Multicenter Analysis of Clinical Features and Prognosis of COVID-19 Patients with Hepatic Impairment

Background/Aims@#Recent data indicate the presence of liver enzyme abnormalities in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to evaluate the clinical features and treatment outcomes of COVID-19 patients with abnormal liver enzymes. @*Methods@#We performed a retrospective, multicenter study of 874 COVID-19 patients admitted to five tertiary hospitals from February 20 to April 14, 2020. Data on clinical features, laboratory parameters, medications, and treatment outcomes were collected until April 30, 2020, and compared between patients with normal and abnormal aminotransferases. @*Results@#Abnormal aminotransferase levels were observed in 362 patients (41.1%), of which 94 out of 130 (72.3%) and 268 out of 744 (36.0%) belonged to the severe and non-severe COVID-19 categories, respectively. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for male patients, patients with a higher body mass index, patients with severe COVID-19 status, and patients with lower platelet counts were 1.500 (1.029 to 2.184, p=0.035), 1.097 (1.012 to 1.189, p=0.024), 2.377 (1.458 to 3.875, p=0.001), and 0.995 (0.993 to 0.998, p>0.001), respectively, indicating an independent association of these variables with elevated aminotransferase levels. Lopinavir/ ritonavir and antibiotic use increased the odds ratio of abnormal aminotransferase levels after admission (1.832 and 2.646, respectively, both p<0.05). The median time to release from quarantine was longer (22 days vs 26 days, p=0.001) and the mortality rate was higher (13.0% vs 2.9%, p<0.001) in patients with abnormal aminotransferase levels. @*Conclusions@#Abnormal aminotransferase levels are common in COVID-19 patients and are associated with poor clinical outcomes. Multivariate analysis of patients with normal aminotransferase levels on admission showed that the use of lopinavir/ritonavir and antibiotics was associated with abnormal aminotransferase levels; thus, careful monitoring is needed.

The Role of High Resolution Manometry in Non-Cardiac Chest Pain / 계명의대학술지

The most common cause of noncardiogenic chest pain is gastroesophageal reflux disease, and other esophageal motility disorders are also frequent. Esophageal manometry is important for diagnosing esophageal motility disease. Recently, high resolution manometry (HRM) has emerged and is reported to be more useful than conventional esophageal manometry in evaluating primary esophageal motility disease. In this study, the role and usefulness of HRM in noncardiac chest pain were investigated. From August 2018 to April 2021, 136 patients with chest pain were enrolled. Classification was carried out according to Chicago classification version 3.0, and 95 out of 136 patients showed normal findings, and 23 patients showed ineffective esophageal motility. When gastroesophageal reflux disease was classified according to Los Angeles (LA) classification, LA-M was 20% (6/30), LA-A was 63.3% (19/30), LA-B was 16.6% (5/30), and LA-C was, there were no patients with LA-D. Through this study, it was confirmed that about 22% of patients with noncardiogenic chest pain had reflux esophagitis, and about 30% of patients had esophageal motility disease. High-resolution esophageal manometry appears to be useful for the differentiation of noncardiogenic chest pain caused by esophageal motility disorders other than reflux esophagitis. After diagnosis of esophageal motor disease, follow-up studies on whether non-cardiac chest pain improves after drug treatment is required.

Multicenter Analysis of Clinical Features and Prognosis of COVID-19 Patients with Hepatic Impairment

Background/Aims@#Recent data indicate the presence of liver enzyme abnormalities in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to evaluate the clinical features and treatment outcomes of COVID-19 patients with abnormal liver enzymes. @*Methods@#We performed a retrospective, multicenter study of 874 COVID-19 patients admitted to five tertiary hospitals from February 20 to April 14, 2020. Data on clinical features, laboratory parameters, medications, and treatment outcomes were collected until April 30, 2020, and compared between patients with normal and abnormal aminotransferases. @*Results@#Abnormal aminotransferase levels were observed in 362 patients (41.1%), of which 94 out of 130 (72.3%) and 268 out of 744 (36.0%) belonged to the severe and non-severe COVID-19 categories, respectively. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for male patients, patients with a higher body mass index, patients with severe COVID-19 status, and patients with lower platelet counts were 1.500 (1.029 to 2.184, p=0.035), 1.097 (1.012 to 1.189, p=0.024), 2.377 (1.458 to 3.875, p=0.001), and 0.995 (0.993 to 0.998, p>0.001), respectively, indicating an independent association of these variables with elevated aminotransferase levels. Lopinavir/ ritonavir and antibiotic use increased the odds ratio of abnormal aminotransferase levels after admission (1.832 and 2.646, respectively, both p<0.05). The median time to release from quarantine was longer (22 days vs 26 days, p=0.001) and the mortality rate was higher (13.0% vs 2.9%, p<0.001) in patients with abnormal aminotransferase levels. @*Conclusions@#Abnormal aminotransferase levels are common in COVID-19 patients and are associated with poor clinical outcomes. Multivariate analysis of patients with normal aminotransferase levels on admission showed that the use of lopinavir/ritonavir and antibiotics was associated with abnormal aminotransferase levels; thus, careful monitoring is needed.

Changes in Characteristics of Patients with Liver Cirrhosis Visiting a Tertiary Hospital over 15 Years: a Retrospective Multi-Center Study in Korea

Background@#Liver cirrhosis has become a heavy burden not only for patients, but also for our society. However, little is known about the recent changes in clinical outcomes and characteristics of patients with cirrhosis-related complications in Korea. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate changes in characteristics of patients with liver cirrhosis in Daegu-Gyeongbuk province in Korea over the past 15 years. @*Methods@#We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 15,716 liver cirrhotic patients from 5 university hospitals in Daegu-Gyeongbuk province from 2000 to 2014. The Korean Standard Classification of Diseases-6 code associated with cirrhosis was investigated through medical records and classified according to the year of first visit. @*Results@#A total of 15,716 patients was diagnosed with cirrhosis. A number of patients newly diagnosed with cirrhosis has decreased each year. In 2000, patients were most likely to be diagnosed with hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis, followed by alcoholic cirrhosis. There was a significant decrease in HBV (P < 0.001), but alcohol, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) showed a significant increase during the study period (alcohol, P = 0.036; HCV, P = 0.001; NAFLD, P = 0.001). At the time of initial diagnosis, the ratio of Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class A gradually increased from 23.1% to 32.9% (P < 0.001). The most common cause of liver-related hospitalization in 2000 was hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (25.5%); in 2014, gastrointestinal bleeding with esophageal and gastric varices (21.4%) was the most common cause. Cases of hospitalization with liver-related complication represented 76.4% of all cases in 2000 but 70.9% in 2014. Incidence rate of HCC has recently increased. In addition, HCC-free survival was significantly lower in CTP class A than in classes B and C. Finally, there was significant difference in HCC occurrence according to causes (P < 0.001). HBV and HCV cirrhosis had lower HCC-free survival than alcoholic and NAFLD cirrhosis. @*Conclusion@#In recent years, the overall number of cirrhosis patients has decreased. This study confirmed the recent trend in decrease of cirrhosis, especially of cirrhosis due to HBV, and the increase of HCV, alcoholic and NAFLD cirrhosis. Targeted screening for at-risk patients will facilitate early detection of liver diseases allowing effective intervention and may have decreased the development of cirrhosis and its complications.

Five-Year Outcomes of Successful Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Drug-Eluting Stents versus Medical Therapy for Chronic Total Occlusions

PURPOSE: Many recent studies have reported that successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DESs) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) has more beneficial effects than failed CTO-PCI; however, there are only limited data available from comparisons of successful CTO-PCI with medical therapy (MT) in the Korean population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 840 consecutive CTO patients who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography, receiving either PCI with DESs or MT, were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment assigned. To adjust for potential confounders, propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed using logistic regression. Individual major clinical outcomes and major adverse cardiac events, a composite of total death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and revascularization, were compared between the two groups up to 5 years. RESULTS: After PSM, two propensity-matched groups (265 pairs, n=530) were generated, and the baseline characteristics were balanced. Although the PCI group showed a higher incidence of target lesion and vessel revascularization on CTO, the incidence of MI tended to be lower [hazard ratio (HR): 0.339, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.110 to 1.043, p=0.059] and the composite of total death or MI was lower (HR: 0.454, 95% CI: 0.224 to 0.919, p=0.028), compared with the MT group up to 5 years. CONCLUSION: In this study, successful CTO PCI with DESs was associated with a higher risk of repeat PCI for the target vessel, but showed a reduced incidence of death or MI.

Successful Endovascular Therapy for Bilateral Popliteal Thrombotic Occlusions / 대한내과학회지

The popliteal artery is a relatively short vascular structure, but acute occlusion can decrease blood flow into the lower extremities and cause subsequent critical limb ischemia, amputation, and even mortality. Further, peripheral artery disease patients frequently have combined cardio-cerebrovascular disease. Here, we report a rare case of sudden bilateral thrombotic total occlusion in the popliteal arteries of a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy and left ventricular thrombi. This patient has been successfully managed by endovascular therapy and subsequent intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy.

The Impact of Prediabetes on Two-Year Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

PURPOSE: Prediabetes is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, data on the long term adverse clinical outcomes of prediabetic patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DESs) are scarce. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population comprised 674 consecutive non-diabetic patients who underwent elective PCI between April 2007 and November 2010. Prediabetes was defined as hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 5.7% to 6.4%. Two-year cumulative clinical outcomes of prediabetic patients (HbA1c of 5.7% to 6.4%, n=242) were compared with those of a normoglycemic group (< 5.7%, n=432). RESULTS: Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were similar between the two groups, except for higher glucose levels (104.8±51.27 mg/dL vs. 131.0±47.22 mg/dL, p < 0.001) on admission in the prediabetes group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in coronary angiographic parameters, except for a higher incidence of diffuse long lesion in the prediabetes group. For prediabetic patients, trends toward higher incidences of binary restenosis (15.6% vs. 9.8 %, p=0.066) and late loss (0.71±0.70 mm vs. 0.59±0.62 mm, p=0.076) were noted. During the 24 months of follow up, the incidence of mortality in prediabetic patients was higher than that in normoglycemic patients (5.5% vs. 1.5%, p=0.007). CONCLUSION: In our study, a higher death rate and a trend toward a higher incidence of restenosis in patients with prediabetes up to 2 years, compared to those in normoglycemic patients, undergoing elective PCI with contemporary DESs.

Congenital Left Atrial Bands with Atrial Fibrillation

No abstract available.

Lymphangioma involving whole mesentery confirmed by core needle biopsy / 영남의대학술지

Lymphangiomas are malformations of the lymphatic system accounting for approximately 5% of all benign tumors in infants and children. Abdominal lymphangiomas are rare, and can arise from either the retroperitoneum, gastrointestinal tract, or the mesentery of the abdominal viscera. Lymphangioma involving the whole mesentery is particularly rare. Most lymphangiomas are detected during infancy or childhood, but intraabdominal lymphangiomas such as mesentery are not found until adulthood. We report here on a patient with uncommon lymphangioma involving the whole mesentery who presented with fever and abdominal pain. This patient is unusual because he was confirmed through core needle biopsy which showed variable sized lymphatic spaces representing a immunoreactive for D2-40 antibody with involvement of the whole mesentery. No cases of mesenteric lymphangioma confirmed preoperatively have been previously reported in Korea.

A Case of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia with Multiple Chloromas Treated Successfully with Dasatinib / 계명의대학술지

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder of the primitive hematopoietic stem cells. CML is characterized by the overproduction of myeloid cells, which results in marked splenomegaly and leukocytosis. CML presented by multiple chloromas is extremely rare. Multiple chloromas in the skin and brain are quite rare as the initial presentation of CML. These rare manifestation should alert clinicians to include CML in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with multiple non-pruritic skin nodules or neurologic symptoms. Dasatinib has promising therapeutic potential for managing intracranial leukemic disease. Here, we report the case of a patient who visited the hospital with multiple chloroma which is unusual presentation of CML, and treated with dasatinib successfully.

A Case of Double-unit Cord Blood Transplantation in Primary Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 계명의대학술지

Umbilical cord blood is an attractive source of hematopoietic stem cells in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Umbilical cord blood transplantation has merits of rapid availability and low risk of severe acute graft versus host disease. Umbilical cord blood should be an important source of stem cell transplantation for patients who have no suitable human leukocyte antigen-matched bone marrow, or peripheral stem cell donor. Transplantation of umbilical cord blood is limited by insufficient cell doses. This had led to the alternative concept of attempting to increase the number of cell doses using two cord blood units from different donor. We report a case of double-unit cord blood transplantation for 55-year-old male with primary refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

Metachronous Double Primary Cancer after Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The pattern of double primary cancers after treatment for gastric cancer is important for a patient's survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the clinicopathologic data of 214 gastric cancer patients from October 1996 to November 2007 with regard to metachronous second primary cancers. RESULTS: Out of 5,778 patients with gastric cancer, metachronous second primary cancers occurred in 214 patients. The median age was 61.8 years, the number of male and female patients was 140 (65.4%), 74 (34.6%), respectively. The median time to the occurrence of second cancers after diagnosis of the first was 39.2 months (standard deviation, 31.2 months). The most common cancer was colorectal cancer, which occurred in 44 patients (20.6%), and lung cancer in 33 patients (15.4%), hepatocellular carcinoma in 26 patients (12.1%), ovarian cancer in 15 patients (7.0%), cervical cancer in 12 patients (7.0%), breast cancer in 11 patients (5.1%), and esophageal cancer in 11 patients (5.1%). The observed/expected (O/E) ratio showed a significant increase in colorectal (1.25), male biliary (1.60), ovarian (8.72), and cervical cancer (3.33) with primary gastric cancer. After five years from diagnosis of gastric cancer, secondary cancer occurred in 50 patients (23.4%), and breast cancer, prostate cancer, laryngeal cancer, lung cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma were the most frequent. CONCLUSION: The O/E ratio showed a significant increase in colorectal, male biliary, ovarian, and cervical cancer with primary gastric cancer, and second primary cancer as the main cause of death for these patients. A follow-up examination for metachronous double primary cancer is needed in order to improve the survival time in patients with gastric cancer.

Changes of Blood Sugar and Electrolytes According to Maintenance Fluids in General Anesthesia / 대한마취과학회지

Eight patients in the state of ASA classification l, ll were investigate. Blood samples were collected before, just after, 30 minutes after and 60 minutes after induction of anesthesia. Glucose and electrolyte changes in relation to maintenance fluids in balanced and halothane anesthesia were as follows. 1) In both anesthetic techniques blood sugar level showed increasing tendency according to duration of anesthesia. 2) There were no specific changes in serum electrolytes related to type of anesthesia. 3) The administration of D/S and H/D showed a little increase in Na+ and Cl- level compared to the administration of just DsW. 4) The administration of H/d showed less increase in K+ level than the administration of DsW or D/S. 5) Just after induction of anesthesia the K+ level increased a little and decreased gradually thereafter.