BACKGROUND/AIMS: Anti-C-reactive protein (CRP) antibody has been introduced as a potential biologic marker in Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of study is to evaluate the level of anti-CRP antibody in patients with SLE. METHODS: This study investigated the relationship between levels of anti-CRP antibodies and disease activity markers, such as complement, anti-double-stranded DNA antibody, and SLE disease activity index in 34 patients with SLE. RESULTS: The serum anti-CRP antibody levels of the patients with SLE were significantly higher than those of the healthy controls (11.3 ± 5.6 µg/mL vs. 9.1 ± 2.8 µg/mL). The percentages of the positive anti-CRP antibody were 52.9% in SLE and 27.8% in controls. Disease duration of SLE showed significant correlation with the anti-CRP antibody (r = 0.234, p = 0.026). However no significant relationship was observed between the levels of anti-CRP antibodies and disease activity markers. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that the anti-CRP antibody levels of the patients with SLE were significantly higher than those of healthy controls. We observed that the presence of the anti-CRP anti-CRP antibody was not associated with disease activity of SLE.
Antibodies ; Biomarkers ; Complement System Proteins ; DNA ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic*

BACKGROUND: Although airway obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is due to pathologic processes in both the airways and the lung parenchyma, the contribution of these processes, as well as other factors, have not yet been evaluated quantitatively. We therefore quantitatively evaluated the factors contributing to airflow limitation in patients with COPD. METHODS: The 213 COPD patients were aged >45 years, had smoked >10 pack-years of cigarettes, and had a post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) <0.7. All patients were evaluated by medical interviews, physical examination, spirometry, bronchodilator reversibility tests, lung volume, and 6-minute walk tests. In addition, volumetric computed tomography (CT) was performed to evaluate airway wall thickness, emphysema severity, and mean lung density ratio at full expiration and inspiration. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the variables independently associated with FEV1 - the index of the severity of airflow limitation. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analysis showed that CT measurements of mean lung density ratio (standardized coefficient beta=-0.46; p<0.001), emphysema severity (volume fraction of the lung less than -950 HU at full inspiration; beta=-0.24; p<0.001), and airway wall thickness (mean wall area %; beta=-0.19, p=0.001), as well as current smoking status (beta=-0.14; p=0.009) were independent contributors to FEV1. CONCLUSION: Mean lung density ratio, emphysema severity, and airway wall thickness evaluated by volumetric CT and smoking status could independently contribute to the severity of airflow limitation in patients with COPD.
Aged ; Airway Obstruction ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Emphysema ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Lung ; Pathologic Processes ; Physical Examination ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spirometry ; Tobacco Products ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vital Capacity

Refractory asthma with hypercapnia is a near-fatal disease. Pumpless Extracorporeal Interventional Lung Assist (iLA) may be considered as an alternative therapy for the disease as it removes the carbon dioxide effectively. Nevertheless, clinical outcome studies regarding iLA in patients suffering from refractory asthma have rarely been applied. Here, we reported our experience with iLA for the treatment of refractory asthma with hypercapnia. In our case, the patient had refractory asthma which was not controlled with medical treatment or mechanical ventilation. We applied iLA since hypercapnia was not resolved despite mechanical ventilation. After iLA implantation effectively reduced the carbon dioxide, the clinical condition of our patient improved. In conclusion, iLA is a useful tool for patient suffering from refractory asthma with hypercapnia.
Asthma ; Carbon Dioxide ; Humans ; Hypercapnia ; Lung ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Respiration, Artificial ; Stress, Psychological

BACKGROUND: Initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill septic shock patients with acute kidney injury is highly subjective and may influence outcome. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between initiation of RRT and 28 day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock (SSSS). METHODS: All patients diagnosed with SSSS and treated at the medical intensive care unit (ICU) in university-affiliated hospital from January 2005 to December 2006 were reviewed. Initiation of RRT was stratified into "early" and "late" by RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, and End-stage) criteria and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) at the time RRT began. The primary outcome was death after 28 days from any cause. RESULTS: Of the 326 patients diagnosed with SSSS and admitted into the medical ICU during the study period, 78 patients received RRT. Mean age was 61.5 +/- 14.7 years old and 54 patients were male (69.2%). The initiation of RRT was categorized into early (Risk, and Injury) and late (Failure) by RIFLE criteria and also categorized into early (BUN < 75 mg/dl) and late (BUN > or = 75 mg/dl). When the relationship between RIFLE criteria and 28 day mortality was compared, no significant difference was shown (70.8% vs. 73.3%, p = 0.81). The initiation of RRT by BUN also showed no significant difference in 28 day mortality (77.3% vs. 69.6%, p = 0.50). CONCLUSIONS: Initiation of RRT, stratified into "early" and "late" by RIFLE and BUN, showed no significant difference in 28 day mortality regarding patient with SSSS.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Critical Illness ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Sepsis ; Shock, Septic

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease and responses to therapies are highly variable. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of pulmonary function response to 3 months of treatment with salmeterol/fluticasone in patients with COPD. A total of 127 patients with stable COPD from the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) Cohort, which were prospectively recruited from June 2005 to September 2009, were analyzed retrospectively. The prediction models for the FEV1, FVC and IC/TLC changes after 3 months of treatment with salmeterol/fluticasone were constructed by using multiple, stepwise, linear regression analysis. The prediction model for the FEV1 change after 3 months of treatment included wheezing history, pre-bronchodilator FEV1, post-bronchodilator FEV1 change and emphysema extent on CT (R = 0.578). The prediction models for the FVC change after 3 months of treatment included pre-bronchodilator FVC, post-bronchodilator FVC change (R = 0.533), and those of IC/ TLC change after 3 months of treatment did pre-bronchodilator IC/TLC and post-bronchodilator FEV1 change (R = 0.401). Wheezing history, pre-bronchodilator pulmonary function, bronchodilator responsiveness, and emphysema extent may be used for predicting the pulmonary function response to 3 months of treatment with salmeterol/fluticasone in patients with COPD.
Aged ; Albuterol/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Androstadienes/*therapeutic use ; Bronchodilator Agents/*therapeutic use ; Emphysema ; Female ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Lung/physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/*drug therapy ; Republic of Korea ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

To date, clinico-physiologic indices have not been compared with quantitative CT imaging indices in determining the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. We therefore compared clinico-physiologic and CT imaging indices as risk factors for COPD exacerbation in patients with COPD. We retrospectively analyzed 260 COPD patients from pulmonary clinics at 11 hospitals in Korea from June 2005 to November 2009 and followed-up for at least one year. At the time of enrollment, none of these patients had COPD exacerbations for at least 2 months. All underwent clinico-physiologic and radiological evaluation for risk factors of COPD exacerbation. After 1 yr, 106 of the 260 patients had at least one exacerbation of COPD. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that old age, high Charlson Index, and low FEV1 were significant in a clinico-physiologic model, with C-statistics of 0.69, and that increased age and emphysema index were significant in a radiologic model, with C-statistics of 0.64. The difference between the two models was statistically significant (P = 0.04 by bootstrap analysis). Combinations of clinico-physiologic risk factors may be better than those of imaging risk factors in predicting COPD exacerbation.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/*diagnosis/pathology/*physiopathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; *Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: The efficacious use of interventional bronchoscope for patients with central airway obstruction due to malignant or benign lesions has been proven. Among many therapeutic bronchoscopic procedures, endobronchial cryotherapy is an established recanalization method for the obstruction of the respiratory tract. Recently, the use of this procedure has been increasing in Korea. However, limited data are available in the literature regarding its efficacy in Korea. METHODS: Thirty patients, who had been treated with a flexible cryoprobe for cryotherapy were enrolled; clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were analyzed. The patients had been treated with the technique using nitrous oxide as a cryogen under local anesthesia. Objective outcomes were 3 different degrees of therapeutic success by use of follow-up bronchoscopic findings as follows: successful, partially successful, and unsuccessful response. Subjective outcomes were evaluated as an improvement in symptoms. RESULTS: The mean age of enrolled patients was 59+/-11 years and there was a male (22/30) dominance. Twenty-three patients had malignant tumor and 7 patients had benign lesions with central airway obstruction. Successful recanalization was achieved in 11 (37%) patients, and partially successful response was achieved in 15 (50%) patients. Dyspnea was improved in 84.2% (16/19) of patients. At least one respiratory symptom was resolved in 91.3% (21/23) patients. Seven patients (23.3%) needed additional bronchoscopic electrocautery because of the bleeding as a complication of cryotherapy. CONCLUSION: Endobronchial cryotherapy is an effective and less expensive procedure for the management of central airway obstruction. However, the procedure should be performed under the preparing for an emergency situation, such as massive bleeding.
Airway Obstruction ; Anesthesia, Local ; Bronchoscopes ; Bronchoscopy ; Cryotherapy ; Dyspnea ; Electrocoagulation ; Emergencies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nitrous Oxide ; Respiratory System

Small cell carcinoma in the ampulla of Vater is rare, and the concurrent occurrence of adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma is extremely rare. We report the case of a double primary tumor, adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma, in the ampulla of Vater.
Adenocarcinoma ; Ampulla of Vater ; Carcinoma, Small Cell

BACKGROUND: Respiratory failure is a common condition that requires intensive care, and has a high mortality rate despite the recent improvements in respiratory care. Previous reports of patients with respiratory failure focused on the specific disease or included a large proportion of surgical patients. This study evaluated the clinical characteristics, outcomes and prognostic factors of adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation in a medical intensive care unit. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was performed on 479 adult patients, who received mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours in the medical ICU of one tertiary referral hospital. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 60.3+/-15.6 years and 34.0% were female. The initial mean APACHE III score was 72.3+/-25. The cause of MV included acute respiratory failure (71.8%), acute exacerbation of chronic pulmonary disease (20.9%), coma (5.6%), and neuromuscular disorders (1.7%). Pressure controlled ventilation was used as the initial ventilator mode in 67.8% of patients, and pressure support ventilation was used as the initial weaning mode in 83.6% of the patients. The overall mortality rate in the ICU and hospital was 49.3% and 55.4%, respectively. The main cause of death in hospital was septic shock (32.5%), respiratory failure (11.7%), and multiorgan failure (10.2%). Males, an APACHE III score >70, the cause of respiratory failure (interstitial lung disease, coma, aspiration, pneumonia, sepsis and hemoptysis), the total ventilation time, and length of stay in hospital were independently associated with mortality. CONCLUSION: The cause of respiratory failure, severity of the patients, and gender appears to be significantly associated with the outcome of mechanical ventilatory support in patients with respiratory failure.
Adult ; APACHE ; Cause of Death ; Coma ; Female ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Pneumonia ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Shock, Septic ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Ventilation ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Weaning

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of botulinum toxin on the mechanical hyperalgesia, electrophysiology and motor functions in the persistent muscle pain rat model. METHOD: A secondary mechanical hyperalgesia in the bilateral hindpaws of Sprague-Dawley rats was produced by the repeated injections of acidic saline into gastrocnemius. Botulinum toxin A (BTX-A(4): 4 U/kg, BTX-A(7): 7 U/kg) was administrated into same muscle 24 hours after a second injection of saline. The mechanical hyperalgesia was measured with withdrawal threshold to von Frey filament. The grade of muscle paralysis was evaluated with electrophysiology and the locomotor performance using inclined plane board. RESULTS: The mechanical hyperalgesia was significantly decreased from 5 days to 2 weeks in BTX-A(7) group in the injected side. The dose-dependent decreased amplitude of compound muscle action potential and reduced prevalence of endplate noise from the first day of botulinum toxin injection lasted for 4 weeks in both gastrocnemius. The maximum angle maintained at initial position on the inclined plane board did not change. CONCLUSION: Local muscular injection of botulinum toxin A reduced ipsilateral hyperalgesia dose-dependently in persistent muscle pain rat model without motor deficit. The antinociceptive mechanism of botulinum toxin might act at a local or peripheral rather than a systemic or central effect due to ineffectiveness of contralateral hyperalgesia. Clinically, botulinum toxin A might be useful for the treatment of local and referred pain of muscle origins.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Botulinum Toxins ; Electrophysiology ; Hyperalgesia ; Muscles ; Noise ; Pain, Referred ; Paralysis ; Prevalence ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley