• 대한유전성대사질환학회지
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.25-28
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• 2015

Mitochondrial disorders are rare metabolic diseases. They often present during neonatal period but with nonspecific clinical features such as feeding difficulties, failure to thrive, and seizures. Mitochondrial defects have also known to be associated with neurological disorders, as well as cancers. We report the first case of neonatal mitochondrial respiratory chain defect with sarcoma botryoides confirmed by pathologic diagnosis, suggesting another possible link between mitochondrial dysfunction and cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제70권4호
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• pp.338-341
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• 2011

Hydatid disease is caused by the larval stage of taenia $Echinococcus$, which endemic in the Mediterranean region. Recently, the prevalence of the disease has increased worldwide due to an increase in the frequency of travel and immigration. As the infested larvae migrate through the bloodstream, the final destination is most commonly the liver or lungs; direct pleural invasion is very rare. A 50-year-old diabetic Korean man presented with an incidentally noted 2 cm right pleural nodule. On follow up imaging after three months, its size had increased. To confirm the diagnosis of the lesion, surgical excision was performed. Histopathological examination showed the diagnosis of a hydatid cyst. The patient had no history of overseas travel, but lives in an urban area where many foreign workers from endemic countries reside. This is the first reported case of primary pleural hydatid disease in a non-endemic country.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제84권3호
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• pp.217-225
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• 2021

Background: Despite the proven benefits of dexamethasone in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the optimum time for the administration of dexamethasone is unknown. We investigated the progression of COVID-19 pneumonia based on the timing of dexamethasone administration. Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort study based on medical record reviews was conducted between June 10 and September 21, 2020. We compared the risk of severe COVID-19, defined as the use of a high-flow nasal cannula or a mechanical ventilator, between groups that received dexamethasone either within 24 hours of hypoxemia (early dexamethasone group) or 24 hours after hypoxemia (late dexamethasone group). Hypoxemia was defined as room-air SpO₂ <90%. Results: Among 59 patients treated with dexamethasone for COVID-19 pneumonia, 30 were in the early dexamethasone group and 29 were in the late dexamethasone group. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics, the time interval from symptom onset to diagnosis or hospitalization, or the use of antiviral or antibacterial agents between the two groups. The early dexamethasone group showed a significantly lower rate of severe COVID-19 compared to the control group (75.9% vs. 40.0%, p=0.012). Further, the early dexamethasone group showed a significantly shorter total duration of oxygen supplementation (10.45 days vs. 21.61 days, p=0.003) and length of stay in the hospital (19.76 days vs. 27.21 days, p=0.013). However, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and in-hospital mortality rates were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Early administration of dexamethasone may prevent the progression of COVID-19 to a severe disease, without increased mortality.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제77권4호
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• pp.161-166
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• 2014

Since tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health concern and the incidence of multi-drug resistant (MDR)-TB is increasing globally, new modalities for the detection of TB and drug resistant TB are needed to improve TB control. The Xpert MTB/RIF test can be a valuable new tool for early detection of TB and rifampicin resistance, with a high sensitivity and specificity. Late-generation fluoroquinolones, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin, which are the principal drugs for the treatment of MDR-TB, show equally high efficacy and safety. Systemic steroids may reduce the overall TB mortality attributable to all forms of TB across all organ systems, although inhaled corticosteroids can increase the risk of TB development. Although fixed dose combinations were expected to reduce the risk of drug resistance and increase drug compliance, a recent meta-analysis found that they might actually increase the risk of relapse and treatment failure. Regarding treatment duration, patients with cavitation and culture positivity at 2 months of TB treatment may require more than 6 months of standard treatment. New anti-TB drugs, such as linezolid, bedaquiline, and delamanid, could improve the outcomes in drug-resistant TB. Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease has typical clinical and immunological phenotypes. Mycobacterial genotyping may predict disease progression, and whole genome sequencing may reveal the transmission of Mycobacterium abscessus. In refractory Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease, a moxifloxacin-containing regimen was expected to improve the treatment outcome.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.53-58
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• 1995

Open lung biopsy still has important roles for the marking of diagnosis of diffuse infiltrative lung disease even though transbronchial bronchoscopic lung biopsy and percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy gain popularity nowadays. This is clinical retrospective review of the 56 patients with diffuse infiltrative lung disease undergoing open lung biopsy by minithoracotomy from 1984 to Dec. 1992 in the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery of Catholic University Medical College. 27 men and 29 women, aged 17 to 73 year [mean 49 year , were enrolled & divided into 2 groups;Group A consisted of patients with immunocompromised state [n=19 , Group B patients with non-immunocompromised state[n=38 . Pathologic diagnosis was made in 54 cases[96.4% of these two groups and as follows: infectious; 12 patients[21.4% , Neoplastic; 10 patients[17.9% , granulomatous; 4 patients[7.1% , interstitial pneumonia; 12 patients[21.4% , Pulmonary fibrosis; 8 patients[14.3% , others; 3 patients[5.4% , nonspecific; 5 patients[8.9% , and undetermined; 2 patients[3.6% . Therapeutic plans were changed in 39 patients[69.6% after taking of tissue diagnosis by open lung biopsy. Group B has higher incidence of infectious diseases and change of therapeutic plan than the Group A. The postoperative complications developed in 8 cases[14.3% ,and there is no difference of incidence between the 2 groups. 4 patients belongs to group A, died of respiratory distress syndrome [2 and sepsis [2 which were not related with open lung biopsy procedure. In conclusion, open lung biopsy is a reliable method to obtain a diagnosis in diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and can be performed safely, even in acutely ill, immunosuppressed patients.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.11.1-11.10
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• 2021

Coronavirus causes an infectious disease in various species and crosses the species barriers leading to the outbreak of zoonotic diseases. Due to the respiratory diseases are mainly caused in humans and viruses are replicated and excreted through the respiratory tract, the nasal fluid and sputum are mainly used for diagnosis. Early diagnosis of coronavirus plays an important role in preventing its spread and is essential for quarantine policies. For rapid decision and prompt triage of infected host, the immunochromatographic assay (ICA) has been widely used for point of care testing. However, when the ICA is applied to an expectorated sputum in which antigens are present, the viscosity of sputum interferes with the migration of the antigens on the test strip. To overcome this limitation, it is necessary to use a mucolytic agent without affecting the antigens. In this study, we combined known mucolytic agents to lower the viscosity of sputum and applied that to alpha and beta coronavirus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), respectively, spiked in sputum to find optimal pretreatment conditions. The pretreatment method using tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) and BSA was suitable for ICA diagnosis of sputum samples spiked with PEDV and MERS-CoV. This sensitive assay for the detection of coronavirus in sputum provides an useful information for the diagnosis of pathogen in low respiratory tract.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제84권1호
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• pp.35-45
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• 2021

Globally, cardiovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the leading causes of the non-communicable disease burden. Overlapping symptoms such as breathing difficulty and fatigue, with a lack of awareness about COPD among physicians, are key reasons for under-diagnosis and resulting sub-optimal care relative to COPD. Much has been published in the past on the pathogenesis and implications of cardiovascular comorbidities in COPD. However, a comprehensive review of the prevalence and impact of COPD management in commonly encountered cardiac diseases is lacking. The purpose of this study was to summarize the current knowledge regarding the prevalence of COPD in heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and atrial fibrillation. We also discuss the real-life clinical presentation and practical implications of managing COPD in cardiac diseases. We searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar for studies published 1981-May 2020 reporting the prevalence of COPD in the three specified cardiac diseases. COPD has high prevalence in heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and ischemic heart disease. Despite this, COPD remains under-diagnosed and under-managed in the majority of patients with cardiac diseases. The clinical implications of the diagnosis of COPD in cardiac disease includes the recognition of hyperinflation (a treatable trait), implementation of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) prevention strategies, and reducing the risk of overuse of diuretics. The pharmacological agents for the management of COPD have shown a beneficial effect on cardiac functions and mortality. The appropriate management of COPD improves the cardiovascular outcomes by reducing hyperinflation and preventing AECOPD, thus reducing the risk of mortality, improving exercise tolerance, and quality of life.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제82권3호
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• pp.234-241
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• 2019

Background: The utility of computed tomography (CT) in the differential diagnosis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation remains uncertain. However, due to the low cost associated with CT scan along with the impact of Koreas' health insurance system, there has been a rise in the number of CT scans in the patients with initial diagnosis of COPD exacerbations. Therefore, the utility of CT in the differential diagnosis was investigated to determine whether performing CT scans affect the clinical outcomes of the patients with an initial diagnosis of COPD exacerbation. Methods: This study involved 202 COPD patients hospitalized with an initial diagnosis of COPD exacerbation. We evaluated the change in diagnosis or treatment after performing a CT scan, and compared the clinical outcomes of patient groups with vs. without performing CT (non-CT group vs. CT group). Results: After performing CT, the diagnosis was changed for two (3.0%) while additional diagnoses were made for 27 of the 64 patients (42.1%). However, the treatment changed for only one (1.5%), and six patients (9.3%) received supplementary medication. There were no difference in the median length of hospital stay (8 [6-13] days vs. 8 [6-12] days, p=0.786) and intensive care unit care (14 [10.1%] vs. 11 [16.7%], p=0.236) between the CT and non-CT groups, respectively. These findings remained consistent even after the propensity score matching. Conclusion: Utility of CT in patients with acute COPD exacerbation might not be helpful; therefore, we do not recommend chest CT scan as a routine initial diagnostic tool.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제74권6호
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• pp.251-255
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• 2013

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the largest health problems in the world today. And the incidence of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung disease appears to be increasing worldwide. Recently, an automated, nucleic acid amplification assay for the rapid detection of both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampin resistance was developed (Xpert MTB/RIF). And fixed-dose combinations of anti-TB drugs and linezolid have been introduced in the treatment of TB. And new NTM species, named Mycobacterium massiliense, which is very closely related to Mycobacterium abscessus was reported. In this review, these recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of TB and clinical characteristics of M. massiliense lung disease are discussed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제70권5호
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• pp.371-383
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• 2011

The number of immunocompromised patients has increased over the past decades due to HIV infection, solid and stem cell transplantation, intensified chemotherapy and treatment of autoimmune disease. Pneumonia is a major cause of both morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Clinical management of pneumonia is difficult, since differential diagnosis in this setting is broad and includes both infectious and noninfectious processes. Because the development of pneumonia in immunocompromised patients is frequently life threatening, early therapeutic and diagnostic intervention is essential to obtain better outcomes.