Acute facial nerve palsy, particularly Bell’s palsy, is a common neurological disorder with an annual incidence of 20-30 cases per 100,000 individuals. It is characterized by sudden or gradual facial muscle palsy and is caused by viral reactivation, inflammation, or ischemia of the facial nerve. Prognosis varies widely, depending on the severity of nerve damage and timeliness of the intervention. Steroid therapy remains the cornerstone of Bell’s palsy treatment because it reduces inflammation and facilitates recovery. Early administration, preferably within 72 hours of symptom onset, considerably improves outcomes. However, the efficacy of combination therapy remains controversial. Current guidelines recommend oral steroids as the primary treatment for Bell’s palsy and suggest the selective use of antiviral agents in severe cases or when viral involvement is strongly suspected. For severe facial palsy, such as Ramsay Hunt syndrome or varicella-zoster virus-induced cases, combination therapy may improve outcomes and reduce sequelae; however, high-quality evidence is limited. Steroid therapy is the main treatment of Bell’s palsy and antiviral therapy can be added in severe cases to improve prognosis. Additional research is required to develop standardized guidelines, concerning the use of antiviral therapies in conjunction with steroids.

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.

Acute facial nerve palsy, particularly Bell’s palsy, is a common neurological disorder with an annual incidence of 20-30 cases per 100,000 individuals. It is characterized by sudden or gradual facial muscle palsy and is caused by viral reactivation, inflammation, or ischemia of the facial nerve. Prognosis varies widely, depending on the severity of nerve damage and timeliness of the intervention. Steroid therapy remains the cornerstone of Bell’s palsy treatment because it reduces inflammation and facilitates recovery. Early administration, preferably within 72 hours of symptom onset, considerably improves outcomes. However, the efficacy of combination therapy remains controversial. Current guidelines recommend oral steroids as the primary treatment for Bell’s palsy and suggest the selective use of antiviral agents in severe cases or when viral involvement is strongly suspected. For severe facial palsy, such as Ramsay Hunt syndrome or varicella-zoster virus-induced cases, combination therapy may improve outcomes and reduce sequelae; however, high-quality evidence is limited. Steroid therapy is the main treatment of Bell’s palsy and antiviral therapy can be added in severe cases to improve prognosis. Additional research is required to develop standardized guidelines, concerning the use of antiviral therapies in conjunction with steroids.

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.

Acute facial nerve palsy, particularly Bell’s palsy, is a common neurological disorder with an annual incidence of 20-30 cases per 100,000 individuals. It is characterized by sudden or gradual facial muscle palsy and is caused by viral reactivation, inflammation, or ischemia of the facial nerve. Prognosis varies widely, depending on the severity of nerve damage and timeliness of the intervention. Steroid therapy remains the cornerstone of Bell’s palsy treatment because it reduces inflammation and facilitates recovery. Early administration, preferably within 72 hours of symptom onset, considerably improves outcomes. However, the efficacy of combination therapy remains controversial. Current guidelines recommend oral steroids as the primary treatment for Bell’s palsy and suggest the selective use of antiviral agents in severe cases or when viral involvement is strongly suspected. For severe facial palsy, such as Ramsay Hunt syndrome or varicella-zoster virus-induced cases, combination therapy may improve outcomes and reduce sequelae; however, high-quality evidence is limited. Steroid therapy is the main treatment of Bell’s palsy and antiviral therapy can be added in severe cases to improve prognosis. Additional research is required to develop standardized guidelines, concerning the use of antiviral therapies in conjunction with steroids.

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form. Data were collected on 86 items, including patient demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedures, and surgical outcomes. The results of the 2023 survey were compared with those of previous surveys. Results: Data from 12,751 cases were collected from 66 institutions. The mean patient age was 64.6 years, and the proportion of patients aged ≥71 years increased from 9.1% in 1995 to 31.7% in 2023. The proportion of upper-third tumors slightly decreased to 16.8% compared to 20.9% in 2019. Early gastric cancer accounted for 63.1% of cases in 2023.Regarding operative procedures, a totally laparoscopic approach was most frequently applied (63.2%) in 2023, while robotic gastrectomy steadily increased to 9.5% from 2.1% in 2014.The most common anastomotic method was the Billroth II procedure (48.8%) after distal gastrectomy and double-tract reconstruction (51.9%) after proximal gastrectomy in 2023.However, the proportion of esophago-gastrostomy with anti-reflux procedures increased to 30.9%. The rates of post-operative mortality and overall complications were 1.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Conclusions The results of the 2023 nationwide survey demonstrate the current status of gastric cancer treatment in Korea. This information will provide a basis for future gastric cancer research.

Purpose: We aimed to identify the genetic causes of hypospadias in children using targeted gene panel sequencing for disorders of sex development (DSD). Materials and Methods: This study included 18 twin boys with hypospadias: seven and two pairs were monozygotic and dizygotic twins, respectively, and six were discordant and three were concordant twins. Targeted gene panel sequencing for 67 known DSD genes was performed. Sequence variants were classified into five different categories, pathogenic, likely pathogenic, variants of uncertain significance, likely benign, and benign, following the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Standards and Guidelines. Results: The mean gestational age and birth weight were 35.3±2.0 weeks and 1.96±0.61 kg, respectively, with seven patients being small for gestational age. Hypospadias was present in 12 patients, with posterior type in 33.3% and anterior type in 66.7%.In three families with twins, both siblings had hypospadias. In addition, cryptorchidism was observed in one subject. Surgical correction of hypospadias was performed at a mean age of 22.1 months. Molecular analysis identified 12 different genetic variants, including two pathogenic mutations in the AMH (p.E389*) and SRD5A2 (p.R246Q) genes, found in subjects with hypospadias, respectively. However, only heterozygous mutations were detected. Conclusions This study did not identify a definitive genetic component contributing to the development of hypospadias; however, the findings suggest that intrauterine growth retardation may play a significant role.