• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.101-109
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• 2014

The use of glucocorticoids (GCs) in the perinatal period is suspected of being associated with adverse effects on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes for preterm infants. Repeated administration of antenatal GCs to mothers at risk of preterm birth may adversely affect fetal growth and head circumference. Fetal exposure to excess GCs during critical periods of brain development may profoundly modify the limbic system (primarily the hippocampus), resulting in long-term effects on cognition, behavior, memory, co-ordination of the autonomic nervous system, and regulation of the endocrine system later in adult life. Postnatal GC treatment for chronic lung disease in premature infants, particularly involving the use of dexamethasone, has been shown to induce neurodevelopmental impairment and increases the risk of cerebral palsy. In contrast to studies involving postnatal dexamethasone, long-term follow-up studies for hydrocortisone therapy have not revealed adverse effects on neurodevelopmental outcomes. In experimental studies on animals, GCs has been shown to impair neurogenesis, and induce neuronal apoptosis in the immature brains of newborn animals. A recent study has demonstrated that dexamethasone-induced hypomyelination may result from the apoptotic degeneration of oligodendrocyte progenitors in the immature brain. Thus, based on clinical and experimental studies, there is enough evidence to advice caution regarding the use of GCs in the perinatal period; and moreover, the potential long-term effects of GCs on brain development need to be determined.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.171-176
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• 2016

Background: A previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may affect the outcomes of patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The objective of this study was to compare the early in-hospital postoperative outcomes between patients who underwent CABG with or without previous PCI. Methods: The present study included 160 patients who underwent isolated elective on-pump CABG at the department of cardiothoracic surgery, Minia University Hospital from January 2010 to December 2014. Patients who previously underwent PCI (n=38) were compared to patients who did not (n=122). Preoperative, operative, and early in-hospital postoperative data were analyzed. The end points of the study were in-hospital mortality and postoperative major adverse events. Results: Non-significant differences were found between the study groups regarding preoperative demographic data, risk factors, left ventricular ejection fraction, New York Heart Association class, EuroSCORE, the presence of left main disease, reoperation for bleeding, postoperative acute myocardial infarction, a neurological deficit, need for renal dialysis, hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality. The average time from PCI to CABG was $13.9{\pm}5.4$ years. The previous PCI group exhibited a significantly larger proportion of patients who experienced in-hospital major adverse events (15.8% vs. 2.5%, p=0.002). On multivariate analysis, only previous PCI was found to be a significant predictor of major adverse events (odds ratio, 0.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.03 to 0.71; p=0.01). Conclusion: Previous PCI was found to have a significant effect on the incidence of early major adverse events after CABG. Further large-scale and long-term studies are recommended.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.137-143
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• 2017

Acute complicated type B aortic dissection (TBAD) is a potentially catastrophic, life-threatening condition. If left untreated, there is a high risk of aortic rupture, irreversible organ or limb damage, or death. Several risk factors have been associated with acute complicated TBAD, including age and refractory hypertension. In the acute phase, even uncomplicated patients are more prone to develop complications if hypertension and pain are left medically untreated. Innovations in stent graft technologies have incrementally improved outcomes since their first use for this condition in 1999, though improvement is needed in mitigating periprocedural complications, adverse events, and mortality. In the past decade, endovascular repair has become the preferred treatment because of its superior outcomes to open repair and medical therapy. The Valiant Captivia Thoracic Stent Graft System is a third-generation endovascular stent graft with advancements in minimally invasive delivery, conformability to the anatomy, and the minimization of adverse sequelae. Herein, this stent graft is briefly reviewed and its 3-year outcomes are presented. Freedom from all-cause and dissection-related mortality was 79.1% and 90.0%, respectiv ely. The Valiant Captiv ia Stent Graft represents a safe, effective intervention for acute complicated TBAD. Continued surveillance is needed to verify its longer-term durability.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

With advancements in neonatal care and nutrition, the postnatal growth of preterm infants has improved; however, it remains an issue. Accurate assessments of growth using a standardized reference are needed to interpret the intrauterine and postnatal growth patterns of preterm infants. Growth in the earlier periods of life can contribute to later outcomes, and the refinement of postnatal growth failure is needed to optimize outcomes. Catch-up growth occurs mainly before discharge and until 24 months of age, and very low birth weight infants in Korea achieve retarded growth later in life. Knowing an infant's perinatal history, reducing morbidity rates during admission, and performing regular monitoring after discharge are required. Preterm infants with a lower birth weight or who were small for gestational age are at increased risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. Furthermore, poor postnatal growth is predictive of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Careful monitoring and early intervention will contribute to better development outcomes and national public health improvements.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.78 no.3
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• pp.161-167
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• 2015

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem, and the incidence of TB cases has not significantly decreased over the past decade in Korea. The standard short course regimen is highly effective against TB, but requires multiple TB-specific drugs and a long treatment duration. Recent studies using late-generation fluoroquinolones and/or high-dose rifapentine-containing regimens to shorten the duration of TB treatment showed negative results. Extending the treatment duration may be considered in patients with cavitation on the initial chest radiograph and positivity in sputum culture at 2 months of treatment for preventing TB relapse. Current evidence does not support the use of fixed-dose combinations compared to separate drugs for the purpose of improving treatment outcomes. All patients receiving TB treatment should be monitored regularly for response to therapy, facilitation of treatment completion, and management of adverse drug reactions. Mild adverse effects can be managed with symptomatic therapy and changing the timing of the drug administration, but severe adverse effects require a discontinuation of the offending drugs.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2010

In recent years, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has become an important worldwide public health issue. Children are particularly vulnerable to ETS because they are still developing. ETS exposure causes a wide range of adverse health effects on childhood asthma. There is convincing evidence that ETS exposure is causally associated with an increased prevalence of asthma, increased severity of asthma and worsening asthma control in children who already have the disease, even though a causal relationship with asthma onset is not yet established for asthma incidence. Mechanisms underlying these adverse effects of ETS are not clearly elucidated but e studies on this issue suggest that genetic susceptibility, impaired lung function, and augmented airway inflammation and remodeling may be involved. Children with asthma are just as likely to be exposed to ETS as children in general and there is no risk-free level of exposure. Therefore, providing a smoke-free environment may be of particular importance to the asthmatic children exposed to ETS who have adverse asthma outcomes, as well as to children with genetic susceptibility who are at increased risk of developing asthma upon exposure to ETS in early childhood.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2022

Purpose: Studies in adults have shown an increasing incidence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in patients hospitalized with acute pancreatitis (AP). There is lack of epidemiological data on CDI and its impact on hospitalized pediatric patients with AP. Methods: We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample and Kids' Inpatient Database between the years 2003 and 2016 and included all patients (age <21 years) with a primary diagnosis of AP using specific International Classification of Diseases codes. We compared clinical outcomes between children with CDI and those without CDI. Our primary outcome was severe AP and secondary outcomes included length of stay and hospital charges. Results: A total of 123,240 hospitalizations related to AP were analyzed and CDI was noted in 0.6% of the hospital. The prevalence rate of CDI doubled from 0.4% (2003) to 0.8% (2016), p=0.03. AP patients with CDI had increased comorbidities, and also underwent more invasive surgical procedures, p<0.05. AP patients with CDI had a higher in-hospital mortality rate and increased prevalence of severe AP, p<0.001. Multivariate regression models showed that CDI was associated with 2.4 times (confidence interval [CI]: 1.91 to 3.01, p<0.001) increased odds of severe AP. CDI patients had 7.24 (CI: 6.81 to 7.67, p<0.001) additional hospital days while incurring $59,032 (CI: 54,050 to 64,014, p<0.001) additional hospitalization charges. Conclusion: CDI in pediatric patients with AP is associated with adverse clinical outcomes and increased healthcare resource utilization. Further studies are needed to elucidate this association to prevent the development of CDI and to improve outcomes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 2001

Objectives : To explore the relationship between Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty(PTCA) volume and the associated immediate outcome. Methods : A total of 1,379 PTCAs were peformed in 25 hospitals in Korea between October 8 and December 31 in 1997. Data from 1,317 PTCAs (95.5%) were collected through medical record abstraction. Inter-observer reliability of the data was examined using the Kappa statistic on a subsample of 110 PTCA procedures from five hospitals. Intra-observer reliability of the data was also examined. PTCA success and immediate adverse outcomes were selected as the outcome variables. A successful PTCA was defined as a case that shows less than 50% diameter stenosis and more than 20% reduction of diameter stenosis. Immediate adverse outcomes included deaths during the same hospitalization, emergency coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) within 24 hours after PTCA, and acute myocardial infarction within 24 hours after PTCA. The numbers of PTCAs performed in 1997 per hospital were used as the volume variables. Results : Without adjusting for patient risk factors that may affect outcomes, procedures at high volume hospitals ($\geq200$ cases per year) had a greater success rate (P=0.001) than low volume hospitals. There was a marginally significant difference (P=0.070) in major adverse outcome rates between high and low volume hospitals. After adjusting for risk factors, there were significant differences in procedural failure and major adverse outcome rates between high and low volume hospitals. Conclusions : After adjusting for patient clinical risk factors, the hospital volume of PTCA was associated with immediate outcomes. It is recommended that a PTCA volume per year be established in order to improve the immediate outcome of this procedure in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.126-135
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• 2017

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to describe the type of claimed adverse events related to Korean Medicine practices in South Korea. Methods : Claims with regard to the Korean Medicine practice submitted to the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency from April 2012 to December 2016 were collected. We analyzed claims that explicitly reported the type of Korean medicine intervention and were deemed as being adverse events as defined by the Korea Good Clinical Practice. Claims that did not mention the Korean medicine practice explicitly or those related to the patient's dissatisfaction to the service rather than adverse health outcomes were excluded. Types, related interventions and the suspected severity of claimed adverse events were summarized. Results : Of 197 claims obtained, 140 claim cases were eligible and 144 claimed events were deemed as possible adverse events of the Korean medicine practice. Pain(16%), local infection/inflammation(12%) and neurological symptoms(11%) were the most frequently reported types of claimed adverse events. Thirty-nine claimed serious adverse events(SAE) were identified, including pneumothorax(28.2%) and death(17.9%). Conclusions : A wide range of claimed adverse events were identified. Routine monitoring of claims data may provide undetected safety information with regard to the Korean medicine practice. High risk of misclassification of the intervention and claimed adverse events due to insufficient information is the main caveat of this study.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.128-134
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• 2023

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and cardiovascular safety of romosozumab compared with placebo. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched from Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and Web of Science until July 2022. Primary outcomes included the change in bone mineral density (BMD) from baseline at month 6. The secondary outcomes were the change of bone turnover markers (N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP); C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX)) from baseline at month 3, and the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events for the total follow-up period. Results: A total of 7 RCTs on 8,370patients were included. Romosozumab showed better effects in improving BMD in both lumbar spine and femoral neck at month 6 (standardized mean difference, SMD 2.20 [95% CI: 1.89-2.52], SMD 0.63 [95% CI: 0.41-0.86]). In contrast to placebo, romosozumab significantly increased PINP levels and reduced CTX levels at month 3 (SMD 0.93 [95% CI: 0.65-1.22], SMD -1.03 [95% CI: -1.23~ -0.82]. However, there was no significant difference in the composite incidence of cardiovascular adverse events and major adverse cardiovascular events (OR 1.16 [95% CI: 0.82-1.65], OR 1.08 [95% CI: 0.75-1.56]). Conclusion: This analysis showed that romosozumab significantly improved BMD compared to placebo and was beneficial for change in bone turnover markers. There is no significant difference in the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events compared to placebo.