Background/Aims: We aimed to evaluate site-specific cancer risk in diabetic patients and to investigate causal and temporal relationships by analyzing organ-specific cancer risk according to the duration of diabetes. Methods: Using a database provided by the Korean National Health Insurance Service, we conducted a retrospective, population-based cohort study of adults aged ≥ 30 years from January 2005 to December 2013. To verify the possibility of detection bias or reverse causation, we compared hazard ratios (HRs) for each cancer according to the following duration of diabetes: less than 6 months, 6 months to 3 years, and more than 3 years. Results: The incidence of overall cancer per 1,000 person-years was higher in patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes (20.36 vs. 10.83). The overall cancer risk according to the duration of diabetes was the highest within the first 6 months after diagnosis (HR, 2.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.99 to 2.07), and the HR decreased with the duration of diabetes, ranging from 1.19 (95% CI, 1.18 to 1.21) between 6 months and 3 years to 1.12 (95% CI, 1.11 to 1.13) after 3 years. Both overall cancer risk and HR remained significantly higher in patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes. The risk for prostate cancer was higher in men with diabetes than in those without diabetes (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.14). In women, the risk for endometrial cancer was significantly higher in patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes throughout the duration of diabetes. Conclusions The risk for stomach, colorectum, liver, pancreas, and kidney cancer appeared to be higher in patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes regardless of the sex or duration of diabetes.

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the additive effect of the Hedera helix (HH) and Rhizoma coptidis (RC) extracts mixture on antitussive and expectorant activities in animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expectorant assay was performed with phenol red secretion in mice trachea. Mice or guinea pigs were randomly divided into groups of 8 each, including negative and positive control groups. After gastric administration of the test extracts in mice, 2.5% phenol red solution (0.2 mL) was intraperitoneally injected. Trachea was dissected and optical density of tracheal secretion was measured. After gastric administration of the test extracts in guinea pigs, the antitussive activities were assessed using a citric acid-induced cough measurement. RESULTS: The extracts of HH and RC significantly increased tracheal secretion and inhibited cough. The mixture of HH and RC extracts in a 1:1 concentration at a dose of 200 mg/kg showed a more potent effect on phenol red secretion (25.25+/-3.14) and cough inhibition (61.25+/-5.36) than the individual use of each extracts [phenol red secretion; HH 13.39+/-4.22 (p=0.000), RC 20.78+/-2.50 (p=0.010), cough inhibition; HH 9.89+/-4.14 (p=0.010), RC 30.25+/-7.69 (p=0.000)]. A 3:1 ratio mixture of HH to RC demonstrated an optimal expectorant effect (p<0.001), and this mixture showed expectorant and antitussive effects in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence for antitussive and expectorant effect of a 3:1 mixture of HH and RC, which may be a useful therapeutic option for respiratory diseases.
Animals ; Antitussive Agents/*administration & dosage/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; *Behavior, Addictive ; Cough/*drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/*administration & dosage/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Ethanol ; Expectorants/*administration & dosage/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Guinea Pigs ; Hedera/*chemistry/metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts/*pharmacology ; Plant Roots/chemistry ; Trachea/drug effects/metabolism

Liver transplantation (LT) has been the key therapy for end stage liver diseases. However, LT in infancy is still understudied. From 1992 to 2010, 152 children had undergone LT in Seoul National University Hospital. Operations were performed on 43 patients aged less than 12 months (Group A) and 109 patients aged over 12 months (Group B). The mean age of the recipients was 7 months in Group A and 74 months in Group B. The patients' survival rates and post-LT complications were analyzed. The mean Pediatric End-stage Liver Disease score was higher in Group A (21.8) than in Group B (13.4) (P = 0.049). Fulminant hepatitis was less common in Group A (4.8%) than in Group B (13.8%) (P = 0.021). The post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder and portal vein complication were more common in Group A (14.0%, 18.6%) than in Group B (1.8%, 3.7%) (P = 0.005). However, the 1, 5, and 10 yr patient survival rates were 93%, 93%, and 93%, in Group A and 92%, 90%, and 88% in Group B (P = 0.212). The survival outcome of pediatric LT is excellent and similar regardless of age. LTs in infancy are not riskier than those of children.
Adolescent ; Age Factors ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; End Stage Liver Disease/mortality/*surgery ; Female ; Graft Rejection/epidemiology ; Graft Survival ; Herpesviridae Infections/etiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Liver Transplantation/*adverse effects/*statistics & numerical data ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders/*etiology ; Male ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome ; Vascular Diseases/etiology

Tinea incognito (TI) is a dermatophytic infection which has lost its typical clinical appearance because of improper use of steroids or calcineurin inhibitors. The incidence of TI is increasing nowadays. We conducted retrospective review on 283 patients with TI from 25 dermatology training hospitals in Korea from 2002-2010 to investigate the demographical, clinical, and mycological characteristics of TI, and to determine the associated risk factors. More than half (59.3%) patients were previously treated by non-dermatologists or self-treated. The mean duration of TI was 15.0 +/- 25.3 months. The most common clinical manifestations were eczema-like lesion, psoriasis-like, and lupus erythematosus-like lesion. The trunk and face were frequently involved, and 91 patients (32.2%) also had coexisting fungal infections. Among 67 isolated strains, Trichophyton rubrum was the most frequently detected (73.1%). This is the largest study of TI reported to date and the first investigational report concerning TI in Korea. We suggest that doctors should consider TI when a patient has intractable eczema-like lesions accompanied by tinea pedis/unguium. Furthermore, there should be a policy change, which would make over-the-counter high-potency topical steroids less accessible in some countries, including Korea.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Demography ; Eczema/pathology ; Face/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Psoriasis/pathology ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Tinea/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Trichophyton/isolation & purification ; Young Adult

The pneumonia severity index (PSI) and CURB-65 are widely used tools for the prediction of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study was conducted to evaluate validation of severity scoring system including the PSI and CURB-65 scores of Korean CAP patients. In the prospective CAP cohort (participated in by 14 hospitals in Korea from January 2009 to September 2011), 883 patients aged over 18 yr were studied. The 30-day mortalities of all patients were calculated with their PSI index classes and CURB scores. The overall mortality rate was 4.5% (40/883). The mortality rates per CURB-65 score were as follows: score 0, 2.3% (6/260); score 1, 4.0% (12/300); score 2, 6.0% (13/216); score 3, 5.7% (5/88); score 4, 23.5% (4/17); and score 5, 0% (0/2). Mortality rate with PSI risk class were as follows: I, 2.3% (4/174); II, 2.7% (5/182); III, 2.3% (5/213); IV, 4.5% (11/245); and V, 21.7% (15/69). The subgroup mortality rate of Korean CAP patients varies based on the severity scores and CURB-65 is more valid for the lower scores, and PSI, for the higher scores. Thus, these variations must be considered when using PSI and CURB-65 for CAP in Korean patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Community-Acquired Infections/*mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia/*mortality ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study investigated the impact of subclinical borderline changes on the development of chronic allograft injury in patients using a modern immunosuppression protocol. METHODS: Seventy patients with stable renal allograft function and who underwent protocol biopsies at implantation, 10 days and 1 year after transplantation were included and classified based on biopsy findings at day 10. The no rejection (NR) group included 33 patients with no acute rejection. The treatment (Tx) group included 21 patients with borderline changes following steroid pulse therapy, and the nontreatment (NTx) group included 16 patients with borderline changes nontreated. RESULTS: The Banff Chronicity Score (BChS) and modified BChS (MBChS) were not different among the three groups at implantation (P = 0.48) or on day 10 (P = 0.96). Surprisingly, the NTx group had more prominent chronic scores at the 1-year biopsy, including BChS (3.07 +/- 1.33, P = 0.005) and MBChS (3.14 +/- 1.41, P = 0.008) than those in the Tx and NR group, and deterioration of BChS was more noticeable in the NTx group (P = 0.037), although renal function was stable (P = 0.66). No difference in chronic injury scores was observed between the Tx and NR groups at the 1-year biopsy. CONCLUSION: Subclinical borderline changes can be a risk factor for chronic allograft injury and should be considered for antirejection therapy.
Biopsy ; Cyclohexylamines ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation ; Rejection (Psychology) ; Risk Factors ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Transplants

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the mortality and factors that are related to the mortality in elderly patients with hip fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2006 and December 2009, 304 patients who were 65 years or older underwent surgery for hip fracture. Among them, 261 patients were available and 43 patients excluded from this study, as they were unable to be evaluated for one year mortality. We analyzed the relationship between the postoperative mortality and the associated factors (age, gender, the type of operation, the type of fracture, method of anesthesia, comorbidity, operation delay). RESULTS: The one year mortality rate for elderly patients with hip fracture was 10.7%. There was no relationships between the postoperative mortality and the type of operation, the type of fracture, and method of anesthesia. However, age, gender, the number of comorbidity, operation delay, and dementia of comorbidity were factors associated with the mortality rate for elderly patients with hip fracture. CONCLUSION: The one year mortality rate for elderly patients with hip fracture was 10.7%. Age, gender, the number of comorbidity, operation delay, and dementia of comorbidity were factors associated with the mortality rate in elderly patients with hip fracture.
Aged ; Anesthesia ; Comorbidity ; Dementia ; Hip ; Hip Fractures ; Humans

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare complication of liver transplantation. The causes of AA have not yet been identified, and optimal treatment for AA after liver transplantation has not been firmly established. We experienced two cases of AA accompanied with fulminant hepatitis among 157 pediatric recipients (1.3%) and among 17 recipients of Korean Network of Organ Sharing (KONOS) status 1 (11.8%). The patients were a 16-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy who had jaundice and lethargy due to non-A, non-B, non-C fulminant hepatitis. The girl underwent split liver transplantation involving the liver of a 24-year-old man, and the boy underwent an emergency living donor liver transplantation with a liver obtained from his 16-year-old cousin. Each transplantation procedure was uneventful. However, both patients were diagnosed with AA caused by thrombocytopenia and neutropenia at 140 and 26 days, respectively, after liver transplantation. The girl recovered completely after undergoing bone marrow transplantation and was followed up for 70 months. However, the boy was conservatively treated because of the development of hyperbilirubinemia and pyrexia. He died of multi-organ failure 74 days after liver transplantation. AA is not a rare complication of pediatric liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure. Therefore, AA must be suspected in pediatric cases of cytopenia even after liver transplantation. Our findings indicate bone marrow transplantation is the treatment of choice for AA even in cases where AA develops after liver transplantation.
Adolescent ; Anemia, Aplastic ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Emergencies ; Fever ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Jaundice ; Lethargy ; Liver ; Liver Failure, Acute ; Liver Transplantation ; Living Donors ; Neutropenia ; Preschool Child ; Thrombocytopenia ; Transplants ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Simultaneous liver and kidney transplants have proved to be a favorable treatment for combined renal and hepatic end-stage diseases. However, it is extremely difficult to find a simultaneous liver and kidney donor in Korea due to the narrow requirements. This study had three aims: to explore the therapeutic experience of simultaneous liver and kidney transplants in Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), to compare the overall survival outcome between simultaneous liver and kidney transplants and liver transplants alone in patients with liver and renal failure, and to determine the indications for simultaneous liver and kidney transplants. METHODS: The clinical data of 8 simultaneous liver and kidney transplants at SNUH from November 2004 to October 2010 were retrospectively studied. Indications for simultaneous liver and kidney transplants, patient and graft survival, and the causes of death were analyzed and compared with 5 liver transplants alone performed on patients experiencing liver and renal failure. RESULTS: The clinical characteristics of the recipients for simultaneous liver and kidney transplants and liver transplants alone were similar with regards to age, renal function, and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score (all P>0.05). One patient died at 15 months after simultaneous liver and kidney transplants due to HBV related HCC recurrence, and three patients died at 2, 3, and 21 months after liver transplants due to ARDS, bleeding, and hepatic failure, respectively. Only one liver graft loss in simultaneous liver and kidney transplant cases occurred on POD 3 due to primary non-function. The outcome analysis demonstrated a superior overall survival in simultaneous liver and kidney transplants recipients compared with recipients of only liver transplants (P=0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous liver and kidney transplants showed a superior outcome in patients with end-stage liver disease and chronic renal failure compared with liver transplants alone. The allocation criteria of simultaneous liver and kidney transplants in Korea should be changed to expand its indications.
Cause of Death ; Graft Survival ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Korea ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Failure ; Recurrence ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare complication of liver transplantation. The causes of AA have not yet been identified, and optimal treatment for AA after liver transplantation has not been firmly established. We experienced two cases of AA accompanied with fulminant hepatitis among 157 pediatric recipients (1.3%) and among 17 recipients of Korean Network of Organ Sharing (KONOS) status 1 (11.8%). The patients were a 16-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy who had jaundice and lethargy due to non-A, non-B, non-C fulminant hepatitis. The girl underwent split liver transplantation involving the liver of a 24-year-old man, and the boy underwent an emergency living donor liver transplantation with a liver obtained from his 16-year-old cousin. Each transplantation procedure was uneventful. However, both patients were diagnosed with AA caused by thrombocytopenia and neutropenia at 140 and 26 days, respectively, after liver transplantation. The girl recovered completely after undergoing bone marrow transplantation and was followed up for 70 months. However, the boy was conservatively treated because of the development of hyperbilirubinemia and pyrexia. He died of multi-organ failure 74 days after liver transplantation. AA is not a rare complication of pediatric liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure. Therefore, AA must be suspected in pediatric cases of cytopenia even after liver transplantation. Our findings indicate bone marrow transplantation is the treatment of choice for AA even in cases where AA develops after liver transplantation.
Adolescent ; Anemia, Aplastic ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Emergencies ; Fever ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Jaundice ; Lethargy ; Liver ; Liver Failure, Acute ; Liver Transplantation ; Living Donors ; Neutropenia ; Preschool Child ; Thrombocytopenia ; Transplants ; Young Adult