Serological Changes in Anti-Aspergillus IgG Antibody and Development of Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Patients Treated for Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is an important infection to understand in survivors of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). However, limited data are available regarding CPA development and its predisposing factors following PTB. We investigated the development of, and the predisposing factors for, CPA following the completion of PTB treatment. A total of 345 patients, with newly diagnosed culture-positive PTB (between January 2015 and December 2018), were included. Enrolled cases were categorized into four groups (persistently seronegative, seroconversion, seroreversion, and persistently seropositive) according to serological changes in their anti-Aspergillus IgG antibodies before and after PTB treatment. The patients were followed up for a median of 25.8 months. Ten (10/345, 2.9%) patients developed CPA at a median of 13.5 months after treatment completion, including seven (7/24, 29.2%) and three (3/73, 4.1%) in the seroconversion and persistently seropositive groups, respectively. Upon multivariate analysis, seroconversion of anti-Aspergillus IgG antibody (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 25.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.11-103.99; p < 0.001) and diabetic status (adjusted HR, 7.54; 95% CI, 1.93-29.50; p = 0.004) were independently associated with CPA development. The development of CPA in patients with PTB was observed in 2.9% of patients during post-treatment follow-up, and this was significantly associated with both the seroconversion of anti-Aspergillus IgG antibody and diabetes characteristics.

Developing a Diagnostic Bundle for Bronchiectasis in South Korea: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study.

BACKGROUND: Because the etiologies of bronchiectasis and related diseases vary significantly among different regions and ethnicities, this study aimed to develop a diagnostic bundle for bronchiectasis in South Korea. METHODS: A modified Delphi method was used to develop expert consensus statements on a diagnostic bundle for bronchiectasis in South Korea. Initial statements proposed by a core panel, based on international bronchiectasis guidelines, were discussed in an online meeting and two email surveys by a panel of experts (≥70% agreement). RESULTS: The study involved 21 expert participants, and 30 statements regarding a diagnostic bundle for bronchiectasis were classified as recommended, conditional, or not recommended. The consensus statements of the expert panel were as follows: A standardized diagnostic bundle is useful in clinical practice; diagnostic tests for specific diseases, including immunodeficiency and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, are necessary when clinically suspected; initial diagnostic tests, including sputum microbiology and spirometry, are essential in all patients with bronchiectasis, and patients suspected with rare causes such as primary ciliary dyskinesia should be referred to specialized centers. CONCLUSION: Based on this Delphi survey, expert consensus statements were generated including specific diagnostic, laboratory, microbiological, and pulmonary function tests required to manage patients with bronchiectasis in South Korea.

Changes in Nutritional Status in Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Longitudinal Changes in BMI According to Acid-Fast Bacilli Smear Positivity.

Malnutrition is closely associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). However, changes before and after treatment remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal changes in nutritional status from treatment to follow-up of TB in 215 PTB cases in South Korea. First, we evaluated the trend in body mass index (BMI) from the time of diagnosis to a 2-year follow-up. Second, we compared the BMIs of our cases with 5694 controls who participated in a Korean national survey after treatment. During the treatment period, the BMI of the smear-positive group (n = 72) significantly increased compared with that of the smear-negative group (n = 143) (+1.9 kg/m2 vs. +0.4 kg/m2, p = 0.001). Almost all the changes occurred in the early phase, with unremarkable differences in the rest of the treatment period and up to the 2-year follow-up period. When compared with controls, the smear-positive PTB group also had a lower BMI than the smear-negative PTB group, which, however, was lower than that of the general population, though all the participants regained their BMIs during treatment. These results clarify the nutritional aspects of PTB and enable better strategies to support patients with PTB.

Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of Definitive Versus Standard Anti-Tuberculosis Therapy in Patients with Tuberculous Lymphadenitis.

Although it is necessary to culture Mycobacterium tuberculosis from tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBL) patients for definitive therapy, based on the drug-sensitivity test (DST), substantial cases remain culture-negative. Limited data are available regarding the treatment outcomes after standard anti-tuberculosis therapy in culture-negative TBL. The aim of this study was to compare the recurrence rates between definitive anti-tuberculosis therapy, based on DST and standard anti-tuberculosis therapy in culture-negative TBL. A multicenter retrospective cohort study was performed from 2011 to 2015 in South Korea. The study population was divided into two groups according to treatment type. A total of 234 patients with TBL were analyzed, who were treated with definitive (84 patients) and standard anti-tuberculosis (150 patients) therapy, respectively. During a 28.0 (24.0-43.0) month follow-up period, nine cases (3.8%) had recurrence of TB after treatment completion. The recurrence rate was not significantly different between the two groups (2/84, 2.4% in definitive anti-tuberculosis therapy group versus 7/150, 4.7% in standard anti-tuberculosis therapy group, p = 0.526). The recurrence in all nine cases was diagnosed as clinical recurrence rather than microbiological recurrence. Therefore, culture-negative TBL can be treated with standard anti-TB medication, although DST is not available but clinically stable after initiation of treatment.

Ion channel TRPV1-dependent activation of PTP1B suppresses EGFR-associated intestinal tumorigenesis.

The intestinal epithelium has a high rate of turnover, and dysregulation of pathways that regulate regeneration can lead to tumor development; however, the negative regulators of oncogenic events in the intestinal epithelium are not fully understood. Here we identified a feedback loop between the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a known mediator of proliferation, and the transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 1 (TRPV1), in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). We found that TRPV1 was expressed by IECs and was intrinsically activated upon EGFR stimulation. Subsequently, TRPV1 activation inhibited EGFR-induced epithelial cell proliferation via activation of Ca2+/calpain and resulting activation of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). In a murine model of multiple intestinal neoplasia (Apc(Min/+) mice), TRPV1 deficiency increased adenoma formation, and treatment of these animals with an EGFR kinase inhibitor reversed protumorigenic phenotypes, supporting a functional association between TRPV1 and EGFR signaling in IECs. Administration of a TRPV1 agonist suppressed intestinal tumorigenesis in Apc(Min/+) mice, similar to--as well as in conjunction with--a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, which suggests that targeting both TRPV1 and COX-2 has potential as a therapeutic approach for tumor prevention. Our findings implicate TRPV1 as a regulator of growth factor signaling in the intestinal epithelium through activation of PTP1B and subsequent suppression of intestinal tumorigenesis.

Effect of high-dose oral rabeprazole on recurrent bleeding after endoscopic treatment of bleeding peptic ulcers.

Background. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of high-dose oral rabeprazole versus high-dose IV PPI on rebleeding after endoscopic treatment of bleeding peptic ulcers. Methods. This was a two-center, prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Patients with a high-risk bleeding peptic ulcer had endoscopic hemostasis and were randomly assigned to the high-dose oral rabeprazole group (20 mg twice daily for 72 hours) or the high-dose IV omeprazole group (80 mg as a bolus injection followed by continuous infusion at 8 mg/h for 72 hours). Results. The study was stopped because of slow enrollment (total n = 106). The rebleeding rates within 3 days were 3.7% (2 of 54 patients) given oral rabeprazole and 1.9% (1 of 52 patients) given IV omeprazole (P = 1.000). The rebleeding rates after 3 days were 1.9% and 0% (P = 1.000), respectively. The surgical intervention rates were 3.7% and 0% (P = 0.495), and the mortality rates were 1.9% and 0% (P = 1.000), respectively. Conclusions. The effect of high-dose oral rabeprazole did not differ significantly from that of high-dose IV omeprazole on rebleeding, surgical intervention, or mortality after endoscopic treatment of bleeding peptic ulcers, but this requires further evaluation.

Extraction and clipping repair of a chicken bone penetrating the gastric wall.

We report a case of gastric penetration caused by accidental ingestion of a chicken bone in a 42-year old woman with a partially wearing denture. Three days ago, she accidentally swallowed several lumps of poorly-chewed chicken. Physical examination disclosed mild tenderness in the periumbilical area. Abdominal Computed tomography (CT) showed a suspicious penetration or perforation of the stomach wall measuring about 3 cm, by a linear radiopaque material at the lesser curvature of the antrum. The end of a chicken bone was very close to but did not penetrate the liver. Endoscopic examination revealed a chicken bone that penetrated into the prepyloric antrum. The penetrating chicken bone was removed with grasping forceps. Five endoscopic clips were applied immediately at the removal site and the periumbilical pain resolved promptly. After removal of the chicken bone, the patient was treated with conservative care for three days, after which she was completely asymptomatic and discharged without complication. To treat gastric penetration by a foreign body, endoclipping can be a useful method in patients with no signs or symptoms of peritoneal irritation.

[Usefulness of plasma tumor M2-pyruvate kinase in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancer].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pyruvate kinase (PK) is a key enzyme of glycolysis. Different isoforms of this enzyme are tissue-specifically expressed (M2-PK, M1-PK, R-PK, L-PK). The concentration of the dimeric M2-PK is increased in a metabolic state of tumor cells. In this case, the dimeric M2-PK is termed Tumor M2-PK. We investigated EDTA-plasma of 73 patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer and 61 healthy controls to evaluate its significance in diagnosing GI cancer. METHODS: Plasma Tumor M2-PK was measured using an ELISA assay based on two monoclonal antibodies which specifically react with the dimeric Tumor M2-PK. RESULTS: The sensitivity of Tumor M2-PK was 67.1% for all GI cancers, that of CA 19-9 was 38.4% and that of CEA was 34.3%. The specificity of Tumor M2-PK was 91.8% (cutoff=20 U/mL). Tumor M2-PK showed a high sensitivity in gastric cancer (62.2%), colorectal cancer (66.7%) and bile duct cancer (75.0%). In colorectal cancer, the combination of Tumor M2-PK with CEA resulted in a remarkable increase in the sensitivity (86.2%). The average Tumor M2-PK levels were generally elevated in the metastatic GI cancer patients compared to nonmetastatic patients, especially in stomach cancer with statistical significance (p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor M2-PK in EDTA-plasma seems to be a new valuable tumor marker in GI cancer.

Clinical observations on postoperative vomiting treated by auricular acupuncture.

We studied the effect of auricular acupuncture on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). One hundred female patients undergoing transabdominal hysterectomy were entered into the study. The patients were divided into two groups (auricular acupuncture treatment group and non-treatment group) in order to test the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture. There was no significant difference in age, weight, height or duration of anesthesia among the two groups of patients. There was a significant difference between the control and auricular acupuncture treatment groups in the incidence of vomiting 12 hours after surgery (68% and 30%, respectively, p < 0.01). No noteworthy side effects from treatment were observed. Auricular acupuncture is effective in reducing vomiting following transabdominal hysterectomy in female patients.