Pseudomonas monteilii bacteremia and sepsis following insertable cardiac monitor implantation: a case report.

Background: Insertable cardiac monitor implantation is a simple and safe procedure commonly performed in patients with embolic stroke with undetermined source. Routine periprocedural antibiotic use is not recommended, because infection rate is very low, although some local infection or gram-positive bacteremia have been reported. We report a case of Pseudomonas monteilii sepsis immediately after insertable cardiac monitor implantation.

Antibiotics use patterns in end-of-life cancer patients and medical staff's perception of antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Background/aims: While most cancer patients with end-of-life (EOL) care receive antibiotic treatments, antibiotic use should be decided appropriately considering the benefits, side effects, resistance, and cost effects. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) are important for patients with EOL care, but there is limited study analyzing actual antibiotic use in EOL care and the perceptions of Korean medical staff.

Methods: Electronic medical records of 149 deceased cancer patients hospitalized in the medical hospitalist units at Asan Medical Center in Seoul from May 2019 to September 2021 were reviewed.

Clinical Features and Risk Factors of Adrenal Insufficiency in Patients With Cancer Admitted to the Hospitalist-Managed Medical Unit.

Background: The symptoms of adrenal insufficiency (AI) overlap with the common effects of advanced cancer and chemotherapy. Considering that AI may negatively affect the overall prognosis of cancer patients if not diagnosed in a timely manner, we analyzed the incidence, risk factors, and predictive methods of AI in cancer patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 184 adult patients with malignancy who underwent a rapid adrenocorticotrophic hormone stimulation test in the medical hospitalist units of a tertiary hospital.

Risk factors for isolation of multi-drug resistant organisms in coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia: A multicenter study.

Objectives: Superimposed multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) co-infection can be associated with worse outcomes in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even if these patients were managed with strict airborne and contact precautions. Identifying risk factors for isolation of MDROs is critical to COVID-19 treatment.

Methods: All eligible adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia from 10 hospitals in the Republic of Korea between February 2020 and May 2020 were retrospectively enrolled.

Promotion of healthcare personnel vaccinations among newly employed doctors and nurses: Evidence-guided strategy.

Objective: Healthcare personnel vaccinations are important to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases in hospitals. We evaluated the seroprevalence, vaccination rates, and barriers to vaccination among newly employed nurses and doctors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a university hospital in the Republic of Korea from 2017 to 2020.

Diagnostic performance of real-time polymerase chain reaction assay on blood for invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of real-time (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on blood samples for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis in patients with suspected invasive mould infection.

Methods: Adult patients with suspected invasive mould infection were prospectively enrolled at a tertiary referral hospital in Seoul, South Korea between 2017 and 2020. Standard tests for diagnosis of invasive mould infection and RT-PCR for Aspergillus, Mucor and Rhizopus using blood samples were performed.

Clinical and Microbiological Analysis of Risk Factors for Mortality in Patients With Carbapenem-Resistant Bacteremia.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) infection is associated with significant mortality, causing worldwide concern, yet there are limited data on contributing microbiological factors. This study aimed to identify the clinical and microbiologic risk factors for mortality in CRAB bacteremia.

Methods: Adult patients with monomicrobial CRAB bacteremia in a 2700-bed tertiary hospital between December 2012 and December 2018 were retrospectively enrolled.

Clinical Course and Molecular Viral Shedding Among Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Community Treatment Center in the Republic of Korea.

Importance: There is limited information about the clinical course and viral load in asymptomatic patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Objective: To quantitatively describe SARS-CoV-2 molecular viral shedding in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A retrospective evaluation was conducted for a cohort of 303 symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 6 and March 26, 2020.

Persistent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detection after resolution of coronavirus disease 2019-associated symptoms/signs.

There are limited data on the duration of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in respiratory specimens after resolution of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated symptoms/signs. We determined duration of SARS-CoV-2 virus shedding in symptomatic patients after remission of symptoms. We investigated the duration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs or sputum or saliva.

Risk factors for mortality in patients with pulmonary mucormycosis.

Background: Pulmonary mucormycosis (PM) represents a serious burden in terms of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Studies of prognostic factors in patients with PM are limited and have involved small numbers of patients.

Methods: Adult patients diagnosed with proven and probable PM according to the modified definitions of the EORTC/MSG 2008 in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea, between 2008 and 2019 were retrospectively enrolled.

A comparison of histomorphologic diagnosis with culture- and immunohistochemistry-based diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis.

Due to the low sensitivity of mould culture, clinicians usually depend on the histomorphologic diagnosis of invasive mould infection for empirical antifungal therapy. However, definite diagnosis is not always possible based on the mould morphology. We thus compared the histomorphologic diagnosis with immunohistochemistry (IHC)- and culture-based diagnosis.

Risk factors and outcomes of patients with ocular involvement of candidemia.

Background: Ocular involvement of candidemia can result in serious complications, including vision loss. This study investigated the risk factors for ocular involvement in patients with candidemia and the outcomes of treatment.

Methods: Episodes of candidemia in hospitalized adults who underwent ophthalmic examinations within 2 weeks of candidemia onset between January 2014 and May 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.

Decellularized human periodontal ligament for periodontium regeneration.

Regenerating the periodontal ligament (PDL) is a crucial factor for periodontal tissue regeneration in the presence of traumatized and periodontally damaged teeth. Various methods have been applied for periodontal regeneration, including tissue substitutes, bioactive materials, and synthetic scaffolds. However, all of these treatments have had limited success in structural and functional periodontal tissue regeneration.

Neurocysticercosis: Clinical Characteristics and Changes from 26 Years of Experience in an University Hospital in Korea.

The prevalence of human taeniasis has decreased in Korea. The stool egg positive proportion decreased from 1.9% in 1971 to 0% in 2004 in nationwide surveys.

Relief of Upper Airway Obstruction Using a Cervical Splint for Young Patients with Cerebral Palsy.

13-year old boy with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy visited dental clinic with chief complaints of mouth breathing and malocclusion. His mouth was constantly open at the resting position, with his mandible and tongue displaced downward. He breathed through his mouth, making a constant gurgling sound, a sign of upper airway obstruction.

Diagnostic performance of the (1-3)-β-D-glucan assay in patients with Pneumocystis jirovecii compared with those with candidiasis, aspergillosis, mucormycosis, and tuberculosis, and healthy volunteers.

Background: Diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) relies on microscopic visualization of P. jirovecii, or detection of Pneumocystis DNA in respiratory specimens, which involves invasive procedures such as bronchoalveolar lavage. The (1-3)-β-D-glucan (BG) assay has been proposed as a less invasive and less expensive diagnostic test to rule out PCP.

Diagnostic usefulness of the QuantiFERON-TB gold in-tube test (QFT-GIT) for tuberculous vertebral osteomyelitis.

Background: Interferon (IFN)-γ-releasing assay for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) has shown promise; however, there are only a few reports on usefulness of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT) for diagnosing TB vertebral osteomyelitis.

Methods: All patients presenting at a tertiary hospital between January 2010 and July 2016 with suspected TB vertebral osteomyelitis were retrospectively enrolled to evaluate the diagnostic performance of QFT-GIT. We used QFT-GIT to measure the IFN-γ response to ESAT-6, CFP-10 and TB7.