Development of a population pharmacokinetic model of pyrazinamide to guide personalized therapy: impacts of geriatric and diabetes mellitus on clearance.

This study was performed to develop a population pharmacokinetic model of pyrazinamide for Korean tuberculosis (TB) patients and to explore and identify the influence of demographic and clinical factors, especially geriatric diabetes mellitus (DM), on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of pyrazinamide (PZA). PZA concentrations at random post-dose points, demographic characteristics, and clinical information were collected in a multicenter prospective TB cohort study from 18 hospitals in Korea. Data obtained from 610 TB patients were divided into training and test datasets at a 4:1 ratio.

Peak oxygen uptake and respiratory muscle performance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Clinical findings and implications.

The maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is the gold standard measure of aerobic exercise capacity and is an important outcome measure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). And respiratory muscle performance is also an important functional parameter for COPD patients. In addition to the traditional respiratory muscle strength test, the Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance has recently been introduced and validated in patients with COPD.

Current status and trends of pulmonary rehabilitation in South Korea: National level data analysis using Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database from 2016 to 2018.

In South Korea, there are few studies to understand the current status of pulmonary rehabilitation in clinical practice and develop it. This study aimed to assess the current status and annual changes in the number and pattern of prescriptions for pulmonary rehabilitation before and after its insurance coverage. The trends of pulmonary rehabilitation before and after its insurance coverage commencement were evaluated using the data of 24,380 patients during the 3-year period from 2016 to 2018 that were archived by the National Health Information Database of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in South Korea.

Clinical outcomes of hyperprogression based on volumetry in non-small cell lung cancer after immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment.

Background: Hyperprogressive disease (HPD) is a novel pattern of the treatment course after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, outcomes, and associated factors of HPD using a semiautomatic volume measurement.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled patients with recurrent and/or metastatic NSCLC treated with ICIs between January 2015 and August 2019 at eight tertiary centers in Korea.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and inhalation injury recovered after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation along with direct hemoperfusion with polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column: a case report.

Background: Inhalation injury from smoke or chemical products and carbon monoxide poisoning are major causes of death in burn patients from fire accidents. Respiratory tract injuries from inhalation injury and carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome and cytokine storm syndrome. In the case of acute respiratory failure needing mechanical ventilation accompanied by cytokine storm, mortality is high and immediate adequate treatment at the emergency department is very important.

Prognostic Factors of Second-line Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients With Advanced-stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Multicenter, Retrospective Study.

Objectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the programmed cell death receptor-1 and its ligand have achieved impressive success in treating patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failed first-line cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, knowledge on clinical biomarkers that could help select patients who will respond well to second-line ICI therapy is limited.

Patients And Methods: Medical records of patients with NSCLC treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy and subsequent second-line ICI were collected from 6 medical centers between January 2018 and June 2020.

Unilateral pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis as a rare form of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia: A case report.

Background: Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) is a rare idiopathic interstitial pneumonia characterized by predominantly upper lobe involvement with pleural fibrosis and subjacent parenchymal fibrosis. Recently, there have been increasing reports of PPFE, and PPFE might coexist with other interstitial lung diseases in the lower lobe and upper lobe. However, cases of unilateral PPFE are scarce.

The Association Between Eosinophil Variability Patterns and the Efficacy of Inhaled Corticosteroids in Stable COPD Patients.

Introduction: Blood eosinophils are a predictive marker for the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). However, there is concern over whether a single measure of blood eosinophils is sufficient for outlining a treatment plan. Here, we evaluated the association between variability in blood eosinophils and the effects of ICS in stable COPD cohorts.

Usefulness of impulse oscillometry for the assessment of bronchodilator response in elderly patients with chronic obstructive airway disease.

Background: Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a noninvasive and convenient technique to measure both airway resistance and reactance. This study aimed to evaluate whether IOS can be used to measure bronchodilator response (BDR) in elderly patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and also describe the difference between asthma and COPD.

Methods: Seventy patients (30 and 40 with asthma and COPD, respectively) over 65 years of age were enrolled.

Lipoid pneumonitis in a patient with an accidental ingestion of kerosene successfully treated with bronchoscopic segmental lavage and systemic steroid: Case report.

Rationale: Standard treatment of lipoid pneumonitis remains unclear. This study reports a case of kerosene pneumonitis successfully treated with systemic steroid and segmental bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL).

Patient Concerns: A 30-year-old woman referred to our hospital because of worsening of respiratory symptoms and fever despite antibiotic therapy following accidental ingestion of kerosene.

Comparison of Preferred Bite Sites Between Mites and Ticks on Humans in Korea.

Identification of mite and tick bite sites provides important clinical information. The predominant mite species in Korea associated with scrub typhus are Leptotrombidium pallidum and Leptotrombidium scutellare The most abundant tick species is Haemaphysalis longicornis To date, there has been no comparative study on preferred bite sites between mites and ticks in humans. This study included a review of medical records and a field study.

Erratum: Tracheal Involvement in Crohn Disease: the First Case in Korea.

[This corrects the article on p. 202 in vol. 49, PMID: 26879553.

Tracheal Involvement in Crohn Disease: the First Case in Korea.

Respiratory involvement in Crohn disease (CD) is rare condition with only about a dozen reported cases. We report the first case of CD with tracheal involvement in Korea. An 18-year-old woman with CD was hospitalized because of coughing, dyspnea, and fever sustained for 3 weeks.

Two β-strands of RAGE participate in the recognition and transport of amyloid-β peptide across the blood brain barrier.

Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide is central to the development of brain pathology in Alzheimer disease (AD) patients. Association with receptors for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) enables the transport of Aβ peptide from circulating blood to human brain, and also causes the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Here we show that two β-strands of RAGE participate in the interaction with Aβ peptide.

Incidental diagnosis of the unicuspid aortic valve with ascending aortic aneurysm in an asymptomatic adult.

The unicuspid aortic valve is an extremely rare congenital anomaly. It usually presents with aortic stenosis and/or aortic regurgitation. Other cardiovascular complications, such as aortic dilatation and left ventricular hypertrophy can accompany it.

Two-year clinical outcome after abciximab-coated stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Despite abciximab-coated stents having an inhibitory effect on coronary artery restenosis, the medium-term clinical outcome is unknown.

Methods And Results: This prospective, randomized study compared the effects of the abciximab-coated stent, which was implanted in 95 patients, with those of control bare metal stents (BMS) implanted in 93 patients for de novo coronary lesions. Stent implantation was performed without any complications associated with the procedure.

Acute and subacute stent thrombosis in a patient with clopidogrel resistance: a case report.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) are considered the treatment of choice for most patients with obstructive coronary artery disease when percutaneous intervention (PCI) is feasible. However, stent thrombosis seems to occur more frequently with DES and occasionally is associated with resistance to anti-platelet drugs. We have experienced a case of recurrent stent thrombosis in a patient with clopidogrel resistance.

Association of HLA class II genes with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension in Koreans.

The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of the HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles in Korean patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and in normal controls and to determine any association that may exist between clinical characteristics of IPAH and specific HLA alleles. IPAH patients seen between October 1998 and September 2001 were retrospectively assessed, and 19 patients and 193 controls were HLA typed at the HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 loci. Clinical characteristics and hemodynamic parameters were reviewed.

Green tea extract inhibits paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis by suppression of oxidative stress and endothelin-l expression.

Paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis involves two factors, direct injury by oxygen free radicals and indirect injury by inflammatory cells and fibroblasts. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) has been shown to act as a mediator of pulmonary fibrosis, and its formation increases during oxidative stress. We investigated whether green tea extract (GTE), which has antioxidant properties, inhibits paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis and whether ET-1 is involved in this process.