COVID-19 Vaccine-Associated Pneumonitis in the Republic of Korea:A Nationwide Multicenter Survey

Background@#Recent reports have suggested that pneumonitis is a rare complication following vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).However, its clinical features and outcomes are not well known. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with vaccine-associated pneumonitis following vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. @*Methods@#In this nationwide multicenter survey study, questionnaires were distributed to pulmonary physicians in referral hospitals. They were asked to report cases of development or exacerbation of interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine. Vaccine-associated pneumonitis was defined as new pulmonary infiltrates documented on chest computed tomography within 4 weeks of vaccination and exclusion of other possible etiologies. @*Results@#From the survey, 49 cases of vaccine-associated pneumonitis were identified between February 27 and October 30, 2021. After multidisciplinary discussion, 46 cases were analyzed. The median age was 66 years and 28 (61%) were male. The median interval between vaccination and respiratory symptoms was 5 days. There were 20 (43%), 17 (37%), and nine (19%) patients with newly identified pneumonitis, exacerbation of pre-diagnosed ILD, and undetermined pre-existing ILD, respectively. The administered vaccines were BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCov-19/AZD1222 each in 21 patients followed by mRNA-1273 in three, and Ad26.COV2.S in one patient. Except for five patients with mild disease, 41 (89%) patients were treated with corticosteroid. Significant improvement was observed in 26 (57%) patients including four patients who did not receive treatment. However, ILD aggravated in 9 (20%) patients despite treatment. Mortality was observed in eight (17%) patients. @*Conclusion@#These results suggest pneumonitis as a potentially significant safety concern for vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Clinical awareness and patient education are necessary for early recognition and prompt management. Additional research is warranted to identify the epidemiology and characterize the pathophysiology of vaccine-associated pneumonitis.

Increased Healthcare Delays in Tuberculosis Patients During the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Background@#The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused disruptions to healthcare systems, consequently endangering tuberculosis (TB) control. We investigated delays in TB treatment among notified patients during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. @*Methods@#We systemically collected and analyzed data from the Korea TB cohort database from January to May 2020. Groups were categorized as ‘before-pandemic’ and ‘during-pandemic’ based on TB notification period. Presentation delay was defined as the period between initial onset of symptoms and the first hospital visit, and healthcare delay as the period between the first hospital visit and anti-TB treatment initiation. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate factors associated with delays in TB treatment. @*Results@#Proportion of presentation delay > 14 days was not significantly different between two groups (48.3% vs. 43.7%, P = 0.067); however, proportion of healthcare delay > 5 days was significantly higher in the during-pandemic group (48.6% vs. 42.3%, P = 0.012). In multivariate analysis, the during-pandemic group was significantly associated with healthcare delay > 5 days (adjusted odds ratio = 0.884, 95% confidence interval = 0.715–1.094). @*Conclusion@#The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with healthcare delay of > 5 days in Korea. Public health interventions are necessary to minimize the pandemic’s impact on the national TB control project.

Korean Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Interstitial Lung Diseases: Part 3. Idiopathic Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia / 결핵및호흡기질환

Idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) is one of the varieties of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. Diagnosis of idiopathic NSIP can be done via multidisciplinary approach in which the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings were discussed together and exclude other causes. Clinical manifestations include subacute or chronic dyspnea and cough that last an average of 6 months, most of which occur in non-smoking, middle-aged women. The common findings in thoracic high-resolution computed tomography in NSIP are bilateral reticular opacities, traction bronchiectasis, reduced volume of the lobes, and ground-glass opacity in the lower lungs. These lesions can involve diffuse bilateral lungs or subpleural area. Unlike usual interstitial pneumonia, honeycombing is sparse or absent. Pathology shows diffuse interstitial inflammation and fibrosis which are temporally homogeneous, namely NSIP pattern. Idiopathic NSIP is usually treated with steroid only or combination with immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, and mycophenolate mofetil. Prognosis of idiopathic NSIP is better than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Many studies have reported a 5-year survival rate of more than 70%.

Korean Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Interstitial Lung Diseases: Part 3. Idiopathic Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia / 결핵

Idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) is one of the varieties of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. Diagnosis of idiopathic NSIP can be done via multidisciplinary approach in which the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings were discussed together and exclude other causes. Clinical manifestations include subacute or chronic dyspnea and cough that last an average of 6 months, most of which occur in non-smoking, middle-aged women. The common findings in thoracic high-resolution computed tomography in NSIP are bilateral reticular opacities, traction bronchiectasis, reduced volume of the lobes, and ground-glass opacity in the lower lungs. These lesions can involve diffuse bilateral lungs or subpleural area. Unlike usual interstitial pneumonia, honeycombing is sparse or absent. Pathology shows diffuse interstitial inflammation and fibrosis which are temporally homogeneous, namely NSIP pattern. Idiopathic NSIP is usually treated with steroid only or combination with immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, and mycophenolate mofetil. Prognosis of idiopathic NSIP is better than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Many studies have reported a 5-year survival rate of more than 70%.

Corrigendum: Elucidation of Bacterial Pneumonia-Causing Pathogens in Patients with Respiratory Viral Infection / 결핵및호흡기질환

In this article, the ethical statement was missing.

Characteristics of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in Sanatoria of North Korea

Although several reports about drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in North Korea have been published, a nationwide surveillance on this disease remains to be performed. This study aims to analyze the drug resistance patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among the patients in the sanatoria of North Korea, especially during the period when second-line drugs (SLDs) had not yet been officially supplied to this country. The Eugene Bell Foundation (EBF) transferred 947 sputum specimens obtained from 667 patients from 2007 to 2009 to the Clinical Research Center, Masan National Tuberculosis Hospital (MNTH), South Korea. Four hundred ninety-two patients were culture positive for TB (73.8%). Drug susceptibility test (DST) was performed for the bacilli isolated from 489 patients. Over 3 quarters of the cases (76.9%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB. Additionally, 2 patients had extremely drug-resistant (XDR)-TB. Very high resistance to first-line drugs and low resistance to fluoroquinolones (FQs) and injectable drugs (IDs) except for streptomycin (S) were detected. A small but significant regional variation in resistance pattern was observed. Big city regions had higher rate of MDR-TB, higher resistance to FQs and IDs than relatively isolated regions. In conclusion, significant number of drug-resistant TB was detected in North Korean sanatoria, and small but significant regional variations in resistance pattern were noticeable. However, the data in this study do not represent the nationwide drug resistance pattern in North Korea. Further large-scale evaluations are necessary to estimate the resistance pattern of TB in North Korea.

Elucidation of Bacterial Pneumonia-Causing Pathogens in Patients with Respiratory Viral Infection / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: Bacterial pneumonia occurring after respiratory viral infection is common. However, the predominant bacterial species causing pneumonia secondary to respiratory viral infections other than influenza remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to know whether the pathogens causing post-viral bacterial pneumonia vary according to the type of respiratory virus. METHODS: Study subjects were 5,298 patients, who underwent multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction for simultaneous detection of respiratory viruses, among who visited the emergency department or outpatient clinic with respiratory symptoms at Ulsan University Hospital between April 2013 and March 2016. The patients' medical records were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 251 clinically significant bacteria were identified in 233 patients with post-viral bacterial pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most frequent bacterium in patients aged <16 years, regardless of the preceding virus type (p=0.630). In patients aged ≥16 years, the isolated bacteria varied according to the preceding virus type. The major results were as follows (p<0.001): pneumonia in patients with influenza virus (type A/B), rhinovirus, and human metapneumovirus infections was caused by similar bacteria, and the findings indicated that Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia was very common in these patients. In contrast, coronavirus, parainfluenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus infections were associated with pneumonia caused by gram-negative bacteria. CONCLUSION: The pathogens causing post-viral bacterial pneumonia vary according to the type of preceding respiratory virus. This information could help in selecting empirical antibiotics in patients with post-viral pneumonia.

Gynecomastia induced by H1-antihistamine (ebastine) in a patient with idiopathic anaphylaxis

H1-antihistamine is generally a well-tolerated and safe drug. However, in resemblance with all other drugs, H1-antihistamines can also prompt adverse drug reactions (ADRs). We recently encountered the very unusual ADR of H1-antihistamine-induced gynecomastia. A 21-year-old man with idiopathic anaphylaxis was treated with ebastine (Ebastel), a second-generation H1-antihistamine, for the prevention of anaphylaxis. Three months later, the patient remained well without anaphylaxis, but had newly developed gynecomastia. Because anaphylaxis recurred after the cessation of H1-antihistamine, the preventive medication was changed to omalizumab. A few months later, his gynecomastia had entirely disappeared. Physicians should be aware of this exceptional ADR of H1-antihistamine.

Non-infected and Infected Bronchogenic Cyst: The Correlation of Image Findings with Cyst Content / 결핵및호흡기질환

We hereby report a case on bronchogenic cyst which is initially non-infected, then becomes infected after bronchoscopic ultrasound (US)-guided transesophageal fine-needle aspiration (FNA). The non-infected bronchogenic cyst appears to be filled with relatively echogenic materials on US, and the aspirate is a whitish jelly-like fluid. Upon contrast-enhanced MRI of the infected bronchogenic cyst, a T1-weighted image shows low signal intensity and a T2-weighted image shows high signal intensity, with no enhancements of the cyst contents, but enhancements of the thickened cystic wall. The patient then undergo video-assisted thoracic surgery 14 days after the FNA. The cystic mass is known to be completely removed, and the aspirate is yellowish and purulent. To understand the image findings that pertain to the gross appearance of the cyst contents will help to diagnose bronchogenic cysts in the future.

Hemothorax caused by spontaneous rupture of a metastatic mediastinal lymph node in hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report

No abstract available.

The Combination of Real-Time PCR and HPLC for the Identification of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria

We used HPLC and AdvanSure real-time PCR (LG Life Sciences, Korea) to retrospectively analyze non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in 133 clinical specimens. The specimens were culture-positive for NTM and the HPLC method identified 130 strains of mycobacteria from the cultures (97.7%) at the species level. Among the isolates, 48 Mycobacterium. kansasii (36.1%), 39 M. intracellulare (29.3%), 17 M. avium (12.8%), 16 M. abscessus (12.0%), 6 M. fortuitum (4.5%), 2 M. szulgai (1.5%), 2 M. gordonae (1.5%), and 3 unclassified NTM strains (2.3%) were identified. The real-time PCR assay identified 60 NTM-positive specimens (45.1%), 65 negative specimens (48.9%), and 8 M. tuberculosis (TB)-positive specimens (6.0%). The real-time PCR assay is advantageous because of its rapid identification of NTM. However, in our study, the real-time PCR assay showed relatively low sensitivity (45.1%) when using direct specimens including sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. HPLC is useful as it discriminates NTM at the species level, although it is time-consuming and requires specific equipment and technical expertise. A combination of both methods will be helpful for the rapid and accurate identification of mycobacteria in clinical laboratories.

A Case of Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma of the Pleura

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare malignant soft-tissue neoplasm of unknown histogenesis. The two main sites of occurrence are the lower extremities in adults and the head and neck in children. We report the first case of pleural ASPS occurring in a 58-yr-old man who presented with progressive dyspnea. A computed tomographic scan of the thorax revealed a large enhancing pleural mass with pleural effusion in the left hemithorax. Wide excision of the pleural mass was performed. Histologically, the tumor consisted of organoid nests of large polygonal cells, the cytoplasm of which had eosinophilic and D-PAS positive granules. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the tumor cell nuclei were positive for transcription factor 3 (TFE3). The pleural ASPS with multiple bone metastases recurred 1 yr after surgery and the patient died of acute pulmonary embolism 1.5 yr after diagnosis.

Adenocarcinoma of the Lung Progressing to Multiple Cystic Lesions in a 29-Year-Old Man / 결핵및호흡기질환

Cystic lesions or progressive cystic changes in adenocarcinoma of the lung have rarely been reported. We report a case of lung adenocarcinoma that progressed from ground-glass opacities (GGOs) and consolidations or nodules to extensive cystic lesions during 12 months in a young adult patient. A 29-year-old male was initially diagnosed with primary lung adenocarcinoma by transbronchial lung biopsy of the right lower lobe and lung to lung metastasis in both lungs according to imaging findings. The initial chest computed tomography (CT) scans showed multifocal GGOs, consolidations, and nodules in both lungs. Despite treatment with palliative chemotherapy, the patient's follow-up CT scans showed multiple, cystic changes in both lungs and that the lesions had progressed more extensively. He died of hypoxic respiratory failure one year after his diagnosis.

A Case of Atypical Skull Base Osteomyelitis with Septic Pulmonary Embolism

Skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) is difficult to diagnose when a patient presents with multiple cranial nerve palsies but no obvious infectious focus. There is no report about SBO with septic pulmonary embolism. A 51-yr-old man presented to our hospital with headache, hoarseness, dysphagia, frequent choking, fever, cough, and sputum production. He was diagnosed of having masked mastoiditis complicated by SBO with multiple cranial nerve palsies, sigmoid sinus thrombosis, and septic pulmonary embolism. We successfully treated him with antibiotics and anticoagulants alone, with no surgical intervention. His neurologic deficits were completely recovered. Decrease of pulmonary nodules and thrombus in the sinus was evident on the follow-up imaging one month later. In selected cases of intracranial complications of SBO and septic pulmonary embolism, secondary to mastoiditis with early response to antibiotic therapy, conservative treatment may be considered and surgical intervention may be withheld.

Hypoxemia and Arrhythmia during Daily Activities and Six-minute Walk Test in Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Diseases

We performed 24-hr monitoring of pulse oximetric saturation (SpO2) with ECG and six-minute walk test (6MWT) in 19 patients with fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILD) to investigate; 1) The frequency and severity of hypoxemia and dysrhythmia during daily activities and 6MWT, 2) safety of 6MWT, and 3) the parameters of 6MWT which can replace 24-hr continuous monitoring of SpO2 to predict hypoxemia during daily activities. All patients experienced waking hour hypoxemia, and eight of nineteen patients spent > 10% of waking hours in hypoxemic state. Most patients experienced frequent arrhythmia, mostly atrial premature contractions (APCs) and ventricular premature contractions (VPCs). There were significant correlation between the variables of 6MWT and hypoxemia during daily activities. All of the patients who desaturated below 80% before 300 meters spent more than 10% of waking hour in hypoxemia (P = 0.018). In contrast to waking hour hypoxemia, SpO2 did not drop significantly during sleep except in the patients whose daytime resting SpO2 was already low. In conclusion, patients with fibrotic ILD showed significant period of hypoxemia during daily activities and frequent VPCs and APCs. Six-minute walk test is a useful surrogate marker of waking hour hypoxemia and seems to be safe without continuous monitoring of SpO2.

A Case of Pseudomembranous Aspergillus Tracheobronchitis in a Patient with Diabetes Mellitus

Aspergillus tracheobronchitis is one form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis which is characterized by ulcers and pseudomembrane formation in tracheobronchial tree. In Aspergillus tracheobronchitis, the infection is often limited to the mucosa and it accounts for less than 10 percents of invasive disease. Invasive aspergillosis mainly occurs in immunocompromized patients with prolonged neutropenia, advanced AIDS, organ transplantation, high-dose glucocorticoid therapy or cytotoxic therapy although it can occur in less immunocompromised patients, such as after influenza, COPD, old age, and diabetes. We report a case of Aspergillus tracheobronchitis in a 61 year-old patient with diabetes and Child Pugh class A liver cirrhosis. He presented with cough and purulent sputum for 10 days. He was diagnosed by bronchoscopy and successfully treated with antifungal therapy.

A Case of Chemical Pneumonitis After Ingestion of Hydrocarbon / 대한산업의학회지

BACKGROUND: Hydrocarbon is used frequently in the home in places such as the kitchen, garage, and basement. Accidental ingestion of hydrocarbons occurs generally in infants and children in the home. In cases of accidental ingestion, the amount is usually too small to cause medical problems, but can bring about diseases such as chemical pneumonitis. CASE REPORT: After ingesting organic solvent mistaken for mineral water, a 53-year-old male complained of cough, fever, and pain in the right upper abdomen, back, and right chest. Simple chest x-ray revealed focal chemical pneumonitis mainly involving the right middle lobe. The resulting lung abscess did not resolve until after treatment with drainage accompanied with antibiotics therapy. The ingested solution was analyzed and found to be a C11~C13 hydrocarbon mixture which has low viscosity. CONCLUSION: Chemical pneumonitis occurred after ingestion of hydrocarbon solution, and there is evidence of aspiratory mechanism.

Bacteriologic Analysis of Expectorated Sputum in Patient with Bronchiectasis / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: Bronchiectasis (BE) remains a rare respiratory disease in Korea. This retrospective study was done to investigate the potential pathogenic microorganisms (PPMs) that cause in patients with BE, through the use of sputum specimens. METHODS: One hundred eleven adult patients, who had undergone chest computed tomography (CT), sputum gram stain/culture, and BE detected by chest CT, were included in this study. Sputum adequacy was determined by using Murray-Washington classification. RESULTS: The mean (+/-SD) age of patients was 60.9 (+/-14.0). The number of PPMs was 167 (67%) in the total 248 isolated organisms. The most frequent PPMs were P. aeruginosa (23.4%), K. pneumoniae (10.5%), and S. aureus (8.4%). The proportion of adequate sputum (AS) was 25.8% in the total sputum specimens. The patients with AS were 41 (37%) and the patients with inadequate sputum (IS) were 70 (63%). The proportion of P. aeruginosa was higher in AS compared to that of IS (44% vs. 19%, p=0.004). The BE score was also higher in P. aeruginosa (+) patients compared to that of P. aeruginosa (-) patients (10.8 vs. 7.6, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Although the proportion of AS in the total sputum was low, PPMs were isolated in most patients with BE. It is likely that P. aeruginosa was isolated in AS and AS patients had higher BE scores.

The Clinical Efficacy of GOCA Scoring System in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

To explore the following hypotheses: 1) Gas exchange, Organ failure, Cause, Associated disease (GOCA) score, which reflects both general health and the severity of lung injury, would be a better mortality predictor of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) than acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) or simplified acute physiology score (SAPS II), which are not specific to lung injury, and lung injury score (LIS) that focuses on the lung injury; 2) the performance of APACHE II and SAPS II will be improved when reinforced by LIS, we retrospectively analyzed ARDS patients (N=158) admitted to a medical intensive care unit for five years. The overall mortality of the ARDS patients was 53.2%. Calibrations for all models were good. The area under the curve of (AUC) of LIS (0.622) was significantly less than those of APACHE II (0.743) and SAPS II (0.753). The AUC of GOCA (0.703) was not better than those of APACHE II and SAPS II. The AUCs of APACHE II and SAPS II tended to further increase when reinforced by LIS. In conclusion, GOCA was not superior to APACHE II or SAPS II. The performance of the APACHE II or SAPS II tended to improve when combining a general scoring system with a scoring system that focused on the severity of lung injury.

A Case of Nitrogen Dioxide-Induced Pulmonary Edema in Oxygen Torch / 대한산업의학회지

BACKGROUND: Welders tend to be exposed to a variety of hazards including metal fumes, toxic gases, electricity, heat, noise, and radiation such as ultraviolet and infrared light. Noxious gases generated during welding include carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrogen oxide. Although the effects of metal fumes have been well studied, few reports have investigated the influence of noxious gas exposure in welders. CASE REPORT: We encountered a patient who developed non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema within a day after fairing up a steel plate with an oxygen/LPG torch. The patient was a 43-year-old female who complained of dyspnea which became exacerbated the following morning. Her chest X-ray and chest CT scan showed an extensive ground glass opacity which was more prominent in the both upper lungs. Both her symptoms and chest X-ray findings improved. We attributed the patient's symptoms to non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema caused by nitrogen dioxide exposure, by reasoning that: 1) the patient's clinical course and radiologic findings suggested pulmonary edema 2) the event happened following fairing work with oxygen/LPG torch that usually induces a high concentration of nitrogen dioxide, and 3) the other possible causes of pulmonary edema could be excluded. CONCLUSION: Nitrogen dioxide-induced pulmonary edema should be considered in oxygen torch contrary to arc welding.