Performance of Diabetes and Kidney Disease Screening Scores in Contemporary United States and Korean Populations

Background@#Risk assessment tools have been actively studied, and they summarize key predictors with relative weights/importance for a disease. Currently, standardized screening scores for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD)—two key global health problems—are available in United States and Korea. We aimed to compare and evaluate screening scores for DM (or combined with prediabetes) and CKD, and assess the risk in contemporary United States and Korean populations. @*Methods@#Four (2×2) models were evaluated in the United States-National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2015–2018) and Korea-NHANES (2016–2018)—8,928 and 16,209 adults. Weighted statistics were used to describe population characteristics. We used logistic regression for predictors in the models to assess associations with study outcomes (undiagnosed DM and CKD) and diagnostic measures for temporal and cross-validation. @*Results@#Korean adult population (mean age 47.5 years) appeared to be healthier than United States counterpart, in terms of DM and CKD risks and associated factors, with exceptions of undiagnosed DM, prediabetes and prehypertension. Models performed well in own country and external populations regarding predictor-outcome association and discrimination. Risk tests (high vs. low) showed area under the curve >0.75, sensitivity >84%, specificity >45%, positive predictive value >8%, and negative predictive value >99%. Discrimination was better for DM, compared to the combined outcome of DM and prediabetes, and excellent for CKD due to age. @*Conclusion@#Four easy-to-use screening scores for DM and CKD are well-validated in contemporary United States and Korean populations. Prevention of DM and CKD may serve as first-step in public health, with these self-assessment tools as basic tools to help health education and disparity.

Evidence of Long-Distance Droplet Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by Direct Air Flow in a Restaurant in Korea

Background@#The transmission mode of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is primarily known as droplet transmission. However, a recent argument has emerged about the possibility of airborne transmission. On June 17, there was a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Korea associated with long distance droplet transmission. @*Methods@#The epidemiological investigation was implemented based on personal interviews and data collection on closed-circuit television images, and cell phone location data.The epidemic investigation support system developed by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency was used for contact tracing. At the restaurant considered the site of exposure, air flow direction and velocity, distances between cases, and movement of visitors were investigated. @*Results@#A total of 3 cases were identified in this outbreak, and maximum air flow velocity of 1.2 m/s was measured between the infector and infectee in a restaurant equipped with ceiling-type air conditioners. The index case was infected at a 6.5 m away from the infector and 5 minutes exposure without any direct or indirect contact. @*Conclusion@#Droplet transmission can occur at a distance greater than 2 m if there is direct air flow from an infected person. Therefore, updated guidelines involving prevention, contact tracing, and quarantine for COVID-19 are required for control of this highly contagious disease.

Usefulness of Community Health Survey for Regional Disparity Study in Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do / 農村醫學 地域保健

OBJECTIVE@#In Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, Korea, we wanted to determine if the sluggish local economy could affect citizens' health behaviors, especially mental health.@*METHODS@#We divided Gunsan-si into 5 living areas and conducted Small-Area Estimations and confirmed the modified compound estimation value using the 2013-2017 Community Health Survey data and population data from Gunsan-si.@*RESULTS@#The health behaviors and mental health of the residents of the western living area(Soryong-dong, Misung-dong), which is an industrial hub of Gunsan, had deteriorated or decreased compared to those of other regions.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Although there are limitations in analyzing the community health survey data using the small-area estimation method, it could be useful data for evaluating regional gaps and health level.

The Clinical Characteristics of Residents in Primary Health Care Posts of Islands Operated by Hospital Ship in Jeollanam-do Province / 農村醫學 地域保健

No abstract available.

Serial Micro-CT Assessment of the Therapeutic Effects of Rosiglitazone in a Bleomycin-Induced Lung Fibrosis Mouse Model

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the therapeutic effects of rosiglitazone with serial micro-CT findings before and after rosiglitazone administration in a lung fibrosis mouse model induced with bleomycin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We instilled the bleomycin solution directly into the trachea in twenty mice (female, C57BL/6 mice). After the instillation with bleomycin, mice were closely observed for 3 weeks and then all mice were scanned using micro-CT without sacrifice. At 3 weeks, the mice were treated with rosiglitazone on days 21 to 27 if they had abnormal CT findings (n = 9, 45%). For the mice treated with rosiglitazone, we performed micro-CT with mouse sacrifice 2 weeks after the rosiglitazone treatment completion. We assessed the abnormal CT findings (ground glass attenuation, consolidation, bronchiectasis, reticular opacity, and honeycombing) using a five-point scale at 3 and 6 weeks using Wilcoxon-signed ranked test. The micro-CT findings were correlated with the histopathologic results. RESULTS: One out of nine (11.1%) mice improved completely. In terms of consolidation, all mice (100%) showed marked decrease from 3.1 +/- 1.4 at 3 weeks to 0.9 +/- 0.9 at 6 weeks (p = 0.006). At 6 weeks, mild bronchiectasis (n = 6, 66.7%), mild reticular opacity (n = 7, 77.8%) and mild honeycomb patterns (n = 3, 33.3%) appeared. CONCLUSION: A serial micro-CT enables the evaluation of drug effects in a lung fibrosis mouse model.

Assessment of Therapeutic Response of Ablated Lesion after Radiofrequency Ablation in Patients with Unresectable Lung Malignancies by Multiphase Contrast-enhanced MRI

PURPOSE: We evaluated which phase was important to recognize local progression of an ablated zone after RFA on multiphase contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) in patients with unresectable lung malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients who had unresectable lung malignancy underwent multiphase CE-MRI examinations immediately after RFA. We evaluated the enhancement patterns of the ablated zone on multiphase CE-MRI: type I, no enhancement of the ablated zone; type II, enhancement of the ablated margin; type III, heterogeneous enhancement of the ablated zone. We evaluated the association enhancement type with local progression of the ablated zone on the follow up CT using Spearman's ranked test. RESULTS: In complete ablation, the enhancement pattern was types I (11.1%) or II (88.9%). In unsuccessfully treated, type II (57.1%) or III (42.9%) pattern observed in the arterial phase. However, types II (21.4%) and III (78.6%) observed in the venous, and types II (7.1%) and III (92.9%) observed equilibrium phases. Local progression of the ablated zone was associated with the enhancement pattern in equilibrium phases (r=0.8, p < .05). CONCLUSION: Equilibrium phases on multiphase CE-MRI might play a more important role in evaluating an ablated zone for predicting local recurrence after RFA.

Needs Assessment for the Beneficiaries of Home-Based Cancer Patients Management Project / 農村醫學 地域保健

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to investigate the service needs of the beneficiaries who had enrolled in home-based management programs for cancer patients. METHODS: From March to May 2009, 676 cancer patients who were registered in home-based cancer patient management programs were selected as subjects for this study. The data were collected using a questionnaire along with a face-to-face interview performed by officers in charge of the home-based care programs of 47 regional health centers. Fifteen patients were excluded due to incomplete data, leaving 661 subjects who were ultimately enrolled in the study. RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 64.0 +/- 12.5 years, and males comprised 45.1% (298/661) of the sample. The results of factor analysis for service needs showed that there were five main categories and Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.593 to 0.890 for each factor. The service needs categories in order of importance were social support, information and education, psychological problems, physical symptoms and household chores. The service needs scores were significantly different when subjects were stratified by age, habitation, religion and disease classification. When we divided the subjects into complete remission, under treatment and terminally ill groups, the needs scores of the terminally ill patient group were significantly higher than those of the other groups (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Service provision based on patient and beneficiary needs could be an effective intervention to reduce the economic burden of cancer management and to improve the quality of life of cancer patients receiving home-based care. Therefore, it is recommended that individual cancer patient care programs be developed and administered according to patient age, habitation and disease severity.

The Prognostic Significance of the Tumor-Infiltrating FoxP3-Positive Regulatory T Cells in Gastric Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are known to be key regulators of immune responses in patients with autoimmune disease and infection and also for attenuating antitumor immunity by the host. It has been reported that high numbers of tumor-infiltrating Tregs might be associated with poor clinical outcomes for several malignant tumors. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the impact of tumor-infiltrating Tregs on the prognosis of gastric carcinoma patients. METHODS: The immunohistochemical staining for anti-fork head Box P3 (FoxP3) antibody was performed by using a 3 mm core from the tumor specimens of each of the 173 gastric cancer patients for constructing a tissue microarray. FoxP3-positive Tregs were quantified by calculating the numbers of positive cells per 5 high-power fields on light microscopy. Thereafter, the 173 patients were subdivided into the low Tregs group ( 3/5 HPF, n = 132). RESULTS: The high Tregs group was significantly associated with a higher stage, more invasion depth and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.009, p = 0.036, p = 0.006, respectively). The high Tregs group showed significantly poorer overall survival and event-free survival (p = 0.004, p = 0.017, respectively) on the univariate analysis. The Tregs group and the tumor, node and metastasis stage were also independent prognostic factors that were significantly associated with overall survival (p = 0.025, p < 0.001, respectively) by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that a high number of tumor-infiltrating FoxP3-positive Tregs could be an indicator of poor long term survival for gastric carcinoma patients.

Simple Method of Counterclockwise Isthmus Conduction Block by Comparing Double Potentials and Flutter Cycle Length

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Local wide split double potentials are used as a parameter to determine complete conduction block during cavotricuspid isthmus ablation in patients with isthmus dependent atrial flutter. However, delayed slow conduction in that region can sometimes be very difficult to differentiate from complete block. Flutter cycle length (FCL) can be used to confirm isthmus conduction block, because FCL is a measure of conduction time around the tricuspid annulus (TA). This study was designed to determine which degree of splitting of the local electrograms is adequate to confirm complete isthmus block, using FCL as a reference. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation was performed in fifty consecutive patients. The interval between the pacing stimulus on the lateral side of the CTI and the first component of the double potentials on the block line (SD1) corresponded to the counterclockwise conduction time. The interval between the pacing stimulus and second component (SD2) represented the clockwise conduction time to the contralateral side of the ablation line. SD1 and SD2 were measured before and after complete isthmus block. RESULTS: An SD1+SD2 reaching 90% of the FCL identified the counterclockwise isthmus conduction block with 94% sensitivity and 100% specificity. CONCLUSION: If the sum of SD1 and SD2 following isthmus ablation was close to the FCL, complete conduction block was predicted with high diagnostic accuracy and positive predictive value for at least counterclockwise conduction.

Comparison of Passive Hemagglutination and Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay for the Diagnosis of Scrub typhus / 감염과화학요법

The gold standard for the serologic detection of scrub typhus is the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), however the passive hemagglutination assay (PHA) is commonly used method in Korea because of its availability, easy handling. We compared the sensitivity of PHA and IFA to compare their effectiveness in diagnosing scrub typhus. Out of 35 patients who were eventually diagnosed of scrub typhus by positive IFA, 19 patients (54%) were also tested positive for PHA during the acute phase (titer=1:80). Whereas 30 patients (85%) were positive in IFA during the acute phase. During the recovery phase 30 (85%) patients were positive in PHA, whereas all patients were found to be positive in IFA. Patients with 4-fold or greater rise of antibody were 12 (34.3%) in PHA, and 19 (54.3%) in IFA. We note that IFA has better sensitivity over PHA in detecting scrub typhus.

Percutaneous Transthoracic Cutting Needle Biopsy of Pulmonary Lesions: Comparison of the Use of 18 and 20 Gauge Needles

PURPOSE: We evaluated the usefulness of a CT guided percutaneous transthoracic cutting needle biopsy (PCNB) using a 20 gauge (G) needle for pulmonary lesions after a comparison with the use of an 18 G needle for diagnostic accuracy and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From August 2005 to July 2007, 433 patients underwent a CT guided PCNB. A total of 191 patients were excluded from the study as these patients had benign lesions seen after PCNB, but did not receive a confirmation biopsy or undergo follow-up (> 1 year). We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy for the use of PCNB using the Chi-squared test and analyzed which factors (location and size of lesions, diameter of the needle, distance between the pleura and lesions, presence or not of emphysema) were related to occurrence of a pneumothorax after PCNB using a multi-variant regression test. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy for malignant lesions with the use of an 18 G and a 20 G needle were 95.4% and 97%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for the use of an 18 G needle were 95.7 %, 100%, 100%, and 91.6%. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 97.8%, 100%, 100%, and 95.0% for the use of a 20 G needle. A pneumothorax occurred in 5.5% (24/433) of the cases and was closely related to the distance from the pleura to the lesions. CONCLUSION: CT guided PCNB with the use of a 20 gauge needle provided good diagnostic accuracy and the procedure is safe to perform.

Expression of Claudin-1, p53 and E-cadherin in Pseudoepitheliomatous Hyperplasia and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

BACKGROUND: Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (PEH) is a reactive proliferation of surface epithelium and can be confused with invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in head and neck biopsy specimens. To distinguish PEH from invasive SCC, immunohistochemical staining for claudin-1, E-cadherin and p53 was performed. METHODS: Eighteen cases of PEH and 29 invasive SCC from head and neck lesions were immunostained and examined. RESULTS: The invasive SCC showed increased staining of claudin-1 (p<0.001) and p53 (p<0.001) and decreased staining of E-cadherin (p=0.005) compared to the PEH specimens. The combined score calculated by adding the positive sum of claudin-1 and p53 and subtracting E-cadherin was useful for the differentiation of SCC from PEH (89.7% sensitivity and 88.9% specificity, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The combined immunostaining for claudin-1, p53 and E-cadherin may help differentiate PEH from invasive SCC. The results of this study suggest that the increased expression of claudin-1 and p53 and the decreased expression of E-cadherin maybe markers for the aggressive growth of invasive SCC.

Percutaneous Transthoracic Needle Biopsy of Pulmonary Lesions: a National Survey of Korean Practice

PURPOSE: This study surveyed the thoracic radiologists in Korea in order to determine how they performed percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy of pulmonary lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In February 2006, fifty questionnaires were mailed to the members of the Society of Thoracic Radiology in the Republic of Korea (KSTR), and these doctors worked in academic and community hospitals. The survey consisted of multiple-choice questions regarding the radiologist's approach to a transthoracic needle biopsy (the type of practice, the imaging guidance technique, the biopsy technique, monitoring during the procedure, the assessment of pneumothorax after the procedure and the diagnostic accuracy) on the basis of the guidelines of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS)/American Thoracic Society (ATS). RESULTS: A total of 39 (66.1%) KSTR members responded. For the biopsy guidance, 16(41.0%) responder performed the procedure under CT guidance, 19(48.7%) responders performed the procedure under fluoroscopy guidance only and 4(10.3%) responders performed the procedure under either CT or fluoroscopy guidance. Fine-needle aspiration was the procedure of choice for eight (20.5%) respondents, whereas 31(79.5%) preferred performing a cutting needle biopsy. Before doing the procedure, 38(97.4%) institutions performed coagulation tests. All the respondents routinely performed follow-up imaging to determine the presence of a pneumothorax. PTNB has an overall diagnostic sensitivity of 95.8%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100%, a negative predictive value of 93.9% and an accuracy of 92.4%. CONCLUSION: Although the KSTR members already perform PTNB according to the BTS or ERS/ATS guidelines with excellent results, this survey could be a cornerstone for formulating PTNB guidelines (indications, contraindications, the pre-investigation and post observation after PTNB) in Korea.

Comparison of Passive Hemagglutination and Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay for the Diagnosis of Scrub typhus / 감염과화학요법

The gold standard for the serologic detection of scrub typhus is the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), however the passive hemagglutination assay (PHA) is commonly used method in Korea because of its availability, easy handling. We compared the sensitivity of PHA and IFA to compare their effectiveness in diagnosing scrub typhus. Out of 35 patients who were eventually diagnosed of scrub typhus by positive IFA, 19 patients (54%) were also tested positive for PHA during the acute phase (titer=1:80). Whereas 30 patients (85%) were positive in IFA during the acute phase. During the recovery phase 30 (85%) patients were positive in PHA, whereas all patients were found to be positive in IFA. Patients with 4-fold or greater rise of antibody were 12 (34.3%) in PHA, and 19 (54.3%) in IFA. We note that IFA has better sensitivity over PHA in detecting scrub typhus.

Spontaneous Resolution Rate and Predictive Factors of Resolution in Children with Primary Vesicoureteral Reflux

PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical characteristics, spontaneous resolution rate and predictive factors of resolution in children with primary vesicoureteral reflux(VUR). METHODS: Between October 1991 and July 2003, 149 children diagnosed with primary VUR at Chonbuk National University Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. All of the patients were maintained on low-dose antibiotic prophylaxis and underwent radionuclide cystograms at 1- year intervals over 3 years after the initial diagnosis of VUR by voiding cystourethrogram was made. RESULTS: The median time to resolution of VUR was 24 months and the total 3 year-cumulative resolution rate of VUR was 61.7%. The following variables were associated with resolution of VUR according to univariate analysis-; age<1 year, male gender, mild grade of reflux, unilateral reflux, congenital hydronephrosis as clinical presentation at time of diagnosis of VUR, absence of focal defects in the renal scan at diagnosis, absence of recurrent UTI, renal scars and small kidney during follow-up. After adjustment by Cox regression model, five variables remained as independent predictors of VUR resolution; age<1 year, relative risk 1.77(P<0.05), VUR grade I+II 2.98(P<0.05), absence of renal scars 2.23(P<0.05), and absence of small kidney 5.20(P<0.01) during follow-up. CONCLUSION: In this study, spontaneous resolution rate of VUR, even high grade reflux, is high in infants during medical management, and it was related to age, reflux grade at diagnosis, absence of renal scars and small kidney during follow-up. Therefore early surgical intervention should be avoided and reserved for the selected groups.

A Three-year Follow-up Study of Human Brucellosis in Korea / 감염과화학요법

BACKGROUND: The first probable case of human brucellosis in Korea was reported in 2002. Since then there has been a gradual increase in the incidence and prevalence of the disease. There has not been any long-term follow-up investigation of the clinical course and serologic profiles of the disease in Korea. The present investigation is a 3 year clinical and serologic follow-up of human brucellosis patients in Chonbuk province. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The investigation involved a total of 11 patients who were positively diagnosed with brucellosis in 2003. Clinical manifestations were evaluated either directly or via telephone interviews. The serologic follow-up was done by standard tube agglutination test (SAT). Negative sero- conversion was defined as an SAT titer less than 1:40. Early convalescence was defined as clinical manifestations of brucellosis observed within 12 months of diagnosis, and delayed convalescence was defined as clinical symptoms persisting longer than 12 months. RESULTS: A total of eleven patients (8 males and 3 females; with a mean age of 45 years) participated in the study. Ten patients were livestock workers and one was a practicing veterinarian. Three years after the initial diagnosis, chronic fatigue and arthralgia were persistently observed in more than 60% of the patients in delayed convalescence. There was no evidence of relapse or reinfection of the disease. The median duration of antibiotics treatment and serologic follow-up were 11 weeks and 22 months, respectively. Negative sero-conversion was noted between 5 and 16 months after the initiation of treatment (with a median 11 months). CONCLUSION: Although the human brucellosis patients developed chronic symptoms such as fatigue and arthralgia even after negative sero-conversion, there was no evidence of any relapse or reinfection. This may mean that antibiotic intervention is not a justifiable recommendation. We also suggest that serologic monitoring be performed for at least 16 months after the initiation of treatment.

A Three-year Follow-up Study of Human Brucellosis in Korea / 감염과화학요법

BACKGROUND: The first probable case of human brucellosis in Korea was reported in 2002. Since then there has been a gradual increase in the incidence and prevalence of the disease. There has not been any long-term follow-up investigation of the clinical course and serologic profiles of the disease in Korea. The present investigation is a 3 year clinical and serologic follow-up of human brucellosis patients in Chonbuk province. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The investigation involved a total of 11 patients who were positively diagnosed with brucellosis in 2003. Clinical manifestations were evaluated either directly or via telephone interviews. The serologic follow-up was done by standard tube agglutination test (SAT). Negative sero- conversion was defined as an SAT titer less than 1:40. Early convalescence was defined as clinical manifestations of brucellosis observed within 12 months of diagnosis, and delayed convalescence was defined as clinical symptoms persisting longer than 12 months. RESULTS: A total of eleven patients (8 males and 3 females; with a mean age of 45 years) participated in the study. Ten patients were livestock workers and one was a practicing veterinarian. Three years after the initial diagnosis, chronic fatigue and arthralgia were persistently observed in more than 60% of the patients in delayed convalescence. There was no evidence of relapse or reinfection of the disease. The median duration of antibiotics treatment and serologic follow-up were 11 weeks and 22 months, respectively. Negative sero-conversion was noted between 5 and 16 months after the initiation of treatment (with a median 11 months). CONCLUSION: Although the human brucellosis patients developed chronic symptoms such as fatigue and arthralgia even after negative sero-conversion, there was no evidence of any relapse or reinfection. This may mean that antibiotic intervention is not a justifiable recommendation. We also suggest that serologic monitoring be performed for at least 16 months after the initiation of treatment.

The Relationship between Job Stress and Psychosocial Stress among Nurses at a University Hospital / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between job stress and psychosocial stress among nurses at a university hospital in Incheon, Korea. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was administered to 476 nurses, of which 320 (67.2%) questionnaires were returned and 299 (62.8%) were regarded as containing reliable data for analyses. A structured self-reported questionnaire was used to assess each respondent's sociodemographics, sleep quality, physical burden, job stress and psychosocial stress. Seven domains of occupational stress (e.g., Job demand, Insufficient job control, Interpersonal conflict, Job insecurity, Lack of reward, Organizational system and Occupational climates) according to the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) were used and psychosocial stress was measured using Dr. Chang's PWI-SF (Psychosocial Well-being Index-Short Form). We estimated the relation of job stress to psychosocial stress using univariate and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The logistic regression analyses indicated that the groups with high stress in 'Insufficient job control' (OR=2.67, 95% C.I.=1.37-5.23), 'Interpersonal conflict' (OR=2.32, 95% C.I.=1.19-4.51), 'Job insecurity' (OR=2.51, 95% C.I.=1.17-5.36), 'Organizational system' (OR=2.80, 95% C.I.=1.39-5.63), and 'Lack of reward' (OR=2.98, 95% C.I.=1.55-5.74) were more likely to experience high psychosocial stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our results tend to suggest that job stress is associated with psychosocial stress. The importance of job stress should be acknowledged and stress management programs need to be instigated to minimize the psychosocial stress caused by job stress.

Usefulness of Dynamic MR Imaging for the Evaluation of the Solitary Pulmonary Nodules Smaller than 15 mm: Differentiation between Benign and Malignant Nodules

PURPOSE: We wanted to evaluate the usefulness of dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for differentiating between benign and malignant solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients who had an undetermined SPN (<15 mm) upon chest computed tomography (8 males and 8 females; mean age: 55 years; age range: 40-76 years) underwent dynamic MR imaging. After the bolus injection of contrast material, the arterial (20-35 seconds), portal (45-60 seconds) and equilibrium (3-5 minutes) phase T1-weighted axial images were obtained with using a volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination. For discriminating the benign from malignant SPNs, the maximum relative enhancement ratio (MER) and the slope of the enhancement (SLE) were calculated and then they were statistically compared. With varying the threshold of the two indexes, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were calculated. RESULTS: The mean MER of the malignant SPN group was significantly higher than that of the benign SPN group (malignant; 0.56+/-0.17, benign; 0.43+/-0.17). With 0.33 as the threshold of MER for distinguishing the malignant SPN group from the benign SPN group, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 100%, 70%, 50%, and 100%, respectively. The mean SLE for the benign SPN group was higher than that for the malignant SPN group (malignant; m= 0.008+/-0.006/sec, benign; m=0.013+/-0.008/sec). With 0.025 as the threshold of the SLE, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were 100%, 60%, 62.5%, 100% and 69.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Dynamic MRI was useful for differentiating between benign and malignant SPNs. Moreover, MER and SLE might be good indexes for distinguishing benign SPNs from malignant SPNs.

The Anti-inflammatory Effect of Rosiglitazone on Renal Injury in Sepsis Model / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Agonists of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma may help to regulate inflammation by modulating the production of inflammatory mediators and adhesion molecules. The purpose of this study was to determine the anti- inflammatory effects of rosiglitazone on renal injury in sepsis model. METHODS: In lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse sepsis, we examined the effect of rosiglitazone on LPS-induced overproduction of inflammatory mediators, on the expression of adhesion molecules, on the infiltration of inflammatory cells and on renal function. RESULTS: Rosiglitazone significantly decreased serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-1beta levels during sepsis. The levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were significantly lower in mice pretreated with rosiglitazone than that in LPS-treated mice. Rosiglitazone reduced the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in renal tissue of LPS-treated mice. Pretreatment with rosiglitazone reduced the infiltration of macrophages/ monocytes in renal tissue. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that pretreatment with rosiglitazone attenuated the production of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta and reduced adhesion molecule expression and infiltration of inflammatory cells in renal tissue of LPS-treated mice. Therefore, rosiglitazone may have a protective effect in maintaining renal function and reducing mortality and morbidity in sepsis.