This study investigated the status quo of systematic reviews published in major journals in Korea from the perspective of protocol registration and adopting the grading of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) system.We examined systematic reviews published in Korea's top 15 medical journals from 2018 to 2021. Teams of 2 reviewers assessed the studies' eligibility criteria and extracted data independently and in duplicate. We collected information on study characteristics, protocol registration, and GRADE use of the included reviews, and reviewed the "Instructions for Authors" of the selected journals to assess any guidance related to systematic reviews.Out of the 126 identified reviews, 18 (14.3%) reported that they registered or published their protocol. Only 5 (4.0%) rated the certainty of evidence; and all 5 used the GRADE system. Only 6 of 15 journals mentioned systematic reviews in their "Instructions for Authors." Six journals endorsed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework for systematic review reporting (2 mandatory, 3 recommended, and 1 unclear). None of the journals included mentioned protocol registration or certainty of evidence in their authors' guidelines.Overall, the proportion of systematic reviews that had prior protocol registration or used the GRADE approach to rate the certainty of evidence was very low. Our study highlights the need for adherence to systematic review standards in medical journals in Korea, including prior protocol registration and certainty of evidence assessment. Our review will help improve the quality of systematic reviews in Korea.
Colorectal neoplasms are prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, the safety and efficacy of colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) are not well understood. This retrospective analysis included ESD procedures performed in 1266 patients with CKD across five tertiary medical institutions from January 2015 to December 2020. Patients were categorized based on their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which ranged from CKD1 to CKD5 (including those on dialysis). We found that en bloc resection rates remained high across all CKD stages, affirming the procedural efficacy of ESD. Notably, the prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities, such as ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, significantly increased with an advancing CKD stage, with a corresponding increase in the Charlson Comorbidity Index, highlighting the complexity of managing these patients. Despite these challenges, the complete resection rate was lower in the CKD5 group (50%) than in the CKD1 group (83.4%); however, procedural complications, such as perforation and bleeding, did not significantly differ among the groups. The predictive models for complete resection and major complications showed no significant changes with a decreasing eGFR. These findings underscore that ESD is a feasible and safe treatment for colorectal neoplasms in patients with CKD, successfully balancing the inherent procedural risks with clinical benefits.
Background/Aim: The aging population has been growing gradually; therefore, the proportion of elderly patients undergoing colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has also been increasing. However, there is a lack of large-scale studies on the efficacy and safety of colorectal ESD in elderly patients. Patients and Methods: This retrospective analysis evaluated colorectal ESDs performed at five tertiary medical institutions between January 2015 and December 2020. Patients were categorized into the following four age groups: Middle-aged (<65 years), young-elderly (≥65 to <75 years), mid-elderly (≥75 to <85 years), and very elderly (≥85 years). Of the 1,446 patients included, 668 (46.2%), 466 (32.2%), 293 (20.3%), and 19 (1.3%) were in the middle-aged, young-elderly, mid-elderly, and very-elderly groups, respectively. Results: Compared to younger patients, more older patients used aspirin, clopidogrel, and anti-thrombotic agents. Additionally, the Charlson comorbidity index increased significantly with increasing age. However, no significant differences were observed in the complete resection rates nor the rates of complications, such as perforation, bleeding, and post-ESD coagulation syndrome, among the different age groups. A restricted cubic spline curve was used to construct predictive models for complete resection and major complications based on age and showed that the need for complete resection did not decrease with increasing age. Furthermore, major complications did not significantly differ with age progression. Conclusion: Colorectal ESD should be actively considered as a relatively safe and effective treatment method for elderly patients.
Two modulus, strain modulus and subgrade reaction modulus are being used as a standard for bearing stiffness in Korea Railroad design. The first is used in Europe and the other is used in Japan. The methodologies to obtain the two modulus are similar in using plate. But testing methods are different in loading to plate. Therefore, according to soil strain range, there should be large gap in not only computations of deformation modulus but also the necessary time to test. At first, this paper focuses on the two kinds of test methods to evaluate bearing stiffness. Secondly, based on elastic theory, the theory to obtain the two coefficients are studied thoroughly. Finally, the correlations between the two coefficients were analyzed and evaluated based on the field test results more than 38 places. The matching values for subgrade and ground between and are proposed with the consideration of the proposed strain reduction factor (1.5 for subgrade and 3 for ground) and safety factor, respectively.
Acute ischemic stroke is a major health burden worldwide and mechanical thrombectomy is the treatment of choice for large-vessel occlusion stroke. This study aimed to evaluate the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and the likelihood of receiving mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke.A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted using the National Emergency Department Information System database. Patients who were diagnosed with ischemic stroke in the emergency department (ED) within 24 h of symptom onset between 2018 and 2021 were included. The neighborhood SES index was measured at the county level using property tax per capita, education level, and the proportions of single families and single-parent households. The study population was divided into quartiles based on the neighborhood SES index. The study outcome was mechanical thrombectomy. Multilevel multivariable logistic regression was performed. An interaction analysis between mental status at the ED triage and neighborhood SES was also performed.Among the 196,007 patients, 8968 (4.6%) underwent mechanical thrombectomy. Compared with the affluent group, the deprived-middle and deprived groups were less likely to receive mechanical thrombectomy; the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) were 1.00 (0.92-1.09), 0.82 (0.74-0.91), and 0.82 (0.72-0.93) for the affluent-middle, deprived-middle, and deprived groups, respectively. Altered mental status at the ED triage strengthened the association between neighborhood SES and the likelihood of receiving mechanical thrombectomy (adjusted ORs [95% CIs] 0.85 [0.81-0.89] for the affluent-middle to deprived-middle group and 0.66 [0.65-0.66] for deprived groups, p-value for interaction < 0.05).For patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke at the ED, low neighborhood SES is associated with low odds of receiving mechanical thrombectomy. Public health strategies should be developed to resolve these disparities and to decrease the health care burden of acute ischemic stroke.
Background: Sedentary behavior has emerged as a major public health issue threatening the health of the Korean young adults. The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of health-related lifestyle on sedentary behavior in young adults.
Methods: The subjects were 191 young adults who were 19-25 years old. A structured questionnaire was used to investigate the subjects’ sex, age, family history of illness, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, daily average sleep time, breakfast habit, physical activity, and sedentary time. The collected data were analyzed by mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple logistic regression.
Results: There were statistically significant differences in sedentary behavior by age (F=4.024, p=.019), smoking (F=9.114, p=.000), and alcohol consumption (F=4.102, p=.018). The factors affecting sedentary behavior in young adults were smoking (s=.214, p=.003) and alcohol consumption (s=.176, p=.014).
Conclusion: The study results suggest that a program should be developed taking into account lifestyle habits like smoking and drinking to reduce sedentary behavior in young adults.
Young Sin Cho, Yoo Jin Lee, Jeong Eun Shin, Hye-Kyung Jung, Seon-Young Park, Seung Joo Kang, Kyung Ho Song, Jung-Wook Kim, Hyun Chul Lim, Hee Sun Park, Seong-Jung Kim, Ra Ri Cha, Ki Bae Bang, Chang Seok Bang, Sung Kyun Yim, Seung-Bum Ryoo, Bong Hyeon Kye, Woong Bae Ji, Miyoung Choi, In-Kyung Sung, and Suck Chei Choi,; the Korean Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2023;29:271-305. https://doi.org/10.5056/jnm23066
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