Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2017
The Different Clinical Aspects of Pediatric Primary Airway Tumors in the Larynx, Trachea, and Bronchi.
Primary airway tumors are rare in children and no literature reviewed their characteristics each location. We evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of Korean children with primary airway tumors, from the larynx to bronchi. A retrospective chart review of children with primary tumors of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi at Asan Medical Center from January 2000 to July 2016 was conducted. ⋯ Tracheal and bronchial tumors were found in older children (age at onset and diagnosis > 11 years) and large (> 15.0 mm). Most (75%) patients with bronchial tumors were asymptomatic and all the patients with tracheal tumors were symptomatic. This study suggests that we should consider different the locations in primary airway tumor based on the age at onset and diagnosis, initial symptoms or signs, and size of tumor.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2017
Recovery Rates of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria from Clinical Specimens Are Increasing in Korean Tertiary-Care Hospitals.
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are being recognized increasingly as the causative agents of opportunistic infections in humans. This study investigated the epidemiologic trends of NTM recovery from various clinical specimens in 2 Korean tertiary-care hospitals. We reviewed the laboratory records of patient samples cultured for mycobacteria between 2009 and 2015 at 2 tertiary-care hospitals in Korea. ⋯ The 2 most frequently isolated NTM were Mycobacterium intracellulare (38.3%) and M. avium (23.1%). The number of clinically significant diseases caused by NTM in inpatients and outpatients increased from 6.8 to 12.9 per 100,000 patients over the same period. The rates of recovery of NTM from clinical specimens and the number of patients with NTM infections increased significantly (P < 0.001, testing for trend) between 2009 and 2015.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Aug 2017
Prophylactic versus Early Rescue Surfactant Treatment in Preterm Infants Born at Less than 30 Weeks Gestation or with Birth Weight Less than or Equal 1,250 Grams.
Prophylactic surfactant is known to be effective to reduce chronic lung disease in preterm infants compared with rescue surfactant treatment. In Korea, early prophylactic surfactant therapy was introduced in 2011. However, recently, the increased utilization of antenatal steroids and early stabilization through continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in the delivery room may have changed the risks and benefits of prophylactic surfactant therapy of infants at high risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). ⋯ The use of multiple doses of surfactant in period 2 was significantly increased compared with period 1. Despite more invasive and aggressive management in period 2, there was no difference in the duration of mechanical ventilation, the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death, and the risk of other adverse neonatal outcomes between the 2 groups. In conclusion, the benefit of prophylactic surfactant therapy in infants treated under current practices is no longer clear compared to early selective surfactant therapy.
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The thousands of serial images used for medical pedagogy cannot be included in a printed book; they also cannot be efficiently handled by ordinary image viewer software. The purpose of this study was to provide browsing software to grasp serial medical images efficiently. The primary function of the newly programmed software was to select images using 3 types of interfaces: buttons or a horizontal scroll bar, a vertical scroll bar, and a checkbox. ⋯ The browsing software was downloadable for free from the homepage (anatomy.co.kr) and available off-line. The data sets provided could be replaced by any developers for their educational achievements. We anticipate that the software will contribute to medical education by allowing users to browse a variety of images.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jul 2017
Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Asthma in a Single Center of Korea: Efficacy, Safety, and Clinical Response Predictors.
Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only causal treatment for allergic diseases. However, the efficacy of immunotherapy may vary around the world due to differences in climate, the nature of aero-allergens and their distribution. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in Korean adults with allergic asthma (AA). ⋯ In 284 patients on SCIT with HDM alone, initial specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae did not show significant difference between remission and non-remission group after adjusting demographic variables. In conclusion, SCIT was effective and safe treatment modality for patients with AA. Initial FEV1 ≥ 80% and immunotherapy more than 3 years were found to be associated with favorable clinical responses to SCIT.