Background: Although respiratory tract infection is one of the most important factors triggering acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD), limited data are available to suggest an epidemiologic pattern of microbiology in South Korea. Methods: A multicenter observational study was conducted between January 2015 and December 2018 across 28 hospitals in South Korea. Adult patients with moderate-to-severe acute exacerbations of COPD were eligible to participate in the present study. The participants underwent all conventional tests to identify etiology of microbial pathogenesis. The primary outcome was the percentage of different microbiological pathogens causing AE-COPD. A comparative microbiological analysis of the patients with overlapping asthma–COPD (ACO) and pure COPD was performed. Results: We included 1,186 patients with AE-COPD. Patients with pure COPD constituted 87.9% and those with ACO accounted for 12.1%. Nearly half of the patients used an inhaled corticosteroid-containing regimen and one-fifth used systemic corticosteroids. Respiratory pathogens were found in 55.3% of all such patients. Bacteria and viruses were detected in 33% and 33.2%, respectively. Bacterial and viral coinfections were found in 10.9%. The most frequently detected bacteria were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.8%), and the most frequently detected virus was influenza A (10.4%). Multiple bacterial infections were more likely to appear in ACO than in pure COPD (8.3% vs. 3.6%, p=0.016). Conclusion Distinct microbiological patterns were identified in patients with moderate-to-severe AE-COPD in South Korea. These findings may improve evidence-based management of patients with AE-COPD and represent the basis for further studies investigating infectious pathogens in patients with COPD.

Despite the great socioeconomic burden of stroke, there have been few reports of stroke statistics in Korea. In this scenario, the Epidemiologic Research Council of the Korean Stroke Society launched the “Stroke Statistics in Korea” project, aimed at writing a contemporary, comprehensive, and representative report on stroke epidemiology in Korea. This report contains general statistics of stroke, prevalence of behavioral and vascular risk factors, stroke characteristics, pre-hospital system of care, hospital management, quality of stroke care, and outcomes. In this report, we analyzed the most up-to-date and nationally representative databases, rather than performing a systematic review of existing evidence. In summary, one in 40 adults are patients with stroke and 232 subjects per 100,000 experience a stroke event every year. Among the 100 patients with stroke in 2014, 76 had ischemic stroke, 15 had intracerebral hemorrhage, and nine had subarachnoid hemorrhage. Stroke mortality is gradually declining, but it remains as high as 30 deaths per 100,000 individuals, with regional disparities. As for stroke risk factors, the prevalence of smoking is decreasing in men but not in women, and the prevalence of alcohol drinking is increasing in women but not in men. Population-attributable risk factors vary with age. Smoking plays a role in young-aged individuals, hypertension and diabetes in middle-aged individuals, and atrial fibrillation in the elderly. About four out of 10 hospitalized patients with stroke are visiting an emergency room within 3 hours of symptom onset, and only half use an ambulance. Regarding acute management, the proportion of patients with ischemic stroke receiving intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment was 10.7% and 3.6%, respectively. Decompressive surgery was performed in 1.4% of patients with ischemic stroke and in 28.1% of those with intracerebral hemorrhage. The cumulative incidence of bleeding and fracture at 1 year after stroke was 8.9% and 4.7%, respectively. The direct costs of stroke were about ₩1.68 trillion (KRW), of which ₩1.11 trillion were for ischemic stroke and ₩540 billion for hemorrhagic stroke. The great burden of stroke in Korea can be reduced through more concentrated efforts to control major attributable risk factors for age and sex, reorganize emergency medical service systems to give patients with stroke more opportunities for reperfusion therapy, disseminate stroke unit care, and reduce regional disparities. We hope that this report can contribute to achieving these tasks.
Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Ambulances ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Hope ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Mortality ; Prevalence ; Reperfusion ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Writing

PURPOSE: Overactive bladder (OAB) causes urinary urgency, usually accompanied by frequency and nocturia. Alpha 1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) antagonists are known to improve lower urinary tract symptoms associated with OAB. The α1-AR antagonists constitute a variety of drugs according to the receptor subtype affinity. This study investigated the efficacy of tamsulosin, naftopidil, and a combination of the two on OAB rats. METHODS: The OAB rat model was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide for 14 days. The experimental groups were divided into 5 groups: control group, OAB-induction group, OAB-induction and tamsulosin monotherapy group, OAB-induction and naftopidil monotherapy group, and OAB-induction and tamsulosin-naftopidil combination therapy group. For the drug-treated groups, each drug was administrated for 14 days after the OAB induction. Cystometry for urodynamic evaluation and immunohistochemical stain for c-Fos and nerve growth factor (NGF) expressions in the central micturition centers were performed. RESULTS: Increased contraction pressure and time with enhanced c-Fos and NGF expressions in the central micturition centers were found in the OAB rats. Tamsulosin suppressed contraction pressure and time while inhibiting c-Fos and NGF expressions. Naftopidil showed no significant effect and combination therapy showed less of an effect on contraction pressure and time. Naftopidil and combination therapy exerted no significant effect on the c-Fos and NGF expressions. CONCLUSIONS: Tamsulosin showed the most prominent efficacy for the treatment of OAB compared to the naftopidil and combination. The combination of tamsulosin with naftopidil showed no synergistic effects on OAB; however, further studies of addon therapy might provide opportunities to find a new modality.
Animals ; Cyclophosphamide ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Models, Animal ; Nerve Growth Factor ; Nocturia ; Rats* ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive* ; Urination ; Urodynamics

PURPOSE: Overactive bladder (OAB) causes urinary urgency, usually accompanied by frequency and nocturia. Alpha 1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) antagonists are known to improve lower urinary tract symptoms associated with OAB. The α1-AR antagonists constitute a variety of drugs according to the receptor subtype affinity. This study investigated the efficacy of tamsulosin, naftopidil, and a combination of the two on OAB rats. METHODS: The OAB rat model was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide for 14 days. The experimental groups were divided into 5 groups: control group, OAB-induction group, OAB-induction and tamsulosin monotherapy group, OAB-induction and naftopidil monotherapy group, and OAB-induction and tamsulosin-naftopidil combination therapy group. For the drug-treated groups, each drug was administrated for 14 days after the OAB induction. Cystometry for urodynamic evaluation and immunohistochemical stain for c-Fos and nerve growth factor (NGF) expressions in the central micturition centers were performed. RESULTS: Increased contraction pressure and time with enhanced c-Fos and NGF expressions in the central micturition centers were found in the OAB rats. Tamsulosin suppressed contraction pressure and time while inhibiting c-Fos and NGF expressions. Naftopidil showed no significant effect and combination therapy showed less of an effect on contraction pressure and time. Naftopidil and combination therapy exerted no significant effect on the c-Fos and NGF expressions. CONCLUSIONS: Tamsulosin showed the most prominent efficacy for the treatment of OAB compared to the naftopidil and combination. The combination of tamsulosin with naftopidil showed no synergistic effects on OAB; however, further studies of addon therapy might provide opportunities to find a new modality.
Animals ; Cyclophosphamide ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Models, Animal ; Nerve Growth Factor ; Nocturia ; Rats* ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive* ; Urination ; Urodynamics

No abstract available.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support* ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation*

PURPOSE: Open reduction and internal fixation of calcaneal fracture using plate has been used. While numerous plates have been manufactured, most of the conventional plates are designed for westerners, realistically the size is larger for Korean. The domestic products, on the other hand, often have the undesirable screw holes and path. Therefore, we measured the radiologic parameter of Korean calcaneus for providing the plate and screw hole placements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured the outer lines and angles with over the 20 years old 291 females and 322 males. A: Length of inferior plane of calcaneus, B: Length of anterior plane of calcaneus, C: Length from line A to sinus tarsi, D: Length from line A to posterior point of posterior facet, E: Length from line A to calcaneal tuberosity, F: Length of posterior facet, G: Length from anterior point of line A to C, H: Length from line C to line D, a: Angle between A and B, b: Gissane angle, c: Bohler angle, d: Calcaneal pitch angle using Marosis m-view(R). RESULTS: Mean A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H were 63.6, 26.4, 23.2, 43.7, 40.5, 26.9, 12.8, 18.1 mm. Mean a, b, c, d angle were 105.8, 122.4, 32.4, 20.5degrees. Male's calcaneus is significantly bigger than female's (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: AP calcaneus length 63.6 mm, maximal height 43.7 mm is considered to be helpful in making the Korean calcaneal plate.
Calcaneus ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Male

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been linked to an increased risk for in-hospital and long-term mortality rates in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) are known to play an important role in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, it is uncertain whether obesity and MS increase the risk of AF in patients with AMI. Therefore, we investigated independent risk factors for the occurrence of new-onset AF in patients with AMI who received optimal percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: We prospectively analyzed the association between MS and the incidence of cardiac arrhythmia in 146 patients with AMI who underwent PCI. Twenty-four-hour Holter monitoring was performed 3 days after AMI. We divided the patients into two different groups based on the development of AF and analysed their obesity based on body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) and evaluated the existence of MS, as well as visceral obesity with fat computed tomography. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients (51.4%) were obese (BMI > or = 25) and 64 (44%) had MS. AF occurred in 33 (22.6%) patients. Age, MS, and visceral obesity were significantly associated with AF (p = 0.001, p = 0.003, and p = 0.03, respectively). There was no difference between obese and non-obese patients in the incidence of AF and VT. Multivariate analysis revealed that age and MS were independent risk factors of post-AMI AF. CONCLUSIONS: MS is an important and modifiable risk factor for new-onset AF especially in patients with AMI who underwent PCI.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Body Mass Index ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ; Humans ; Incidence ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction ; Obesity ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: To evaluate the quality of prehospital CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) performed by 119 rescue personnel and bystanders in Seoul and to recognize the present problems in the pre-hospital emergency medical service system (EMS). METHODS: We enrolled all patients in cardiac arrest visiting the emergency rooms of 9 university hospitals in Seoul via 119 rescue services from 16 October to 26 November 2006, prospectively investigating the environments in which arrest occurred and the factors associated with CPR. RESULTS: Among 73 patients, the most common place of arrest was in the home(45.2%), CPR by bystander was performed in 8 cases(10.7%), endotracheal intubation by EMS personnel was performed in 10 cases(14.1%). Average time from call to CPR was 11.9 minutes and the number of discharges alive was 3 cases(4.1%). CONCLUSION: To improve the rate of alive discharges, development of CPR education program for lay rescue, education in basic and advanced life support, and management of quality for EMS personnel are needed.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Heart Arrest ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ; Prospective Studies

Wilms' tumor, aniridia, genitourinary anomalies, and mental retardation (WAGR) syndrome is caused by deletion of chromosome 11p13, including the Wilms' tumor (WT1) and aniridia gene (PAX6) loci. Here, we report the first case of WAGR syndrome in Korea; the patient was a 2-year-old girl with bilateral aniridia from birth who presented with abdominal distention and mental retardation. Cytogenetically, she had deletion of chromosome 11p11.2-13. Bilateral Wilms' tumors were successfully treated by chemotherapy and surgery. She has been tumor-free for 19 months off chemotherapy with preserved renal function.
Aniridia ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Korea ; Parturition ; Preschool Child ; WAGR Syndrome ; Wilms Tumor

A lung hernia, defined as the protrusion of pulmonary tissue and pleural membranes through a defect in the thoracic wall, is a rare event. It can be congenital or acquired, and cervical, thoracic, or diaphragmatic in location. We report the rare occurrence of a congenital atraumatic lung herniation through the azygoesophageal recess. An 8 -month-old male infant, who was born at 3 5 weeks gestation, had a chronic cough. Chest radiography showed haziness at the right lower lobe of the lung (RLL). Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed herniation of the RLL through the azygoesophageal recess. If persistent unilateral haziness is observed on chest radiography, the possibility of lung herniation should be considered.
Child ; Cough ; Hernia ; Humans ; Infant ; Lung ; Male ; Membranes ; Pregnancy ; Thoracic Wall ; Thorax