Plastic cannulae have attracted increasing interest as an alternative to traditional metal needles with the aim of reducing cannulation-related complications. We investigated whether the substitution volumes during hemodiafiltration differ using these two types of needles in dialysis patients. Methods: An intervention study involving 26 hemodialysis patients was conducted in Korea between March and September in 2021. Patients first received online hemodiafiltration using traditional metal needles, and thereafter plastic cannulae were used in a stepwise protocol. Repeated-measures design and linear mixed-effect models were used to compare substitution volumes between the two needle types with the same inner diameter. Results: The mean patient age was 62.7 years, and their mean dialysis vintage was 95.2 months. Most patients (92.3%) had an arteriovenous fistula as the vascular access. The substitution volume increased as blood flow and needle size increased for both plastic cannulae and metal needles. The substitution volume was significantly higher with 17-gauge (G) plastic cannulae than with 16-G metal needles at blood flow rates of 280, 300, and 330 mL/min. Similar results were obtained for 15-G metal needles and 16-G plastic cannulae at a blood flow rate of 330 mL/min. However, the patient ratings of pain on a visual analogue scale were higher for plastic cannulae. Conclusion: Higher substitution volumes were obtained at the same prescribed blood flow rate with plastic cannulae than with metal needles during online hemodiafiltration. Plastic cannulae are an option for achieving high-volume hemodiafiltration for patients with low blood flow rates.

Purpose: Recent studies have revealed that the expression of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) activation biomarkers in cancer cells is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with certain types of malignant tumors. However, whether the expression of CAF activation biomarkers affects the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the expression of CAF activation biomarkers in cancer cells with cancer invasion and long-term oncological outcomes in patients with CRC. Methods: Cancer specimens obtained from 135 patients with stage I–III CRC were examined using immunohistochemical staining to evaluate the expression of fibroblast specific protein-1 (FSP-1), fibroblast activation protein α (FAPα), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and vimentin in cancer cells. Results: FSP-1 expression in cancer cells was significantly associated with lymphatic invasion, perineural invasion, tumor (T) status, and lymph node (N) status. FAPα expression in cancer cells was significantly associated with lymphatic invasion. On univariate and multivariate analyses, FSP-1 and α-SMA expression in cancer cells were associated with a short 10-year overall survival (OS) and high 10-year systemic recurrence (SR), respectively. Tumor budding was associated with a short 10-year OS. However, FAPα and vimentin did not contribute to the prognosis in this study. Conclusion In this study, we found that FSP-1 expression in cancer cells was related to cancer invasion. Additionally, FSP-1 and α-SMA expression in cancer cells was associated with 10-year OS and SR, respectively. Therefore, these markers may be used as predictors of long-term oncological outcomes in patients with CRC.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Antiarrhythmic effect of renal denervation (RDN) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of RDN on ventricular arrhythmia (VA) after AMI in a porcine model.METHODS: Twenty pigs were randomly divided into 2 groups based on RDN (RDN, n=10; Sham, n=10). After implanting a loop recorder, AMI was induced by occlusion of the middle left anterior descending coronary artery. Catheter-based RDN was performed for each renal artery immediately after creating AMI. Sham procedure used the same method, but a radiofrequency current was not delivered. Electrocardiography was monitored for 1 hour to observe VA. One week later, the animals were euthanized and the loop recorder data were analyzed.RESULTS: Ventricular fibrillation event rate and the interval from AMI creation to first VA in acute phase were not different between the 2 groups. However, the incidence of premature ventricular complex (PVC) was lower in the RDN than in the Sham. Additionally, RDN inhibited prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval after AMI. The frequency of non-sustained or sustained ventricular tachycardia, arrhythmic death was lower in the RDN group in the early period.CONCLUSIONS: RDN reduced the incidence of PVC, inhibited prolongation of the QTc interval, and reduced VA in the early period following an AMI. These results suggest that RDN might be a therapeutic option in patients with electrical instability after AMI.
Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Autonomic Denervation ; Coronary Vessels ; Denervation ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Incidence ; Methods ; Myocardial Infarction ; Renal Artery ; Swine ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; Ventricular Fibrillation ; Ventricular Premature Complexes

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Antiarrhythmic effect of renal denervation (RDN) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of RDN on ventricular arrhythmia (VA) after AMI in a porcine model. METHODS: Twenty pigs were randomly divided into 2 groups based on RDN (RDN, n=10; Sham, n=10). After implanting a loop recorder, AMI was induced by occlusion of the middle left anterior descending coronary artery. Catheter-based RDN was performed for each renal artery immediately after creating AMI. Sham procedure used the same method, but a radiofrequency current was not delivered. Electrocardiography was monitored for 1 hour to observe VA. One week later, the animals were euthanized and the loop recorder data were analyzed. RESULTS: Ventricular fibrillation event rate and the interval from AMI creation to first VA in acute phase were not different between the 2 groups. However, the incidence of premature ventricular complex (PVC) was lower in the RDN than in the Sham. Additionally, RDN inhibited prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval after AMI. The frequency of non-sustained or sustained ventricular tachycardia, arrhythmic death was lower in the RDN group in the early period. CONCLUSIONS RDN reduced the incidence of PVC, inhibited prolongation of the QTc interval, and reduced VA in the early period following an AMI. These results suggest that RDN might be a therapeutic option in patients with electrical instability after AMI.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the validity of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes for identifying patients who suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: Consecutive data pertaining to adult patients who suffered OHCA or received ICD-10 codes for cardiac arrest were collected. Patient characteristics and clinical data during the period from January 2015 to December 2016 were obtained. The sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of each code for identifying OHCA were calculated and an optimal algorithm using diagnostic and procedure codes to detect OHCA patients was selected. The kappa coefficient was calculated to examine the agreement between algorithm-detected cases and true OHCA patients. RESULTS: A total of 397 patients were included in this study. The single use of ICD-10 codes was an insensitive method for identifying OHCA patients. Combination of diagnostic codes and procedure codes showed a good sensitivity (98.6%) and PPV (94.8%) for identifying OHCA patients. The agreement between the optimal algorithm and true OHCA was excellent (κ=0.970). CONCLUSION: Using ICD-10 codes for identifying OHCA patients is an insensitive method. The combination of ICD-10 codes and procedure codes can be an alternative search method.
Adult ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; International Classification of Diseases ; Methods ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

OBJECTIVES: The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, version 6.0 (EDE-Q version 6.0) and the Clinical Impairment Assessment Questionnaire (CIA) measure attitudes and behavioral features of eating disorders and impairments secondary to eating disorders, respectively. The aims of this study were to examine the reliability and the validity of the Korean versions of the EDE-Q version 6.0 and the CIA. METHODS: Four hundred nineteen participants (370 female university students and 49 women with eating disorders) completed the EDE-Q version 6.0, the CIA, the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and the Weight Concern Scale (WCS). RESULTS: Excellent internal consistencies were obtained for the EDE-Q version 6.0 (Cronbach's α=0.92) and the CIA (Cronbach's α=0.91). Exploratory factor analysis of CIA extracted the 3 factors of personal, social, and cognitive impairments, as the original CIA had. The EDE-Q version 6.0 and the CIA were well correlated with the BSQ and the WCS, in respect to their contextually concordant variables. Patients with eating disorders had higher scores both in the EDE-Q 6.0 and the CIA than university women had, supporting good discriminant validity. CONCLUSIONS: The EDE-Q version 6.0 and the Korean versions of the CIA had adequate reliability and validity. These data will help clinicians and researchers to use the EDE-Q and the CIA in diagnosis, prevention and intervention of eating disorders in Korea.
Cognition Disorders ; Diagnosis ; Eating ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Reproducibility of Results

Insomnia is a common sleep-related symptom which occurs in many populations, however, the neural mechanism underlying insomnia is not yet known. The hyperarousal model explains the neural mechanism of insomnia to some extent, and the frontal cortex dysfunction has been known to be related to primary insomnia. In this review, we discuss studies that applied resting state and/or task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to demonstrate the deficits/dysfunctions of functional activation and network in primary insomnia. Empirical evidence of the hyperarousal model and proposed relation between the frontal cortex and other brain regions in primary insomnia are examined. Reviewing these studies could provide critical insights regarding the pathophysiology, brain network and cerebral activation in insomnia and the development of novel methodologies for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia.
Brain ; Diagnosis ; Frontal Lobe* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders*

The proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) is a tool used to detect concentrations of brain metabolites such as N-acetyl aspartate, choline, creatine, glutamate, and gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). It has been widely used because it does not require additional devices other than the conventional magnetic resonance scanner and coils. Demyelination, or the neuronal damage due to loss of myelin sheath, is one of the common pathologic processes in many diseases including multiple sclerosis, leukodystrophy, encephalomyelitis, and other forms of autoimmune diseases. Rodent models mimicking human demyelinating diseases have been induced by using virus (e.g., Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus) or toxins (e.g., cuprizon or lysophosphatidyl choline). This review is an overview of the MRS findings on brain metabolites in demyelination with a specific focus on rodent models.
Animals* ; Aspartic Acid ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Brain ; Butyric Acid ; Choline ; Creatine ; Demyelinating Diseases* ; Encephalomyelitis ; Glutamic Acid ; Humans ; Models, Animal* ; Multiple Sclerosis ; Myelin Sheath ; Neurons ; Pathologic Processes ; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Rodentia ; Spectrum Analysis*

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease that is characterized by a decrease in bone mass density and destruction of microstructure, which can lead to an increased risk of fracture. Although many studies have been published about the relationship between end-stage renal disease and osteoporosis, research on the relationship between proteinuria and the prevalence of osteoporosis is still lacking. METHODS: We assessed 91 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes who visited our hospital from January 2009 to January 2012. RESULTS: Among 91 patients, the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia was 35.2% (32 cases) and 32.9% (30 cases) according to bone mineral density. The patients with microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio [UACR] > or = 30) had a significantly higher incidence of osteoporosis compared to subjects with normoalbuminuria (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that UACR may be a useful biomarker for increased risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes who have been linked to higher UACR levels.
Albumins ; Bone Density ; Bone Diseases ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Creatinine* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Osteoporosis* ; Prevalence ; Proteinuria

BACKGROUND: Avoidance behavior against positive allergens detected by using multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST)-immunoblot assay in patients with urticaria has been rarely reported. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the avoidance behavior of patients with urticaria against positive allergens detected with a MAST. METHODS: One hundred and one urticaria patients who showed positivity to at least one allergen on a MAST completed a questionnaire regarding their test results. The avoidance behavior of the patients was evaluated, and relevant determining factors of avoidance success/failure were statistically assessed. RESULTS: We detected 144 different data (n=51, food allergens; n=17, pollen allergens; and n=76, aeroallergens) from 101 patients with urticaria. The avoidance failure rates were 33.3% for food allergens, 70.6% for pollen allergens, and 30.3% for aeroallergens. The pollen group showed a significantly higher avoidance failure rate than the food and aeroallergen groups (p<0.05). The patients with higher educational levels or more severe urticaria tended to successfully avoid allergens (p<0.05). The monthly household income level and patients' reliability to the test showed borderline correlations (p=0.057 and p=0.075, respectively). CONCLUSION: We believe that the results of this study could be helpful in predicting avoidance success or failure against allergens in patients with urticaria when clinicians conduct allergen-specific immunoglobulin E tests.
Allergens* ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Pollen ; Urticaria*