Relationship Between MicroRNA Signature and Arterial Stiffness in Patients With Ischemic Stroke

Background@#and Purpose We investigated whether circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) is associated with arterial stiffness in patients with acute ischemic stroke. @*Methods@#We recruited patients with acute ischemic stroke who were admitted to a university hospital stroke center and underwent carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) measurement using SphygmoCor (AtCor Medical, Sydney, Australia) and brachial-ankle PWV using a volume-plethysmography device (VP-1000, Omron Colin, Komaki, Japan). Circulating miRNAs were measured in venous blood samples stored in EDTA. We selected five miRNAs (miR-17, miR-93, miR-450, miR-629, and let-7i) related to atherosclerosis based on a literature review. Pearson’s correlation analysis was applied to the correlations between miRNAs and arterial stiffness parameters. Finally, multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to identify the independent factors for cfPWV. @*Results@#This study included 70 patients (age=71.1±10.3 years [mean±SD], 29 females). The expression levels of miR-93 (r=-0.27, p=0.049) and let-7i ((r=-0.27, p=0.039) were inversely correlated with cfPWV. Multivariable linear regression analysis including age, hypertension, and estimated glomerular filtration rate showed that let-7i was independently related with cfPWV (standardized coefficient=-0.262, p=0.036). Correlation analysis indicated that let-7i was positively associated with visceral muscle Hounsfield units on computed tomography ((r=0.264, p=0.043). @*Conclusions@#The expression level of let-7i was independently related to arterial stiffness in patients with cerebral infarction, suggesting that it plays a pathophysiological role in atherosclerosis.

A Novel Species of the Genus Arsenicicoccus Isolated From Human Blood Using Whole-Genome Sequencing

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is an easily accessible and valuable tool in clinical microbiology, which can be used for identifying novel and rare species. We isolated grampositive cocci from the blood of a pediatric patient, which could not be phenotypically identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) (BioMérieux, Marcy-l’Étoile, France). We could not identify the isolate to the species level using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing. WGS was performed using the Illumina MiSeq platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA); however, the subsequent genomic sequence database search using the TrueBac ID-Genome system (ChunLab, Inc., Seoul, Korea) did not yield any hits with an average nucleotide identity value > 95.0%, which is the cut-off for species-level identification. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the isolate belonged to a new Arsenicicoccus species, forming a subcluster with Arsenicicoccus bolidensis. Our data demonstrate that WGS allows a more accurate annotation of microbial genomes than other clinical microbiology tools, such as MALDITOF MS and 16S rRNA sequencing. This is the first report of the isolation of a novelArsenicicoccus species from a clinical sample.

Effectiveness of Platelet Function Analyzer-100 for Laboratory Detection of Anti-Platelet Drug-Induced Platelet Dysfunction

BACKGROUND: High on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) is the phenomenon wherein patients exhibit normal platelet activity in laboratory testing despite adequate adherence to anti-platelet treatment. We investigated the detection rates of Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA)-100 (Dade Behring AG, Düdingen, Switzerland) for drug-induced platelet dysfunction and analyzed potential contributors to HTPR with practical PFA-100 data over six years. METHODS: We used data from 6,957 patients who underwent PFA-100 testing after receiving aspirin, clopidogrel, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Of these, 6,163 patients were tested with only the collagen/epinephrine cartridge (Col/EPI) of PFA-100; 794 were tested with both Col/EPI and the collagen/ADP cartridge (Col/ADP). We calculated PFA-100 closure time (CT) for each drug and compared the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients with prolonged CTs and normal CTs (i.e., HTPR). RESULTS: In Col/EPI, 73.2% (365/499), 72.6% (390/537), and 55.3% (3,442/6,228) patients showed prolonged CTs for aspirin, clopidogrel, and NSAIDs, respectively. In Col/ADP, prolonged CTs were observed in 37.4% (34/91), 43.2% (35/81), and 29.6% (200/676) of patients receiving aspirin, clopidogrel, and NSAIDs, respectively. Of the patients tested with both cartridges, 88.9% (48/54), 95.3% (41/43), and 89.0% (577/648) of the patients receiving aspirin, clopidogrel, and NSAIDs had prolonged CTs, and 10.0% (79/794) showed normal CTs regardless of drugs. For clopidogrel users (both cartridges), there were more patients with malignancies in the normal CT than prolonged CT group. CONCLUSIONS: PFA-100 is not sufficiently effective for laboratory screening of drug-induced platelet dysfunction. Malignancy may contribute to clopidogrel-related HTPR in PFA-100.

Factors that Predict Clinical Benefit of EGFR TKI Therapy in Patients with EGFR Wild-Type Lung Adenocarcinoma / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancers have emerged as key predictive biomarkers in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. However, a few patients with wild-type EGFR also respond to EGFR TKIs. This study investigated the factors predicting successful EGFR TKI treatment in lung adenocarcinoma patients with wild-type EGFR. METHODS: We examined 66 patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma carrying wide-type EGFR who were treated with EGFR TKIs. The EGFR gene copy number was assessed by silver in situ hybridization (SISH). We evaluated the clinical factors and EGFR gene copy numbers that are associated with a favorable clinical response to EGFR TKIs. RESULTS: The objective response rate was 12.1%, while the disease control rate was 40.9%. EGFR SISH analysis was feasible in 23 cases. Twelve patients tested EGFR SISH-positive, and 11 were EGFR SISH-negative, with no significant difference in tumor response and survival between EGFR SISH-positive and -negative patients. The overall median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of 66 patients were 2.1 months and 9.7 months, respectively. Female sex and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0–1 were independent predictors of PFS. ECOG PS 0–1 and a low tumor burden of extrathoracic metastasis were independent predictors of good OS. CONCLUSION: Factors such as good PS, female sex, and low tumor burden may predict favorable outcomes following EGFR TKI therapy in patients with EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma. However, EGFR gene copy number was not predictive of survival.

Coexistence of BCR/ABL1-positive chronic myeloid leukemia and JAK2 V617F-mutated myelofibrosis successfully treated with dasatinib and ruxolitinib

No abstract available.

Age-Specific Cutoffs of the Sysmex UF-1000i Automated Urine Analyzer for Rapid Screening of Urinary Tract Infections in Outpatients

We investigated the usefulness of age-specific cutoffs for screening of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Korean outpatients, using the automated urine analyzer UF-1000i (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan). We retrospectively reviewed outpatient medical records. Urine samples of 7,443 outpatients from January 2010 to December 2017 were analyzed using urine culture and UF-1000i. ROC curves were calculated for each UF-1000i parameter based on the culture results. There were 1,398 culture positive samples, 5,774 culture negative samples, and 271 contaminated samples. UF-1000i had an area under the curve of ≥0.9 in outpatients >15 years. The appropriate cutoffs, which are the sum of bacterial (B-A-C) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, were 297.10/µL (15–24 years), 395.65/µL (25–44 years), 135.65/µL (45–64 years), 67.95/µL (65–74 years), and 96.5/µL (≥75 years). B-A-C and WBC counts differed among the three most frequently identified bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis). The UF-1000i system is useful for applying age-specific cutoffs to screen for UTIs, thereby preventing antibiotic abuse and reducing antibiotic resistance. Future studies can explore how its B-A-C and WBC counts can facilitate selection of empirical antibiotics by distinguishing between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Necessity of Reticulocyte Calibration for More Accurate and Precise Results

No abstract available.

The 2016 WHO versus 2008 WHO Criteria for the Diagnosis of Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia

The 2016 WHO diagnostic criteria for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) require both absolute and relative monocytosis (≥1×10⁹/L and ≥10% of white blood cell counts) in peripheral blood. Moreover, myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) features in bone marrow and/or MPN-associated mutations tend to support MPN with monocytosis rather than CMML. We assessed the impact of the 2016 WHO criteria on CMML diagnosis, compared with the 2008 WHO criteria, through a retrospective review of the medical records of 38 CMML patients diagnosed according to the 2008 WHO classification. Application of the 2016 WHO criteria resulted in the exclusion of three (8%) patients who did not fulfill the relative monocytosis criterion and eight (21%) patients with an MPN-associated mutation. These 11 patients formed the 2016 WHO others group; the remaining 27 formed the 2016 WHO CMML group. The significant difference in the platelet count and monocyte percentage between the two groups indicated that the 2016 WHO criteria lead to a more homogenous and improved definition of CMML compared with the 2008 WHO criteria, which may have led to over-diagnosis of CMML. More widespread use of molecular tests and more sophisticated clinical and morphological evaluations are necessary to diagnose CMML accurately.

Multifocal nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the lung / 영남의대학술지

Nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH) is a benign lymphoproliferative disease that can affect the lung. Because of its rarity, little is known about the etiology and natural history of NLH. Most cases are usually asymptomatic and found incidentally on imaging studies. Imaging finding of NLH has shown most commonly as a solitary lesion, although multifocal pulmonary nodules may be seen. Surgical resection has proved curative in the cases previously described. We report a rare case of NLH in a 55 year-old man who presented with bilateral multiple pulmonary nodules on chest radiography. Open biopsy was performed from the upper and lower lobe of the left lung. The lesions were pathologically diagnosed as pulmonary NLH. Multifocal residual nodules in both lungs remain stable without spontaneous regression during the 3 years of follow-up.

Multifocal nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the lung / 영남의대학술지

Nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH) is a benign lymphoproliferative disease that can affect the lung. Because of its rarity, little is known about the etiology and natural history of NLH. Most cases are usually asymptomatic and found incidentally on imaging studies. Imaging finding of NLH has shown most commonly as a solitary lesion, although multifocal pulmonary nodules may be seen. Surgical resection has proved curative in the cases previously described. We report a rare case of NLH in a 55 year-old man who presented with bilateral multiple pulmonary nodules on chest radiography. Open biopsy was performed from the upper and lower lobe of the left lung. The lesions were pathologically diagnosed as pulmonary NLH. Multifocal residual nodules in both lungs remain stable without spontaneous regression during the 3 years of follow-up.

Myelomatous Pleural Effusion with Elevated ADA Activity / 대한내과학회지

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell neoplasm mainly involving the bone marrow and skeletal system. Myelomatous pleural effusion is rare, accounting for less than 1%. In cases with high adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity, with lymphocytic exudate in the pleural fluid, tuberculous pleural effusion should be differentiated first. We report herein a rare case of a unilateral pleural effusion in a patient who was undergoing chemotherapy for multiple myeloma, with an ADA level of > 100 IU/L and lymphocytic exudate in the pleural fluid. An acid fast bacillus stain and polymerase chain reaction test for tuberculosis were negative. Consequently, the patient was diagnosed with myelomatous pleural effusion with elevated ADA activity.

Rapid Progression of Sporadic ALS in a Patient Carrying SOD1 p.Gly13Arg Mutation

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common adult onset motor neuron disease, is pathologically characterized by progressive loss of the upper and lower motor neurons. Mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene (SOD1) account for about 20% of familial ALS cases and a small percentage of sporadic ALS (SALS) cases, and have revealed a validated genotype-phenotype correlation. Herein, we report a p.Gly13Arg mutation in SOD1 exon 1 in a patient with SALS who presented with a rapidly progressive course, predominantly affecting the lower motor neurons. A 48-year-old man presented with progressive weakness and muscle atrophy of the left upper and lower limbs, followed by muscle fasciculation and cramping. The clinical features of the patient were clearly suggestive of ALS, and implied a sporadic form with rapid progression, predominantly affecting the lower motor neurons. Sequencing of the SOD1 gene by PCR revealed a missense mutation of G to C (c.37G>C) in exon 1, and amino acid substitution of glycine by arginine (p.Gly13Arg). This is the first case identifying the p.Gly13Arg mutation of SOD1 in the Korean population, and clinical assessments of this patient revealed a different phenotype compared with other cases.

Utilization of the respiratory virus multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test for adult patients at a Korean tertiary care center

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Respiratory viruses (RVs) are considered to be important respiratory pathogens in adult patients, and the multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test is used frequently in adult patients with respiratory infections. However, clinical data regarding utilization of the multiplex RT-PCR test for RVs are lacking. METHODS: We investigated the utilization of the multiplex RT-PCR test for RVs at Chung-Ang University Hospital in Seoul, Korea, between January 2012 and April 2013. RESULTS: During the study period, the multiplex RT-PCR test was performed for 291 adult patients. The test frequency was 4.9% of rapid influenza antigen detection tests and 0.8% of respiratory bacterial culture studies. A turnaround time of < 48 hours was observed in 25.9% of positive tests. Most of the tests were performed for admitted patients (97.9%) with a community-acquired infection (84.2%) during the flu season (82.5%). RVs were detected in 81 of 291 cases (27.8%). The RV positivity rates for community- and hospital-acquired infections did not differ (28.6% vs. 23.9%, p = 0.52). Of 166 patients with pneumonia, 44 (26.5%) had a viral infection. Among the patients with RV-associated pneumonia, an RV other than influenza was detected in 20 patients (45.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The multiplex RT-PCR test for RVs was infrequently performed at a tertiary care center, and the test results were often reported late. The test was most often performed for admitted adult patients with community-acquired infections during the flu season. The utilization of multiplex RT-PCR testing for RVs in current clinical practice should be improved.

Evaluation of the Optimal Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Value as a Screening Biomarker for Urinary Tract Infections in Children

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a promising biomarker in the detection of kidney injury. Early diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI), one of the most common infections in children, is important in order to avert long-term consequences. We assessed whether serum NGAL (sNGAL) or urine NGAL (uNGAL) would be reliable markers of UTI and evaluated the appropriate diagnostic cutoff value for the screening of UTI in children. METHODS: A total of 812 urine specimens and 323 serum samples, collected from pediatric patients, were analyzed. UTI was diagnosed on the basis of culture results and symptoms reported by the patients. NGAL values were measured by using ELISA. RESULTS: NGAL values were more elevated in the UTI cases than in the non-UTI cases, but the difference between the values were not statistically significant (P=0.190 for sNGAL and P=0.064 for uNGAL). The optimal diagnostic cutoff values of sNGAL and uNGAL for UTI screening were 65.25 ng/mL and 5.75 ng/mL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that it is not appropriate to use NGAL as a marker for early diagnosis of UTI in children.

A Case of Recurrent Pulmonary Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor with Aggressive Metastasis after Complete Resection / 결핵및호흡기질환

An inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare disease entity reported to arise in various organs. It is thought to be a neoplastic or reactive inflammatory condition, controversially. The treatment of choice for myofibroblastic tumor is surgery, and recurrence is known to be rare. The optimal treatment method is not well-known for patients ineligible for surgery. We report a 47-year-old patient with aggressive recurrent IMT of the lungs. The patient had been admitted for an evaluation of back-pain two years after a complete resection of pulmonary IMT. Radiation therapy was performed for multiple bone recurrences, and the symptoms were improved. However the patient presented again with aggravated back-pain six months later. High-dose steroid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were administered, but the disease progressed aggressively, resulting in spinal cord compression and metastasis to intra-abdominal organs. This is a very rare case of aggressively recurrent pulmonary IMT with multi-organ metastasis.

Endobronchial Mycobacterium avium Infection in an Immunocompetent Patient

Although Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is the most common pathogen in nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary diseases, endobronchial lesions caused by MAC infections are very rare even in an immunocompromised host. Herein, we describe the case of a 59-year-old, HIV-negative and non-immunocompromised woman who developed multifocal pulmonary infiltrations with endobronchial lesion caused by M. avium. Bronchoscopic examination revealed white- and yellow-colored irregular mucosal lesions in the bronchus of the left lingular division. M. avium was identified using sputum culture and bronchial washing fluid culture. Following the recommendations of the American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America (ATS/IDSA), the patient was begun on treatment with antimycobacterial drugs. After treatment, pneumonic infiltration decreased.

Two Cases of Near-Tetraploidy in Acute Leukemias of Ambiguous Lineage

No abstract available.

Autophagy Inhibition with Monensin Enhances Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis Induced by mTOR or Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors in Lung Cancer Cells / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: In cancer cells, autophagy is generally induced as a pro-survival mechanism in response to treatment-associated genotoxic and metabolic stress. Thus, concurrent autophagy inhibition can be expected to have a synergistic effect with chemotherapy on cancer cell death. Monensin, a polyether antibiotic, is known as an autophagy inhibitor, which interferes with the fusion of autophagosome and lysosome. There have been a few reports of its effect in combination with anticancer drugs. We performed this study to investigate whether erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, or rapamycin, an mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, is effective in combination therapy with monensin in non-small cell lung cancer cells. METHODS: NCI-H1299 cells were treated with rapamycin or erlotinib, with or without monensin pretreatment, and then subjected to growth inhibition assay, apoptosis analysis by flow cytometry, and cell cycle analysis on the basis of the DNA contents histogram. Finally, a Western blot analysis was done to examine the changes of proteins related to apoptosis and cell cycle control. RESULTS: Monensin synergistically increases growth inhibition and apoptosis induced by rapamycin or erlotinib. The number of cells in the sub-G1 phase increases noticeably after the combination treatment. Increase of proapoptotic proteins, including bax, cleaved caspase 3, and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and decrease of anti-apoptotic proteins, bcl-2 and bcl-xL, are augmented by the combination treatment with monensin. The promoters of cell cycle progression, notch3 and skp2, decrease and p21, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, accumulates within the cell during this process. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that concurrent autophagy inhibition could have a role in lung cancer treatment.

The First Korean Case of Candidemia due to Candida dubliniensis

Candidemia due to uncommon Candida spp. appears to be increasing in incidence. C. dubliniensis has been increasingly recovered from individuals not infected with HIV. Identification of C. dubliniensis can be problematic in routine clinical practice due to its phenotypic resemblance to C. albicans. We report the first case of C. dubliniensis candidemia in Korea, which occurred in a 64-yr-old woman who presented with partial seizure, drowsiness, and recurrent fever. Germ-tube positive yeast that was isolated from blood and central venous catheter tip cultures formed smooth, white colonies on sheep blood agar and Sabouraud agar plates, indicative of Candida spp. C. dubliniensis was identified using the Vitek 2 system (bioMerieux, USA), latex agglutination, chromogenic agar, and multiplex PCR. The blood isolate was susceptible to flucytosine, fluconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B. After removal of the central venous catheter and initiation of fluconazole treatment, the patient's condition gradually improved, and she was cleared for discharge from our hospital. Both clinicians and microbiologists should be aware of predisposing factors to C. dubliniensis candidemia in order to promote early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

A Draft Proposal for Korean Classification and Coding System for In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices

BACKGROUND: The Global harmonization task force (GHTF) recommends a separate regulation system for in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDD), because false test results can pose a risk to individual and/or public health. However, in Korea, many reagents for IVDD are not monitored, although IVD analyzers and some reagents are monitored under the Medical Device Act and Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, respectively. Our aim was to propose a draft for a Korean coding and classification system for IVDD. METHODS: For preparing the draft, we reviewed the Korean Current Procedural Terminology for Health Insurance and principles of the coding and classification system for IVDD of the GHTF, the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the EU. The draft was reviewed by consultants from relevant societies, such as Korean Medical Association, Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine, The Korea Association of Medical Technologists, and Korea Association for Diagnostic Laboratory Reagents, and was then publicly discussed at a conference. RESULTS: IVDD were classified into 4 classes on the basis of the risks they pose to individual (IR) and public health (PR): class 1 (low IR and low PR), class 2 (moderate IR and low PR), class 3 (high IR and/or moderate PR), and class 4 (high IR and high PR). IVD analyzers, reagents and other general laboratory equipments were categorized and coded using the letter D and 7 (2+3+2) digits. CONCLUSIONS: This draft for the Korean IVDD classification and coding system could be used for effective management and regulation of IVDD in Korea.