A nationwide survey of the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and the incidence of asthma in Korean adults.

Background: Asthma and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are chronic diseases known to be associated with metabolic abnormalities. We aimed to clarify the association between NAFLD and asthma incidence in a large population-based cohort.

Methods And Findings: We selected 160,603 individuals without comorbidities from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample cohort between 2009 and 2014.

Rapid onset of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis after ingestion of acetaminophen.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare, but life-threatening, severe cutaneous adverse reactions most frequently caused by exposure to drugs. Several reports have associated the use of acetaminophen with the risk of SJS or TEN. A typical interval from the beginning of drug therapy to the onset of an adverse reaction is 1-3 weeks.

Clusterin expression level correlates with increased oxidative stress in asthmatics.

Background: Oxidative stress is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. Clusterin is a sensitive cellular biosensor of oxidative stress and has antioxidant properties. The function and expression of clusterin in patients with asthma have not been fully investigated.

Influence of initial treatment modality on long-term control of chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Background: Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is a common cutaneous disorder but the influence of initial treatment modality on long-term control is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical features, and the influence of initial treatment modality on long-term control.

Methods And Results: 641 CIU patients were enrolled from the allergy clinic in a tertiary referral hospital.

The Effectiveness of Automatic Recommending System for Premedication in Reducing Recurrent Radiocontrast Media Hypersensitivity Reactions.

Background: Non-ionic radiocontrast media (RCM) is rarely associated with hypersensitivity reactions. Premedication of patients who reacted previously to RCM with systemic corticosteroids and/or antihistamines can help reduce recurrent hypersensitivity reactions. However, premedication is still not prescribed in many cases for various reasons.

Characteristics of liver injury in drug-induced systemic hypersensitivity reactions.

Background: The liver is the most commonly involved internal organ in drug-induced systemic hypersensitivity. However, data obtained from these patients have yet to be analyzed in depth with respect to liver injury.

Methods: The medical records of 136 patients who developed delayed-type drug hypersensitivity were reviewed at a tertiary referral hospital.

Identification of subtypes of refractory asthma in Korean patients by cluster analysis.

Background: Refractory asthma, a subtype of asthma with uncontrolled symptoms despite antiasthma medications, is a heterogeneous syndrome with variable clinical features, presumably different etiologies, and pathophysiological mechanisms. The heterogeneity of refractory asthma, however, is poorly understood. We aimed to characterize refractory asthma and to improve our understanding of the heterogeneity of refractory asthma patients.

Clinical characteristics that distinguish eosinophilic organ infiltration from metastatic nodule development in cancer patients with eosinophilia.

Background: When new space-occupying lesions are observed together with peripheral blood eosinophilia in patients diagnosed with cancer, the possibility of eosinophilic organ involvement should be differentiated from metastasis of primary cancer, since a misdiagnosis could lead to unnecessary chemotherapy. The aim of this study is to identify the clinical characteristics of eosinophilic organ involvement that distinguish it from distant metastasis in patients with primary cancer.

Methods: The medical records of 43 cancer patients who developed hepatic or pulmonary nodules with peripheral blood eosinophilia between January 2005 and February 2010 in the Asan Medical Center (Seoul) were reviewed.

The role of nitrosative stress in the pathogenesis of unexplained chronic cough with cough hypersensitivity.

Background: Unexplained chronic cough is a common condition without specific causes. A hyperreactivity of the cough reflex has been suggested as a mechanism for inducing chronic cough. We hypothesized that nitrosative stress in the upper airway might play a role in cough hypersensitivity by causing neurochemical abnormalities.

Hyperoxidized peroxiredoxins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of asthma patients is associated with asthma severity.

Aims: Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of asthma, and peroxiredoxins (PRDX) may be critical in controlling intracellular oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate expressions of PRDX and their hyperoxidized forms in asthmatic individuals.

Main Methods: The levels of expression of PRDX1, PRDX2, PRDX3, and PRDX6 and their hyperoxidized forms (PRDX-SO(3)) were measured in PBMCs from asthma patients and control subjects.

Smoking, longer disease duration and absence of rhinosinusitis are related to fixed airway obstruction in Koreans with severe asthma: findings from the COREA study.

Background: The clinical manifestations of severe asthma are heterogeneous. Some individuals with severe asthma develop irreversible fixed airway obstruction, which is associated with poor outcomes. We therefore investigated the factors associated with fixed airway obstruction in Korean patients with severe asthma.

Severe pneumonia caused by combined infection with Pneumocystis jiroveci, parainfluenza virus type 3, cytomegalovirus, and Aspergillus fumigatus in a patient with Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe adverse cutaneous reactions to drugs. We report here the first case of severe pneumonia caused by an unusual combined infection with Pneumocystis carinii (jiroveci), parainfluenza virus type 3, cytomegalovirus and Aspergillus fumigatus in a 63-year-old female patient with allopurinol-induced SJS/TEN overlap syndrome. Following treatment with high-dose systemic corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin for SJS/TEN, her mucocutaneous lesions improved and she was due to be discharged.

A case of anaphylaxis to oral minocycline.

Minocycline is a semisynthetic tetracycline derivative that is often used in the treatment of acne vulgaris. To date, there has been only one case report of anaphylaxis to minocycline. We report here a case of anaphylaxis to oral minocycline.

Chlamydophila pneumoniae enhances secretion of VEGF, TGF-beta and TIMP-1 from human bronchial epithelial cells under Th2 dominant microenvironment.

Purpose: Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection in the airways is thought to be associated with the pathogenesis of asthma, especially in non-atopic severe asthma with irreversible airway obstruction that may be related to airway remodeling. Here, we investigated whether C. pneumoniae infection enhances the secretion of critical chemical mediators for airway remodeling, such as VEGF, TGF-beta, and TIMP-1, in human bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) in a Th2-dominant microenvironment.

The tyrosine phosphatase, SHP-1, is involved in bronchial mucin production during oxidative stress.

Mucus hypersecretion is a clinically important manifestation of chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Mucin production in airway epithelia is increased under conditions of oxidative stress. Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP)-1 suppression is related to the development of airway inflammation and increased ROS levels.

Factors associated with severity and exacerbation of asthma: a baseline analysis of the cohort for reality and evolution of adult asthma in Korea (COREA).

Background: Asthma presents with heterogeneous features, and patients show various phenotypes of differing severities. Therefore, it is necessary to define reliable predictable clinical factors that influence severity. To date, few large-scale studies have gathered clinical data on adult asthma patients in Asia.

Increased oxidative stress in the airway and development of allergic inflammation in a mouse model of asthma.

Background: The exact pathogenic role of oxidative stress in the development of allergic airway inflammation is still largely unknown.

Objective: To investigate a possible link between increased pulmonary oxidative stress and the pivotal features of asthma during the mounting of an allergic inflammatory response.

Methods: To determine the relationship between oxidative stress and allergic inflammatory responses, we evaluated the sequential kinetics of oxidative stress in the lung, the development of airway inflammation, mucin hypersecretion, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in an ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and challenged mouse with and without antioxidant.

Three cases of paragonimiasis in a family.

Paragonimiasis typically results from the consumption of raw or improperly cooked crustacea, especially crabs and crayfish. Although previously endemic in Korea, the prevalence of this disease decreased in the early 1970s because of educational campaigns and fewer intermediate hosts as a result of ecological changes. Recently, we were presented with a family where all members were infected with Paragonimus after ingestion of Kejang (= drunken crab).

Vascular endothelial growth factor levels in induced sputum and emphysematous changes in smoking asthmatic patients.

Background: Although asthmatic patients frequently smoke cigarettes, the effect of smoking on asthmatic lungs has not been extensively studied. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of asthma and emphysema.

Objective: To determine whether the level of airway VEGF might be related to emphysematous lung changes in asthmatic patients with a history of smoking.

Severe asthma patients in Korea overestimate their adherence to inhaled corticosteroids.

Good adherence to inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy is essential for effective asthma control. The factors affecting ICS therapy adherence vary among individuals and countries. As few data on adherence have been reported in Korea, the factors influencing such adherence, and the clinical implications thereof, were evaluated in Korean asthma patients.