Early Decompression in Acute Spinal Cord Injury : Review and Update

Spinal cord injury (SCI) has a significant negative effect on the quality of life due to permanent neurologic damage and economic burden by continuous treatment and rehabilitation. However, determining the correct approach to ensure optimal clinical outcomes can be challenging and remains highly controversial. In particular, with the introduction of the concept of early decompression in brain pathology, the discussion of the timing of decompression in SCI has emerged. In addition to that, the concept of “time is spine” has been added recently, and the mortality and complications caused by SCI have been reduced by providing timely and professional treatment to patients. However, there are many difficulties in establishing international clinical guidelines for the timing of early decompression in SCI because policies for each country and medical institution differ according to the circumstances of medical infrastructure and economic conditions in the surgical treatment of SCI. Therefore, we aim to provide a current review of timing of early decompression in patient with SCI.

Injuries and Illness during the 2019 Gwangju FINA and Masters World Championships in Elite and Amateur Athletes / 전남의대학술지

Comparative analysis of injury and illness prevalence in elite and amateur athletes provides the basis for the development of tailored prevention programs. The authors analyzed the differences in frequency and characteristics of injuries and illnesses which occurred in elite and amateur athletes during the 2019 Gwangju Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) and Masters World Championships. The 2019 FINA World Championships hosted 3095 athletes in the disciplines of swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming. While the 2019 Masters World Championships hosted 4032 athletes in swimming, diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming. All medical records were electrically recorded in every venue as well as the central medical center located at the athlete’s village. More elite athletes visited clinics than amateur athletes during the events (15.0 vs 8.6%, p＜0.05) despite the ages of amateur athletes being higher than elite athletes (41.0±15.0 vs 22.4±5.6 years, p＜0.01). Elite athletes complained mainly of musculoskeletal problems (69%), while amateur athletes complained of both musculoskeletal (38%) and cardiovascular (8%) problems. The most frequent injury in elite athletes was due to overuse in the shoulder joints, while that of amateur athletes was traumatic injuries involving feet and hands. The most common illness was respiratory infection in both elite and amateur athletes, while cardiovascular events occured only in amateur athletes. As the risk of injury varies in elite and amateur athletes, tailored preventive measures should be prepared. Furthermore, preventive measures of cardiovascular events should focus on amateur sports events.

Aqueous Misdirection Syndrome after Laser Iridotomy in a Patient with Intermediate Uveitis

Purpose@#We report a case of aqueous misdirection syndrome triggered by pilocarpine use after laser iridotomy, which was treated by pars plana vitrectomy and phacoemulsification.Case summary: A 48-year-old female patient presented with sudden-onset right eye pain and decreased vision. The patient had presented to another institute with similar symptoms 20 days prior; she had been diagnosed with acute angle closure. Laser iridotomy was performed, followed by administration of pilocarpine twice daily. In the right eye, visual acuity was hand motion, and intraocular pressure was 31 mmHg. The laser iridotomy site was located at the 11 o’clock position; microcysts, anterior chamber cells, corneal endothelium precipitates, and glaukomflecken were observed. The anterior chamber was shallow due to forward movement of the lens and iris. Despite the application of atropine and pressure-lowering eyedrops, anterior chamber shallowing continued along with a progressive myopic shift of -4.5 diopters. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with aqueous misdirection syndrome. Pars plana vitrectomy was performed, followed by phacoemulsification, intraocular lens insertion, and posterior capsulotomy. During surgery, vitreous inflammation, a peripheral snowball, and an anterior hyaloid inflammatory membrane were observed, indicating the presence of intermediate uveitis. @*Conclusions@#The administration of miotics after laser iridotomy, intraocular inflammation, and uveitis can lead to aqueous misdirection syndrome. Effective treatment of aqueous misdirection syndrome involves controlling inflammation and performing surgery.

Coronary Artery Calcium Score as a Sensitive Indicator of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Long-Term Cohort Study

Background@#Coronary artery calcium score (CACS) has become an important tool for evaluating cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study evaluated the significance of CACS for future CVD through more than 10 years of follow-up in asymptomatic Korean populations with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) known to have a relatively low CACS burden. @*Methods@#We enrolled 981 asymptomatic T2DM patients without CVD at baseline who underwent CACS evaluation using multidetector computed tomography between January 2008 and December 2014. They were grouped into five predefined CACS categories based on Agatston scores and followed up by August 2020. The primary endpoint was incident CVD events, including coronary, cerebrovascular, and peripheral arterial disease. @*Results@#The relative risk of CVD was significantly higher in patients with CACS ≥10, and the significance persisted after adjustment for known confounders. A higher CACS category indicated a higher incidence of future CVD: hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 4.09 (1.79 to 9.36), 12.00 (5.61 to 25.69), and 38.79 (16.43 to 91.59) for 10≤ CACS <100, 100≤ CACS <400, and CACS ≥400, respectively. During the 12-year follow-up period, the difference in event-free survival more than doubled as the category increased. Patients with CACS below 10 had very low CVD incidence throughout the follow-up. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed better area under curve when the CACS cutoff was 10 than 100. @*Conclusion@#CACS can be a sensitive marker of CVD risk. Specifically, CACS above 10 is an indicator of CVD high-risk requiring more intensive medical treatment in Koreans with T2DM.

Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Drug-Coated Balloon Treatment for De Novo Coronary Lesions

Purpose@#Data are limited on the long-term efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment in comparison to drugeluting stent (DES) for de novo coronary lesions. We investigated the long-term clinical outcomes of DCB treatment in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for de novo coronary lesions. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 103 patients scheduled for elective PCI for de novo non-small coronary lesions (≥2.5 mm) who were successfully treated with DCB alone were retrospectively compared with 103 propensity-matched patients treated with second-generation DES from the PTRG-DES registry (n=13160). All patients were followed for 5 years. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events [MACE; cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, target lesion thrombosis, target vessel revascularization (TVR), and major bleeding] at 5 years. @*Results@#At 5-year clinical follow-up, Kaplan-Meier estimates of the rate of MACE were significantly lower in the DCB group [2.9% vs. 10.7%; hazard ratio (HR): 0.26; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.07–0.96; log-rank p=0.027]. There was a significantly lower incidence of TVR in the DCB group (1.0% vs. 7.8%; HR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.01–0.98; long-rank p=0.015), and there was major bleeding only in the DES group (0.0% vs. 1.9%; log-rank p=0.156). @*Conclusion@#At 5-year follow-up, DCB treatment was significantly associated with reduced incidences of MACE and TVR, compared with DES implantation, for de novo coronary lesions.

Influence of an abnormal ankle-brachial index on ischemic and bleeding events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Background/Aims@#Bleeding events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have important prognostic implications. Data on the influence of an abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) on both ischemic and bleeding events in patients undergoing PCI are limited. @*Methods@#We included patients who underwent PCI with available ABI data (abnormal ABI, ≤ 0.9 or > 1.4). The primary endpoint was the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and major bleeding. @*Results@#Among 4,747 patients, an abnormal ABI was observed in 610 patients (12.9%). During follow-up (median, 31 months), the 5-year cumulative incidence of adverse clinical events was higher in the abnormal ABI group than in the normal ABI group: primary endpoint (36.0% vs. 14.5%, log-rank test, p < 0.001); all-cause death (19.4% vs. 5.1%, log-rank test, p < 0.001); MI (6.3% vs. 4.1%, log-rank test, p = 0.013); stroke (6.2% vs. 2.7%, log-rank test, p = 0.001); and major bleeding (8.9% vs. 3.7%, log-rank test, p < 0.001). An abnormal ABI was an independent risk factor for all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR], 3.05; p < 0.001), stroke (HR, 1.79; p = 0.042), and major bleeding (HR, 1.61; p = 0.034). @*Conclusions@#An abnormal ABI is a risk factor for both ischemic and bleeding events after PCI. Our study findings may be helpful in determining the optimal method for secondary prevention after PCI.

Current status of multidrug-resistant bacteria

The dissemination of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen is of major public health concern as it leads to increased mortality rate, length of hospital stays, and medical expenses.Current Concepts: Korean Government enacted an Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act in 2009, and 6 MDR bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci, multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) have been legally declared as infectious diseases. According to the amendment of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act in 2020, CRE and VRSA were classified as class 2 infectious diseases, and all cases of CRE and VRSA should be reported to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Methicillin-resistant S. aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa, and multidrug-resistant A. baumannii were classified as class 4 infectious diseases, and cases that occur need to be monitored at KDCA-designated sentinel hospitals to prevent further dissemination.Discussion and Conclusion: In this review, the current antimicrobial resistance status of six types of MDR bacteria, legally declared as infectious diseases, was investigated.. The Korean government is operating national antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems such as the Korean Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System and Korean Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System, as a foundation for preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Certain steps need to be taken, such as establishing a surveillance system for antimicrobial usages, strengthening antimicrobial stewardship and infection control systems, and developing new antimicrobials in order for us to achieve the national goal.

Benzyl Isothiocyanate-Induced Cytotoxicity via the Inhibition of Autophagy and Lysosomal Function in AGS Cells

Gastric adenocarcinoma is among the top causes of cancer-related death and is one of the most commonly diagnosed carcinomas worldwide. Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) has been reported to inhibit the gastric cancer metastasis. In our previous study, BITC induced apoptosis in AGS cells. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of BITC on autophagy mechanism in AGS cells. First, the AGS cells were treated with 5, 10, or 15 μM BITC for 24 h, followed by an analysis of the autophagy mechanism. The expression level of autophagy proteins involved in different steps of autophagy, such as LC3B, p62/SQSTM1, Atg5-Atg12, Beclin1, p-mTOR/mTOR ratio, and class III PI3K was measured in the BITC-treated cells. Lysosomal function was investigated using cathepsin activity and Bafilomycin A1, an autophagy degradation stage inhibitor. Methods including qPCR, western blotting, and immunocytochemistry were employed to detect the protein expression levels. Acridine orange staining and omnicathepsin assay were conducted to analyze the lysosomal function. siRNA transfection was performed to knock down the LC3B gene. BITC reduced the level of autophagy protein such as Beclin 1, class III PI3K, and Atg5-Atg12. BITC also induced lysosomal dysfunction which was shown as reducing cathepsin activity, protein level of cathepsin, and enlargement of acidic vesicle. Overall, the results showed that the BITC-induced AGS cell death mechanism also comprises the inhibition of the cytoprotective autophagy at both initiation and degradation steps.

Current Prevalence of the crpP Gene in Carbapenemase-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa Blood Isolates in Korea / 대한임상미생물학회지

Background@#Recently, CrpP enzymes have been described as a novel cause of ciprofloxacin resistance. The crpP gene encodes a novel protein that specifically confers resistance to ciprofloxacin through an adenosine triphosphate-dependent mechanism that phosphorylates the antimicrobial. In this study, the current prevalence of the crpP gene in carbapenemaseproducing Pseudomonas aeruginosa blood isolates was evaluated. @*Methods@#During the study of the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System in Korea, 22 blood isolates of carbapenemase-producing P. aeruginosa were collected from nine general hospitals and two nursing homes in the year 2020. Resistance genes and phylogenic trees were analyzed with the whole genome sequencing data. @*Results@#A total of 11 P. aeruginosa blood isolates coharbored the crpP and carbapenemase genes (nine IMP-6 producers and two GES-5-producers). Nine NDM-1-producers coharbored aac(6')-Ib-cr and qnrVC1 . One GES-9-producer also carried aac(6')-Ib-cr, and one NDM-1-producer also carried qnrVC1. The phylogenic tree showed no epidemiologic link among the 22 carbapenemase-producing P. aeruginosa isolates. @*Conclusion@#This is the first report on the current prevalence of the crpP gene in carbapenemaseproducing P. aeruginosa blood isolates in Korea.

Clinical and Microbiological Risk Factors for Community-Associated Clostridioides difficile Infections / 대한임상미생물학회지

Background@#The incidence of community-associated (CA) Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) has increased in Korea. In this study, we evaluated CA-CDI risk factors in terms of clinical features and ribotype considering its region-specific molecular epidemiology. @*Methods@#A retrospective case-control study was performed on two groups of CDI patients:127 subjects with CA-CDI and 265 subjects with healthcare-associated (HA)-CDI. Risk factors for CA-CDI were evaluated in terms of clinical and microbiological features such as toxin type and ribotype. @*Results@#A comparison of the two groups of CDI patients revealed that inflammatory bowel disease, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever were more closely associated with CA-CDI. The toxin types and ribotypes of C. difficile were similar between the two groups. After adjusting for variables, no risk factors were identified for CA-CDI compared with HA-CDI. @*Conclusion@#Specific risk factors for CA-CDI were not identified in this study.

Acellular dermal matrix and bone cement sandwich technique for chest wall reconstruction

The authors performed rigid reconstruction using the sandwich technique for full-thickness chest wall defects by using two layers of acellular dermal matrix and bone cement. We assessed six patients who underwent chest wall reconstruction. Reconstruction was performed by sandwiching bone cement between two layers of acellular dermal matrix. In all patients, there was no defect of the overlying soft tissue, and primary closure was performed for external wounds. The average follow-up period was 4 years (range, 2–8 years). No major complications were noted. The sandwich technique can serve as an efficient and safe option for chest wall reconstruction.

Extratendinous migration of calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff: imaging findings and clinical characteristics with temporal changes

Purpose@#The aim of this study was to analyze the imaging findings and clinical characteristics of extratendinous migration of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder with temporal changes. @*Methods@#Seventy-six patients with extratendinous calcific tendinitis of the shoulder diagnosed by ultrasonography (US) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were enrolled in this retrospective study. Clinical symptoms and imaging findings (on radiography, US, and MRI) of extratendinous calcific tendinitis during an acute painful attack were analyzed. Temporal changes were analyzed in 28 patients before an acute attack and 40 patients after an acute attack. For comparison, 65 patients with intratendinous calcific tendinitis were included. @*Results@#Patients with extratendinous calcific tendinitis had a significantly higher average visual analogue scale (VAS) score (8.8±1.6) than the intratendinous group (6.4±2.2) (P<0.001). The fragmented type (80.5%) was the most common shape on US; sonographic black hole appearance (14.6%) and echogenic fluid (9.8%) were characteristic findings of intrabursal calcifications. In 28 patients with previous radiographs, radiographic type III (78.6%) was dominant and the location of calcific deposits changed (82.1%) during the acute painful attack, which was also perceivable in 12 patients with previous US or MRI. In follow-up radiographs of 40 patients, calcifications shrunk by more than 50% or became invisible in 82.5% of patients, with symptom improvement (VAS score, 8.9±1.5 to 1.9±1.2). Follow-up US and MRI of 16 patients also showed decreased size (56.3%) or disappearance (43.7%) of calcific deposits. @*Conclusion@#Extratendinous calcific tendinitis has distinctive imaging features, the temporal changes of which correlate well with clinical symptoms.

Nature and Extent of Physical Comorbidities Among Korean Patients With Mental Illnesses: Pairwise and Network Analysis Based on Health Insurance Claims Data

Objective@#The nature of physical comorbidities in patients with mental illness may differ according to diagnosis and personal characteristics. We investigated this complexity by conventional logistic regression and network analysis. @*Methods@#A health insurance claims data in Korea was analyzed. For every combination of psychiatric and physical diagnoses, odds ratios were calculated adjusting age and sex. From the patient-diagnosis data, a network of diagnoses was constructed using Jaccard coefficient as the index of comorbidity. @*Results@#In 1,017,024 individuals, 77,447 (7.6%) were diagnosed with mental illnesses. The number of physical diagnoses among them was 11.2, which was 1.6 times higher than non-psychiatric groups. The most noticeable associations were 1) neurotic illnesses with gastrointestinal/pain disorders and 2) dementia with fracture, Parkinson’s disease, and cerebrovascular accidents. Unexpectedly, the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was only scarcely found in patients with severe mental illnesses (SMIs). However, implicit associations between metabolic syndrome and SMIs were suggested in comorbidity networks. @*Conclusion@#Physical comorbidities in patients with mental illnesses were more extensive than those with other disease categories. However, the result raised questions as to whether the medical resources were being diverted to less serious conditions than more urgent conditions in patients with SMIs.

Consensus Document on Perioperative Antithrombotic Management: Part 1. A Review / 대한내과학회지

The prevalence of ischemic heart disease is steadily growing as populations age. Antithrombotic treatment is a key therapeutic modality for the prevention of secondary cerebro-cardiovascular disease. Patients with acute coronary syndrome or who are undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention must be treated with dual antiplatelet therapy for a mandatory period. The optimal perioperative antithrombotic regimen remains debatable; antithrombotics can cause bleeding. Inadequate antithrombotic regimens are associated with perioperative ischemic events, but continuation of therapy may increase the risks of perioperative hemorrhagic complications (including mortality). Many guidelines on the perioperative management of antithrombotic agents have been established by academic societies. However, the existing guidelines do not cover all specialties, nor do they describe the thrombotic and hemorrhagic risks associated with various surgical interventions. Moreover, few practical recommendations on the modification of antithrombotic regimens in patients who require non-deferrable interventions/surgeries or procedures associated with a high risk of hemorrhage have appeared. Therefore, cardiologists, specialists performing invasive procedures, surgeons, dentists, and anesthesiologists have not come to a consensus on optimal perioperative antithrombotic regimens. The Korean Platelet-Thrombosis Research Group presented a positioning paper on perioperative antithrombotic management. We here discuss commonly encountered clinical scenarios and engage in evidence-based discussion to assist individualized, perioperative antithrombotic management in clinical practice.

Consensus Document on Perioperative Antithrombotic Management: Part 2. Case Study / 대한내과학회지

Given the progressive improvements in antithrombotic strategies, management of cardiovascular disease has become sophisticated/refined. However, the optimal perioperative management of antithrombotic therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome or who are scheduled for percutaneous coronary intervention remains unclear. Assessments of the thrombotic and hemorrhagic risks are essential to reduce the rates of mortality and major cardiac events. However, the existing guidelines do not mention these topics. This case-based consensus document deals with common clinical scenarios and offers evidence-based guidelines for individualized perioperative management of antithrombotic therapy in the real world.

Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated From Vulnerable Patients in Korea, 2021 / 대한임상미생물학회지

Background@#We compared the antimicrobial resistance rates (AMRs) of major glucose nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, under different clinical conditions. The purpose of the study was to provide useful background data to set up infection control strategies for infection-vulnerable patients. @*Methods@#The AMRs of blood isolates were compared in various clinical conditions, using data from the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System in Korea. @*Results@#A. baumannii blood isolates from patients with healthcare-associated infections, inpatients, or intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted patients consistently exhibited higher AMRs to most antimicrobials, except minocycline, tigecycline, and colistin, compared with those from patients with community-acquired infections, outpatients, or non-ICU-admitted patients, respectively. P. aeruginosa blood isolates from patients with healthcare-associated infections showed higher AMRs to most antimicrobials, except ceftazidime and aztreonam, compared with those from patients with community-acquired infections, but not compared to those from inpatients or ICU-admitted patients. @*Conclusion@#Higher AMRs were associated with A. baumannii bloodstream infections under various clinical conditions, such as healthcare-associated infections and infections in inpatients and ICU-admitted patients. Considering the high AMRs and the limited number of treatment options of A. baumannii, vigorous efforts should be used to prevent the spreading of A. baumannii infections in patients with vulnerable conditions.

Validation of the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions, 3-Level Version (EQ-5D-3L) in Patients With Osteoporotic Vertebral Fracture and Comparing Their Health-Related Quality of Life With That of the General Population in Korea / 대한신경손상학회지

Objective@#This study examined the validity of the European Quality of Life-5 dimensions, 3-Level version (EQ-5D-3L) in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) and compared the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of these patients with that of the general population in Korea. @*Methods@#Study participants completed several questionnaires, such as the EQ-5D-3L, 12-item short-form health survey version 2.0 (SF-12v2), Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RMQ), and Pain Numeric Rating Scale (Pain NRS). Spearman’s correlation analyses of the questionnaire results were conducted to examine the discriminant and convergent validity of the EQ-5D-3L. Finally, EQ-5D-3L results from study participants were compared with those from the comparison group of the general population that were match-sampled according to age and sex from the 2013 Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. @*Results@#Spearman’s correlation coefficients between EQ-5D-3L and pain NRS, SF-12v2, and RMQ were statistically significant. The coefficients between the relevant dimensions, such as mobility in the EQ-5D-3L and physical functioning in the SF-12v2, were higher than those between irrelevant ones. Problems reported by study participants in each dimension of EQ-5D-3L showed statistically significant lower scores in pain NRS, PCS, and MCS from the SF-12v2 and RMQ scores. In comparison with the general population, the problems reported in the patient group were statistically higher than those reported by the general population. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that EQ-5D-3L will be useful for patients with OVCF in Korea because it could be valid. The HRQOL of patients with OVCF was very low in all dimensions of the EQ-5D-3L.

Review: Steroid Use in Patients With Acute Spinal Cord Injury and Guideline Update / 대한신경손상학회지

Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that causes enormous damage to a patient’s physical, mental, and economic situation and requires a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Research on SCI has been performed for a long time, and the management of SCI has developed dramatically in recent decades as a mechanism of injury and the pathophysiology of SCI have been revealed from the primitive stage in the past. In the treatment of patients with acute SCI, there is a lot of debate regarding surgical treatment strategies and pharmacological management, such as steroid use. In particular, the efficacy of steroid use, such as methylprednisolone sodium succinate, has been increasing and decreasing and is still intensely debated. The practice guidelines reported so far for this are also at the “suggest” stage with weak recommendations. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the effects of steroid use on SCI. This review provides an overview of current practical guidelines and clinical studies on steroid use in patients with SCI.

Platelet Function and Genotype after DES Implantation in East Asian Patients: Rationale and Characteristics of the PTRG-DES Consortium

Purpose@#Platelet function test (PFT) results and genotype hold unique prognostic implications in East Asian patients. The aim of the PTRG-DES (Platelet function and genoType-Related long-term proGnosis in Drug-Eluting Stent-treated Patients with coronary artery disease) consortium is to assess the clinical impact thereof on long-term clinical outcomes in Korean patients with coronary artery disease during dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) including clopidogrel. @*Materials and Methods@#Searching publications on the PubMed, we reviewed clopidogrel treatment studies with PFT and/or genotype data for potential inclusion in this study. Lead investigators were invited to share PFT/genotype results, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes to evaluate relationships among them. @*Results@#Nine registries from 32 academic centers participated in the PTRG-DES consortium, contributing individual patient data from 13160 patients who underwent DES implantation between July 2003 and August 2018. The PTRG-PFT cohort was composed of 11714 patients with available VerifyNow assay results. Platelet reactivity levels reached 218±79 P2Y12 reaction units (PRU), and high on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity based on a consensus-recommended cutoff (PRU >208) was observed in 55.9%. The PTRGGenotype cohort consisted of 8163 patients with candidate genotypes related with clopidogrel responsiveness. Of those with cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 genotype, frequencies of carrying one and two loss-of-function allele (s) (*2 or *3) were 47.9% (intermediate metabolizers) and 14.2% (poor metabolizers), respectively. @*Conclusion@#The PTRG-DES consortium highlights unique values for on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity and CYP2C19 phenotype that may be important to developing optimal antiplatelet regimens in East Asian patients.

Distinct Gut Microbiota in Patients with Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia: A Potential Protector against Gout Development

Purpose@#Here, we aimed to elucidate the differences in microbiota composition between patients with gout and those with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (asHU) and determine the effect of uric acid-lowering therapy (ULT) on the gut microbiome. @*Materials and Methods@#Stool samples from patients with asHU (n=8) and three groups of gout patients, i.e., acute gout patients before ULT (0ULT, n=14), the same acute gout patients after 30-day ULT (30ULT, n=9), and chronic gout patients after ≥6-month ULT (cULT, n=18) were collected and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing. The composition of microbial taxonomy and communities, species diversity, and relationships among microbial communities were elucidated by bioinformatic analysis. @*Results@#Gout patients showed less diverse gut microbiota than asHU patients. The microbiota of the asHU group exhibited a higher Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio and lower Prevotella-to-Bacteroides (P/B) ratio than the gout group; significantly, the F/B ratio increased in gout patients after ULT. Moreover, a balanced enterotype populated asHU patients compared to gout patients. Notably, the gut microbiota in asHU patients had a higher proportion of taxa with potentially anti-inflammatory effects compared to the gut microbiota in gout patients. @*Conclusion@#We found that microbial composition differs between asHU and gout patients. The differential gut microbiota in asHU patients may protect against gout development, whereas that in gout patients may have a role in gout provocation. ULT in gout patients altered the gut microbiota, and may help alleviate gout pathology and mitigate gout progression.