Objectives: This study compared the nutritional intakes of early and late preterm infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and at home. The dietary problems and the need for community care services for premature infants were further investigated. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study on 125 preterm infants and their parents (Early preterm n = 70, Late preterm n = 55). The data were collected by surveying the parents of preterm infants and from hospital medical records. Results: No significant differences were obtained between the early and late preterm infant groups when considering the proportion of feeding types in the NICU and at home. Early preterm infants were fed with a greater amount of additional calories at home and had more hours of tube feeding (P = 0.022). Most preterm infants had feeding problems. However, there was no significant difference between early and late preterm infants in the mental pain of parents, sleeping, feeding, and weaning problems at home. Many parents of preterm babies had no external support, and more than half the parents required community care to take care of their preterm babies. Conclusions Regardless of the gestational age, most preterm infants have several problems with dietary intake. Our study indicates the need to establish community care services for preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: The burden of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease (PD) is increasing globally. To understand the treatment outcomes and prognosis of NTM-PD, a unified registry is needed. In this project, we aim to construct a multicenter prospective observational cohort with NTM-PD in South Korea (NTM-KOREA).METHODS: The primary objective of this study is to analyze treatment outcomes according to the species. In addition, recurrence rate, adverse events, the impact of each drug on treatment outcomes as well as the impact of characteristics of mycobacteriology will be analyzed. The inclusion criteria for the study are as follows: fulfilling the criteria for NTM-PD having one of the following etiologic organisms: Mycobacterium avium complex, M. abscessus subspecies abscessus, M. abscessus subspecies massiliense, or M. kansasii; receiving the first treatment for NTM-PD after enrollment; age >20 years; and consenting to participate in the study. Seven institutions will participate in patient enrollment and about 500 patients are expected to be enrolled. Participants will be recruited from 1 March 2020 until 19 March 2024 and will be observed through 19 March 2029. During the follow-up period, participants' clinical course will be tracked and their clinical data as well as NTM isolates will be collected.CONCLUSION: NTM-KOREA will be the first nationwide observational cohort for NTM-PD in South Korea. It will provide the information to optimize treatment modalities and will contribute to deeper understanding of the treatment outcomes and long-term prognosis of patients with NTM-PD in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: The burden of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease (PD) is increasing globally. To understand the treatment outcomes and prognosis of NTM-PD, a unified registry is needed. In this project, we aim to construct a multicenter prospective observational cohort with NTM-PD in South Korea (NTM-KOREA). METHODS: The primary objective of this study is to analyze treatment outcomes according to the species. In addition, recurrence rate, adverse events, the impact of each drug on treatment outcomes as well as the impact of characteristics of mycobacteriology will be analyzed. The inclusion criteria for the study are as follows: fulfilling the criteria for NTM-PD having one of the following etiologic organisms: Mycobacterium avium complex, M. abscessus subspecies abscessus, M. abscessus subspecies massiliense, or M. kansasii; receiving the first treatment for NTM-PD after enrollment; age >20 years; and consenting to participate in the study. Seven institutions will participate in patient enrollment and about 500 patients are expected to be enrolled. Participants will be recruited from 1 March 2020 until 19 March 2024 and will be observed through 19 March 2029. During the follow-up period, participants' clinical course will be tracked and their clinical data as well as NTM isolates will be collected. CONCLUSION NTM-KOREA will be the first nationwide observational cohort for NTM-PD in South Korea. It will provide the information to optimize treatment modalities and will contribute to deeper understanding of the treatment outcomes and long-term prognosis of patients with NTM-PD in South Korea.

Background: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are often associated with delayed myelopathy. Surgical treatment of delayed myelopathy following an OVCF comprises spinal canal decompression and stable fixation of the vertebral column with an acceptable sagittal alignment. However, such surgical methods are not usually feasible because of medical comorbidities and osteoporosis. We devised a novel, simple technique to decompress the spinal canal and reconstruct the middle column by translating the fractured vertebral body anteriorly through a posterior approach and verified the validity of the new technique. Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective study. Patients who underwent vertebral body anterior translation (VBaT) between 2014 and 2017 due to delayed myelopathy after OVCFs were included. Through a posterior approach, discs between the fractured vertebra and the adjacent vertebrae were released. The fractured vertebra was translated anteriorly with pedicle screws and rods to realign the middle column. Radiological and functional improvement was analyzed. Results: There were 12 consecutive patients. The mean age was 70.3 ± 9.4 years. There were 8 female and 4 male patients. Follow-up period was 35.9 ± 13.1 months. Nine patients had pedicle screw augmentation with polymethyl methacrylate. The mean number of fusion segments was 3.4 (range, 2–4). There were 3 types of spinal canal invasion. Five patients had vertebral body vacuum clefts with posterior wall fractures. Five patients had vertebral body angulation with endplate protrusion. Two patients had 3 column fractures. In radiological analysis, the regional kyphotic angle was 35.1° ± 9.1° preoperatively and improved to 8.8° ± 6.8° postoperatively and 9.8° ± 6.1° at the final follow-up (p < 0.001). The anterior vertebral body height ratio was 27.6% ± 7.0% preoperatively and improved to 80.5% ± 13.7% postoperatively and 83.7% ± 12.5% at the final follow-up (p < 0.001). The spinal canal invasion ratio was 52.6% ± 9.1% preoperatively and improved to 25.2% ± 10.4% postoperatively (p < 0.001). Neurological deficit was improved in all patients by 1–3 grades according to Nurick’s grading system. Conclusions In delayed myelopathy following an OVCF, although the posterior cortex invades the spinal canal, it is usually already in the union state. Therefore, it can bear compression force as a middle column if realigned to be in line with the adjoining vertebrae. VBaT demonstrated satisfactory reduction of kyphosis and maintenance of stability until the last follow-up.

No abstract available.
Myxoma

Milia are benign primary or secondary keratinous cysts. Multiple eruptive milia (MEM) and milia en plaque (MEP) are rarely reported. A 21-year-old male presented with multiple skin-colored papules on the abdomen and both acral regions, and erythematous plaques featuring similar papules on the wrist and the dorsa of the feet. A biopsy confirmed MEP and he was diagnosed with both MEM and MEP. We thus report a rare case of simultaneous MEM and MEP.
Abdomen ; Biopsy ; Foot ; Humans ; Keratosis ; Male ; Skin Diseases ; Wrist ; Young Adult*

OBJECTIVES: The neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) level following non cardiac surgery is useful for predicting acute kidney damage. However, there is insufficient conclusive evidence as to whether NGAL can be used to predict subclinical AKI following non-cardiac surgery. METHODS: We measured serum NGAL and creatinine levels in 41 patients following non-cardiac surgery, and the increase of these variables was used to predict acute decreases in kidney function. RESULTS: The study included a total of 41 patients. The mean age was 64.65 ± 17.09 years. The serum creatinine concentration was increased 12 hours after surgery. The mean SD serum NGAL decreased after 4hours after surgery and continued to decrease after 12 hours after surgery. The incidence of subclinical AKI determined by the 4 hour serum NGAL level was 10(24.4%), and the incidence of serum creatinine elevation was 0(0.0%). The incidence of subclinical AKI determined by the 12 hour serum NGAL level was 4(9.8%), and the incidence of subclinical AKI determined by serum creatinine was 4(9.8%). The elevation of NGAL was more rapid than the serum creatinine 4 hours after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We verified the usefulness of the serum NGAL level as a predictive factor for subclinical AKI after non-cardiac surgery.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Creatinine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney ; Lipocalins ; Neutrophils* ; Prognosis* ; Thoracic Surgery

PURPOSE: We aimed to compare the detection of breast cancer using full-field digital mammography (FFDM), FFDM with computer-aided detection (FFDM+CAD), ultrasound (US), and FFDM+CAD plus US (FFDM+CAD+US), and to investigate the factors affecting cancer detection. METHODS: In this retrospective study conducted from 2008 to 2012, 48,251 women underwent FFDM and US for cancer screening. One hundred seventy-one breast cancers were detected: 115 invasive cancers and 56 carcinomas in situ. Two radiologists evaluated the imaging findings of FFDM, FFDM+CAD, and US, based on the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System lexicon of the American College of Radiology by consensus. We reviewed the clinical and the pathological data to investigate factors affecting cancer detection. We statistically used generalized estimation equations with a logit link to compare the cancer detectability of different imaging modalities. To compare the various factors affecting detection versus nondetection, we used Wilcoxon rank sum, chi-square, or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: The detectability of breast cancer by US (96.5%) or FFDM+CAD+US (100%) was superior to that of FFDM (87.1%) (p=0.019 or p<0.001, respectively) or FFDM+ CAD (88.3%) (p=0.050 or p<0.001, respectively). However, cancer detectability was not significantly different between FFDM versus FFDM+CAD (p=1.000) and US alone versus FFDM+CAD+US (p=0.126). The tumor size influenced cancer detectability by all imaging modalities (p<0.050). In FFDM and FFDM+CAD, the nondetecting group consisted of younger patients and patients with a denser breast composition (p<0.050). In breast US, carcinoma in situ was more frequent in the nondetecting group (p=0.014). CONCLUSION: For breast cancer screening, breast US alone is satisfactory for all age groups, although FFDM+ CAD+US is the perfect screening method. Patient age, breast composition, and pathological tumor size and type may influence cancer detection during screening.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Mammography* ; Mass Screening* ; Methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography* ; Ultrasonography, Mammary

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the efficacy of two chemiluminescence immunoassays that detect treponemal antibodies, Centaur Syphilis and Immulite Syphilis, in comparison with Mediace Treponema pallidum latex agglutination (TPLA). METHODS: The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, we tested 1,147 serum samples that were sequentially submitted for routine syphilis serology. In the second phase, we tested a panel of 119 frozen serum samples that had previously tested positive by Mediace RPR. The kappa value, total agreement percentage, and sensitivity and specificity were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 1,147 random samples, 24 (2.09%) tested positive with Centaur Syphilis, 16 (1.39%) with Immulite Syphilis, and 19 (1.66%) with Mediace TPLA. Of the 119 Mediace RPR-positive samples, 103 (86.6%) tested positive with Centaur Syphilis, 101 (84.9%%) with Immulite Syphilis, and 105 (88.2%) with Mediace TPLA. The percent agreements (kappa values) were 98.8% (0.934) between Centaur Syphilis and Mediace TPLA, 99.0% (0.94) between Immulite Syphilis and Mediace TPLA, and 99.2% (0.955) between Centaur Syphilis and Immulite Syphilis. To measure the sensitivity and specificity of each treponemal test, samples showing agreement in three or four of the tests (three treponemal tests and Mediace-RPR) were regarded as true positive (n=117) or true negative (n=1,142). The respective values for sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 99.6% for Centaur Syphilis, 98.3% and 100% for Immulite Syphilis, and 99.2% and 99.7% for Mediace TPLA. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the three treponemal assays were in good agreement. Greater sensitivity of Centaur Syphilis and greater specificity of Immulite Syphilis were suggested.
Agglutination ; Antibodies* ; Immunoassay ; Latex ; Luminescence ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Syphilis* ; Treponema pallidum

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the efficacy of two chemiluminescence immunoassays that detect treponemal antibodies, Centaur Syphilis and Immulite Syphilis, in comparison with Mediace Treponema pallidum latex agglutination (TPLA). METHODS: The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, we tested 1,147 serum samples that were sequentially submitted for routine syphilis serology. In the second phase, we tested a panel of 119 frozen serum samples that had previously tested positive by Mediace RPR. The kappa value, total agreement percentage, and sensitivity and specificity were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 1,147 random samples, 24 (2.09%) tested positive with Centaur Syphilis, 16 (1.39%) with Immulite Syphilis, and 19 (1.66%) with Mediace TPLA. Of the 119 Mediace RPR-positive samples, 103 (86.6%) tested positive with Centaur Syphilis, 101 (84.9%%) with Immulite Syphilis, and 105 (88.2%) with Mediace TPLA. The percent agreements (kappa values) were 98.8% (0.934) between Centaur Syphilis and Mediace TPLA, 99.0% (0.94) between Immulite Syphilis and Mediace TPLA, and 99.2% (0.955) between Centaur Syphilis and Immulite Syphilis. To measure the sensitivity and specificity of each treponemal test, samples showing agreement in three or four of the tests (three treponemal tests and Mediace-RPR) were regarded as true positive (n=117) or true negative (n=1,142). The respective values for sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 99.6% for Centaur Syphilis, 98.3% and 100% for Immulite Syphilis, and 99.2% and 99.7% for Mediace TPLA. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the three treponemal assays were in good agreement. Greater sensitivity of Centaur Syphilis and greater specificity of Immulite Syphilis were suggested.
Agglutination ; Antibodies* ; Immunoassay ; Latex ; Luminescence ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Syphilis* ; Treponema pallidum