PURPOSE: Nutritional therapy (NT), such as enteral nutrition (EN) or parenteral nutrition (PN), is essential for the malnourished patients. Although the complications related to NT has been well described, multicenter data on symptoms in the patients with receiving NT during hospitalization are still lacking. METHODS: Nutrition support team (NST) consultations, on which NT-related complications were described, were collected retrospectively for one year. The inclusion criteria were patients who were (1) older than 18 years, (2) hospitalized, and (3) receiving EN or PN at the time of NST consultation. The patients' demographics (age, sex, body mass index [BMI]), type of NT and type of complication were collected. To compare the severity of each complication, the intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital stay, and type of discharge were also collected. RESULTS: A total of 14,600 NT-related complications were collected from 13,418 cases from 27 hospitals in Korea. The mean age and BMI were 65.4 years and 21.8 kg/m2. The complications according to the type of NT, calorie deficiency (32.4%, n=1,229) and diarrhea (21.6%, n=820) were most common in EN. Similarly, calorie deficiency (56.8%, n=4,030) and GI problem except for diarrhea (8.6%, n=611) were most common in PN. Regarding the clinical outcomes, 18.7% (n=2,158) finally expired, 58.1% (n=7,027) were admitted to ICU, and the mean hospital days after NT-related complication were 31.3 days. Volume overload (odds ratio [OR]=3.48) and renal abnormality (OR=2.50) were closely associated with hospital death; hyperammonemia (OR=3.09) and renal abnormality (OR=2.77) were associated with ICU admission; “micronutrient and vitamin deficiency” (geometric mean [GM]=2.23) and volume overload (GM=1.61) were associated with a longer hospital stay. CONCLUSION: NT may induce or be associated with several complications, and some of them may seriously affect the patient's outcome. NST personnel in each hospital should be aware of each problem during nutritional support.
Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Demography ; Diarrhea ; Enteral Nutrition ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hyperammonemia ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Multicenter Studies as Topic ; Nutrition Therapy ; Nutritional Support ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Referral and Consultation ; Retrospective Studies ; Vitamins

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in many countries, including Korea. The majority of patients are inoperable at the time of diagnosis because symptoms are typically manifested at an advanced stage. A recent large clinical trial demonstrated significant reduction in lung cancer mortality by using low dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening. A Korean multisociety collaborative committee systematically reviewed the evidences regarding the benefits and harms of lung cancer screening, and developed an evidence-based clinical guideline. There is high-level evidence that annual screening with LDCT can reduce lung cancer mortality and all-cause mortality of high-risk individuals. The benefits of LDCT screening are modestly higher than the harms. Annual LDCT screening should be recommended to current smokers and ex-smokers (if less than 15 years have elapsed after smoking cessation) who are aged 55 to 74 years with 30 pack-years or more of smoking-history. LDCT can discover non-calcified lung nodules in 20 to 53% of the screened population, depending on the nodule positivity criteria. Individuals may undergo regular LDCT follow-up or invasive diagnostic procedures that lead to complications. Radiation-associated malignancies associated with repetitive LDCT, as well as overdiagnosis, should be considered the harms of screening. LDCT should be performed in qualified hospitals and interpreted by expert radiologists. Education and actions to stop smoking must be offered to current smokers. Chest radiograph, sputum cytology at regular intervals, and serum tumor markers should not be used as screening methods. These guidelines may be amended based on several large ongoing clinical trial results.
Biomarkers, Tumor ; Diagnosis ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Education ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Mass Screening* ; Mortality ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Sputum

Kidney cells of canine embryos were separated into single cells using collagenase and dispase. Primary culture was conducted using these cells. To remove fibroblasts, these cells were treated with edetate disodium dihydrate (Na2EDDA), and pure epithelial cells were separated. Recombinant retrovirus particles that manifest teromerase were produced and inoculated into primary culture cells to produce immortalized canine cell strains (JNUCK-1 and JNUCK-2). To examine the characteristics of the produced cell strains, the growth curve, maximum cultured households, and expressed proteins (keratin) were identified. The JNUCK-1 and JNUCK-2 cell lines showed division ability until the 30th generation without growth retardation. JNUCK-1 and JNUCK-2 cell lines clearly expressed telomerase until the 25th generation. The canine distemper virus (CDV) was inoculated into the JNUCK-1 and JNUCK-2 cell lines, as well as in the Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line. The maximum titer of CDV from the JNUCK-1 cell strain was about 200 times higher than that from the MDCK cell strain. However, the JNUCK-2 cell strain produced a lower titer than the MDCK cell strain. We established a new canine kidney epithelial cell line (JNUCK-1) that could produce CDV with high titer.
Cell Line* ; Collagenases ; Distemper Virus, Canine* ; Embryonic Structures ; Epithelial Cells ; Family Characteristics ; Fibroblasts ; Kidney* ; Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells ; Retroviridae ; Telomerase

The maintenance of peripheral immune tolerance and prevention of chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease require CD4+CD25+ T cells (regulatory T cells). The transcription factor Foxp3 is essential for the development of functional, regulatory T cells, which plays a prominent role in self-tolerance. Retroviral vectors can confer high level of gene transfer and transgene expression in a variety of cell types. Here we observed that following retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer of Foxp3, transductional Foxp3 expression was increased in the liver, lung, brain, heart, muscle, spinal cord, kidney and spleen. One day after vector administration, high levels of transgene and gene expression were observed in liver and lung. At 2 days after injection, transductional Foxp3 expression level was increased in brain, heart, muscle and spinal cord, but kidney and spleen exhibited a consistent low level. This finding was inconsistent with the increase in both CD4+CD25+ T cell and CD4+Foxp3+ T cell frequencies observed in peripheral immune cells by fluorescence-activated cell-sorting (FACS) analysis. Retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer of Foxp3 did not lead to increased numbers of CD4+CD25+ T cell and CD4+Foxp3+ T cell. These results demonstrate the level and duration of transductional Foxp3 gene expression in various tissues. A better understanding of Foxp3 regulation can be useful in dissecting the cause of regulatory T cells dysfunction in several autoimmune diseases and raise the possibility of enhancing suppressive functions of regulatory T cells for therapeutic purposes.
Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Brain ; Gene Expression ; Heart ; Immune Tolerance ; Inflammation ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Mice ; Muscles ; Spinal Cord ; Spleen ; T-Lymphocytes ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Transcription Factors ; Transgenes ; Zidovudine

BACKGROUND: We report here the results of surveys for external quality assessment of blood bank tests performed in 2009. METHODS: Survey specimens were sent three times to 488, 491 and 490 participant institutes, and the response rates for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trial were 97.7%, 98.0%, and 98.0%, respectively. Test items for the surveys were ABO grouping, Rh (D) typing, crossmatching, direct antiglobulin test, antibody screening and antibody identification test. RESULTS: The average accuracy rates of ABO grouping and Rh typing were 99.6-100% and 98.5-100%, respectively. In crossmatching test, the accuracy rates were 99.3-99.8% for the compatible samples, 92.7-100% for the incompatible samples, and 92.6-93.1% for the samples which could be detected as incompatible only by antiglobulin method. The accuracy rates of direct antiglobulin test were 98.5-100% for negative samples and 98.1-98.8% for positive samples. The correctresults were reported by 98.0-100% of the surveyed institutions for antibody screening test and 82.9-100% for antibody identification test. Nineteen institutions gave repeatedly incorrect answers for crossmatching test. Eight institutions out of them gave incorrect answers for all the test specimens sent out 3 times last year. CONCLUSIONS: The overall results of this survey were good, however, it is required that the institutions where the incorrect results were reported should perform corrective actions for quality improvement.
Academies and Institutes ; Blood Banks ; Coombs Test ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Quality Improvement

We report here the results of surveys for external quality assessment of blood bank tests performed in 2008. Survey specimens were sent three times to 460, 470 and 473 participant institutes, and the response rates for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trial were 97.6%, 97.7%, and 97.7%, respectively. Test items for the surveys were ABO grouping, Rh (D) typing, crossmatching, direct antiglobulin test, antibody screening and antibody identification test. The average accuracy rates of ABO grouping and Rh typing were 100% and 98.3-100%, respectively. In crossmatching test, the accuracy rates were 97.5-99.7% for the compatible samples, 92.4-99.2% for the incompatible samples, and 88.2-98.9% for the samples which could be detected as incompatible only by antiglobulin method. The accuracy rates of direct antiglobulin test were 98.4-99.7% for negative samples and 93.4-99.7% for positive samples. The correct results were reported by 99.6-100% of the surveyed institutions for antibody screening test and 98.2-100% for antibody identification test. Twenty-three institutions gave repeatedly incorrect answers for crossmatching test. Ten institutions out of them gave incorrect answers for all the test specimens sent out 3 times last year.
Academies and Institutes ; Blood Banks ; Coombs Test ; Korea ; Mass Screening

No abstract available.
Aneurysm, False ; Femoral Artery ; Thrombin

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide purified from brown algae including Fucus vesiculosus and has a variety of biological effects including mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Recently, we demonstrated that fucoidan stimulates the antigen-presenting functions of dendritic cells. In this study, we investigated the radioprotective effects of fucoidan on bone marrow cells (BMCs), which are the main cellular reservoir for the hematopoietic and immune system. To evaluate the effects of fucoidan, we assayed cell viability and immune responses. In a viability assay, fucoidan significantly increased the viability of BMCs. Based on the results of flow cytometric analysis, the increased viability of fucoidan-treated BMCs was attributed to the inhibition of radiation-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, fucoidan altered the production of immune-related cytokines from BMCs and increased the capability of BMCs to induce proliferation of allogeneic splenocytes. Taken together, our study demonstrated that fucoidan has radioprotective effects on BMCs with respect to cell viability and immunoreactivity. These results may provide valuable information, useful in the field of radiotherapy.
Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells/*drug effects/*radiation effects ; Cell Death/drug effects/radiation effects ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival/drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Gamma Rays/*adverse effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Polysaccharides/*pharmacology ; Radiation-Protective Agents/*pharmacology ; Spleen/cytology

Piroplasms are tick-transmitted, intracellular, hemoprotozoan parasites that cause anorexia, fever, anemia, and icterus. Theileriosis is caused by Theileria sergenti and causes major economic losses in grazing cattle in Japan and Korea. In May 2003, we examined the antigenic diversity of the major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene in 35 healthy Jeju black cattle that were born and raised at the National Institute of Subtropical Agriculture. On microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears, 9 of 35 cattle had intra-erythrocytic piroplasms. Hematological data were within normal range for all 35 cattle. Amplification of DNA from all blood samples using universal MPSP gene primers showed mixed infections with C, I, and B type Theileria spp. Type C was identified in 20 of 35 blood samples, and type B was identified in 17 samples. Allelic variation was seen in type B.
Animals ; Antigens, Protozoan/*genetics ; Base Sequence ; Cattle ; DNA Primers/genetics ; *Genetic Variation ; Korea ; Molecular Sequence Data ; *Phylogeny ; Protozoan Proteins/*genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Theileria/*genetics ; Theileriasis/*parasitology

We report here the results of external quality assessment of blood bank tests performed in 2007. Survey specimens were sent three times to 448, 450, and 455 participant institutes, and the response rates were 99.3%, 97.3%, and 98.0%, respectively. Test items for the surveys were ABO grouping, Rh(D) typing, crossmatching, direct antiglobulin test, antibody screening and identification test. The average accuracy rates of ABO grouping and Rh typing were in the range of 99.5-100% and 98.9-100%, respectively. In crossmatching test, the accuracy rates were 96.0-97.1% for the compatible samples, 89.6-92.4% for the incompatible samples, and 89.6-92.4% for the samples which could be detected as incompatible only by antiglobulin method. The accuracy rates of direct antiglobulin test were 98.0-99.7% for negative samples and 96.3-99.0% for positive samples. The correct results were reported by 95.7-100% of the surveyed institutions for antibody screening test and 98.2-100% for identification test. Fifteen institutions gave repeatedly incorrect answers for crossmatching. Five institutions out of them gave incorrect answers for all the test specimens sent out 3 times last year.
Academies and Institutes ; Blood Banks ; Coombs Test ; Korea ; Mass Screening