Usefulness of Impulse Oscillometry in Predicting the Severity of Bronchiectasis.

Background: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease that leads to airway inflammation, destruction, and airflow limitation, which reflects its severity. Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a non-invasive method that uses sound waves to estimate lung function and airway resistance. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of IOS in predicting the severity of bronchiectasis.

Biomarker-Based Assessment Model for Detecting Sepsis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

The concept of the quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) simplifies sepsis detection, and the next SOFA should be analyzed subsequently to diagnose sepsis. However, it does not include the concept of suspected infection. Thus, we simply developed a biomarker-based assessment model for detecting sepsis (BADS).

Clinical impact of pneumothorax in patients with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia and respiratory failure in an HIV-negative cohort.

Background: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) with acute respiratory failure can result in development of pneumothorax during treatment. This study aimed to identify the incidence and related factors of pneumothorax in patients with PCP and acute respiratory failure and to analyze their prognosis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the occurrence of pneumothorax, including clinical characteristics and results of other examinations, in 119 non-human immunodeficiency virus patients with PCP and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilator treatment in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary-care center between July 2016 and April 2019.

Decreased annual risk of tuberculosis infection in South Korean healthcare workers using interferon-gamma release assay between 1986 and 2005.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) has been a major public health problem in South Korea. Although TB notification rate in Korea is gradually decreasing, still highest among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. To effectively control TB, understanding the TB epidemiology such as prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and annual risk of TB infection (ARI) are important.

The ratio of plasma angiopoietin-2 to angiopoietin-1 as a prognostic biomarker in patients with sepsis.

Background: We aimed to investigate the role of angiopoietin (Angpt) as a predictive biomarker for sepsis by evaluating associations between plasma Angpt and various inflammatory cytokines and mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study of the prospectively collected samples and clinical data of 145 patients with sepsis who were admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) of a 2000-bed university tertiary referral hospital in South Korea. We collected plasma within 24 h of medical ICU admission, and several biomarkers (Angpt-1 and -2, Tie2, vascular endothelial growth factor, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, IL-18, IL-6, interferon gamma-induced protein-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α) were measured using a Human Magnetic Luminex Screening Assay kit.

Synergistic Effect of Sulindac and Simvastatin on Apoptosis in Lung Cancer A549 Cells through AKT-Dependent Downregulation of Survivin.

Purpose: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and statins are potential chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agents. The mechanism underlying the deregulation of survivin by NSAIDs and statins in human non-small cell lung cancer cells has not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the synergistic interaction of sulindac and simvastatin in lung cancer A549 cells.

The prognosis of patients with lung cancer admitted to the medical intensive care unit.

Aims: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Despite their poor prognosis, patients with lung cancer are increasingly being admitted to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) for treatment of critical illnesses. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of patients with lung cancer who are admitted to an MICU and to identify the measurable predictors of their MICU outcome.

Clostridium difficile Infection in lung cancer patients.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common nosocomial infection. Lung cancer patients have a high risk of developing CDI because of continuous antibiotic treatment or chemotherapy, prolonged hospitalization, and general weakness. This study aimed to analyze predisposing or associated risk factors for CDI in lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Elevated prx1 provides resistance to docetaxel, but is not associated with predictive significance in lung cancer.

Background: This study was conducted in order to elucidate the effects of docetaxel on the growth of peroxiredoxin 1 (Prx1) knockdown A549 xenograft tumors and further tested the role of Prx1 as a predictor for how a patient would respond to docetaxel treatment.

Methods: Effects of docetaxel on the growth of scrambled- and shPrx1-infected A549 xenograft tumors in nude mice were measured. Moreover, immunohistochemical expression of Prx1 was evaluated in paraffin-embedded tissues from 24 non-small cell lung cancer patients who had received docetaxel-cisplatin regimens as a first-line treatment.

Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the pleura.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma, a type of sarcoma, is a malignant neoplasm with uncertain origin that arises in both the soft tissues and the bone. The occurrence of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the pleura is extremely rare. We report a case of a 65-year-old Korean man who is being diagnosed with primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the pleura.

Diagnostic value and prognostic significance of pleural C-reactive protein in lung cancer patients with malignant pleural effusions.

Purpose: C-reactive protein (CRP) has been implicated in various inflammatory and advanced malignant states. Increased serum CRP (s-CRP) levels have been shown to be associated with independent prognostic factors for survival in patients with advanced lung cancer. However, only few studies have focused on the role of CRP in pleural effusions.