Background: The treatment of pediatric patients with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a crucial TB control strategy. LTBI is not a reportable communicable disease, and data regarding LTBI treatment in pediatric patients in Korea are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the prescription patterns and treatment completion rates among pediatric patients with LTBI in Korea by analyzing National Health reimbursement claims data. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed outpatient prescription records for pediatric patients aged 18 or younger with LTBI-related diagnostic codes from 2016 to 2020. We compared the frequency of prescriptions for the standard treatment regimen (9 months of isoniazid [9H]) and an alternative treatment regimen (3 months of isoniazid plus rifampicin [3HR]). We also assessed the treatment incompletion rates by age group, treatment regimen, treatment duration, the level of medical facility, physician’s specialty, and hospital location. We performed multivariable analysis to identify factors influencing treatment incompletion. Results: Among the 11,362 patients who received LTBI treatment, 6,463 (56.9%) were prescribed the 9H regimen, while 4,899 (43.1%) received the 3HR regimen. Patients in the 3HR group were generally older than those in the 9H group. The proportion of 3HR regimen prescriptions significantly greater in the later period (2018–2020), in primary hospitals, under the management of non-pediatric specialists, and in metropolitan regions. The overall treatment incompletion rate was 39.7% (9H group: 46.9%, 3HR group: 30.3%). In the multivariable analysis, 9H regimen prescription was the strongest factor associated with treatment incompletion (adjusted odds ratio, 2.42; 95% confidence interval, 2.20–2.66; P < 0.001). Additionally, management in a primary hospital, a hospital’s location in a nonmetropolitan region, and management by a non-pediatric specialist were also significant risk factors for treatment incompletion. Conclusion Our study results suggest that promoting the use of 3HR regimen prescriptions could be an effective strategy to enhance treatment completion. Physicians in primary hospitals, hospitals located in non-metropolitan regions, and physicians without a pediatric specialty require increased attention when administering LTBI treatment to pediatric patients to ensure treatment completion.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an important global public health concern in adults and children. Laryngotracheobronchitis (croup) is a common acute respiratory infection (ARI) among children, most often caused by a virus, and should not be treated with antibiotics. Reducing the usage of unnecessary antibiotics in ARI using an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) is an effective measure against AMR in children.This study investigates the antibiotic prescription pattern in pediatric patients with laryngotracheobronchitis in Korea. Our results will be useful to improve the ASP. Methods: The data were obtained from the government agency Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. We analyzed outpatient prescriptions issued to children ≤ 5 years of age with a first-listed diagnosis code for laryngotracheobronchitis, i.e., International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision, code J050 (croup), J040 (laryngitis), or J041 (tracheitis), during 2017–2020. For each prescription, demographic information and information about medical facilities visited (type of hospital, specialty of physician, location of hospital) were extracted. The overall antibiotic prescription rate was subsequently estimated, and multivariable analysis was conducted to determine the associated factors of antibiotic prescription. Prescribed antibiotics were described and classified into extendedspectrum penicillins, cephalosporin, and macrolides. Results: Of 2,358,194 prescriptions reviewed, 829,172 (35.2%) contained antibiotics. In the multivariable analysis, management in a hospital was the strongest factor associated with antibiotic prescription (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 22.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 20.87–23.89; P < 0.001), followed by management in a clinic (aOR, 12.66; 95% CI, 11.83–13.54; P < 0.001) and management in a general hospital (aOR, 8.96; 95% CI, 8.37–9.59; P < 0.001). Antibiotic prescription was also significantly associated with patients who were ≤ 2 years of age, managed by a pediatric specialist, and treated at a hospital located in a non-metropolitan region. Overall, extended-spectrum penicillins were the most frequently prescribed (18.6%) antibiotics, followed by cephalosporins (9.4%) and macrolides (8.5%). Conclusion The results of our study suggest that ASPs need to focus on physicians in hospitals, clinics, general hospitals, and pediatric specialties. Providing education programs to these groups to increase awareness of AMR and appropriate antibiotics use could be effective ASP policy and may help to reduce unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics for laryngotracheobronchitis among pediatric patients and therefore potentially AMR in children in Korea.

Objective: . There is a debate over the relevance of ultrasound abnormalities to the pain, functional impairment, and radiologic severity in hand osteoarthritis (OA). This study aims to determine the association between ultrasound abnormalities and clinical, functional, and radiographic measures in hand OA. Methods: . A total of 66 patients was consecutively enrolled. All patients with gray-scale synovitis, joint effusion, and osteophytes were examined by ultrasound for 20 hand joints. Radiographic changes in both hands were evaluated by the Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grading system and were described as total radiographic severity score and number of affected joints. Other measures were also assessed, including each patient’s visual analogue scale for pain, the Functional Index for Hand Osteoarthritis for functional disability, and grip and pinch strength for hand muscle strength. Results: . In total, 10 patients with gray-scale synovitis, 35 with joint effusion, and 66 with osteophytes were detected in hand OA scans on ultrasound. Osteophytes on ultrasound were significantly associated with total radiographic severity score and number of affected joint (r=0.293, p=0.003 and r=0.336, p＜0.001, respectively). In addition, there were weak associations of synovitis and joint effusion with radiographic changes. Patients with higher total radiographic severity score showed larger number of ultrasound-detected abnormalities, such as synovitis, joint effusion, and osteophytes (p=0.011, p=0.002, and p＜0.001, respectively). Conclusion . This study shows that ultrasound findings, especially osteophytes, were associated with radiographic changes based on K-L grade, but not clinical and functional status in hand OA.

Purpose: In colorectal cancer surgery, it is important to have accurate resection margins. However, it is challenging to localize lesions during laparoscopy. Therefore, to reduce surgical errors, many preoperative localizing methods have been introduced. In this study, we aimed to assess the preoperative feasibility and safety of autologous blood tattooing. Methods: A total of 11 patients underwent preoperative colonoscopic autologous blood tattooing from August 2017 to February 2020. At the start of the surgery, the surgeon assessed the patients for the precision of visibility and other complications such as abscess or spillage. The patients’ characteristics, outcomes, and complications were collected retrospectively. Results: The study comprised 8 men and 3 women, with an average age of 63 years. Ten patients showed precise visibility, and no localization errors were observed during surgery. No complication was observed in all patients. Conclusion Preoperative autologous blood tattooing is a very useful and safe technique because it has high visibility with no complications. This method does not require additional agents or facilities. A large-scale study will be required to develop standard guidelines.

The original version of this article contained a typographical error in the Abstract, Main text, and Figure 1. These errors have now been corrected in the online version of the Article.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the relationships of serum and urine uric acid with severity or activity in knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: A total of 42 patients with knee OA was enrolled, together with 58 healthy controls. Serum uric acid and spot urine uric acid levels were assessed for all patients. The severity and activity of knee OA were assessed by musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) and plain radiography of the knee joint. Ultrasonographic abnormalities in knee OA includedsynovial hypertrophy, suprapatellar effusion, cartilage degradation, and osteophyte formation. Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grade was used to evaluate radiological progression of knee OA. RESULTS: Patients with K-L grade III had a higher urine uric acid/creatinine ratio compared to those with K-L grade I (p=0.043). Patients with synovial hypertrophy had higher serum uric acid level compared to those without synovial hypertrophy (p=0.016). The urine uric acid/creatinine ratio was higher in patients with cartilage degradation compared to those without cartilage degradation (p=0.022). Serum uric acid was significantly associated with synovial hypertrophy thickness (r=0.375, p=0.018) but not with cartilage thickness after adjusting for age and body mass index. Lower urine uric acid was related with knee OA compared to healthy controls (odds ratio=0.974, 95% confidence interval 0.954~0.994, p=0.013). CONCLUSION The results of our study suggest that serum and urine uric acid reflects synovial inflammation based on MSUS and radiographic progression and then is associated with the pathogenesis of knee OA.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to identify the effects of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) on non-renal manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: The study population comprised 439 SLE patients from the Korean Lupus Network registry who were followed up annually and completed the baseline survey and two follow-up visits from 2014 to 2018. Disease activity, laboratory markers, and clinical manifestations including mucocutaneous lesions, arthritis, serositis, neurological disorders, and hematologic/immunologic abnormalities were assessed. All variables by group (MMF and non-MMF) effects with time (baseline, 1st follow-up, and 2nd follow-up) were analyzed by generalized estimation equation. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were treated with MMF. There was significant difference in frequencies of malar rash, arthritis, renal disorder, and hematologic disorder between MMF and non-MMF groups in total SLE patients. In subgroup analysis of hematologic abnormalities in total patients, frequency of leukopenia was significantly different between the two groups during follow-up (P = 0.001), but frequencies of hemolytic anemia, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia were not. In addition, frequencies of leukopenia in patients without lupus nephritis were significantly decreased in MMF group compared to non-MMF group (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: This study showed that MMF might be a beneficial treatment for hematologic abnormalities, especially leukopenia, in SLE.
Anemia, Hemolytic ; Arthritis ; Biomarkers ; Exanthema ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leukopenia ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lupus Nephritis ; Lymphopenia ; Nervous System Diseases ; Serositis ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Thrombocytopenia

The authors recently found a mistake in their previously published article and sincerely regret these errors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyze the capacity of three demographic variables - age, sex, and formal education level - as well as disease duration to explain variation in 7 Core Data Set variables and 4 indices used to assess rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in a cohort of Korean patients seen in usual care. METHODS: All RA Core Data Set measures were collected in usual care of 397 RA patients, including tender/swollen joint counts (TJC, SJC) 28, physician global estimate of status, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and a multidimensional health assessment questionnaire to assess physical function, pain, and patient global estimate of status (PATGL). Four indices were computed: disease activity score with 28 joint count (DAS28), simplified disease activity index (SDAI), clinical disease activity index (CDAI), and routine assessment of patient index data 3 (RAPID3). Descriptive statistics and multivariate generalized linear models were used in data analysis. RESULTS: Patients with lower education had higher scores, indicating greater severity, for all 7 Core Data Set measures and 4 indices (significant for TJC, function, pain, PATGL, DAS28, SDAI, CDAI, RAPID3). In a series of regressions that included age, sex, disease duration, and education, formal education level was the only significant variable to explain variation in TJC, pain, PATGL, physician global estimate of status (DOCGL), DAS28, SDAI, CDAI, and RAPID3. CONCLUSION: Significant associations with education were found in Korean RA patients according to most RA Core Data Set measures and 4 indices. Education was more likely than age, sex, or disease duration to explain variation in most measures and indices.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cohort Studies ; Dataset ; Education* ; Humans ; Joints ; Linear Models ; Social Class ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate bone formation around recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP-2)-coated implants placed with or without absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) in rabbit maxillary sinuses. METHODS: The Schneiderian membrane was elevated and an implant was placed in 24 sinuses in 12 rabbits. The space created beneath the elevated membrane was filled with either blood (n=6) or ACS (n=6). In the rabbits in which this space was filled with blood, rhBMP-2-coated and non-coated implants were alternately placed on different sides. The resulting groups were referred to as the BC and BN groups, respectively. The AC and AN groups were produced in ACS-grafted rabbits in the same manner. Radiographic and histomorphometric analyses were performed after eight weeks of healing. RESULTS: In micro-computed tomography analysis, the total augmented volume and new bone volume were significantly greater in the ACS-grafted sinuses than in the blood-filled sinuses (P<0.05). The histometric analysis showed that the areas of new bone and bone-to-implant contact were significantly larger in the AC group than in the AN group (P<0.05). In contrast, none of the parameters differed significantly between the BC and BN groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this pilot study indicate that the insertion of ACS after elevating the Schneiderian membrane, simultaneously with implant placement, can significantly increase the volume of the augmentation. However, in the present study, the rhBMP-2 coating exhibited limited effectiveness in enhancing the quantity and quality of regenerated bone.
Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; Collagen* ; Dental Implants ; Humans ; Maxillary Sinus ; Membranes ; Nasal Mucosa ; Osteogenesis* ; Pilot Projects ; Porifera* ; Rabbits ; Sinus Floor Augmentation ; Transplants* ; X-Ray Microtomography