Background/Aims: The prognosis of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation is poor. Therefore, mechanical ventilation is not recommended. Recently, outcomes of mechanical ventilation, including those for patients with IPF, have improved. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the use of mechanical ventilation in patients with IPF and their outcomes over time. Methods: This retrospective, observational cohort study used data from the National Health Insurance Service database. Patients diagnosed with IPF between January 2011 and December 2019 who were placed on mechanical ventilation were included. We analyzed changes in the use of mechanical ventilation in patients with IPF and their mortality using the Cochran- Armitage trend test. Results: Between 2011 and 2019, 1,227 patients with IPF were placed on mechanical ventilation. The annual number of patients with IPF with and without mechanical ventilation increased over time. However, the ratio was relatively stable at approximately 3.5%. The overall hospital mortality rate was 69.4%. There was no improvement in annual hospital mortality rate. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 68.7%, which did not change significantly. The overall 90-day mortality rate was 85.3%. The annual 90-day mortality rate was decreased from 90.9% in 2011 to 83.1% in 2019 (p = 0.028). Conclusions Despite improvements in intensive care and ventilator management, the prognosis of patients with IPF receiving mechanical ventilation has not improved significantly.

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the antidepressant effects of capsaicin in chronic depressive rats and elucidate the mechanism underlying its effects. Methods: Male Wistar rats (280~320 g, 8 weeks of age) were subjected to depression induced by chronic unpredictable mild stresses. The rats were exposed to 8 kinds of stresses for 8 weeks. In the last 2 weeks, fluoxetine or capsaicin was injected subcutaneously. The dose of fluoxetine was 10 mg/kg (body weight), while the doses of capsaicin consisted of low (1 mg/kg), middle (5 mg/kg), and high (10 mg/kg). The forced swim test (FST) was conducted to evaluate the immobility time of rats. The immobility time indicates despair, one of symptoms of depression. The change of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) in the dorsal raphe was investigated using immunohistochemistry. In the hippocampus cornu ammonis (CA) 1 and 3, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression was measured. Results: The immobility time in the FST was significantly lower (p < .05) in the low-dose (M = 32.40 ± 13.41 seconds) and middle-dose (M = 28.48 ± 19.57 seconds) groups than in the non-treated depressive rats (M = 90.19 ± 45.34 seconds). The amount of TPH in the dorsal raphe was significantly higher (p < .05) in the middle-dose (M = 249.17 ± 35.02) and high-dose (M = 251.0 ± 56.85) groups than in the non-treated depressive rats (M = 159.78 ± 41.16). However, GR expression in the hippocampus CA1 and CA3 did not show significant differences between the non-treated depressive rats and the capsaicin-injected rats. Conclusion This study suggests that capsaicin produces an antidepressant-like effect on chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression in rats via the serotonin biosynthesis pathway.

Background/Aims: Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a major complication that increases mortality in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after surgical resection. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the utility of magnetic resonance elastography-assessed liver stiffness (MRE-LS) for the prediction of PHLF and to develop an MRE-LS-based risk prediction model. Methods: A total of 160 hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent surgical resection with available preoperative MRE-LS data were enrolled. Clinical and laboratory parameters were collected from medical records. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the risk factors for PHLF and develop a risk prediction model. Results: PHLF was present in 24 patients (15%). In the multivariate logistic analysis, high MRE-LS (kPa; odds ratio [OR] 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 1.98, p=0.006), low serum albumin (≤3.8 g/dL; OR 15.89, 95% CI 2.41 to 104.82, p=0.004), major hepatic resection (OR 4.16, 95% CI 1.40 to 12.38, p=0.014), higher albumin-bilirubin score (>–0.55; OR 3.72, 95% CI 1.15 to 12.04, p=0.028), and higher serum α-fetoprotein (>100 ng/mL; OR 3.53, 95% CI 1.20 to 10.40, p=0.022) were identified as independent risk factors for PHLF. A risk prediction model for PHLF was established using the multivariate logistic regression equation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the risk prediction model was 0.877 for predicting PHLF and 0.923 for predicting grade B and C PHLF. In leave-one-out cross-validation, the risk model showed good performance, with AUCs of 0.807 for all-grade PHLF and 0. 871 for grade B and C PHLF. Conclusions Our novel MRE-LS-based risk model had excellent performance in predicting PHLF, especially grade B and C PHLF.

Background: Cardiac dysfunction patients have long been considered at high risk of reintubation. However, it is based on past studies in which only conventional oxygen therapy was applied after extubation. We investigated association between cardiac dysfunction and reintubation rate in situation where high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) was widely used during post-extubation period. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of patients treated with HFNC after planned extubation in medical intensive care unit of single tertiary center. Patients were divided into normal function group (ejection fraction [EF] ≥45%) and cardiac dysfunction group (EF <45%). The primary outcome was reintubation rate within 72 hours following extubation. Results: Of 270 patients, 35 (13%) had cardiac dysfunction. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. There were no differences in the changes in vital signs between the two groups during the first 12 hours after extubation except diastolic blood pressure. The reintubation rates were 20% and 17% for cardiac dysfunction group and normal function group, respectively (p=0.637). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, cardiac dysfunction was not associated with an increased risk of reintubation within 72 hours following extubation (hazard ratio, 1.56; p=0.292). Conclusion Cardiac dysfunction was not associated with increased reintubation rate within 72 hours when HFNC is immediately applied after planned extubation.

Objective: High-quality intensive care, including targeted temperature management (TTM) for patients with postcardiac arrest syndrome, is a key element for improving outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We aimed to assess the status of postcardiac arrest syndrome care, including TTM and 6-month survival with neurologically favorable outcomes, after adult OHCA patients were treated with TTM, using data from the Korean Hypothermia Network prospective registry. Methods: We used the Korean Hypothermia Network prospective registry, a web-based multicenter registry that includes data from 22 participating hospitals throughout the Republic of Korea. Adult comatose OHCA survivors treated with TTM between October 2015 and December 2018 were included. The primary outcome was neurological outcome at 6 months. Results: Of the 1,354 registered OHCA survivors treated with TTM, 550 (40.6%) survived 6 months, and 413 (30.5%) had good neurological outcomes. We identified 839 (62.0%) patients with preClinsumed cardiac etiology. A total of 937 (69.2%) collapses were witnessed, shockable rhythms were demonstrated in 482 (35.6%) patients, and 421 (31.1%) patients arrived at the emergency department with prehospital return of spontaneous circulation. The most common target temperature was 33°C, and the most common target duration was 24 hours. Conclusion The survival and good neurologic outcome rates of this prospective registry show great improvements compared with those of an earlier registry. While the optimal target temperature and duration are still unknown, the most common target temperature was 33°C, and the most common target duration was 24 hours.

The digital treatment technology industry is one of the core fostering industries of the Moon Jae-in government along with the global trend. The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the investment and economic ripple effect on the related industries. To this end, we used the industry-related table, which is the actual measurement data for 2015 that the Bank of Korea actually measured and released every 5 years in 2019. The digital treatment technology industry was not clearly classified within Korea’s industrial classification system, so the contents of the industry-related survey were analyzed, and the digital treatment technology industry was reclassified and then analyzed. As a result of the analysis, it was analyzed that the production induction effect of the digital treatment technology-related industry in 2015 was 1.770, the value-added induction effect was 0.875, and the employment induction effect was 19.128, which was higher than that of other industries in Korea. As a result of the analysis of the economic ripple effect (scenario 1), the production inducing effect was about 370 billion won, the added value inducing effect was about 185 billion won, and the employment inducing effect was 4,044 people. The results of this study are expected to play a large role in economic revitalization as the effect of inducing production, increasing employment, and creating added value through fostering the digital treatment technology industry is expected to play a large role in activating the economy. It is expected to play a large role in providing central medical services. Therefore, it is expected that policy support for revitalizing the digital treatment technology industry through active investment support and tax benefits from the government to foster the digital treatment technology industry is necessary.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In the Republic of Korea, an estimated 231,000 individuals have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of the present analysis was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of elbasvir/grazoprevir (EBR/GZR) administered for 12 weeks in Korean patients who were enrolled in international clinical trial phase 3 studies.METHODS: This was a retrospective, integrated analysis of data from patients with HCV genotype (GT) 1b infection enrolled at Korean study sites in four EBR/GZR phase 3 clinical trials. Patients were treatment-naive or had previously failed interferon-based HCV therapy, and included those with human immunodeficiency virus coinfection or Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis. All patients received EBR 50 mg/GZR 100 mg once daily for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after completion of therapy (SVR12, HCV RNA <15 IU/mL).RESULTS: SVR12 was achieved by 73 of 74 (98.6%) patients. No patients had virologic failure and one discontinued from the study after withdrawing consent. SVR12 rates were uniformly high across all patient subgroups. A total of 16 patients had nonstructural protein 5A resistance-associated substitutions at baseline (16/73, 22%), all of whom achieved SVR12. Adverse events (AEs) reported in >5% of patients were fatigue (6.8%), upper respiratory tract infection (5.4%), headache (5.4%), and nausea (5.4%). Thirteen patients (17.6%) reported drug-related AEs, two serious AEs occurred, and two patients discontinued treatment owing to an AEs.CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective analysis, EBR/GZR administered for 12 weeks was well-tolerated and highly effective in Korean patients with HCV GT1b infection.
Antiviral Agents ; Coinfection ; Fatigue ; Fibrosis ; Genotype ; Headache ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis C ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Hepatitis ; HIV ; Humans ; Nausea ; Republic of Korea ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Retrospective Studies ; RNA

PURPOSE: This purpose of this study was to develop evidence-based practice guideline for isolation in health care settings to prevent transmission of infectious diseases utilizing guideline adaption process. METHODS: The process of guideline adaptation was performed according to the Korean hospital nurses association's guideline adaptation manual which consisted of three main phases, 9 modules, and 24 steps. RESULTS: The adapted isolation guideline consisted of introduction, overview of isolation guideline, summary of recommendations, recommendations, references, and appendices. The guideline includes 224 recommendations in 4 sections which are organizational administration, standard precautions, transmission-based precautions, and education/counselling. CONCLUSION: The adapted isolation guideline is recommended to be disseminated and utilized by nurses and clinicians nationwide to improve the isolation practices for infected or colonized patients with communicable diseases and to decrease the transmission of infections in the healthcare settings.
Colon ; Communicable Diseases ; Delivery of Health Care ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; Evidence-Based Nursing ; Evidence-Based Practice ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Patient Isolation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is a poorly differentiated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that contains components of spindle or giant cells. Owing to its low prevalence, there are insufficient data regarding its clinical features, therapeutic strategies and prognosis. METHODS: The medical records of 26 patients diagnosed with PSC from January 2009 to June 2015 were reviewed and analyzed for clinicopathological characteristics, treatment modality, and outcomes. RESULTS: The median age was 69.5 years. Twenty-three patients (88%) were male. Twenty-four patients (92%) were smokers. The median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was one month. Eighteen patients (69%) were diagnosed at an advanced stage. Pleomorphic carcinoma was the most common subtype, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation was positive in two of 11 patients. Among 13 patients tested for programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry assay, eight showed high expression of PD-L1. The median overall survival (OS) of all patients was 9.5 months. In total, 12 patients were treated with chemotherapy: nine with platinum-based doublet therapy, two with tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and one with docetaxel. Seven patients showed partial response or stable disease. The median OS and progression-free survival of patients who received chemotherapy were 8.7 and 2.8 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PSC was more common in males, smokers, and the elderly, with worse prognosis than ordinary NSCLC; chemotherapy response was favorable, and EGFR mutation status and PD-L1 expression may offer more therapeutic options.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Giant Cells ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Medical Records ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Treatment Outcome

The tools for asthma control assessment recommended by the current guideline are cognitive function- and effort-dependent, which is substantially impaired in the elderly. The aim of this study is to investigate objective assessment tools of asthma control status and previous asthma exacerbation (AE) in elderly subjects. Asthmatics aged >60 years who were treated with step 2 or 3 by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guideline were enrolled. During the 12-week study period, the subjects used either 400 µg of budesonide plus 10 mg of montelukast or 800 µg of inhaled budesonide. The occurrence of AE during the 4-week run-in and 12-week treatment period was monitored. After 12-week of treatment, sputum eosinophil count, peripheral eosinophil count, the plasma leukotriene E₄ (LTE₄), and prostaglandin F₂α (PGF₂α) metabolite levels were measured using the UHPLC/Q-ToF MS system. The study subjects were divided into group 1 (asthmatics who experienced AE during the study period) and group 2 (those who did not). A total of 101 patients aged 60-85 years were enrolled. Twenty-three patients (22.8%) had experienced AE. The plasma LTE₄ level, LTE₄/PGF₂α ratio, and peripheral eosinophil count were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (P=0.023, P=0.010, P=0.033, respectively). The plasma LTE₄/PGF₂α ratio and peripheral eosinophil count at week 12 were significantly associated with previous AE (odds ratio [OR]=1.748, P=0.013; OR=1.256, P=0.027). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to discriminate the subjects with previous AE, including these 2 parameters, showed that the area under the curve was 0.700 (P=0.004), with 73.9% sensitivity and 47.9% specificity. In conclusion, a combination of plasma LTE₄/PGF₂α ratio and peripheral eosinophil count can be an objective assessment tool which is significantly associated with asthma control status in elderly asthmatics.
Aged* ; Asthma* ; Budesonide ; Eosinophils* ; Humans ; Plasma* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum