PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the incidence of intravenous extravasation and the risk factors associated with the use of peripheral intravenous catheters in adults.METHOD: This prospective observational study included 203 adult patients admitted to the general ward who received non-chemotherapy vesicant drug infusion treatments. Data were analyzed using frequencies, percentage, means, standard deviations, and odds ratios (ORs) from multiple logistic regressions.RESULTS: The incidence of extravasation was 43.3%. Risk factors for intravenous extravasation included continuous injections (OR=5.35, 95% CI [1.38, 20.83]), and parenteral nutrition (OR=3.53, 95% CI [1.43, 8.73]).CONCLUSION: The present findings revealed that gastrointernal medicine problems, continuous injection, and parenteral nutrition were related to intravenous extravasation. Further research is necessary to reduce the incidence of extravasation related to peripheral intravenous catheterization in adults, and to prevent secondary complications. Finally, patients should be provided appropriate and continuous care based on the type of intravenous infusion.
Adult ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Irritants ; Logistic Models ; Methods ; Observational Study ; Odds Ratio ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Patients' Rooms ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Veins

Background: Transportation costs can be a barrier to healthcare services, especially for low-income, disabled, elderly, and geographically isolated populations. This study aimed to estimate the transportation costs of healthcare service utilization and related influencing factors in Korea in 2016. Methods: Transportation costs were calculated using data from the 2016 Korea Health Panel Study. A total of 14,845 participants were included (males, 45.07%; females, 54.93%), among which 2,148 participants used inpatient and 14,787 used outpatient care services.Transportation costs were estimated by healthcare types, transportation modes, and all disease and injury groups that caused healthcare service utilization. The influencing factors of higher transportation costs were analyzed using multivariable regression analysis. Results: In 2016, the average transportation costs were United States dollars (USD) 43.70 (purchasing power parity [PPP], USD 32.35) per year and USD 27.67 (PPP, USD 20.48) per visit for inpatient care; for outpatient case, costs were USD 41.43 (PPP, USD 30.67) per year and USD 2.09 (PPP, USD 1.55) per visit. Among disease and injury groups, those with neoplasms incurred the highest transportation costs of USD 9.73 (PPP, USD 7.20). Both inpatient and outpatient annual transportation costs were higher among severely disabled individuals (inpatient, +USD 44.71; outpatient, +USD 23.73) and rural residents (inpatient, +USD 20.40; outpatient, +USD 28.66). Transportation costs per healthcare visit were influenced by healthcare coverage and residential area. Sex, age, and income were influencing factors of higher transportation costs for outpatient care. Conclusion Transportation cost burden was especially high among those with major noncommunicable diseases (e.g., cancer) or living in rural areas, as well as elderly, severely disabled, and low-income populations. Thus, there is a need to address the socioeconomic disparities related to healthcare transportation costs in Korea by implementing targeted interventions in populations with restricted access to healthcare.

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of lower respiratory infection (bronchiolitis and pneumonia) of infancy and early childhood. We analyzed clinical and radiological features of 76 patients with lower respiratory infections by respiratory syncytial virus, which were diagnosed by indirect immunofluorescent test or culture of nasal aspirate in Hep-2 cell monolayer, during the period of January-December, 1991. There were peaks of incidences in March-May and November-December, accounting for 87% of eases. Sixty-two cases (82%) were under 1 year of age. Fifty cases(66%) had underlying diseases. Major radiographical findings were overaeration (83%), parahilar peribronchial infiltrates(67%), segmental or subsegmental atelectasis(32%), and segmental or lobar consolidation(16%). In 15 cases(20%), overaeration was the only radiological findings. There was no evidence of pleural effusion or hilar lymph node enlargement in all cases. By considerig clinical features(symptoms, age. Underlying diseases, epidemic seasons) in addition to the radiological findings, radiologists would be familiar with lower respiratory infection by respiratory syncytial virus. Air space consolidation, which is generally though to represent bacterial pneumonia, is also observed not infrequently in respiratory syncytial virus infections.
Child* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant* ; Lymph Nodes ; Pleural Effusion ; Pneumonia, Bacterial ; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses* ; Respiratory Tract Infections

BACKGROUND: Coagulase negative staphylococcus (CNS) spp. is a major pathogenic organism of nosocomial and community-acquired urianry tract infections, and causes infrctions in the immunocompromised host, and in particular, bloodstream infetions in patent with indwelling devices. High prevalance of methicillin resistance has been noticed in CNS which also have been recongnized as an important multidrug resistant pathogen. The optimal phenotypic method for detecting methicillin resistance still remains controversial, and new guidelines for detecting methicillin resistance of CNS was proposed by NCCLS in January 1999. We evaluated the relationship between mecA gene by PCR method and antimicrobial susceptibility tests according to the new NCCLS guidelines. METHODS: A total of 82 CNS isolates were examined for MICs and penicillin MICs by disk diffusion and agar dilution method according to NCCLS guidelines, and detections, and detection of mecA gene by PCR. RESULT: In disk diffusion method, 66 strains (80.5%) and 63 strains (76.8%) showed resistance to penicillin and oxacillin, respectively, and in agar dilution method, 71 strains(86.6%) and 53 strains (64.6%), respectively. In PCR method, mecA genes were detected in 49 strains(59.8%). Comparing with mecA gene detection by PCR method, the sensitivity of disk diffusion and agar dilution method was 95.8% and 89.8%, repectively. However, the sensitivity of disk diffusion and agar dilution method was 65.3% and 75.5%, respectively using previous NCCLS criteria. CONCLUSION: The new criteria of NCCLS detects the methicillin resistance induced by mecA gene more sensitively than previous one.
Agar ; Coagulase* ; Diffusion ; Immunocompromised Host ; Methicillin Resistance ; Oxacillin ; Penicillins ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Staphylococcus*

PSTT has been established as a separate entity distinct from choriocarcinoma since 1983, because of its different morphological features, biologic behavior and response to chemotherapy. Most cases of PSTT have indolent clinical courses, but there have been several reports showing malignant behavior resulted in death of the patient. We report a case of PSTT showing vaginal metastatis. In biopsy specimen, it was difficult to make differential diagnosis from squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix due to uniform and mononuclear cytologic characteristics. Immunohistochemical stains for hPL and hCG were not typical for either PSTT or choriocarcinoma. We suggest that poorly differentiated PSTT may synthesize the lesser amount of hPL than typical PSTT and it may behave more aggressively.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Biopsy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The ballooning time in endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of the ballooning time comparing an immediate balloon deflation method with a conventional ballooning time of > 45 seconds. METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2010, 126 patients with bile duct stones treated with EPLBD and endoscopic sphincterotomy were divided according to the ballooning time: the immediate deflation group (n=56) and the conventional inflation group (ballooning time 45s to < 60s) (n=70). RESULTS: The overall success rate and the success rate of the first attempt of ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography) were 96.4% (54/56) and 80.4% (45/56) in the immediate group and 97.1% (68/70) and 77.1% (54/70) in the conventional inflation group. There were no statistically significant differences in the overall success and the first attempt of ERCP success rate (p=0.99, p=0.66). The frequency of mechanical lithotripsy was 0% in the immediate deflation group and 7.1% in the conventional inflation group (p=0.065). Complications occurred in 3.6% (2/56) patients in the immediate deflation group and 8.6% (4/70) patients in the conventional inflation group (p=0.298). CONCLUSIONS: The ballooning time in EPLBD does not affect the outcomes of the treatment for bile duct stones. And the feasibility of the immediate deflation method in EPLBD is acceptable.
Bile Ducts* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Choledocholithiasis ; Humans ; Inflation, Economic ; Lithotripsy ; Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic

No abstract available.
Female ; Ovary* ; Teratoma*

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Cryopreservation of hematopoietic stem cells has become an important process due to the therapeutic protocol, which includes stem cell transplantation after chemotherapy, for many hematological malignancies. The conventional medium contains 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a cryoprotectant, but this has been reported to be related with many complications. We analyzed the usefulness of trehalose, catalase and zVAD-fmk for cryopreservation along with using a reduced concentration of DMSO to 5%. METHODS: Peripheral blood stem cells were frozen in 10% DMSO as a control and also in 5% DMSO with trehalose and catalase. After 3 weeks of storage in a liquid nitrogen tank, the viability of the thawed hematopoietic stem cells was measured using Trypan blue staining and 7-AAD analysis via conducting flow cytometry. The colony forming potential was assessed using methylcellulose culture. We measured the viability of cells in 5% DMSO medium with or without addition of 30 uM zVAD-fmk right after thawing, and we also did this 6 and 24 hours after incubation. RESULTS: Cryopreserved cells in 5% DMSO with trehalose and catalase showed similar survival (50.42%) compared with the control (49.78%). The viability of cells that were also treated with added zVAD-fmk showed a better result (13.12%) than without it (5.5%) after 24 hours of incubation. Colony forming assay showed similar colony formation in 5% DMSO with the natural cryoprotectants. CONCLUSION: According to the results, lowering the DMSO concentration to 5% is significant and we can expect better cell viability and prevent many side effects of high dose DMSO when adding natural cryprotectants in the cryopreservation medium or by adding caspase-inhibitor right after thawing.
Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones ; Catalase ; Cell Survival ; Cryopreservation ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Diminazene ; Flow Cytometry ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Methylcellulose ; Nitrogen ; Safrole ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells ; Trehalose ; Trypan Blue

The authors report two cases of clozapine-induced acute hepatitis. Two patients developed asymptomatic hepatitis and got better with conservative care. We decreased the dosage of clozapine and added hepatic protectors, resulting in normalized laboratory findings. The authors also reviewed side effects of clozapine in this report. We reviewed the suggested mechanism of either clozapine or chlorpromazine-induced hepatitis. Clozapine influences the liver cell via cytochrome P 450 and chlorpromazine does so via mild cholestasis. There may be a possibility that a patient who has experienced drug-induced hepatitis is vulnerable to clozapine-induced acute hepatitis. In this respect, those who have experienced drug-induced hepatitis must be observed more closely.
Chlorpromazine ; Cholestasis ; Clozapine ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; Drug-Induced Liver Injury ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Liver