Social Inequities in the Survival of Liver Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Korea, 2007-2017.

BACKGROUND: To analyze the effects of socioeconomic status (type of insurance and income level) and cancer stage on the survival of patients with liver cancer in Korea. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was constructed using data from the Healthcare Big Data Platform project in Korea between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2017. A total of 143,511 patients in Korea diagnosed with liver cancer (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision [ICD-10] codes C22, C220, and C221) were followed for an average of 11 years. Of these, 110,443 died. The patient's insurance type and income level were used as indicators of socioeconomic status. Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a Cox proportional hazards regression model to analyze the relationship between the effects of sex, age, and cancer stage at first diagnosis (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and the End Results; SEER), type of insurance, and income level on the survival of patients with liver cancer. The interactive effects of the type of insurance, income level, and cancer stage on liver cancer death were also analyzed. RESULTS: The lowest income group (medical aid) showed a higher risk for mortality (HR (95% CI); 1.37 (1.27-1.47) for all patients, 1.44 (1.32-1.57) for men, and 1.16 (1.01-1.34) for women) compared to the highest income group (1-6) among liver cancer (ICD-10 code C22) patients. The risk of liver cancer death was also higher in the lowest income group with a distant cancer stage (SEER = 7) diagnosis than for any other group. CONCLUSION: Liver cancer patients with lower socioeconomic status and more severe cancer stages were at greater risk of death. Reducing social inequalities is needed to improve mortality rates among patients in lower social class groups who present with advanced cancer.

Study Protocol for a Hospital-to-Home Transitional Care for Older Adults Hospitalized with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in South Korea: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory condition characterized by persistent inflammation in the airways, resulting in narrowing and obstruction of the air passages. The development of COPD is primarily attributed to long-term exposure to irritants, such as cigarette smoke and environmental pollutants. Among individuals hospitalized for exacerbations of COPD, approximately one in five is readmitted within 30 days of discharge or encounters immediate post-discharge complications, highlighting a lack of adequate preparedness for self-management. To address this inadequate preparedness, transitional care services (TCS) have emerged as a promising approach. Therefore, this study primarily aims to present a detailed protocol for a multi-site, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) aimed at enhancing self-management competency and overall quality of life for patients with COPD through the provision of TCS, facilitated by a proficient Clinical Research Coordinator. The RCT intervention commenced in September 2022 and is set to conclude in December 2024, with a total of 362 COPD patients anticipated to be enrolled in the study. The intervention program encompasses various components, including an initial assessment during hospitalization, comprehensive self-management education, facilitation of social welfare connections, post-discharge home visits, and regular telephone monitoring. Furthermore, follow-up evaluations are conducted at both one month and three months after discharge to assess the effectiveness of the intervention in terms of preventing re-hospitalization, reducing acute exacerbations, and enhancing disease awareness among participants. The results of this study are expected to provide a basis for the development of TCS fee payment policies for future health insurance.

Prevalence and incidence of comorbid diseases and mortality risk associated with lichen planopilaris: a Korean nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Various comorbid diseases have been reported in patients with lichen planopilaris (LPP); however, data regarding the risks of incident diseases and mortality are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risks of incident diseases and mortality associated with LPP. METHODS: This was a retrospective nationwide population-based study, using data from the National Health Insurance Service Database of Korea from 2002 to 2019. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with three or more documented medical visits for LPP were included. The adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for incident disease outcomes and mortality were compared with 1 : 20 age-, sex-, insurance type- and income-level-matched controls. RESULTS: In total, 2026 patients with LPP and 40 520 controls were analysed. The risks of incident systemic lupus erythematosus [aHR 1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-3.03], psoriasis (aHR 3.42, 95% CI 2.83-4.14), rheumatoid arthritis (aHR 1.39, 95% CI 1.19-1.63), lichen planus (aHR, 10.07, 95% CI 7.17-14.15), atopic dermatitis (aHR 2.15, 95% CI 1.90-2.44), allergic rhinitis (aHR 1.29, 95% CI 1.13-1.49), thyroid diseases (hyperthyroidism: aHR 1.42, 95% CI 1.14-1.77, hypothyroidism aHR 1.19 95% CI 1.01-1.41, and thyroiditis: aHR, 1.35, 95% CI 1.08-1.69), nonmelanoma skin cancer (aHR 2.33, 95% CI 1.00-5.44) and vitamin D deficiency (aHR 1.23, 95% CI 1.03-1.47) were higher in patients with LPP. Patients with LPP had a higher mortality rate than controls (aHR 1.30, 95% CI 1.04-1.61), although the risk was not significant after adjusting for comorbidities (aHR 1.08, 95% CI 0.87-1.34). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with LPP had a higher risk of various diseases following LPP diagnosis. Close follow-up is needed to optimize comprehensive patient care.

Outcomes of cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis with severe varus deformity.

BACKGROUND: Varus deformity is common in osteoarthritic knee. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiographic outcomes after cruciate-retaining (CR) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for severely varus osteoarthritic knees and compare them to those of mildly to moderately deformed osteoarthritic knees. METHODS: Eight hundred ninety-four subjects were undergone CR TKA, 137 had severe varus deformity (group 1), and 757 had mild-to-moderate deformity (group 2) of the lower limb preoperatively. Pre- and postoperative outcomes were compared between two groups clinically and radiographically. RESULTS: Mean follow-up period was 54.7 ± 28.9 months. Mean age was 77.8 ± 6.7 years in group 1 and 74.5 ± 7.4 years in group 2 (p < 0.001). Preoperative hip-knee-ankle angle (HKAA) was - 17.7°±2.9° in group 1 and - 6.3° ± 5.1° in group 2 (p < 0.001). Preoperative range of motion (ROM) was 127.7° ± 15.2° in group 1 and 130.8 °± 9.6° in group 2 (p = 0.019). Preoperative Knee Society scores and WOMAC score were not significantly different between two groups. Postoperative HKAA was - 0.4° ± 2.3° in group 1 and 0.6 ° ± 2.0° in group 2 (p < 0.001). Postoperative ROM, Knee Society scores, and WOMAC score were not significantly different between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: CR TKA showed results in subjects with severe varus deformities comparable to those without severe varus deformities. Whether the degree of preoperative varus deformity of the lower limb should be considered when deciding to perform CR-type or PS-type TKA requires further discussion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective comparative study, Level III.

The Learning Curve of Subaxial Cervical Pedicle Screw Placement: How Can We Avoid Neurovascular Complications in the Initial Period?

BACKGROUND: Despite the biomechanical benefits of subaxial cervical pedicle screw (CPS) placement, possible neurovascular complications, including vertebral artery and nerve root injury, are of great concern. We have demonstrated many times the safety and efficacy of CPS deployments, even when using freehand technology. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the learning curve of CPS placement to determine the number of cases necessary for assuring safe CPS placement and to identify a reasonable accuracy rate. METHODS: From March 2012 to August 2018, a single surgeon performed posterior cervical fusion surgery using CPS placement on 162 consecutive patients. We classified whole surgical periods, 6 years, into 4 periods. We analyzed the screw breach rate, lateral mass screw conversion (LMSC) rate, and reposition rate. We also compared the CPS placement accuracy in the initial 15, 20, and 30 patients with the other 147, 142, and 132 patients, respectively, to assess the number of procedures necessary to reach the learning curve plateau and to identify a reasonable accuracy rate. RESULT: The total number of planned CPS placements was 979. Our learning curve showed that the breach rate plateaus at 3% to 4%. The necessary numbers for safe and accurate CPS placement during learning curve were 30 patients and 170 screws. None of the patients undergoing CPS developed a neurologic or vascular complication. CONCLUSION: By following our 5 safety steps, the steady state for safety and accuracy can be reached without neurovascular complications even in the initial period of the learning curve.

Symptomatic adjacent segment degeneration at the L3-4 level after fusion surgery at the L4-5 level: evaluation of the risk factors and 10-year incidence.

PURPOSE: There have been few studies on revision surgery for clinically symptomatic adjacent segment degeneration (CASD). We aimed to find the incidence of revision surgery due to CASD and to analyze the factors that affected CASD at the L3-4 level after L4-5 or L4-5-S1 level fusion surgery over a long-term follow-up period. METHODS: Between January 2001 and October 2009, fusion surgeries were performed on 401 patients with spondylolisthesis at the L4-5 or L4-5-S1 level; 378 patients were followed up for a minimum of 2 years. We assessed CASD-free survival using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. We also analyzed factors affecting the development of CASD, including sex, age, pelvic incidence, overall lordosis, segmental lordosis, lamina inclination angle, facet tropism, and the extent of disc and facet degeneration. Isthmic spondylolisthesis treated using total laminectomy or degenerative spondylolisthesis treated using subtotal laminectomy and interbody fusion (IBF) or posterolateral fusion (PLF) were also included in the risk factor analysis. The difference in disc height before and after initial surgery was also analyzed, as was inclusion of the sacrum in the fusion level. RESULTS: Fusion extension surgery was performed on 33 of these patients due to CASD at the L3-4 level during the follow-up period. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated 3-, 5-, and 10-year disease-free survival rates of 99.20, 96.71, and 76.93 %. Statistically significant factors affecting CASD included old age, low overall lordosis, low segmental lordosis, progression of facet degeneration, total laminectomy-treated isthmic spondylolisthesis, and PLF-alone rather than IBF alone or IBF + PLF. CONCLUSION: We determined six significant factors affecting CASD development. Among these risk factors, facet degeneration, isthmic-type spondylolisthesis, and the type of fusion show higher hazard ratios and seem to be clinically more relevant than the other three factors (age, overall lordosis, and segmental lordosis).

Gene-transferring efficiencies of novel diamino cationic lipids with varied hydrocarbon chains.

Utilizing three biocompatible components, a series of novel cationic lipids has been chemically synthesized and tested for their gene-transferring capabilities in 293 transformed kidney cells and B16BL6 mouse melanoma cells. The synthesized cationic lipids consisting of a core of lysine and aspartic acid with hydrocarbon chains of varied length were assigned the acronyms DLKD (O,O'-dilauryl N-lysylaspartate), DMKD (O,O'-dimyristyl N-lysylaspartate), DPKD (O,O'-dipalmityl N-lysylaspartate), and DSKD (O,O'-distearyl N-lysylaspartate). The gene-transferring capabilities of these cationic lipids were found to be dependent on the hydrocarbon chain length. Under similar experimental conditions, the order of gene transfection efficiency was DMKD > DLKD > DPKD > DSKD. Addition of cholesterol or dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) as a colipid did not change this order. Colipid addition affected the transfection efficiency positively or negatively depending on the length of the cationic lipid acyl chain. On the whole, the length of the hydrophobic carbon chain was a major factor governing the gene-transferring capabilities of this series of cationic lipids. The observed differences in transfection efficiency may be due to differing binding affinities to DNA molecules as well as differences in the surface charge potential of the liposome-DNA complexes (lipoplexes) in the aqueous environment.