Association between mechanical power and intensive care unit mortality in Korean patients under pressure-controlled ventilation.

Background: Mechanical power (MP) has been reported to be associated with clinical outcomes. Because the original MP equation is derived from paralyzed patients under volume-controlled ventilation, its application in practice could be limited in patients receiving pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV). Recently, a simplified equation for patients under PCV was developed.

A case of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor producing lung adenocarcinoma with anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangements.

A 49-year-old woman was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, stage IIIB, with increased leukocytes and neutrophils. Positron emission tomography showed dense uptake in right lung, but not in the bone marrow or bone. Biopsy revealed positive anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( gene rearrangements.

Methylprednisolone pulse therapy for critically ill patients with COVID-19: a cohort study.

Background: The guidelines recommend the use of dexamethasone 6 mg or an equivalent dose in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who require supplemental oxygen. Given that the severity of COVID-19 varies, we investigated the effect of a pulse dose of corticosteroids on the clinical course of critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective cohort study was conducted between September and December 2021, which was when the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus was predominant.

Comparison of clinical features and prognosis in patients with cryptogenic and secondary organizing pneumonia.

Background: Organizing pneumonia (OP) can be diagnosed pathologically, and cryptogenic OP (COP) and secondary OP (SOP) have been classified by cause and particular underlying context. Because it is clinically difficult to differentiate between COP and SOP, this study investigated characteristics that could distinguish between COP and SOP.

Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent lung biopsy for a diagnosis of OP at a single tertiary hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.

Prognostic Implication of Baseline Sarcopenia for Length of Hospital Stay and Survival in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: The impact of sarcopenia on clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not clearly determined yet. We aimed to investigate the association between baseline sarcopenia and clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: All hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 who had baseline chest computed tomography (CT) scans at a Korean university hospital from February 2020 to May 2020 were included.

Clinical features and prognostic factors of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea: A multi-center retrospective study.

To describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea, and to explore the risk factors for in-hospital mortality in these patients.Retrospective cohort study of 110 critically ill patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU in Daegu, South Korea, between February 18 and April 5, 2020. The final date of follow-up was April 20, 2020.

Experience of percutaneous tracheostomy in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious disease that causes respiratory failure. Tracheostomy is an essential procedure in critically ill COVID-19 patients; however, it is an aerosol-generating technique and thus carries the risk of infection transmission. We report our experience with percutaneous tracheostomy and its safety in a real medical setting.

Pulmonary tuberculosis presenting secondary organizing pneumonia with organized polypoid granulation tissue: case series and review of the literature.

Background: Secondary organizing pneumonia (SOP) is difficult to distinguish from cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) considering various clinical situations. SOP caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is rare; indeed, it has not been reported as a sequela of disseminated tuberculosis.

Methods: From January 2016 to December 2018, we identified six cases of tuberculosis-associated SOP in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis was revealed by microbiological examination; one of the cases was miliary tuberculosis.

Normothermia in Patients With Sepsis Who Present to Emergency Departments Is Associated With Low Compliance With Sepsis Bundles and Increased In-Hospital Mortality Rate.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of normothermia on compliance with sepsis bundles and in-hospital mortality in patients with sepsis who present to emergency departments.

Design: Retrospective multicenter observational study.

Patients: Nineteen university-affiliated hospitals of the Korean Sepsis Alliance participated in this study.

Clinical Significance of Timing of Intubation in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: A Multi-Center Retrospective Study.

The effect of intubation timing on the prognosis of critically ill patients with coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is not yet well understood. We investigated whether early intubation is associated with the survival of COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This multicenter, retrospective, observational study was done on 47 adult COVID-19 patients with ARDS who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in Daegu, Korea between February 17 and April 23, 2020.

Lopinavir-ritonavir versus hydroxychloroquine for viral clearance and clinical improvement in patients with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019.

Background/aims: The efficacies of lopinavir-ritonavir or hydroxychloroquine remain to be determined in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To compare the virological and clinical responses to lopinavir-ritonavir and hydroxychloroquine treatment in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with COVID-19 treated with lopinavir-ritonavir or hydroxychloroquine at a single center in Korea from February 17 to March 31, 2020.

Characteristics, management and clinical outcomes of patients with sepsis: a multicenter cohort study in Korea.

Background: Mortality rates associated with sepsis have increased progressively in Korea, but domestic epidemiologic data remain limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, management and clinical outcomes of sepsis patients in Korea.

Methods: This study is a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Utility of Radial Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Lung Biopsy in Diffuse Lung Lesions.

Background: Radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) is widely used for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions. However, the utility of R-EBUS-guided transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) for diffuse lung lesions (DLLs) remains unknown. We designed this study to evaluate the utility of R-EBUS-guided TBLB in DLLs.

Effectiveness and Safety of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Delivery during Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Acute Respiratory Failure Patients.

Background: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a necessary procedure for diagnosis of various lung diseases. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen delivery was recently introduced. This study aimed to investigate the safety and effectiveness of HFNC oxygen supply during BAL procedure in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF).

Mistletoe (Viscum album) extract targets Axl to suppress cell proliferation and overcome cisplatin- and erlotinib-resistance in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Background: Mistletoe extract of Visucm album extract (VAE) contains many biologically active components and has been reported to be not only a complementary and alternative medicine, but also a potent therapeutic agent for many types of cancer.

Purpose: In this study, we examined the effect of VAE on expression and activation of Axl and scrutinized the involvement of Axl in the anti-cancer activity of VAE in parental and chemo-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.

Methods: The levels of Axl protein and mRNA were determined by Western blot analysis and RT-PCR, respectively.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis associated with azathioprine therapy in a patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory granulomas and necrotizing small-vessel vasculitis, primarily affects the respiratory tract and kidneys. Azathioprine (AZA) is a purine analog that is commonly used for maintaining GPA remission after induction therapy with cyclophosphamide. While the dose-dependent side effects of AZA are common and well known, hypersensitivity reactions such as pulmonary toxicity are rare.

Choice between Levofloxacin and Moxifloxacin and Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes.

Rationale: We previously showed that the choice of levofloxacin or moxifloxacin for the treatment of patients with fluoroquinolone-sensitive multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) did not affect sputum culture conversion at 3 months of treatment.

Objectives: To compare final treatment outcomes between patients with MDR-TB randomized to levofloxacin or moxifloxacin.

Methods: A total of 151 participants with MDR-TB who were included for the final analysis in our previous trial were followed through the end of treatment.

History of pneumonia is a strong risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation in South Korea: the Epidemiologic review and Prospective Observation of COPD and Health in Korea (EPOCH) study.

Background: In South Korea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the ten leading causes of death. COPD exacerbations are significantly associated with mortality in COPD patients. This study was conducted to investigate the epidemiology of COPD in South Korea, specifically the clinical characteristics of South Korean COPD patients, the COPD exacerbation rate and the risk factors associated with COPD exacerbations.

Curcumin-induced downregulation of Axl receptor tyrosine kinase inhibits cell proliferation and circumvents chemoresistance in non-small lung cancer cells.

Lung cancer is still in the first place in terms of both incidence and mortality. In the present study, we demonstrated the effect of curcumin, a phytochemical of the plant Curcuma longa, on expression and activation of Axl receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) which plays an important role in cell survival, proliferation and anti-apoptosis. Curcumin treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 and H460 cells, was found to decrease Axl protein as well as mRNA levels in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Clinical demographics and outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients in Korean intensive care units.

Knowledge of clinical demographics and outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients is important but there are few prospectively collected data in Korea. The objective of the present study was to describe the current status of mechanically ventilated patients in Korea as of 2010. We analyzed the data of Korean patients (275 patients in 12 Korean intensive care units [ICU]) participating in a multinational prospective cohort study on mechanical ventilation.

Axl receptor tyrosine kinase is a novel target of apigenin for the inhibition of cell proliferation.

The Axl receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), along with Tyro 3 and Mer, belongs to the TAM subfamily that promotes survival, stimulates proliferation and/or inhibits apoptosis. In various types of human cancer, including breast, lung and prostate cancer, Axl expression is increased and correlates with an advanced clinical stage. In this study, we examined whether apigenin has an effect on Axl expression, which in turn can affect cell proliferation.