PURPOSE: We evaluated the clinical characteristics of lower respiratory infections of preterm children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and compared them between those with and without lower respiratory infections that of preterm patients without BPD. METHODS: This study enrolled preterm patients under 2 years old, who admitted with acute lower respiratory infection from March 2014 to May 2016. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to BPD, and we retrospectively reviewed their medical records. RESULTS: A total of 71 patients (106 cases) were enrolled; the BPD group consisited of 29 patients (54 cases) and the control group 42 patients (52 cases). Compared to the patients in the control group, those in the BPD group were older (P=0.001), had lower gestational age and birth weight (P<0.001), and showed more frequent readmission in hospital (P=0.017). The most common causative virus was human rhinovirus (hRV) in the BPD group, whereas respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the control group. The patients in the BPD group showed a higher incidence of tachypnea, decreased aeration, and chest retraction (P<0.001, P=0.009, and P=0.026, respectively), a higher respiratory symptom score (P=0.011), a longer duration of cough and wheezy sounds (P=0.004 and P=0.009, respectively), and higher incidence and longer duration of treatment with oxygen, and mechanical ventilator support (P=0.016 and P=0.017, respectively) than those in the control group. In the BPD group, the patients with RSV showed a higher incidence of tachypnea and rales (P=0.033 and P=0.033, respectively) than those with hRV. CONCLUSION: The preterm children with BPD may have more severe clinical manifestations than those without.
Birth Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia* ; Child* ; Cough ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Medical Records ; Oxygen ; Respiratory Sounds ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; Respiratory Tract Infections* ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinovirus ; Tachypnea ; Thorax ; Ventilators, Mechanical

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the prognostic factors that influence the surgical outcomes of elderly patients older than 65 years old with an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. METHODS: Ninety-two patients older than 65 years old, who were operated in our hospital between 1998 and 2005, were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale three months after surgery. RESULTS: The preoperative neurological status, such as the Hunt-Hess grade (p<0.001), World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grade (p<0.001), and the Fisher grade (p=0.001), was significantly associated with the surgical outcomes in this series. The vasospasm (0.016) and ventriculostomy (0.039) are factors influencing the surgical outcomes. However, the other factors including hypertension (0.831), smoking (0.228), accompanying disorder (0.706), size of aneurysms (0.177), location of aneurysms (0.755), shunt operation (0.356), and timing of surgery (0.194) had no influence on the surgical outcome. CONCLUSION: In elderly patients with intracranial aneurysms, the preoperative neurological status, vasospasm, and ventriculostomy are the most significant prognostic factors.
Aged* ; Aneurysm* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage* ; Ventriculostomy

Background: Topical recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) is effective in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, surgical wounds, burns, and scars. Binding of EGF to EGF receptors results in cell proliferation and differentiation. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of topical rhEGF ointment compared with that of topical mupirocin in healing herpes zoster (HZ) lesions. Methods: Thirty patients diagnosed with typical HZ were recruited in August, 2018. The rats were randomly divided into two groups: topical mupirocin and topical rhEGF ointment. HZ lesions were evaluated using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) at the initial visit, 1st, 2nd, and 4th weeks. Results: The total number of recruited patients (n=30) included males (n=16, 53.3%) and females (n=14, 46.7%) with a mean age of 58.2. The proportion of patients with a 50% reduction in the VSS score (VSS 50) at 2nd week was significantly higher in the rhEGF group (33.0% vs. 72.0%, respectively, p=0.035). The complete resolution rate (VSS=0, 1) at 4th week was also higher in the rhEGF group (17.5% vs. 50.0%, p=0.03). Conclusion Topical rhEGF showed a more rapid treatment response and anti-scarring effect than topical mupirocin in patients with HZ lesions.

No abstract available.
Female ; Ovary*

Background/Aims: Sequential monotherapy is recommended for anthracycline-and taxane-resistant metastatic breast cancer (MBC), but combination chemotherapy is considered in patients with visceral crisis. Cisplatin-doublet chemotherapy is a combination regimen for MBC, but prolonged treatment is challenging because of toxicity. We analyzed the role of single-agent maintenance chemotherapy after cisplatin-doublet chemotherapy for MBC. Methods: From January 2011 to December 2017, 96 anthracycline- and taxane-resistant MBC patients were retrospectively reviewed, and 49 patients with a sustained clinical benefit during the initial 6 cycles of cisplatin-doublet chemotherapy were enrolled for study. Patients were treated with gemcitabine-cisplatin (gemcitabine, 1,250 mg/m2, intravenously [IV], days 1 to 8; cisplatin 60 mg/m2, IV, day 1) or capecitabine-cisplatin (capecitabine 2,500 mg/m2, orally, days 1 to 14; cisplatin 60 mg/m2, IV, day 1) during the induction period. After 6 cycles, 16 patients were switched to single-maintenance treatment (gemcitabine or capecitabine) and the doublet regimen was continued in 24 patients. Survival outcomes (progression-free survival [PFS] and overall survival [OS]) were analyzed. Results: Among the 49 patients who showed a clinical benefit during cisplatin-doublet therapy, 24 were maintained on the doublet regimen, 16 were switched to single-maintenance treatment, and chemotherapy was suspended until disease progression in nine patients. The single-maintenance chemotherapy group showed superior survival than the chemotherapy holiday and doublet regimen groups (median PFS 15.43 months vs. 8.37 and 10.67 months, respectively, p = 0.008; median OS 43.67 months vs. 22.17 and 22.33 months, respectively, p = 0.014). Conclusions Patients showing a clinical benefit during 6 cisplatin-doublet chemotherapy cycles may have a sustained survival benefit from single-maintenance chemotherapy.

Nevus comedonicus (NC, acneiform nevus) is a rare variant of adnexal hamartoma, which is clinically characterized as confluent clusters of dilated follicular orifices resembling comedones. NC usually occurs unilaterally along the line of Blaschko and presents at birth or develops during childhood. A 66-year-old man presented with a 6-month history of multiple skin-colored to brownish papules resembling comedones on both the upper and lower eyelids.The patient did not complain of ophthalmologic or neurologic symptoms. Skin punch biopsy revealed dilated follicular openings filled with eosinophilic keratinous material and lymphocytic infiltration. Based on clinical and histopathologic findings, a diagnosis of late-onset bilateral NC of the eyelids was reached.

Background: Few studies have investigated the association between Behçet disease (BD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of various CVDs in patients with BD. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of various CVD in patients with BD. Methods: Between 2003 and 2015, we performed a retrospective cohort study involving patients with BD selected from Korea’s National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database and age- and sex-matched controls. Age- and sex-matched controls were selected randomly from the NHIS-NSC database at a frequency of 1:5. Results: Among the 998 patients with BD and the 4,990 controls studied, patients with BD showed significantly higher risk for angina pectoris (adjusted Hazard Ratio [HR] 1.522, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.020∼2.273;p=0.04) and peripheral arterial disease (adjusted HR 2.939, 95% CI 1.296∼6.664; p=0.01) than the controls. The cumulative incidence rates of these diseases in patients with BD were also significantly higher than those in the controls. Conclusion Patients with BD showed independent risk for angina pectoris and peripheral arterial disease.