• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.378-381
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• 2007

Tsutsugamushi disease (Scrub typhus) is an acute, febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, which is transmitted to humans through chigger bites. Leptospirosis, a febrile disease caused by various pathogenic Leptospira, and is acquired by exposure to contaminated water and soil. Both diseases have been the most common acute febrile diseases in the autumn in Korea for many years. Concomitant leptospirosis and scrub typhus is quite rare. We report a case of a coinfection with leptospirosis and scrub typhus in a 51-year-old male who presented with fever, abdominal pain and acute dyspnea. The patient was diagnosed with as acalculous cholecystitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and septic shock caused by the infection. This is the first case report of a coinfection with leptospirosis and scrub typhus in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.181-186
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• 2012

Objective: To report a fatal case of Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) in a patient with interstitial lung disease (ILD) on high-dose glucocorticoids. Case Summary: A 66-year-old man with a history of coniosis was transferred to the hospital with progressive cough and sputum production. This patient has been diagnosed with pneumonia and ILD on admission, requires antimicrobial therapy and systemic immunosuppressants. He received high dose of methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide for ILD as well as ceftriaxone and azithromycin for pneumonia. On day 7 in the intensive care units (ICUs), patient had fever and leukocytosis, thus antimicrobials were switched to piperacillin. After 13 days in the ICU, Acinetobacter baumannii and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated on transtracheal aspirate (TTA) and meropenem was initiated. However, it was revealed a multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) species, resistant to carbapenem. Patient was administered colistin but expired due to septic shock on day 84. Discussion: Systemic immunosuppressive therapy can result in infections that may compromise patient's survival. MDR-AB has emerged as a serious cause of nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients. MDR-AB is resistant to most standard antimicrobials and therapeutic options are limited. Conclusion: We report our recent experience with a fatal MDR-AB pneumonia in a patient with ILD, who had to be treated with high dose glucocorticoids and immunosuppressnts.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.389-393
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• 2006

Tsutstugamushi disease is a major febrile disease that generally occurs in the fall in Korea with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and leptospirosis. This disease is often accompanied by interstitial pneumonia, acute renal failure and liver failure. The causative agent, namely Orientia tsutsugamushi, is transmitted to humans through the bite of a laval trombiculid mite, which is commonly known as a chigger. A 78 year old man was admitted in October 2004 with intractable fever and a drowsy mentality. Two weeks earlier, he visited a private clinic complaining of a simple skin rash. He was treated with antihistamine and steroid, but his symptoms were aggravated and he was referred to our hospital. His physical examination and laboratory findings showed a septic shock status. The maculopapular rash had spread over his face, chest, abdomen and extremities. Eschar was observed in lower back area but it was too difficult to distinguish it from other skin rashes. His chest X-ray appeared as diffuse nodular patchy consolidations in the bilateral lung parenchyme. He was treated with a mechanical ventilator and doxycycline under th suspicion of Tsutstugamushi disease. However, he suffered multiorgan failure accompanied by acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute renal failure and acute hepatitis. He was treated in the intensive care unit for approximately 12 weeks and his general condition was recovered.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2011

Purposes: Pancreatic injury is rare in abdominal trauma patients (3%~12%). but it could result in significant morbidity and even mortality. Early and adequate decision making are very important in the management of patients with traumatic pancreatic injury. The purpose of this study was to assess the kinds of management and outcome through the review of our experience of pancreatic injury with multiple trauma. Methods: We reviewed 17 patients with traumatic pancreas injury via electronic medical records from Jan. 2002 and April. 2011. We collected demographic findings; the type, location and grade of pancreas injury, the treatment modality, and patient's outcomes, such as complications, length of hospital stay (LOS), and mortality. Results: Total 17 patients were reviewed, and man was 13 (88%). Traffic accident was the most common cause of injury. Pancreas neck was the most common injured site, and occured in 5 patients. Ductal injury was detected in 7 cases. Eleven patients were treated by surgical procedure, and in this group, 3 patients underwent the endoscopic retrograde pancreas drainage procedure coincidently. ERPD was tried in 8 patients, and failed in 2 patients. The major complications were post-traumatic fluid collection and abscess which accounted for 70 % of all patients. The hospital stay was 35.9 days, and it was longer in patient with ductal injury ($38.0{\pm}18.56$ vs. $34.5{\pm}33.68$ days). Only one patient was died due to septic shock associated with an uncontrolled retroperitoneal abscess. Conclusion: Early diagnosis is the most important factor to apply the adequate treatment option and to manage the traumatic pancreas injury. Aggressive treatment should be considered in patients with a post-operative abscess.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2011

Destruction of the skin barrier by thermal injury induces microbial invasion, which can lead to the development of systemic infection and septic shock. Microbial pathogens possess pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which are recognized by conserved receptors. To understand the role of PAMPs in thermal injury-induced mice, LPS or CpG-DNA were topically applied to dorsal skin after thermal injury. We observed an increase in the number of inflammatory cell infiltrates as well as thickening in the dermis upon treatment with LPS or CpG-DNA. We also found that expression of IL-$1{\beta}$, MIP-2, and RANTES induced by thermal injury was enhanced by LPS or CpG-DNA. In addition, the proportions of $CD4^+$ and $CD^8+$ T cells in the spleen and lymph nodes were altered by LPS or CpG-DNA. These results provide important information concerning PAMPs-induced inflammation upon thermal injury and provide a basis for studying the role of PAMPs in thermal injury-induced complications.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.418-424
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• 2018

Background Complication rates after flap coverage for pressure ulcers have been high historically. These patients have multiple risk factors associated with poor wound healing and complications including marginal nutritional status, prolonged immobilization, and a high comorbidities index. This study utilizes the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) to examine perioperative outcomes of flap coverage for pressure ulcers. Methods Data from the NSQIP database (2005-2015) for patient undergoing flap coverage for pressure ulcers was identified. Demographic, perioperative information, and complications were reviewed. One-way analysis of variance and Pearson chi-square were used to assess differences for continuous variables and nominal variables, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify independent risk factors for complications. Results There were 755 cases identified: 365 (48.3%) sacral ulcers, 321 (42.5%) ischial ulcers, and 69 (9.1%) trochanteric ulcers. Most patients were older male, with some degree of dependency, neurosensory impairment, high functional comorbidities score, and American Society of Anesthesiologists class 3 or above. The sacral ulcer group had the highest incidence of septic shock and bleeding, while the trochanteric ulcer group had the highest incidence of superficial surgical site infection. There was an overall complication rate of 25% at 30-day follow-up. There was no statistical difference in overall complication among groups. Total operating time, diabetes, and non-elective case were independent risk factors for overall complications. Conclusions Despite patients with poor baseline functional status, flap coverage for pressure ulcer patients is safe with acceptable postoperative complications. This type of treatment should be considered for properly selected patients.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.242-248
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• 2013

Endotoxins are part of the outer membrane of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria and are continuously released during bacterial growth. Endotoxins typically induce severe sepsis and septic shock, which cause more than 50% of mortalities. Endotoxins are easily measured in the serum by the limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) test. However, a nonspecific result is obtained, because the high concentration of serum proteins disturbs the enzyme reaction of the LAL test. In order to solve this problem, the LAL test was performed in this study after the centrifugation of the boiled serum samples to remove the impurities. As a result, among the various conditions examined, endotoxin measurement with the LAL test was the most accurate and repeatable after centrifugation of the boiled serum at $100^{\circ}C$. Moreover, the endotoxin was accurately and repeatedly measured from the prepared sera of mice that had been administered an intraperitoneal injection of purified lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or E. coli. Therefore, the application of centrifugation to remove impurities from boiled serum gives an accurate measurement of endotoxins in the sera of normal subjects or patients, and this will lead to the improved diagnosis and prevention of diseases caused by endotoxins. In addition, the centrifugation of boiled serum samples should be considered and included in the development of endotoxin test kits.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.151-156
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• 2016

Background: Survival of children experiencing cardiac arrest refractory to conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is very poor. We sought to examine current era outcomes of extracorporeal CPR (ECPR) support for refractory arrest. Methods: Patients who were <18 years and underwent ECPR between November 2013 and January 2016 were including in this study. We retrospectively investigated patient medical records. Results: Twelve children, median age 6.6 months (range, 1 day to 11.7 years), required ECPR. patients' diseases spanned several categories: congenital heart disease (n=5), myocarditis (n=2), respiratory failure (n=2), septic shock (n=1), trauma (n=1), and post-cardiotomy arrest (n=1). Cannulation sites included the neck (n=8), chest (n=3), and neck to chest conversion (n=1). Median duration of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was five days (range, 0 to 14 days). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was successfully discontinued in 10 (83.3%) patients. Nine patients (75%) survived more than seven days after support discontinuation and four patients (33.3%) survived and were discharged. Causes of death included ischemic brain injury (n=4), sepsis (n=3), and gastrointestinal bleeding (n=1). Conclusion: ECPR plays a valuable role in children experiencing refractory cardiac arrest. The weaning rate is acceptable; however, survival is related to other organ dysfunction and the severity of ischemic brain injury. ECPR prior to the emergence of end-organ injury and prevention of neurologic injury might enhance survival.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.3307-3312
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• 2014

The anti-inflammatory effect of a tubulin inhibitor, N-(5-benzyl-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)-3-(furan-2-yl)prop-2-enamide (1), on innate immune responses remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the effect of 1 on the immune responses mediated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The in vitro addition of 1 to dendritic cells and macrophages dose-dependently reduced tumor necrosis factor alpha production elicited by LPS stimulation. Additionally, the stimulation of natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells with 1 resulted in the decrease of interferon gamma ($IFN{\gamma}$) induced by LPS treatment. Moreover, 1 substantially reduced interleukin 12 in dendritic cells (DC) as well as $IFN{\gamma}$ in NKDCs induced by LPS in vitro. Furthermore, the in vivo administration of 1 ameliorated LPS/D-galactosamine-induced endotoxic lethality in mice. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that 1 possesses anti-inflammatory properties, most notably by modulating LPS-induced innate immune responses. Therefore, 1 might have therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammation-mediated diseases such as sepsis.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.547-553
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• 2001

Glycoprotein from the water extract of dried root barks of slippery Elm was investigated for its anticancer immunostimulating activity, The glycoprotein contained molecular weight 15,000 to 500,000 Da, total carbohydrates 55.8 to 72.1%), total uronic acid 30.0 to 30.5%, and total proteins 5.0 to 6.1%. The anticancer immunostimulating activities were examined for both in vitro bioassays such as immune cell proliferation assay, mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), direct mitogenicity, T-dependent antibody production, and in vivo bioassays such as septic shock test and anticancer activity test in B16 melanoma transplanted mouse model. In vivo assay, the glycoprotein at the concentration of 3 mg/kg showed the best result that median survival time increased to about 140% in contrast to control groups.