Improving the care of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients: perspectives and strategies for IBD center management

The incidence and prevalence rates of inf lammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been increasing in East Asian countries over the past few decades. Accordingly, the general understanding and awareness of IBD among healthcare professionals has increased considerably in this region. This increase is ultimately associated with the evolving focus of IBD clinicians devoted to comprehensive patient care, especially in establishing IBD clinics/centers capable of providing multidisciplinary counseling. Comprehensive IBD care at IBD clinics/centers usually includes surgical and medication decision-making, transition from pediatric to adult clinics, care of extraintestinal manifestations, care of infectious diseases in patients undergoing immunomodulatory or biologic therapies, and nutritional, psychosocial, socioeconomic, and pharmacological care. Team members comprise specialists from various departments related to IBD and can be divided into core and ad hoc members. Usually, the scope of work in IBD clinics/centers involves patient care, patient outreach, and system management. Considering the environmental changes in IBD treatment, it is necessary to perform comprehensive IBD patient care in the form of a program based on competencies, rather than simply following the organization of previous IBD centers. The present review summarizes recent trends in IBD patient care and offers perspectives regarding IBD center management.

Improving the care of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients: perspectives and strategies for IBD center management

The incidence and prevalence rates of inf lammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been increasing in East Asian countries over the past few decades. Accordingly, the general understanding and awareness of IBD among healthcare professionals has increased considerably in this region. This increase is ultimately associated with the evolving focus of IBD clinicians devoted to comprehensive patient care, especially in establishing IBD clinics/centers capable of providing multidisciplinary counseling. Comprehensive IBD care at IBD clinics/centers usually includes surgical and medication decision-making, transition from pediatric to adult clinics, care of extraintestinal manifestations, care of infectious diseases in patients undergoing immunomodulatory or biologic therapies, and nutritional, psychosocial, socioeconomic, and pharmacological care. Team members comprise specialists from various departments related to IBD and can be divided into core and ad hoc members. Usually, the scope of work in IBD clinics/centers involves patient care, patient outreach, and system management. Considering the environmental changes in IBD treatment, it is necessary to perform comprehensive IBD patient care in the form of a program based on competencies, rather than simply following the organization of previous IBD centers. The present review summarizes recent trends in IBD patient care and offers perspectives regarding IBD center management.

Validation of Adult Fall Assessment Scale Korean Version for Adult Patients in General Hospitals in Korea / 임상간호연구

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to test the predictive validity of the Fall Assessment Scale-Korean version (FAS-K) and to find the most appropriate cutoff score to screen high-risk fall groups in adult patients in general hospitals in Korea. @*Methods@#We performed a prospective evaluation study in medical and surgical ward patients at two major general hospitals in Seoul. Data were collected from Nov. 1, 2018 to Feb. 28, 2019, nurses performed 651 observation series. The researcher measured the fall risk assessment score by applying FAS-K, MFS (Morse Fall Scale), and JHFRAT (Johns Hopkins Hospital Fall Risk Assessment tool) to the patients twice a week between 10 am and 12 noon. Data were analyzed using Pearson's corelation coefficients, and the sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and the area under the curve (AUC) of the three tools. Results: The FAS-K was positively correlated with the MFS (r=.70, p<.001) and the JHFRAT (r=.82, p<.001). According to the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis of the FAS-K, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative prediction values were 85.3%, 49.4%, 8.5%, and 98.4%, respectively, when the FAS-K score was 4. Therefore, the cut-off score of the FAS-K to identify groups with high fall risk was 4. @*Conclusion@#The FAS-K is a valid tool for measuring fall risk in adult inpatients.In addition, the FAS-K score, 4, can be used to identify high-risk fall groups and know specific points in time to provide active interventions to prevent falls.

A Model of the Quality of Life in Patients with Crohn’s Disease / 기본간호학회지

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to develop and test a structural model for quality of life (QoL) in patients with Crohn’s disease. @*Methods@#A total of 273 patients with Crohn’s disease were surveyed during their outpatient visits in the department of gastrointestinal internal medicine. Assessment tools consisted of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire for QoL, Perceived Stress Scale for stress, Beck Depression Inventory-II for depression, Fatigue Scale for fatigue, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support for social support. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and factor analysis. @*Results@#The modified model showed a good fit for the data. The model fit indices were x2=9.36 (p=.671), RMSEA=.00, SRMR=.03, GFI=.99, AGFI=.97, NFI=.96, and CFI=1.00. The structure of the model demonstrated that disease severity, depression, stress, and social support explained 67.9% of the QoL of Crohn’s disease patients. The results showed that social support for patients with Crohn’s disease was high in terms of QoL; furthermore, when disease severity, depression, and stress were low, QoL was high. @*Conclusion@#The results of this study show that disease severity, depression, stress, and social support have an important effect on the QoL of patients with Crohn’s disease. Therefore, it is necessary to take these variables into consideration when developing nursing interventions.

A Case Report of Precocious Puberty in Children Associated with Hypothalamic Hamartoma in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 / 대한소아신경학회지

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common neurocutaneous syndrome that presents with multiple café-au-lait spots, skinfold freckling, dermatofibromas, neurofibromas, and Lisch nodules. Mutations of the NF1 gene, encoding the protein neurofibromin, have been identified as the cause of this disease. NF1 can also present with precocious puberty and be associated with optic pathway tumors. Hypothalamic hamartoma as the cause of precocious puberty in patients with NF1 has been rarely described in the literature. Here, we report the findings for a patient with NF1 and precocious puberty associated with a hypothalamic hamartoma who had a newly discovered 14-bp deletion mutation in exon 5 of NF1. To our knowledge, this is the first time this combination is reported in the literature.

Endovascular Treatment of a Saccular Aneurysm in the Celiomesenteric Trunk: A Case Report and Review of Literature

To present a world-first case of a successful endovascular treatment of a celiomesenteric trunk (CMT) aneurysm. A 45-year-old man had an asymptomatic saccular aneurysm in a rare anomaly of CMT. Endovascular multiple micro-coil embolization of the common hepatic artery, splenic artery and the aneurysm was done, followed by a stent-graft deployment in the superior mesenteric artery covering the orifice to the aneurysm. Postoperative course was uneventful. Only 21 cases have been previously reported in the literature, and all were treated by open surgeries. Endovascular therapy can be safely done in selected cases of a CMT aneurysm with sufficient collaterals to the liver and spleen.

Clinical and Pathological Findings of Renal Biopsy in Children: Outcomes from a Single Center Over 27 Years

PURPOSE: To classify the results of renal biopsy in pediatric patients and to compare pathological findings with clinical features. METHODS: This study included data of 318 children who underwent renal biopsy at our hospital between December 1987 and November 2014. Biopsy specimens were examined histopathologically using light, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. RESULTS: Asymptomatic urinary abnormalities was the most common clinical diagnosis (35.9%), followed by nephrotic syndrome (29.3%), and acute glomerulonephritis (18.0%). Glomerular disease was identified in 98.1% of the renal biopsy specimens. The most common primary cause of glomerulonephritis was IgA nephropathy, with gross hematuria in 61.9% of the patients, hypertension in 14.2%, proteinuria >1.0 gm/24-hr in 33.3%, and impaired renal function in 3.6% patients. CONCLUSION: The most common clinical diagnosis was asymptomatic urinary abnormalities, with primary glomerular disease being the most common renal biopsy finding, and IgA nephropathy the most common histopathological lesion. This study provides a 27-year overview of pediatric renal disease at our center and underlines the importance of renal biopsy for accurate diagnosis and proper management.

Response of Vancomycin according to Steroid Dosage in Pediatric Patients with Culture-Proven Bacterial Meningitis

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combined vancomycin and steroid therapy for the treatment of culture-proven bacterial meningitis in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified a total of 86 pediatric patients with culture-positive cerebrospinal fluid who were treated at our facility between 2005 and 2015. Ten of these patients (5 boys and 5 girls) received first-line treatment with vancomycin as the initial form of therapy. All cultured bacteria were sensitive to vancomycin. We retrospectively analyzed these cases to examine the relationship between concomitant steroid dosage and antibiotic treatment effectiveness. RESULTS: Nine of the 10 patients included in our analysis received steroid treatment. Of these, 3 received high-dose steroid therapy and 6 received low-dose steroid therapy. Five patients did not respond to vancomycin, including all 3 patients in the high-dose steroid group and 2 patients in the low-dose steroid group. Our analysis confirmed that the response rate to vancomycin treatment was significantly reduced in accordance with steroid dosage (P = 0.035). Patients who did not to respond to vancomycin with concomitant high-dose steroid administration improved clinically after the substitution of vancomycin with teicoplanin. CONCLUSION: The use of steroids, especially in high doses, may impair the effectiveness of vancomycin for treating bacterial meningitis in pediatric patients. Physicians should be cautious when administering concomitant steroid therapy and should carefully monitor the steroid dosage.

Recent Chemotherapy Reduces the Maximum-Standardized Uptake Value of 18F-Fluoro-Deoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of recent chemotherapy on the patterns of the maximum-standardized uptake value (M-SUV) and sensitivity of 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) in colorectal cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the FDG-PET/CT of 509 patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer. Subgroup analysis was performed according to chemotherapy status; 401 patients were not treated with chemotherapy and 108 patients were treated with chemotherapy within 6 months prior to surgery. Pathologic analysis of the surgical specimen was used as the gold standard. RESULTS: The M-SUV was significantly lower in patients treated with chemotherapy than in those not treated with chemotherapy in pathologically confirmed same stages of disease. The difference in the sensitivity of the M-SUV according to chemotherapy status was greatest using a cutoff M-SUV value of 6.4 (p<0.001). The longest diameter of the primary tumor was the most important factor that correlated with M-SUV of the primary tumor irrespective of the chemotherapy effect (p<0.001). The M-SUV of the primary tumor was not an independent predictor of lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the M-SUV of FDG-PET/CT should be interpreted in the context of concurrent chemotherapy.

The Role of High Mobility Group Box 1 in Innate Immunity

With growing accounts of inflammatory diseases such as sepsis, greater understanding the immune system and the mechanisms of cellular immunity have become primary objectives in immunology studies. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a ubiquitous nuclear protein that is implicated in various aspects of the innate immune system as a damage-associated molecular pattern molecule and a late mediator of inflammation, as well as in principal cellular processes, such as autophagy and apoptosis. HMGB1 functions in the nucleus as a DNA chaperone; however, it exhibits cytokine-like activity when secreted by injurious or infectious stimuli. Extracellular HMGB1 acts through specific receptors to promote activation of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway, leading to production of cytokines and chemokines. These findings further implicate HMGB1 in lethal inflammatory diseases as a crucial regulator of inflammatory, injurious, and infectious responses. In this paper, we summarize the role of HMGB1 in inflammatory and non-inflammatory states and assess potential therapeutic approaches targeting HMGB1 in inflammatory diseases.

Clinical significance of genital injury, detection of sperm, acid phosphatase activity, prostate specific acid phosphatase activity as proof of rape / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: By examining the rates of genital injury, sperm detection, significant acid phosphatase (ACP) and prostate specific acid phosphatase (PAP) activity of 633 women reported that they were raped, we analyzed the significance of these factors as proof of rape. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of genital injury, sperm detection, ACP and PAP activity of 633 women who had visited National Police Hospital to report forced sexual intercourse from September 1st, 2005 to March 31st, 2007. RESULTS: The rate of having genital injuries was 16.27% and the rate of detecting sperm in vagina was 36.6% in 633 female victims. The total detection rate of ACP (>300 U/L) was 30.4% and the detection rate of ACP (>300 U/L) was lower than 50% if the time interval was over 24 hrs after being raped even though sperm was detected in vaginal smear. The ACP activity and PAP activity showed almost same results. CONCLUSION: The rates of genital injury, sperm detection, significant ACP activity (>300 U/L) were lower than we expected. Therefore even though these factors are important evidences proving that the victims were raped, it is not easy to conclude that the victims were not raped just because these factors does not fully supporting the case.

A Case of Splenic Pseudocyst Difficult to Differentiate from Splenic Lymphangioma / 대한소화기학회지

Splenic pseudocyst is a rare complication of abdominal trauma. Although it is rare, splenic pseudocyst is well-documented in the literature. According to the current classification, approximately 30% of all splenic cysts or pseudocysts result from direct abdominal trauma. In addition, chronic pancreatitis leads to change of nearby organs with possible acute and chronic complications including splenic lesions. This unusual complication can occur in both emergent and nonemergent conditions. The useful diagnostic procedures to assess intrasplenic pseudocyst are sonogram, CT scan, splenic scan, and occasionally angiography. However, definite diagnosis of pseudocyst is possible only after splenectomy when the absence of epithelial lining is confirmed histologically. Splenic pseudocyst requires surgical resection. We experienced a 31-year-old man who confirmed of warmness in the left side of back with left upper quadrant abdominal pain for several months. First impression was splenic lymphangioma based on CT scan and sonogram finding. Splenectomy was performed. Microscopic examination revealed splenic pseudocyst with fibrous capsule without epithelial lining.

A Case of Venous Thrombosis developed in a woman taking Oral Contraceptives with Antithrombin III, Protein C and Protein S deficiencies / 대한산부인과학회지

Oal contraceptives are one of the most frequently used methods of hormonal contraception. In general, oral contraceptives have proven to be safe for most women. However, the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are increased in women taking oral contraceptives. We have experienced a case of a woman who had superior mesenteric venous (SMV) and portal vein thromboses on taking oral contraceptives with antithrombin III, protein C, and protein S deficiencies.

A Case of Heterotopic Pregnancy in a Natural Cycle / 대한불임학회지

Heterotopic pregnancy is the coexistency of intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancy. The incidence of heterotopic pregnancy is about 1 to 30,000 pregnancy in a natural cycle. However, the frequency of heterotopic pregnancy has steadily increased because of rising incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease, pelvic surgery and the development of ovulation induction and assisted reproduction. Because heterotopic pregnancy is difficult to diagnose and it has high morbidity and mortality rate, one should always take this into consideration and should conduct careful and thorough gynecologic evaluation. We have experienced a case of heterotopic pregnancy in a 29-year old woman who presented with acute abdominal pain in a natural cycle and report this case with a brief review of literature.

A 21-day Schedule of Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Administration in the Treatment of Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: a Phase II Study / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine and cisplatin combination chemotherapy, we conducted a phase II study of this regimen in patients with advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2001 to August 2003, 36 chemotherapy- naive patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC were enrolled. The median age was 59 years (range, 42 to 75 years), and performance status was 0 or 1. Eleven patients had stage IIIB disease, and 25 patients had stage IV disease. 1, 000 mg/m2 of gemcitabine was administered on day 1 & 8, and 60 mg/m2 of cisplatin was administered on day 1. Each cycle was repeated every 21 days. RESULTS: Everyone subject who participated were assessable. A total of 160 cycles of chemotherapy were delivered, and the median number of chemotherapy courses was 3.5 (range, 2 to 9). Two patients (5.6%) achieved a complete response, and 14 patients (38.9%) achieved a partial response. The overall response rate was 44.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 32.5 to 56.5%). The median follow-up duration was 9.3 months. The median time to disease progression was 8.6 months (95% CI 7.4 to 9.9 months), and median survival time was 12.2 months (95% CI, 10.5 to 12.9 months). Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 9 patients (25.0%), neutropenic fever occurred in 3 patients (8.3%), and grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia occurred in 7 patients (19.5%). Mild forms of non-hematologic toxicities, such as nausea, vomiting or skin reactions, were observed. CONCLUSION: The combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin in a 21-day schedule is an effective regimen for patients with NSCLC in its advanced stages.

A Gynecologic Aspects of Child Sexual Abuse / 대한산부인과학회잡지

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate victims of child sexual abuse and assess the similarities and differences between them. METHODS: The authors studied retrospectively 55 patients among 230 sexual abuse victims between the ages 2 and 13 who visited and were treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Police Hospital between the dates Oct, 13, 2001 and Mar, 25, 2003 were followed and observed. RESULTS: Female infants and children composed 94.5% instances of sexual abuse were most common between 4 and 7 o'clock in the afternoon. Unlike adult cases, assailants were in most cases acquaintances (55.5%), and the crimes were committed most often at the homes of either victim or assailant (50.9%). 38.2% of victims had been directed to the National Police Hospital from police stations, 21.8% from other hospitals. Diagnosis resulted in 5.5% of cases with no observable symptoms, 18.2% with lacerations, among these cases 1 instance (1.8%) requiring surgical repair. 1 case each of Gonorrhea and genital herpes were found, with no instances of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Child sexual abuse results in life-long bodily and psychological stress for both the victim and his/her family. Witnesses are in some cases unable to testify in legal proceedings, and the gathering of evidence is more difficult than in adult cases. This could lead to frequent social and legal negligence. Cooperation among such numerous and various professional institutions as hospitals, child guidance clinics, child psychiatrists, police, prosecutory offices and the courts is requisite to the settlement of these cases. Since the gynecologist plays the leading role in the identification and treatment of child and infant sexual abuse victims, and is often the first to come in contact with these cases, careful attention is required in the processes of inspection, inquiry, evidence collection, treatment and diagnosis.

Oxaliplatin with Biweekly, Low Dose Leucovorin and Bolus and Continuous Infusion 5-fluorouracil (Modified FOLFOX 4) as First-line Therapy for Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: To determine the activity and toxicities of low dose leucovorin (LV) plus fluorouracil (5-FU) regimen, combined with oxaliplatin every two weeks (modified FOLFOX 4), as a first-line therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2001 and August 2003, fifty-five patients were enrolled in this study. Patients were treated with oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 as a 2-hour infusion at days 1 plus LV 20 mg/m2 over 10 minutes, followed by 5-FU bolusa 400 mg/m2 bolus and 22 hour continuous infusion of 600 mg/m2 5-FU at day 1~2. This treatment was repeated in 2 week intervals. RESULTS: The objective response rate was 40% on an intent-to-treatment analysis. Three patients (6%) demonstrated a complete response and nineteen patients (38%) showeda partial response. Sixteen patients (32%) showed a stable disease and eleven patients (22%) progressed during the course of the treatment. The median time to progression and overall survival time wereas 6.6 months (95% CI: 4.98~8.02 months) and the median overall survival time was 17.0 months (95% CI: 9.15~24.85 months) from the start of the chemotherapy, respectively. A total of 275 cycles were analyzed for toxicity. Major hematologic toxicities included grade 1~2 anemia (23.5%), neutropenia (25.3%) and thrombocytopenia (10.6%). There were only 2 cycles of neutropenic fever. The most common non- hematologic toxicities were grade 1~2 nausea/vomiting (10.9%), diarrhea (9.1%) and grade 1 neuropathy (18.0%). There was no treatment related death. CONCLUSION: The modified folfox 4 regimen is safe and effective regimen as a first-line therapy in advanced colorectal cancer patients.

Impact of the New AJCC Staging System and Adjuvant Treatment in Rectal Cancer / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The combination of chemoradiation and fluorouracil based chemotherapy has been the standard adjuvant treatment for colorectal cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate treatment outcome of patients classified by the new AJCC staging system and to compare treatment outcome of oral doxifluridine and the standard Mayo Clinic regimen after chemoradiation in advanced rectal cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred nine patients underwent curative surgical resection and chemoradiation followed by chemotherapy. 45 Gy pelvic irradiation was given to the entire pelvis and the boost radiation with 50.4 to 54 Gy, and simultaneously 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 375 mg/m2/day was given on day 1~3 and 26~28. After the completion of chemoradiation, patients were given either 6 cycles of the Mayo Clinic regimen (5-FU 425 mg/m2 plus leucovorin 20 mg/m2 intravenous bolus infusion on day 1~5, every 4 weeks) or oral doxifluridine (600 mg/m2/day) for 1 year. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 30 months. Among 102 evaluable patients, 38 patients (37.3%) relapsed: the locoregional recurrence in 10 patients (9.8%) and systemic relapse in 28 patients (27.5%). The systemic relapse rate was 15.6% in the stage IIA, 25.0% in the stage IIIB, and 59.1% in the stage IIIC (p=0.048). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was significantly higher in the IIA and IIIA patients than the IIIB and IIIC patients (72% and 100% vs 48.1% and 11.2%, respectively. p<0.001). The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was also significantly different between in the IIA/IIIA patients and the IIIB/IIIC (67.3%/100% vs 48.4%/22.3%. p<0.001). However, the difference in DFS or OS between the oral doxifluridine group and the Mayo Clinic regimen group was not significant. Cox regression multivariate analyses showed that the new AJCC stage and tumor differentiation were significant independent prognostic factors in DFS and OS. CONCLUSION: These results support that the new AJCC staging system is superior to Dukes' staging system in the prognostic stratification. Regarding DFS and OS, oral doxifluridine is comparable to the standard Mayo Clinic regimen in rectal cancer patients when combined with postoperative chemoradiation. Stage IIIC patients should be selected for aggressive therapy as they have a dismal prognosis.

A case of eosinophilic pneumonia under chemotherapy with the combination of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for colon cancer / 대한내과학회지

The combination of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin is the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agents in colon cancer. The most frequent adverse effects include mucositis, diarrhea and myelosuppression. But it has never been reported that eosinophilic pneumonia developed. A 50-year-old woman with a history of colon cancer was treated by chemotherapy with a combination of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin. Progressive dyspnea and bilateral pulmonary interstitial infiltrates developed. Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage confirmed pulmonary eosinophilia. Clinical and radiologic aspects of eosinophilic pneumonia cleared after discontinuation of chemotherapy. We report the first case of eosinophilic pneumonia induced by 5-fluorouacil and leucovorin administration in a patient with colon cancer.

A Case of Pelvic Actinomycosis / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Actinomycosis is a chronic, progressive, suppurative disease which present some difficulty in establishing a correct preoperative diagnosis. Because pelvic actinomycosis has variable nonspecific clinical manifestations. Actinomyces species are gram-positive, non-acid fast, anaerobic bacteria that exhibit branching filamentous growth. After trauma, surgery, or other infection that alter the host's mucosal barriers, these organism advance to invade surrounding tissues and organs. Recent reports have demonstrated an increased incidence in women using Intrauterine device (IUD). It is accounted that IUD cause chronic intrauterine infection, tissue injury, and act as nucleus for parasitic infestation. We have experienced a cause of pelvic actinomycosis in a 37-year-old woman using IUD and report it with brief review of literature.