Cigarette Smoke-Induced Respiratory Response: Insights into Cellular Processes and Biomarkers.

Cigarette smoke (CS) poses a significant risk factor for respiratory, vascular, and organ diseases owing to its high content of harmful chemicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). These substances are known to induce oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and senescence due to their exposure to environmental pollutants and the presence of oxidative enzymes. The lung is particularly susceptible to oxidative stress. Persistent oxidative stress caused by chronic exposure to CS can lead to respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis (PF), and lung cancer. Avoiding exposure to environmental pollutants, like cigarette smoke and air pollution, can help mitigate oxidative stress. A comprehensive understanding of oxidative stress and its impact on the lungs requires future research. This includes identifying strategies for preventing and treating lung diseases as well as investigating the underlying mechanisms behind oxidative stress. Thus, this review aims to investigate the cellular processes induced by CS, specifically inflammation, apoptosis, senescence, and their associated biomarkers. Furthermore, this review will delve into the alveolar response provoked by CS, emphasizing the roles of potential therapeutic target markers and strategies in inflammation and oxidative stress.

Burnout of Faculty Members of Medical Schools in Korea.

BACKGROUND: There is no national survey on medical school faculty members' burnout in Korea. This study aimed to investigate burnout levels and explore possible factors related to burnout among faculty members of Korean medical schools. METHODS: An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to 40 Korean medical schools from October 2020 to December 2020. Burnout was measured by a modified and revalidated version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey. RESULTS: A total of 996 faculty members participated in the survey. Of them, 855 answered the burnout questions, and 829 completed all the questions in the questionnaire. A significant number of faculty members showed a high level of burnout in each sub-dimension: 34% in emotional exhaustion, 66.3% in depersonalization, and 92.4% in reduced personal accomplishment. A total of 31.5% of faculty members revealed a high level of burnout in two sub-dimensions, while 30.5% revealed a high level of burnout in all three sub-dimensions. Woman faculty members or those younger than 40 reported significantly higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Long working hours (≥ 80 hours/week) showed the highest reduced personal accomplishment scores (F = 4.023, P = 0.018). The most significant stressor or burnout source was "excessive regulation by the government or university." The research was the most exasperating task, but the education was the least stressful. CONCLUSION: This first nationwide study alerts that a significant number of faculty members in Korean medical schools seem to suffer from a high level of burnout. Further studies are necessary for identifying the burnout rate, related factors, and strategies to overcome physician burnout.

Analysis of the effect of renal replacement therapy: in the prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients.

BACKGROUND: This paper aimed to verify the effects of renal replacement therapy on changing the levels of serum creatinine for different veno-arterial and veno-venous configurations in prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients. METHODS: The subjects were chosen 71 patients who had undergone more than 1,440 minutes (24 hours) of the therapy from among 117 patients who had undergone ECMO insertion between January 2008 and December 2012. The patients were separated into the veno-arterial configuration group I (51 patients) and the veno-venous configuration group II (20 patients). The difference in the level of serum creatinine (ΔCr) between before or just after ECMO insertion (CrI) and the level when the pump time was between 2,880 and 4,320 minutes (CrF) was checked (ΔCr=CrF-CrI), and the average ΔCr for each group was compared using a Student t-test at the confidence interval (CI) of 95%. RESULTS: The change in the level of serum creatinine was an increase of 0.341 mg/dL (σ=0.9202) for group I and a decrease of 0.120 mg/dL (σ=1.5292) for group II. The change was significantly high for group I (p=0.011, CI=95%). Meanwhile, within group I, when renal replacement therapy was not done, there was a significant increase in the level of serum creatinine (p=0.009, CI=95%). CONCLUSION: For ECMO insertion patients whose pump time was more than 1,440 minutes, there was a significant change in the level of serum creatinine when renal replacement therapy was not done, for the veno-arterial configuration of group I.

A treatment case of delayed aortic injury: the patient with posterior rib fracture.

A 66-year-old male patient arrived at the emergency room with a crush injury to his chest. Multiple rib fractures, hemothorax on both sides, left scapular fracture, liver laceration, and retroperitoneal hematoma were found upon the radiologic examination. After closed thoracostomy, the patient had been initially admitted to the intensive care unit, but he was transferred to the general ward on the next day. On the 4th post-trauma day, the patient complained of severe pain and there was bloody drainage through the chest tube. This case is an exploration with the consideration of the possibility of major bleeding and the subsequent repair of the descending thoracic aorta. This case is regarded as a case in which the aorta wall was damaged as the sharp margin of the fractured ribs caused continuous irritation.

A treatment case of endoscopic removal of left ventricular thrombus, during coronary artery bypass graft.

Left ventricular thrombus is a common complication related to acute myocardial infarction. Removing this with an incision of the free wall of the left ventricle may cause fatal cardiac dysfunction or arrhythmias. Furthermore, performing incision and suture on the fragile myocardium of an acute myocardial infarction patient may cause serious bleeding complications. If there is a patient with left ventricular thrombus who needs thoracotomy for another reason, the case is attempted with the thought that if effective intraventricular visualization and manipulation can be done, fatalities caused by incision and suture may be reduced. For patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass, if intracardiac manipulation is required, an endoscope can be used, and given the potential complications after the incision and suturing of the infarcted tissue, the benefits are deemed sufficient.

Nonaneurysmal infectious aortitis.

Infectious aortitis is a rare disease in the antibiotic era. Only a small number of cases of nonaneurysmal infectious aortitis are discussed in literature, and its true incidence and natural history are not well defined. We present here a case of typical nonaneurysmal infectious aortitis with literature review of 19 cases of aortic infection in which the aorta is initially normal in caliber.

The effect of distal aortic pressure on spinal cord perfusion in rats.

BACKGROUND: Aortic cross clamping is associated with spinal cord ischemia. This study used a rat spinal cord ischemia model to investigate the effect of distal aortic pressure on spinal cord perfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=12) were divided into three groups. In group A (n=4), the aorta was not occluded. In groups B (n=4) and C (n=4), the aorta was occluded. In group B the distal aortic pressures dropped to around 20 mmHg. In group C, the distal aortic pressure was decreased to near zero. The carotid artery and tail artery were cannulated to monitor the proximal aortic pressure and the distal aortic pressure. Fluorescent microspheres were used to measure the regional blood flow in the spinal cord. RESULTS: After aortic occlusion, blood flow to the cervical spinal cord showed no significant difference among the three groups. In groups B and C, the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord and renal blood flow decreased. No microspheres were detected in the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord of group C. CONCLUSION: The spinal cord blood flow is dependent on the distal aortic pressure after thoracic aortic occlusion.

Fluid-filled Giant Bulla Treated with Percutaneous Drainage and Talc Sclerotherapy: A Modified Brompton Technique.

A 75-year-old man who was diagnosed as having a fluid-filled giant bulla was treated with a modified Brompton technique due to his poor performance status. Percutaneous drainage, suction, and talc sclerotherapy through a Foley catheter can be good treatment options for patients with conditions that are too poor to allow surgical intervention, especially if there is adhesion between a giant bulla and parietal pleura. Talc can also be used safely when mixed with normal saline as a sclerosant.

Comparing 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography and Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery in the Evaluation of Small Pulmonary Nodules in Patients with a History of Malignancy.

BACKGROUND: The aims of the study were to determine the accuracy of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in detecting pulmonary metastasis through video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), a technique that allows the excisional biopsy of small pulmonary nodules in patients with known malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between October 2007 and April 2010, 28 patients with known malignancies and small pulmonary nodules underwent VATS excisional biopsies. All patients were in follow-up for a previously treated malignancy. The malignancies included the following: colorectum (9), breast (6), head and neck (5), stomach (3), lymph (1), ovary (1), uterus (1), bladder (1), and liver (1). RESULTS: There were 16 men and 12 women whose mean age was 56.7 years old (range, 38 to 77 years). The sizes of the mean nodules removed were 11.3 mm (range, 7 to 21 mm). Diagnoses included metastatic (11), bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (1), primary adenocarcinoma (1), pulmonary tuberculosis (6), fibrosis (5), organizing pneumonia (3), lymphoid hyperplasia (1). Among these lesions, 46.4% were malignant. CONCLUSION: True positive FDG-PET was 39.2%. FDG-PET is not a sensitive test in the evaluation of patients with a history of an extrathoracic malignancy and newly diagnosed small pulmonary nodules. VATS excision allows the early diagnosis of small pulmonary nodules, with low morbidity, in patients with known malignancies.

A surgically treated case of chronic necrotizing aspergillosis with pleural invasion.

Aspergillus is a ubiquitous fungus and can cause many levels of disease severity. Chronic necrotizing aspergillosis is a rare disease and few cases have been reported in Korea. We experienced a case of pleural aspergillosis that was treated successfully with medical and surgical interventions. The 52-year-old man who was diagnosed with chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis underwent surgical treatment including a lobectomy, decortication, and myoplasty. The patient was also medically treated with amphotericin B followed by voriconazole. Pleural irrigation with amphotericin B was also performed. A multi-dimensional approach should be considered for treating chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis.

Thoracic outlet syndrome after the Nuss procedure for the correction of extreme pectus excavatum.

Since the Nuss procedure was introduced in 1998, many complications have been reported, but not thoracic outlet syndrome. Here we report a 13-year-old boy with pectus excavatum who had thoracic outlet syndrome develop after a modified Nuss procedure. The major modification from the original technique was the use of an additional bar to resolve his long, asymmetric deformity. The patient showed clinical features of brachial plexus compression. The abrupt structural and spatial changes induced by the marked elevation of the upper depressed chest might have given rise to this condition. Thoracic outlet syndrome is a possible complication of the Nuss procedure.