Clinical characteristics and the usefulness of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test in hematologic patients with hepatic or splenic lesions.

Background/aims: Hepatic or splenic lesions in hematologic patients are not defined well because they are not easy to evaluate due to limitations of invasive procedures. Management typically depends on the clinical diagnosis with few microbiological data.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of consecutive hematologic patients with hepatic or splenic lesions in the infectious diseases unit from April 2009 to December 2010 at the Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center in Korea.

Systemic and local impact of glucose and glucose degradation products in peritoneal dialysis solution.

The main osmotic agent used in the peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution is glucose because of its great osmotic power, simple metabolism, and safety. Once into the systemic circulation, however, glucose can be a cause for metabolic complications including hyperglycemia, obesity, and dyslipidemia. The glucose absorbed from peritoneal cavity leads to insulin resistance and hyperglycemia, which is associated with oxidative stress.

CYP3A and ABCB1 genetic polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of tacrolimus and its metabolites (M-I and M-III).

Background: We prospectively studied renal transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus to determine the relationship between the CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and ABCB1 genetic polymorphisms and the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of tacrolimus and its metabolites.

Methods: Renal transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus were genotyped for CYP3A4*4, CYP3A4*5, CYP3A4*18, CYP3A5*3, ABCB1 c.1236C→T, ABCB1 c.

A case of chronic periaortitis with retroperitoneal fibrosis.

A 73-year-old man with a history of hypertension and ascending aortic dissection was hospitalized for aggravated abdominal pain and general ache for 3 months. Follow-up CT showed aggravated abdominal aortic hematoma with aneurysm, atherosclerotic periaortitis and bilateral hydronephrosis. An initial laboratory finding showed elevated levels of inflammatory markers and renal dysfunction.

Prognosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with hematologic diseases in Korea.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate therapeutic outcomes and assess factors associated with therapeutic outcomes in hematologic patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA).

Methods: We analyzed all consecutive cases of IPA in adults with hematologic diseases from January 2008 to January 2009 at a Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Center in Seoul, Korea.

Results: A total of 54 patients were identified.

Impact of gene polymorphisms of interleukin-18, transforming growth factor-β, and vascular endothelial growth factor on development of IgA nephropathy and thin glomerular basement membrane disease.

Background: We investigated the effects of gene polymorphisms on the development of IgA nephropathy and thin glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease by analyzing polymorphisms in the interleukin (IL)-18, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) genes in Korean patients.

Methods: This study included 146 normal individuals and 69 biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy and 44 thin GBM disease patients. The gene polymorphisms -607 A/C and -137 G/C in IL-18, -509C/T and T869C in TGF-β, and -2578C/A and 405C/G in VEGF were investigated in DNA extracted from peripheral blood.

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in patients with neutropenic fever: factors associated with extended-spectrum β-lactamase production and its impact on outcome.

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are main pathogens in neutropenic fever even if the proportion of Gram-positive cocci is increasing. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL)-producing organisms are an emerging problem in nosocomial infection. Nevertheless, until now, information about risk factors for the acquisition and clinical outcomes of bacteremia due to ESBL-producing organisms is limited in neutropenic patients.

Antimicrobial resistance profiles among Escherichia coli strains isolated from commercial and cooked foods.

A total of 4330 food samples of which microbiological standard for Escherichia coli is negative in Korea were determined for the frequency of E. coli. Ninety six samples (2.

The usability of the upper eyelid crease approach for correction of medial orbital wall blowout fracture.

Background: There are many approaches to the medial orbital wall. However, most of them have problems with limitation of exposure, scarring, and postoperative inflammatory symptoms related to the eye. The authors used an upper eyelid crease approach to overcome these problems and investigate the usefulness of this approach.

Determinants and survival implications of low bone mineral density in end-stage renal disease patients.

Background: Reduced bone mineral density (BMD) is common in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and predicts outcomes. The chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder contributes to low BMD in ESRD; however, the impact of classical risk factors for osteoporosis in the general population, such as body weight and fat mass, remains less well defined in ESRD subjects.

Methods: BMD, body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), nutritional status (subjective global assessment), hand grip strength and multiple biomarkers were investigated in 361 patients (218 males; 60.

A case of transient central diabetes insipidus after aorto-coronary bypass operation.

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is characterized by excessive urination and thirst. This disease results from inadequate output of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) from the pituitary gland or the absence of the normal response to ADH in the kidney. We present a case of transient central DI in a patient who underwent a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

A four-week repeated study of intravenous toxicity of recombinant human interleukin-2 in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a lymphokine with a potential role in cancer therapy. Many clinical trials of recombinant human IL-2 (rhIL-2) have been conducted to treat malignant renal carcinoma, melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma. BMI Korea has developed a method to manufacture rhIL-2 in bulk using Escherichia coli as a biosimilar.

A paraganglioma in the posterior wall of the left atrium originating from the aortic body in a Wistar Hannover rat.

A small cardiac tumor was detected in the posterior wall of the left atrium of a 110-week-old female Wistar Hannover rat (Slc: Wistar Hannover/Rcc) during a carcinogenicity historical control study. Tumor was consisted of 2 different cells. Most of the tumor cells were polygonal to oval in shape and had slightly basophilic and granular cytoplasm.

A case of rapidly progressive IgA nephropathy in a patient with exacerbation of Crohn's disease.

Background: IgA nephropathy has been reported as a renal involvement in Crohn's disease. Crescentic IgA nephropathy, which accounts for fewer than 5% of cases of IgA nephropathy, has a poorer prognosis than other forms of crescentic glomerulonephritis. We recently experienced a case of rapidly progressive IgA nephropathy concurrent with exacerbation of Crohn's disease.

A case of an anomalous hypertrophied muscle band in the left ventricle.

A hypertrophied muscle band (HMB) in the left ventricle (LV), which can be misinterpreted as apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is a rare echocardiographic finding in a patient with normal LV wall thickness. Not only are symptoms produced, but changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG) are limited to the repolarization phase and show no progression even in a large HMB. Hence, we report a case of a 25-year-old woman who visited a local medical clinic due to epigastric discomfort in January 2007.

Historical control data from 13-week repeated toxicity studies in Crj:CD (SD) rats.

Reference ranges of standard experimental parameters are useful for comparisons in toxicology. The aim of this study was to collect data from 13-week repeated toxicity studies in Crl:CD (SD) rats, a strain widely used for toxicity and efficacy research, for establishing domestic reference values. Data on body weight, food consumption; urinalysis, hematological, and blood biochemical parameters; and organ weights were collected from 11 toxicity studies in 220 Crl:CD (SD) rats (110 males and 110 females).

Molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in the community and hospital in Korea: emergence of ST131 producing CTX-M-15.

Background: The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli has been increased not only in the hospital but also in the community worldwide. This study was aimed to characterize ESBL- producing E. coli isolates and to investigate the molecular epidemiology of community isolates in comparison with hospital isolates at a single center in Korea.

Health-related quality of life with KDQOL-36 and its association with self-efficacy and treatment satisfaction in Korean dialysis patients.

Background And Objectives: This study was conducted to measure the level of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to reveal the association of self-efficacy and treatment satisfaction with it in Korean dialysis patients.

Design, Setting, Participants, And Measurements: The study subjects were 237 patients receiving either hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) from two university hospitals, from February to June in 2010. We investigated HRQOL using the Korean version of Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form 36 (KDQOL-36), and self-efficacy and treatment satisfaction by self-administrative questionnaire and their dialysis-related variables by reviewing clinical records.

Pandemic 2009 H1N1 virus infection in children and adults: A cohort study at a single hospital throughout the epidemic.

Background: In 2009, there was an influenza pandemic in South Korea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics of this infection in children and adults.

Methods: We evaluated the epidemiologic characteristics of patients infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus (4,463 patients, age range from 2 mo to 86 y), and the clinical and laboratory findings of 373 inpatients (80/217 children, ≤ 15 y, had pneumonia and 36/156 adults, > 16 y, had pneumonia) in a single hospital during the epidemic.

Fluoroquinolone resistance in uncomplicated acute pyelonephritis: epidemiology and clinical impact.

The objectives of this study were to investigate antibiotic resistance in urinary pathogens from Korean patients with uncomplicated acute pyelonephritis (UAPN), and to determine the effect of fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance on clinical outcome in those patients with UAPN initially treated with FQ. Clinical and microbiologic data for all the APN patients attending 14 hospitals in South Korea in 2008 were collected retrospectively. Urinary pathogens were identified in 719 cases, and Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen (661/719, 91.

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in a patient with recurrent exertional syncope.

A 16-year-old male with a prior history of recurrent syncope was referred to our hospital after being resuscitated from cardiac arrest developed while playing volleyball. His electrocardiogram (ECG) demonstrated ventricular fibrillation at a local emergency department. After referral, an ECG showed bidirectional ventricular tachycardia (VT) and nonsustained Torsade de Pointes.