Background: and Purpose Treatments for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) such as eculizumab, ravulizumab, satralizumab, and inebilizumab have significantly advanced relapse prevention, but they remain expensive. Rituximab is an off-label yet popular alternative that offers a cost-effective solution, but its real-world efficacy needs better quantification for guiding the application of newer approved NMOSD treatments (ANTs). This study aimed to determine real-world rituximab failure rates to anticipate the demand for ANTs and aid in resource allocation. Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective study involving 605 aquaporin-4-antibody-positive NMOSD patients from 22 centers in South Korea that assessed the efficacy and safety of rituximab over a median follow-up of 47 months. Results: The 605 patients treated with rituximab included 525 (87%) who received continuous therapy throughout the follow-up period (median=47 months, interquartile range=15–87 months). During this period, 117 patients (19%) experienced at least 1 relapse. Notably, 68 of these patients (11% of the total cohort) experienced multiple relapses or at least 1 severe relapse.Additionally, 2% of the patients discontinued rituximab due to adverse events, which included severe infusion reactions, neutropenia, and infections. Conclusions This study has confirmed the efficacy of rituximab in treating NMOSD, as evidenced by an 87% continuation rate among patients over a 4-year follow-up period. Nevertheless, the occurrence of at least one relapse in 19% of the cohort, including 11% who experienced multiple or severe relapses, and a 2% discontinuation rate due to adverse events highlight the urgent need for alternative therapeutic options.

Background: and Purpose Treatments for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) such as eculizumab, ravulizumab, satralizumab, and inebilizumab have significantly advanced relapse prevention, but they remain expensive. Rituximab is an off-label yet popular alternative that offers a cost-effective solution, but its real-world efficacy needs better quantification for guiding the application of newer approved NMOSD treatments (ANTs). This study aimed to determine real-world rituximab failure rates to anticipate the demand for ANTs and aid in resource allocation. Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective study involving 605 aquaporin-4-antibody-positive NMOSD patients from 22 centers in South Korea that assessed the efficacy and safety of rituximab over a median follow-up of 47 months. Results: The 605 patients treated with rituximab included 525 (87%) who received continuous therapy throughout the follow-up period (median=47 months, interquartile range=15–87 months). During this period, 117 patients (19%) experienced at least 1 relapse. Notably, 68 of these patients (11% of the total cohort) experienced multiple relapses or at least 1 severe relapse.Additionally, 2% of the patients discontinued rituximab due to adverse events, which included severe infusion reactions, neutropenia, and infections. Conclusions This study has confirmed the efficacy of rituximab in treating NMOSD, as evidenced by an 87% continuation rate among patients over a 4-year follow-up period. Nevertheless, the occurrence of at least one relapse in 19% of the cohort, including 11% who experienced multiple or severe relapses, and a 2% discontinuation rate due to adverse events highlight the urgent need for alternative therapeutic options.

Background: and Purpose Treatments for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) such as eculizumab, ravulizumab, satralizumab, and inebilizumab have significantly advanced relapse prevention, but they remain expensive. Rituximab is an off-label yet popular alternative that offers a cost-effective solution, but its real-world efficacy needs better quantification for guiding the application of newer approved NMOSD treatments (ANTs). This study aimed to determine real-world rituximab failure rates to anticipate the demand for ANTs and aid in resource allocation. Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective study involving 605 aquaporin-4-antibody-positive NMOSD patients from 22 centers in South Korea that assessed the efficacy and safety of rituximab over a median follow-up of 47 months. Results: The 605 patients treated with rituximab included 525 (87%) who received continuous therapy throughout the follow-up period (median=47 months, interquartile range=15–87 months). During this period, 117 patients (19%) experienced at least 1 relapse. Notably, 68 of these patients (11% of the total cohort) experienced multiple relapses or at least 1 severe relapse.Additionally, 2% of the patients discontinued rituximab due to adverse events, which included severe infusion reactions, neutropenia, and infections. Conclusions This study has confirmed the efficacy of rituximab in treating NMOSD, as evidenced by an 87% continuation rate among patients over a 4-year follow-up period. Nevertheless, the occurrence of at least one relapse in 19% of the cohort, including 11% who experienced multiple or severe relapses, and a 2% discontinuation rate due to adverse events highlight the urgent need for alternative therapeutic options.

Recent clinical outcomes of multi-regimen chemotherapy in patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) have shown benefits in terms of overall survival. However, repeated endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) and serious adverse events negatively affect prolongation of the survival period.The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of massive hemobilia and the outcomes of its management with fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FC-SEMSs) in patients with hilum-involving CCC receiving multi-regimen chemotherapy. The methods and effects of FCSEMS placement were retrospectively investigated following the occurrence of massive hemobilia during EBD. A total of 356 patients with CCC received multi-regimen chemotherapy. Among them, 181 patients had hilar invasion, and seven patients (3.9%) developed massive hemobilia during repeated EBD using removable stents. In all cases, the tumor encased the right hepatic artery. In six patients (85.7%), hemostasis was immediately and completely achieved by inserting one or two FC-SEMSs proximal to the hilar invasion area. Therefore, if the tumor encases the right hepatic artery, massive hemobilia is likely to occur during multi-regimen chemotherapy.Thus, prompt placement of a FC-SEMS would be an effective treatment option for massive hemobilia in patients with hilum-involving CCC.

In Walker’s nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in threedimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method.We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.

Background: Acellular dermal matrices (ADMs) have shown promise in promoting tissue regeneration; however, their integration in challenging cases with limited vertical-axis neovascularization remains difficult. This study investigates whether clinically meaningful transverse-axis neovascularization is identified in ADM engraftment and whether this can be further accelerated by platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Methods: ADM and PRP-soaked ADM were implanted into New Zealand rabbits, and histological analysis was performed at different periods to compare neovascularization. Results: Histological analysis revealed that among 32 biopsy sites, there was transverse-axis neovascularization with an average length of 606.89 μm. When divided into two groups for assessing the impact of PRP on transverse-axis neovascularization, the extent of such neovascularization was measured as 582.99 μm in the control group and 630.79 μm in the experimental group. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=0.693). Conclusion The results of the present study indicate that achieving meaningful transverse-axis neovascularization in implanted ADMs remains a challenge, warranting further investigation into ADM structure and vertical-axis neovascularization.

Recent clinical outcomes of multi-regimen chemotherapy in patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) have shown benefits in terms of overall survival. However, repeated endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) and serious adverse events negatively affect prolongation of the survival period.The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of massive hemobilia and the outcomes of its management with fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FC-SEMSs) in patients with hilum-involving CCC receiving multi-regimen chemotherapy. The methods and effects of FCSEMS placement were retrospectively investigated following the occurrence of massive hemobilia during EBD. A total of 356 patients with CCC received multi-regimen chemotherapy. Among them, 181 patients had hilar invasion, and seven patients (3.9%) developed massive hemobilia during repeated EBD using removable stents. In all cases, the tumor encased the right hepatic artery. In six patients (85.7%), hemostasis was immediately and completely achieved by inserting one or two FC-SEMSs proximal to the hilar invasion area. Therefore, if the tumor encases the right hepatic artery, massive hemobilia is likely to occur during multi-regimen chemotherapy.Thus, prompt placement of a FC-SEMS would be an effective treatment option for massive hemobilia in patients with hilum-involving CCC.

In Walker’s nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in threedimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method.We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.

In Walker’s nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in threedimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method.We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.

Recent clinical outcomes of multi-regimen chemotherapy in patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) have shown benefits in terms of overall survival. However, repeated endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) and serious adverse events negatively affect prolongation of the survival period.The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of massive hemobilia and the outcomes of its management with fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FC-SEMSs) in patients with hilum-involving CCC receiving multi-regimen chemotherapy. The methods and effects of FCSEMS placement were retrospectively investigated following the occurrence of massive hemobilia during EBD. A total of 356 patients with CCC received multi-regimen chemotherapy. Among them, 181 patients had hilar invasion, and seven patients (3.9%) developed massive hemobilia during repeated EBD using removable stents. In all cases, the tumor encased the right hepatic artery. In six patients (85.7%), hemostasis was immediately and completely achieved by inserting one or two FC-SEMSs proximal to the hilar invasion area. Therefore, if the tumor encases the right hepatic artery, massive hemobilia is likely to occur during multi-regimen chemotherapy.Thus, prompt placement of a FC-SEMS would be an effective treatment option for massive hemobilia in patients with hilum-involving CCC.