Validity assessment of self-reported smoking status in firefighters using the urine cotinine test

Validity assessment of self-reported smoking status in firefighters using the urine cotinine test

BACKGROUND@#In firefighters, smoking management is important because they are exposed to various harmful substances in their occupational environment. Accurate surveys of smoking status are essential to control tobacco use. The main disadvantage of self-report questionnaires, which are commonly used for investigating smoking status, is the possibility that the subjects' response are invalid. If the validity of firefighters' answers on smoking questionnaires is not adequate, different methods will be needed for investigating smoking status in firefighters.@*METHODS@#This study was conducted on 445 male firefighters from 9 fire stations in Daegu (the city in South Korea) who visited a medical institution for medical checkup in 2016. The urine cotinine test strip (DCT-102; CLIAwaived Inc., cut-off value = 200 ng/mL) was used to classify the actual smoking status and to assess the validity of self-reported smoking status on questionnaires. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the smoking questionnaires were analyzed. Subjects testing positive in the urine cotinine test (assumed the actual current smokers) were selected. The frequency at which actual current smokers were misclassified as current non-smokers by the questionnaire was calculated. Subjects' characteristics were analyzed for possible association with any discrepancy between self-reported smoking status and urine cotinine test results.@*RESULTS@#The smoking rates among firefighters surveyed using the smoking questionnaire and the urine cotinine test were 22.47% and 51.24%, respectively. Of the all subjects, 29.66% (n = 132) were misclassified. The sensitivity of the smoking questionnaire was 42.98%, the specificity was 99.08%, the PPV was 98.00%, and the NPV was 62.32%. In the 228 subjects classified as current actual smokers by the urine cotinine test, 57.02% (n = 130) were misclassified on the questionnaire. The misclassification rate increased with age. The degree of misclassification also increased when subjects had a history of disease.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In present study, the validity of the smoking questionnaire for firefighters was not suitable for investigating smoking status due to low sensitivity. To increase the validity of smoking status monitoring in firefighters, consideration of the various factors like survey environment, subjects' characteristics, and occupational factors is needed.

Validity assessment of self-reported smoking status in firefighters using the urine cotinine test

BACKGROUND@#In firefighters, smoking management is important because they are exposed to various harmful substances in their occupational environment. Accurate surveys of smoking status are essential to control tobacco use. The main disadvantage of self-report questionnaires, which are commonly used for investigating smoking status, is the possibility that the subjects' response are invalid. If the validity of firefighters' answers on smoking questionnaires is not adequate, different methods will be needed for investigating smoking status in firefighters.@*METHODS@#This study was conducted on 445 male firefighters from 9 fire stations in Daegu (the city in South Korea) who visited a medical institution for medical checkup in 2016. The urine cotinine test strip (DCT-102; CLIAwaived Inc., cut-off value = 200 ng/mL) was used to classify the actual smoking status and to assess the validity of self-reported smoking status on questionnaires. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the smoking questionnaires were analyzed. Subjects testing positive in the urine cotinine test (assumed the actual current smokers) were selected. The frequency at which actual current smokers were misclassified as current non-smokers by the questionnaire was calculated. Subjects' characteristics were analyzed for possible association with any discrepancy between self-reported smoking status and urine cotinine test results.@*RESULTS@#The smoking rates among firefighters surveyed using the smoking questionnaire and the urine cotinine test were 22.47% and 51.24%, respectively. Of the all subjects, 29.66% (n = 132) were misclassified. The sensitivity of the smoking questionnaire was 42.98%, the specificity was 99.08%, the PPV was 98.00%, and the NPV was 62.32%. In the 228 subjects classified as current actual smokers by the urine cotinine test, 57.02% (n = 130) were misclassified on the questionnaire. The misclassification rate increased with age. The degree of misclassification also increased when subjects had a history of disease.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In present study, the validity of the smoking questionnaire for firefighters was not suitable for investigating smoking status due to low sensitivity. To increase the validity of smoking status monitoring in firefighters, consideration of the various factors like survey environment, subjects' characteristics, and occupational factors is needed.

A Case of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Occurring after H1N1 Influenza Vaccination / 대한내과학회지

The recent worldwide outbreak of H1N1 has led to the universal administration of H1N1 influenza vaccination, including in South Korea. Several complications have been reported with use of H1N1 influenza vaccine, but systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has not been reported as a complication until now. Here, we report a case of SLE occurrence after H1N1 influenza vaccination. A 17-year-old girl who had not been diagnosed with SLE was hospitalized with fever, myalgia, and arthralgia after H1N1 influenza vaccination. Laboratory tests revealed increased levels of antinuclear antibody and anti-ds-DNA antibody, and decreased levels of C3 and C4 as well as proteinuria. The pathological findings confirmed a diagnosis of lupus nephritis. The patient was treated with high-dose corticosteroid and hydroxychloroquine. This is the first report of SLE following H1N1 influenza vaccination in South Korea.

Typhoid Fever Complicated by Intussusception, Splenic Infarction, and Hepatitis

Salmonella typhi infections usually manifest with high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms, however, occurrence of severe complications in other organs, such as pneumonitis, bronchitis, hepatitis, nephritis, encephalitis, and osteomyelitis, is possible. Although common surgical complications include ileal perforation and gastrointestinal haemorrhage, few cases of intussusception have been reported. Splenic infarction is another uncommon complication. In this report, we present a case of typhoid fever complicated with simultaneous small bowel intussusception and splenic infarction. A 27-year-old male patient with no previous history of interest underwent examination for fever, acute abdominal pain, and watery diarrhea of seven days duration. Findings on the initial examination indicated fever of 39.1degrees C, a distended abdomen with direct and rebound tenderness of diffuse localization, and rigidity. Abdominal computed tomography showed hepatomegaly, multiple lymphadenopathies, multiple segmental splenic infarctions, and small bowel ileus with intussusception, however, findings from the small bowel enema study showed spontaneous resolution of the intussusception. Despite antibiotic therapy, abdominal symptoms continued, therefore, the patient underwent exploratory laparotomy with suspicion of intestinal perforation. Surgical findings included multiple enlarged lymphadenopathies and coarse appearance of the liver, but no perforation was found. Results of the Widal test showed positivity for flagellar (H), somatic (O) and A antigens (1:640 dilutions each). Blood cultures showed Salmonella typhi. lymph nodes and biopsy showed mesenteric lymphadenitis, with enlarged lymph nodes due to distension of the sinusoids by macrophages, which showed erythrophagocytosis and tingible bodies. In addition, liver biopsy showed a granulomatous aggregate comprised of macrophages with an epithelioid configuration. After intravenous administration of antibiotics, the patient showed progressive improvement and was discharged for outpatient department follow up.

A Case of Diabetic Foot Infection due to Leclercia adecarboxylata / 임상당뇨병

Leclercia adecarboxylata is a motile, Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic bacillus of the Enterobacteriaceae family. L. adecarboxylata is an opportunistic human pathogen that phenotypically resembles Escherichia coli, although L. adecarboxylata has been rarely isolated from clinical specimens. Here we report a case of diabetic foot infection due to L. adecarboxylata, which has never been reported in Korea.

A Case of Clostridium bifermentans Bacteremia in a Patient with Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Cases of anaerobic bacteremia are rare, and the clinical impact of clostridial bacteremia remains to be clarified. Previous clinical reports have suggested that C. bifermentans is less virulent than other Clostridia species. This microorganism has occasionally been reported to cause septic arthritis, necrotizing pneumonia with empyema, brain abscesses, endocarditis, and metastatic osteomyelitis. Herein, we report on a case of C. bifermentans bacteremia in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome in South Korea.