OBJECTIVE: Central venous catheter (CVC) misplacement can result in incorrect readings of the central venous pressure, vascular erosion, and intravascular thrombosis. Several studies have examined the correlation between the guidewire J-tip direction and misplacement rate. This study examined whether the guidewire J-tip direction (cephalad vs. caudad) affects the misplacement rate in right subclavian venous catheterization. METHODS: This prospective randomized controlled study was conducted between February 2016 and February 2017. The subjects were divided into two groups (cephalad group vs. caudad group) and the misplacement rate was compared according to guidewire J-tip direction in each group. RESULTS: Of 100 patients, the cephalad and caudad groups contained 50 patients each. The age, sex, and operator experience were similar in the two groups. In the cephalad group, misplacement of CVC insertion into the ipsilateral internal jugular vein occurred in two cases. In the caudad group, misplacement of CVC insertion into the contralateral subclavian vein occurred in one case, with loop formation in the brachiocephalic trunk in one case. Guidewire J-tip direction showed no significant correlation with CVC misplacement. CONCLUSION: The guidewire J-tip direction does not influence the rate of misplacement.
Brachiocephalic Trunk ; Catheterization* ; Catheters* ; Central Venous Catheters ; Central Venous Pressure ; Humans ; Jugular Veins ; Prospective Studies ; Reading ; Subclavian Vein ; Thrombosis

Objective: The diagnostic accuracy of novice residents in evaluating the scrotal pathology by point-of-care (POC) ultrasonography(US) was compared with that by the conventional US to determine the level of experience required toachieve competency. Methods: Three novice residents underwent a one-day training course on identifying scrotal pathologies using POC US.They performed POC US on patients with an acute scrotum to identify five pathological findings. The diagnosis was confirmedby conventional scrotal US. The sensitivity and specificity of POC US by novice residents were calculated, and thechanges in sensitivity and specificity over time were observed. Results: Sixty-two patients were included; the overall sensitivity and specificity were 76.7% (95% confidence interval [CI],61.3%-88.2%) and 78.9% (95% CI, 54.4%-93.9%), respectively. Decreased blood flow in the testicle showed very goodspecificity (100%; 95% CI, 93.8%-100.0%). The sensitivity and accuracy were variable at first 18 scans of each resident,but increased after 18 scans and were maintained over time. Conclusion Although the diagnostic accuracy of novice residents in evaluating the scrotal pathology using POC US wasvariable at first, the accuracy improved over time, especially after 18 scans of each resident. Nevertheless, larger, longtermresearch is needed to confirm the results of this study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the treatment results in early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who have undergone fiducial-less CyberKnife radiosurgery (CKRS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2011 to November 2013, 58 patients underwent CKRS at Asan Medical Center for stage I lung cancer. After excluding 14 patients, we retrospectively reviewed the records of the remaining 44 patients. All analyses were performed using SPSS ver. 21. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 75 years. Most patients had inoperable primary lung cancer with a poor pulmonary function test with comorbidity or old age. The clinical stage was IA in 30 patients (68.2%), IB in 14 (31.8%). The mean tumor size was 2.6 cm (range, 1.2 to 4.8 cm), and the tumor was smaller than 2 cm in 12 patients (27.3%). The radiation dose given was 48-60 Gy in 3-4 fractions. In a median follow-up of 23.1 months, local recurrence occurred in three patients (2-year local recurrence-free survival rate, 90.4%) and distant metastasis occurred in 13 patients. All patients tolerated the radiosurgery well, only two patients developing grade 3 dyspnea. The most common complications were radiation-induced fibrosis and pneumonitis. Eight patients died due to cancer progression. CONCLUSION: The results showed that fiducial-less CKRS shows comparable local tumor control and survival rates to those of LINAC-based SABR or CKRS with a fiducial marker. Thus, fiducial-less CKRS using Xsight lung tracking system can be effectively and safely performed for patients with medically inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer without any risk of procedure-related complication.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Fibrosis ; Fiducial Markers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pneumonia ; Radiosurgery* ; Recurrence ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: To evaluate the treatment results in early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who have undergone fiducial-less CyberKnife radiosurgery (CKRS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2011 to November 2013, 58 patients underwent CKRS at Asan Medical Center for stage I lung cancer. After excluding 14 patients, we retrospectively reviewed the records of the remaining 44 patients. All analyses were performed using SPSS ver. 21. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 75 years. Most patients had inoperable primary lung cancer with a poor pulmonary function test with comorbidity or old age. The clinical stage was IA in 30 patients (68.2%), IB in 14 (31.8%). The mean tumor size was 2.6 cm (range, 1.2 to 4.8 cm), and the tumor was smaller than 2 cm in 12 patients (27.3%). The radiation dose given was 48-60 Gy in 3-4 fractions. In a median follow-up of 23.1 months, local recurrence occurred in three patients (2-year local recurrence-free survival rate, 90.4%) and distant metastasis occurred in 13 patients. All patients tolerated the radiosurgery well, only two patients developing grade 3 dyspnea. The most common complications were radiation-induced fibrosis and pneumonitis. Eight patients died due to cancer progression. CONCLUSION: The results showed that fiducial-less CKRS shows comparable local tumor control and survival rates to those of LINAC-based SABR or CKRS with a fiducial marker. Thus, fiducial-less CKRS using Xsight lung tracking system can be effectively and safely performed for patients with medically inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer without any risk of procedure-related complication.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Fibrosis ; Fiducial Markers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pneumonia ; Radiosurgery* ; Recurrence ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

The transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) 5 channel, known as a nonselective cation channel, has a crucial role in calcium influx. TRPC5 has been reported to be activated by muscarinic receptor activation and extracellular pH change and inhibited by the protein kinase C pathway. Recent studies have also suggested that TRPC5 is extracellularly activated by englerin A (EA), but the mechanism remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to identify the EA-interaction sites in TRPC5 and thereby clarify the mechanism of TRPC5 activation. TRPC5 channels are over-expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. TRPC5 mutants were generated by site-directed mutagenesis. The whole-cell patch-clamp configuration was used to record TRPC5 currents. Western analysis was also performed to observe the expression of TRPC5 mutants. To identify the EA-interaction site in TRPC5, we first generated pore mutants. When screening the mutants with EA, we observed the EA-induced current increases of TRPC5 abolished in K554N, H594N, and E598Q mutants. The current increases of other mutants were reduced in different levels. We also examined the functional intactness of the mutants that had no effect by EA with TRPC5 agonists, such as carbachol or GTPγS. Our results suggest that the three residues, Lys-554, His-594, and Glu-598, in TRPC5 might be responsible for direct interaction with EA, inducing the channel activation. We also suggest that although other pore residues are not critical, they could partly contribute to the EA-induced channel activation.
Calcium ; Carbachol ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Ion Channels ; Kidney ; Mass Screening ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Mutant Proteins ; Protein Kinase C ; Receptors, Muscarinic

OBJECTIVE: Malposition of central venous catheterization (CVC) may cause vascular related complications and catheter dysfunctions. The aim of this study was to reduce the malposition rate of CVC by repositioning the malposition after confirming the location of the guide-wire with ultrasound (US) guidance. METHODS: This research assessed the before study (group A) from January to December 2016 and after study (group B) from January to December 2017 in the emergency department. CVCs were performed using the anatomical landmark technique (group A) and US guided technique (group B). In group B, if the guided-wire was misplaced, it was drawn back and repositioned under US guidance. The final location of the catheter tip was confirmed by chest X-ray. The rate of malposition before and after repositioning of the two groups was compared. RESULTS: The subjects were group A (694 cases) and group B (619 cases) with a total of 1,313 patients. The rate of malposition before repositioning of the two groups were 16 cases (2.3%) and 13 cases (2.1%), respectively, and no statistically significant difference was observed (P>0.05). In group B, there were 10 cases (1.6%) of guidewire malposition that was identified and three cases (0.5%) of catheter malposition could not be identified under US examination. The malpositioned guidewires were all corrected by repositioning under ultrasound guidance. The rate of malposition after repositioning of the two groups were 2.3% (n=16) and 0.5% (n=3), respectively, and a statistically significant difference was observed (P=0.009). CONCLUSION: With US guidance, confirming the location and repositioning CVC guidewire can reduce the malposition rate in CVCs.
Catheterization, Central Venous* ; Catheters ; Central Venous Catheters* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Methods* ; Moving and Lifting Patients ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography*

OBJECTIVE: Radio-contrast abdomino-pelvic computed tomography (APCT) is considered the gold standard diagnostic tool for an acute abdomen in the emergency department. On the other hand, APCT has a risk of contrast-induced nephropathy. Emergency physicians evaluate the creatinine (Cr) level prior to taking a APCT for the above reason but it takes time to evaluation the serum Cr level. This study hypothesized that Cr measured by a point-of-care test (POCT) can shorten the time to making clinically important decisions for patients with an acute abdomen. METHODS: This prospective randomized study was conducted between March 2017 and October 2017. The subjects were divided into two groups (Cr measured by laboratory vs. Cr measured by POCT). To analyze the clinical acceptability for creatinine, agreement was demonstrated graphically by Bland-Altman plots. This study compared the time to make a clinically important decision by physicians and the length of stay at the emergency department in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 76 patients were eligible for the study, 38 patients were assigned to each group. There was no statistically significant difference in the time to the first medical examination (P=0.222) and emergency department stay time (P=0.802). On the other hand, the time to recognition of the Cr level (P < 0.001), time to performing APCT (P < 0.001), time to decision making (P < 0.001), and time to initiation of treatment (P < 0.001) were shortened significantly in the point-of-care creatinine group. CONCLUSION: In this study, the POCT for creatinine can allow rapid decision making by shortening the time to performing the radio-contrast APCT than the laboratory for patients with an acute abdomen.
Abdomen, Acute* ; Creatinine* ; Decision Making* ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hand ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Point-of-Care Systems* ; Prospective Studies

Background: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of empagliflozin in routine clinical settings, we collected and assessed the clinical profiles of Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This was a post-marketing surveillance study of empagliflozin 10 and 25 mg. Information on adverse events and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was collected as safety data sets. Available effectiveness outcomes, including glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, fasting plasma glucose, body weight, and blood pressure, were assessed. Results: The incidence rate of ADRs was 5.14% in the safety dataset (n=3,231). Pollakiuria, pruritis genital, and weight loss were the most common ADRs. ADRs of special interest accounted for only 1.18%, and there were no serious events that led to mortality or hospitalization. In the effectiveness data set (n=2,567), empagliflozin significantly reduced the mean HbA1c level and body weight during the study period by –0.68%±1.39% and –1.91±3.37 kg (both P<0.0001), respectively. In addition, shorter disease duration, absence of dyslipidemia, and higher baseline HbA1c levels were identified as the clinical features characteristic of a “responder” to empagliflozin therapy. Conclusion Empagliflozin is a safe and potent glucose-lowering drug in routine use among Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is expected to have better glycemic efficacy in Korean patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus.