• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2004

Background : The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score can help to assess organ failure over time and is useful to evaluate morbidity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of SOFA score as a descriptor of multiple organ failure in critically ill patients in a local unit hospital, and to compare with APACHE III scoring system. Methods : This study was carried out prospectively. A total of ninety one patients were included who admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) in Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital from May 1 through June 30, 2000. We excluded patients with a length of stay in the ICU less than 2 days following scheduled procedure, admissions for ECG monitoring, other department and patients transferred to other hospital. The SOFA score and APACHE III score were calculated on admission and then consecutively every 24 hours until ICU discharge. Results : The ICU mortality rate was 20%. The non-survivors had a higher SOFA score within 24 hours after admission. The number of organ failure was associated with increased mortality. The evaluation of a subgroup of 74 patients who stayed in the ICU for at least 48 hours showed that survivors and non-survivors followed a different course. In this subgroup, the total SOFA score increased in 81% of the non-survivors but in only 21% of the survivors. Conversely, the total SOFA score decreased in 48% of the survivors compared with 6% of the non-survivors. The non-survivors also had a higher APACHE III score within 24 hours and there was a correlation between SOFA score and APACHE III score. Conclusion : The SOFA score is a simple, but effective method to assess organ failure and to predict mortality in critically ill patients. Regular and repeated scoring enables patient's condition and clinical course to be monitored and better understood. The SOFA score well correlates with APACHE III score.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2012

The metal chloride wastes from a pyrochemical process to recover uranium and transuranic elements has been considered as a problematic waste difficult to apply to a conventional solidification method due to the high volatility and low compatibility with silicate glass. In this study, a dechlorination approach to treat LiCl-KCl waste for final disposal was adapted. In this study, a $SiO_2-Al_2O_3-P_2O_5$ (SAP) inorganic composite as a dechlorination agent was prepared by a conventional sol-gel process. By using a series of SAPs, the dechlorination behavior and consolidation of reaction products were investigated. Different from LiCl waste, the dechlorination reaction occurred mainly at two temperature ranges. The thermogravimetric test indicated that the first reaction range was about $400^{\circ}C$ for LiCl and the second was about $700^{\circ}C$ for KCl. The SAP 1071 (Si/Al/P=1/0.75/1 in molar) was found to be the most favorable SAP as a dechlorination agent under given conditions. The consolidation test revealed that the bulk shape and the densification of consolidated forms depended on the SAP/Salt ratios. The leaching test by PCT-A method was performed to evaluate the durability of consolidated forms. This study provided the basic information on the dechlorination approach. Based on the experimental results, the dechlorination method using a $SiO_2-Al_2O_3-P_2O_5$ (SAP) could be considered as one of alternatives for the immobilization of waste salt.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2012

Metal chloride waste is generated as a main waste streams in a series of electrolytic processes of a pyrochemical process. Different from carbonate or nitrate salt, metal chloride is not decomposed into oxide and chlorine but it is just vaporized. Also, it has low compatibility with conventional silicate glasses. Our research group adapted the dechlorination approach for the immobilization of waste salt. In this study, the composition of SAP ($SiO_2-Al_2O_3-P_2O_5$) was adjusted to enhance the reactivity and to simplify the solidification process as a subsequent research. The addition of $Fe_2O_3$ into the basic SAP decreased the SAP/Salt ratio in weight from 3 for SAP 1071 to 2.25 for M-SAP( Fe=0.1). The experimental results indicated that the addition of $Fe_2O_3$ increased the reactivity of M-SAP with LiCl-KCl but the reactivity gradually decreased above Fe=0.1. Also, introducing $B_2O_3$ into M-SAP requires no glass binder for the consolidation of reaction products. U-SAP ($SiO_2-Al_2O_3-Fe_2O_3-P_2O_5-B_2O_3$) could effectively dechlorinate the LiCl-KCl waste and its reaction product could be consolidated as a monolithic form without a glass binder. The leaching test result indicated that U-SAP 1071 was more durable than other SAPs wasteform. By using U-SAP, 1 g of waste salt could generated 3~4 g of wasteform for final disposal. The final volume would be about 3~4 times lower than the glass-bonded sodalite. From these results, it could be concluded that the dechlorination approach using U-SAP would be one of prospective methods to manage the volatile waste salt.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2009

Background: Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) ensures adequate gas exchange during bronchoscopy in spontaneously breathing, hypoxemic patients, thus avoiding endotracheal intubation. However, in some patients, endotracheal intubation is eventually required after bronchoscopy. This study investigated the incidence of intubation and predictors of a need for emergency intubation prior to NPPV bronchoscopy initiation. Methods: On a retrospective basis, we reviewed the medical records of 36 patients (median age, 55 years; interquartile range [IQR], 43~65 years) with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure who required NPPV during bronchoscopy between January 2005 and October 2007. Results: All patients were hypoxemic (median $PaO_2/FiO_2$ ratio 155; IQR 90~190), but tolerated bronchoscopy with NPPV support. SOFA score and SAPS II score immediately before NPPV initiation were 4 (3~7) and 36 (30~42), respectively. Seventeen (47%) patients needed endotracheal intubation at a median time of 22 (2~50) hours after bronchoscopy. Patients who needed intubation after bronchoscopy had a higher in-hospital mortality (11 [65%] vs. 4 [21%], p=0.017). Upon multiple logistic regression analysis, the need for intubation after bronchoscopy was independently associated with a $P_aO_2/FiO_2$ ratio (OR, 0.961; 95% CI, 0.924~0.999; p=0.047) immediately before NPPV initiation for bronchoscopy. Conclusion: The severity of the hypoxemia immediately prior to NPPV initiation for bronchoscopy was associated with the need for intubation after bronchoscopy in patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.180-186
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• 1987

Cell suspensions of two isolates of Pseudomonas syringae. PS8401 from sweet persimon and PS8402 from tea plant, were active in ice nucleation at -2.5 and $-3.8^{\circ}C$, respectively. Ice nucleation at those temperature was, using micropipette method, detected in suspensions ($10^8$ olony forming unit/ml of distilled water) of cells that had been grown on nutrient agar supplemented with $2.5\%$ glycerol. Using the same method, on the other hand, the freezing temperature of distilled water only was approx. $-21.8^{\circ}C$, and those of various plant saps including corn were lower than $-11.6^{\circ}C$. Corn seedlings sprayed with cell suspensions $(10^8\;cfu/ml)$ of nutrient broth) of PS8401 began to be damaged at $-2^{\circ}C$ and were almost completely damaged at $-4^{\circ}C$, whereas seedlings sprayed with nutrient broth only were not injured until the temperature down to $-9^{\circ}C$. Amounts of frost damage measured 48 hr after application of PS8401 suspensions increased as applied bacterial cell densities were increased. Ice-nucleation activity of the cell suspensions in vitro increased with increasing the number of cells in suspension. The activity also affected by growth-medium composition or growth-temperature. Ice nucleation thus occured at -4.0, -4.4 and $-7.2^{\circ}C$ in suspensions $(10^2\;cfu/ml)$ of PS8401 that had been grown at$25\%$ nutrient agar with $2.5\%$ glycerol, nutrient agar with $2.5\%$ glucose and nutrient agar only, respectively, and occured at -4.0 and $-7.6^{\circ}C$ in suspensions $(10^2\;cfu/ml)$ of PS8401 hat had been grown on nutrient agar with $2.5\%$ glycerol at $15\~25^{\circ}C$ and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.709-714
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• 2005

Antibacterial activities of the freeze-dried bamboo sap dissolved into the water or 50% ethanol were determined and antimicrobial activity of bamboo sap dissolved into distilled water was most strong with 15 mm of the diameter of inhibiting clear zone against Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19114 among gram positive bacteria tested, but it did not inhibit Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 at all, and the sap was most greatly inhibited the growth of Shigella dysenteriae ATCC 9361 among gram negative bacteria with 15 mm of the diameter of inhibiting clear zone. Bamboo sap dissolved into 50% ethanol most strongly inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenes ATCC 19114 and it also inhibited the growth of B. subtilis ATCC 6633 which did not show any with the sap dissolved into distilled water. The sap dissolved into 50% ethanol was most greatly inhibited the growth of S. dysenteriae ATCC 9361 among gram negative bacteria with 23 mm of the diameter of inhibiting clear zone, and it inhibited Vibrio parahaemolyticus WSDH 22, Vibrio vulnilicus ATCC 29307 and Escherichia coli O157 WSDH 54 with 16 mm of the diameter of inhibiting clear zone. However, Both of the saps dissolved in distilled water and 50% ethanol did not showed any inhibition against the lactic acid bacteria of Lactobacillus plantarum KCTC and Lactobacillus brevis KCTC. Most of the tested bacteria were more sensitive to the sap dissolved in 50% ethanol than the sap dissolved in distilled water. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration of the bamboo sap dissolved into 50% ethanol was 0.6 mg eq./disc with L. monocytogenes ATCC 19114, but that of the sap dissolved into distilled water was 0.8 mg eq./disc with Staphylococcus epidermides ATCC 12228, S. dysenteriae ATCC 9361, L. monocytogenes ATCC 19114, Salmonella typhimurium WSU 2380 and V. parahaemolyticus WSDH 22. In a model food system of the sterilized chocolate milk, antibacterial activities of the sap dissolved into 50% ethanol were relatively stronger than those of the sap dissolved into distilled water and the activities against the bacteria tested were very similar each other. These result suggested the bamboo sap can be used as a natural food preservative.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2006

Background: Extubation failure was associated with poor prognosis and high hospital mortality. Cuff leak test (CLT) has been proposed as a relatively simple method for detecting laryngeal obstruction that predispose toward postextubation stridor (PES) and reintubation. We examined the risk factors of extubation failure and evaluated the usefulness and limitation of CLT for predicting PES and reintubation. Methods: Thirty-four consecutive patients intubated more than 24 hours were examined. The subjects were evaluated daily for extubation readiness, and CLT was performed prior to extubation. Several parameters in the extubation success and failure group were compared. The accuracy and limitation of CLT were evaluated after choosing the thresholds values of the cuff leak volume (CLV) and percentage (CLP). Results: Of the 34 patients studied, 6 (17.6%) developed extubation failure and 3 (8.8%) were accompanied by PES. The patients who had extubation failure were more likely to have a longer duration of intubation and more severe illness. The patients who developed PES had a smaller cuff leak than the others: according to the CLV ($22.5{\pm}23.8$ vs $233.3{\pm}147.1ml$, p=0.020) or CLP ($6.2{\pm}7.3$ vs $44.3{\pm}24.7%$, p=0.013). The best cut off values for the CLV and CLP were 50ml and 14.7%, respectively. The sensitivity, negative predictive value, and specificity of CLT were relatively high, but the positive predictive value was low. Conclusion: The likelihood of developing extubation failure increases with increasing severity of illness and duration of intubation. A low CLV or CLP (<50ml or 14.7%) is useful in identifying patients at risk of PES, but the CLT is not an absolute predictor and should not be used an indicator for delaying extubation.