Preventive Effect of Eradication on Osteoporosis in Females: A 20-Year Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Background/aims: The relationship between (HP) eradication and osteoporosis development remains inadequately elucidated. This study aimed to ascertain whether HP eradication therapy confers protective effects against osteoporosis progression.

Methods: Subjects without osteoporosis who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy with concurrent HP testing were prospectively recruited between May 2003 and February 2023 at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

Clinicopathological Factors Influencing PD-L1 Expression and The Effect of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors on Survival Outcomes in Patients with Gastric Cancer Depending on Sex in a Tertiary Hospital in South Korea.

Purpose: Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) negatively regulates T-cell activation, and exhibits sex-based differences in expression and immune responses. This study investigated sex-related differences in clinicopathological factors influencing PD-L1 expression and the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) on survival in gastric cancer (GC) patients in South Korea.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed a prospective cohort of 468 GC patients who underwent PD-L1 immunohistochemistry.

Predictive value of homologous recombination-related gene mutations in survival outcomes of first-line nivolumab plus chemotherapy for gastric cancer.

Background: Homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene mutations contribute to genomic instability. However, their clinical value in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based treatments in gastric cancer remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the efficacy of nivolumab plus chemotherapy according to the HRR mutation status in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Concomitant using bulbocavernosus reflex and motor-evoked potential from the external anal sphincter improves continuous monitoring for urinary function assessment during untethering surgery in children.

Purpose: Intraoperative monitoring can be used to prevent postoperative urinary dysfunction due to surgical manipulation. However, preoperative neurological dysfunction and young age make monitoring challenging. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the efficacy of combining two monitoring methods, the bulbocavernosus reflex (BCR) and motor-evoked potential from the external anal sphincter (EAS-MEP) in assessing urinary function in the same pediatric patients during untethering surgery.

High recurrence of rathke's cleft cysts with anterior-Inferior pituitary displacement despite standard surgical approaches.

Purpose: Although endonasal endoscopic surgery (EES) is widely used to treat symptomatic Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs), the optimal surgical strategy remains unclear. We previously proposed that the anatomical relationship between RCCs and the anterior pituitary lobe may predict recurrence. This study aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes based on anatomical classification and to assess the impact of surgical method (marsupialization vs.

A real-world comparison of subcutaneous to intravenous administration of infliximab in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background/aims: We compared intravenous and subcutaneous infliximab (IFX) as treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods: This retrospective, multicenter, observational study enrolled patients treated with either intravenous or subcutaneous IFX. Sequential parameters were compared at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months following the initiation of treatment with either type of IFX.

Role of Serum Pepsinogen Tests in Detection of Gastric Atrophy, Intestinal Metaplasia, Gastric Adenoma, and Gastric Cancer in South Korea.

Background/aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of serum pepsinogen (sPG) tests for gastritis, gastric adenoma (GA), and gastric cancer (GC) using the enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay-based GastroPanel kit and to investigate the correlation between Gastro-Panel- and Latex-enhanced Turbidimetric Immunoassay (L-TIA)-derived sPG results.

Methods: sPG I and II levels and PG I/II ratios were measured using both kits in 2,204 participants, including 1,109 controls, 316 GA, and 779 GC patients.

Results: The GastroPanel- and L-TIA-derived sPG results showed high concordance.

Usefulness of piezoelectric sensor device for monitoring extraocular movement during endoscopic endonasal surgery to remove skull base tumor.

The present study was conducted to evaluate three modalities used to detect extraocular movement during endonasal endoscopic surgery for a skull base tumor to protect cranial nerves from damage; free-run electrooculography (EOG), piezoelectric sensor (PES), and triggered electromyography (t-EMG) monitoring. Twenty patients (8 males, 12 females; average age 61.8 years) treated for a skull base tumor at Nara Medical University from 2018 to 2021 were enrolled.

Effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on remnant stomach neoplasms after curative gastrectomy (HELP-GC): Protocol of a HELP-GC randomized controlled trial.

Background: Limited research has examined the direct effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori eradication (HPE) on the remnant stomach neoplasms after curative gastrectomy. This study aims to assess whether HPE could prevent the development of gastric neoplasms in the remnant stomach after curative gastrectomy through a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

Methods: After curative gastrectomy, patients with HP infection and pathologically proven stage 1 tumors will be enrolled and randomly assigned to eradication (n = 492) and placebo (n = 492) groups.

Radiation-Induced Meningiomas Have an Aggressive Clinical Course: Genetic Signature Is Limited to Alterations, and Epigenetic Signature Is H3K27me3 Loss.

Background: While the clinical course of radiation-induced meningioma (RIM) is considered to be more aggressive than that of sporadic meningioma (SM), the genetic predisposition for RIM is not established well. The present study aimed to analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of RIMs to increase understanding of the tumorigenesis and prognosis of RIMs.

Methods: We investigated a database of 24 patients who met the RIM criteria between January 2000 and April 2023.

Impact of early aggressive treatment on long-term biochemical marker patterns in inflammatory bowel disease.

Backgrounds: The disease course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is highly variable; early and precise identification of patients with poor outcomes is crucial. We aimed to classify the long-term disease course of IBD using biochemical markers and evaluate the clinical factors associated with different disease courses.

Methods: A latent class mixed model was employed to identify distinct trajectories of C-reactive protein (CRP) and fecal calprotectin (FCP) levels in 256 and 635 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), respectively, from a tertiary hospital cohort.

Immunotherapy using allogenic NK cells downregulates mitochondrial-related genes and inhibits the OXPHOS system of malignant meningioma.

Background: Malignant meningiomas (MM) are highly aggressive tumors and difficult to treat. Immunotherapy might be a promising treatment for cancers, including MM. This study assessed the anti-tumor effects of highly-purified human genuine-induced natural killer cells (GiNKs) on MM.

Predictive value of EBV-positivity in patients with gastric cancer treated with first-line nivolumab plus chemotherapy.

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positivity is a potential predictive biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in gastric cancer patients, but its value in first-line ICI-based chemotherapy remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of EBV positivity in patients treated with first-line nivolumab plus chemotherapy.

Methods: This single-center study included advanced gastric cancer patients treated with first-line nivolumab plus chemotherapy (n = 293).

Survival Rates of Patients with Gastric Cancer According to Age and Sex: A Large-Scale Study Using Data from 14,739 Patients.

Purpose: The male predominance in the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) is established; however, sex differences in the prognosis of GC remain controversial. As such, this study analyzed the prognosis of patients with GC based on age and sex.

Materials And Methods: Data from 14,739 patients diagnosed with GC at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between 2003 and 2023 were analyzed.

Low positivity rate of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b is associated with heterogeneous expression in gastric cancer.

Background: Bemarituzumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (FGFR2b), is under evaluation in phase 3 trials of gastric cancer (GC) trials. However, data on the characteristics, prognostic significance, and heterogenous expression patterns of FGFR2b overexpression in GC remain limited. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcomes of FGFR2b-positive GC, along with the expression concordance across biopsy, surgical, and metastatic specimens.

Assessing Serum Pepsinogen and Tests for Detecting Diffuse-Type Gastric Cancer: Insights from a Large-Scale and Propensity-Score-Matched Study in Republic of Korea.

The incidence of cancer and its associated mortality have increased over the past several decades [...

Clinical and Genetic Overview of Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2).

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by bilateral vestibular schwannomas and other central nervous tumors such as meningiomas and spinal ependymomas. Symptoms vary according to the age at diagnosis and the location of these tumors. The diagnostic criteria of NF2 have been regularly revised and recently updated in 2022 with a new nomenclature "NF2-related schwannomatosis" to differentiate NF2 from other schwannoma predisposing disorders, such as SMARCB1 (SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin, subfamily b, member 1)-, LZTR1 (leucine zipper-like transcription regulator 1)-, and 22q-related schwannomatosis.

Phase 2 study of neoadjuvant durvalumab plus docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S-1 with surgery and adjuvant durvalumab plus S-1 for resectable locally advanced gastric cancer.

Background: Based on the phase 3 PRODIGY study, neoadjuvant docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S-1 (DOS) have emerged as a viable treatment option for Asian patients with resectable locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC). This phase 2 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of combining neoadjuvant durvalumab with DOS, followed by surgery and adjuvant durvalumab plus S-1 chemotherapy, for resectable LAGC.

Methods: Patients with LAGC with cT2/3N+or cT4Nany tumors were enrolled in this study.

Comparison of GastroPanel and GENEDIA in Diagnosing Infection and Gastric Lesions.

Serological tests for needs local validation as the diagnostic accuracy may vary depending on the prevalence of . . This study examined the diagnostic performance of two ELISA, GastroPanel (GastroPanel ELISA; Biohit Oyj) and GENEDIA (GENEDIA .

Smoking Experience before Adulthood Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Developing Ulcerative Colitis in Adult Ex-Smokers.

Purpose: Smoking may have a protective role in developing ulcerative colitis (UC) but have the opposite effect on Crohn's disease (CD). This study aimed to determine the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) according to smoking status and onset age of smoking.

Materials And Methods: We collected data on the smoking experiences of participants aged 20-39 years who underwent biannual examinations provided by the Korean National Health Screening Program from 2009 to 2012.

Survival outcomes of patients with gastric cancer treated with first-line nivolumab plus chemotherapy based on claudin 18.2 expression.

Background: Claudin 18.2 has emerged as a viable therapeutic target in gastric cancer; however, its clinical relevance in the context of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based chemotherapy is not known. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of nivolumab plus chemotherapy according to claudin 18.

The relationship between heterogeneous institutional investors and operational performance: Evidence from mergers and acquisitions.

This study investigates the relationship between institutional investors and the inventory performance of companies engaged in mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Specifically, we examine the role of institutional ownership in the selection of target firms and their post-M&A performance. Additionally, we analyze how the effects of institutional investors vary based on their investment horizons and strategies.

Trust Dynamics in Financial Decision Making: Behavioral Responses to AI and Human Expert Advice Following Structural Breaks.

This study explores the trust dynamics in financial forecasting by comparing how individuals perceive the credibility of AI and human experts during significant structural market changes. We specifically examine the impact of two types of structural breaks on trust: Additive Outliers, which represent a single yet significant anomaly, and Level Shifts, which indicate a sustained change in data patterns. Grounded in theoretical frameworks such as attribution theory, algorithm aversion, and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this research investigates psychological responses to AI and human advice under uncertainty.

Haplotype-resolved genome assembly and resequencing analysis provide insights into genome evolution and allelic imbalance in Pinus densiflora.

Haplotype-level allelic characterization facilitates research on the functional, evolutionary and breeding-related features of extremely large and complex plant genomes. We report a 21.7-Gb chromosome-level haplotype-resolved assembly in Pinus densiflora.