Purpose: This prospective, single-center, open-label, therapeutic confirmatory, randomized clinical trial aimed to assess the alleviation of anal pain by applying structured anal skin care including skin protectants in rectal cancer patients with low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) combined with anal pain. Methods: From December 2017 to May 2020, 42 patients with LARS (scores of ≥21) and anal pain (visual analogue scale [VAS] score of ≥3) were randomly assigned and observed for 4 weeks. The conventional treatment consisted of dietary management, sitz baths, prohibition of anal scrubbing, loperamide, and dioctahedral smectite. In the anal care group, cleanser, barrier cream, and barrier spray were applied to the anal skin after defecation following the conventional treatment. The primary outcome was analgesic effect on anal pain after 2 weeks of structured treatment (anal care group) or conventional (control group). The cutoff for analgesic effect was a decrease in the anal pain score (VAS score of ≥2 or ≥30% reduction). Results: As a primary outcome, the analgesic effect was significantly higher in the anal care group (P = 0.034). The incontinence-associated dermatitis skin condition score was significantly improved in the anal care group than control group after 4 weeks (P = 0.023). There were no significant differences in LARS scores and quality of life scores between 2 groups. Conclusion Structured anal skin care has a significant analgesic effect in reducing anal pain and improving anal skin conditions in patients with LARS after rectal cancer surgery.

Among various dermatological entities, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare but potentially fatal delayed hypersensitivity reaction to numerous medications. A 38-year-old male presented with systemic hypersensitivity reaction, such as high fever, pain in the eyes, and diffuse pruritic erythematous maculopapular eruptions with multiple targetoid plaques that became vesicular and bullous. Oral mucosa and conjunctivae were involved. The first sign appeared about 1 week after taking methazolamide (50 mg twice a day) for the management of glaucomatous eyes. Although methazolamide was discontinued, blistering and skin denudation progressed to affect up to 80% of the body surface area and a positive Nikolsky sign was noted. High fever also persisted. Skin lesions started to improve after 2 weeks of management and fever subsided. Cutaneous lesions improved with minimal permanent sequele 2 months later. HLA-B*5901 was found by high-resolution genotyping. The lymphocyte activation test performed 6 months after remission showed a positive response to methazolamide challenge. This is the first case of methazolamide-induced TEN in which methazolamide was confirmed as a culprit drug by the lymphocyte activation test.
Adult ; Blister ; Body Surface Area ; Conjunctiva ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed ; Lymphocyte Activation* ; Lymphocytes* ; Male ; Methazolamide ; Mouth Mucosa ; Skin ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome*

Septic arthritis of the hip is rarely caused by Mycoplasma hominis. It rarely develops in a patient during the postpartum period. However, delayed treatment of septic arthritis of the hip may lead to serious sequelae; therefore, it is important for clinicians not to overlook patients with the disease. This case illustrates the clinical steps in diagnosis and treatment of M. hominis septic arthritis of the hip.
Arthritis, Infectious* ; Diagnosis ; Hip* ; Humans ; Mycoplasma hominis* ; Postpartum Period*

The Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea (CREDOS), a nation-wide clinical dementia research group, has prepared clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for dementia tailored to the Korean population. In this article, a summary of the CREDOS CPG is presented with the Korean and English version of full report included in the appendix. The CREDOS CPG in intended not only for psychiatrists and neurologists, but also internists, family physicians, and other primary care physicians involved in the prevention and early diagnosis of dementia. While our CPG for dementia mainly covers Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD), it also includes mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and vascular MCI, which are currently known to be the preclinical stages of AD or VaD, respectively, with emphasis placed on early diagnosis. The CREDOS CPG aims to achieve the following goals by developing CPG for dementia: to establish evidence-based, objective and clear clinical standards for dementia; to improve the clinical decision-making process for patients with dementia; to provide scientific and systematic scales to aid in the work of dementia specialists; to suggest comprehensive and systematic healthcare services tailored to each dementia subtype. The CREDOS CPG focuses on diagnosis and evaluation of clinical practice available domestically, and provides useful concepts of dementia. Its emphasis is on etiologies and epidemiology, diagnostic criteria and evaluation, neuropsychological tests, behavioral and psychological symptoms, the activities of daily living, laboratory tests, and brain imaging.
Activities of Daily Living ; Alzheimer Disease ; Appendix ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dementia ; Dementia, Vascular ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Neuroimaging ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Physicians, Family ; Physicians, Primary Care ; Psychiatry ; Republic of Korea ; Weights and Measures

With rapid population aging, the socioeconomic burden caused by dementia care is snowballing. Although a few community-based studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been performed in Korea, there has never been a nationwide hospital-based study thereof. We aimed to identify the demographics and clinical characteristics of mild-to-moderate AD patients from the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of Korea (CREDOS) registry. A total of 1,786 patients were consecutively included from September 2005 to June 2010. Each patient underwent comprehensive neurological examination, interview for caregivers, laboratory investigations, neuropsychological tests, and brain MRI. The mean age was 74.0 yr and the female percentage 67.0%. The mean period of education was 7.1 yr and the frequency of early-onset AD (< 65 yr old) was 18.8%. Among the vascular risk factors, hypertension (48.9%) and diabetes mellitus (22.3%) were the most frequent. The mean score of the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) was 19.2 and the mean sum of box scores of Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR-SB) 5.1. Based on the well-structured, nationwide, and hospital-based registry, this study provides the unique clinical characteristics of AD and emphasizes the importance of vascular factors in AD in Korea.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alzheimer Disease/complications/*diagnosis ; Brain/radionuclide imaging ; Caregivers ; Dementia/diagnosis ; Demography ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/etiology ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Hypertension/etiology ; Interviews as Topic ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Questionnaires ; *Registries ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Recently, 2.1 persons per day are reported to be HIV infected and totally more than 4,500 HIV infected persons have been officially reported until 2006 in Korea. We started highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV patients from 1997. Data on the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy are limited in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HIV infected patients treated with HAART for more than 1 year were included. We studied the therapeutic response of antiretroviral therapy in patients with AIDS and without previous antiretroviral therapy who were treated until Dec 2005 in Severance hospital. RESULTS: More than 450 were diagnosed as HIV infected in Severance hospital. Among these HIV infected patients, 141 patients including 14 females were included. 121 of the 141 patients (85.8%) were treated with PI based regimen, and 20(14.2%) were treated with NNRTI based regimen. The initial mean CD4 T cell count was 207/mm3 (IQR 73-299) and the mean HIV RNA level was 70,800 copies/mL. After 6 months of HAART, 103 patients (73%) had fewer than 400 copies of HIV RNA copies/mL. After 12 months of HAART, 90 patients (63.8%) had fewer than 50 copies of HIV RNA copies/mL. The mean increase in the CD4 T cell count from baseline to 12 months was 143 cells/mm3. After 12 months, 96 patients (68.1%) had increased more than 100 cells/mm3. CONCLUSION: This report the therapeutic response of HAART in Korea which the prevalence of HIV infection is now increasing. Overall, the outcomes are similar to those in other developed countries. Further large scale prospective cohort study is needed.
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active* ; Cell Count ; Cohort Studies ; Developed Countries ; Female ; HIV ; HIV Infections ; Humans ; Korea ; Prevalence ; RNA

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) has a wide range of clinical manifestations. The prognostic factors of CDAD are not fully understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 115 patients with CDAD from Aug. 2002 to Dec. 2003 was conducted to evaluate prognostic factors of CDAD. Bacteriologic factors were determined by detecting the binary toxin gene, tcd A, tcd A rep and tcd B gene. Poor prognosis was defined as diarrhea more than 10 days even with classic treatment, recurrence, death, and moribund discharge. RESULTS: Approximately 79% of isolated strains were toxin A+/B+ strains and 21% were toxin A-/B+ strains. There was no difference in prognosis between toxin A+ and toxin A- strains. 39 (33.9%) cases showed poor prognosis and 76 (66.1%) cases showed good prognosis. Univariate analyses revealed that the poor prognostic factors were old age over 70 years old, male, the number of antibiotics used after onset of symptom, the administration of carbapenems, aminoglycosides, glycopeptides after onset of symptom, history of DM and stroke, and high Charlson comorbidity index. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified old age over 70 years old (odds ratio=3.378, P=0.009) and the administration of carbapenems after onset of symptom (odds ratio 7.210, P< 0.001) as the independent poor prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Old age over 70 and the administration of carbapenems after onset of symptom were the poor prognostic factors for CDAD caused by none-binary toxin producing strains.
Aged ; Aminoglycosides ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Carbapenems ; Clostridium difficile* ; Clostridium* ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Diarrhea* ; Glycopeptides ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Prognosis* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke

BACKGROUND: Recently, 2.1 persons per day are reported to be HIV infected and totally more than 4,500 HIV infected persons have been officially reported until 2006 in Korea. We started highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV patients from 1997. Data on the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy are limited in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HIV infected patients treated with HAART for more than 1 year were included. We studied the therapeutic response of antiretroviral therapy in patients with AIDS and without previous antiretroviral therapy who were treated until Dec 2005 in Severance hospital. RESULTS: More than 450 were diagnosed as HIV infected in Severance hospital. Among these HIV infected patients, 141 patients including 14 females were included. 121 of the 141 patients (85.8%) were treated with PI based regimen, and 20(14.2%) were treated with NNRTI based regimen. The initial mean CD4 T cell count was 207/mm3 (IQR 73-299) and the mean HIV RNA level was 70,800 copies/mL. After 6 months of HAART, 103 patients (73%) had fewer than 400 copies of HIV RNA copies/mL. After 12 months of HAART, 90 patients (63.8%) had fewer than 50 copies of HIV RNA copies/mL. The mean increase in the CD4 T cell count from baseline to 12 months was 143 cells/mm3. After 12 months, 96 patients (68.1%) had increased more than 100 cells/mm3. CONCLUSION: This report the therapeutic response of HAART in Korea which the prevalence of HIV infection is now increasing. Overall, the outcomes are similar to those in other developed countries. Further large scale prospective cohort study is needed.
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active* ; Cell Count ; Cohort Studies ; Developed Countries ; Female ; HIV ; HIV Infections ; Humans ; Korea ; Prevalence ; RNA

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) has a wide range of clinical manifestations. The prognostic factors of CDAD are not fully understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 115 patients with CDAD from Aug. 2002 to Dec. 2003 was conducted to evaluate prognostic factors of CDAD. Bacteriologic factors were determined by detecting the binary toxin gene, tcd A, tcd A rep and tcd B gene. Poor prognosis was defined as diarrhea more than 10 days even with classic treatment, recurrence, death, and moribund discharge. RESULTS: Approximately 79% of isolated strains were toxin A+/B+ strains and 21% were toxin A-/B+ strains. There was no difference in prognosis between toxin A+ and toxin A- strains. 39 (33.9%) cases showed poor prognosis and 76 (66.1%) cases showed good prognosis. Univariate analyses revealed that the poor prognostic factors were old age over 70 years old, male, the number of antibiotics used after onset of symptom, the administration of carbapenems, aminoglycosides, glycopeptides after onset of symptom, history of DM and stroke, and high Charlson comorbidity index. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified old age over 70 years old (odds ratio=3.378, P=0.009) and the administration of carbapenems after onset of symptom (odds ratio 7.210, P< 0.001) as the independent poor prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Old age over 70 and the administration of carbapenems after onset of symptom were the poor prognostic factors for CDAD caused by none-binary toxin producing strains.
Aged ; Aminoglycosides ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Carbapenems ; Clostridium difficile* ; Clostridium* ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Diarrhea* ; Glycopeptides ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Prognosis* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke

Rhabdomyolysis is a potentially life-threatening syndrome resulting form the breakdown of skeletal muscle fibers with leakage of muscle contents into the circulation. Rhabdomyolysis may complicate many disease states. In some cases, patients with malaria may be complicated with rhabdomyolysis. Also hydroxychloroquine may induce myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. But there is no case report of rhabdomyolysis after use of hydroxychloroquine in a Korean patient with Plasmodium vivax malaria. Recently we experienced a patient who developed rhabdomyolysis 20 days after starting therapy with hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of P. vivax malaria. We report the case with the review of the literature.
Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine* ; Malaria ; Malaria, Vivax* ; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal ; Muscular Diseases ; Plasmodium vivax ; Rhabdomyolysis*