OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of kidney disease in Korean rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient, and describe the profile of RA drugs prescribed in RA patients. METHODS: A total of 284 patients at the division of rheumatology with confirmed RA were prospectively included in this study from May 1 to August 31, 2008. Renal function was assessed using Cockcroft-Gault (CG) and abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (aMDRD) study formulae, and classified by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) classification. Comparisons was were performed by the two sample t-test, chi-square-test and binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 281 patients with RA, only 7 (2.5%) patients had abnormal serum creatinine (sCr) levels. According to the NFK classification, the prevalence of kidney disease using aMDRD and CG formula was 23.8% and 31.7%, respectively. Among the patients with eGRF <60 mL/min/m2 according to aMDRD or CG formulae, 91.8~100% received at least one drug that was potentially nephrotoxic. RA patients with renal dysfunction was associated with advanced age, body mass index (BMI), antinuclear antibody (ANA). CONCLUSION: Estimation of renal function with CG or aMDRD formulae is important in RA patients, particularly in those with low BMI or old age. Also, appropriate dosage adjustment is needed in patients with renal dysfunction.
Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Body Mass Index ; Creatinine ; Diet ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Diseases ; Logistic Models ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Rheumatology

Recently, with the remarkable theoretical progress made in anesthesiology these years, reports are being made on the results of the study on the complications, minor or major, caused by previous general anesthesia. However, .the reports on incidence vary according to the reporters. According to Riding, the recent development of anesthesiology, anesthetic inatruments, knowledge of physiology, anesthetics, induction agents and muscle relaxants are said to have reduced the incidence of complications to a great extent. Riding, Gold and Dyrberg report that the factors capable of influencing the incidence of complication, in the post-operative period include age, sex, premedicants for anesthetics, inhalation method of anesthetics, time of anesthesia, muscle relaxant, use of induction agent, acid-base imbalance and developed knowledge of physioloy, operation site, mental state of patients before operation, general condition, anesthetic technique, and. adequate selection of medicine. Working for Department of Anesthesiology, Hanyang University, from October 1976 to August 1977, we selected, out of the patients who received general anesthesia, 523 males and 372 females, totalling 895, who showed no abnormal symptoms in their respiratory systems, circulatory systems and metabolic systems and observed the incidence of complication in the light of sex, age and operation site, the factors supposed to affect the incidence. An hour prior to the general anesthesia, the patients were given intramuscular injection with premedicants atropine 0. 01 mg per kg, Valium 0. 2 mg or Demerol 1 mg per kg of body weight. For induction of anesthesia, Epontol 10 mg per kg and succinylcholine 1 mg per kg of body weight were injected in the veins, then ventilation was made for a minute with mask and then endotracheal tubes were inserted. and then a minimum amount of air was injected. into the cuff of the endotracheal tube, and the ventilation was done in a semi-closed system. During the period of maintenance, anesthesia was administered in a semi-closed system with 0. 5~l. 0% halothane, 3 L/min of nitrous oxide, 2 L/min of oxygen; and if need be, muscle relaxant was injected into the vein. In case a nondenolarizing agent was used in the course of maintenance, atropine 0. 5~1. 0 mg and neostigmine 2.0 ~ 4.0 mg were injected into the vein for reversion at the recovery time. After the patient was completely recovered, the endotracheal tube was cautiously removed, so as not to give trauma to the throat. As for method of observations, 24 hours after the patient had recovered, we visited the patient in the ward, first observing the existence or nonexistence of incidence of minor complications, and then calculating the incidence by the distribution of sex, age and operation site. The outcome of the observation of the above results by statistics and by chi square test is as follows; 1) the incidence of complications after general anesthesia was high in females. 2) Age has not affected the incidence of complications. 3) The incidence of nausea was highest in the patients with abdominal operation. 4) The incidence of sore throat was highest in the head and neck patients. 5) The incidence of fever was highest in the abdomen patients. 6) The incidence of headache was highest in the head and neck patients.
Abdomen ; Acid-Base Imbalance ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General* ; Anesthesiology ; Anesthetics ; Anesthetics, Inhalation ; Atropine ; Body Weight ; Diazepam ; Female ; Fever ; Halothane ; Head ; Headache ; Humans ; Incidence ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Male ; Masks ; Meperidine ; Methods ; Nausea ; Neck ; Neostigmine ; Nitrous Oxide ; Oxygen ; Pharyngitis ; Pharynx ; Physiology ; Propanidid ; Respiratory System ; Succinylcholine ; Veins ; Ventilation

Autophagy is a principle catabolic process mediated by lysosomes in eukaryotic cells. This is an intracellular homeostatic mechanism crucial for degradation in acidic lysosomal compartments of waste components from the cytoplasm. Autophagy research was initially focused on its degradation mechanism, but focus is now shifting to its effects on immunity. It contributes to detection and removal of pathogens as well as regulation of inflammasomes and neutrophil extracellular traps. Moreover, it is pivotal in antigen presentation and immune cell maturation, survival and homeostasis. The importance of autophagic pathways in normal and dysregulated immunity has become increasingly recognized in the past several years. Dysregulation of the autophagic pathway is implicated in the pathogenesis of several rheumatic diseases. In this review, we summarize the immunological function of autophagy in innate and adaptive immunity, and the functions of autophagy in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases.
Adaptive Immunity ; Antigen Presentation ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autophagy* ; Cytoplasm ; Eukaryotic Cells ; Extracellular Traps ; Homeostasis ; Inflammasomes ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lysosomes ; Rheumatic Diseases*

Self-expanding metallic stent insertion has been widely applied for the palliative treatment of malignant esophageal strictures. Although it is known as an easy, safe, and effective procedure, complications are well known and include things such as stent migration and esophageal stent occlusion caused by tumor ingrowth. However, metallic stent fractures have been rarely reported in the esophagus, especially for nitinol stents. We report a case of a stent fracture associated with migration in a patient with a malignant esophageal stricture near the gastroesophageal junction. It is highly probable that the stent fracture was due to chemical erosion of the stent caused by gastric juice.
Alloys ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Esophageal Stenosis ; Esophagogastric Junction ; Esophagus ; Gastric Juice ; Humans ; Palliative Care ; Stents

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the lower extremity blood flow in hemiplegic patients with a quantitative Doppler ultrasound examination of the common femoral artery(CFA). METHODS: Cross-sectional area(CSA), peak systolic velocity(PSV) and inflow volume(IV) of CFA of normal and paralyzed limbs in 24 hemiplegic patients were measured with a Doppler ultrasound. Patients were divided into three groups according to the ambulation levels: 1) nonambulator, 2) assisted ambulator, and 3) independent ambulator. The results from Doppler images of paralyzed lower extremity were compared with the normal side in each three different groups. RESULTS: In the nonambulator group, the three parameters were not significantly different between normal and paralyzed lower extremity. In the assisted ambulator group, the CSA of the paralyzed lower extremity was significantly smaller than the normal side (p<0.05). In the independent ambulator group, the CSA and IV of the paralyzed lower extremity were significantly smaller than the normal side (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study proved that the blood flow of the paralyzed lower extremity was diminished than the normal side in hemiplegic patients especially for the independent ambulator group.
Extremities ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Lower Extremity* ; Ultrasonography* ; Walking

This article summarizes the structure of China’s current social health insurance system and reviews the development status of China’s private health insurance (PHI). China’s medical security system is mainly composed of two parts: basic medical insurance (BMI) and PHI. Among them, the BMI provides reimbursement of basic medical expenses for the insured persons according to different proportions. PHI is a necessary supplement to the BMI and provides assistance to the insured persons in the event of illness or accident. By having PHI, people can obtain medical protection outside the coverage of BMI. In the development of PHI in China, the total medical cost is high and the insurance market size is large, but the proportion of PHI expenditure is low and the personal burden is high. Through this Chinese case, it will be helpful for mutual development between Korean PHI and national health insurance, for Korean insurance companies to enter the Chinese market, and for removing the medical burden on the people.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The present study was performed to determine the effects of the ethyl acetate extract of Cudrania tricuspidata (EACT) on interleukin (IL)-1beta-stimulated receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-mediated osteoclast differentiation. METHODS: Bone marrow cells were harvested from 6-week-old male imprinting control region mice, and the differentiation of osteoclasts from these cells was evaluated by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and resorption pit formation assay. Phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK), phosphorylated p38, phosphorylated c-Jun amino-terminal kinase, NF-kappaB (p65), IkappaBalpha, c-Fos, and nuclear factor of activated T-cells c1 (NFATc1) expression was examined by immunoblotting and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: EACT inhibits IL-1beta-stimulated RANKL-mediated osteoclast differentiation. EACT also inhibits IL-1beta-stimulated RANKL-mediated phosphorylation of ERK 1/2, p38 mitogen activated protein kinase, and expression of c-Fos and NFATc1. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that EACT may be involved in the inhibition of bone loss by preventing osteoclast formation and may be used to manage bone destruction in inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
*Acetates ; Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells/cytology/drug effects/metabolism ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects/physiology ; Cell Survival/drug effects/physiology ; Cells, Cultured ; Down-Regulation/drug effects ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism ; Interleukin-1beta/*pharmacology ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/*drug effects/physiology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; *Moraceae ; NFATC Transcription Factors/metabolism ; *Osteoclasts/cytology/drug effects/metabolism ; Plant Extracts/*pharmacology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism ; RANK Ligand/metabolism ; Stem Cells/cytology/drug effects/metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the prolotherapy on the healing of the tendon tissue and the proliferation of fibroblasts in the injured Achilles tendons. METHOD: The tendons of twenty eight Sprague-Dawley rats were transected at 2 mm above the calcaneal insertion in the right Achilles tendon and sutured. Then they were allocated randomly into two groups: prolotherapy group and control group. We injected 20% dextrose 0.1 ml on injured tendon area of prolotherapy group immediately after transection. After 2 and 4 weeks, the diameters of tendons were measured on both the injured and uninjured tendon. The number of fibroblasts and the ratio of fibroblast to fibrocyte on the injured tendon tissues were measured by the image analyzer. RESULTS: The diameters of the injured tendons of the prolotherapy group were not significantly different with that of the control group. However, the number of fibroblasts and the ratio of fibroblast to fibrocyte in the prolotherapy group showed significantly larger and more increased than the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This result showed the additional regeneration effect of the prolotherapy on the healing of the injured tendon tissue. Therefore, the prolotherapy would be an effective treatment on the tendon injury.
Achilles Tendon* ; Animals ; Fibroblasts ; Glucose ; Models, Animal* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration ; Tendon Injuries ; Tendons

With the age of exposure to illegal substances decreasing and abuse of drugs such as methamphetamine increasing, substance abuse is no longer limited to adults. We report a Korean case of a 17-year-old girl with acute methamphetamine poisoning. The girl visited the emergency department for vomiting and loss of consciousness, with needle marks found on both arms. QT prolongation was confirmed on the initial electrocardiogram, so that we suspected drug addiction and proceeded with toxicologic tests. A lethal dose of methamphetamine was confirmed. We discontinued QT prolonging drugs, and closely monitored the girl in the pediatric emergency intensive care unit until the QT prolongation was resolved. This case highlights the recognition of pediatric methamphetamine poisoning in emergency departments.

Background: Inter-hospital transfers of severely injured patients are inevitable due to limited resources. We investigated the association between inter-hospital transfer and the prognosis of pediatric injury using the Korean multi-institutional injury registry. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted from January 2013 to December 2017; data for hospitalized subjects aged < 18 years were extracted from the Emergency Department-based Injury in Depth Surveillance database, in which 22 hospitals are participating as of 2022. The survival rates of the direct transfer group and the interhospital transfer group were compared, and risk factors affecting 30-day mortality and 72-hour mortality were analyzed. Results: The total number of study subjects was 18,518, and the transfer rate between hospitals was 14.5%. The overall mortality rate was 2.3% (n = 422), the 72-hour mortality was 1.7% (n = 315) and the 30-day mortality rate was 2.2% (n = 407). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve revealed a lower survival rate in the inter-hospital transfer group than in the direct visit group (log-rank, P < 0.001). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that interhospital transfer group had a higher 30-day mortality rate and 72-hour mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.681; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.232–2.294 and HR, 1.951; 95% CI, 1.299–2.930) than direct visit group when adjusting for age, sex, injury severity, and head injury. Conclusion Among the pediatric injured patients requiring hospitalization, inter-hospital transfer in the emergency department was associated with the 30-day mortality rate and 72-hour mortality rate in Korea.