Purpose: To investigate the epidemiological trends and socioeconomic disparities associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in South Korea over a decade (2010–2021) using National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) claims data. Materials and Methods: Employing data from the NHIS database, this study identified 31753 incident AS patients in 2010–2021.We calculated the annual age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates and analyzed crude incidence rates and diagnostic patterns across age groups. Additionally, we compared the mean annual proportions of medical aid recipients between AS patients and the general population, utilizing p for trend analysis to assess the differences between the two groups across increasing age groups. Results: The study period saw a steady increase in age-standardized prevalence (from 34.6 to 91.0 per 100000) and incidence rates (from 4.41 to 8.33 per 100000 person-years), with the most substantial rise of incidence found in younger demographics. Diagnostic trends revealed a shift from internal medicine (IM) to other specialties including orthopedics with increasing patient age groups (p for trend=0.008), indicating old-age diagnosis in non-IM departments. A 1.4-fold higher proportion of medical aid recipients in AS patients (p<0.001) and the widening gap of dependency on medical aid in older age groups (p for trend=0.012) compared to the general population highlight socioeconomic disparities. Conclusion This comprehensive analysis reveals the growing epidemiological burden of AS, especially in younger populations, and the socioeconomic disparities regarding the disease in South Korea. It underscores the need for early diagnosis and effective treatment strategies, paving the way for health interventions and policies aimed at improving patient outcomes and addressing socioeconomic disparities.

Purpose: To investigate the epidemiological trends and socioeconomic disparities associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in South Korea over a decade (2010–2021) using National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) claims data. Materials and Methods: Employing data from the NHIS database, this study identified 31753 incident AS patients in 2010–2021.We calculated the annual age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates and analyzed crude incidence rates and diagnostic patterns across age groups. Additionally, we compared the mean annual proportions of medical aid recipients between AS patients and the general population, utilizing p for trend analysis to assess the differences between the two groups across increasing age groups. Results: The study period saw a steady increase in age-standardized prevalence (from 34.6 to 91.0 per 100000) and incidence rates (from 4.41 to 8.33 per 100000 person-years), with the most substantial rise of incidence found in younger demographics. Diagnostic trends revealed a shift from internal medicine (IM) to other specialties including orthopedics with increasing patient age groups (p for trend=0.008), indicating old-age diagnosis in non-IM departments. A 1.4-fold higher proportion of medical aid recipients in AS patients (p<0.001) and the widening gap of dependency on medical aid in older age groups (p for trend=0.012) compared to the general population highlight socioeconomic disparities. Conclusion This comprehensive analysis reveals the growing epidemiological burden of AS, especially in younger populations, and the socioeconomic disparities regarding the disease in South Korea. It underscores the need for early diagnosis and effective treatment strategies, paving the way for health interventions and policies aimed at improving patient outcomes and addressing socioeconomic disparities.

Purpose: To investigate the epidemiological trends and socioeconomic disparities associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in South Korea over a decade (2010–2021) using National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) claims data. Materials and Methods: Employing data from the NHIS database, this study identified 31753 incident AS patients in 2010–2021.We calculated the annual age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates and analyzed crude incidence rates and diagnostic patterns across age groups. Additionally, we compared the mean annual proportions of medical aid recipients between AS patients and the general population, utilizing p for trend analysis to assess the differences between the two groups across increasing age groups. Results: The study period saw a steady increase in age-standardized prevalence (from 34.6 to 91.0 per 100000) and incidence rates (from 4.41 to 8.33 per 100000 person-years), with the most substantial rise of incidence found in younger demographics. Diagnostic trends revealed a shift from internal medicine (IM) to other specialties including orthopedics with increasing patient age groups (p for trend=0.008), indicating old-age diagnosis in non-IM departments. A 1.4-fold higher proportion of medical aid recipients in AS patients (p<0.001) and the widening gap of dependency on medical aid in older age groups (p for trend=0.012) compared to the general population highlight socioeconomic disparities. Conclusion This comprehensive analysis reveals the growing epidemiological burden of AS, especially in younger populations, and the socioeconomic disparities regarding the disease in South Korea. It underscores the need for early diagnosis and effective treatment strategies, paving the way for health interventions and policies aimed at improving patient outcomes and addressing socioeconomic disparities.

Purpose: To investigate the epidemiological trends and socioeconomic disparities associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in South Korea over a decade (2010–2021) using National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) claims data. Materials and Methods: Employing data from the NHIS database, this study identified 31753 incident AS patients in 2010–2021.We calculated the annual age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates and analyzed crude incidence rates and diagnostic patterns across age groups. Additionally, we compared the mean annual proportions of medical aid recipients between AS patients and the general population, utilizing p for trend analysis to assess the differences between the two groups across increasing age groups. Results: The study period saw a steady increase in age-standardized prevalence (from 34.6 to 91.0 per 100000) and incidence rates (from 4.41 to 8.33 per 100000 person-years), with the most substantial rise of incidence found in younger demographics. Diagnostic trends revealed a shift from internal medicine (IM) to other specialties including orthopedics with increasing patient age groups (p for trend=0.008), indicating old-age diagnosis in non-IM departments. A 1.4-fold higher proportion of medical aid recipients in AS patients (p<0.001) and the widening gap of dependency on medical aid in older age groups (p for trend=0.012) compared to the general population highlight socioeconomic disparities. Conclusion This comprehensive analysis reveals the growing epidemiological burden of AS, especially in younger populations, and the socioeconomic disparities regarding the disease in South Korea. It underscores the need for early diagnosis and effective treatment strategies, paving the way for health interventions and policies aimed at improving patient outcomes and addressing socioeconomic disparities.

Purpose: To investigate the epidemiological trends and socioeconomic disparities associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in South Korea over a decade (2010–2021) using National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) claims data. Materials and Methods: Employing data from the NHIS database, this study identified 31753 incident AS patients in 2010–2021.We calculated the annual age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates and analyzed crude incidence rates and diagnostic patterns across age groups. Additionally, we compared the mean annual proportions of medical aid recipients between AS patients and the general population, utilizing p for trend analysis to assess the differences between the two groups across increasing age groups. Results: The study period saw a steady increase in age-standardized prevalence (from 34.6 to 91.0 per 100000) and incidence rates (from 4.41 to 8.33 per 100000 person-years), with the most substantial rise of incidence found in younger demographics. Diagnostic trends revealed a shift from internal medicine (IM) to other specialties including orthopedics with increasing patient age groups (p for trend=0.008), indicating old-age diagnosis in non-IM departments. A 1.4-fold higher proportion of medical aid recipients in AS patients (p<0.001) and the widening gap of dependency on medical aid in older age groups (p for trend=0.012) compared to the general population highlight socioeconomic disparities. Conclusion This comprehensive analysis reveals the growing epidemiological burden of AS, especially in younger populations, and the socioeconomic disparities regarding the disease in South Korea. It underscores the need for early diagnosis and effective treatment strategies, paving the way for health interventions and policies aimed at improving patient outcomes and addressing socioeconomic disparities.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of B-cell lymphocyte kinase (BLK) expression for survival outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients treated with R-CHOP. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 89 patients from two tertiary referral hospitals. The expression of BLK, SYK, and CDK1 were evaluated in a semiquantitative method using an H-score, and the proportions of BCL2 and C-MYC were evaluated. Results: A total of 89 patients received R-CHOP chemotherapy as a first-line chemotherapy. The expression rates of BLK in tumor cells was 39.2% (n = 34). BLK expression status was not significantly associated with clinical variables; however, BLK expression in tumor cells was significantly associated with the expression of both C-MYC and BCL2 (p = .003). With a median follow-up of 60.4 months, patients with BLK expression had significantly lower 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival rates (49.8% and 60.9%, respectively) than patients without BLK expression (77.3% and 86.7%, respectively). In multivariate analysis for PFS, BLK positivity was an independent poor prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 2.208; p = .040). Conclusions Here, we describe the clinicopathological features and survival outcome according to expression of BLK in DLBCL. Approximately 39% of DLBCL patients showed BLK positivity, which was associated as a predictive marker for poor prognosis in patients who received R-CHOP chemotherapy.

Purpose: To evaluate the pre- and post-operative refractive powers of patients undergoing sutured and sutureless scleral fixation (the latter: the Yamane technique). Methods: Patients who had undergone sutured or sutureless scleral fixation to treat intraocular lens (IOL) dislocation or phacodonesis at Dong-A University Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were retrospectively investigated. The preoperatively predicted spherical equivalents (derived using the radii of corneal curvature) were measured via optical coherence topography and the axial lengths were determined using an IOL master ® (Zeiss, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany) device and A-scan biometry (AL-100; Tomey, Nagoya, Japan) ultrasound. The spherical equivalent was measured 1 month after surgery employing an automatic refractive keratometer. The extent of agreement between the predicted and actual spherical equivalents were compared between the sutured and sutureless scleral fixation groups. Results: The sutured scleral fixation group included 20 eyes and the sutureless group 12 eyes. The preoperatively predicted spherical equivalent of the sutured group was -0.158 ± 0.577 diopters (D) on A-scan (Tomey) ultrasound and -0.143 ± 0.617 D employing the IOL master ® (Carl Zeiss Meditec); both correlated poorly with the postoperatively measured spherical equivalent of -0.400 ± 0.923 D (p = 0.903, 0.563). However, the predicted spherical equivalent of the group undergoing sutureless fixation was -0.340 ± 0.368 D on A-scan ultrasound and -0.183 ± 0.251 D using the IOL master ® (Carl Zeiss Meditec); both correlated significantly with the postoperatively measured spherical equivalent of -0.313 ± 1.129 D (p = 0.038, 0.005). Conclusions The preoperatively predicted refractive power correlated significantly with the postoperative refractive power after sutureless but not sutured scleral fixation. Sutureless fixation was safe and the postoperative refractive power was comparable to that of sutured fixation.

Purpose: InnoSEAL Plus is an adhesive, coagulant-free hemostatic material that mimics the adhesion mechanism of marine mussels. This study reports on the safety and efficacy of InnoSEAL Plus for patients with hemorrhage after hepatectomy despite first-line hemostasis treatments. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, single-blinded, randomized clinical trial involving 96 hepatectomy patients. TachoSil was used as a comparator group. Three-minute and 10-minute hemostatic success rates were monitored. Rebleeding rates were also observed. Safety was assessed by recording all novel undesirable symptoms. Results: InnoSEAL Plus showed a 3-minute hemostasis rate of 100%, while TachoSil had a rate of 98.0% (48 of 49 patients), demonstrating that the 2 had similar hemostatic efficacies. The difference in efficacy between the test and comparator group was 2.04%, and the lower limit of the one-sided 97.5% confidence interval was –1.92%; as this is greater than the noninferiority limit of –23.9%, the 2 treatments were equivalent. Meanwhile, the 10-minute hemostatic success rate was the same in both groups (100%). No rebleeding occurred in either group. In the safety evaluation, 89 patients experienced adverse events (45 in the test group and 44 in the comparator group). The difference between the 2 groups was not significant. No death occurred after application of the test or comparator group product. Conclusion Given that InnoSEAL Plus is a coagulation factor-free product, the hemostasis results are encouraging, especially considering that TachoSil contains a coagulation factor. InnoSEAL Plus was found to be a safe and effective hemostatic material for control of bleeding in hepatectomy patients.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) in Korean postmenopausal women and the association between OVCFs and clinical factors such as age, bone mineral density (BMD), and quality of life. Methods: According to the population distribution in four regions in Korea, 1,281 postmenopausal female patients were recruited from nationwide orthopedic outpatient clinics. Radiologic, asymptomatic, and within 3 months of OVCF groups were analyzed based on age, fracture location, and prevalence according to BMD. In addition, BMD, T-score, body mass index, and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) were investigated in the three groups, and the differences between groups were compared and analyzed. Results: The prevalence of radiologic OVCFs at the T11–L1 was 3.7 times higher in the 70s group (44.0%) than in the 50s group (11.9%). Femur and total hip BMD were significantly lower in patients with thoracolumbar junction fractures than in patients with L2–5 fractures, whereas no difference was observed in lumbar spine BMD. Of the three OVCF groups, the within 3 months of OVCF group had the lowest lumbar spine T-score of –2.445. The asymptomatic OVCF group also showed significantly lower lumbar spine T-score than did the group without radiologic OVCFs (p < 0.001). The EQ-5D showed a significant decrease in the radiologic OVCF group (p < 0.001) and within 3 months of OVCF group (p < 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of OVCFs in the thoracolumbar junction rapidly increases with old age and low BMD in Korean postmenopausal women. Femur and total hip BMD are more predictive of thoracolumbar junction fractures than lumbar spine BMD.Patients with radiologic OVCFs had a significantly lower quality of life than no OVCF group. Therefore, this study shows it is important to treat and prevent osteoporosis before an OVCF occurs.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) in Korean postmenopausal women and the association between OVCFs and clinical factors such as age, bone mineral density (BMD), and quality of life. Methods: According to the population distribution in four regions in Korea, 1,281 postmenopausal female patients were recruited from nationwide orthopedic outpatient clinics. Radiologic, asymptomatic, and within 3 months of OVCF groups were analyzed based on age, fracture location, and prevalence according to BMD. In addition, BMD, T-score, body mass index, and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) were investigated in the three groups, and the differences between groups were compared and analyzed. Results: The prevalence of radiologic OVCFs at the T11–L1 was 3.7 times higher in the 70s group (44.0%) than in the 50s group (11.9%). Femur and total hip BMD were significantly lower in patients with thoracolumbar junction fractures than in patients with L2–5 fractures, whereas no difference was observed in lumbar spine BMD. Of the three OVCF groups, the within 3 months of OVCF group had the lowest lumbar spine T-score of –2.445. The asymptomatic OVCF group also showed significantly lower lumbar spine T-score than did the group without radiologic OVCFs (p < 0.001). The EQ-5D showed a significant decrease in the radiologic OVCF group (p < 0.001) and within 3 months of OVCF group (p < 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of OVCFs in the thoracolumbar junction rapidly increases with old age and low BMD in Korean postmenopausal women. Femur and total hip BMD are more predictive of thoracolumbar junction fractures than lumbar spine BMD.Patients with radiologic OVCFs had a significantly lower quality of life than no OVCF group. Therefore, this study shows it is important to treat and prevent osteoporosis before an OVCF occurs.