Purpose: Clinical outcomes of surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy have not been investigated for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), despite well-established outcomes in borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC). This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of patients with LAPC who underwent curative resection following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma between January 2017 and December 2020. Results: Among 1,358 patients, 260 underwent surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Among 356 LAPC patients, 98 (27.5%) and 147 (35.1%) of 418 BRPC patients underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Compared to resectable pancreatic cancer (resectable PC) with upfront surgery, both LAPC and BRPC exhibited higher rates of venous resection (28.6% vs. 49.0% vs. 4.0%), arterial resection (30.6% vs. 6.8% vs. 0.5%) and greater estimated blood loss (260.5 vs. 213.1 vs. 70.4 mL). However, hospital stay, readmission rates, and postoperative pancreatic fistula rates (grade B or C) did not differ significantly between LAPC, BRPC, and resectable PC. Overall and relapse-free survival did not differ significantly between LAPC and BRPC patients. The median overall survival was 37.3 months for LAPC and 37.0 months for BRPC. The median relapse-free survival was 22.7 months for LAPC and 26.0 months for BRPC. Conclusion Overall survival time and postoperative complications in LAPC patients who underwent curative resection following neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed similar results to those of BRPC patients. Further research is needed to identify specific sub-populations of LAPC patients who benefit most from conversion surgery and to minimize postoperative complications.

Purpose: The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy following curative-intent surgery in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients who had received neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX is unclear. This study aimed to assess the survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in this patient population. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 218 patients with localized non-metastatic PDAC who received neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX and underwent curative-intent surgery (R0 or R1) between January 2017 and December 2020. The association of adjuvant chemotherapy with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was evaluated in overall patients and in the propensity score matched (PSM) cohort. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to the pathology-proven lymph node status. Results: Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 149 patients (68.3%). In the overall cohort, the adjuvant chemotherapy group had significantly improved DFS and OS compared to the observation group (DFS: median, 13.8 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 11.0 to 19.1] vs. 8.2 months [95% CI, 6.5 to 12.0]; p < 0.001; and OS: median, 38.0 months [95% CI, 32.2 to not assessable] vs. 25.7 months [95% CI, 18.3 to not assessable]; p=0.005). In the PSM cohort of 57 matched pairs of patients, DFS and OS were better in the adjuvant chemotherapy group than in the observation group (p < 0.001 and p=0.038, respectively). In the multivariate analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy was a significant favorable prognostic factor (vs. observation; DFS: hazard ratio [HR], 0.51 [95% CI, 0.36 to 0.71; p < 0.001]; OS: HR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.29 to 0.71; p < 0.001]). Conclusion Among PDAC patients who underwent surgery following neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX, adjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with improved survival. Randomized studies should be conducted to validate this finding.

Background: There is increasing interest in the quality of health care and considerable efforts are being made to improve it. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that can result in favorable outcomes when appropriate diagnosis and treatment are provided. However, several studies have shown that RA is often managed inappropriately. Therefore, the Korean College of Rheumatology aimed to develop quality indicators (QIs) to evaluate and improve the health care of patients with RA. Methods: Preliminary QIs were derived based on the existing guidelines and QIs for RA. The final QIs were determined through two separate consensus meetings of experts. The consensus was achieved through a panel of experts who voted using the modified Delphi method. Results: Fourteen final QIs were selected among 70 preliminary QIs. These included early referral to and regular follow-up with a rheumatologist, radiographs of the hands and feet, early initiation and maintenance of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy, periodic assessment of disease activity, screening for drug safety and comorbidities,including viral hepatitis and tuberculosis before biologic DMARD therapy, periodic laboratory testing, supplementation with folic acid, assessment of the risk for cervical spine instability before general anesthesia, patient education, and specialized nurse. Conclusion These QIs can be used to assess and improve the quality of health care for patients with RA.

Background: There is increasing interest in the quality of health care and considerable efforts are being made to improve it. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that can result in favorable outcomes when appropriate diagnosis and treatment are provided. However, several studies have shown that RA is often managed inappropriately. Therefore, the Korean College of Rheumatology aimed to develop quality indicators (QIs) to evaluate and improve the health care of patients with RA. Methods: Preliminary QIs were derived based on the existing guidelines and QIs for RA. The final QIs were determined through two separate consensus meetings of experts. The consensus was achieved through a panel of experts who voted using the modified Delphi method. Results: Fourteen final QIs were selected among 70 preliminary QIs. These included early referral to and regular follow-up with a rheumatologist, radiographs of the hands and feet, early initiation and maintenance of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy, periodic assessment of disease activity, screening for drug safety and comorbidities,including viral hepatitis and tuberculosis before biologic DMARD therapy, periodic laboratory testing, supplementation with folic acid, assessment of the risk for cervical spine instability before general anesthesia, patient education, and specialized nurse. Conclusion These QIs can be used to assess and improve the quality of health care for patients with RA.

PURPOSE: The optimal treatment for synchronous liver metastasis (LM) from colorectal cancer (CRC) depends on various factors. The present study was intended to investigate the oncologic outcome according to the time of resection of metastatic lesions. METHODS: Data from patients who underwent treatment with curative intent for primary CRC and synchronous LM between 2004 and 2009 from 9 university hospitals in Korea were collected retrospectively. One hundred forty-three patients underwent simultaneous resection for primary CRC and synchronous LM (simultaneous surgery group), and 65 patients were treated by 2-stage operation (staged surgery group). RESULTS: The mean follow-up length was 41.2 ± 24.6 months. In the extent of resection for hepatic metastasis, major hepatectomy was more frequently performed in staged surgery group (33.8% vs. 8.4%, P < 0.001). The rate of severe complications of Clavien-Dindo classification grade III or more was not significantly different between the 2 groups. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 85.0% in staged surgery group and 69.4% in simultaneous surgery group (P = 0.013), and the 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate was 46.4% in staged surgery group and 30.2% in simultaneous surgery group (P = 0.143). In subgroup analysis based on the location of primary CRC, the benefit of staged surgery for OS and RFS was clearly shown in rectal cancer (P = 0.021 and P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: Based on our results, staged surgery with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy should be considered for resectable synchronous LM from CRC, especially in rectal cancer, as a safe and fairly promising option.
Classification ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatectomy ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: In 2014, Korea ranked as the first among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries on the prevalence, incidence, and mortality of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The prevalence of TB among the homeless was 6.4% in the United State and 7.1% in South Korea. The aim of this study is to develop predicting indicators of TB by analyzing homeless people who visit the public hospital emergency department (ED). METHODS: We analyzed 7,500 homeless individuals who visited a public hospital ED between January 1, 2001 and May 31, 2014. A total of 4,552 patients were included, and of these, 145 homeless patients were infected with TB. We conducted univariate and multivariate analysis of clinical variables obtained from the initial check list and later lab analysis, and made a scoring system by weighing each variable. Then applying this scoring system, the area under the receiver (AUC) operating characteristic curve (ROC) was calculated. RESULTS: The prevalence of TB was 3.2%. The initial meaningful predictor variables were as follows: Being homeless, abnormal heart rate, abnormal respiratory rate, no alcohol intake, hypoalbuminemia, and CRP elevation. The AUC of ROC curve from these predictor variables were 0.815. CONCLUSION: We developed a novel scoring system to screen TB patients in a vulnerable social group who visit the ED. We can detect potential TB patients early and effectively control TB, preventing the spread of TB. Prospective internal and external validation is necessary by using the scoring system of TB among the homeless.
Area Under Curve ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Heart Rate ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mass Screening* ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Respiratory Rate ; ROC Curve ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of the Korean version of the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4) questionnaire and to validate this questionnaire in terms of psychometric properties in patients with chronic pain due to degenerative spinal disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Korean version of the DN4 questionnaire, which was translated and linguistically validated by the MAPI Research Group, was tested on 83 patients with lumbar or lumbar-radicular pain. Test-retest reliability was evaluated in a subsample of 40 patients who completed two assessments with an interval of 2 weeks. Nociceptive pain and neuropathic component pain were diagnosed in 40 and 43 patients, respectively. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of internal consistency was 0.819, and the test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient (3, 1) (95% confidence interval) was 0.813 (0.776-0.847) (n=40). The area under the receiver-operator characteristics curve was 0.953 (p<0.001), with 95% confidence interval between 0.869 and 0.990. The Korean version of the DN4 questionnaire showed a sensitivity of 100% and 87.1%, and a specificity of 88.2% and 94.1% at the cutoff value of 3/10 and 4/10, respectively, for discriminating neuropathic component pain. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the good discriminatory power of DN4 between nociceptive pain and neuropathic component pain in patients with lumbar or lumbar-radicular pain.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chronic Pain/*diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuralgia/*diagnosis ; Pain Measurement/*methods ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Surveys and Questionnaires/*standards ; Translating

Here, we investigated whether hyperglycemia and/or free fatty acids (palmitate, PAL) aff ect the expression level of bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4), a proatherogenic marker, in endothelial cells and the potential role of BMP4 in diabetic vascular complications. To measure BMP4 expression, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to high glucose concentrations and/or PAL for 24 or 72 h, and the effects of these treatments on the expression levels of adhesion molecules and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were examined. BMP4 loss-of-function status was achieved via transfection of a BMP4-specific siRNA. High glucose levels increased BMP4 expression in HUVECs in a dose-dependent manner. PAL potentiated such expression. The levels of adhesion molecules and ROS production increased upon treatment with high glucose and/or PAL, but this eff ect was negated when BMP4 was knocked down via siRNA. Signaling of BMP4, a proinflammatory and pro-atherogenic cytokine marker, was increased by hyperglycemia and PAL. BMP4 induced the expression of infl ammatory adhesion molecules and ROS production. Our work suggests that BMP4 plays a role in atherogenesis induced by high glucose levels and/or PAL.
Atherosclerosis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Angiopathies ; Endothelial Cells* ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; Glucose* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans* ; Hyperglycemia ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Transfection

BACKGROUND: Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) is used for bone healing due to its osteoinductivity, but it requires a carrier for clinical application. Here, we report the effects on the osteoinductivity of DBM by use of a poloxamer 407-based hydrogel as the carrier, compared to sterile water. METHODS: DBM-W and DBM-H represent 27 wt% of DBM with sterile water and DBM with a poloxamer 407-based hydrogel, respectively. Both of the compositions were applied to human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) cultures, and monitored for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and ALP activity. Six 10-week-old athymic nude rats were used for abdominal muscle grafting with either DBM-W or DBM-H, and were tested by plane radiography, microfocus X-ray computed tomography (CT), and decalcified histology to evaluate ectopic bone formation. RESULTS: The DBM-W group showed stronger ALP staining at 7, 14, and 21 days of treatment, and significantly higher ALP activity at 7 and 14 days of treatment, compared to the DBM-H group. Plane radiography could not confirm the radio-opaque lesions in the rat ectopic bone formulation model. However, ectopic bone formation was observed in both groups by micro-CT. Compared to the DBM-H group, the DBM-W group showed higher bone volume, percent bone volume and trabecular number, and the difference in percent bone volume was statistically significant. Decalcified histology found bony tissue with lamellation in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that poloxamer 407-based hydrogel has efficacy as a DBM carrier since it shows ectopic bone formation, but its effects on the quality and quantity of osteoblastic differentiation in rat abdominal ectopic bone and MSC are considered negative.
Animals ; Bone Matrix/*physiology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Decalcification Technique ; Excipients/*pharmacology ; Hydrogels/pharmacology ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells/*drug effects ; Osteogenesis/*drug effects ; Poloxamer/*pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Nude

BACKGROUND: Remifentanil sometimes elicits cough during induction of anesthesia, as with the use of other fentanyl congeners. We designed this study to investigate the incidence of remifentanil-induced cough (RIC) in children and to evaluate the effect of injection speed on RIC. METHODS: One hundred twenty ASA physical status I-II patients, aged 3-12 yr, undergoing general anesthesia were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. Patients in Group R30 received remifentanil 1.5 microg/kg at a constant rate over 30 s. Patients in Group R45 received remifentanil 1.5 microg/kg over 45 s, and patients in Group R60 received remifentanil 1.5 microg/kg over 60 s, respectively. Episodes of cough were recorded and graded as mild (1-2), moderate (3-4), or severe (5 or more). Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and SpO2 were recorded on arrival in the operating room (baseline) and 1 min after remifentanil infusion. RESULTS: The incidence of RIC was 33.3% in Group R30 (13 of 39 patients), 17.9% in Group R45 (7 of 39 patients), and 5.0% in Group R60 (2 of 40 patients). Patients in Group R60 had a significantly lower incidence of RIC than those in Group R30 (P = 0.001). The MAP, HR, and SpO2 values were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSIONS: When intravenous remifentanil 1.5 microg/kg was administered in pediatric patients, the incidence of RIC decreased from 33 to 5% by increasing the injection time from 30 to 60 s. Remifentanil should be administered slowly over 60 s in children to suppress cough during anesthesia induction.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Arterial Pressure ; Child* ; Cough* ; Fentanyl ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Incidence ; Operating Rooms