The objectives of this study were to examine effects of B2B e-commerce on the material management by comparing the performance of B2B and non-B2B hospitals, and surveying the extent of the objective of B2B implementation was achieved and success and failure factors of the implementation. Managerial data from six hospitals, three B2B and three non-B2B, and survey data from 107 employees involved in the material management at the study hospitals were analyzed. The number of employees at the department of purchasing, time spent for placing order, cycle time from order to delivery were better at the B2B hospitals, and employees' satisfaction with the material management system was significantly higher in the B2B hospitals than in the non-B2B hospitals as well. However, intended effects of B2B e-commerce in wider areas of the material management such as inventory management and sharing of business information were not substantiated in this study. The study results indicated that B2B ecommerce in the study hospitals improved work efficiency and effectiveness in the area of procurement, and implied needs for an ERP-type system and process reengineering with the implementation of B2B e-commerce to obtain wider ranges of effects in the material management. Also the study results implied a need for communication with employees during the course of implementation for the system success.
Commerce

We report a case of huge seminal vesicle cyst associated with ipsilateral renal agenesis in a 49-year-old man with frequency, urethral discomfort with a full bladder, and tenesmus as complaints.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Seminal Vesicles* ; Urinary Bladder

Background: To compare the muscle strength of patients with a hip fracture according to the presence of sarcopenia after surgery and the correlation of measured values between a Biodex and surface electromyography (sEMG) in postoperative measurement of muscle strength. Methods: Seventy-one patients who underwent hip fracture surgery were included in this study. Muscle mass was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and the grip strength was evaluated using a dynamometer. The diagnosis of sarcopenia followed the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria. We evaluated the Biodex to assess muscle strength according to the presence of sarcopenia and at the same time measured the sEMG to evaluate the correlation of muscle strength between Biodex and sEMG. Results: We assigned 34 patients with sarcopenia and 37 without sarcopenia to 2 groups. In the comparison of muscle strength using Biodex and sEMG between the 2 groups, it was confirmed that muscle strength of sarcopenia group was decreased compared with that of the non-sarcopenia group, although there was no statistical significance between the groups. However, Biodex and sEMG showed very close correlation with muscle strength in all variables. Conclusions We suggest that using sEMG for the evaluation of muscle strength after hip fracture surgery may be an excellent tool alternative to isokinetic testing machines such as the Biodex.

The impact of bronchiectasis on the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) after extra-pulmonary surgery in patients with airflow limitation is not well elucidated. A retrospective analysis of 437 patients with airflow limitations, including 62 patients with bronchiectasis, was conducted. The analysis revealed that bronchiectasis was associated with increased PPC (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.73; P = 0.001), which was especially significant in patients who did not use bronchodilators (aOR, 3.24; P = 0.002). Our study indicates that bronchiectasis is associated with an increased risk of PPC following extra-pulmonary surgery in patients with airflow limitation, and bronchodilators may prevent PPC in these patients.

Objective: Here, we investigated whether cytokines in the cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) can be predictive markers of preterm birth (PTB). Methods: A multi-center prospective cohort study was conducted on 59 singleton pregnant women hospitalized for preterm labor (PTL) and/or preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM) between 22 weeks and 36 weeks 6 days of gestation from 2014 to 2015. The levels of 13 inflammatory cytokines (macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-1α, MIP-1β, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17α, granulocyte colony stimulating factor [G-CSF], IL-7, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13) were measured using a multiplex bead-based immunoassay and that of fetal fibronectin (fFN) was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analyses were performed using Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson’s correlation, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis in SPSS version 20.0. Results: Among the 13 cytokines assessed, the levels of 3 cytokines (MIP-1α, IL-6, and IL-7) were negatively correlated with gestational age at delivery (P=0.028, P=0.002, and P=0.018, respectively). Sensitivities of MIP-1α, IL-6, and IL-17α were 70%, 80%, and 75%, respectively, and their specificities were 57%, 65%, and 69%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of fFN were 33% and 95%, respectively. Conclusion In symptomatic women diagnosed with PTL and/or pPROM, cytokines from cervicovaginal fluid, especially IL-6 and IL-17α, could be better predictive markers of PTB than fFN.

Objective: Here, we investigated whether cytokines in the cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) can be predictive markers of preterm birth (PTB). Methods: A multi-center prospective cohort study was conducted on 59 singleton pregnant women hospitalized for preterm labor (PTL) and/or preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM) between 22 weeks and 36 weeks 6 days of gestation from 2014 to 2015. The levels of 13 inflammatory cytokines (macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-1α, MIP-1β, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17α, granulocyte colony stimulating factor [G-CSF], IL-7, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13) were measured using a multiplex bead-based immunoassay and that of fetal fibronectin (fFN) was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical analyses were performed using Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson’s correlation, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis in SPSS version 20.0. Results: Among the 13 cytokines assessed, the levels of 3 cytokines (MIP-1α, IL-6, and IL-7) were negatively correlated with gestational age at delivery (P=0.028, P=0.002, and P=0.018, respectively). Sensitivities of MIP-1α, IL-6, and IL-17α were 70%, 80%, and 75%, respectively, and their specificities were 57%, 65%, and 69%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of fFN were 33% and 95%, respectively. Conclusion In symptomatic women diagnosed with PTL and/or pPROM, cytokines from cervicovaginal fluid, especially IL-6 and IL-17α, could be better predictive markers of PTB than fFN.

It is unclear whether young adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at an increased risk of rapid lung function decline. A total of 2,934 Korean adults aged 40–49 years who had consecutive lung function measurements were included. COPD was defined as pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 )/forced vital capacity < lower limit of normal. The risk of rapid decline in FEV 1 , defined as ≥ 60 mL/year, was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. In the multivariable model, a significantly higher risk of rapid decline in FEV 1 was observed for the COPD group compared with the non-COPD group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.18–2.95), which was especially significant in subjects with FEV 1 less than the median value (< 110%pred) (P interaction = 0.017) and inactive physical activity (P interaction = 0.039). In conclusion, the risk of rapid FEV 1 decline was higher in young adults with COPD than in those without COPD, especially in those with FEV 1 less than the median value and inactive physical activity.

Background/Aims: Although international guidelines for bronchiectasis management have been published in Western countries, there is a lack of data about their application in Asian populations including patients with different phenotypes. We aimed to investigate the current status of bronchiectasis management in Asian populations. Methods: A nationwide questionnaire survey was performed of Asian respiratory specialists from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Participants were invited by e-mail to answer a questionnaire comprising 25 questions based on international guidelines for the management of bronchiectasis. Results: A total of 221 physicians participated in the survey. About half of them were Korean (50.2%), with the next most common nationalities being Japanese (23.1%), Taiwanese (13.6%), and Singaporean (7.7%). Only 18 (8.1%) responders had local guidelines for bronchiectasis. While 85 (38.5%) responders checked sputum acid-fast bacillus smear/culture about 1 to 3 times per year, only a small proportion of responders routinely performed a serum immunoglobulin test (36/221, 16.3%) or evaluated for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (41/221, 18.6%). Less than half (43.4%) of responders performed eradication treatment in patients with drug-sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, mainly due to the limited availability of inhaled antibiotics (34.8%). In addition, 58.6% of responders considered physiotherapy such as airway clearance and pulmonary rehabilitation. Conclusions Discrepancies might exist between guideline recommendations and practice for bronchiectasis management in Asian populations, partly due to the limited availability of treatment in each country. The development of local guidelines that consider the phenotypes and situation will help to standardize and improve the management of bronchiectasis.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze whether patients with lung cancer have a higher susceptibility of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), severe presentation, and higher mortality than those without lung cancer. Materials and Methods: A nationwide cohort of confirmed COVID-19 (n=8,070) between January 1, 2020, and May 30, 2020, and a 1:15 age-, sex-, and residence-matched cohort (n=121,050) were constructed. A nested case-control study was performed to compare the proportion of patients with lung cancer between the COVID-19 cohort and the matched cohort. Results: The proportion of patients with lung cancer was significantly higher in the COVID-19 cohort (0.5% [37/8,070]) than in the matched cohort (0.3% [325/121,050]) (p=0.002). The adjusted odds ratio [OR] of having lung cancer was significantly higher in the COVID-19 cohort than in the matched cohort (adjusted OR, 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 2.10). Among patients in the COVID-19 cohort, compared to patients without lung cancer, those with lung cancer were more likely to have severe COVID-19 (54.1% vs. 13.2%, p < 0.001), including mortality (18.9% vs. 2.8%, p < 0.001). The adjusted OR for the occurrence of severe COVID-19 in patients with lung cancer relative to those without lung cancer was 2.24 (95% CI, 1.08 to 4.74). Conclusion The risk of COVID-19 occurrence and severe presentation, including mortality, may be higher in patients with lung cancer than in those without lung cancer.