• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제71권2호
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• pp.81-87
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• 2011

Asthma is the most common chronic illness to affect children and is a major cause of morbidity in adults, affecting 4~17% of children and 7.3~10.1% of adults, which translates to approximately 300 million people globally. This article reviews recently published data over the past 1~2 years on asthma, and covers the 3 aspects of current advancement for the diagnosis of severe asthma, including the controversy to long-acting bronchodilator treatment for treatment of asthma, and the role of long-acting anticholinergics treatment in asthma patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제69권6호
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• pp.411-417
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• 2010

This review highlights articles pertaining to the following 5 topics: the relationship between asthma, allergic and non-allergic rhinitis; the novel asthma phenotypes using cluster analysis; the diagnostic properties of inhaled dry-powder mannitol for the diagnosis of asthma; the value of mepolizumab therapy in exacerbations of refractory eosinophilic asthma; the role of bronchial thermoplasty in the treatment of severe asthma.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제86권3호
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• pp.158-165
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• 2023

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease that is characterized by variable airflow obstruction. The Korean Asthma Study Group of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases has recently updated the Korean Asthma Guideline. This review summarizes the updated Korean Asthma Guideline. Asthma prevalence is increasing worldwide, and in Korea. Variable airflow obstruction can be confirmed by bronchodilator response or other tests, and should be established prior to the controller medication. A low-dose inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol is used to alleviate symptoms in all treatment step, and it can be used as a controller as well as reliever in steps 3-5. This approach is preferred, because it reduces the risk of severe exacerbations, compared to the use of short-acting β2-agonist as reliever. In severe asthma, phenotype/endotype based on the underlying inflammation should be evaluated. For type 2 severe asthma, the biologics should be considered.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.25.1-25.16
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• 2021

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease whose development is shaped by a variety of environmental and genetic factors. While several recent studies suggest that microbial dysbiosis in the gut may promote asthma, little is known about the relationship between the recently discovered lung microbiome and asthma. Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have also been shown recently to participate in asthma. To investigate the relationship between the lung microbiome, ILCs, and asthma, we recruited 23 healthy controls (HC), 42 patients with non-severe asthma, and 32 patients with severe asthma. Flow cytometry analysis showed severe asthma associated with fewer natural cytotoxicity receptor (NCR)⁺ILC3s in the lung. Similar changes in other ILC subsets, macrophages, and monocytes were not observed. The asthma patients did not differ from the HC in terms of the alpha and beta-diversity of the lung and gut microbiomes. However, lung function correlated positively with both NCR⁺ILC3 frequencies and microbial diversity in the lung. Sputum NCR⁺ILC3 frequencies correlated positively with lung microbiome diversity in the HC, but this relationship was inversed in severe asthma. Together, these data suggest that airway NCR⁺ILC3s may contribute to a healthy commensal diversity and normal lung function.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제64권2호
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• pp.60-67
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• 2021

Eosinophils are a type of granulocyte with eosinophilic granules in the cytoplasm that play an important role in allergic and parasitic diseases. Eosinophils are important in the pathogenesis of asthma, and many studies have examined the relationship between them. In allergic eosinophilic asthma, eosinophils act not only as important effector cells but also as antigen-presenting cells in allergic inflammatory reactions. In nonallergic eosinophilic asthma, type 2 innate lymphoid cells in the airways play an important role in eosinophil activation. Direct methods, including bronchial biopsy, bronchoalveolar lavage, and the induced sputum test, are used to evaluate eosinophilic inflammatory reactions in patients with asthma, however, because of difficulty with their implementation, they are sometimes replaced by measurements of blood eosinophils, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide, and serum periostin level. However, these tests are less accurate than direct methods. For the treatment of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma, anti-interleukin-5 preparations such as mepolizumab, reslizumab, and benralizumab have recently been introduced and broadened the scope of asthma treatment. Although eosinophils are already known to play an important role in asthma, we expect that further studies will reveal more details of their action.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제55권2호
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• pp.165-174
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• 2003

연구배경 : 천식은 우리나라에서 유병률이 높은 질병 중에 하나이다. 국내에서도 천식 진료 지침이 발표되었지만 일차 진료에서 천식 진료의 실제 양상에 대해서는 연구된 바가 없다. 본 연구를 통해서 일차 진료에서 천식 진료의 실제 양상을 규명하는데 도움을 얻고자 하였다. 방 법 : 2002년 11월 서울 지역 내과 개원의 710명을 대상으로 경증 및 중증 천식 시나리오를 제시하고 천식 진료의 실제 양상에 대해서 설문 조사하였다. 1차에서는 우편조사를, 2차에서는 방문 수거조사를 실시하였으며 325명이 응답하였다 (응답률 46%). 결 과 : 응답자 중 경증 및 중증 천식시나리오에 대하여 경구 테오필린(theophylline)제를 처방하겠다고 답한 경우는 각각 71%, 81%으로 제일 많았다. 그 다음으로 많이 처방하겠다고 답한 것은 거담제(mucolytics), 경구 베타$_2$-항진제 순이었다. 하지만, 흡입 스테로이드를 처방하겠다고 답한 경우는 경증 및 중증 천식에 각각에 대하여 36%, 56%이었다. 진단적 검사로 폐기능 검사를 하겠다고 답한 경우보다 흉부 방사선 검사를 하겠다고 답한 경우가 더 많았다. 결 론 : 서울 지역 내과 개원의들은 천식 환자 치료에 흡입 스테로이드보다 경구 기관지확장제를 더 선호하였다. 일차 진료에서 천식 진료의 실제 양상과 천식 지침 사이의 차이를 줄이는데 노력을 경주해야 하겠다.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.331-335
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• 1995

Asthma is a disease of the airways that is characterized by increased responsiveness of the tracheobronchial tree to a multiplicity of stimuli. A number of causes have been postulated for the increased airway reactivity of asthma is conservative as beta-adrenergic agonist, methylxanthines, glucocorticoids, anticholinergics and mast cell stabilizing agent. Stellate ganglion block for the treatment of bronchial asthma has its controversies. Stellate ganglion block was performed for the treatment of 3 patients with bronchial asthma. After stellate ganglion blocks, dyspnea, coughing and wheezing was markedly reduced. Lung function test improved with 1 st case. Two asthma cases were able to discontinue medication for asthma. No severe aggrevation of bronchial symptoms were noted after stellate ganglion blocks. It suggested that stellate ganglion block can be safely performed on bronchial asthmatic patients.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제25권7호
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• pp.673-683
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• 2024

Objective: To evaluate the role of visual and quantitative chest CT parameters in assessing treatment response in patients with severe asthma. Materials and Methods: Korean participants enrolled in a prospective multicenter study, named the Precision Medicine Intervention in Severe Asthma study, from May 2020 to August 2021, underwent baseline and follow-up chest CT scans (inspiration/expiration) 10-12 months apart, before and after biologic treatment. Two radiologists scored bronchiectasis severity and mucus plugging extent. Quantitative parameters were obtained from each CT scan as follows: normal lung area (normal), air trapping without emphysema (AT without emph), air trapping with emphysema (AT with emph), and airway (total branch count, Pi10). Clinical parameters, including pulmonary function tests (forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1] and FEV1/forced vital capacity [FVC]), sputum and blood eosinophil count, were assessed at initial and follow-up stages. Changes in CT parameters were correlated with changes in clinical parameters using Pearson or Spearman correlation. Results: Thirty-four participants (female:male, 20:14; median age, 50.5 years) diagnosed with severe asthma from three centers were included. Changes in the bronchiectasis and mucus plugging extent scores were negatively correlated with changes in FEV1 and FEV1/FVC (ρ = from -0.544 to -0.368, all P < 0.05). Changes in quantitative CT parameters were correlated with changes in FEV1 (normal, r = 0.373 [P = 0.030], AT without emph, r = -0.351 [P = 0.042]), FEV1/FVC (normal, r = 0.390 [P = 0.022], AT without emph, r = -0.370 [P = 0.031]). Changes in total branch count were positively correlated with changes in FEV1 (r = 0.349 [P = 0.043]). There was no correlation between changes in Pi10 and the clinical parameters (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Visual and quantitative CT parameters of normal, AT without emph, and total branch count may be effective for evaluating treatment response in patients with severe asthma.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제51권6호
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• pp.585-589
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• 2001

저자들은 심한 천식발작으로 내원한 43세 여자환자에서 응급 기관내 삽관 및 AMBU 양압환기에 종격동기흉, 복강기종, 후복강기종 및 피하기종이 합병되었으나 내과적 치료로 회복된 1예를 경험하였기에 문헌고찰과 함께 보고하는 바이다.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제53권2호
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• pp.129-135
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• 2010

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) is a nonenveloped, single stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Picornavirudae. Transmission by direct contact such as hand-to-hand, hand-to-nose, and hand-to-eye has been readily demonstrated in experimental settings. HRV are the most frequent causes of common cold infection, however, they are also known to replicate in the lower respiratory tract and associated with more severe respiratory illnesses such as asthma. New technique such as reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and molecular typing in HRV has been developed and our understanding of the importance of these respiratory viruses. HRVs consisted of 101 serotypes that are classified into groups A and B according to sequence variations. And there is a newly identified set of HRVs, called Group C, and it is currently under investigation. In recent study using PCR techniques, HRVs accounted for approximate 50-80% of common colds and 85 % of childhood asthma exacerbations and in more than half of adult exacerbations. However, the mechanisms of HRV- induced asthma exacerbations are poorly understood. This review discusses the association between HRVs and childhood asthma.