Clinical Presentation and Outcomes of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in the Republic of Korea.

Background: From May to July 2015, the Republic of Korea experienced the largest outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outside the Arabian Peninsula. A total of 186 patients, including 36 deaths, had been diagnosed with MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection as of September 30th, 2015.

Materials And Methods: We obtained information of patients who were confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor solitary distant recurrence in the left brachialis muscle.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract that are most commonly found in the stomach. Although GISTs can spread to the liver and peritoneum, metastasis to the skeletal muscle is very rare and only four cases have previously been reported. These cases involved concurrent skeletal metastases of primary GISTs or liver metastases.

Anti-anaerobic coverage is not necessary for Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess: a propensity score-matched cohort study.

Although most Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscesses have been reported to be monomicrobial, clinical outcomes have not been compared between antimicrobial therapy with and without anti-anaerobic coverage. A propensity score-matched cohort study was conducted using the 731 cases of K. pneumoniae liver abscess.

Nasal deformity due to tuberculous chondritis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a common disease worldwide. However, nasal TB is quite rare, and the diagnosis of nasal TB requires a high index of suspicion. The most common symptoms of this unusual presentation are nasal obstruction and nasal discharge.

Clinical experience of tigecycline treatment in infections caused by extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter spp.

Background: Tigecycline has broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and is approved for complicated intra-abdominal infections, complicated skin and soft tissue infections, and community-acquired pneumonia. There are few data on clinical experience of tigecycline in hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and Acinetobacter spp. infection.

Usefulness of C-reactive protein for evaluating clinical outcomes in cirrhotic patients with bacteremia.

Background/aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of initial C-reactive protein (CRP) as a predictor of clinical outcome and to investigate whether follow-up CRP measurement is useful for the prediction of the clinical outcome of bloodstream infections in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), whose CRP production in response to infection may be attenuated.

Methods: A retrospective, observational study including 202 LC patients with Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia was conducted to assess the usefulness of serial CRP measurements in predicting clinical outcome in LC patients. The CRP ratio was defined as the ratio of the follow-up CRP level to the initial CRP level.

Concurrent nocardia related brain abscess and semi-invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient.

We describe here the first case of a concurrent brain abscess caused by Norcardia spp. and semi-invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient. After one year of appropriate antimicrobial therapy and surgical drainage of the brain abscess, the nocardia brain abscess and pulmonary aspergillosis have resolved.

Impact of de-escalation therapy on clinical outcomes for intensive care unit-acquired pneumonia.

Introduction: De-escalation therapy is a strategy currently used for the management of nosocomial pneumonia. In this study, we evaluated clinical outcomes and risk factors related to de-escalation therapy in patients with intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired pneumonia.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study of ICU patients who developed pneumonia more than 48 hours after admission to the ICU at Samsung Medical Center from September 2004 to December 2007.

Clinical outcome of catheter salvage in neutropenic cancer patients with catheter-related infection.

Background: Catheter-related infections (CRI) cause significant morbidity and mortality in cancer patients, particularly during episodes of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. This study was performed to evaluate clinical features and outcomes of CRI in neutropenic cancer patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical characteristics and outcome of febrile neutropenic cancer patients with CRI who visited the emergency department from January 1996 to June 2007.

Clinical factors predicting bacteremia in low-risk febrile neutropenia after anti-cancer chemotherapy.

Purpose: Bacteremia is an important clinical condition in febrile neutropenia that can cause clinical failure of antimicrobial therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical factors predictive of bacteremia in low-risk febrile neutropenia at initial patient evaluation.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study in a university hospital in Seoul, Korea, between May 1995 and May 2007.

Impact of inappropriate antimicrobial therapy on outcome in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter baumannii.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of inappropriate antimicrobial therapy on the outcome of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) caused by Acinetobacter baumannii.

Methods: All cases of HAP caused by A. baumannii from January 2000 to March 2006 at the Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) were analyzed retrospectively.

Clinical significance and outcome of nosocomial acquisition of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background: There have been few reports on the causes and treatment outcomes for nosocomial spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study to compare the microbiological and clinical characteristics in nosocomial versus community-acquired SBP. All patients with SBP, for whom culture was proven to be positive for SBP at Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, Republic of Korea) from 1 January 2000 through 31 June 2007, were included.

A case of granular cell tumor of the trachea.

A 20-year-old man presented to our outpatient clinic with hemoptysis, cough, and pleuritic chest pain. His chest radiograph and pulmonary function tests (PFT) were normal. A bronchoscopy showed a small yellowish patch with a regular surface.