Purpose: There is increasing interest in the use of ultrasound for endoscopic and percutaneous procedures. Access can be achieved without radiation exposure under ultrasound guidance. Our aim was to develop a porcine-based training model for ultrasound-guided percutaneous renal access that could also be personalized to a specific patient. Materials and Methods: The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Severance Hospital approved the study protocol. An anesthetized pig was placed in the dorsal lithotomy position. For the nephrostomy puncture, a Chiba biopsy needle with an echo tip was used under ultrasound guidance. Eight residents and three consultants in urology participated. Puncture time was defined as the nephrostomy time to confirm the flow of irrigation via the needle. After training, satisfaction survey results for clinical usability and procedural difficulty were evaluated. Results: The 5-point Likert scale satisfaction survey for clinical usability and procedural difficulty found mean results of 4.64 and 4.09 points, respectively. There were no differences between residents and consultants for either variable. For all participants combined, there was a significant difference for nephrostomy time between the first and second trials (278.8±70.6 s vs. 244.5±47.0 s;p=0.007). The between-trial difference was greater for residents (291.5±71.2 s vs. 259.1±41.9 s; p=0.039). The difference for the consultant was not significant (245.0±69.4 s vs. 205.7±42.5 s; p=0.250). Conclusions We developed a porcine-based ultrasound-guided nephrostomy puncture training model. Satisfaction survey results indicated high clinical usability and procedural difficulty. For nephrostomy time, the model was more effective for urology residents than for consultants.

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the learning curve of hand-assisted laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy (HLDN) conducted by a trained gastrointestinal surgeon. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the perioperative clinical data of 96 consecutive patients who underwent HLDN from May 2013 to March 2023. The learning curve was evaluated using the cumulative sum (CUSUM) test based on operation time and risk-adjusted CUSUM for postoperative complications. Patients were divided into three groups (novice, development, and competency phases) based on changes in operation time. Patient demographics and perioperative outcomes were compared between each group. Results: Among the patients, 35 were male, with a mean age of 48.9 ± 11.3 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.5 ± 3.2 kg/m 2 . The novice phase (phase 1) included the first 30 cases, with the development phase (phase 2) up to the 65th case. Operation times were significantly different across phases, averaging 263.2 ± 33.4, 211.1 ± 34.4, and 161.1 ± 31.3 minutes for phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively (P < 0.001). Blood loss decreased gradually across phases (phase 1, 264.7 ± 144.4 mL; phase 2, 239.7 ± 166.3 mL; phase 3, 198.8 ± 103.5 mL), though not statistically significant. BMI impacted operation time only in phase 1. Overall postoperative complications occurred in 13 cases (Clavien-Dindo grade I, 4 cases;grade II, 9 cases), with no significant differences across phases. Conclusion HLDN can be safely performed by a trained gastrointestinal surgeon, with approximately 30 cases needed to achieve proficiency.

Background: Atherogenic dyslipidemia, which is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance, contributes to the development of vascular complications. Statin therapy is the primary approach to dyslipidemia management in T2D, however, the role of non-statin therapy remains unclear. Ezetimibe reduces cholesterol burden by inhibiting intestinal cholesterol absorption. Fibrates lower triglyceride levels and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels via peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor alpha agonism. Therefore, when combined, these drugs effectively lower non-HDL-C levels. Despite this, few clinical trials have specifically targeted non-HDL-C, and the efficacy of triple combination therapies, including statins, ezetimibe, and fibrates, has yet to be determined. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, active-comparator controlled trial involving 3,958 eligible participants with T2D, cardiovascular risk factors, and elevated non-HDL-C (≥100 mg/dL). Participants, already on moderate-intensity statins, will be randomly assigned to either Ezefeno (ezetimibe/fenofibrate) addition or statin dose-escalation. The primary end point is the development of a composite of major adverse cardiovascular and diabetic microvascular events over 48 months. Conclusion This trial aims to assess whether combining statins, ezetimibe, and fenofibrate is as effective as, or possibly superior to, statin monotherapy intensification in lowering cardiovascular and microvascular disease risk for patients with T2D. This could propose a novel therapeutic approach for managing dyslipidemia in T2D.

Viral load and the duration of viral shedding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are important determinants of the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019.In this study, we examined the effects of viral doses on the lung and spleen of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice by temporal histological and transcriptional analyses. Approximately, 1×105 plaque-forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 induced strong host responses in the lungs from 2 days post inoculation (dpi) which did not recover until the mice died, whereas responses to the virus were obvious at 5 days, recovering to the basal state by 14 dpi at 1×102 PFU. Further, flow cytometry showed that number of CD8+ T cells continuously increased in 1×102 PFU-virusinfected lungs from 2 dpi, but not in 1×105 PFU-virus-infected lungs. In spleens, responses to the virus were prominent from 2 dpi, and number of B cells was significantly decreased at 1×105PFU; however, 1×102 PFU of virus induced very weak responses from 2 dpi which recovered by 10 dpi. Although the defense responses returned to normal and the mice survived, lung histology showed evidence of fibrosis, suggesting sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings indicate that specific effectors of the immune response in the lung and spleen were either increased or depleted in response to doses of SARS-CoV-2. This study demonstrated that the response of local and systemic immune effectors to a viral infection varies with viral dose, which either exacerbates the severity of the infection or accelerates its elimination.

Purpose: The original eCura system was designed to stratify the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) after endoscopic resection (ER) in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC).We assessed the effectiveness of a modified eCura system for reflecting the characteristics of undifferentiated-type (UD)-EGC. Materials and Methods: Six hundred thirty-four patients who underwent non-curative ER for UD-EGC and received either additional surgery (radical surgery group; n=270) or no further treatment (no additional treatment group; n=364) from 18 institutions between 2005 and 2015 were retrospectively included in this study. The eCuraU system assigned 1 point each for tumors >20 mm in size, ulceration, positive vertical margin, and submucosal invasion <500 µm; 2 points for submucosal invasion ≥500 µm; and 3 points for lymphovascular invasion. Results: LNM rates in the radical surgery group were 1.1%, 5.4%, and 13.3% for the low-(0–1 point), intermediate- (2–3 points), and high-risk (4–8 points), respectively (P-fortrend<0.001). The eCuraU system showed a significantly higher probability of identifying patients with LNM as high-risk than the eCura system (66.7% vs. 22.2%; McNemar P<0.001).In the no additional treatment group, overall survival (93.4%, 87.2%, and 67.6% at 5 years) and cancer-specific survival (99.6%, 98.9%, and 92.9% at 5 years) differed significantly among the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories, respectively (both P<0.001). In the high-risk category, surgery outperformed no treatment in terms of overall mortality (hazard ratio, 3.26; P=0.015). Conclusions The eCuraU system stratified the risk of LNM in patients with UD-EGC after ER. It is strongly recommended that high-risk patients undergo additional surgery.

Purpose: Results of initial endoscopic biopsy of gastric lesions often differ from those of the final pathological diagnosis. We evaluated whether an artificial intelligence-based gastric lesion detection and diagnostic system, ENdoscopy as AI-powered Device Computer Aided Diagnosis for Gastroscopy (ENAD CAD-G), could reduce this discrepancy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected 24,948 endoscopic images of early gastric cancers (EGCs), dysplasia, and benign lesions from 9,892 patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy between 2011 and 2021. The diagnostic performance of ENAD CAD-G was evaluated using the following real-world datasets: patients referred from community clinics with initial biopsy results of atypia (n=154), participants who underwent endoscopic resection for neoplasms (Internal video set, n=140), and participants who underwent endoscopy for screening or suspicion of gastric neoplasm referred from community clinics (External video set, n=296). Results: ENAD CAD-G classified the referred gastric lesions of atypia into EGC (accuracy, 82.47%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 76.46%–88.47%), dysplasia (88.31%; 83.24%– 93.39%), and benign lesions (83.12%; 77.20%–89.03%). In the Internal video set, ENAD CAD-G identified dysplasia and EGC with diagnostic accuracies of 88.57% (95% CI, 83.30%– 93.84%) and 91.43% (86.79%–96.07%), respectively, compared with an accuracy of 60.71% (52.62%–68.80%) for the initial biopsy results (P<0.001). In the External video set, ENAD CAD-G classified EGC, dysplasia, and benign lesions with diagnostic accuracies of 87.50% (83.73%–91.27%), 90.54% (87.21%–93.87%), and 88.85% (85.27%–92.44%), respectively. Conclusions ENAD CAD-G is superior to initial biopsy for the detection and diagnosis of gastric lesions that require endoscopic resection. ENAD CAD-G can assist community endoscopists in identifying gastric lesions that require endoscopic resection.

Objective: : Post-stroke shoulder pain (PSSP) is a common complication that limits the range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder, the patient’s rehabilitation and in turn, affects the patients’ quality of life (QoL). Several treatment modalities such as sling, positioning, strapping, functional electrical stimulation, and nerve block have been suggested in literatures, however none of the treatments had long-term effects for PSSP. In this study, the authors evaluated clinical efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) neuromodulation on the suprascapular nerve for PSSP, and suggested it as a potential treatment with long-term effect. Methods: : This retrospective case series was conducted at a single center, a private practice institution. From 2013 to 2021, 13 patients with PSSP underwent PRF neuromodulation of the suprascapular nerve. The primary outcome measure was the Visual analog scale (VAS) score. The secondary outcome measurements included the shoulder ROM, Disability assessment scale (DAS), modified Ashworth scale, modified Rankin scale (mRS), and EuroQol-5 dimension-3L questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) scores. These parameters were evaluated before PRF modulation, immediately after PRF modulation, and every 3 months until the final follow-up visit. Results: : Six men and seven women were enrolled, and all patients were followed-up for a minimum of 12 months. The mean VAS score was 7.07 points before PRF neuromodulation and 2.38 points immediately post-procedure. Shoulder ROM for abduction and flexion, DAS for pain, mRS, and EQ-5D-3L demonstrated marked improvement. No complications were reported. Conclusion : PRF neuromodulation of the suprascapular nerve is an effective modality in patients with PSSP, and has long-term effect of pain relief, improvement of QoL.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) are potentially fatal complications in prematurely born infants. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be a life-saving option for managing infants with BPD and PH. We present 2 patients who were successfully weaned off mechanical ventilators (MVs) through the application of ECMO. The patients were transferred to our institution after receiving MV care for 8 and 10 months, respectively, for BPD and PH. We were able to remove the patients from MVs after a period of ECMO-mediated lung rest. Although more research is required to determine specific criteria for ECMO use in patients with BPD and PH, our clinical experiences may contribute to the early application of ECMO in MV-dependent patients.

Background/Aims: The eCura system, a scoring model for stratifying the lymph node metastasis risk after noncurative endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer (EGC), has been internally validated, primarily for differentiated-type EGC. We aimed to externally validate this model for undifferentiated-type EGC. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study included 634 patients who underwent additional surgery (radical surgery group, n=270) or were followed up without additional treatment (no additional treatment group, n=364) after noncurative endoscopic resection for undifferentiated-type EGC between 2005 and 2015. The lymph node metastasis and survival rates were compared according to the risk categories. Results: For the radical surgery group, the lymph node metastasis rates were 2.6%, 10.9%, and 14.8% for the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk eCura categories, respectively (p for trend=0.003). For the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories in the no additional treatment group, the overall survival (92.7%, 68.9%, and 80.0% at 5 years, respectively, p<0.001) and cancer-specific survival rates (99.7%, 94.7%, and 80.0% at 5 years, respectively, p<0.001) differed significantly. In the multivariate analysis, the hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) in the no additional treatment group relative to the radical surgery group were 3.18 (1.41 to 7.17; p=0.005) for overall mortality and 2.60 (0.46 to 14.66; p=0.280) for cancer-specific mortality in the intermediate-tohigh risk category. No such differences were noted in the low-risk category. Conclusions The eCura system can be applied to undifferentiated-type EGC. Close follow-up without additional treatment might be considered for low-risk patients, while additional surgery is recommended for intermediate- and high-risk patients.