Direct Switch from Tiotropium to Indacaterol/Glycopyrronium in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in Korea / 결핵및호흡기질환

Background@#Many chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients receiving monotherapy continue to experience symptoms, exacerbations and poor quality of life. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of direct switch from once-daily tiotropium (TIO) 18 μg to indacaterol/glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) 110/50 μg once-daily in COPD patients in Korea. @*Methods@#This was a randomized, open-label, parallel group, 12-week trial in mild-to-moderate COPD patients who received TIO 18 μg once-daily for ≥12 weeks prior to study initiation. Patients aged ≥40 years, with predicted postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) ≥50%, post-bronchodilator FEV1/forced vital capacity <0.7 and smoking history of ≥10 pack-years were included. Eligible patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either IND/GLY or TIO. The primary objective was to demonstrate superiority of IND/GLY over TIO in pre-dose trough FEV1 at week 12. Secondary endpoints included transition dyspnea index (TDI) focal score, COPD assessment test (CAT) total score, and rescue medication use following the 12-week treatment, and safety assessment. @*Results@#Of the 442 patients screened, 379 were randomized and 347 completed the study. IND/GLY demonstrated superiority in pre-dose trough FEV1 versus TIO at week 12 (least squares mean treatment difference [Δ], 50 mL; p=0.013). Also, numerical improvements were observed with IND/GLY in the TDI focal score (Δ, 0.31), CAT total score (Δ, –0.81), and rescue medication use (Δ, –0.09 puffs/day). Both treatments were well tolerated by patients. @*Conclusion@#A direct switch from TIO to IND/GLY provided improvements in lung function and other patient-reported outcomes with an acceptable safety profile in patients with mild-to-moderate airflow limitation.

Is ambient air pollution another risk factor of tuberculosis?

No abstract available.

Effect of Donor Lymphocyte Infusion for a Patient with Isolated Knee Joint Relapse of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia after Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation / 대한혈액학회지

Isolated extramedullary relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in the absence of marrow involvement is a rare event, and the mechanisms underlying the selective involvement of extramedullary sites remain undefined. These might be due to relapse in sanctuary sites where the leukemic cells are resistant to preparative regimen, or a stronger graft-versus-leukemia effect in the marrow as compared with peripheral tissues. We report an adult ALL patient who experienced isolated extramedullary relapse in the right pretibial soft tissue and knee joint 42 months after allogeneic BMT. He was treated with localized radiotherapy followed by systemic chemotherapy and donor lymphocyte infusion. After treatment, he is currently well with no evidence of leukemia recurrence for 12 months.

All-trans Retinoic Acid induced Myositis in a Patient with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia / 대한혈액학회지

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by a specific chromosome translocation t(15;17), which fuses the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene to the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha) gene, and by a unique response to the differentiating agent all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Although ATRA does not exhibit the conventional side effects of anticancer agents, it has its own unique side effects including retinoic acid syndrome, Sweet's syndrome, and myositis. Muscular involvement associated with ATRA therapy in APL has been rarely reported. We report a case of isolated myositis induced by ATRA in the induction treatment of APL. ATRA- induced myositis has distinctive clinical features and radiologic findings that should allow its recognition in order to treat promptly with steroid therapy.