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Purpose@#This study aimed to assess disease characteristics and outcomes of transition in patient care among adolescent patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). @*Materials and Methods@#Data from patients younger than 18 years who were diagnosed with IBD (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or intestinal Behçet’s disease) were investigated. We categorized the patients into two groups: transition IBD group (Group A, diagnosed in pediatric care followed by transfer to/attendance in adult IBD care) and non-transition group (Group B, diagnosed and followed up in pediatric care or adult IBD care without transfer). @*Results@#Data from a total of 242 patients [Group A (n=29, 12.0%), Group B (n=213, 88.0%)] were analyzed. A significantly higher number of patients was diagnosed at an earlier age in Group A than in Group B (p<0.001). Group A patients had more severe disease in terms of number of disease flare ups (p=0.011) and frequency of bowel-related complications (p<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that Group B patients had more medical non-compliance than Group A patients (β=2.31, p=0.018). After transition, IBD-related admission frequency, emergency admission frequency, disease flare frequency, and medical non-compliance were significantly improved. @*Conclusion@#The transition IBD group had more severe disease. Medical non-compliance was lower in the transition IBD group.Clinical outcomes improved after transition.
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BACKGROUND: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently emerged as a new important inflammatory marker for predicting cardiovascular events. This study aimed to evaluate the combined impact of NLR and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on significant coronary artery disease (CAD) and carotid artery atherosclerosis. METHODS: This study includes a total of 828 patients evaluated by coronary angiography and carotid ultrasonography. Significant CAD was defined as at least one vessel with stenosis greater than 50%. We employed logistic regression models to investigate the association of NLR and T2DM with significant CAD. The goodness-of-fit and discriminability of the models were assessed by the loglikelihood ratio test and C-index, respectively. Also, we investigated the clinical relevance of the categorized NLR that classifies patients into three risk groups (low, intermediate, high). RESULTS: According to logistic regression analysis, both NLR {adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.31, p 2) showed the greater prevalence of significant CAD and carotid artery atherosclerosis compared with patients without T2DM or type 2 diabetic patients assigned into the low risk group (NLR ≤ 1). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that type 2 diabetic patients with high inflammatory state would be more vulnerable to significant CAD and carotid artery atherosclerosis.
Subject(s)
Humans , Atherosclerosis , Carotid Arteries , Constriction, Pathologic , Coronary Angiography , Coronary Artery Disease , Coronary Vessels , Diabetes Mellitus , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Logistic Models , Odds Ratio , Prevalence , Risk Factors , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Bone is the most frequent site of metastasis among breast cancer patients. We investigated prognostic factors affecting survival following bone-only metastasis in breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of breast cancer patients who were treated and followed at Gangnam Severance Hospital retrospectively reviewed to identify patients with bone-only metastasis. RESULTS: The median time from the diagnosis of bone-only metastasis to the last follow-up or death was 55.2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 38.6-71.9] months. The Kaplan-Meier overall survival estimate at 10 years for all patients was 34.9%. In the multivariate Cox regression model, bisphosphonate treatment [hazard ratio=0.18; 95% CI, 0.07-0.43], estrogen receptor positivity (hazard ratio=0.51; 95% CI, 0.28-0.94), and solitary bone metastasis (hazard ratio=0.32; 95% CI, 0.14-0.72) were significantly associated with longer overall survival in the bone-only recurrence group. Among the treatment modalities, only bisphosphonate treatment was identified as a significant prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: Identifying the factors influencing breast cancer mortality after bone-only metastasis will help clarify the clinical course and improve the treatment outcome for patients with breast cancer and bone-only metastasis. Bisphosphonates, as a significant prognostic factor, warrant further investigation.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Bone Neoplasms/drug therapy , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Multivariate Analysis , Prognosis , Receptors, Estrogen/genetics , Receptors, Progesterone/genetics , Regression Analysis , Retrospective Studies , Survival AnalysisABSTRACT
The recent advent of "-omics" technologies have heralded a new era of personalized medicine. Personalized medicine is referred to as the ability to segment heterogeneous subsets of patients whose response to a therapeutic intervention within each subset is homogeneous. This new paradigm in healthcare is beginning to affect both research and clinical practice. The key to success in personalized medicine is to uncover molecular biomarkers that drive individual variability in clinical outcomes or drug responses. In this review, we begin with an overview of personalized medicine in breast cancer and illustrate the most encountered statistical approaches in the recent literature tailored for uncovering gene signatures.
Subject(s)
Humans , Biomarkers , Breast , Breast Neoplasms , Delivery of Health Care , Precision MedicineABSTRACT
PURPOSE: As a consequence of the widespread application of coronary and peripheral interventional procedures, the incidence of a femoral pseudoaneurysm is increasing. Along with the traditional surgical approach, ultrasound-guided compression or thrombin injection therapy has recently been developed and is widely used to reduce surgical morbidity. The efficacy of these therapies was compared to define the guidelines for treating an iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm in Korean patients. METHODS: Ultrasound-guided therapies were performed prospectively since October 2000. The results of the surgical repair from July 1996 were reviewed retrospectively. A total 22 patients with an iliofemoral pseudoaneurysm were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: Surgical repair was performed in 12 cases, ultrasound-guided compression therapy in 1 case, and ultrasound-guided thrombin injection in 9 cases. A primary closure of the puncture site (11 cases) and an iliac artery interposition graft (1 case) were performed. Postoperative complications developed in 4 cases; wound hematoma, wound infection and ureter injury. Compression therapy was successfully performed in 1 case. A thrombin injection was performed in 9 cases. Immediate thrombotic obliteration of the pseudoaneurysm occurred in all cases. Partial recannalization was detected during follow-up duplex sonography in 1 case, who was successfully treated by an additional thrombin injection. There were no complications associated with the thrombin injection and no recurrence had occurred during the 4 weeks follow-up. CONCLUSION: Thrombin injection therapy is highly efficient, safe, and comfortable. Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection could be the initial treatment of choice for treating iatrogenic femoral pseudoaneurysm.