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Background@#Conflicting evidence exists regarding the association between smoking and the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We investigated the association between combustible cigarette (CC) smoking, noncombustible tobacco product (NCTP) use, and the use of any tobacco product with various coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. @*Methods@#A case-control study was conducted using the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency-COVID19-National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) cohort. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using 12,571,698 individuals from the NHIS cohort. Logistic regression evaluated the association between CC smoking, NCTP use, and use of any tobacco product with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Poisson regression evaluated the association between these forms of tobacco product use and COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality. @*Results@#In the case-control study, we identified 30,878 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for SARS-CoV-2 infection were lower among current CC smokers (0.51, 0.48–0.54), current- and former-NCTP users (0.80, 0.74–0.88;0.82, 0.74–0.91), and current users of any tobacco product (0.52, 0.49–0.55) relative to never user controls. In retrospective cohort study, we identified 16,521 COVID-19-related hospitalization and 362 COVID-19-related deaths. The relative risks (95% CIs) for COVID-19-related hospitalization were lower among current CC smokers (0.51, 0.48–0.54) and current users of any tobacco product (0.53, 0.50–0.56) relative to never user controls. There was no association between the use of tobacco product and COVID-19-related mortality. @*Conclusion@#Current CC smokers and current users of any tobacco product showed reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-related hospitalization. It remains uncertain whether these relationships are causal.
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Background@#Cyclosporine (CS) has been effectively used in various skin diseases, but gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events are so common. However, there is no standardized treatment for managing CS-induced GI adverse events. @*Objective@#To analyze the effectiveness of two empirical GI medications, an H2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) and proton pump inhibitor (PPI), in relieving CS-induced GI adverse events. @*Methods@#This is a prospective, randomized clinical trial conducted at Ajou University Hospital. The patients completed a gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS) questionnaire to assess GI symptoms before and after taking the drugs. @*Results@#A total of 60 patients, divided into a PPI group (n=30) and an H2RA group (n=30), were analyzed. The onset of GI events occurred in 6.04 days on average. GSRS scores improved significantly in both groups (p<0.01). While abdominal pain, reflux syndrome, and indigestion syndrome consistently improved, changes in diarrhea syndrome and constipation syndrome were not statistically significant. The overall change in GSRS scores was higher in the PPI group, but the difference was not significant (p=0.76). @*Conclusion@#Both PPI and H2RA significantly improved CS-induced GI side effects, with PPI showing a slight advantage over H2RA, but the cost of PPIs should be considered when deciding on first-line therapy. GI side effects typically appeared within 6.04 days of starting CS therapy, highlighting the importance of close monitoring and personalized intervention for improving patient compliance.
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Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also called scleroderma, is a rare debilitating autoimmune disease of the connective tissue characterized by microvascular damage, specific immunologic abnormalities, and progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. The disease may be associated with serious visceral complications involving the pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cardiac and renal systems, why early identification is important. Cutaneous telangiectasia was originally one of the diagnostic criteria of the CREST syndrome (calcinosis, Raynaud’s phenomenon, esophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly, and telangiectasias), and is now included in the 2013 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria for the diagnosis of SSc. We report herein three cases of SSc who presented our department for telangiectasia, because eruptive telangiectasia on exposed area associated with high titer of antinuclear antibody could be the first sign of SSc.
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Materials and Methods@#A total of 264 patients (74 CN and 190 AD), who underwent FBB imaging test and neuropsychological tests, were retrospectively analyzed. Early- and delay-phase FBB images were spatially normalized with an in-house FBB template. The regional standard uptake value ratios were calculated with the cerebellar region as a reference region and used as independent variables that predict the diagnostic label assigned to the raw image. @*Results@#AD positivity scores estimated from dual-phase FBB showed better accuracy (ACC) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for AD detection (ACC: 0.858, AUROC: 0.831) than those from delay phase FBB imaging (ACC: 0.821, AUROC: 0.794). AD positivity score estimated by dual-phase FBB (R: −0.5412) shows a higher correlation with psychological test compared to only dFBB (R: −0.2975). In the relevance analysis, we observed that LSTM uses different time and regions of early-phase FBB for each disease group for AD detection. @*Conclusions@#These results show that the aggregated model with dual-phase FBB with long short-term memory and attention mechanism can be used to provide a more accurate AD positivity score, which shows a closer association with AD, than the prediction with only a single phase FBB.
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Erythema multiforme (EM) is an acute, self-limited mucocutaneous disease with diverse triggering factors, and the recurrences are quite common. A 24-year old male presented with multiple erythematous, itchy papules and plaques on multiple sites. He has worked in a lithium battery factory and experienced the chemical burn 2 weeks ago. A histopathologic examination on right wrist showed a scattered lymphocytic infiltration, vacuolar degeneration, and necrotic keratinocyte. The final diagnosis was EM after occupational lithium exposure. He was treated by oral methylprednisolone and experienced recurrences after returning to the same workplace after remission. Although the precise pathogenesis is unknown, the pathogenesis of EM by lithium is related to the effect of lithium on immune system, different from other etiologies. To our knowledge, our case is the first report of EM following the chemical burn and occupational lithium exposure. We report this as an interesting case of EM.
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Epithelioid hemangioma is a rare benign vascular neoplasm. Recently, the term “multiple eruptive epithelioid hemangioma” has been proposed for epithelioid hemangioma with distinct features. It is different from usual epithelioid hemangioma because of the multifocal distributions in various body regions with an eruptive onset. In addition, the histopathology of multiple eruptive epithelioid hemangioma shows increased cellular proliferation, mitosis, and nuclear pleomorphism and positive findings for FOS-B compared to classic epithelioid hemangioma. Herein, we report the case of a 59-year-old man with unusual manifestations suitable for multiple eruptive epithelioid hemangioma. He had multiple erythematous to purple-red dome-shaped nodules on the right hand, arm, and shoulder. The initial lesion was a solitary erythematous nodule on the right hand that abruptly extended to the right arm and shoulder. Microscopically, the tumor was a well-demarcated dermal nodule and showed capillary sized vascular structures. Vascular structures had epithelioid endothelial cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and vesicular nuclei. The tumor cells showed mild nuclear pleomorphism and a few mitosis and feature of resembling cobble stone was observed. In immunohistochemistry, CD31 and CD34 were positive in the endothelial cells.The endothelial cells showed nuclear positivity in FOS-B. Based on the clinical and histopathological findings, the final diagnosis was multiple eruptive epithelioid hemangiomas.This is the first report of multiple eruptive epithelioid hemangiomas in an Asian man after the term had been introduced.
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Iatrogenic spinal cord injury resulting from direct needle injection is an exceedingly uncommon occurrence, mainly owing to the spinal cord’s protection by surrounding bony structures, with only a few exceptions, and its location a few centimeters beneath the skin. This study presents a case of a 27-year-old female who experienced cervical spinal cord injury following acupuncture treatment around the C3–4 region. The patient reported tingling paresthesia and persistent pain in her left arm for 1 month postinjection, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealing a syringomyelia in the direction of the injection.As determined at the follow-up, after undergoing 3 months of conservative treatments, including cervical intervention, medication, and education, her pain was reduced by approximately half. Cervical injections should be administered by a knowledgeable specialist well versed in musculoskeletal anatomy and potential complications, aided by radiological examination.
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Spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) is commonly used to treat various musculoskeletal pains; however, it is associated with several complications. Mild complications resolve quickly; however, on rare occasions, they may cause severe complications that persist indefinitely. Here, we present a case of cervical myelopathy caused by a spinal manipulation. A 52-year-old man with a history of cervical radiculopathy at C4–7 underwent manipulation, performed by an unlicensed practitioner. After the manipulation, he explained abrupt muscle weakness in all four extremities. He was diagnosed with cervical myelopathy and had to undergo emergency surgery. Through this case, we aim to emphasize the role of doctors, with regard to spinal manipulation. Physicians must supervise the pre-evaluation of patients, manipulation, and post-manipulation monitoring, and the complications of SMT should be immediately reported.
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Tuberculosis is still a major public health problem, although it is decreasing worldwide. The World Health Organization is working to reduce the incidence and deaths of tuberculosis globally and aims to eradicate tuberculosis.Current Concepts: The world’s gradual eradication of tuberculosis would be virtually inconceivable without the outstanding scientific works of Robert Koch and Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. In 1882, Koch’s discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus was the most important first step towards controlling and ending this deadly disease. In 1895, Röntgen’s discovery of the X-ray revolutionized humanity as it became the first technology used to create images of the human body. X-ray images became an essential tool in modern medicine within a short period.Discussion and Conclusion: Chest radiology plays a crucial role in tuberculosis screening, diagnosis, and management. Chest radiology has contributed to the control of tuberculosis, which has plagued humanity for a long time, and will continue to contribute to eradicating tuberculosis in the world.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to develop a nursing simulation learning module for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient-care and examine its effects on clinical reasoning competence, clinical competence, performance confidence, and anxiety in COVID-19 patient care for nursing students. @*Methods@#A non-equivalent control group pre- and post-test design was employed. The study participants included 47 nursing students (23 in the experimental group and 24 in the control group) from G City. A simulation learning module for COVID-19 patient-care was developed based on the Jeffries simulation model. The module consisted of a briefing, simulation practice, and debriefing. The effects of the simulation module were measured using clinical reasoning competence, clinical competence, performance confidence, and anxiety in COVID-19 patient-care. Data were analyzed using χ 2 -test, Fisher’s exact test, t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Mann– Whitney U test. @*Results@#The levels of clinical reasoning competence, clinical competence, and performance confidence of the experimental group were significantly higher than that of the control group, and the level of anxiety was significantly low after simulation learning. @*Conclusion@#The nursing simulation learning module for COVID-19 patient-care is more effective than the traditional method in terms of improving students’ clinical reasoning competence, clinical competence, and performance confidence, and reducing their anxiety. The module is expected to be useful for educational and clinical environments as an effective teaching and learning strategy to empower nursing competency and contribute to nursing education and clinical changes.
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Background@#The primary goal of scabies treatment is to eliminate mites; however, but post-scabetic itch persists in many patients. Since long-standing itching can lead to the development of other comorbidities, appropriate interventions are necessary. @*Objective@#This study aimed to investigate the effects of inappropriate (continuous or prolonged) scabicide use and oral steroids on the duration of pruritus in patients with scabies. @*Methods@#The duration of pruritus, use of oral corticosteroids, total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, specific IgE levels for house dust mites, and eosinophil counts were evaluated. Post-scabetic itch was defined as itching that persisted for more than 3 weeks, although scabies was no longer detected; 208 participants with post-scabetic itch were included. @*Results@#We recruited 265 participants with confirmatory diagnosis of scabies and 116 with clinical diagnosis. We treated 124 participants with scabicides based on the guidelines, whereas 257 participants were not. The type of scabicide did not affect the duration of pruritus. Scabicide overuse did not shorten the duration of pruritus; however, its prolonged use lengthened the treatment period. Although oral corticosteroids did not shorten the duration of pruritus in the patients, they were effective when the patient had post-scabetic itch. In addition, a positive correlation between the total IgE level and duration of pruritus was observed. @*Conclusion@#This study investigated the effect of treatment modality on the clinical course of scabies. Our findings suggest that overuse of scabicides might be associated with post-scabetic itch, and short-term use of oral corticosteroids may be effective in reducing its duration.
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Background@#This study aimed to identify the clinical content of patients registered with the Lifetime Health Maintenance Program (LHMP) under the care of a single family physician who introduced and operated the program in Korea at a tertiary hospital for over 30 years. @*Methods@#We analyzed the electronic medical records of 745 patients who had registered for more than 3 times with the LHMP under the care of a single family physician between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019. We reviewed medical records from June 1989, when the hospital was established, to February 2022. The participants’ age at the time of LHMP enrollment, sex, initial consultation date, final consultation date, and consultation content were evaluated. @*Results@#Patients visited the LHMP for various reasons, including acute symptom management, chronic disease management, psychiatric consultation, counseling on health behaviors, health checkups, and vaccination. The top five diagnoses for acute symptom management were upper respiratory infection, abdominal pain, dizziness/vertigo, headache, and lower back pain, whereas those for chronic disease management were dyslipidemia, hypertension, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis/osteopenia, and diabetes. More than one in five patients received psychiatric consultation and counseling on health behaviors. As the duration of the program enrollment increased, the proportion of patients visiting the LHMP for acute symptoms, vaccinations, and health checkups also increased. Furthermore, the number of categories of consultation content increased for each patient. @*Conclusion@#The LHMP emphasized the need to systematize regular primary care physicians in Korea. Policy changes are necessary to strengthen primary care, and the LHMP serves as an intermediate step in organizing regular primary care physicians in Korea.
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Human microbiome refers to the genetic material of approximately 1013 microorganisms present in the human body. These microbiomes interact significantly with the physiological, metabolic, and immune systems, particularly during pregnancy. Microbiome dysbiosis in pregnant women and their fetuses is associated with obstetric complications and poor neonatal outcomes. Oral and gut microbiomes can influence the placenta, uterus, and fetus via hematogenous translocation. Through ascending translocation, vaginal microbiota can directly affect the uterine environment. Current research focuses on the presence of the placental microbiome, which is characterized by low biomass. However, more well-controlled studies are required to specifically address the contamination issues. Use of antibiotics during pregnancy and the mode of delivery, specifically cesarean section, have been linked to the establishment of the neonatal gut microbiome. Probiotic supplementation may be beneficial during pregnancy, particularly for women receiving antibiotic treatment.
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Background@#The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused disruptions to healthcare systems, consequently endangering tuberculosis (TB) control. We investigated delays in TB treatment among notified patients during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. @*Methods@#We systemically collected and analyzed data from the Korea TB cohort database from January to May 2020. Groups were categorized as ‘before-pandemic’ and ‘during-pandemic’ based on TB notification period. Presentation delay was defined as the period between initial onset of symptoms and the first hospital visit, and healthcare delay as the period between the first hospital visit and anti-TB treatment initiation. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate factors associated with delays in TB treatment. @*Results@#Proportion of presentation delay > 14 days was not significantly different between two groups (48.3% vs. 43.7%, P = 0.067); however, proportion of healthcare delay > 5 days was significantly higher in the during-pandemic group (48.6% vs. 42.3%, P = 0.012). In multivariate analysis, the during-pandemic group was significantly associated with healthcare delay > 5 days (adjusted odds ratio = 0.884, 95% confidence interval = 0.715–1.094). @*Conclusion@#The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with healthcare delay of > 5 days in Korea. Public health interventions are necessary to minimize the pandemic’s impact on the national TB control project.
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Background@#In 2017, Korea implemented nationwide latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) project targeting healthcare workers (HCWs). We aimed to assess its performance using the cascade of care model. @*Methods@#We included 45,503 employees of medical institutions with positive interferongamma release assay result who participated between March 2017 and December 2018. We described percentages of LTBI participants completing each step in the cascade of care.Poisson regression model was conducted to assess individual characteristics and factors associated with not-visiting clinics for further care, not-initiating LTBI treatment, and notcompleting treatment. @*Results@#Proportions of visiting clinics and initiating and completing treatment in HCWs were 54.9%, 38.5%, and 32.0%, respectively. Despite of less likelihood of visiting clinics and initiating LTBI treatment, older age ≥ 65 years were more likely to complete treatment (adjusted relative risk [aRR], 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64–0.99), compared to young age < 35 years. Compared to nurses, doctors were less likely to visit clinic; however, were more likely to initiate treatment (aRR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81–0.96). Those who visited public health centers were associated with not-initiating treatment (aRR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.29–1.40). When treated at private hospitals, 9-month isoniazid monotherapy was less likely to complete treatment, compared to 3-month isoniazid and rifampicin combination therapy (aRR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.16–1.53). @*Conclusion@#Among employees of medical institutions with LTBI, only one third completed treatment. Age, occupation, treatment center, and initial regimen were significantly related to LTBI treatment performance indicators. Rifampicin-based short treatment regimens were effective under standard of care.
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We report a skin rash with a sharply demarcated erythema on the flexural area. The differential diagnoses included Baboon syndrome and symmetrical drug-related intertriginous and flexural exanthema. The diagnosis can be made based on the presence of previous cutaneous sensitization and causative agents. Our cases were consistent with a diagnosis of Baboon syndrome with no drug history.
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Objective@#We aimed to present the study design and baseline cross-sectional participant characteristics of biobank innovations for chronic cerebrovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease study (BICWALZS) participants. @*Methods@#A total of 1,013 participants were enrolled in BICWALZS from October 2016 to December 2020. All participants underwent clinical assessments, basic blood tests, and standardized neuropsychological tests (n=1,013). We performed brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, n=817), brain amyloid positron emission tomography (PET, n=713), single nucleotide polymorphism microarray chip (K-Chip, n=949), locomotor activity assessment (actigraphy, n=200), and patient-derived dermal fibroblast sampling (n=175) on a subset of participants. @*Results@#The mean age was 72.8 years, and 658 (65.0%) were females. Based on clinical assessments, total of 168, 534, 211, 80, and 20 had subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s dementia, vascular dementia, and other types of dementia or not otherwise specified, respectively. Based on neuroimaging biomarkers and cognition, 199, 159, 78, and 204 were cognitively normal (CN), Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related cognitive impairment, vascular cognitive impairment, and not otherwise specified due to mixed pathology (NOS). Each group exhibited many differences in various clinical, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging results at baseline. Baseline characteristics of BICWALZS participants in the MCI, AD, and vascular dementia groups were generally acceptable and consistent with 26 worldwide dementia cohorts and another independent AD cohort in Korea. @*Conclusion@#The BICWALZS is a prospective and longitudinal study assessing various clinical and biomarker characteristics in older adults with cognitive complaints. Details of the recruitment process, methodology, and baseline assessment results are described in this paper.
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Botulinum toxin (BoNT) injection is widely used to improve spasticity. However, after the treatment, the patient may experience pain, inflammation, swelling and redness at the injection site. In this case, we addressed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after BoNT treatment of the upper limb. A male aged 37 years had spasticity and dystonia in his left upper extremity. BoNT-A 100 U was injected into the left biceps brachii and an equal amount into the brachialis to relieve spasticity. After three days, he developed redness and painful swelling in the left upper arm and the next day, through the upper extremity computed tomography venography, DVT was identified in the left cephalic vein. The thrombus resolved after the anticoagulation therapy with rivaroxaban (Xarelto). We hypothesized the role of mainly three mechanisms in the development of DVT in this case: repetitive strenuous activity, relative stasis due to reduced muscle tone, and possible direct mechanical damage to the vessel wall.
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Purpose@#We aimed to investigate whether adjuvant oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy after treatment for hepatic metastasis affects recurrence or survival and to determine the risk factors for recurrence or survival. @*Methods@#Forty-six patients who underwent curative treatment for hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer between July 2009 and December 2017 were included from a retrospectively collected patient database. Curative resection included hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), or a combination of both, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. @*Results@#Thirty-seven patients (80.4%) had colon cancer and 9 (19.6%) had rectal cancer. Twenty-six patients (56.5%) underwent hepatic resection, 7 (15.2%) RFA, and 13 (28.3%) hepatic resection and RFA. Thirty-two patients (69.6%) underwent chemotherapy after hepatic treatment. The recurrence incidence was 50% in the non-chemotherapy group and 46.9% in the chemotherapy group (P > 0.999). The incidence of death was 7.1% in the non-chemotherapy group and 18.8% in the chemotherapy group (P = 0.657). The recurrence risk factors were N stage (N0 vs. N2; P = 0.013, P = 0.005) and bilobed hepatic metastasis (P = 0.027, P = 0.009) in the univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. However, chemotherapy after hepatic treatment was not a risk factor for disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS) in the univariate and multivariate analyses (P = 0.656 and P = 0.414, respectively; P = 0.510 and P = 0.459, respectively). @*Conclusion@#Oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy after colorectal hepatic metastasis treatment did not affect the DFS or OS. The N stage of the primary tumor and bilobed hepatic metastasis are risk factors for recurrence and death.
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Purpose@#Hypoxia is widely known as one of the mechanisms of chemoresistance and as an environmental condition which triggers invasion and metastasis of cancer. Evofosfamide is a hypoxia-activated prodrug of the cytotoxin bromo-isophosphoramide mustard conjugated with 2-nitroimidazole. Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is known to contain large hypoxic area. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of evofosfamide as a second-line treatment of advanced BTC. @*Materials and Methods@#Patients received evofosfamide at a dose of 340 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 of every 28-day cycle. Primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 4-months (4m-PFSR). Secondary end-points included overall survival (OS), PFS, disease control rate (DCR), metabolic response by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET), hypoxic parameters evaluated by 18F-fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) PET and toxicity. @*Results@#Twenty patients were treated with evofosfamide, with 16 response-evaluable patients. There was no objective response; stable disease was observed in nine patients, with a DCR of 56.25%. 4m-PFSR was 40.6%. Median PFS was 3.60 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68 to 5.52). Median OS was 6.37 months (95% CI, 3.94 to 8.79). Reduction of tumor metabolic activity was observed in eight of 15 patients (53.3%). High baseline hypoxic parameters were associated with poor PFS. Change of hypoxic parameters between pretreatment and post-treatment reflected hypoxic-activated drug response. There was no treatment-related death. @*Conclusion@#Evofosfamide as second-line treatment of advanced BTC showed acceptable safety and comparable efficacy to other agents. Changes in volumetric parameters measured with FMISO PET, showing the degree of tumor hypoxia, reflected the response to evofosfamide based on the mode of action.