OBJECTIVE: To analyze the pathogenic bacterial spectrum, drug resistance, and risk factors associated with multidrug-resistant bacterial infection and mortality in patients with hematologic diseases complicated by bloodstream infections, so as to provide reference for rational drug use and improving prognosis. METHODS: Positive blood culture specimens of patients with hematologic diseases in two Class A tertiary hospitals of Shanxi province from January 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Pathogen distribution, drug resistance and outcomes of patients with bloodstream infection were investigated, then the multivariate logistic analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors of multidrug-resistant bacterial infection and factors affecting prognosis. RESULTS: 203 strains of pathogens were identified, mainly Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) (69.46%, 141/203), of which Escherichia coli (E.coli) had the highest incidence (41.13%, 58/141), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (20.57%, 29/141) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.77%, 18/141). Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 46.55% (27/58) and 37.93% (11/29), respectively. Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 10.64% (15/141). And Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 27.59% (56/203), Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus were the most frequently isolated pathogen among Gram-positive bacteria (14.29%, 12.50% and 10.71%, respectively), of which methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 33.33% (2/6), coagulase-negative staphylococci accounted for 87.50% (7/8), without vancomycin- or linezolid-resistant strain. Additionally, fungi accounted for 2.95% (6/203), all of which were Candida. Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) accounted for 53.90% (76/141). Duration of neutropenia >14 days was a risk factor for developing MDR-GNB infection. The 30-day all-cause mortality was 10.84%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the significant independent risk factors for mortality were age≥60 years (P <0.01, OR =5.85, 95% CI: 1.80-19.07) and use of vasopressor drugs (P <0.01, OR =5.89, 95% CI: 1.83-18.94). CONCLUSION The pathogenic bacteria of bloodstream infection in patients with hematological diseases are widely distributed, and the detection rate of multidrug-resistant bacteria is high. The clinicians should choose suitable antibiotics according to the results of bacterial culture and antibiotic susceptibility test.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Bacteremia/mortality* ; Bacteria/isolation & purification* ; Drug Resistance ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; Hematologic Diseases/complications* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sepsis/mortality*

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a nosocomial condition prevalent in patients with hematological disorders. We aimed to identify the risk factors associated with the development of CDI and assess the mortality rate at 15 and 30 days among hematologic patients admitted to a tertiary care center. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control study from January 2010 to December 2015. Forty-two patients with hematologic malignancy and CDI, and 84 with hematologic disease and without history of CDI were included in the case and control groups, respectively. RESULTS: Univariate analysis revealed that episodes of febrile eutropenia [odds ratio (OR), 5.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.3–12.9; P<0.001], admission to intensive care unit (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.4–10.2; P=0.009), gastrointestinal surgery (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1–1.4; P<0.001), use of therapeutic (OR, 6.4; 95% CI, 2.5–15.9; P<0.001) and prophylactic antibiotics (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.6–10.7; P=0.003) in the last 3 months, and >1 hospitalization (OR, 5.6; 95% CI, 2.5–12.6; P<0.001) were significant risk factors. Multivariate analysis showed that use of therapeutic antibiotics in the last 3 months (OR, 6.3; 95% CI, 2.1–18.8; P=0.001) and >1 hospitalization (OR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.7–11.0; P=0.002) were independent risk factors. Three (7.1%) and 6 (14.2%) case patients died at 15 and 30 days, respectively. CONCLUSION: The risk factors for developing CDI were exposure to therapeutic antibiotics and previous hospitalization. Hematological patients who developed CDI had higher early mortality rates, suggesting that new approaches for prevention and treatment are needed.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Case-Control Studies ; Clostridium difficile ; Clostridium ; Hematologic Diseases ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Tertiary Care Centers

Between 2006 and 2010, in 16 randomly selected villages in rural areas of Mysore district, in south India, 8,457 subjects aged 30 and above were screened for symptoms of chronic respiratory disease. Of the 8,457 subjects, 1,692 were randomly invited for further evaluation of lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by spirometry, and 1,085 of these subjects underwent lung function assessments for prevalent COPD and its risk factors. These 1,085 subjects, who were then aged between 35 and 80 years, constituted the Mysuru stUdies of Determinants of Health in Rural Adults (MUDHRA) cohort. Among other findings, threshold of biomass fuel smoke exposure suitable for use as a dichotomous risk factor for the diagnosis of chronic bronchitis was established, with a minimum biomass smoke exposure index of 60 found to be significantly associated with an elevated risk of developing chronic bronchitis. Five years later (between 2014 and 2016), 869 of the 1,085 participants were followed up with repeat lung function assessments for incident COPD and all-cause mortality. A subset of these participants (n=200) underwent blood tests for vitamin D levels, antioxidant activity, an assessment for anxiety and depression, and another subset (n=98) underwent a bioplex assay for 40 serum cytokines.
Adult* ; Anxiety ; Asthma ; Biomass ; Bronchitis, Chronic ; Cohort Studies ; Cytokines ; Depression ; Diagnosis ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; India* ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Mortality ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spirometry ; Vitamin D

Between 2006 and 2010, in 16 randomly selected villages in rural areas of Mysore district, in south India, 8,457 subjects aged 30 and above were screened for symptoms of chronic respiratory disease. Of the 8,457 subjects, 1,692 were randomly invited for further evaluation of lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by spirometry, and 1,085 of these subjects underwent lung function assessments for prevalent COPD and its risk factors. These 1,085 subjects, who were then aged between 35 and 80 years, constituted the Mysuru stUdies of Determinants of Health in Rural Adults (MUDHRA) cohort. Among other findings, threshold of biomass fuel smoke exposure suitable for use as a dichotomous risk factor for the diagnosis of chronic bronchitis was established, with a minimum biomass smoke exposure index of 60 found to be significantly associated with an elevated risk of developing chronic bronchitis. Five years later (between 2014 and 2016), 869 of the 1,085 participants were followed up with repeat lung function assessments for incident COPD and all-cause mortality. A subset of these participants (n=200) underwent blood tests for vitamin D levels, antioxidant activity, an assessment for anxiety and depression, and another subset (n=98) underwent a bioplex assay for 40 serum cytokines.
Adult ; Anxiety ; Asthma ; Biomass ; Bronchitis, Chronic ; Cohort Studies ; Cytokines ; Depression ; Diagnosis ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; India ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Mortality ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spirometry ; Vitamin D

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a treatment for hematologic malignancies, immune deficiencies, or genetic diseases, ect. Recently, the number of HSCTs performed in Korea has increased and the outcomes have improved. However, infectious complications account for most of the morbidity and mortality after HSCT. Post-HSCT infectious complications are usually classified according to the time after HSCT: pre-engraftment, immediate post-engraftment, and late post-engraftment period. In addition, the types and risk factors of infectious complications differ according to the stem cell source, donor type, conditioning intensity, region, prophylaxis strategy, and comorbidities, such as graft-versushost disease and invasive fungal infection. In this review, we summarize infectious complications after HSCT, focusing on the Korean perspectives.
Communicable Diseases ; Comorbidity ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells* ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Korea* ; Mortality ; Opportunistic Infections ; Risk Factors ; Stem Cells ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases related mortality attributes to approximately one fourth of mortality in Korea, and management of chronic diseases is essential for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Through the health screening program, early detection and prevention of chronic disease are made possible, and this will improve the health status of examinees. In the current national health examination (NHE), counseling and continuous management after NHE have not been properly made. We aimed to investigate examinees' knowledge of the result form of NHE in order to find the ways of improvement. METHODS: We recruited 120 examinees, who have undergone general health examination and life turning point health examination (LTPHE), and conducted survey from January 7, 2016 to January 26, 2016. Participants answered questionnaires regarding demographic characteristics, health screening related factors, and their knowledge and attitude towards NHE. Answers were converted to Likert scale, and student t-test, one-way ANOVA, and linear regression models were used for the analyses. RESULTS: Examinees' knowledge of the result form was lowest in the blood test category. When age and type of institution were adjusted, the examinees in their 60s had significantly lower knowledge of all the categories of result forms except urine test in comparison to the younger examinees. When type of institutions were compared, examinees, who had undergone NHE in health screening clinics, had significantly lower knowledge of several categories of result forms in comparison to those who had undergone NHE in private clinics and general hospitals. Examinees' knowledge of the LTPHE result form was lowest in categories of “mild cognitive impairment and dementia” and “fall down and voiding difficulty.” CONCLUSIONS: The result form of NHE should be revised so that examinees in old age can easily understand. Examinees' knowledge of the result form was lower in health screening clinic; thus, quality of health screening clinic should be improved for continuous care after NHE.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Chronic Disease ; Cognition Disorders ; Counseling ; Hematologic Tests ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Mass Screening ; Mortality

We investigated the causes of inpatient death after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge and determined predictors of in-hospital mortality in Korea. Using medical ICU registry data of Seoul National University Hospital, we performed a retrospective cohort study involving patients who were discharged alive from their first ICU admission with at least 24 hours of ICU length of stay (LOS). From January 2011 to August 2013, 723 patients were admitted to ICU and 383 patients were included. The estimated in-hospital mortality rate was 11.7% (45/383). The most common cause of death was respiratory failure (n = 25, 56%) followed by sepsis and cancer progression; the causes of hospital death and ICU admission were the same in 64% of all deaths; sudden unexpected deaths comprised about one-fifth of all deaths. In order to predict in-hospital mortality among ICU survivors, multivariate analysis identified presence of solid tumor (odds ratio [OR], 4.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.01–8.2; P < 0.001), hematologic disease (OR, 4.75; 95% CI, 1.51–14.96; P = 0.013), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score upon ICU admission (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.99–1.17; P = 0.075), and hemoglobin (Hb) level (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.52–0.86; P = 0.001) and platelet count (Plt) (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.99–1.00; P = 0.033) upon ICU discharge as significant factors. In conclusion, a significant proportion of in-hospital mortality is predictable and those who die in hospital after ICU discharge tend to be severely-ill, with comorbidities of hematologic disease and solid tumor, and anemic and thrombocytopenic upon ICU discharge.
Cause of Death ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Hematologic Diseases ; Hospital Mortality* ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Multivariate Analysis ; Platelet Count ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies* ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Sepsis ; Survivors*

To investigate the clinical efficacy of consolidation chemotherapy with docetaxel and cisplatin (DP) in elderly patients of esophageal cancer.
 Methods: Seventy-nine elderly patients of esophageal cancer were randomly divided into the treatment group (38 patients) and the control group (41 patients). Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was applied in both groups and prescribed dose was set to 56 to 59.4 Gy in 28 to 33 fractions. The concurrent chemotherapy regime for both groups was as follow: docetaxel 25 mg/m2 plus cisplatin 25 mg/m2, per week. After concurrent chemoradiotherapy, consolidated chemotherapy was applied to the treatment group with docetaxel 60 mg/m2 and cisplatin 75 mg/m2 
for 3 weeks in one cycle. There was no subsequent treatment for the control group.
 Results: The clinical efficacy was assessed in 76 patients. For the treatment group, 31 patients (response rate, 89.2%) obtained effective response, including 10 cases with complete response (CR) and 21 cases with partial response (PR), both of which were significantly more than that in the control group (response rate, 61.5%), with 9 cases of CR and 15 cases of PR. The median progression-free survival was 19.7 months in the treatment group, clearly longer than that in the control group (10.8 months, P=0.04). The overall survival for 1-year, 2-year and 3-year were 78.5%, 57.9% and 37.8% in the treatment group versus 61.2%, 42.3% and 22.7% in the control group (P>0.05), respectively. Grade 1 and 2 adverse effects were commonly observed in both groups, such as hematologic toxicity and radiation-induced esophagitis, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. 
 Conclusion: For elderly patients with esophageal carcinoma, the overall response rate can be significantly improved by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with subsequently consolidated chemotherapy based on docetaxel and cisplatin..
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; Chemoradiotherapy ; adverse effects ; Cisplatin ; adverse effects ; Consolidation Chemotherapy ; adverse effects ; Disease-Free Survival ; Docetaxel ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; mortality ; Esophagitis ; epidemiology ; Female ; Hematologic Diseases ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; adverse effects ; Remission Induction ; Taxoids ; adverse effects

This study was performed to validate the effectiveness and safety of concurrent chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant therapy with temozolomide for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme as a standard treatment protocol. Between 2004 and 2011, patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma who were treated with temozolomide during concurrent chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy were included from a single institution and analyzed retrospectively. The primary endpoint was overall survival, and the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival, response, and safety. A total of 71 patients were enrolled in this study. The response rate was 41% (29/71), and the tumor control rate was 80% (57/71). In the 67 patients who completed the concurrent chemoradiotherapy with temozolomide, the median overall survival was 19 months and the 1- and 2-yr overall survival rates were 78.3% and 41.7%, respectively. The median progression free survival was 9 months, and the 1- and 2-yr progression free survival rates were 33.8% and 14.3%, respectively. The mean duration of survival after progression of disease in salvage treatment group was 11.9 (1.3-53.2) months. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with temozolomide resulted in grade 3 or 4 hematologic toxic effects in 2.8% of the patients. The current protocol of temozolomide during and after radiation therapy is both effective and safe and is still appropriate as the standard protocol for treatment of glioblastoma. An active salvage treatment might be required for a better prognosis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/administration & dosage ; Brain Neoplasms/diagnosis/*mortality/*therapy ; Chemoradiotherapy, Adjuvant/methods/mortality ; Comorbidity ; Dacarbazine/administration & dosage/*analogs & derivatives ; Female ; Glioblastoma/diagnosis/*mortality/*therapy ; Hematologic Diseases/*mortality ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Radiotherapy, Conformal/mortality ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is the most frequent form of invasive fungal diseases in immunocompromised patients. However, there are only a few studies on IPA in immunocompromised children in Korea. This study was designed to characterize IPA in Korean children with hematologic/oncologic diseases. Medical records of children with hematologic/oncologic diseases receiving antifungal therapy were reviewed. The enrolled children were divided into the IPA group (proven and probable IPA) and non-IPA group, and the clinical characteristics and prognosis were compared between the two groups. During the study period, 265 courses of antifungal therapy were administered to 166 children. Among them, two (0.8%) episodes of proven IPA, 35 (13.2%) of probable IPA, and 52 (19.6%) of possible IPA were diagnosed. More children in the IPA group suffered from neutropenia lasting for more than two weeks (51.4% vs. 21.9%, P<0.001) and showed halo signs on the chest computed tomography (78.4% vs. 40.7%, P<0.001) than in the non-IPA group. No other clinical factors showed significant differences between the two groups. Amphotericin B deoxycholate was administered as a first line antifungal agent in 33 (89.2%) IPA group episodes, and eventually voriconazole was administered in 27 (73.0%) episodes. Ten (27.0%) children in the IPA group died within 12 weeks of antifungal therapy. In conclusion, early use of chest computed tomography to identify halo signs in immunocompromised children who are expected to have prolonged neutropenia can be helpful for early diagnosis of IPA and improving prognosis of children with IPA.
Antifungal Agents/*therapeutic use ; Child ; Child Health/statistics & numerical data ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Hematologic Diseases/*mortality ; Humans ; Incidence ; Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/*mortality ; Male ; Neoplasms/*mortality ; Prognosis ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/statistics & numerical data ; Treatment Outcome