Use of Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Lung Cancer Patients in Korea: Analysis of the National Health Insurance Service Database.

This study aimed to assess the utilization trends of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) among lung cancer patients in Korea using the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database (2017 to 2021). PR was introduced and covered under the NHIS in 2016, primarily for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but recent evidence suggests its benefits for lung cancer patients. Data extraction was based on Korea Informative Classification of Diseases 8th revision codes C33 and C34, with PR prescriptions identified by codes MM440 and MM290.

Longitudinal Analysis of Recurrence and Risk Factors of Early-Stage Resected Adenocarcinoma With Common EGFR Mutations: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study in South Korea.

Introduction: Despite curative surgery for lung cancer, 30% to 55% of patients experience recurrence or death, which highlights the importance of adjuvant treatment. Adjuvant osimertinib therapy effectively prolongs disease-free and overall survival in patients with lung cancer harboring common epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. To identify potential candidates for adjuvant osimertinib, it is crucial to understand the rates and identify risk factors of recurrence.

K-Means Clustering Reveals Long-Term Thyrotropin Receptor Antibody Patterns in Graves' Disease: Insights from a 10-Year Study with Implications for Graves' Orbitopathy.

: We aimed to explore long-term trajectories of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody (TRAb) in patients with Graves' disease (GD) and to identify key factors associated with TRAb normalization. We also investigated whether these trajectories correlate with Graves' orbitopathy (GO) comorbidity. : We retrospectively reviewed 403 patients with GD who had an initial TRAb level ≥ 1.

A Combined Index of Steady-State Pattern Electroretinogram and Optical Coherence Tomography Improved the Detection of Early Glaucoma.

Introduction: The aims of the study were to evaluate the structure-function relationship between steady-state pattern electroretinogram (ssPERG), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and visual field (VF) tests and to investigate indicators that enhance the detection of preperimetric and early-stage primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with POAG and normal subjects who underwent ssPERG, OCT, and VF tests were included. We defined the ratio of the amplitudes from 0.

Long-term use of proton pump inhibitors was associated with rapid progression to end stage kidney disease in a Korean nationwide study.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most widely used drugs worldwide. However, their influence on the progression of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in established chronic kidney disease (CKD) cases is unclear. Using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database encoded by the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership-Common Data Model (OMOP-CDM), patients with stage 3 or 4 CKD initiating PPIs or histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) for over 90 days were enrolled from 2012 through 2021.

Comparison of Short- and Long-Term Dual-Antiplatelet Therapy After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: One-Year Outcomes.

Background: The optimal duration and net clinical benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) have not been elucidated in real-world situations.

Methods: Using nationwide claims data from 2013 to 2021, we selected patients who underwent TAVR and categorized them into two groups: short- and long-term (≤ 3 and > 3 months, respectively) DAPT group. Propensity score matching was used to balance baseline characteristics.

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.

Fuzzy clustering of 24-2 visual field patterns can detect glaucoma progression.

Purpose: To represent 24-2 visual field (VF) losses of individual patients using a hybrid approach of archetypal analysis (AA) and fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering.

Methods: In this multicenter retrospective study, we classified characteristic patterns of 24-2 VF using AA and decomposed them with FCM clustering. We predicted the change in mean deviation (MD) through supervised machine learning from decomposition coefficient change.

Prognostic factors for thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin normalization in moderate-to-severe Graves' orbitopathy: a 36-month longitudinal study.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to identify predictive factors linked to the normalization of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) levels in patients diagnosed with active, moderate-to-severe Graves' orbitopathy (GO). The study also tracked the longitudinal changes in TSI levels over a 36-month period following treatment.

Methods: The study population consisted of individuals who were recently diagnosed with active, moderate-to-severe GO and received a 12-week course of intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) treatment.

Additional local therapy before disease progression for EGFR-mutated advanced lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: International guidelines recommend the use of local therapy (LT) to limited progression in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the use of LT before disease progression has not been extensively analyzed. This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety of administering additional LT in conjunction with first-line EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) before disease progression in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC.

Erratum: Correction of Tables in the Article "Reference Respiratory Muscle Strength Values and a Prediction Equation Using Physical Functions for Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Korea".

This corrects the article on p. e325 in vol. 38, PMID: 37846788.

Optic Nerve Head Curvature Flattening Is Associated with Central Visual Field Scotoma.

This study aimed to develop a new index, the average curvature ratio (ACR), to represent the optic nerve head (ONH) tilting and investigate its clinical relevance. Myopic eyes were included and divided into two subgroups: flat ONH (ACR < 1.0) and convex ONH (ACR ≥ 1.

Development of the Korean Association for Lung Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines: Recommendations on Radial Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound for Diagnosing Lung Cancer - An Updated Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (RP-EBUS) accurately locates peripheral lung lesions (PLLs) during transbronchial biopsy (TBB). We performed an updated meta-analysis of the diagnostic yield of TBB for PLLs using RP-EBUS to generate recommendations for the development of the Korean Association of Lung Cancer guidelines.

Materials And Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE and EMBASE (from January 2013 to December 2022), and performed a meta-analysis using R software.

Reference Respiratory Muscle Strength Values and a Prediction Equation Using Physical Functions for Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Korea.

Background: In Korea, tests for evaluating respiratory muscle strength are based on other countries' clinical experience or standards, which can lead to subjective evaluations. When evaluating respiratory function based on the standards of other countries, several variables, such as the race and cultures of different countries, make it difficult to apply these standards. The purpose of this study was to propose objective respiratory muscle strength standards and predicted values for healthy Korean adults based on age, height, weight, and muscle strength, by measuring maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and peak cough flow (PCF).

Risk of Hyponatremia after Tramadol/Acetaminophen Single-Pill Combination Therapy: A Real-World Study Based on the OMOP-CDM Database.

Background And Objective: Tramadol has been reported to cause hyponatremia but the evidence is conflicting. The risk of hyponatremia resulting from combination oral tramadol/acetaminophen (TA) therapy is thus unknown. This study examined whether, compared with acetaminophen (AA), TA use is associated with an increased risk of hyponatremia.

Comparison of the Intrableb Characteristics of Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging in Trabeculectomy according to Amniotic Membrane Transplantation.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of filtering bleb with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) according to amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT).

Methods: One hundred and sixteen eyes of 103 glaucoma patients who underwent trabeculectomy with (AMT group; 85 eyes) or without AMT (control group; 31 eyes) were included. Intrableb parameters were evaluated with AS-OCT.

Bleb analysis using anterior segment optical coherence tomography after trabeculectomy with amniotic membrane transplantation.

Introduction: Little has been known about the intrableb structures associated with bleb function after trabeculectomy with amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT). The aim of this study is to analyze the characteristics of intrableb structures using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) after trabeculectomy with AMT.

Methods: A total of 68 eyes of 68 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who underwent trabeculectomy with AMT were included.

Should We Perform Repeated Re-biopsy for the Detection of T790M Mutation?

Purpose: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutations have been detected in the second or third rebiopsy, even if the T790M mutation was not identified in the first rebiopsy. This meta-analysis investigated the EGFR T790M mutation detection rates and its additional advantages with repeated rebiopsies.

Materials And Methods: We searched through the PubMed and EMBASE databases up to June 2022.

Prescription Patterns of Topical Medications in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: An Investigative Review Using Big Data from the National Health Insurance Corporation.

Background: Topical medications play a crucial role in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). Topical corticosteroids (TCSs) remain the main treatment of choice and topical antibiotics have also been used. However, with the new topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs), the prescription patterns of topical agents have changed over time.

Apoptotic Factors, CaNma111 and CaYbh3, Function in Candida albicans Filamentation by Regulating the Hyphal Suppressors, Nrg1 and Tup1.

The morphological switch from the yeast to hyphal form is a key virulence attribute of the opportunistic fungal pathogen, Candida albicans. Our recent report showed that deletion of the newly identified apoptotic factor, CaNma111 or CaYbh3, leads to hyperfilamentation and increased virulence in a mouse infection model. CaNma111 and CaYbh3 are homologs of the pro-apoptotic protease, HtrA2/Omi, and BH3-only protein, respectively.

Changing trends in the incidence and spectrum of cancers between 1990 and 2021 among HIV-infected patients in Busan, Korea.

Background: Long-term follow-up data on cancer incidence and spectrum among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals in Korea have been scarce.

Material And Methods: This retrospective cohort study included HIV-infected individuals visiting a tertiary care hospital in Busan, South Korea between 1990 and 2021. The observation was divided into 4 periods.