Impact of sleep quality on clinical features of primary Sjögren's syndrome

BACKGROUND/AIMS@#This study aimed to investigate the inf luence of poor sleep quality on clinical features of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS).@*METHODS@#Sleep quality was cross-sectionally assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected from 115 Korean patients with pSS. The patients completed questionnaires on the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) SS Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI), quality of life (EuroQOL five dimensions questionnaire [EQ-5D]), fatigue (fatigue severity score [FSS]), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] II]). Symptoms and patient global assessment (PGA) were evaluated with a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). The EULAR sicca score (ESS), ESSPRI, and EULAR SS Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) were calculated at study enrollment.@*RESULTS@#Fifty-three patients (46.1%) had poor sleep quality and 32.4% of 71 patients without depression were poor sleepers. Poor sleepers had a significantly lower EQ-5D or ESSDAI and a significantly higher FSS, BDI-II, PGA, ESS, ESSPRI, or VAS scores for extra-glandular symptoms than good sleepers. Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were significantly higher and immunoglobulin G levels tended to decrease in poor sleepers. Additionally, PSQI was negatively correlated with EQ-5D and ESSDAI and positively with ESS, FSS, BDI-II, PGA, VAS scores for their symptoms, and ESSPRI. Multivariate analysis revealed that poor sleep quality remained the independent determinants of the unsatisfactory symptom state (ESSPRI ≥ 5).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Our results showed that poor sleep quality could significantly affect the patient-oriented outcomes and physician-reported activity index of pSS patients through the various effects of sleep quality on the psychological or somatic symptoms and the immune system.

Acute Eosinophilic Monoarthritis in a Patient with Toxocariasis / 대한내과학회지

Eosinophilic synovial effusion is rarely observed in patients with inflammatory nature of synovial fluid, and the differential diagnosis includes parasitic arthritis. Toxocariasis is the one of the most common forms of helminthiasis worldwide and has been reported as a common cause of peripheral blood eosinophilia in Korea. However, joint involvement has been rarely reported in adults with toxocariasis in the English-language literature. Here, we report the first Korean case of a female presenting with acute monoarthritis with an increased number of eosinophils in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid, who was finally diagnosed with toxocariasis.

An Acute Medical Unit in a Korean Tertiary Care Hospital Reduces the Length of Stay and Waiting Time in the Emergency Department

A hospitalist-run acute medical unit (AMU) opened at a tertiary care hospital on August 2015 for the first time in Korea. Patients visiting the emergency department (ED) with acute medical problems are admitted to the AMU. They stay in that unit for less than 72 hours and are discharged or transferred to specialty wards if longer treatment is necessary. We reviewed 19,450 medical admissions through the ED from January 2014 to September 2016. The median length of stay (LOS) significantly decreased from 10.0 days (interquartile range [IQR], 5.5–16.7) to 9.1 days (IQR, 5.1–15.0) (P < 0.001) after the establishment of the AMU. The median waiting time in the ED significantly shortened by 40% (P < 0.001). Future studies on the impact of AMU on in-patient morbidity, mortality, re-admission rate, and patient or staff satisfaction are necessary.

Staphylococcus saprophyticus Bacteremia originating from Urinary Tract Infections: A Case Report and Literature Review

Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a common pathogen of acute urinary tract infection (UTI) in young females. However, S. saprophyticus bacteremia originating from UTI is very rare and has not been reported in Korea. We report a case of S. saprophyticus bacteremia from UTI in a 60-year-old female with a urinary stone treated successfully with intravenous ciprofloxacin, and review the cases of S. saprophyticus bacteremia reported in the literature. Thus, the microorganism may cause invasive infection and should be considered when S. saprophyticus is isolated from blood cultures in patients with UTI.

Infectious Spondylitis with Bacteremia Caused by Roseomonas mucosa in an Immunocompetent Patient

Roseomonas are a gram-negative bacteria species that have been isolated from environmental sources. Human Roseomonas infections typically occur in immunocompromised patients, most commonly as catheter-related bloodstream infections. However, Roseomonas infections are rarely reported in immunocompetent hosts. We report what we believe to be the first case in Korea of infectious spondylitis with bacteremia due to Roseomonas mucosa in an immunocompetent patient who had undergone vertebroplasty for compression fractures of his thoracic and lumbar spine.

A Case of Bacillus licheniformis Spondylitis and Bacteremia in a Patient with Lung Cancer

Bacillus licheniformis is an aerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming rod bacteria usually found in the environment. Infections with B. licheniformis are rare and usually associated with an immunocompromised state, trauma, and an indwelling catheter. We report a case of bacteremic B. licheniformis spondylitis following vertebroplasty in a patient with lung cancer.