Female ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Lung ; Male ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Spirometry ; Vital Capacity

This study was conducted to evaluate treatment outcome, mortality, and predictors of both in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) at 3 TB referral hospitals in the public sector of Korea. We included MDR-TB patients treated at 3 TB referral hospitals in 2004 and reviewed retrospectively their medical records and mortality data. Of 202 MDR-TB patients, 75 (37.1%) had treatment success and 127 (62.9%) poor outcomes. Default rate was high (37.1%, 75/202), comprising 59.1% of poor outcomes. Male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-7.49), positive smear at treatment initiation (aOR, 5.50; 95% CI, 1.22-24.90), and extensively drug-resistant TB (aOR, 10.72; 95% CI, 1.23-93.64) were independent predictors of poor outcome. The all-cause mortality rate was 31.2% (63/202) during the 3-4 yr after treatment initiation. In conclusion, the treatment outcomes of patients with MDR-TB at the 3 TB hospitals are poor, which may reflect the current status of MDR-TB in the public sector of Korea. A more comprehensive program against MDR-TB needs to be integrated into the National Tuberculosis Program of Korea.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antitubercular Agents/*therapeutic use ; Demography ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Hospitals, Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant/drug therapy/*mortality

This study was conducted to evaluate treatment outcome, mortality, and predictors of both in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) at 3 TB referral hospitals in the public sector of Korea. We included MDR-TB patients treated at 3 TB referral hospitals in 2004 and reviewed retrospectively their medical records and mortality data. Of 202 MDR-TB patients, 75 (37.1%) had treatment success and 127 (62.9%) poor outcomes. Default rate was high (37.1%, 75/202), comprising 59.1% of poor outcomes. Male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-7.49), positive smear at treatment initiation (aOR, 5.50; 95% CI, 1.22-24.90), and extensively drug-resistant TB (aOR, 10.72; 95% CI, 1.23-93.64) were independent predictors of poor outcome. The all-cause mortality rate was 31.2% (63/202) during the 3-4 yr after treatment initiation. In conclusion, the treatment outcomes of patients with MDR-TB at the 3 TB hospitals are poor, which may reflect the current status of MDR-TB in the public sector of Korea. A more comprehensive program against MDR-TB needs to be integrated into the National Tuberculosis Program of Korea.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antitubercular Agents/*therapeutic use ; Demography ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Hospitals, Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant/drug therapy/*mortality

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is characterized by intense restlessness and unpleasant creeping sensations deep inside the lower legs, occurring during periods of rest, evening and night. These symptoms can be improved by movement. There are two different phenotypes of RLS. One early-onset form starts before 36 years old. It has mostly a familial history, severe symptoms, and highly genetically determined. And it is a highly dependent to iron level of the brain. The other delayed-onset form starts after 36 years old, mostly secondary, without familial history, with a rapid evolution in two or three years. And it is associated with frequent low ferritin level of serum. Pathophysiology of RLS remains incompletely understood. However, advanced studies suggest that RLS may be generated by dopamine dysfunction locally within the central nervous system. Dopaminergic agonists are the treatment of choice, if the symptoms are severe. And iron therapy improves RLS symptoms in iron deprived patients. Early detection during pregnancy is needed because RLS gives an important impact on sleep efficiency and quality of life. Recently we have experienced a case of primary RLS patient diagnosed at 24+3 weeks, treated by dopaminergic agonist ropinirole and iron. We describe this case with a brief review of the literature.
Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Dopamine ; Dopamine Agonists ; Ferritins ; Humans ; Indoles ; Iron ; Leg ; Phenotype ; Pregnancy ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Quality of Life ; Sensation

Autoimmune paraneoplastic syndromes are encountered in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. A review of case reports suggested 10% of myelodysplastic syndrome patients may experience various autoimmune syndromes, associated with immunological-mediated hematologic abnormalities, such as Coombs' negative hemolytic anemia. In patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, Coombs' negative hemolytic anemia may be underdiagnosed due to its association with reticulocytopenia. Therefore, the findings from a peripheral blood smear and measurement of haptoglobin level are important. Autoimmune manifestations respond to immunosuppressive agents, including steroids. Herein, a case with Coombs' negative hemolytic anemia, diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome from a bone marrow biopsy, is reported, with a review of the previously reported literature.
Anemia, Hemolytic ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune* ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Haptoglobins ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes ; Steroids

Type 1 diabetes is considered as Th1 cell mediated autoimmune disease and the suppression of Th1 cells or the activation of Th2 cells has been regarded as a plausible immunologic intervention for the prevention of type 1 diabetogenesis in a rodent model. CpG ODN is an immunostimulatory sequence primarily present in bacterial DNA, viral DNA and BCG. CpG ODN is conventionally classified as a Th1 cell activator, which has been clinically applied to cancer, allergy and infectious disease. Recently, there was a promising report of that CpG ODN administration suppressed the development of type 1 diabetes in NOD mice by inducing Th2 cell mediated cytokine. However, the antidiabetogenic effect of CpG ODN on NOD mice is controversial. Thus, two studies were serially undertaken with various kinds of CpG motif to find a more optimal sequence and administration method. In the first study, CpG ODN was vaccinated four times and pancreatic inflammation and the quantity of serum insulin subsequently evaluated. In the second study, the amounts of IFN gamma and IL-4 in sera were measured as representative cytokines of Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. As a result, vaccination or continuous injection of CpG ODN failed to show a preventive effect on type 1 diabetogenesis in NOD mice. Structural differences of CpG ODN also had no affect on the result. CpG ODN also consistently showed affect on the pancreatic pathology. The productions of IFN gamma and IL-4 were detected only in the K and D type CpG ODN administration groups. Comparison of the two cytokines leads to the conclusion that CpG ODN generated a Th1-weighted response in both study groups. It was assumed that CpG ODN failed to produce Th2-weighted cytokine milieu, which can overcome the genetically determined phenotype of NOD mice. Given these results, it was concluded that the immunotherapeutic application of CpG ODN on Type 1 diabetes had clear limitations.
Animals ; DNA/*pharmacology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/*immunology/*prevention & control ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Th1 Cells/*immunology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a vital signs e-book for undergraduate student nurses and evaluate the content, system and student satisfaction. METHOD: This study was done in three stages, the development of a vital signs e-book, implementation and evaluation. The subjects were 73 undergraduate student nurses in Y university. RESULT: Thirty one learning objectives were used to create the contents. A set of 5 chapters and 18 subsections were defined after validation from nurse educators. The e-book is available at http://123.134.207.23/ebook/vitalsigns. Analysis of the questionnaires showed a mean score for content, system and students satisfaction of 3.17 +/- .73, 3.11 +/-.79, and 2.96 +/-.74 respectively out of a possible 4 points. CONCLUSION: Nurse educators should provide quality and effective web-based courses that meet undergraduate student nurses' learning needs and they should incorporate web-based learning into traditional teaching to meet the demands of nursing education.
Respiration ; Pulse ; *Physical Examination ; *Internet ; *Education, Nursing ; *Computer-Assisted Instruction

BACKGROUND: This study compared the bronchodilator efficacy and safety of tiotropium inhalation capsules (18microgram once daily) with a ipratropium metered dose inhaler (2 puffs of 20microgram q.i.d.) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHOD: After the initial screening assessment and a two-week run-in period, patients received either tiotropium 18microgram once daily or ipratropium 40microgram four times daily over a period of 4 weeks in a double blind, double dummy, parallel group study. The outcome measures were the lung function, the daily records of the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), the patients' questionnaire, and the use of concomitant salbutamol. The forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and the forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured 5 minutes before inhalation, and 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 hours after inhaling the study drug on days 0, 14 and 28. RESULT: In 16 centers, 134 patients with a mean (SD) age of 66 (7) years and a predicted FEV1 of 42 (12)% were analyzed. The trough FEV1 response was significantly higher in the tiotropium group than in the ipratropium group after a four-week treatment period. The weekly mean morning PEFR of the tiotropium group was consistently higher than that of the ipratropium group during the 4-week treatment period with differences ranging from 12.52 to 13.88 l/min, which were statistically significant. Tiotropium was well tolerated by the COPD patients during the 4-week treatment period and had a similar safety profile to ipratropium. CONCLUSION: This study shows that tiotropium administrated once daily has a superior bronchodilator effect with a similar safety profile in treating COPD patients compared with ipratropium, inhaled four times daily.
Adult* ; Albuterol ; Bronchodilator Agents ; Capsules ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Ipratropium* ; Lung ; Mass Screening ; Metered Dose Inhalers ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vital Capacity ; Tiotropium Bromide

A 76-year-old female admitted with nausea, anorexia, vague abdominal pain, and malaise. Her past medical history included an 15-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. She had been taking metformin, glipizid, and amlodipine for past 2 years. One week previously, she underwent gastroscopy to evaluate epigastic pain, and she was diagnosed Helicobacter pylori positive duodenal ulcer, for which she was treated with amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and omeprazole. At admission, laboratory test revealed lactic acidosis (pH 7.23, bicarbonate 8.3 mEq/L, and lactate 5.51 mmol/L) and acute renal failure with a serum creatinine of 7.4 mg/dL. We diagnosed meformin-associated lactic acidosis and the patient made a complete recovery following therapy with bicarbonate-based hemodialysis and supportive care. It is the first report of metformin-associated lactic acidosis in Korea.
Abdominal Pain ; Acidosis, Lactic* ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Aged ; Amlodipine ; Amoxicillin ; Anorexia ; Clarithromycin ; Creatinine ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Female ; Gastroscopy ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Lactic Acid ; Metformin ; Nausea ; Omeprazole ; Renal Dialysis

BACKGROUND: As single donor platelets (SDP) has been increasingly used, the quality of SDP, especially apheresis-induced platelet activation, has become a major issue. This study evaluated the activation of SDP platelets prepared with three different cell separators that are currently being used at the Korean Red Cross. METHODS: CD62p, CD63 and CD42 were measured in 35 units of SDP prepared with Amicus (Baxter, Deerfield, IL, USA), MCS+ (Haemonetics, Braintree, MA, USA), or Trima (Gambro BCT, Lakewood, USA) using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Expression of CD62p gradually increased with storage time, but no difference in expression was noted between cell separators. Expression of CD63 also increased with storage time and platelets prepared with the Amicus displayed significantly higher CD63 expression 72 and 120 hours after collection compared to those prepared with MCS+ and Trima. Expression of CD42b tended to decrease with storage time, but this was only significant for Amicus 120 hours after collection. No difference in CD42b expression was noted between cell separators. CONCLUSIONS: Platelet activation increased with storage time, and platelet activation was more pronounced in the platelets prepared with the Amicus. However, because in vitro results of platelet activation does not necessarily reflect in vivo platelet function and survival, additional studies are needed to clarify clinical effectiveness of activated platelets.
Blood Platelets* ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Platelet Activation* ; Plateletpheresis* ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors