Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2014
Nomogram for prediction of prostate cancer with serum prostate specific antigen less than 10 ng/mL.
Although prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a very useful screening tool, prostate biopsy is still necessary to confirm prostate cancer (PCA). However, it is reported that PSA is associated with a high false-positive rate and prostate biopsy also has various procedure-related complications. Therefore, the authors have devised a nomogram, which can be used to estimate the risk of PCA, using available clinical data for men with a serum PSA less than 10 ng/mL. ⋯ Among 1,171 patients, 255 patients (21.8%) were diagnosed as PCA. Multivariate analyses showed that patient age, prostate volume, PSA and percent free PSA had statistically significant relationships with PCA (P < 0.05) and were used as nomogram predictor variables. The area under the (ROC) curve for all factors in a model predicting PCA was 0.759 (95% CI, 0.716-0.803).
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2014
Case ReportsLiving donor liver transplantation for an infant with osteogenesis imperfecta and intrahepatic cholestasis: report of a case.
Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a group of genetic disorders characterized by bone fragility and connective tissue manifestations. We report a successful liver transplantation (LT) in an 8-month-old boy with OI and cholestatic biliary cirrhosis. ⋯ He was discharged without surgical complications. Therefore, LT should be considered for patients with end stage liver disease and OI under organic multidisciplinary cooperation.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2014
Novel combination markers for predicting survival in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer: USP18 and DGCR2.
We performed gene expression profiling in bladder cancer patients to identify cancer-specific survival-related genes in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients. Sixty-two patients with MIBC were selected as the original cohort and another 118 MIBC patients were chosen as a validation cohort. The expression of USP18, DGCR2, and ZNF699 genes were measured and we analyzed the association between gene signatures and survival. ⋯ Overall survival and cancer-specific survival rates in the low-combination group were significantly longer than those in the high-expression group (P=0.001, both). In conclusion, decreased expressions of USP18 and DGCR2 were significantly associated with longer cancer-specific survival, and also the combination of two genes was correlated to a longer survival for MIBC patients. Thus, the combination of USP18 and DGCR2 expression was shown to be a reliable prognostic marker for cancer-specific survival in MIBC.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2014
(18)F-FDG positron-emission tomography/computed tomography findings of radiographic lesions suggesting old healed tuberculosis.
The presence of radiographic lesions suggesting old healed tuberculosis (TB) is one of the strongest risk factors for the subsequent development of active TB. We elucidated the metabolic activity of radiographic lesions suggesting old healed TB using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT). This cross-sectional study included 63 participants with radiographic lesions suggesting old healed TB and with available (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans. ⋯ The positive rates for the TST and IGRA were not different between groups with and without increased FDG uptake. Increased FDG uptake on (18)F-FDG PET/CT was observed in a subset of patients with radiographic lesions suggesting old healed TB. Given that the factors associated with increased FDG uptake are known risk factors for TB development, the possibility exists that participants with old healed TB lesions with higher SUV on (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans might be at higher risk for active TB.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2014
Current status of intensive care units registered as critical care subspecialty training hospitals in Korea.
There is a lack of information on critical care in Korea. The aim of this study was to determine the current status of Korean intensive care units (ICUs), focusing on the organization, characteristics of admitted patients, and nurse and physician staffing. Critical care specialists in charge of all 105 critical care specialty training hospitals nationwide completed a questionnaire survey. ⋯ Nurse and physician staffing was insufficient for the appropriate critical care in many ICUs. Staffing was worse in areas outside the capital city. Much effort, including enhanced reimbursement of critical care costs, must be made to improve the quality of critical care at the national level.