Impact of the 2024 medical-policy conflict on hepatocellular carcinoma management in Korea.

In 2024, a nationwide conflict between the South Korean government and the medical community, the medical-policy conflict, profoundly impacted healthcare delivery. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following this crisis. We analyzed retrospective real-world data from university hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area, supplemented with national healthcare data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.

Mapping Alzheimer's disease pathology using free water through integrated analysis of plasma biomarkers, microstructural DTI metrics, and macrostructural MRI measures.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau pathologies that drive neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Free water (FW), a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metric reflecting extracellular fluid changes, has emerged as a sensitive marker of neuroinflammation. This study examined the role of FW in AD and its associations with plasma biomarkers, brain structural measures, and cognitive decline.

TSH Cut-Offs and Recurrence Risk in Differentiated Thyroid Carcinomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the risk of recurrence in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), stratified by the American Thyroid Association (ATA) risk of recurrence, according to variable thyrotropin (TSH) cut-offs (0.1, 0.5, and 2.

Diagnosis and Evaluation of Aggressiveness Using Circulating Plasma miRNAs in Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma.

MicroRNAs are emerging as valuable diagnostic markers for various diseases, including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, there is limited research on circulating miRNA expression in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Therefore, we conducted a study to explore whether plasma-derived miRNAs can distinguish PTMC from benign nodules or predict aggressiveness.

2025 Korean Thyroid Association Clinical Management Guideline on Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

The increasing detection of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) has raised concerns regarding overtreatment. For low-risk PTMC, either immediate surgery or active surveillance (AS) can be considered. To facilitate the implementation of AS, the Korean Thyroid Association convened a multidisciplinary panel and developed the first Korean guideline.

Next-generation sequencing of targetable gene fusions in radioiodine-refractory thyroid cancer: a multicenter study.

We aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical significance of targetable gene fusions in patients with radioiodine-refractory thyroid cancer. This multicenter retrospective cohort study enrolled 111 patients from five tertiary medical centers, with molecular profiling performed using targeted next-generation sequencing. The analysis revealed that 58 (52.

Whole-genome sequencing analyses suggest novel genetic factors associated with Alzheimer's disease and a cumulative effects model for risk liability.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on Alzheimer's disease (AD) have predominantly focused on identifying common variants in Europeans. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 1,559 individuals from a Korean AD cohort to identify various genetic variants and biomarkers associated with AD. Our GWAS analysis identified a previously unreported locus for common variants (APCDD1) associated with AD.

Preoperative controlling nutritional status score for patients with medullary thyroid cancer.

Purpose: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is aggressive in nature compared with differentiated thyroid cancer, with a poor 10-year overall survival rate. Given the effect of the immune-inflammatory system on the survival of patients with cancer, the aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the preoperative Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score in patients with MTC.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study included 221 patients with MTC who underwent thyroidectomy at four tertiary hospitals.

Preoperative localization of single gland disease in primary hyperparathyroidism: a comparative study for preoperative localization with four-dimensional computed tomography, ultrasonography, and technetium-99m-sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography.

Background: Treatment guidelines for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) recommend high-resolution neck ultrasonography (US), technetium-99m-sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography (Tc-sestamibi SPECT), and contrast-enhanced four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) as image evaluation methods. This study aimed to compare the sensitivity and accuracy of the three image evaluation methods recommended in the guidelines for patients with PHPT and evaluate the utility of 4D CT for preoperative localization in single gland disease.

Methods: A retrospective medical chart review was performed on 41 patients who underwent surgery for single gland disease at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Pusan National University Hospital, between January 2021 and March 2023.

Cross-ancestry genome-wide association study identifies implications of SORL1 in cerebral beta-amyloid deposition.

GWAS of Alzheimer's disease have been predominantly based on European ancestry cohorts with clinically diagnosed patients. Increasing the ancestral diversity of GWAS and focusing on imaging brain biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease may lead to the identification of new genetic loci. Here, we perform a GWAS on cerebral β-amyloid deposition measured by PET imaging in 3,885 East Asians and a cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis with data from 11,816 European participants.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in Korea: an analysis of the 2016-2018 Korean Nationwide Cancer Registry.

Backgrounds/aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in South Korea. This study evaluated the characteristics of Korean patients newly diagnosed with HCC in 2016-2018.

Methods: Data from the Korean Primary Liver Cancer Registry (KPLCR), a representative database of patients newly diagnosed with HCC in South Korea, were analyzed.

Evaluation of Nomenclature of Fatty Liver Disease in Association with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A 14.5-Year Cohort Study in Korea.

Purpose: New nomenclature has incorporated metabolic traits and/or alcohol intake history to replace nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Concerning the performance of different terminologies in Asian population, this study aimed to investigate the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in persons meeting the criteria for subclasses of fatty liver disease.

Materials And Methods: Between 2002 and 2021, 28,749 participants from the cancer registry linkage, who had no prior history of HCC, were prospectively included.

Change in pericardial fat volume in postmenopausal women with papillary thyroid cancer undergoing thyrotropin suppressive therapy.

Background: Despite TSH suppressive therapy improve the prognosis for the patient with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), there is an increasing concern regarding the potentially harmful effects of lifelong TSH suppression. Therefore, we aimed to examine the changes in body composition under TSH suppression in postmenopausal women with DTC.

Methods: The body composition was assessed by the volumes as following; fat tissues of the epicardium and abdominal visceral and subcutaneous areas; bilateral psoas muscle or thigh muscle.

Brain Metabolic Resilience in Alzheimer's Disease: A Predictor of Cognitive Decline and Conversion to Dementia.

Objective: Brain atrophy measured by structural imaging has been used to quantify resilience against neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Considering glucose hypometabolism is another marker of neurodegeneration, we quantified metabolic resilience (MR) based on Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) and investigated its clinical implications.

Methods: We quantified the MR and other resilience metrics, including brain resilience (BR) and cognitive resilience (CR), using partial least squares path modeling from the ADNI database.

Role and Effectiveness of Hypofractionated Proton Beam Therapy and Combinations with Systemic Chemotherapy in Inoperable Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the clinical outcomes of hypofractionated proton beam therapy (PBT) for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC) and to investigate the optimal sequencing for combining PBT with chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 59 consecutive patients with inoperable EHCC treated with PBT. The median prescribed dose of PBT was 50 GyE (range, 45 to 66 GyE) in 10 fractions.

Association of the Preoperative Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) Score with Clinicopathological Characteristics in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Backgruound: The Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is an immunonutritional test tool based on serum albumin, total cholesterol, and lymphocyte counts. It has been studied as a simple prognostic predictor for various carcinomas. This study aimed to investigate the association between preoperative CONUT scores and the clinicopathological characteristics in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients.

Use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Does Not Increase the Risk of Cancer in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Backgruound: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are increasingly used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) given their extra-pancreatic effects. However, there are concerns about carcinogenesis in the pancreas and thyroid gland. We aimed to evaluate the site-specific incidence of cancer in patients with T2DM-treated GLP-1 RAs using a nationwide cohort.

1-Hour Postload Glucose: Early Screening for High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Koreans With Normal Fasting Glucose.

Context: With rising the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and prediabetes, the importance of 1-hour postload plasma glucose (1-h PG) for early hyperglycemia screening is emphasized.

Objective: This study investigates the utility of 1-h PG in predicting T2DM in adults with normal fasting plasma glucose levels.

Methods: A total of 7504 participants were categorized into 3 groups: normal glucose tolerance (NGT) with 1-h PG < 155 mg/dL, NGT with 1-h PG ≥ 155 mg/dL, and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

Evolving trends in treatment patterns for hepatocellular carcinoma in Korea from 2008 to 2022: a nationwide population-based study.

Backgrounds/aims: The treatment landscape for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has significantly evolved over the past decade. We aimed to analyze trends in treatment patterns for HCC using a nationwide claims database from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.

Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study analyzed 171,002 newly diagnosed HCC patients between 2008 and 2022.

Microneedle patch casting using a micromachined carbon master for enhanced drug delivery.

For successful treatment of diseases, sufficient therapeutics must be provided to the body. Microneedle applications in therapeutic delivery and analytics sampling are restricted because of various issues, including smaller area for drug loading and analytics sampling. To achieve sufficient drug loading and analytics sampling and improve drug penetration while maintaining painless administration, patch-type microneedle arrays were designed and fabricated using polymer casting from a conical cavity mold.

Testing the PEST hypothesis using relevant Rett mutations in MeCP2 E1 and E2 isoforms.

Mutations in methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2), such as the T158M, P152R, R294X, and R306C mutations, are responsible for most Rett syndrome (RTT) cases. These mutations often result in altered protein expression that appears to correlate with changes in the nuclear size; however, the molecular details of these observations are poorly understood. Using a C2C12 cellular system expressing human MeCP2-E1 isoform as well as mouse models expressing these mutations, we show that T158M and P152R result in a decrease in MeCP2 protein, whereas R306C has a milder variation, and R294X resulted in an overall 2.