• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.2
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• pp.195-201
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• 2022

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term (5-year) clinical outcomes of patients who received intensive care unit (ICU) treatment using Korean nationwide data. Methods: All patients aged >18 years with ICU admission according to Korean claims data from January 2008 to December 2010 were enrolled. These enrolled patients were followed up until December 2015. The primary outcome was ICU mortality. Results: Among all critically ill patients admitted to the ICU (n=323,765), patients with cancer showed higher ICU mortality (18.6%) than those without cancer (13.2%, p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in ICU mortality at day 28 among patients without cancer (14.5%) and those with cancer (lung cancer or hematologic malignancies) (14.3%). Compared to patients without cancer, hazard ratios of those with cancer for ICU mortality at 5 years were: 1.90 (1.87-1.94) for lung cancer; 1.44 (1.43-1.46) for other solid cancers; and 3.05 (2.95-3.16) for hematologic malignancies. Conclusion: This study showed that the long-term survival rate of patients with cancer was significantly worse than that of general critically ill patients. However, short term outcomes of critically ill patients with cancer were not significantly different from those of general patients, except for those with lung cancer or hematologic malignancies.

• Korean Journal of Transplantation
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.182-192
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• 2017

Background: In recent years, introduction of novel immunosuppressive agents and its proper implementation for clinical practice have contributed to improving clinical outcomes of kidney transplantation (KT). Here, we report clinical outcomes of KTs and related risk factors. Methods: From July 1998 to June 2016, 354 KTs (182 from living and 172 from deceased donors) have been performed at Ulsan University Hospital. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of KT recipients, then estimated graft and patient survival rate were estimated and analyzed risk factors using Cox-regression. Results: The median follow-up period was 53 months (range; 3 to 220 months). The mean ages of recipients and donors were 45.0 years (SD, 12.5) and 44.7 years (SD, 13.6) years, respectively. During follow-up, 18 grafts were lost and 5- and 10-year death-censored graft survival was 96.7% and 91.5%, respectively. Biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) occurred in 71 patients (55 cases of acute cellular rejection and 16 of antibody-mediated rejection). Cox-regression analysis showed that BPAR was a risk factor related to graft loss (hazard ratio [HR], 14.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.79 to 54.53; P<0.001). In addition, 15 patients died, and the 5- and 10-year patient survival was 97.2% and 91.9%, respectively. Age ≥60 years (HR, 6.03; 95% CI, 1.12 to 32.61; P=0.037) and diabetes (HR, 6.18; 95% CI, 1.35 to 28.22; P=0.019) were significantly related to patient survival. Conclusions: We experienced excellent clinical outcomes of KT in terms of graft failure and patient survival despite the relatively high proportion of deceased donors. Long-term and short-term clinical outcomes have improved in the last two decades.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.335-341
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• 2019

Background: The endovascular approach to aortic disease treatment has been increasingly utilized in the past 2 decades. This study aimed to determine the long-term results of using the Seal thoracic stent graft. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of patients who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair or a hybrid procedure using the Seal thoracic stent graft (S&G Biotech, Seongnam, Korea) from January 2008 to July 2018 at a single institution. We investigated in-hospital mortality and the incidence of postoperative complications. We also investigated the mid-term survival rate and incidence of aorta-related complications. Results: Among 72 patients with stent grafts, 15 patients underwent the hybrid procedure and 21 underwent emergency surgery. The mean follow-up period was $37.86{\pm}30.73$ months (range, 0-124 months). Five patients (6.9%) died within 30 days. Two patients developed cerebrovascular accidents. Spinal cord injury occurred in 2 patients. Postoperative renal failure, postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, and pneumonia were reported in 3, 1, and 6 patients, respectively. Stent-related aortic complications were observed in 5 patients (6.8%). The 1- and 5-year survival and freedom from stent-induced aortic event rates were 81.5% and 58.7%, and 97.0% and 89.1%, respectively. Conclusion: The use of the Seal thoracic stent graft yielded good mid-term results. Further studies are needed to examine the long-term outcomes of this device.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.87-98
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of oral splints in reducing the intensity of pain in patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction in both short and long-term treatment durations. Electronic databases, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science, Egyptian Knowledge Bank, and EMBASE were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing different types of splints to non-occluding splints, behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy, counseling, and no treatment. The risk of bias was assessed by using Cochrane risk of bias recommendations. Fixed and random effects were used to summarize the outcomes. The effect estimates were expressed as standardized mean differences (SMD) or risk ratios with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Subgroup analyses were carried out according to the treatment duration. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis of short-term studies up to three months revealed no significant difference between the study groups. However, long-term studies exhibited a significant difference in pain reduction in favor of the control group. Total analysis revealed that the control group resulted in significant pain reduction (SMD 0.14, 95% CI 0.05-0.23, P=0.002, I²=0%). Oral splints are not effective in reducing pain intensity or improving function in patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7229-7235
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• 2013

Background: To determine whether the Health Partner Program is effective in training long-term cancer survivors to be health coaches. Materials and Methods: We randomly assigned cancer survivors who were selected through a rigorous screening process to either the Health Partner Program or the waiting-list control group. The program consisted of 8 weeks of training in health management, leadership, and coaching. At baseline, 8, and 16 weeks, we measured primary outcomes using the Seven Habit Profile (SHP), the Korean Leadership Coaching Competency Inventory (KCCI), Ed Diner's Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Posttraumatic Growth inventory (PTGI) and secondary outcomes using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) short form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36). Results: We recruited 70 subjects and randomly assigned 34 to the intervention group. The Sharpen the Saw habit of the SHP increased significantly more in intervention group than in the control group (p=0.049), as did most PTGI factors. The intervention group also showed a significantly greater enhancement of vitality (p=0.015) and mental health (p=0.049) SF-36 scores but no improvement in KCCI, SWLS, HADS, or IES-R scores. The intervention group also showed a greater clinically meaningful improvement in the "Think Win-Win" of SHP (p=0.043) and in the personal strength score (p=0.025) and total score (p=0.015) of the PTGI. Conclusions: Long-term cancer survivors can benefit from the Health Partner Program to become health coaches.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.246-251
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• 2014

Purpose: There are two surgical procedures for proximal early gastric cancer (EGC): total gastrectomy (TG) and proximal gastrectomy (PG). This study aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of PG with those of TG. Materials and Methods: Between January 2001 and December 2008, 170 patients were diagnosed with proximal EGC at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, of which 64 patients underwent PG and 106 underwent TG. Clinicopathologic features, postoperative complications, blood chemistry data, changes in body weight, and oncological outcomes were analyzed and retrospectively compared between both groups. Results: Tumor size was smaller and the number of retrieved lymph nodes was lower in the PG group. The postoperative complication rate was 10.9% in the TG group and 16.9% in the PG group. The incidence of Los Angeles grade C and D reflux esophagitis was significantly higher in the TG group. Hemoglobin level was higher and body weight loss was greater in the TG group at 2, 3, and 5 years postoperatively. The albumin levels at 3 and 5 years were lower in the TG group. There was no significant difference in the 5-year overall survival rates between the two groups (P=0.789). Conclusions: Postoperative complications and oncologic outcomes were observed to be similar between the two groups. The PG group showed better laboratory data and weight loss than did the TG group. Moreover, severe reflux esophagitis occurred less frequently in the PG group than in the TG group. PG can be considered as an effective surgical treatment for proximal EGC.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.170-183
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• 2018

Purpose: Although innovative interventions using technologies have been introduced in long-term care settings, available evidence is still anecdotal. The purpose of this study is to investigate and synthesize the outcomes of interventions using technologies delivered to nursing home residents. Methods: Published clinical trials were identified through PubMed, CINHAL, Cochrane and PsycINFO databases and manually hand-searching. Eligible studies were articles published between 1997-2016 in English or Korean with a randomized controlled trial or quasi-experimental design in which interventions using technologies were delivered to nursing home residents. Results: A total of 20 studies were selected for this review. Types of interventions using technologies were classified into the electronic documentation technology (n=1), the clinical decision support system (n=1), the safety technology (n=1), the health and wellness technology (n=10), and the social connectedness technology (n=7). Overall resident outcomes indicated that interventions using technologies improved behavioral symptoms and psycho-social outcomes, but mixed results were shown in the aspects of physical function, cognitive function, social relationship and quality of service. Conclusion: This review demonstrates that incorporating technologies into nursing home care have positive effects on residents' psycho-social outcomes and behavioral symptoms. To disseminate the effectiveness of interventions using technologies, further research is needed to determine what mechanisms underlying such relationships exist.

• Korean Journal of Transplantation
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.84-91
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• 2018

Background: This study examined the outcomes of ABO incompatible living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The changes in the immunologic factors that might help predict the long term outcomes were also studied. Methods: Twenty-three patients, who underwent ABO incompatible LDLT from 2010 to 2015, were reviewed retrospectively. The protocol was the same as for ABO compatible LDLT except for the administration of rituximab and plasma exchange. The clinical outcomes and immunologic factors, such as isoagglutinin titer and cluster of differentiation 20+ (CD20+) lymphocyte levels were reviewed. Results: The center showed a 3-year survival of 64% with no case of antibody-mediated rejection. When transplantation-unrelated mortalities (for example, traffic accidents and myocardial infarction) were removed from statistical analysis, the 3-year survival was 77.8%. Although isoagglutinin titers continued to remain at low levels, the CD20+ lymphocyte levels recovered to the pre-Rituximab levels at postoperative one year. Conclusions: As donor shortages continue, ABO incompatible liver transplantation is a feasible method to expand the donor pool. On the other hand, caution is still needed until more long-term outcomes are reported. Because CD20+ lymphocytes are recovered with time, more immunologic studies will be needed in the future.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2019

Purpose: The laparoscopic transhiatal approach (LA) for adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEJ) is advantageous since it allows better visualization of the surgical field than the open approach (OA). We compared the surgical outcomes of the 2 approaches. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 108 patients with AEJ who underwent transhiatal distal esophagectomy and gastrectomy with curative intent between 2003 and 2015. Surgical outcomes were reviewed using electronic medical records. Results: The LA and OA were performed in 37 and 71 patients, respectively. Compared to the OA, the LA was associated with significantly shorter duration of postoperative hospital stay (9 vs. 11 days, P=0.001), shorter proximal resection margins (3 vs. 7 mm, P=0.004), and extended operative times (240 vs. 191 min, P=0.001). No significant difference was observed between the LA and OA for intraoperative blood loss (100 vs. 100 mL, P=0.392) or surgical morbidity rate ($grade{\geq}II$) for complications (8.1% vs. 23.9%, P=0.080). Two cases of anastomotic leakage occurred in the OA group. The number of harvested lymph nodes was not significantly different between the LA and OA groups (54 vs. 51, P=0.889). The 5-year overall and 3-year relapse-free survival rates were 81.8% and 50.7% (P=0.024) and 77.3% and 46.4% (P=0.009) for the LA and OA groups, respectively. Multivariable analyses revealed no independent factors associated with overall survival. Conclusions: The LA is feasible and safe with short- and long-term oncologic outcomes similar to those of the OA.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2024

Purpose: Limited data exist regarding outcome and morbidity associated with portosystemic shunts in the pediatric transplant population. Our study assesses the outcomes of pediatric patients who underwent a portosystemic shunt procedure, both with and without liver transplantation (LT). Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of pediatric patients aged 0-19 years who underwent shunt placement between 2003 and 2017 at a tertiary care center. The analysis included cases of shunt placement with or without LT. Results: A total of 13 pediatric patients were included in the study with median age of 8.8 years. Among the cases, 11 out of 13 (84.6%) underwent splenorenal shunt, 1 (7.7%) underwent a mesocaval shunt, and another 1 (7.7%) underwent a Modified Rex (mesoportal) shunt. Additionally, 5 out of 13 (38.5%) patients had LT, with 4 out of 5 (80.0%) receiving the transplant before shunt placement, and 1 out of 5 (20.0%) receiving it after shunt placement. Gastrointestinal bleeding resulting from portal hypertension was the indication in all cases. A total of 10 complications were reported in 5 patients; the most common complication was anemia in 3 (23.1%) patients. At the most recent follow-up visit, the shunts were functional without encephalopathy, and no deaths were reported. Conclusion: Shunt placement plays a crucial role in the management of patients with portal hypertension. Our study demonstrates favorable long-term outcomes in pediatric patients who underwent shunt placement. Long term shunt outcomes were similar and unremarkable in patients with LT and without LT.