investigated the epidemiology of pediatric renal tumors in Korea.
Materials and Methods:
From January 2001 to December 2015, data of pediatric patients (0–18 years) newly-diagnosed with renal tumors at 26 hospitals were retrospectively analyzed.
Results:
Among 439 patients (male, 240), the most common tumor was WT (n=342, 77.9%), followed by RCC (n=36, 8.2%), CCSK (n=24, 5.5%), MRTK (n=16, 3.6%), CMN (n=12, 2.7%), and others (n=9, 2.1%). Median age at diagnosis was 27.1 months (range 0-225.5) and median follow-up duration was 88.5 months (range 0-211.6). Overall, 32 patients died, of whom 17, 11, 1, and 3 died of relapse, progressive disease, second malignant neoplasm, and treatment-related mortality. Five-year overall survival and event free survival were 97.2% and 84.8% in WT, 90.6% and 82.1% in RCC, 81.1% and 63.6% in CCSK, 60.3% and 56.2% in MRTK, and 100% and 91.7% in CMN, respectively (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
The pediatric renal tumor types in Korea are similar to those previously reported in other countries. WT accounted for a large proportion and survival was excellent. Non-Wilms renal tumors included a variety of tumors and showed inferior outcome, especially MRTK. Further efforts are necessary to optimize the treatment and analyze the genetic characteristics of pediatric renal tumors in Korea.
7.A case report of an unusual temporomandibular joint mass: Nodular fasciitis
Han-Sol LEE ; Kyu-Young OH ; Ju-Hee KANG ; Jo-Eun KIM ; Kyung-Hoe HUH ; Won-Jin YI ; Min-Suk HEO ; Sam-Sun LEE
Imaging Science in Dentistry 2023;53(1):83-89
Nodular fasciitis (NF) is a benign myofibroblastic proliferation that grows very rapidly, mimicking a sarcoma on imaging. It is treated by local excision, and recurrence has been reported in only a few cases, even when excised incompletely. The most prevalent diagnoses of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) masses include synovial chondromatosis, pigmented villonodular synovitis, and sarcomas. Cases of NF in the TMJ are extremely rare, and only 3 cases have been reported to date. Due to its destructive features and rarity, NF has often been misdiagnosed as a more aggressive lesion, which could expose patients to unnecessary and invasive treatment approaches beyond repair. This report presents a case of NF in the TMJ, focusing on various imaging features, along with a literature review aiming to determine the hallmark features of NF in the TMJ and highlight the diagnostic challenges.
8.Head and neck manifestations of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: Clinical and imaging findings in 2 cases
Gyu-Dong JO ; Ju-Hee KANG ; Jo-Eun KIM ; Won-Jin YI ; Min-Suk HEO ; Sam-Sun LEE ; Kyung-Hoe HUH
Imaging Science in Dentistry 2023;53(3):257-263
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is a rare hereditary disorder characterized by progressive heterotopic ossifica-tion in muscle and connective tissue, with few reported cases affecting the head and neck region. Although plain radiographic findings and computed tomography features have been well documented, limited reports exist onmagnetic resonance findings. This report presents 2 cases of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, one with limited mouth opening due to heterotopic ossification of the lateral pterygoid muscle and the other with restricted neck movement due to heterotopic ossification of the platysma muscle. Clinical findings of restricted mouth opening or limited neck movement, along with radiological findings of associated heterotopic ossification, should prompt consideration of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva in the differential diagnosis. Dentists should be particularly vigilant with patients diagnosed with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva to avoid exposure to diagnostic biopsy andinvasive dental procedures.
9.Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of Childhood Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in Korea: A Nationwide Multicenter Retrospective Study by Korean Pediatric Oncology Study Group
Kyung Mi PARK ; Keon Hee YOO ; Seong Koo KIM ; Jae Wook LEE ; Nack-Gyun CHUNG ; Hee Young JU ; Hong Hoe KOO ; Chuhl Joo LYU ; Seung Min HAN ; Jung Woo HAN ; Jung Yoon CHOI ; Kyung Taek HONG ; Hyoung Jin KANG ; Hee Young SHIN ; Ho Joon IM ; Kyung-Nam KOH ; Hyery KIM ; Hoon KOOK ; Hee Jo BAEK ; Bo Ram KIM ; Eu Jeen YANG ; Jae Young LIM ; Eun Sil PARK ; Eun Jin CHOI ; Sang Kyu PARK ; Jae Min LEE ; Ye Jee SHIM ; Ji Yoon KIM ; Ji Kyoung PARK ; Seom Gim KONG ; Young Bae CHOI ; Bin CHO ; Young Tak LIM
Cancer Research and Treatment 2022;54(1):269-276
Purpose:
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a rare disease in children and there are some different characteristics between children and adult. We aimed to evaluate incidence, clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of pediatric APL in Korea.
Materials and Methods:
Seventy-nine pediatric APL patients diagnosed from January 2009 to December 2016 in 16 tertiary medical centers in Korea were reviewed retrospectively.
Results:
Of 801 acute myeloid leukemia children, 79 (9.9%) were diagnosed with APL. The median age at diagnosis was 10.6 years (range, 1.3 to 18.0). Male and female ratio was 1:0.93. Thirty patients (38.0%) had white blood cell (WBC) count greater than 10×109/L at diagnosis. All patients received induction therapy consisting of all-trans retinoic acid and chemotherapy. Five patients (6.6%) died during induction chemotherapy and 66 patients (86.8%) achieved complete remission (CR) after induction chemotherapy. The causes of death were three intracranial hemorrhage, one cerebral infarction, and one sepsis. Five patients (7.1%) suffered a relapse during or after maintenance chemotherapy. The estimated 4-year event-free survival and overall survival (OS) rates were 82.1%±4.4%, 89.7%±5.1%, respectively. The 4-year OS was significantly higher in patients with initial WBC < 10×109/L than in those with initial WBC ≥ 10×109/L (p=0.020).
Conclusion
This study showed that the CR rates and survival outcomes in Korean pediatric APL patients were relatively good. The initial WBC count was the most important prognostic factor and most causes of death were related to serious bleeding in the early stage of treatment.
10.Deep learning-based apical lesion segmentation from panoramic radiographs
Il-Seok SONG ; Hak-Kyun SHIN ; Ju-Hee KANG ; Jo-Eun KIM ; Kyung-Hoe HUH ; Won-Jin YI ; Sam-Sun LEE ; Min-Suk HEO
Imaging Science in Dentistry 2022;52(4):351-357
Purpose:
Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have rapidly emerged as one of the most promising artificial intelligence methods in the field of medical and dental research. CNNs can provide an effective diagnostic methodology allowing for the detection of early-staged diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of a deep CNN algorithm for apical lesion segmentation from panoramic radiographs.
Materials and Methods:
A total of 1000 panoramic images showing apical lesions were separated into training (n=800, 80%), validation (n=100, 10%), and test (n=100, 10%) datasets. The performance of identifying apical lesions was evaluated by calculating the precision, recall, and F1-score.
Results:
In the test group of 180 apical lesions, 147 lesions were segmented from panoramic radiographs with an intersection over union (IoU) threshold of 0.3. The F1-score values, as a measure of performance, were 0.828, 0.815, and 0.742, respectively, with IoU thresholds of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5.
Conclusion
This study showed the potential utility of a deep learning-guided approach for the segmentation of apical lesions. The deep CNN algorithm using U-Net demonstrated considerably high performance in detecting apical lesions.

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