Thyroid hormone plays an important role in the process of implantation of a fertilized egg in the endometrium, as well as in the division and development of the fertilized egg. In addition, maternal thyroid hormone is essential for the formation and development of the fetal brain, nervous system, and bones. Therefore, when maternal thyroid hormone is insufficient, complications such as miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight and preeclampsia increase. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy were established and published by the American Endocrine Society, the American Thyroid Association, and the European Thyroid Society. The Korean Thyroid Society also published recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease during pregnancy and postpartum in 2014. However, since the revised guidelines of the American Thyroid Association were published in 2017, many studies, including large-scale randomized controlled trials, have been published in relation to thyroid and pregnancy, and the need to revise the existing recommendations has emerged in Korea.The main revisions of this recommendation are changes in the normal range of TSH during pregnancy, detailed description of treatment policies according to pregnant women’s autoantibodies and thyroid function status. Also, a description of the effect of thyroid autoantibodies on assisted reproductive procedures has been added.

This study aimed to investigate the association between Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination and nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). Patients in the prospective NTM-PD cohort were matched to healthy controls to measure the association between BCG and NTM-PD development. The clinical course of NTM-PD patients was also evaluated to investigate the association between BCG and NTM-PD progression. BCG scars were not associated with NTM-PD development (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96–4.34) or progression (adjusted OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 0.92–2.81).In conclusion, BCG vaccination was not associated with the development or progression of NTM-PD.

Background/Aims: To prevent the perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from mother to child, administration of an antiviral agent during pregnancy has been attempted in women who are either hepatitis B e antigen positive or have a high viral load. In this systematic review and meta-analysis with randomized controlled trials, we analyzed the efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in preventing the perinatal transmission of HBV in pregnant women who have high HBV DNA titers. Methods: Multiple comprehensive databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases) were searched for studies evaluating the efficacy of TDF for the prevention of perinatal transmission of HBV. Results: Two studies (one open label study and one double blind study) were included and analyzed. Intention-to-treat analysis (527 pregnancies) showed that the preventive effect of TDF was not significant (odds ratio [OR], 0.53; 95% confidence interval[CI], 0.13 to 2.17; p = 0.38, I2 = 81%). However, the per-protocol analysis showed that TDF significantly reduced perinatal transmission (OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.77; p = 0.03, I2 = 0%). There was no significant difference between the TDF group and the control group with respect to maternal and fetal safety outcomes. Conclusions In pregnant women who have high HBV DNA titers, TDF can reduce the perinatal transmission from mother to child without significant adverse events.

Background: s/Aims: Rebleeding of gastric varices (GVs) after endoscopic variceal obturation (EVO) can be fatal. This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) for the prediction of rebleeding after EVO GV bleeding. Methods: Patients who were treated with EVO for GV bleeding and underwent CT before and after EVO were included. CT images of the portal phase showing pretreatment GVs and feeding vessels, and nonenhanced images showing posttreatment cyanoacrylate impaction were reviewed. Results: Fifty-three patients were included. Their mean age was 60.6±11.6 years, and 40 patients (75.5%) were men. Alcoholic liver disease was the most frequent underlying liver disease (45.3%). Complete impaction of cyanoacrylate in GVs and feeding vessels were achieved in 40 (75.5%) and 24 (45.3%) of patients, respectively. During the follow-up, GV rebleeding occurred in nine patients, and the cumulative incidences of GV rebleeding at 3, 6, and 12 months were 11.8%, 18.9%, and 18.9%, respectively. The GV rebleeding rate did not differ significantly according to the complete cyanoacrylate impaction in the GV, while it differed significantly according to complete cyanoacrylate impaction in the feeding vessels. The cumulative incidences of GV rebleeding at 3, 6, and 12 months were 22.3%, 35.2%, and 35.2%, respectively, in patients with incomplete impaction in feeding vessels, and there was no rebleeding during the follow-up period in patients with complete impaction in the feeding vessels (p=0.002). Conclusions Abdominal CT is useful in the evaluation of the treatment response after EVO for GV bleeding. Incomplete cyanoacrylate impaction in feeding vessels is a risk factor for GV rebleeding.

Thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy can result in serious complications for both the mother and infant. However, these complications can be prevented by the optimal treatment of overt maternal thyroid dysfunction. The serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration is the most reliable measure of thyroid function during pregnancy. Due to the physiologic changes in TSH levels during pregnancy, the correct interpretation of thyroid function requires knowledge of the gestational week and the appropriate population-based reference interval. In addition to a TSH test, the measurement of thyroid peroxidase antibody helps determine whether to treat subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Since the use of antithyroid drugs during pregnancy is associated with birth defects, it is recommended to discontinue the medication and to perform repeated thyroid function testing during the first trimester. If therapy is needed during the first trimester, propylthiouracil is preferred over methimazole.
Antithyroid Agents ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Hypothyroidism ; Infant ; Iodide Peroxidase ; Methimazole ; Mothers ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy ; Propylthiouracil ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyrotropin

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is associated with many adverse clinical outcomes. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients in Korea, evaluate the association between malnutrition and clinical outcomes, and ascertain the risk factors of malnutrition. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed with 300 patients recruited from among the patients admitted in 25 hospitals on January 6, 2014. Nutritional status was assessed by using the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Demographic characteristics and underlying diseases were compared according to nutritional status. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors of malnutrition. Clinical outcomes such as rate of admission in intensive care units, length of hospital stay, and survival rate were evaluated. RESULTS: The prevalence of malnutrition in the hospitalized patients was 22.0%. Old age (≥ 70 years), admission for medical treatment or diagnostic work-up, and underlying pulmonary or oncological disease were associated with malnutrition. Old age and admission for medical treatment or diagnostic work-up were identified to be risk factors of malnutrition in the multivariate analysis. Patients with malnutrition had longer hospital stay (SGA A = 7.63 ± 6.03 days, B = 9.02 ± 9.96 days, and C = 12.18 ± 7.24 days, P = 0.018) and lower 90-day survival rate (SGA A = 97.9%, B = 90.7%, and C = 58.3%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition was common in hospitalized patients, and resulted in longer hospitalization and associated lower survival rate. The rate of malnutrition tended to be higher when the patient was older than 70 years old or hospitalized for medical treatment or diagnostic work-up compared to elective surgery.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Malnutrition ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate

Thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy can result in serious complications for both the mother and infant. However, these complications can be prevented by the optimal treatment of overt maternal thyroid dysfunction. The serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration is the most reliable measure of thyroid function during pregnancy. Due to the physiologic changes in TSH levels during pregnancy, the correct interpretation of thyroid function requires knowledge of the gestational week and the appropriate population-based reference interval. In addition to a TSH test, the measurement of thyroid peroxidase antibody helps determine whether to treat subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy. Since the use of antithyroid drugs during pregnancy is associated with birth defects, it is recommended to discontinue the medication and to perform repeated thyroid function testing during the first trimester. If therapy is needed during the first trimester, propylthiouracil is preferred over methimazole.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is related to high mortality and morbidity. There are no proven therapeutic measures however, to improve the clinical course of ARDS, except using low tidal volume ventilation. Metformin is known to have pleiotropic effects including anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesized that pre-admission metformin might alter the progress of ARDS among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2005, to April 30, 2005 of patients who were admitted to the medical ICU at Seoul National University Hospital because of ARDS, and reviewed ARDS patients with DM. Metformin use was defined as prescribed within 3-month pre-admission. RESULTS: Of 558 patients diagnosed with ARDS, 128 (23.3%) patients had diabetes and 33 patients were treated with metformin monotherapy or in combination with other antidiabetic medications. Demographic characteristics, cause of ARDS, and comorbid conditions (except chronic kidney disease) were not different between metformin users and nonusers. Several severity indexes of ARDS were similar in both groups. The 30-day mortality was 42.42% in metformin users and 55.32% in metformin nonusers. On multivariable regression analysis, use of metformin was not significantly related to a reduced 30-day mortality (adjusted β-coefficient, −0.19; 95% confidence interval, −1.76 to 1.39; p=0.816). Propensity score-matched analyses showed similar results. CONCLUSION: Pre-admission metformin use was not associated with reduced 30-day mortality among ARDS patients with DM in our medical ICU.
Cohort Studies ; Critical Illness* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Kidney ; Metformin* ; Morinda ; Mortality ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Tidal Volume ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial ultrasound–guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a minimally invasive diagnostic method for mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of fever following EBUS-TBNA. METHODS: A total of 684 patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA from May 2010 to July 2012 at Seoul National University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were evaluated for fever by a physician every 6–8 hours during the first 24 hours following EBUS-TBNA. Fever was defined as an increase in axillary body temperature over 37.8℃. RESULTS: Fever after EBUS-TBNA developed in 110 of 552 patients (20%). The median onset time and duration of fever was 7 hours (range, 0.5–32 hours) after EBUS-TBNA and 7 hours (range, 1–52 hours), respectively, and the median peak body temperature was 38.3℃ (range, 37.8–39.9℃). In most patients, fever subsided within 24 hours; however, six cases (1.1%) developed fever lasting longer than 24 hours. Infectious complications developed in three cases (0.54%) (pneumonia, 2; mediastinal abscess, 1), and all three patients had diabetes mellitus. The number or location of sampled lymph nodes and necrosis of lymph node were not associated with fever after EBUS-TBNA. Multiple logistic regression analysis did not reveal any risk factors for developing fever after EBUS-TBNA. CONCLUSION: Fever is relatively common after EBUS-TBNA, but is transient in most patients. However, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of infectious complications among patients with diabetes mellitus.
Abscess ; Body Temperature ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration ; Fever* ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Logistic Models ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Methods ; Necrosis ; Needles* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Seoul

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy can result in many complications for both mother and infant. Due to the physiologic changes in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level during early pregnancy, it is recommend to use trimester-specific reference ranges for every population. We obtained the reference range of TSH during the first trimester in Korean women according to gestational week. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of pregnant women who had undergone a TSH screening during the first trimester of pregnancy (n=8365) and nonpregnant women (n=1835). RESULTS: Median concentration of serum TSH decreased significantly from the 5th to 8th week of gestation (median TSH concentration: 2.00 mIU/L for 5 weeks; 1.70 mIU/L for 6 weeks; 1.40 mIU/L for 7 weeks; 1.05 mIU/L for 8 weeks). However, there was no significant difference in median concentration of serum TSH from the 8th to 12th weeks of gestation. Using the fixed cut-off value of TSH >3.66 mIU/L, the diagnosis rate of subclinical hypothyroidism was 15.0% for 5 weeks, 10.0% for 6 weeks, 5.9% for 7 weeks, and 3.6% for 8-12 weeks. CONCLUSION: When interpreting the TSH test for pregnancy (maternal thyroid function), we should consider that the TSH level decreases significantly during the early first trimester.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Infant ; Mass Screening ; Mothers ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First* ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Reference Values ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyrotropin