PURPOSE:We undertook this study to improve our understanding of the epidemiologic and clinical features of non-polioenterovirus (NPEV) infections, especially enterovirus 71 (EV71) infections, in Korean children. METHODS:Between April and June 2000, NPEVs were detected by RT-PCR and cultures of specimens obtained from patients with aseptic meningitis, acute respiratory disease, and acute gastroenteritis which were associated with enteroviral exanthem and vesicular pharyngeal enanthem, such as herpangina, and hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). EV71 was identified by sequencing the VP1 gene. The clinical and epidemiologic data were analyzed retrospectively after all 87 NPEV-positive patients were divided into 4 groups, according to the clinical manifestations. Sixteen patients who mainly had symptoms of acute gastroenteritis were in group A, 21 patients with symptoms and signs of lower respiratory tract infections were in group B, 42 patients with a HFMD rash only were in group C with or without fever, and 8 patients with aseptic meningitis or paralysis were in group D. For the 11 EV71-positive patients, 1 was in group A, 2 were group B, 7 were in group C, and 1 was in group D. RESULTS:There were 87 NPEV infections, including 11 EV71 infections. The mean age of the patients was 2 years and 11 months, ranging from 1 day to 15 years. There were no fatal cases among a total of 87 NPEV infections and no significant differences in clinical severity between the EV71 and other NPEV infections. CONCLUSION:NPEV infections in children were common during the 3 months in the spring of 2000. Unlike in southeast Asia, where fatal EV71 infection outbreaks have occurred since 1997, the clinical features of EV71 infection in Korean children are mild.
Asia, Southeastern ; Child ; Disease Outbreaks ; Enterovirus ; Exanthema ; Fever ; Foot ; Gastroenteritis ; Hand ; Herpangina ; Humans ; Korea ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Mouth Diseases ; Paralysis ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Retrospective Studies

Background: and Purpose We performed a population-based study to determine the prevalence and incidence of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in South Korea using data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database. Methods: Data recorded in the HIRA database between January 2016 and December 2020 were analyzed. The inclusion criteria in this study for patients with CIDP were a diagnostic code of G61.8 in the seventh and eighth revision of the Korean Standard Classification of Disease and a >3-month history of oral immunosuppressant use. The age-adjusted incidence rate and prevalence of CIDP in South Korea were also analyzed. Results: CIDP was newly diagnosed in 953 patients during the study period. The mean age at diagnosis was 58.36 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.74. The age-adjusted incidence rates were 0.22, 0.21, 0.23, 0.30, and 0.25 per 100,000 person-years in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The age-adjusted prevalence was estimated at 1.16 per 100,000 persons in 2020. Age and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index were associated with the in-hospital mortality of patients with CIDP. Infection and cardiovascular disease (CVD) were also significantly associated with the in-hospital mortality of those patients. Acute-onset CIDP was initially diagnosed in an estimated 101 out of 953 patients with CIDP. Conclusions The prevalence and incidence rates of CIDP in South Korea were comparable between this nationwide cohort study and previous studies. Common comorbidities such as CVD and diabetes should be appropriately monitored in patients with CIDP to prevent a poor prognosis and socioeconomic burden.

Purpose: High breast cancer incidence and dense breast prevalence among women in forties are specific to Asian. This study examined the natural history of breast cancer among Korean women. Materials and Methods: We applied a three-state Markov model (i.e., healthy, preclinical, and clinical state) to fit the natural history of breast cancer to data in the Korean National Cancer Screening Program. Breast cancer was ascertained by linkage to the Korean Central Cancer Registry. Disease-progression rates (i.e., transition rates between three states), mean sojourn time (MST) and mammographic sensitivity were estimated across 10-year age groups and levels of breast density determined by the Breast Imaging, Reporting and Data System. Results: Overall prevalence of dense breast was 53.9%. Transition rate from healthy to preclinical state, indicating the preclinical incidence of breast cancer, was higher among women in forties (0.0019; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0017 to 0.0021) and fifties (0.0020; 95% CI, 0.0017 to 0.0022), than women in sixties (0.0014; 95% CI, 0.0012 to 0.0017). The MSTs, in which the tumor is asymptomatic but detectable by screening, were also fastest among younger age groups, estimated as 1.98 years (95% CI, 1.67 to 2.33), 2.49 years (95% CI, 1.92 to 3.22), and 3.07 years (95% CI, 2.11 to 4.46) for women in forties, fifties, and sixties, respectively. Having dense breasts increased the likelihood of the preclinical cancer risk (1.96 to 2.35 times) and decreased the duration of MST (1.53 to 2.02 times). Conclusion This study estimated Korean-specific natural history parameters of breast cancer that would be utilized for establishing optimal screening strategies in countries with higher dense breast prevalence.

Clinical presentation of Bartter syndrome is similar to surrepitious vomiting or use of diuretics. Therefore, precise differential diagnosis of Bartter syndrome is crucial. We report a case of medullary nephrocalcinosis (MNC) induced by furosemide mimicking Bartter syndrome. A 55-year-old female patient visited our hospital with renal dysfunction on basis of hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. She had no history of hypertension or drug use except allopurinol and atorvastatin. She did not complain of nausea or vomiting on presentation and the serum magnesium level was normal. We performed ultrasonography, that showed MNC. For these reasons, we suspected Bartter syndrome and corrected the electrolyte imbalance. During outpatient follow up, we found that the patient had been taking 400 mg of furosemide daily for 30 years. We could diagnose furosemide induced MNC, and recommended to her to reduce the amount of furosemide.
Alkalosis ; Allopurinol ; Bartter Syndrome* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diuretics ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Furosemide* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypokalemia ; Magnesium ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; Nephrocalcinosis* ; Outpatients ; Ultrasonography ; Vomiting ; Atorvastatin Calcium

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this report is to provide accurate nationwide epidemiologic data on primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors in Korea. Despite its importance, there are no accurate statistics on primary CNS tumors in Korea. We analyzed primary CNS tumors diagnosed in 2005 from the nationwide registry. METHODS: Data on primary CNS tumors diagnosed in 2005 were collected from the Korean Central Cancer Registry and the Korean Brain Tumor Society. Crude and age-standardized rates were calculated in terms of gender, age, and histological type. Tumors of uncertain histology were investigated individually at the corresponding hospitals and had their diagnoses confirmed. RESULTS: A total of 5,692 patients diagnosed with primary CNS tumors in 2005 were included in this study. CNS tumors occurred in females more often than in males (female to male, 1.43 : 1). The most common tumor was meningioma (31.2%). Glioblastoma accounted for 30.7% of all gliomas, and 19.3% of all malignant primary CNS tumors. In children under 19 years of age, both germ cell tumor and embryonal/primitive/medulloblastoma were the most common tumors. CONCLUSION: This article is the first nationwide primary CNS tumor epidemiology report in Korea. Data from this study should provide valuable information regarding the understanding of primary CNS tumors epidemiology in Korea.
Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Central Nervous System ; Central Nervous System Neoplasms ; Child ; Female ; Glioblastoma ; Glioma ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Meningioma ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal

OBJECTIVE: The objective of study is to evaluate the incidence of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) in breast cancer patients with parenchymal brain metastases (PBM) and clinical risk factors for the development of LMC. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 27 patients who had undergone surgical resection (SR) and 156 patients with whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) as an initial treatment for their PBM from breast cancer in our institution and compared the difference of incidence of LMC according to clinical factors. The diagnosis of LMC was made by cerebrospinal fluid cytology and/or magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients (14%) in the study population developed LMC at a median of 6.0 months (range, 1.0-50). Ten of 27 patients (37%) developed LMC after SR, whereas 17 of 156 (11%) patients who received WBRT were diagnosed with LMC after the index procedure. The incidence of LMC was significantly higher in the SR group compared with the WBRT group and the hazard ratio was 2.95 (95% confidence interval; 1.33-6.54, p<0.01). Three additional factors were identified in the multivariable analysis : the younger age group (<40 years old), the progressing systemic disease showed significantly increased incidence of LMC, whereas the adjuvant chemotherapy reduce the incidence. CONCLUSION: There is an increased risk of LMC after SR for PBM from breast cancer compared with WBRT. The young age (<40) and systemic burden of cancer in terms of progressing systemic disease without adjuvant chemotherapy could be additional risk factors for the development of LMC.
Brain ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Humans ; Incidence ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Meningeal Carcinomatosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Streptothricins

We made a mistake in our recently published article.

Nocardia species are aerobic, gram-positive pathogens found worldwide in soil. Nocardia is considered an opportunistic pathogen, and its infection mostly occurs in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of Nocardia farcinica induced mediastinitis and pneumonia that occurred in a 64-year-old male patient who had no significant medical history except for hypertension. He visited another hospital with a complaint of dyspnea and left chest wall pain. The symptoms arose 7 days ago without any trauma and they worsened. A mediastinal mass was found on computed tomography scan. After being transferred to our hospital for further evaluation, he was diagnosed with mediastinitis and pneumonia. As N. farcinica was found to be the causative organism by 16S rRNA sequencing, proper antibiotic therapy including trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was initiated immediately. After this, the patient improved and he was discharged. If an infection has a disseminating course, nocardiosis cannot be excluded even in immunocompetent patients. Once the diagnosis is established, prompt antibiotic therapy should be performed based on the severity.
Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Immunocompromised Host ; Male ; Mediastinitis* ; Middle Aged ; Nocardia Infections ; Nocardia* ; Pneumonia* ; Soil ; Thoracic Wall

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The relationship between intestinal Behçet’s disease (BD) and cancer remains unclear. We conducted a nationwide, population-based study to determine the risk of cancer in patients with intestinal BD. METHODS: Using the National Health Insurance claims records, we collected data on 365 patients who had been diagnosed with intestinal BD between 2011 and 2014. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of overall and site-specific cancers in patients with intestinal BD in comparison with the general population were calculated. RESULTS: Among 167 men with intestinal BD, four cases of cancer were observed; among 191 women with BD, eight cases of cancer were observed. The risk of all cancers was significantly higher in women with intestinal BD than in women of the general population (SIR, 4.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.84 to 8.41). However, in men with intestinal BD, the risk of all cancers was not significantly higher than that in men of the general population (SIR, 2.08; 95% CI, 0.57 to 5.33). The risk of hematologic cancer was significantly higher in both men and women with intestinal BD than in their counterparts in the general population (SIR, 23.90; 95% CI, 2.89 to 86.32 in men; SIR, 34.47; 95% CI, 4.17 to 124.51 in women). In particular, patients with intestinal BD showed a higher risk of leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome than the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with intestinal BD demonstrated a higher risk of hematologic cancer, especially leukemia, than the general population. Furthermore, women with intestinal BD showed a higher risk of all cancers.
Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leukemia ; Male ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; National Health Programs

BACKGROUND: Thermogel is an aqueous solution that exhibits a sol-to-gel transition as the temperature increases. Stem cells, growth factors, and differentiating factors can be incorporated in situ in the matrix during the sol-to-gel transition, leading to the formation of a three-dimensional (3D) cell-culture scaffold. METHODS: The uses of thermogelling polypeptides, such as collagen, Matrigel™, elastin-like polypeptides, and synthetic polypeptides, as 3D scaffolds of cells, are summarized in this paper. RESULTS: The timely supply of growth factors to the cells, cell survival, and metabolite removal is to be insured in the cell culture matrix. Various growth factors were incorporated in the matrix during the sol-to-gel transition of the thermogelling polypeptide aqueous solutions, and preferential differentiation of the incorporated stem cells into specific target cells were investigated. In addition, modulus of the matrix was controlled by post-crosslinking reactions of thermogels or employing composite systems. Chemical functional groups as well as biological factors were selected appropriately for targeted differentiation of the incorporated stem cells. CONCLUSION: In addition to all the advantages of thermogels including mild conditions for cell-incorporation and controlled supplies of the growth factors, polypeptide thermogels provide neutral pH environments to the cells during the degradation of the gel. Polypeptide thermogels as an injectable scaffold can be a promising system for their eventual in vivo applications in stem cell therapy.
Biological Factors ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Survival ; Collagen ; Equipment and Supplies ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Peptides ; Stem Cells