Impact of Awareness Time Interval on the Effect of Bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation on Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Nationwide Study

Purpose@#The awareness time interval (ATI), the time from the witnessed event to emergency medical service (EMS) activation, is an important factor influencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes. Since bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BCPR) is provided after cardiac arrest is recognized, the effect of BCPR may vary depending on ATI delay. We aimed to investigate whether ATI modifies the effect of BCPR on OHCA outcomes. @*Materials and Methods@#A population-based observational study was conducted with EMS-treated witnessed adult (≥18 years) OHCAs between 2013 and 2018. The exposure variable was provision of BCPR. The primary outcome was a good neurological outcome defined as cerebral performance category scale 1or 2 (good CPC). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted using the ATI group (–1, 1–5, 5– min) as the interaction term. @*Results@#Of 34366 eligible OHCAs, 65.5% received BCPR. EMS was activated within 1 min in 45.9%, within 1–5 min in 29.2%, and after 5 min in 24.9% cases. In the adjusted interaction model, compared with no BCPR, a longer ATI resulted in smaller adjusted odds ratios for good CPC in the BCPR group [5.33 (4.17–6.82) for ATI ≤1 min, 5.14 (4.00–6.60) for 1–5 min, and 2.14 (1.63–2.81) for ATI >5 min]. @*Conclusion@#The effect of BCPR on improving the chances for a good neurological outcome decreased as time from collapse to EMS activation increased. The importance of early recognition of OHCA and EMS activation should be emphasized in BCPR training.

Trends in Corneal Transplantation Revealed by KONOS and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Annual Reports

Purpose@#To analyze trends in corneal transplantation surgery and determine the number of domestic and imported corneal grafts used in South Korea.Method: The total number of keratoplasties and number of each individual surgical procedure conducted in 2010 and 2020 were identified using Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data. The number of keratoplasties using domestic corneas in 2010 and 2020 was determined from the annual report of the Korean Network for Organ Sharing (KONOS). The number of keratoplasties using imported corneas was calculated by subtracting the number of keratoplasties using domestic corneas from the total number of keratoplasties. @*Results@#In 2010, 802 keratoplasties were performed in Korea, of which 299 (37.3%) used imported corneas; 715 (89.2%) were penetrating keratoplasties and 87 (10.8%) were anterior lamellar keratoplasties. In 2020, 911 keratoplasties were done in Korea and 564 (61.9%) used imported corneas; 541 (59.4%) were penetrating keratoplasties, 60 (6.6%) were anterior lamellar keratoplasties, and 310 (34.0%) were endothelial keratoplasties. From 2010 to 2020, the number of penetrating keratoplasties in Korea decreased, while the numbers of endothelial keratoplasties and keratoplasties using imported corneas increased. @*Conclusions@#There was a 30% decrease in the number of penetrating keratoplasties from 2010 to 2020, and a 30% increase in the numbers of endothelial keratoplasties and keratoplasties using imported corneas. The proportions of endothelial keratoplasties and imported corneas have increased steadily in Korea over the last 10 years.

Type A, Type B, and Non-atrophic Gastritis

The gastric cancer risk varies based on the etiology and severity of gastritis, which depends on a history of Helicobacter pylori infection and the secretory capacity of the stomach. Type A gastritis is associated with reverse atrophy of the corpus and type B with progressive atrophy extending from the antrum to the corpus. Diffuse or spotty redness in the corpus together with high serum pepsinogen (PG) II levels and a low PG I/II ratio are observed in patients with H. pylori infection when secretory capacity of the stomach is intact. Diffuse-type gastric cancer may develop near the gastric folds, which is a rare site of atrophy. Low serum PG I levels are associated with progressive gastric corpus atrophy and intestinal metaplasia in patients with chronic and previous H. pylori infections. This clinical scenario predisposes patients to intestinal-type gastric cancer, which originates in the atrophic and metaplastic gastric mucosa. Conversely, a high PG I/II ratio is observed in patients without H. pylori infection. Serum PG I levels and the PG I/II ratio are high in patients with acute H. pylori-negative gastritis, including drug-induced gastritis but are significantly low in autoimmune gastritis. Gastric neuroendocrine tumors may develop in patients with autoimmune gastritis or in those with long-term acid suppressant use. Fasting serum gastrin levels and the risk of neuroendocrine tumors are high in both cases. In this review, types of gastritis are summarized along with evaluation performed to determine the secretory capacity of the background gastric mucosa.

Prehospital intravenous catheter insertion, scene time interval, and their association with fatality in severe trauma patients with hypotension

Objective@#To investigate the association between prehospital intravenous (IV) catheter insertion, scene time interval (STI), and fatality in severe trauma patients with hypotension. @*Methods@#This study used a 2018 nationwide emergency medical services (EMS)-based trauma database. Adult severe trauma patients whose injury severity score was above or equal to 16 and whose initial systolic blood pressure was under 90 mmHg were included. Patients were divided into four groups based on whether a prehospital IV catheter was inserted and STI was within 10 minutes-group 1, IV catheter (+) and STI <10 minutes; group 2, IV catheter (+) and STI ≥10 minutes; group 3, IV catheter (-) and STI <10 minutes; and group 4, IV catheter (-) and STI ≥10 minutes. W-score (additional survivor expected for every 100 patients) was used as the outcome index. @*Results@#Among the 30,034 EMS-treated severe trauma patients, 550 patients were analyzed. Group 1 comprised 289 patients (53%), group 2, 159 (29%), group 3, 65 (12%), and group 4, 37 (6.7%). The case fatality rate was 104 (36%) in group 1, 38 (25%) in group 2, 23 (35%) in group 3, and 11 (30%) in group 4. The W-score (95% confidence interval) was 2.42 (2.38 to 2.99) in group 1, 1.89 (1.83 to 2.90) in group 2, -4.62 (-4.70 to -2.94) in group 3, and -5.41 (-5.52 to -3.03) in group 4. @*Conclusion@#Prehospital IV catheter insertion in severe trauma patients with hypotension is beneficial for survival, and the positive effect was prominent when STI was short.

Risk Factors for the Prescription of Ineffective Antiviral Candidates for COVID-19 During the Early Pandemic Period in Korea

Background@#Although the evidence of treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) changed rapidly, little is known about the patterns of potential pharmacological treatment during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea and the risk factors for ineffective prescription. @*Methods@#Using claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance System, this retrospective cohort study included admission episodes for COVID-19 from February to December 2020. Ineffective antiviral prescriptions for COVID-19 were defined as lopinavir/ ritonavir (LPN/r) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) prescribed after July 2020, according to the revised National Institute of Health COVID-19 treatment guidelines. Factors associated with ineffective prescriptions, including patient and hospital factors, were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. @*Results@#Of the 15,723 COVID-19 admission episodes from February to June 2020, 4,183 (26.6%) included prescriptions of LPN/r, and 3,312 (21.1%) included prescriptions of HCQ.Of the 48,843 admission episodes from July to December 2020, after the guidelines were revised, 2,258 (4.6%) and 182 (0.4%) included prescriptions of ineffective LPN/r and HCQ, respectively. Patient factors independently associated with ineffective antiviral prescription were older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] per 10-year increase, 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–1.20) and severe condition with an oxygen requirement (aOR, 2.49; 95% CI, 2.24–2.77). The prescription of ineffective antiviral drugs was highly prevalent in primary and nursing hospitals (aOR, 40.58; 95% CI, 31.97–51.50), public sector hospitals (aOR, 15.61; 95% CI, 12.76–19.09), and regions in which these drugs were highly prescribed before July 2020 (aOR, 10.65; 95% CI, 8.26–13.74). @*Conclusion@#Ineffective antiviral agents were prescribed to a substantial number of patients during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. Treatment with these ineffective drugs tended to be prolonged in severely ill patients and in primary and public hospitals.

Characterization of a conjugated polysuccinimide-carboplatin compound

Carboplatin, an advanced anticancer drug with excellent efficacy against ovarian cancer, was developed to alleviate the side effects that often occur with cisplatin and other platinum-based compounds. Our study reports the in vitro characteristics, viability, and activity of cells expressing the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene after carboplatin was conjugated with polysuccinimide (PSI) and administered in combination with other widely used anticancer drugs. PSI, which has promising properties as a drug delivery material, could provide a platform for prolonging carboplatin release, regulating its dosage, and improving its side effects. The iNOS gene has been shown to play an important role in both cancer cell survival and inhibition. Herein, we synthesized a PSI-carboplatin conjugate to create a modified anticancer agent and confirmed its successful conjugation. To ensure its solubility in water, we further modified the structure of the PSI-carboplatin conjugate with 2-aminoethanol groups. To validate its biological characteristics, the ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3 and normal ovarian Chinese hamster ovary cells were treated with the PSI-carboplatin conjugate alone and in combination with paclitaxel and topotecan, both of which are used in conventional chemotherapy. Notably, PSI-carboplatin conjugation can be used to predict changes in the genes involved in cancer growth and inhibition. In conclusion, combination treatment with the newly synthesized polymer-carboplatin conjugate and paclitaxel displayed anticancer activity against ovarian cancer cells but was not toxic to normal ovarian cancer cells, resulting in the development of an effective candidate anticancer drug without severe side effects.

Changes and their prognostic implications of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) in interhospital transferred critically ill patients

Objective@#This study aimed to investigate the association between the change in the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) before and after interhospital transport and the survival of critically ill patients transported by critical care transport. @*Methods@#A retrospective analysis of SMICU (Seoul Mobile Intensive Care Unit) transfer records and the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) was conducted. Adult patients who used SMICU from 2016 to 2018 were included. Trauma patients and post-cardiac arrest patients were excluded. The NEWS before departure from the transferring hospital and the NEWS before the arrival at the receiving hospital were extracted, and the difference between both NEWS (△ NEWS) was calculated. The △ NEWS was categorized into three groups: -2 or less, -1 to 1, and 2 or more. The primary outcome was 24-hour post-transport mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the outcomes. @*Results@#Of the total number of 1,837 patients, 1,065 patients were included. △ NEWS were -2 or less in 131 (12.3%), -1 to 1 in 805 (75.6%), and 2 or more in 129 (12.1%) of the patients. The 24-hour mortality rate was 3.1%, 2.9%, and 7.0% in the △ NEWS≤-2, -1≤△ NEWS≤1, and △ NEWS≥2 groups, respectively. Relative to -1≤△ NEWS≤1, the AORs for the 24-hour mortality were 1.11 (95% CI, 0.38-3.29) in △ NEWS≤-2 and 2.56 (95% CI, 1.15-5.70) in △ NEWS≥2. @*Conclusion@#The changes in NEWS in critical care interhospital transport are associated with patient prognosis.

Effect of prehospital patient consciousness level on prehospital stroke screening by emergency medical service provider of stroke patient

Objective@#Stroke detection at the prehospital stage is critically important for the provision of rapid treatment to stroke patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of patient consciousness level on prehospital stroke screening (PSS) by the emergency medical service (EMS) provider. @*Methods@#This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using data collected from a linked database of NEDIS (National Emergency Department Information System) and the EMS database in three hospitals. Adult stroke patients who were admitted into the emergency department (ED) using 119 EMS ambulances from 2014 to 2018 were included. The prehospital level of consciousness of patients was evaluated by the EMS provider, and they were divided into two treatment groups: an alert group and a non-alert group (verbal, painful, and unresponsive). The study outcomes were positive results of PSS: the Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Scale (LAPSS) and Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of prehospital consciousness level on the PSS result. @*Results@#A total number of 3,422 stroke patients were included. The positive rate of LAPSS was 17.0% in the alert group and 8.8% in the non-alert group. The positive rate of CPSS was 35.7% in the alert group and 21.3% in the non-alert group. In the adjusted logistic regression model, in the non-alert group, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for LAPSS was 0.47 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38-0.59) and the AOR for positive CPSS was 0.49 (95% CI, 0.42-0.57). @*Conclusion@#Low consciousness level patients had lower detection of stroke by the EMS provider. EMS provider employees need additional training to achieve more effective detection of stroke in low consciousness level patients.

Incidence of Infection among Subjects with Helicobacter pylori Seroconversion

Background/Aims@#Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) seroconversion may occur during screening for gastric cancer. Our study aimed to assess the number of seroconverted subjects with H. pylori and their results in follow-up tests. @*Methods@#Data were consecutively collected on subjects who were H. pylori-seronegative and presented for gastric cancer screening. Subjects who were followed up using the same serology test and pepsinogen (PG) assays on the day of endoscopy were included in the study. @*Results@#During the follow-up of 57.7 ± 21.4 months, 61 (15.0%) of 407 seronegative subjects showed seroconversion. H. pylori infection was detected in six (9.8%) of 61 seroconverted subjects. A diffuse red fundal appearance, with a significant increase in the Kyoto classification scores for gastritis, was observed in the infected subjects (p<0.001). Compared to the false-seropositive subjects, infected subjects showed higher serology titers (p<0.001) and PG II levels (p<0.001), and lower PG I/II ratios (p=0.002), in the follow-up tests. @*Conclusions@#Seroconversion occurred in 3.3% of seronegative subjects per year; however, only 9.8% had H. pylori infection. The majority (90.2%) of the seroconverted subjects showed false seropositivity without significant changes in the follow-up test results. The diffuse red fundal appearance could be an indicator of H. pylori infection.

Risk factors for the deterioration of patients with mild COVID-19 admitted to a COVID-19 community treatment center

Background@#The rapid increase in the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients led to the operation of COVID-19 facilities for patients with mild COVID-19 in South Korea. We analyzed the correlation and effect of risk factors associated with the worsening of patients with mild COVID-19 leading to their transfer from a community treatment center to a hospital. @*Methods@#This retrospective cohort observational study included 1,208 COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms who were admitted to the Namsan Community Treatment Center between June 2020 and January 2021. A chi-square test was performed to examine the differences in the transfer rate by age, sex, nationality, presence of symptoms at admission, and season, and a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association of variables to the hospitalization rate. @*Results@#Of the 1,208 patients, 212 (17.5%) were transferred to a hospital due to clinical deterioration. Increasing odds of hospital transfer were associated significantly with higher age and presentation in autumn, whereas sex and symptomatic illness at admission did not show a statistically significant association. @*Conclusion@#The findings indicate the importance of the initial risk classification of COVID-19 patients based on thorough assessment and close monitoring, timely allocation of appropriate resources to high-risk groups that are likely to develop severe disease, and reduction of medical resource wastage and limiting of administrative force to ensure that patients receive the best treatment.

Association of transport time interval with neurologic outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients without return of spontaneous circulation on scene and the interaction effect according to prehospital airway management

Objective@#This study analyzed the association of transport time interval (TTI) with survival rate and neurologic outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients without return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and the interaction effect of TTI according to prehospital airway management. @*Methods@#A retrospective observational study based on the nationwide OHCA database from January 2013 to December 2017 was designed. Emergency medical service (EMS)-treated OHCA patients aged ≥18 years were included. TTI was categorized into four groups of quartiles (≤4, 5–7, 8–11, ≥12 minutes). The primary outcome was favorable neurologic outcome at discharge. The secondary outcome was survival to discharge from the hospital. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze outcomes according to TTI. A different effect of TTI according to the administration of prehospital EMS advanced airway was evaluated. @*Results@#In total, 83,470 patients were analyzed. Good neurologic recovery decreased as TTI increased (1.0% for TTI ≤4 minutes, 0.9% for TTI 5–7 minutes, 0.6% for TTI 8–11 minutes, and 0.5% for TTI ≥12 minutes; P for trend <0.05). The adjusted odds ratio of prolonged TTI (≥12 minutes) was 0.73 (95% confidence interval, 0.57–0.93; P<0.01) for good neurologic recovery. However, the negative effect of prolonged TTI on neurological outcome was insignificant when advanced airway or entotracheal intubation were performed by EMS providers (adjusted odds ratio, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.42–3.29; P=0.76). @*Conclusion@#EMS TTI was negatively associated with the neurologic outcome of OHCA without ROSC on scene. When advanced airway was performed on scene, TTI was insignificantly associated with the outcome.

Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid on the Biodistribution and Excretion of Technetium-99m Radiopharmaceuticals in Rat: A Potential Image Quality Enhancer

Purpose@#This study aimed to investigate the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on the biodistribution and excretion of technetium-99m (Tc-99m)-labeled radiopharmaceuticals. @*Materials and Methods@#Tc-99m hydroxy-methylene-diphosphonate (HDP), Tc-99m pertechnetate, and Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) were injected via the tail vein of rats. After 30 min, the control group was administered saline, and the UDCA group was given UDCA orally. Scintigraphy images were acquired after 30 min and 1, 2, 3, and 4 h. Radioactivity and rate of change were compared. Tc-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) imaging was also performed. @*Results@#In image analysis of Tc-99m HDP, radioactivity of the buttock was lower in the UDCA group at 4 h. Rates of change in the buttock were significantly different at 3 h–30 min and 4 h–30 min, and buttock radioactivity in the UDCA group had decreased more. In analysis of Tc-99m pertechnetate, radioactivity of the buttock was higher in the control group. Rates of change in the thyroid gland and buttock were different at 1 h–30 min, 3 h–30 min, and 4 h–30 min, with radioactivity in the UDCA group decreasing more. In the analysis of Tc-99m DMSA, while the radioactivity of the kidneys in the control group showed little decrease at 1 h–30 min, that in the UDCA group increased. In the analysis of Tc-99m MAG3 images, radioactivity and radioactivity/total body radioactivity (TBA) values for the kidneys were higher in the UDCA group at 2 min. At 5 and 10 min, radioactivity/TBA values for soft tissue in the UDCA group were lower than those in the control group. @*Conclusion@#This study demonstrated that administration of UDCA increases renal excretion and soft tissue clearance of radiopharmaceuticals. This investigation could contribute to the broadening of applications of UDCA.

Efficacy of Seven-Day Potassium-Competitive Acid Blocker-Based First-Line Helicobacter pylori Eradication Therapy Administered with Bismuth

Purpose@#To determine the efficacy of a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB)-based first-line eradication therapy with bismuth compared with that of proton pump inhibitor-based first-line therapy with bismuth. @*Materials and Methods@#Eradication-naive H. pylori-infected patients were consecutively enrolled from January to November 2020. Before approval of the P-CAB-based eradication therapy, twice daily administration of a regimen containing lansoprazole 30 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg, and bismuth potassium citrate 300 mg was prescribed for 7 days. After approval, lansoprazole was replaced with tegoprazan (50 mg). Clarithromycin resistance was examined in patients who underwent gastroscopic biopsy at our center. Efficacy was assessed via the 13C-urea breath test. @*Results@#Of the 381 eradication-naive patients, eradication was successful in 88.3% (151/171) treated with tegoprazan and 82.8% (140/169) treated with lansoprazole in per-protocol analysis (p=0.151). In intention-to-treat analysis, eradication rates were 78.8% (152/193) in the tegoprazan and 74.5% (140/188) in the lansoprazole group (p=0.323). Clarithromycin resistance was observed in 30 (20.1%) of the 148 patients (74 from each group), and only four of the 16 clarithromycin-resistant patients in the tegoprazan group achieved successful eradication. Clarithromycin resistance [odds ratio (OR)=42.1, 95% confidence intervals (CIs)=12.6– 141.0] and poor patient compliance (OR=17.1, 95% CIs=1.6–189.1) were independent risk factors for eradication failure. @*Conclusion@#In eradication-naive patients, eradication success rates for 7-day first-line triple therapy regimen exceeded 82% with bismuth administration. In clarithromycin-resistant patients, neither tegoprazan 50 mg nor lansoprazole 30 mg achieved acceptable eradication rates when administered twice daily for 7 days.

Five Autoimmune Gastritis Patients with Positive Findings of Serum Anti-parietal Cell Antibodies

Autoimmune gastritis is a corpus-dominant type of gastritis with positive serum anti-parietal cell antibodies (APCA) and/or anti-intrinsic factor antibodies. Serum APCA and pepsinogen (PG) assays were performed in subjects with corpus-dominant gastritis detected by endoscopy. Serum APCA was positive in five patients. All these patients were postmenopausal women (four Koreans and one Caucasian from the Russian Federation) with a mean age of 59.0±3.2 years. They displayed low PG I levels ranging from 8.1 to 18.8 ng/mL (mean, 11.4±4.8 ng/mL) and low PG I/II ratios ranging from 0.7 to 2.4 (mean, 1.2±0.7). Three of the patients were being treated for autoimmune thyroiditis. Multiple gastric neuroendocrine tumors were observed in two Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-naive patients with high serum gastrin levels exceeding 700 pg/mL and serum chromogranin A levels exceeding 1,000 ng/mL. In the remaining three patients, intestinal metaplasia was observed in the biopsied specimens from the antrum, suggesting a history of H. pylori infection. Our findings indicate the value of positive serum APCA findings, low serum PG I levels, and low serum PG I/II ratios in confirming autoimmune gastritis in patients showing corpus-dominant atrophy, regardless of their H. pylori infection status.

Helicobacter pylori-negative Gastric Cancer

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-negative gastric cancer is diagnosed when gastric malignancies are found in patients in H. pylori-naïve stomachs. There are four types of noncardiac H. pylori-negative gastric cancers. The signet ring cell-type poorly cohesive carcinoma is most common, followed by the chief cell-predominant type gastric adenocarcinoma of the fundic gland. Extremely well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the corpus and well-differentiated pyloric gland cancers are rare outside Japan because of country-specific differences in diagnostic criteria. In endemic areas of H. pylori infection, strict criteria are required for diagnosing an H. pylori-naïve stomach. Both invasive and noninvasive H. pylori tests should show negative results in a subject without a history of H. pylori infection. Furthermore, the serum pepsinogen (PG) assay and endoscopic findings of the background gastric mucosa are required to discriminate subjects with past infections owing to spontaneous regression or unintended eradication of H. pylori. There should be no gastric corpus atrophy (PG I ≤70 ng/mL and PG I/II ≤3.0). Gastroscopy should reveal a regular arrangement of collecting venules without gastric xanthoma, metaplastic gastritis, or advanced atrophy over the angle. On biopsy, there should be no gastric atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, neutrophils, or H. pylori infiltration, and only a mild degree of mononuclear cell infiltration is permitted. The types and characteristics of noncardiac H. pylori-negative gastric cancers are summarized in this review, along with current diagnostic challenges found in Korea.

Intussusception and Jejunal Atresia Caused by an Ectopic Pancreas in a Newborn

Ectopic pancreas is defined as an abnormally located pancreatic tissue not sufficiently connected with the normal pancreas, which rarely occurs in neonates. To our knowledge, only a few cases of ectopic pancreas have been reported in newborns in South Korea. We report a case of ectopic pancreas as the cause of intussusception and jejunal atresia in a newborn. This clinical association is extremely rare, and this is the first report in South Korea.

The Effect of Scleral Sutured Intraocular Lens with Optic-haptic Junction Fixation in the Capsular Bag

Purpose@#To compare the stability of intraocular lens (IOL) insertion methods of sutured haptics in the bag with scleral fixation to those of in the bag insertion and scleral sulcus fixation. @*Methods@#In group of only phacodonesis, two IOL insertion methods, in the bag insertion and sutured haptics in the bag with scleral fixation were compared. In group of phacodonesis with less than 90° zonulysis, two IOL insertion methods, sutured haptics in the bag with scleral fixation and scleral sulcus fixation were compared. Postoperative 2 months and 12 months refraction were compared with target refraction and the refractive change between postoperative 2 and 12 months were compared in each group. The change of anterior chamber depth (ACD) at postoperative 2 and 12 months were compared with preoperative ACD, and the change of ACD between postoperative 2 and 12 months were compared in each group. @*Results@#In group of only phacodonesis, the typical in the bag insertion group showed significant ACD change between postoperative 2 and 12 months (p = 0.010), but the group of sutured haptics in the bag with scleral fixation didn’t show the significant ACD change (p = 0.515). In group of phacodonesis with less than 90° zonulysis, the sulcus scleral fixation method showed significant ACD change and significant refractive change (p = 0.015, p = 0.004), but the group of sutured haptics in the bag with scleral fixation method didn’t show the significant ACD nor refractive change (p = 0.713, p = 0.106) between postoperative 2 and 12 months. @*Conclusions@#In eyes with zonular instability, sutured haptics in the bag with scleral fixation method can promote the postoperative stability of IOL.

Antibody Responses One Year after Mild SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Understanding the long-term kinetics of antibodies in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is essential in interpreting serosurvey data. We investigated the antibody response one year after infection in 52 mildly symptomatic patients with severe acute respiratory syndromecoronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, using three commercial immunoassays and a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) kit. Anti-N pan-immunoglobulin (Ig), anti-S IgG, and anti-S1 IgG were detected in 43 (82.7%), 44 (84.6%), and 30 (57.7%), respectively. In 49 (94.2%), the antibody could be detected by either anti-N pan-Ig or anti-S IgG assay. In the sVNT, 30 (57.7%) had positive neutralizing activity. Despite waning immunity, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can be detected up to one year after infection, even in mild COVID-19 patients.

Effects of perioperative radiation treatment on stricture and fistula formation in hypopharyngeal reconstruction: a meta-analysis

Hypopharyngeal reconstruction is a surgically challenging procedure, and postoperative management is important due to a high rate of complications following surgery. In particular, stricture and fistula formation is the most common long-term postoperative complication. Through systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies, a significant radiation effect of stricture and fistula formation was found in patients who underwent hypopharyngeal reconstruction. The perioperative radiation must be seen as a critical factor for stricture and fistula formation in hypopharyngeal reconstruction.

Effect of Ursodeoxycholic Acid on the Biodistribution and Excretion of Technetium-99m Radiopharmaceuticals in Rat: A Potential Image Quality Enhancer

Purpose@#This study aimed to investigate the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on the biodistribution and excretion of technetium-99m (Tc-99m)-labeled radiopharmaceuticals. @*Materials and Methods@#Tc-99m hydroxy-methylene-diphosphonate (HDP), Tc-99m pertechnetate, and Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) were injected via the tail vein of rats. After 30 min, the control group was administered saline, and the UDCA group was given UDCA orally. Scintigraphy images were acquired after 30 min and 1, 2, 3, and 4 h. Radioactivity and rate of change were compared. Tc-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) imaging was also performed. @*Results@#In image analysis of Tc-99m HDP, radioactivity of the buttock was lower in the UDCA group at 4 h. Rates of change in the buttock were significantly different at 3 h–30 min and 4 h–30 min, and buttock radioactivity in the UDCA group had decreased more. In analysis of Tc-99m pertechnetate, radioactivity of the buttock was higher in the control group. Rates of change in the thyroid gland and buttock were different at 1 h–30 min, 3 h–30 min, and 4 h–30 min, with radioactivity in the UDCA group decreasing more. In the analysis of Tc-99m DMSA, while the radioactivity of the kidneys in the control group showed little decrease at 1 h–30 min, that in the UDCA group increased. In the analysis of Tc-99m MAG3 images, radioactivity and radioactivity/total body radioactivity (TBA) values for the kidneys were higher in the UDCA group at 2 min. At 5 and 10 min, radioactivity/TBA values for soft tissue in the UDCA group were lower than those in the control group. @*Conclusion@#This study demonstrated that administration of UDCA increases renal excretion and soft tissue clearance of radiopharmaceuticals. This investigation could contribute to the broadening of applications of UDCA.