Central serous chorioretinopathy may induce poor eyesight and serous retinal detachment. However, its exact cause has not been well established thus far. It can be associated with systemic high-dose corticosteroid treatment mainly for young and middle-aged men and may spontaneously regress or recur after withdrawal from corticosteroid. After corticosteroid administration for Behcet's disease, it is necessary to identify any ocular symptoms. Behcet's disease can lead to the development of ocular complications, such as uveitis, hypopyon, retinal vasculitis, optic neuritis, angiogenesis, secondary cataract, and glaucoma. It is possible to diagnose any of these complications via optical coherence tomography and digital indocyanine green angiography. It is easy to neglect an ocular symptom that may appear after a low-dose corticosteroid treatment as an ocular complication in patients with Behcet's disease. Thus, we report on a case concerning high-dose corticosteroid treatment with a literature review.
Angiography ; Behcet Syndrome ; Capsule Opacification ; Central Serous Chorioretinopathy* ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Male ; Optic Neuritis ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Vasculitis ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Uveitis

Central serous chorioretinopathy may induce poor eyesight and serous retinal detachment. However, its exact cause has not been well established thus far. It can be associated with systemic high-dose corticosteroid treatment mainly for young and middle-aged men and may spontaneously regress or recur after withdrawal from corticosteroid. After corticosteroid administration for Behcet's disease, it is necessary to identify any ocular symptoms. Behcet's disease can lead to the development of ocular complications, such as uveitis, hypopyon, retinal vasculitis, optic neuritis, angiogenesis, secondary cataract, and glaucoma. It is possible to diagnose any of these complications via optical coherence tomography and digital indocyanine green angiography. It is easy to neglect an ocular symptom that may appear after a low-dose corticosteroid treatment as an ocular complication in patients with Behcet's disease. Thus, we report on a case concerning high-dose corticosteroid treatment with a literature review.
Angiography ; Behcet Syndrome ; Capsule Opacification ; Central Serous Chorioretinopathy ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Male ; Optic Neuritis ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Vasculitis ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Uveitis

Purpose: Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely available drug responsible for a large part of drug-induced hepatotoxicity in developed countries. Although acetaminophen overdose cases in Korea are being continuously reported, there are no reports related to the level of this drug in the patient’s blood or of laboratory analysis at emergency departments (ED). This study sought to analyze the acetaminophen overdose cases at a toxicological laboratory and to survey APAP analysis services offered at select EDs. Methods: We analyzed the demographic and analytic data at a toxicological laboratory run by the National Emergency Medical Center (NMC) in 2019-2020. We surveyed the APAP laboratory service in the 38 regional emergency medical centers (EMCs) and 68 local EMCs near the toxicological laboratory. Results: We studied 175 acute poisoning cases (112 women) with positive blood APAP results (mean age 47.0±24.1 years).Suicide attempts comprised 40.0% of the cases and 30.3% APAP overdose events. In the univariate analysis, we observed that patients were significantly younger, with fewer underlying medical diseases. There were a higher number of APAP overdose events, more favorable initial mental status, more toxic quantity intake in the above treatment line group (p<0.05), In multivariate analysis, the toxic amount intake was significantly more frequent in the above treatment line group (p<0.01). Hospital APAP analysis services were available in six EMCs (3/38 regional and 3/68 local). The hospital blood APAP level reporting intervals were shorter than outside-hospital laboratory services (p<0.01, regional 7.0±3.0 vs. 40.6±27.5, local 5.3±3.1 vs. 57.9±45.1 hours).The NMC toxicological laboratory reporting interval was shorter than the other outside-hospital laboratories (p<0.01, regional 5.7± 0.6 vs. 50.2±22.7 local 7.5±3.0 vs. 70.5±41.5 hours). Conclusion Over the treatment line group, toxic amount intake was significantly more frequent. Only six of 106 EMCs have their own APAP analysis service in their hospitals.

Objective: This study examined the characteristics of acute poisoning patients who visited the emergency room to use as data for developing the treatment support project of acute poisoning patients. Methods: A total of 2,586 acute in-depth survey data were used for a cross-analysis for poisoning severity, emergency medical treatment result and poisoning reason by age group, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the association of poisoning intentionality and other variables. Results: Poisoning intentionality risk analysis identified that males had a lower risk than females (P<0.001), and young adults (aged 13-29 years) had the highest risk (P<0.001). In addition, the higher poisoning severity patients had a higher risk than patients who had no poisoning symptom (severe P<0.001, death P=0.029). The older patients had the higher poisoning severity proportion, and the poisoning substance of expired patients was mostly pesticides. Conclusion To develop the appropriate emergency medical response system for acute poisoning patients, it is necessary to provide an integrated system for poisoning treatment information and analysis.

BACKGROUND: Susceptibility testing of Staphylococcus aureus often requires cumbersome supplementary tests. MicroScan Pos Breakpoint Combo Panel Type 28 (PBC28) (Siemens, USA) includes cefoxitin screening to detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), inducible clindamycin resistance detection (ICD), and determination of low-range minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin (0.5-16 microgram/mL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of PBC28 in comparison with that of Pos Combo Type 1A (PC1A) (Siemens). METHODS: From December 2009 to March 2010, 500 non-duplicate clinical isolates of S. aureus were tested with PC1A and PBC28. Categorical agreements (CA) between the interpretations of the 2 panels were estimated. The presence of the mecA gene was determined by PCR, and double-disk diffusion test (D-test) was performed on the isolates resistant to erythromycin but susceptible or intermediately resistant to clindamycin. Ninety-six isolates representing various vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were tested in parallel with repeat PBC28, broth macrodilution, and epsilometer test (E test). RESULTS: The CA was 99.3% with a very major error (VME) of 0.2%, major error (ME) of 0.1%, and minor error (mE) of 0.4% in total. PBC28 showed 100% CA for 1 isolate with vancomycin MIC of 4 microgram/mL and 35 isolates (7.0%) with MIC of 2 microgram/mL. However, only 15, 27, and 35 isolates with vancomycin MIC of 2 microgram/mL showed 100% CA in repeat PBC28, broth macrodilution, and E test, respectively. PC1A and PBC28 detected all 314 mecA-positive isolates. Among the 63 isolates tested with the D-test, 58 (92.1%) were positive, and the results were 100% concordant with those of ICD. CONCLUSIONS: PBC28 can be appropriate susceptibility testing of S. aureus, including MRSA detection and ICD. However, the lower-range vancomycin MIC test was not reproducible enough to reliably differentiate MIC of 2 microgram/mL from MIC< or =1 microgram/mL.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Cefoxitin/*pharmacology ; Clindamycin/*pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/genetics/isolation & purification ; *Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Staphylococcus aureus/*drug effects/genetics/isolation & purification ; Vancomycin/*pharmacology

BACKGROUND: The definition of sarcopenia focuses on muscle mass and function. Sarcopenic obesity is the relative excess of fat tissue with decreased muscle mass. We examined the association between cigarette smoking and sarcopenia according to obesity in middle-aged and elderly Koreans. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 9,385 subjects (age ≥50 years) based on data from the fourth and fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2008–2011). Smoking groups were categorized by smoking status and the number of cigarettes smoked daily. Sarcopenia was defined as weight-adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle mass of 2 standard deviations below the sex-specific mean for young adults. Obesity was defined as fat mass ≥30% for men and ≥40% for women. Subjects were categorized into three groups: sarcopenic obese (SO), sarcopenic non-obese (SNO), and normal. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between smoking and SNO and SO. RESULTS: Among men, current smokers were more associated with SNO than never-smokers (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–10.26). However, there was no significant association between smoking status and SNO in women or SO in either sex. Among current smokers, moderate smokers (11–20 cigarettes/d) were more likely to be SNO (adjusted OR, 5.81; 95% CI, 1.12–30.31) and heavy smokers (>20 cigarettes/d) were more likely to be SO (adjusted OR, 9.53; 95% CI, 1.65–55.01) than light smokers (<11 cigarettes/d). CONCLUSION: In men, smoking was positively associated with SNO, and heavy smokers were more likely to be SO than light smokers.
Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio ; Sarcopenia ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products ; Young Adult

It has been reported that fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) do not act only as intracellular mediators of lipid responses but also have extracellular functions. This study aimed to investigate whether extracellular liver type (L)-FABP has a biological activity and to determined serum L-FABP levels in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We isolated L-FABP complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) from the Huh7 human hepatocarcinoma cell line and expressed the recombinant L-FABP protein in Escherichia coli. A549 lung carcinoma and THP-1 monocytic cells were stimulated with the human recombinant L-FABP. Human whole blood cells were also treated with the human recombinant L-FABP or interleukin (IL)-1α. IL-6 levels were measured in cell culture supernatants using IL-6 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Human recombinant L-FABP induced IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner in A549, THP-1 cells, and whole blood cells. The blood samples of healthy volunteers and patients with ESRD were taken after an overnight fast. The serum levels of L-FABP in healthy volunteers and ESRD patients were quantified with L-FABP ELISA. The values of L-FABP in patients with ESRD were significantly lower than those in the control group. Our results demonstrated the biological activity of L-FABP in human cells suggesting L-FABP can be a mediator of inflammation.
Blood Cells ; Carrier Proteins* ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line ; DNA ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Escherichia coli ; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6* ; Interleukins ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Liver* ; Lung

OBJECTIVE: The early prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) in sepsis and the provision of prompt treatment may improve the outcomes. This study investigated the efficacy of the lactate/albumin ratio (LAR) in predicting severe AKI in cases of septic shock. METHODS: This retrospective, observational cohort study was performed on patients integrated prospectively in a critical pathway of early-goal-directed therapy (EGDT)/SEPSIS. Adult patients with septic shock, who were admitted to the emergency department with a normal kidney function or stage 1 disease based on the Acute Kidney Injury Network classification between January 1, 2014 and September 30, 2017, were analyzed. The outcomes were the development of sepsis-induced severe AKI within 7 days. RESULTS: A total of 343 patients were enrolled. An increase in the LAR value at admission (odds ratio [OR], 1.85; P=0.001) was a strong independent predictor of the development of severe AKI. The increasing predictability of AKI was closely associated with a L/A ratio≥0.794 at admission (OR, 14.66; P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of the L/A ratio (0.821; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.774–0.861; P < 0.01) was higher than that of lactate (0.795; 95% CI, 0.747–0.838; P < 0.01) for predicting severe AKI (P=0.032). CONCLUSION: L/A ratio was found to be an independent predictor of the development of severe AKI in septic shock. The prognostic performance of the L/A ratio for predicting AKI of critically ill sepsis patients was superior to that of lactate measurements.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Adult ; Albumins ; Classification ; Cohort Studies ; Critical Illness ; Critical Pathways ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lactic Acid ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sepsis ; Shock, Septic

OBJECTIVE: To develop a diagnostic model for superficial soft tissue lesions to differentiate epidermal cyst (EC) from other lesions based on ultrasound (US) features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 205 patients who had undergone US examinations for superficial soft tissue lesions and subsequent surgical excision. The study population was divided into the derivation set (n = 112) and validation set (n = 93) according to the imaging date. The following US features were analyzed to determine those that could discriminate EC from other lesions: more-than-half-depth involvement of the dermal layer, “submarine sign” (focal projection of the hypoechoic portion to the epidermis), posterior acoustic enhancement, posterior wall enhancement, morphology, shape, echogenicity, vascularity, and perilesional fat change. Using multivariable logistic regression, a diagnostic model was constructed and visualized as a nomogram. The performance of the diagnostic model was assessed by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration plot in both the derivation and validation sets. RESULTS: More-than-half-depth involvement of the dermal layer (odds ratio [OR] = 3.35; p = 0.051), “submarine sign” (OR = 12.2; p < 0.001), and morphology (OR = 5.44; p = 0.002) were features that outweighed the others when diagnosing EC. The diagnostic model based on these features showed good discrimination ability in both the derivation set (AUC = 0.888, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.825–0.950) and validation set (AUC = 0.902, 95% CI = 0.832–0.972). CONCLUSION: More-than-half-depth of involvement of the dermal layer, “submarine sign,” and morphology are relatively better US features than the others for diagnosing EC.
Acoustics ; Calibration ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Epidermal Cyst ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of the sedative, analgesic, and hemodynamic effects of dexmedetomidine and midazolam for sedation after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS: The adult patients undergoing elective CABG surgery under general anesthesia were randomly assigned to the dexmedetomidine (DEX) and midazolam (MDZ) groups. From the time of the sternal closure, dexmedetomidine (0.5–0.7 μg/kg/h) was continuously administered (DEX group), and midazolam (0.03–0.1 mg/kg) was administered by bolus (MDZ group). To maintain the target sedation level (Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale [RASS] range, −2 to −1) until extubation in the intensive care unit (ICU), continuous doses of dexmedetomidine were regulated and midazolam was administered intermittently. Sedation (RASS) and pain scores (visual analogue scale) and hemodynamic changes were recorded every two hours, until the end of the mechanical ventilation assistance after entering the ICU. RESULTS: The mean of the fraction within the target sedation level in each patient's total sedation time was 41.0% in the DEX group and 20.7% in the MDZ group (P = 0.026). In the DEX group, the RASS (P < 0.001) and cardiac index were lower (P = 0.047) than those in the MDZ group, but the other hemodynamic parameters and pain scores were not different. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that post-operative infusion of dexmedetomidine maintained a stable sedation without side effects in patients who underwent CABG surgery.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Conscious Sedation ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Dexmedetomidine ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Midazolam ; Postoperative Care ; Respiration, Artificial ; Thoracic Surgery