The Korean journal of internal medicine
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Jan 2018
Medication nonadherence in Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis: the importance of belief about medication and illness perception.
To investigate medication nonadherence in Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and analyze related factors. ⋯ Medication nonadherence is common in Korean patients with RA. Less belief in necessity of medication and greater emotional response to disease were identified as key factors prompting intentional nonadherence. These factors may be strategically targeted to improve medication adherence rates and subsequent clinical outcomes.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Jan 2018
ApoB/ApoA-I ratio is independently associated with carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus with well-controlled LDL cholesterol levels.
This study aimed to investigate whether the apolipoprotein (Apo) B/ApoA-I ratio is associated with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects with low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels less than 100 mg/dL. ⋯ A high ApoB/ApoA-I ratio was significantly associated with carotid atherosclerosis in T2DM patients with LDL-C levels less than 100 mg/dL.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Jan 2018
The effect of an improvement of experience and training in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation management on clinical outcomes.
The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is spreading rapidly, with successful procedures reported in the ECMO for Severe Adult Respiratory failure (CESAR) trial and treatment of the H1N1 pandemic. However, ECMO is associated with a high mortality rate. This study aimed to show that increased experience and improved teamwork through education may reduce the mortality rate associated with ECMO. ⋯ The mortality rate associated with the ECMO procedure decreased following the ECMO training program. However, applying the training program to ECMO management is not an independent factor for the mortality rate. Further studies should be performed to help reduce the mortality rate associated with ECMO.
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Jan 2018
Clinical value of procalcitonin for suspected nosocomial bloodstream infection.
Procalcitonin (PCT) may prove to be a useful marker to exclude or predict bloodstream infection (BSI). However, the ability of PCT levels to differentiate BSI from non-BSI episodes has not been evaluated in nosocomial BSI. ⋯ PCT was more useful for predicting nosocomial BSI than CRP or WBC count. However, the diagnostic accuracy of predicting BSI remains inadequate. Thus, PCT is not recommended as a single diagnostic tool to avoid taking blood cultures in the nosocomial setting.