Objective: : Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accompanies higher mortality rates than other type of stroke. This study aimed to investigate the association between hospital volume and mortality for cases of ICH. Methods: : We used nationwide data from 2013 to 2018 to compare high-volume hospitals (≥32 admissions/year) and low-volume hospitals (<32 admissions/year). We tracked patients’ survival at 3-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year endpoints. The survival of ICH patients was analyzed at 3-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year endpoints using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and Cox regression analysis were performed to determine predictive factors of poor outcomes at discharge and death. Results: : Among 9086 ICH patients who admitted to hospital during 18-month period, 6756 (74.4%) and 2330 (25.6%) patients were admitted to high-volume and low-volume hospitals. The mortality of total ICH patients was 18.25%, 23.87%, 27.88%, and 35.74% at the 3-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year, respectively. In multivariate logistic analysis, high-volume hospitals had lower poor functional outcome at discharge than low-volume hospitals (odds ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.72–0.91; p<0.001). In the Cox analysis, high-volume hospitals had significantly lower 3-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year mortality than low-volume hospitals (p<0.05). Conclusion : The poor outcome at discharge, short- and long-term mortality in ICH patients differed according to hospital volume. High-volume hospitals showed lower rates of mortality for ICH patients, particularly those with severe clinical status.

Background: and Purpose Moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe versus high-intensity statin alone may provide a greater low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction in patients with recent ischemic stroke. Methods: This randomized, open-label, controlled trial assigned patients with recent ischemic stroke <90 days to rosuvastatin/ezetimibe 10/10 mg once daily (ROS10/EZT10) or to rosuvastatin 20 mg once daily (ROS20). The primary endpoint was LDL-C reduction ≥50% from baseline at 90 days. Key secondary endpoints were LDL-C <70 mg/dL and multiple lipid goal achievement, and composite of major vascular events. Results: Of 584 randomized, 530 were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. The baseline LDL-C level was 130.2±34.7 mg/dL in the ROS10/EZT10 group and 131.0±33.9 mg/dL in the ROS20 group. The primary endpoint was achieved in 198 patients (72.5%) in the ROS10/EZT10 group and 148 (57.6%) in the ROS20 group (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.944 [1.352–2.795]; P= 0.0003). LDL-C level <70 mg/dL was achieved in 80.2% and 65.4% in the ROS10/EZT10 and ROS20 groups (P=0.0001). Multiple lipid goal achievement rate was 71.1% and 53.7% in the ROS10/EZT10 and ROS20 groups (P<0.0001). Major vascular events occurred in 1 patient in the ROS10/EZT10 group and 9 in the ROS20 group (P=0.0091). The adverse event rates did not differ between the two groups. Conclusion Moderate-intensity rosuvastatin plus ezetimibe was superior to high-intensity rosuvastatin alone for intensive LDL-C reduction in patients with recent ischemic stroke. With the combination therapy, more than 70% of patients achieved LDL-C reduction ≥50% and 80% had an LDL-C <70 mg/dL at 90 days.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the correlation between various clinical results, including recurrence in patients with breast cancer, and preoperative blood composition ratio and postoperative pathological results. Methods: A total of 444 patients who underwent surgery were included, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and postoperative pathological results were classified into postoperative cancer stages to confirm the association with various clinical results, including recurrence. Results: The median age of the patients was 51 years. The stages were divided into 1, 2, 3, and 4. Additionally, stages 1 and 2 comprised one group and stages 3 and 4 comprised another group. The cut-off values of the NLR, PLR, and MLR were confirmed to be 1.43, 158.84, and 0.21, respectively. It was noted that the association with recurrence was higher in the group with hormone receptor negative (p<0.001), higher stage (p<0.001), and underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p<0.001). In the association with blood composition ratio and recurrence, survival was high in the PLR group with a high cut-off value (p=0.004). There was no significant relationship in the NLR and MLR groups. In the disease-free survival and overall-survival curves, only the PLR group showed a significant association of 0.003 and 0.001, respectively. The NLR and MLR groups did not show any significant result. Conclusion No significant association with recurrence and mortality was confirmed in the NLR and MLR groups. However, the preoperative blood test in the high PLR group showed recurrence and mortality rate were high.

Background: The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and autophagy are both important to maintain skin homeostasis.However, they are also involved in skin disorders. So far, their roles in psoriasis pathogenesis are unknown. Objective: We studied the immunohistochemical and gene expression of AHR, CYP1A1, and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) in lesional skin of psoriasis patients to determine correlations among them. Methods: We included 24psoriasis patients and ten healthy volunteers. Skin biopsies were collected. AHR, CYP1A1, and LC3 protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and western blotting. AHR, CYP1A1, LC3, ATG5, BECN1 and Nrf2 mRNA levels were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: AHR and CYP1A1 protein expression were higher in psoriasis lesional skin than in normal skin. LC3 protein expression was lower in psoriasis lesions than in normal controls. AHR and CYP1A1 protein expression in psoriasis lesions showed significant positive correlations with mean epidermal thickness and inflammatory cell density. Significant negative correlations were noted between LC3 protein expression in psoriasis lesions and the mean epidermal thickness or inflammatory cell density. A significant negative correlation was found between AHR and LC3 expression in psoriatic skin. AHR, CYP1A1 and Nrf2 mRNA expression were upregulated while LC3, ATG5, and BECN1 mRNA were down-regulated, in psoriatic lesional skin compared with normal controls. Conclusion AHR and autophagy could play a role in psoriasis pathogenesis by modifying epidermal hyperproliferation and inflammation. AHR and autophagy regulation are potential therapeutic targets in chronic inflammatory skin diseases.

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are potentially fatal acute hypersensitivity reactions that involve the skin and mucous membranes. Because they are relatively rare diseases, it is difficult to obtain well-organized epidemiological data. The clinicodemographic characteristics, culprit drugs, and factors related to disease prognosis may vary. Objective: To identify the characteristics of SJS/TEN by investigating patient clinicopathological characteristics, laboratory findings, suspected drugs, and mortality through a retrospective study using medical record data. Methods: The clinical records of patients diagnosed with SJS/TEN between February 2009 and February 2019 at three medical institutions of Soonchunhyang University were retrospectively reviewed. Data pertaining to sex, age, history, suspected drugs, latent period, laboratory findings, and mortality were collected, and their correlations were analyzed. Results: We identified SJS/TEN in 88 patients. Among the probable causative agents, antibiotics were the most common (29 cases, 33.0%), followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in 20 cases (22.7%). The period between drug administration and symptom onset varied with the causative agent. Patients who died had high SCORTEN scores. In addition, hypertension, diabetes, renal failure, and cardiac disease had a statistically significant association with high SCORTEN. Conclusion Antibiotics, NSAIDs, antiepileptics and allopurinol were the most commonly implicated drugs in our retrospective study. There was a significant correlation between comorbidities. Because SJS/TEN is a life-threatening condition, early recognition of the suspected drug are important. The results of this study may provide insights that aid in the early diagnosis and prediction of disease outcomes of SJS/TEN in the Korean population.

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are potentially fatal acute hypersensitivity reactions that involve the skin and mucous membranes. Because they are relatively rare diseases, it is difficult to obtain well-organized epidemiological data. The clinicodemographic characteristics, culprit drugs, and factors related to disease prognosis may vary. Objective: To identify the characteristics of SJS/TEN by investigating patient clinicopathological characteristics, laboratory findings, suspected drugs, and mortality through a retrospective study using medical record data. Methods: The clinical records of patients diagnosed with SJS/TEN between February 2009 and February 2019 at three medical institutions of Soonchunhyang University were retrospectively reviewed. Data pertaining to sex, age, history, suspected drugs, latent period, laboratory findings, and mortality were collected, and their correlations were analyzed. Results: We identified SJS/TEN in 88 patients. Among the probable causative agents, antibiotics were the most common (29 cases, 33.0%), followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in 20 cases (22.7%). The period between drug administration and symptom onset varied with the causative agent. Patients who died had high SCORTEN scores. In addition, hypertension, diabetes, renal failure, and cardiac disease had a statistically significant association with high SCORTEN. Conclusion Antibiotics, NSAIDs, antiepileptics and allopurinol were the most commonly implicated drugs in our retrospective study. There was a significant correlation between comorbidities. Because SJS/TEN is a life-threatening condition, early recognition of the suspected drug are important. The results of this study may provide insights that aid in the early diagnosis and prediction of disease outcomes of SJS/TEN in the Korean population.

Background: Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a potentially devastating cerebrovascular attack with a high proportion of poor outcomes and mortality. Recent studies have reported decreased mortality with the improvement in devices and techniques for treating ruptured aneurysms and neurocritical care. This study investigated the relationship between hospital volume and shortand long-term mortality in patients treated with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods: We selected subarachnoid hemorrhage patients treated with clipping and coiling from March–May 2013 to June–August 2014 using data from Acute Stroke Registry, and the selected subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients were tracked in connection with data of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to evaluate the short-term and long-term mortality. Results: A total of 625 subarachnoid hemorrhage patients were admitted to high-volume hospitals (n = 355, 57%) and low-volume hospitals (n = 270, 43%) for six months. The mortality of SAH patients treated with clipping and coiling was 12.3%, 20.2%, 21.4%, and 24.3% at 14 days, three months, one year, and five years, respectively. The short-term and long-term mortality in high-volume hospitals was significantly lower than that in low-volume hospitals. On Cox regression analysis of death in patients with severe clinical status, lowvolume hospitals had significantly higher mortality than high-volume hospitals during shortterm follow-up. On Cox regression analysis in the mild clinical status group, there was no statistical difference between high-volume hospitals and low-volume hospitals. Conclusion In subarachnoid hemorrhage patients treated with clipping and coiling, lowvolume hospitals had higher short-term mortality than high-volume hospitals. These results from a nationwide database imply that acute SAH should be treated by a skilled neurosurgeon with adequate facilities in a high-volume hospital.

Background: Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a potentially devastating cerebrovascular attack with a high proportion of poor outcomes and mortality. Recent studies have reported decreased mortality with the improvement in devices and techniques for treating ruptured aneurysms and neurocritical care. This study investigated the relationship between hospital volume and shortand long-term mortality in patients treated with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods: We selected subarachnoid hemorrhage patients treated with clipping and coiling from March–May 2013 to June–August 2014 using data from Acute Stroke Registry, and the selected subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients were tracked in connection with data of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to evaluate the short-term and long-term mortality. Results: A total of 625 subarachnoid hemorrhage patients were admitted to high-volume hospitals (n = 355, 57%) and low-volume hospitals (n = 270, 43%) for six months. The mortality of SAH patients treated with clipping and coiling was 12.3%, 20.2%, 21.4%, and 24.3% at 14 days, three months, one year, and five years, respectively. The short-term and long-term mortality in high-volume hospitals was significantly lower than that in low-volume hospitals. On Cox regression analysis of death in patients with severe clinical status, lowvolume hospitals had significantly higher mortality than high-volume hospitals during shortterm follow-up. On Cox regression analysis in the mild clinical status group, there was no statistical difference between high-volume hospitals and low-volume hospitals. Conclusion In subarachnoid hemorrhage patients treated with clipping and coiling, lowvolume hospitals had higher short-term mortality than high-volume hospitals. These results from a nationwide database imply that acute SAH should be treated by a skilled neurosurgeon with adequate facilities in a high-volume hospital.

Objectives: . To compare the surgical outcomes of externally monitored and conventional buried flaps with the goal of determining the usefulness of external monitoring of buried flaps. Methods: . In this case-control study with propensity score matching, 30 patients were evenly divided into externally monitored buried flap and conventional buried flap groups. The total operative time for free flap reconstruction, the flap survival rate, the length of hospital stay, the initial time of a reliable visual assessment, complications, the final diet achieved, and the duration until diet initiation were compared between the groups. Results: . The mean operative time for reconstruction was 115 minutes (interquartile range, 85–150 minutes) and 142 minutes (interquartile range, 95–180 minutes) in the externally monitored and conventional groups, respectively (P= 0.245). The median length of hospital stay was 24 days (interquartile range, 18–30 days) and 27 days (interquartile range, 20–41 days) in the externally monitored and conventional groups, respectively (P=0.298). The median duration until diet initiation was 15 days (interquartile range, 15–21 days) and 18 days (interquartile range, 15–34 days) in the externally monitored and conventional groups, respectively (P=0.466). The final diet, initial time of a reliable visual assessment, and complications were comparable between the groups, but the external skin paddle provided an excellent visual assessment immediately postoperatively in all cases. Conclusion . The outcomes were comparable between the groups, indicating that externalization of the cutaneous component of a buried flap may be a straightforward and useful technique for monitoring a buried anterolateral thigh free flap in laryngopharyngeal reconstructions. The salvage and false-positive rates of compromised flaps should be compared in large subject groups in future studies to prove that the use of an external skin paddle improves flap monitoring.