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Background and Objective: In 2020, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, medical students were placed in a learning environment that exposed them to unsafe clinical settings. In this study, using a phenomenological approach, we analyze the experiences of fourth-year students in the Daegu area of South Korea, a region that experienced a high concentration of COVID-19 infections., Methods: The essays of 80 students from four medical schools who agreed to participate in the study were utilized in the final data analysis. The data were analyzed using the proposed phenomenological analysis., Results: Forty-seven condensed meaning units, twelve subthemes, and three essential themes were identified. The main theme includes the following: 1) confusion and stress due to sudden changes in the learning situation 2) learned the medical professionalism of physicians 3) reflection and internal change regarding what it means to be a physician., Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on students who participated in clinical clerkships. This study can provide baseline data for planning educational strategies and establishing a support system for students in response to the changes that they may experience in the event of the reoccurrence of a novel infectious disease in the future., (Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.)

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of partially covered self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) in benign pyloric obstruction., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 10 consecutive patients with peptic ulcer-related pyloric obstructive symptoms (gastric outlet obstruction scoring system (GOOSS) score of 1) between March 2012 and September 2013. The patients were referred to and managed by partially covered SEMS insertion in our tertiary academic center. We assessed the technical success, symptom improvement, and adverse events after stenting., Results: Early symptoms were improved just 3 d after SEMS placement in all 10 patients. The GOOSS score of all patients improved from 1 to 3. There were no serious immediate adverse events. The overall rate of being symptom free was 90% at a median of 11 mo of follow-up (range: 4-43 mo). Five patients were managed by a rescue SEMS because of failure of previous endoscopic balloon dilatation. Among them, four patients had sustained symptom improvement after the SEMS procedure. During the follow-up period, migration of the SEMS was observed in two patients (20.0%), both of whom had previous endoscopic balloon dilatation before SEMS insertion., Conclusion: Despite the small number in this study, partially covered SEMSs showed a favorable and safe outcome in the treatment of naïve benign pyloric obstruction and in salvage treatment after balloon dilatation failure.

Aim: To compare the outcomes of endoscopic resection with transanal excision in patients with early rectal cancer., Methods: Thirty-two patients with early rectal cancer were treated by transanal excision or endoscopic resection between May 1999 and December 2007. The patients were regularly re-examined by means of colonoscopy and abdominal computed tomography after resection of the early rectal cancer. Complications, length of hospital-stay, disease recurrence and follow up outcomes were assessed., Results: Sixteen patients were treated by endoscopic resection and 16 patients were treated by transanal excision. No significant differences were present in the baseline characteristics. The rate of complete resection in the endoscopic resection group was 93.8%, compared to 87.5% in the transanal excision group (P = 0.544). The mean length of hospital-stay in the endoscopic resection group was 2.7 ± 1.1 d, compared to 8.9 ± 2.7 d in the transanal excision group (P = 0.001). The median follow up was 15.0 mo (range 6-99). During the follow up period, there was no case of recurrent disease in either group., Conclusion: Endoscopic resection was a safe and effective method for the treatment of early rectal cancers and its outcomes were comparable to those of transanal excision procedures.