Background/Aims: To improve the eradication rate of a first-line therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection, alternate regimens such as sequential, concomitant, and hybrid therapies have been tried. The aim of this study was to evaluate the eradication rate of the 10-day hybrid therapy as a first-line therapy. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 124 patients from the Korea University Ansan Hospital between April 2016 and December 2019. The 10-day hybrid therapy comprised 5 days of dual therapy (proton pump inhibitor [PPI] standard dose and amoxicillin 1 g, twice daily) followed by 5 days of quadruple therapy (PPI, amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg, and metronidazole 500 mg, twice daily). We compared the 10-day hybrid therapy with the 10-day concomitant therapy comprising PPI, amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg, and metronidazole 500 mg, twice daily. Eradication was assessed by a 13C-urea breath test or gastroscopic biopsy at least 4 weeks after treatment completion. Results: The eradication rates of the 10-day hybrid and concomitant therapies were 74.2% (46/62) and 67.7% (42/62), respectively, in the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and 88.5% (46/52) and 82.4% (42/51), respectively, in the per-protocol (PP) analysis. There was no significant difference in the eradication rates between the two groups in the ITT (P=0.429) and PP analysis (P=0.380). Adverse events developed in 75.0% and 70.6% of patients in the hybrid and concomitant groups, respectively, but there was no significant difference (P=0.615). Conclusions The 10-day hybrid therapy can be an option for a first-line therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Background/Aims: To improve the eradication rate of a first-line therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection, alternate regimens such as sequential, concomitant, and hybrid therapies have been tried. The aim of this study was to evaluate the eradication rate of the 10-day hybrid therapy as a first-line therapy. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 124 patients from the Korea University Ansan Hospital between April 2016 and December 2019. The 10-day hybrid therapy comprised 5 days of dual therapy (proton pump inhibitor [PPI] standard dose and amoxicillin 1 g, twice daily) followed by 5 days of quadruple therapy (PPI, amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg, and metronidazole 500 mg, twice daily). We compared the 10-day hybrid therapy with the 10-day concomitant therapy comprising PPI, amoxicillin 1 g, clarithromycin 500 mg, and metronidazole 500 mg, twice daily. Eradication was assessed by a 13C-urea breath test or gastroscopic biopsy at least 4 weeks after treatment completion. Results: The eradication rates of the 10-day hybrid and concomitant therapies were 74.2% (46/62) and 67.7% (42/62), respectively, in the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and 88.5% (46/52) and 82.4% (42/51), respectively, in the per-protocol (PP) analysis. There was no significant difference in the eradication rates between the two groups in the ITT (P=0.429) and PP analysis (P=0.380). Adverse events developed in 75.0% and 70.6% of patients in the hybrid and concomitant groups, respectively, but there was no significant difference (P=0.615). Conclusions The 10-day hybrid therapy can be an option for a first-line therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection.

The objective of this study was to investigate national surgical trends for distal radius fractures (DRFs) in Korea and analyze healthcare institution type-specific surgical trends. We analyzed a nationwide database acquired from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) from 2011 to 2015. International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes and procedure codes were used to identify patients aged ≥ 20 years with newly diagnosed DRFs. A total of 459,388 DRFs occurred from 2011 to 2015. The proportion of DRF cases treated by surgery tended to increase over time, from 32.6% in 2011 to 38.3% in 2015 (P < 0.001). Open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF) using a plate steadily gained in popularity each year, increasing from 39.2% of overall surgeries in 2011 to 60.9% in 2015. The type of surgery for DRFs differed depending on the type of healthcare institution. ORIF (91%) was the most popular procedure in tertiary hospitals, whereas percutaneous pinning (58%) was most popular in clinics. In addition, general hospitals and hospitals with 30–100 beds used external fixation more frequently than tertiary hospitals and clinics did. Overall, our findings indicate that surgical treatment of DRF, particularly ORIF, continues to increase, and that the component ratio of operation codes differed according to the healthcare institution type.
Delivery of Health Care ; Epidemiology ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; International Classification of Diseases ; Korea* ; Radius Fractures* ; Radius* ; Tertiary Care Centers

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Antispasmodic agents have been used in the management of irritable bowel syndrome. However, systematic reviews have come to different conclusions about the efficacy in irritable bowel syndrome. Fenoverine acts as a synchronizer of smooth muscle in modulating the intracellular influx of calcium. We compared fenoverine with trimebutine for the treatment of patients with IBS. METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority clinical study was conducted to compared fenoverine with trimebutine. Subjects were randomized to receive either fenoverine (100 mg three times a day) or trimebutine (150 mg three times a day) for 8 weeks. A total of 197 patients were analyzed by the intention-to-treat approach. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who had 30% reduction in abdominal pain or discomfort measured by bowel symptom scale (BSS) score at week 8 compared to the baseline. The secondary endpoints were changes of abdominal bloating, diarrhea, constipation, overall and total scores of BSS, and overall satisfaction. RESULTS: At week 8, fenoverine was shown to be non-inferior to trimebutine (treatment difference, 1.76%; 90% CI, -10.30-13.82; p=0.81); 69.23% (54 of 78 patients) of patients taking fenoverine and 67.47% (56 of 83 patients) of patients taking trimebutine showed 30% reduction in abdominal pain or discomfort compared to the baseline. There results of the secondary endpoints were also comparable between the fenoverine group and the trimebutine group. CONCLUSIONS: Fenoverine is non-inferior to trimebutine for treating IBS in terms of both efficacy and tolerability.
Abdominal Pain/etiology ; Adult ; Constipation/etiology ; Diarrhea/etiology ; Double-Blind Method ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Female ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/complications/*drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parasympatholytics/*therapeutic use ; Phenothiazines/*therapeutic use ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome ; Trimebutine/*therapeutic use

BACKGROUND: Bisphosphonate is used in osteoporosis treatment to repress osteoclast activity, which then decreases levels of osteocalcin (OC). OC, a protein secreted by osteoblasts and released from the bone matrix during osteoclastic bone resorption, has been found to control blood glucose levels by increasing insulin production and sensitivity. The question addressed in this study is whether decreasing OC through bisphosphonate treatment will provoke a change in glucose homeostasis. METHODS: Eighty-four patients with osteoporosis were treated with once-weekly risedronate 35 mg and cholecalciferol 5,600 IU. We measured fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin, and undercarboxylated (Glu) and carboxylated (Gla) OC levels at baseline and after 16 weeks. To estimate insulin resistance (IR) and beta-cell function (B)%, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-IR and HOMA-B% were also calculated, respectively. RESULTS: The mean FPG level in total subjects increased significantly from 5.3 to 5.5 mmol/L, but no changes in blood glucose were noted in the 24 subjects with impaired fasting glucose. Glu and Gla OC levels declined significantly after treatment. No correlations were observed between changes in OC and changes in glucose, however. CONCLUSIONS: Bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis reduced OC, but this change was not associated with changes in glucose metabolism.
Blood Glucose ; Bone Matrix ; Bone Resorption ; Cholecalciferol ; Etidronic Acid ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteoclasts ; Osteoporosis ; Plasma ; Risedronate Sodium

A 71-year-old man was referred for painless hematuria and a bladder tumor. Cystoscopy and computed tomography revealed a 3-cm oval nodular mass on the left lateral side of the bladder. The patient underwent a complete transurethral resection of the lesion and histology showed a proliferation of atypical spindle cells with inflammation consistent with a myofibroblastic tumor. After 4 and 7 months, follow-up cystoscopy demonstrated nodular mass lesions and transurethral resection of bladder tumor was done, which showed chronic cystitis and a recurred myofibroblastic tumor, respectively. Five months later, multiple lymph node, bone, and soft tissue metastases were found by positron emission tomography. The patient was treated first with palliative chemotherapy, including doxorubicin and cisplatin. After that, radiologic studies showed disease progression but the patient refused further treatment and died 6 months later.
Aged ; Cisplatin ; Cystitis ; Cystoscopy ; Disease Progression ; Doxorubicin ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lymph Nodes ; Myofibroblasts ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

While Raoultella planticola is a rare cause of human infection, we experienced a case of severe cholangitis caused by R. planticola. A 75-year-old male patient with cancer of the pancreatic head was admitted and found to have cholangitis. Following performance of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage for decompression and initiation of empirical antibiotics with cefotaxime and metronidazole. R. planticola, which was susceptible to cefotaxime, was isolated from both bile and blood. Despite administration of prompt and appropriate antibiotic therapy, the patient died 10 days after admission. We herein describe the first case of cholangitis caused by infection with R. planticola.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bile ; Cefotaxime ; Cholangitis ; Decompression ; Drainage ; Head ; Humans ; Male ; Metronidazole ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Sepsis

PURPOSE: Malnutrition is a strong predictor of increased morbidity and mortality in patients on maintenance dialysis. Although a number of studies were performed to determine effective treatment, there is no proven medication for malnutrition. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of keto acids (ketosteril(R)) on serum albumin levels in hemodialysis patients with hypoalbuminemia. METHODS: Hemodialysis patients with hypoalbumineia (serum albumin < or = 3.8 g/dL) were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were previous supplementation of keto acids before the initiation of dialysis, acute infection, liver cirrhosis, malignancy and persistent hypercalcemia. Patients were treated with ketosteril for 6 months and serum albumin levels were compared to age- and gender-matched hemodialysis patients. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the baseline serum albumin levels between ketosteril group (n=19) and the control group (n=19). After 6 months, the mean (+/-SD) serum albumin level in the ketosteril group rose from 3.46+/-0.40 g/dL to 3.66+/-0.37 g/dL (p=0.01), but not the control group. However, the difference between the two groups was not significant (p=0.06). Multivariate analysis showed that the ketosteril supplementation (p=0.03) and the baseline serum albumin level (< or = 3.4 g/dL, p=0.04) were predictors of increased serum albumin. There was no severe hypercalcemia during the study period. CONCLUSION: There was an improvement of serum albumin levels in hemodialysis patients with hypoalbuminemia after the supplementation of keto acids.
Amino Acids, Essential ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Keto Acids ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Malnutrition ; Multivariate Analysis ; Renal Dialysis ; Serum Albumin