The effects of secondhand smoke on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in nonsmoking Korean adults.

Background/aims: Smoking is widely acknowledged as the single most important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the risk of COPD in nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the association of secondhand smoke exposure with COPD prevalence in nonsmokers who reported never smoking.

[A case of pegylated interferon alpha-2a monotherapy in a peritoneal dialysis patient with chronic hepatitis C].

Pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) is now the standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C. But, there are few reports about patients with end stage renal disease, and treatment protocol for HCV infection has not been determined, particularly in patients on peritoneal dialysis. We experienced a case of a peritoneal dialysis patient with chronic hepatitis C who was successfully treated with PEG-IFN monotherapy.