Trends and determinants in breastfeeding among Korean infants (2007-2021): a nationwide study using the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children.

Background: Breastfeeding has nutritional, immunolo-gical, and psychological benefits for infants. However, breastfeeding rates have recently declined in South Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the breastfeed-ing trends and determinants in a nationwide birth cohort.

Longitudinal association between kidney and lung function in the Korean general population.

Background: The longitudinal relationship between kidney and lung function remains poorly understood. We examined the longitudinal association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and lung function in a Korean population with normal kidney and lung function from 2005 to 2014.

Methods: We recruited participants from the Ansan and Ansung cohorts of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study.

MRI-based scoring systems for selective lateral lymph node dissection in locally advanced low rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

Objectives: To develop scoring systems to predict the need for selective lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) alongside total mesorectal excision (TME) in patients with locally advanced low rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), focusing on lateral local recurrence (LLR) and lateral lymph node (LLN) metastasis.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 607 patients with mrT3/T4 rectal cancer located within 8 cm of the anal verge who underwent nCRT and TME. A development group was used to develop a scoring system predicting the necessity of LLND using logistic regression analysis, incorporating primary tumor and LLN features observed on rectal MRI.

Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of hypertension for Korean children and adolescents: the Korean Working Group of Pediatric Hypertension.

Pediatric hypertension (HTN) is a significant, growing health concern worldwide and also in Korea. Diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of HTN in Korean children and adolescents are uncertain due to limitations in using the current international guidelines, since the recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and European Society of Hypertension (ESH) guidelines differ. Furthermore, these are guidelines for Western youth, who are racially and ethnically different from Koreans.

Development of a comprehensive air risk index and its application to high spatial-temporal health risk assessment in a large industrial city.

Particulate matter (PM) contains various hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that can adversely affect human health, highlighting the need for an integrated index to represent the associated health risks. In response, this study developed a novel index, the comprehensive air-risk index (CARI), for Ulsan, the largest industrial city in South Korea. This index integrates toxicity-weighted concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals using their inhalation unit risks.

Resorbable Microspheres versus Trisacryl Gelatin Microspheres for Uterine Artery Embolization: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background There are insufficient data comparing resorbable microspheres (RMs) with permanent trisacryl gelatin microspheres (TAGMs) for uterine artery embolization (UAE). Purpose To compare therapeutic efficacy and clinical outcomes in participants with symptomatic fibroids after UAE with RMs or TAGMs. Materials and Methods This randomized controlled trial included participants undergoing UAE for symptomatic fibroids at a single institution (from May 2021 to May 2023).

Nitrate formation mechanisms causing high concentration of PM in a residential city with low anthropogenic emissions during cold season.

During the cold season in South Korea, NO concentrations are known to significantly increase, often causing PM to exceed air quality standards. This study investigated the formation mechanisms of NO in a suburban area with low anthropogenic emissions. The average PM was 25.

Mapping nationwide concentrations of sulfate and nitrate in ambient PM in South Korea using machine learning with ground observation data.

Particulate matter (PM) is a major air pollutant in Northeast Asia, with frequent high PM episodes. To investigate the nationwide spatial distribution maps of PM and secondary inorganic aerosols in South Korea, prediction models for mapping SO and NO concentrations in PM were developed using machine learning with ground-based observation data. Specifically, the random forest algorithm was used in this study to predict the SO and NO concentrations at 548 air quality monitoring stations located within the representative radii of eight intensive air quality monitoring stations.

Mapping the spatial distribution of primary and secondary PM in a multi-industrial city by combining monitoring and modeling results.

Industrial cities are strongly influenced by primary emissions of PM from local industries. In addition, gaseous precursors, such as sulfur oxides (SO), nitrogen oxides (NO), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), emitted from industrial sources, undergo conversion into secondary inorganic and organic aerosols (SIAs and SOAs). In this study, the spatial distributions of primary and secondary PM in Ulsan, the largest industrial city in South Korea, were visualized.

Preoperative CT and MRI assessment of the longitudinal tumor extent of extrahepatic bile duct cancer after biliary drainage.

Purpose: To examine the diagnostic performance for the longitudinal extent of extrahepatic bile duct (EHD) cancer on computed tomography (CT) after biliary drainage (BD) and investigate the appropriate timing of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who underwent curative-intent surgery for EHD cancer and CT pre- and post-BD between November 2005 and June 2021. The biliary segment-wise longitudinal tumor extent was evaluated according to the 2019 Korean Society of Abdominal Radiology consensus recommendations, with pre-BD CT, post-BD CT, and both pre- and post-BD CT.

Effects of a 2-Week Kinect-Based Mixed-Reality Exercise Program on Prediabetes: A Pilot Trial during COVID-19.

Background: Pre-diabetes can develop into type 2 diabetes mellitus, but can prevented by regular exercise. However, the outcomes when combining unsupervised Kinect-based mixed-reality (KMR) exercise with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) remain unclear. Therefore, this single-arm pilot trial examined changes in blood glucose (BG) concentrations over 672 hours (4 weeks), including a 2-week period of KMR exercise and CGM in individuals with pre-diabetes.

The effects of perioperative dexmedetomidine infusion on hemodynamic stability during laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma: a randomized study.

Introduction: Pheochromocytoma is a rare catecholamine-producing neuroendocrine tumor originating from the adrenal medulla chromaffin cells. Hemodynamic instability can occur during the induction of anesthesia and surgical manipulation of the tumor. This study investigated the effects of intraoperative dexmedetomidine administration on hemodynamic stability in patients undergoing laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma.

Impact of ozonation on the formation of particulate nitrosodi-methylamine (NDMA) in atmosphere.

The contribution of ozonation to the formation of particulate nitrosodi-methylamine (NDMA) in the aqueous aerosol phase was investigated using measurement data from 2018 in Seoul, Republic of Korea and a box model. The correlation between the NDMA concentration and aerosol liquid water content and box model results showed that aqueous aerosol phase reactions, including nitrosation and ozonation, might contribute to the formation of NDMA. The concentration of NDMA and the ratio of O/dimethylamine exhibited a negative correlation, suggesting that the contribution of ozonation to NDMA formation may not be significant.

Baseline eGFR cutoff for increased risk of post-contrast acute kidney injury in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in the emergency department.

Acute myocardial infarction is an acute-stage disease that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a high-risk factor for post-contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI). This retrospective cohort study analyzed the data of 754 patients with STEMI who underwent pPCI and were integrated into the Fast Interrogation Rule for STEMI critical pathway program between 2015 and 2019.

Identifying the best candidates for reduced port gastrectomy.

Background: Previous studies have focused on the non-inferiority of RPG compared with conventional port gastrectomy (CPG); however, we assumed that some candidates might derive more significant benefit from RPG over CPG.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological and perioperative parameters of 1442 patients with gastric cancer treated by gastrectomy between 2009 and 2022. The C-reactive protein level on postoperative day 3 (CRPD3) was used as a surrogate parameter for surgical trauma.

Effect of Sarcopenia on Pneumonia after Endoscopic Submucosal Resection in Patients Aged ≥65 Years: A Retrospective Study.

We aimed to investigate the association between sarcopenia and incidence of pneumonia after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in patients aged ≥65 years. Patients with ( = 1571) and without sarcopenia ( = 1718) who underwent ESD for gastric neoplasm were included. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed between the groups ( = 785) at a 1:1 ratio.

Effects of Endotracheal Tube with Adhesive Superficial Laryngeal Electrodes for Intraoperative Nerve Monitoring on Laryngopharyngeal Complications during Thyroidectomy.

The endotracheal tube (ETT) with laryngeal adhesive electrodes for intraoperative neural monitoring (IONM) may be related to laryngopharyngeal complications, such as postoperative sore throat (POST), hoarseness, and coughing. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the ETT with laryngeal adhesive electrodes for IONM on the occurrence of laryngopharyngeal complications during thyroidectomy. In this retrospective study, we included 176 patients who underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer between September 2020 and February 2021.