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This review article investigates solid organ transplantation-induced osteoporosis, a critical yet often overlooked issue, emphasizing its significance in post-transplant care. The initial sections provide a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and multifactorial pathogenesis of transplantation osteoporosis, including factors such as deteriorating post-transplantation health, hormonal changes, and the impact of immunosuppressive medications. Furthermore, the review is dedicated to organ-specific considerations in transplantation osteoporosis, with separate analyses for kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantations. Each section elucidates the unique challenges and management strategies pertinent to transplantation osteoporosis in relation to each organ type, highlighting the necessity of an organ-specific approach to fully understand the diverse manifestations and implications of transplantation osteoporosis. This review underscores the importance of this topic in transplant medicine, aiming to enhance awareness and knowledge among clinicians and researchers. By comprehensively examining transplantation osteoporosis, this study contributes to the development of improved management and care strategies, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes in this vulnerable group. This detailed review serves as an essential resource for those involved in the complex multidisciplinary care of transplant recipients.
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The identification of therapeutic target genes that are functionally involved in stemness is crucial to effectively cure patients with metastatic carcinoma. We have previously reported that inhibition of ribosomal protein L9 (RPL9) expression suppresses the growth of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells by inactivating the inhibitor of DNA-binding 1 (ID-1) signaling axis, which is functionally associated with cancer cell survival. In addition to cell proliferation, ID-1 is also involved in the maintenance of cancer stemness.Thus, we aimed in this study to investigate whether the function of RPL9 could correlate with CRC stem cell-like properties. Here, we demonstrated that siRNA silencing of RPL9 reduced the invasiveness and migrative capabilities of HT29 and HCT116 parental cell populations and the capacity for sphere formation in the HT29 parental cell population. CD133+ cancer stem cells (CSCs) were then separated from CD133- cancer cells of the HT29 parental cell culture and treated with RPL9-specific siRNAs to verify the effects of RPL9 targeting on stemness. As a result, knockdown of RPL9 significantly suppressed the proliferative potential of CD133+ colorectal CSCs, accompanied by a reduction in CD133, ID-1, and p-IκBα levels. In line with these molecular alterations, targeting RPL9 inhibited the invasion, migration, and sphere-forming capacity of CD133+ HT29 CSCs. Taken together, these findings suggest that RPL9 promotes CRC stemness via ID-1 and that RPL9 could be a potential therapeutic target for both primary CRC treatment and the prevention of metastasis and/or recurrence.
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Objectives@#Despite the importance of choosing and using a valid assessment tool for fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) for early detection and interventions, the validity of the FCR inventory has yet to be thoroughly investigated in Korea. This study explored the psychometric properties of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Severity (FCRI-S) subscale and assessed its applicability to cancer survivors in Korea. @*Methods@#The survey involved 93 Korean individuals who had survived cancer. The reliability of the FCRI-S subscale was assessed using Cronbach’s α and composite reliability (CR). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), along with tests for discriminant and convergent validity, was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of the FCRI-S subscale. @*Results@#The FCRI-S subscale showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.88; CR=0.89). CFA showed a good factor structure for the FCRI-S subscale, and the correlations of the FCRI-S subscale with FCR-related measures (r=0.69 to 0.80) and other psychosocial measures (r=-0.23 to 0.37) confirmed both the convergent and discriminant validity of the FCRI-S subscale. @*Conclusions@#This study confirmed the robust psychometric characteristics of the FCRI-S subscale among cancer survivors in Korea. The use of the FCRI-S subscale would be helpful for health professionals to rapidly screen FCR levels in clinical settings.
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Objectives@#. Sigmoid sinus resurfacing (SS-R) is one of the most effective surgical treatments for patients with pulsatile tinnitus (PT) originating from anatomical variants of the vascular walls in the temporal bone. This study aimed to provide updated information on the clinical outcomes of SS-R and evaluate the efficacy of the water occlusion test (WOT) as an additional diagnostic modality. @*Methods@#. We retrospectively reviewed medical records including tinnitus questionnaires, temporal bone computed tomography (TBCT) scans, audiologic tests, and preoperative WOT results from patients who underwent SS-R. @*Results@#. In total, 26 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 44 years, and the mean symptom duration was 3 months. Fourteen patients (53.8%) were completely cured, seven (26.9%) significantly improved, and five (19.2%) remained stable. The mean visual analog scale loudness score decreased from 5.26 to 1.34 (P<0.001) and the mean Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score also improved from 50.23 to 5.5 (P<0.001) after SS-R surgery. In 10 patients with discrepancies between the preoperative TBCT and intraoperative findings, WOT showed a significant additive effect in predicting surgical outcomes. No patients experienced severe intraoperative or postoperative complications during the entire follow-up period. @*Conclusion@#. SS-R provides significant symptom improvement in patients with sigmoid sinus dehiscence who had a positive WOT without other sigmoid sinus variants. A combined diagnostic approach with TBCT, WOT, and intraoperative findings is crucial for achieving better surgical outcomes in patients with PT caused by sigmoid sinus variants.
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Background@#There was limited evidence to evaluate the association between lifestyle habits and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) metrics. Thus, we aimed to depict the behavioral and metabolic determinants of CGM metrics in insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). @*Methods@#This is a prospective observational study. We analyzed data from 122 insulin-treated patients with T2DM. Participants wore Dexcom G6 and Fitbit, and diet information was identified for 10 days. Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed for the simultaneous achievement of CGM-based targets, defined by the percentage of time in terms of hyper, hypoglycemia and glycemic variability (GV). Intake of macronutrients and fiber, step counts, sleep, postprandial C-peptide-to-glucose ratio (PCGR), information about glucose lowering medications and metabolic factors were added to the analyses. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of the distribution of energy and macronutrient during a day, and snack consumption on CGM metrics. @*Results@#Logistic regression analysis revealed that female, participants with high PCGR, low glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and daytime step count had a higher probability of achieving all targets based on CGM (odds ratios [95% confidence intervals] which were 0.24 [0.09 to 0.65], 1.34 [1.03 to 1.25], 0.95 [0.9 to 0.99], and 1.15 [1.03 to 1.29], respectively). And participants who ate snacks showed a shorter period of hyperglycemia and less GV compared to those without. @*Conclusion@#We confirmed that residual insulin secretion, daytime step count, HbA1c, and women were the most relevant determinants of adequate glycemic control in insulin-treated patients with T2DM. In addition, individuals with snack consumption were exposed to lower times of hyperglycemia and GV.
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Background@#Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the major cells which play a pivotal role in liver fibrosis. During injury, extracellular stimulators can induce HSCs transdifferentiated into active form. Phloretin showed its ability to protect the liver from injury, so in this research we would like to investigate the effect of phloretin on succinate-induced HSCs activation in vitro and liver fibrosis in vivo study. @*Methods@#In in vitro, succinate was used to induce HSCs activation, and then the effect of phloretin on activated HSCs was examined. In in vivo, succinate was used to generated liver fibrosis in mouse and phloretin co-treated to check its protection on the liver. @*Results@#Phloretin can reduce the increase of fibrogenic markers and inhibits the proliferation, migration, and contraction caused by succinate in in vitro experiments. Moreover, an upregulation of proteins associated with aerobic glycolysis occurred during the activation of HSCs, which was attenuated by phloretin treatment. In in vivo experiments, intraperitoneal injection of phloretin decreased expression of fibrotic and glycolytic markers in the livers of mice with sodium succinate diet-induced liver fibrosis. These results suggest that aerobic glycolysis plays critical role in activation of HSCs and succinate can induce liver fibrosis in mice, whereas phloretin has therapeutic potential for treating hepatic fibrosis. @*Conclusion@#Intraperitoneal injection of phloretin attenuated succinate-induced hepatic fibrosis and alleviates the succinate-induced HSCs activation.
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Background@#This study aimed to investigate real-world data of C-terminal telopeptide (CTX), propeptide of type I collagen (P1NP), and osteocalcin through present multicenter clinical study, and retrospectively analyze the usefulness of bone turnover markers (BTMs) in Koreans. @*Methods@#The study focused on pre- and post-menopausal patients diagnosed with osteoporosis and excluded patients without certain test results or with test intervals of over 1 year. The demographic data and 3 BTMs (CTX, P1NP, and osteocalcin) were collected. The patients were classified by demographic characteristics and the BTM concentrations were analyzed by the group. @*Results@#Among women with no history of fractures, the levels of P1NP (N=2,100) were 43.544±36.902, CTX (N=1,855) were 0.373 ±0.927, and osteocalcin (N=219) were 10.81 ±20.631. Among men with no history of fractures, the levels of P1NP (N=221) were 48.498±52.892, CTX (N=201) were 0.370±0.351, and osteocalcin (N=15) were 7.868 ±10.674. Treatment with teriparatide increased the P1NP levels after 3 months in both men and women, with a 50% increase observed in women. Similarly, treatment with denosumab decreased the CTX levels after 3 months in both men and women, with a reduction of 50% observed in women. @*Conclusions@#The results of this study can contribute to the accurate assessment of bone replacement status in Koreans. We also provide the P1NP level in the Korean population for future comparative studies with other populations.
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Classifying patients with osteoporosis according to fracture risk and establishing adequate treatment strategies is crucial to effectively treat osteoporosis. The Korean Society for Bone and Mineral Research has issued a position statement regarding appropriate treatment strategies for postmenopausal osteoporosis. According to previous fragility fracture history, bone mineral density (BMD) test results, fracture risk assessment tool, and several clinical risk factors, fracture risk groups are classified into low, moderate, high, and very-high-risk groups. In high-risk groups, bisphosphonates (BPs) and denosumab are recommended as first-line therapies. Sequential BP treatment after denosumab discontinuation is required to prevent the rebound phenomenon. In the very high-risk group, anabolic drugs (teriparatide or romosozumab) are recommended as a first-line therapy; sequential therapy with antiresorptive agents is required to maintain BMD gain and reduce fracture risk. Fracture risk was reassessed annually, and the treatment plan was determined based on the results, according to the osteoporosis treatment algorithm for fracture risk.
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Background@#This study aimed to examine the caregiver burden in families who took care of adult burn survivors and to explore various risk factors to impact family caregiver burden. @*Methods@#Data were collected from November 2021 to February 2022 through an online survey and study participants were 92 caregivers of adult burn survivors aged 19 years or over. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and hierarchical multiple regressions were used for data analyses. @*Results@#Study participants showed medium levels of psychosocial characteristics including depressive symptoms, psychological wellbeing post-traumatic changes, and social support along with family caregiver burden.Hierarchical multiple regression results showed that sex (B=-0.34, P<0.05), marital status (B=0.38, P<0.05), depressive symptoms (B=0.53, P<0.001), and social support (B=-0.21, P<0.05) were the major factors to impact family caregiver burden. In other words, being female, being married, having high depressive symptoms, or having low social support contributed to increasing the level of caregiver burden. @*Conclusions@#Based on the study findings, we discussed practical intervention measures for reducing the burden of family caregivers of burn survivors.
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Many terminally ill cancer patients grapple with a range of physical, psychological, and social challenges. Therefore, it is critical to offer effective psychological interventions to assist them in managing these issues and enhancing their quality of life. This brief communication provides a concise overview of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), along with empirical evidence of its application for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals in hospice and palliative care settings and an overview of future directions of ACT interventions in South Korea. ACT, a third-wave type of cognitive behavioral therapy, is a model of psychological flexibility that promotes personal growth and empowerment across all life areas. Currently, there is substantial evidence from overseas supporting the effectiveness of ACT on health-related outcomes among patients with various diseases, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. The necessity and significance of conducting ACT-based empirical research in hospice and palliative care settings in South Korea are discussed.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to evaluate the environmental measures and healthcare service utilization against laboratory animal allergy (LAA) in Korea. @*Methods@#A total of 213 subjects who attended the 2018 Korean Association for Laboratory Animal Science Annual Symposium were enrolled in the study. The participants were given questionnaires on work practice controls, environmental measures, and healthcare service utilization for LAA, and underwent skin prick tests with mouse and rat epithelial allergens. Those parameters were compared between the LAA and non-LAA groups. @*Results@#The LAA group more frequently minimized the time of exposure to all laboratory animals, frequency of exposure to allergic laboratory animals, and exposure time to allergic laboratory animals than the non-LAA group (22.9% vs. 8.4%, P < 0.003; 12.9% vs. 2.1%, P = 0.001; 14.3% vs. 1.4%, P < 0.001, respectively). However, in the LAA group, wet preparation before shaving was performed less frequently (10.0% vs. 21.7%, P< 0.025), so was animal handling permission only at LAA-preventing facilities (2.9% vs. 11.9%, P < 0.030). Over 30% of the LAA group was referred to the physicians. Meanwhile, about half of them did not use any healthcare service for LAA. @*Conclusion@#Korean laboratory researchers with LAA tried to reduce exposure to allergic laboratory animals. However, they missed some potentially critical points, with half of them not using healthcare services for LAA. Further efforts are warranted to focus on the nationwide surveillance, prevention, and control for LAA in Korea.
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Background@#We aimed to investigate the moderating effects of obesity, age, and sex on the association between sleep duration and the development of diabetes in Asians. @*Methods@#We analyzed data from a cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study conducted from 2001 to 2020. After excluding shift workers and those with diabetes at baseline, 7,407 participants were stratified into three groups according to sleep duration: ≤5 hoursight, >5 to 7 hoursight (reference), and >7 hoursight. The Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Subgroup analyses were performed according to obesity, age, and sex. @*Results@#During 16 years of follow-up, 2,024 cases of T2DM were identified. Individuals who slept ≤5 hight had a higher risk of incident diabetes than the reference group (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.33). The subgroup analysis observed a valid interaction with sleep duration only for obesity. A higher risk of T2DM was observed in the ≤5 hoursight group in non-obese individuals, men, and those aged 7 hoursight group in obese individuals (HRs were 1.34 [95% CI, 1.11 to 1.61], 1.22 [95% CI, 1 to 1.49], and 1.18 [95% CI, 1.01 to 1.39], respectively). @*Conclusion@#This study confirmed the effect of sleep deprivation on the risk of T2DM throughout the 16-year follow-up period. This impact was confined to non-obese or young individuals and men. We observed a significant interaction between sleep duration and obesity.
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Background/Aims@#There is increasing evidence that supplementation with pre- and probiotics appears to have positive effects on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a new synbiotic formulation on gastrointestinal symptoms in elderly patients with IBS. @*Methods@#Sixty-seven IBS patients aged ≥60 years were randomly assigned to either a placebogroup (n=34) or a synbiotic group (n=33). During a 4-week intervention, subjects used a placebo or a synbiotic containing Lactobacillus paracasei DKGF1 and extracts of Opuntia humifusa once a day. Patients were evaluated with the subject global assessment, visual analog scale, and Bristol stool chart. The primary outcome was the overall responder rate and the secondary outcome was the responder rates for abdominal symptom reduction at week 4. @*Results@#Overall, responder rates were significantly higher in the synbiotic group (51.5%) than in the placebo group (23.5%) (p=0.017). Abdominal pain (58.8% vs 81.8%) and psychological wellbeing (26.4% vs 60.6%) were noticeably improved in the synbiotic group (p=0.038 and p=0.004, respectively). However, there were no significant differences in gas and bloating symptoms (p=0.88 and p=0.88, respectively). In patients with constipation-dominant and diarrhea-dominant IBS (n=16), the synbiotic significantly improved abdominal pain and defecation symptoms (responder rates for the placebo vs the synbiotic: 22.2% vs 85.7%, p=0.04). There were no adverse events in either group. @*Conclusions@#The results indicate that this new synbiotic supplement can potentially relieve abdominal symptoms in elderly IBS patients.
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Osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures cause socioeconomic concerns, and medical system and policies appear insufficient to prepare for these issues in Korea, where the older adult population is rapidly increasing. Many countries around the world are already responding to osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures by adopting fracture liaison service (FLS), and such an attempt has only begun in Korea. In this article, we introduce the operation methods for institutions implementing FLS and characteristics of services, and activities of the FLS Committee for FLS implementation in the Korean Society for Bone and Mineral Research. In addition, we hope that the current position statement will contribute to the implementation of FLS in Korea and impel policy changes to enable a multidisciplinary and integrated FLS operated under the medical system.
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Background@#Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are escalating, and their socioeconomic burden is increasing. However, large-scale prospective studies investigating ADRs during hospitalization are rare in Korea. We prospectively investigated the incidence, characteristics, and economic burden of ADRs in hospitalized patients based on electronic medical records (EMRs). @*Methods@#Among patients admitted to three hospitals from October 2016 to October 2017, 5,000 patients were randomly selected and prospectively observed during hospitalization.Research nurses monitored and detected patients who had symptoms, signs, or laboratory findings suspicious for ADRs using an EMR-based detection protocol. Next, allergy and ADR specialists reviewed the medical records to determine the relationship between adverse reactions and drugs. Cases in which a causal relationship was certain, probable/likely, or possible were included in the ADR cases. Clinically meaningful ADR cases or those leading to prolonged hospitalization were defined as significant ADRs. @*Results@#ADRs occurred in 510 (10.2%) patients. The mean length of hospital stay was approximately 5 days longer in patients with ADRs. Opioids accounted for the highest percentage of total ADRs. Significant ADRs were observed in 148 (3.0%) patients. Antibiotics accounted for the highest percentage of significant ADRs. Drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) occurred in 88 (1.8%) patients. Antibiotics accounted for the highest percentage of DHRs. The average medical expenses for one day of hospitalization per patient were highest in significant ADRs, followed by non-significant ADRs, and non-ADRs. @*Conclusion@#ADRs in hospitalized patients are an important clinical issue, resulting in a substantial socioeconomic burden. EMR-based strategy could be a useful tool for ADR monitoring and early detection.
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Purpose@#To report the first domestic case of orbital eccrine hidrocystoma.Case summary: A 40-year-old man visited our clinic after an orbital mass was discovered in the left eye. Orbital magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined 1 cm mass on the superomedial side of the orbit, slightly posterior to the globe. The mass was excised completely without rupture through an incision to the upper eyelid skin. The mass appeared more like a cyst than a hemangioma. The diagnosis of eccrine hidrocystoma was confirmed histopathologically. The patient recovered and there was no recurrence at the 6-month follow-up. @*Conclusions@#Although orbital eccrine hidrocystoma is very rare, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of orbital tumors.
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Thyroid hormone plays an important role in the process of implantation of a fertilized egg in the endometrium, as well as in the division and development of the fertilized egg. In addition, maternal thyroid hormone is essential for the formation and development of the fetal brain, nervous system, and bones. Therefore, when maternal thyroid hormone is insufficient, complications such as miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight and preeclampsia increase. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy were established and published by the American Endocrine Society, the American Thyroid Association, and the European Thyroid Society. The Korean Thyroid Society also published recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease during pregnancy and postpartum in 2014. However, since the revised guidelines of the American Thyroid Association were published in 2017, many studies, including large-scale randomized controlled trials, have been published in relation to thyroid and pregnancy, and the need to revise the existing recommendations has emerged in Korea.The main revisions of this recommendation are changes in the normal range of TSH during pregnancy, detailed description of treatment policies according to pregnant women’s autoantibodies and thyroid function status. Also, a description of the effect of thyroid autoantibodies on assisted reproductive procedures has been added.
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Invasive or non-invasive reduction of fractures could be conducted as treatments of traumatic maxillofacial bone fractures.But when suboptimal reduction or malunion of maxillofacial bone fracture occurs, malocclusion could occur as a result of the lost relationship of the mandible and midface. This malocclusion is called post-traumatic malocclusion and orthognathic surgery, orthodontic treatment, selective grinding and prosthetic reconstruction are suggested as treatments for post-traumatic malocclusion after securement of stable TMJ. Stable TMJ is essential for occlusal rehabilitation to prevent occlusal change and relapse of malocclusion. Centric relation and adapted centric posture are suggested as start points of occlusal rehabilitation because they are most stable TMJ position. This case report presents a case in which post-traumatic malocclusion occurred after reduction of panfacial fracture. To rehabilitate full mouth occlusion, selective grinding and prosthetic reconstruction of implant supported fixed prostheses were conducted in centric relation and showed satisfying results in functional and occlusal aspects.
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Thyroid hormones have an important physiological role in maintaining adult bone structure and strength. Therefore, thyroid dysfunction is inevitably associated with various degrees of skeletal consequences. Endogenous overt hyperthyroidism is an established cause of high bone turnover with accelerated bone loss, resulting in osteoporosis and an increased risk of fractures. Hyperthyroidism induced by thyroid stimulating hormone suppression therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer also has emerged as a contributing factor to osteoporosis and fragility fractures. While, there is lack of evidence that hypothyroidism negatively affects bone health. Although there is growing clinical evidence of the importance of bone health in hyperthyroidism, clinical guidelines on how to evaluate and manage bone health in these diseases have not yet been published worldwide. The Task Force from the Korean Thyroid Association Committee of Clinical Practice Guideline has developed this position statement for the evaluation and management of bone health in patients with thyroid diseases, particularly focused on endogenous hyperthyroidism and thyroid stimulating hormone suppression therapyassociated hyperthyroidism in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.
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Background@#We evaluated the long-term effects of domiciliary noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) used to treat patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). @*Methods@#Databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials of COPD with NIPPV for longer than 1 year. Mortality rates were the primary outcome in this meta-analysis. The eight trials included in this study comprised data from 913 patients. @*Results@#The mortality rates for the NIPPV and control groups were 29% (118/414) and 36% (151/419), suggesting a statistically significant difference (risk ratio [RR], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65–0.95). Mortality rates were reduced with NIPPV in four trials that included stable COPD patients. There was no difference in admission, acute exacerbation and quality of life between the NIPPV and control groups. There was no significant difference in withdrawal rates between the two groups (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.72–1.36; p=0.94). @*Conclusion@#Maintaining long-term nocturnal NIPPV for more than 1 year, especially in patients with stable COPD, decreased the mortality rate, without increasing the withdrawal rate compared with long-term oxygen treatment.