Purpose: We conducted a nationwide, multicenter, prospective registry study for newly diagnosed patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) to better define the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, survival outcomes, and the role of upfront autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in these patients. Materials and Methods: Patients with PTCL receiving chemotherapy with curative intent were registered and prospectively monitored. All patients were pathologically diagnosed with PTCL. Results: A total of 191 patients with PTCL were enrolled in this prospective registry study. PTCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) was the most common pathologic subtype (n=80, 41.9%), followed by angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) (n=60, 31.4%). With a median follow-up duration of 3.9 years, the 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 39.5% and 60.4%, respectively. The role of upfront ASCT was evaluated in patients who were considered transplant-eligible (n=59). ASCT was performed as an upfront consolidative treatment in 32 (54.2%) of these patients. There were no significant differences in PFS and OS between the ASCT and non-ASCT groups for all patients (n=59) and for patients with PTCL-NOS (n=26). However, in patients with AITL, the ASCT group was associated with significantly better PFS than the non-ASCT group, although there was no significant difference in OS. Conclusion The current study demonstrated that the survival outcomes with the current treatment options remain poor for patients with PTCL-NOS. Upfront ASCT may provide a survival benefit for patients with AITL, but not PTCL-NOS.

Background/Aims: Understanding leukemic stem cell (LSC) is important for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment. However, association of LSC with patient prognosis and genetic information in AML patients is unclear. Methods: Here we investigated the associations between genetic information and the various LSC phenotypes, namely multipotent progenitor (MPP)-like, lymphoid primed multipotent progenitor (LMPP)-like and granulocyte-macrophage progenitors (GMP)-like LSC in 52 AML patients. Results: In secondary AML patients, MPP-like LSC was significantly higher than de novo AML (p = 0.0037). The proportion of MPP-like LSC was especially high in post-myeloproliferative neoplasm AML (p = 0.0485). There was no correlation between age and LSC phenotype. Mutations of KRAS and NRAS were observed in MPP-like LSC dominant patients, TP53 and ASXL1 mutations in LMPP-like LSC dominant patients, and CEBPA, DNMT3A and IDH1 mutations in GMP-like LSC dominant patients. Furthermore, KRAS mutation was significantly associated with MPP-like LSC expression (p = 0.0540), and TP53 mutation with LMPP-like LSC expression (p = 0.0276). When the patients were separated according to the combined risk including next generation sequencing data, the poorer the prognosis, the higher the LMPP-like LSC expression (p = 0.0052). This suggests that the dominant phenotype of LSC is one of the important factors in predicting the prognosis and treatment of AML. Conclusions LSC phenotype in AML is closely associated with the recurrent mutations which has prognostic implication. Further research to confirm the meaning of LSC phenotype in the context of genetic aberration is warranted.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to obtain improved susceptibility weighted images (SWI) of the cervical spinal cord using respiratory-induced artifact compensation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The artifact from B0 fluctuations by respiration could be compensated using a double navigator echo approach. The two navigators were inserted in an SWI sequence before and after the image readouts. The B0 fluctuation was measured by each navigator echoes, and the inverse of the fluctuation was applied to eliminate the artifact from fluctuation. The degree of compensation was quantified using a quality index (QI) term for compensated imaging using each navigator. Also, the effect of compensation was analyzed according to the position of the spinal cord using QI values. RESULTS: Compensation using navigator echo gave the improved visualization of SWI in cervical spinal cord compared to non-compensated images. Before compensation, images were influenced by artificial noise from motion in both the superior (QI = 0.031) and inferior (QI = 0.043) regions. In most parts of the superior regions, the second navigator resulted in better quality (QI = 0.024, P < 0.01) compared to the first navigator, but in the inferior regions the first navigator showed better quality (QI = 0.033, P < 0.01) after correction. CONCLUSION: Motion compensation using a double navigator method can increase the improvement of the SWI in the cervical spinal cord. The proposed method makes SWI a useful tool for the diagnosis of spinal cord injury by reducing respiratory-induced artifact.
Artifacts ; Cervical Cord ; Compensation and Redress ; Diagnosis ; Methods ; Noise ; Qi ; Respiration ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries

PURPOSE: Medical direction is an integral part of proper prehospital care, which is performed by EMS providers. In Gyunggi province, a number of measures have been implemented to improve the direct medical direction system. We aimed to report on the process and results of the newly implemented medical direction system. METHODS: This is a descriptive analysis of the newly implemented medical direction system for community EMS providers from June 2014 to October 2014. Direct medical direction was requested by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) during the study period, as follows: when a destination hospital was selected, EMTs requested medical direction from the physicians at the destination hospital. During the study period specially-trained advanced EMTs were permitted to perform intravenous (IV) access for fluid or glucose infusion without direct medical direction. EMTs were asked to complete records when they requested direct medical direction and performed IV access without medical direction. These records were collected and used in the analysis. RESULTS: Of 5949 direct medical direction requests, 5527 were analyzed; 2958 (53.5%) cases were requested to the destination hospitals, 2569 (46.5%) were requested to the centralized dispatch center. 'Patient evaluation' was the most common reason for EMTs to request medical direction to the destination hospitals (1680, 54.4%) and centralized dispatch center (980, 38.1%). EMTs' degree of satisfaction did not differ significantly between destination hospitals and the centralized dispatch center (4.12+/-0.82 and 4.09+/-0.84, p=0.053). IV access rate for hypotensive patients increased 6.1% during the study period compared to the same period of 2013 (17.6% and 11.5%, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: We found that it is feasible to request direct medical direction to the destination hospitals and perform IV access for fluid or glucose infusion without direct medical direction for specially-trained advanced EMTs. Continuing efforts to establish an optimized medical direction system would be required for proper pre-hospital care.
Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Medical Technicians ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea

Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity (multiple risks) often lead to serious health consequence and impaired health status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the trend in health-related behavioral factors over time among adults in South Korea (hereafter Korea). The data of 1,595,842 Koreans older than 19 years who participated in the 2008-2014 Korea Community Health Survey were analyzed to assess the trend in the prevalence of behavioral risk factors. Individual or clustering health-related behaviors were assessed according to sex, age, and region among 228,712 adults who participated in the 2014 survey. From 2008 to 2014, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity and high-risk alcohol use increased the prevalence of male current smoking and marginally decreased walking ability. Over 7 years, the percentage of adults who reported having all three healthy behaviors (i.e., currently not smoking, not consuming alcohol or having high-risk alcohol use, and engaging in walking) decreased from 35.2% in 2008 to 29.6% in 2014. Increased efforts to emphasize multiple health-related behavioral risk factors, including reducing alcohol use and smoking, and to encourage walking are needed in the thirties and forties age groups in Korea.
Adult* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Health Surveys* ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Male ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Walking

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been accepted as a standard treatment of early gastric cancer (EGC). However, the indication of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC was controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC according to expanded indication. METHODS: At Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, a total of 82 lesions in 81 patients with undifferentiated-type EGC were treated with ESD. The therapeutic outcomes of ESD were evaluated by resection method (en bloc resection; piecemeal resection), histologic curative resection, complications and recurrence rates after ESD. RESULTS: The rate on en bloc resection and complete resection rate were 87.8% (72/82) and 80.5% (66/82), respectively. In signet ring cell carcinoma, the complete resection rate was higher than those in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features, but there was no statistical significance (89.3% vs. 75.0%, 76.7%; p=0.347). The lateral margin positivity rate in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features were 12.5%, 3.6% and 13.3%, respectively (p=0.395). The vertical margin positivity rate were 12.5%, 3.6% and 10.0%, respectively (p=0.485). The overall recurrence rate was 3.0% during a mean follow-up period of 37.4 months. CONCLUSIONS: ESD may be considered as a feasible treatment for undifferentiated-type EGC according to expanded indication. The therapeutic outcome of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC is likely to be favorable, though further longer follow-up studies are needed.
Adenocarcinoma/pathology/*surgery/ultrasonography ; Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell/pathology/*surgery/ultrasonography ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery/ultrasonography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

Although local anesthetics can cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs), most ADRs to local anesthetics are from vasovagal, toxic, or anxiety reactions, while immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated anaphylaxis is extremely rare. We report a case of IgE-mediated anaphylactic reaction to lidocaine. A 27-year-old male patient who had two episodes of anaphylactic reactions after local injection of lidocaine was referred to our clinic for the safe use of local anesthetics for the subsequent dental procedure. Skin prick and intradermal tests were performed with amide local anesthetics; lidocaine, bupivacaine, mepivacaine, and ropivacaine. Lidocaine and mepivacaine showed positive response in prick test, and lidocaine, mepivacaine, and bupivacaine showed positive reactions in intradermal test. Only ropivacaine showed negative response both in prick and in intradermal test, and the patient was successfully treated with it. To detect serum-specific IgE, we prepared lidocaine-human serum albumin (HSA) conjugate. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay result showed high level of specific IgE to lidocaine-HSA conjugate in serum of the patient. This case suggests that local anesthetics can elicit specific IgE-mediated allergic reactions, and both skin prick and intradermal test should be performed in case of suspected IgE-mediated allergic response to local anesthetics.
Amides ; Anaphylaxis ; Anesthetics, Local ; Anxiety ; Bupivacaine ; Drug Toxicity ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Intradermal Tests ; Lidocaine ; Male ; Mepivacaine ; Serum Albumin ; Skin

The risk factors related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection showed geographic and temporal differences. We investigated HCV-related risk factors in Korea where intravenous drug use (IVDU) is uncommon. The HCV-related risk factors were investigated in a prospective, multicenter chronic HCV cohort (n = 711) using a standardized questionnaire in four university hospitals. The results were compared with those of 206 patients with chronic liver diseases not related to either of HCV or hepatitis B virus infection (comparison group). The IVDU was found in 3.9% and remote blood transfusion (> or = 20 yr ago) in 18.3% in HCV cohort group, while that in comparison group was in none and 5.3%, respectively. In a multivariate logistic analysis, transfusion in the remote past (odds ratio [OR], 2.99), needle stick injury (OR, 4.72), surgery (OR, 1.89), dental procedures (OR, 2.96), tattooing (OR, 2.07), and multiple sexual partners (2-3 persons; OR, 2.14, > or = 4 persons; OR, 3.19), were independent risk factors for HCV infection. In conclusion, the major risk factors for HCV infection in Korea are mostly related to conventional or alterative healthcare procedures such as blood transfusion in the remote past, needle stick injury, surgery, dental procedure, and tattooing although multiple sex partners or IVDU plays a minor role.
Adult ; Aged ; *Attitude to Health ; Blood Transfusion ; Case-Control Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; *Health Behavior ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/*etiology ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needlestick Injuries/complications ; Odds Ratio ; Prospective Studies ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Sexual Partners ; Tattooing ; Tooth Diseases/complications

The risk factors related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection showed geographic and temporal differences. We investigated HCV-related risk factors in Korea where intravenous drug use (IVDU) is uncommon. The HCV-related risk factors were investigated in a prospective, multicenter chronic HCV cohort (n = 711) using a standardized questionnaire in four university hospitals. The results were compared with those of 206 patients with chronic liver diseases not related to either of HCV or hepatitis B virus infection (comparison group). The IVDU was found in 3.9% and remote blood transfusion (> or = 20 yr ago) in 18.3% in HCV cohort group, while that in comparison group was in none and 5.3%, respectively. In a multivariate logistic analysis, transfusion in the remote past (odds ratio [OR], 2.99), needle stick injury (OR, 4.72), surgery (OR, 1.89), dental procedures (OR, 2.96), tattooing (OR, 2.07), and multiple sexual partners (2-3 persons; OR, 2.14, > or = 4 persons; OR, 3.19), were independent risk factors for HCV infection. In conclusion, the major risk factors for HCV infection in Korea are mostly related to conventional or alterative healthcare procedures such as blood transfusion in the remote past, needle stick injury, surgery, dental procedure, and tattooing although multiple sex partners or IVDU plays a minor role.
Adult ; Aged ; *Attitude to Health ; Blood Transfusion ; Case-Control Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; *Health Behavior ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/*etiology ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needlestick Injuries/complications ; Odds Ratio ; Prospective Studies ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Sexual Partners ; Tattooing ; Tooth Diseases/complications

BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty (TKR) is associated with a significant loss of blood. Fluid substitution with crystalloid or colloid solutions to correct perioperative hypovolemia is essential. Colloid solutions, and especially hydroxyethyl starches (HES), are used to treat hypovolemia, but they may affect blood coagulation. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy and the safety of colloid solutions in patients undergoing TKR. METHODS: The patients undergoing TKR were divided into a group that underwent fluid management with Voluven(R) (n = 22) and a group that was managed with Hextend(R) (n = 24). The blood loss, the autotransfused blood volume, the hemoglobin level, the allogenic blood requirement, the urine output and the complications were assessed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the amount of blood loss, the autotransfused blood volume, the allogenic requirement, the urine output and the complications between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Voluven(R) and Hextend(R) are equally efficacious plasma volume substitutes when performing TKR with an autotransfusion of drained blood.
Arthroplasty ; Blood Coagulation ; Blood Transfusion, Autologous ; Blood Volume ; Colloids ; Hemoglobins ; Hetastarch ; Humans ; Hypovolemia ; Isotonic Solutions ; Knee ; Plasma Volume ; Postoperative Hemorrhage