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Reports of tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks among schoolchildren have increased in recent years in countries across the Western Pacific Region. Cases from China, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea were studied to derive lessons from the challenges and responses to TB outbreaks in schools. Despite differences in the TB burden and outbreak preparedness, the four countries reported similar challenges. These included delayed diagnosis of index cases, lack of experienced health professionals and sustained financial support, and difficulty in responding to intensified media and community attention. Early detection of outbreaks, established resource mobilization networks, coordination among stakeholders and proactive communication were highlights of successful outbreak responses. These principles could be adapted to each context for responses to future TB outbreaks in schools., ((c) 2021 The authors; licensee World Health Organization.)

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a potential risk factor for dementia. We aimed to investigate the association between SCD and subsequent dementia in a nationwide population-based cohort in South Korea., Methods: This cohort included 579,710 66-year-old adults who were followed for a total of 3,870,293 person-years (average 6.68 ± 1.33 years per person). All subjects completed a questionnaire about subjective memory impairment, the Pre-screening Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire (KDSQ-P), which included a validated 5-item derivative, and were determined to have SCD based on a single question assessing memory decline. Depressive symptoms were assessed in all subjects using a 3-item modified geriatric depression scale. Hazard ratios were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model and compared between subjects with and without SCD., Results: Compared to subjects without SCD, those with SCD were more likely to develop dementia (incidence per 1000 person-years: non-SCD, 5.66; SCD, 8.59). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the risk of subsequent dementia significantly increased in subjects with SCD, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34 to 1.41). The risk of subsequent dementia was greatly increased in subjects with higher KDSQ-P scores (aHR = 2.77, 95% CI 2.35 to 3.27). A significant association between SCD and dementia was observed in both depressive and non-depressive symptom groups (aHR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.57 in subjects with depressive symptoms; aHR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.29 to 1.37 in subjects without depressive symptoms; P = 0.001)., Conclusions: In this population of 66-year-old individuals, SCD was significantly associated with an increased risk of subsequent dementia. This association was found in both depressive and non-depressive groups, with an increased risk of dementia in the presence of depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that SCD indicates a risk for dementia. Further studies are needed to delineate potential approaches to preventing the development of dementia in individuals with SCD.

There is a growing concern that air pollution, especially those particles <2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ), could increase the risk of cognitive impairment and mental disorders. However, the relationship between ambient PM 2.5 and neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with cognitive impairment is still undetermined. This longitudinal study included 645 pairs of cognitively impaired subjects, who had not changed residence within Seoul, and their caregivers from the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea study cohort between September 2005 and June 2010 (1763 days). Neuropsychiatric symptoms were measured by the Korean version of the Neuropsychiatry Inventory, and caregiver burden was examined by the Neuropsychiatry Inventory Caregiver Distress Scale at the first and second visits at the outpatient clinic. District-specific PM 2.5 concentrations were constructed over 1 month to 1 year prior to each visit. A log-linear regression using generalized estimating equations to account for repeated measures was used to assess the relationship between PM 2.5 exposure and neuropsychiatric symptoms or caregiver burden. Aggravated neuropsychiatric symptoms were associated with exposure to high PM 2.5 levels (adjusted percent change: 16.7% [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.0-29.7] per 8.3 μg/m 3 increase in 1-month moving averages). Increased caregiver burden was associated with high PM 2.5 exposures only in caregivers for patients with Alzheimer's disease (adjusted percent change: 29.0% [95% CI, 8.1-53.9] per 8.3 μg/m 3 increase in 1-month moving averages). The present results indicate that PM 2.5 exposure is associated with aggravated neuropsychiatric symptoms and increased caregiver burden in subjects with cognitive impairment. The findings in this study suggest that the role of air pollution deserves great consideration in the aging population with cognitive impairment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Relatively little is known about the efficacy and safety of the programmatic use of bedaquiline and delamanid in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment.This study evaluated 61 patients with MDR-TB treated with bedaquiline (n=39), delamanid (n=11) or both, either sequentially (n=10) or in coadministration (n=1), for >1 month, combined with a World Health Organization-recommended regimen.Of these, 49 (80.3%) were male and 12 (19.7%) were female. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) age was 53 (38.5-61.0) years. 42 (68.9%) patients had fluoroquinolone-resistant MDR-TB and 16 (26.2%) had extensively drug-resistant TB. The median (IQR) duration of treatment with bedaquiline and/or delamanid was 168 (166.5-196.5) days, with 33 (54.1%) receiving linezolid for a median (IQR) of 673 (171-736) days. Of the 55 patients with positive sputum cultures at the start of bedaquiline and/or delamanid treatment, 39 (70.9%) achieved sputum culture conversion within a median of 119 days. Treatment was halted in four patients (6.6%) because of prolonged Fridericia's corrected QT interval.Bedaquiline and delamanid were effective and safe for treating MDR-TB, with initial evidence of sequential administration of these two drugs as a viable treatment strategy for patients when an adequate treatment regimen cannot be constructed., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: Y-S. Kwon reports receiving grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea during the conduct of the study., (Copyright ©ERS 2018.)

Background: There is a growing concern that general anesthesia could increase the risk of dementia. However, the relationship between anesthesia and subsequent dementia is still undetermined., Objective: To determine whether the risk of dementia increases after exposure to general anesthesia., Methods: A population-based prospective cohort study analyzing the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database was conducted of all persons aged over 50 years (n = 219,423) from 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2013., Results: 44,956 in the general anesthesia group and 174,469 in the control group were followed for 12 years. The risk of dementia associated with previous exposure to general anesthesia was increased after adjusting for all covariates such as gender, age, health care visit frequency, and co-morbidities (Hazard ratio = 1.285, 95% confidence interval = 1.262-1.384, time-varying Cox hazard model). In addition, the number of anesthetic agents administered, the number of exposures to general anesthesia, the cumulative exposure time, and the organ category involved in surgery were associated with risk of dementia., Conclusion: In light of the increasing societal burden of dementia, careful surveillance for dementia and prevention guidelines for patients after general anesthesia are needed.

Aim: In the general population, proteinuria is associated with progression to kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. Here, we analyzed the effects of proteinuria on outcomes in kidney transplant recipients., Methods: We performed a retrospective, multi-centre cohort study involving 2047 recipients to evaluate the effects of post-transplant proteinuria on adverse cardiovascular events, graft failure, and mortality. Patients were classified into two groups according to their levels of proteinuria: patients without proteinuria (<150 mg/day, n = 1113) and proteinuric patients (≥ 150 mg/day, n = 934). Multivariate Cox hazard model was conducted with using the maximal proteinuria as time-varying covariate., Results: During a median 55.3-month (range, 0.6-167.1) follow-up, there were 50 cases of major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization), 115 cases of graft failure, and 52 patient deaths. In multivariate Cox regression with time-varying covariate, proteinuric recipients were significantly associated with major adverse cardiac events (hazard ratio [HR] 8.689, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.929-25.774, P < 0.001) compared to those without proteinuria. Recipients with proteinuria showed significantly higher incidences of acute rejection (23.1% vs. 9.4%, P < 0.001) and graft failure rate (HR 6.910, 95% CI 3.270-14.601, P < 0.001). In addition, mortality rate was also significantly higher in patients with proteinuria (HR 6.815, 95% CI 2.164-21.467, P = 0.001)., Conclusion: Post-transplant proteinuria correlates with adverse cardiovascular events, graft failure, and mortality. Therefore, proteinuria should be evaluated and managed to improve the outcomes of renal recipients., (© 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.)

Background: Malnutrition, inflammation, and atherosclerosis (MIA) syndrome is associated with a high mortality rate in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, the clinical relevance of MIA syndrome in kidney transplantation (KT) recipients remains unknown., Methods: We enrolled 1348 adult KT recipients. Recipients were assessed based on serum albumin, cholesterol, or body mass index for the malnutrition factor and C-reactive protein level for the inflammation factor. Any history of cardiovascular (CV), cerebrovascular, or peripheral vascular disease satisfied the atherosclerosis factor. Each MIA factors were assessed by univariate analysis and we calculated an overall risk score by summing up scores for each independent variable. The enrolled patients were divided into 4 groups depending on the MIA score (0, 2-4, 6, 8-10)., Results: The patients with higher MIA score showed worse outcome of fatal/non-fatal acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (p < 0.001) and composite outcomes of ACS and all-cause mortality (p < 0.001) than with the lower MIA score. In multivariate analysis, ACS showed significantly higher incidence in the MIA score 8-10 group than in the MIA score 0 group (Hazard ratio 6.12 95 % Confidence interval 1.84-20.32 p = 0.003)., Conclusions: The presence of MIA factors before KT is an independent predictor of post-transplant CV outcomes.

Background: The kidney transplantation rate in elderly patients is increasing rapidly. However, the clinical outcomes of kidney transplantation in elderly patients have not yet been thoroughly evaluated., Methods: This multicenter cohort study included adult kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) admitted to five major tertiary hospitals in Korea between 1997 and 2012. A total of 3,565 adult participants were enrolled. Patient survival, allograft survival, and biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) of 242 elderly recipients (≥ 60 years) were assessed and compared with those of a younger population., Results: Patients were divided into five groups according to age at time of transplantation. The proportion of elderly patients was 6.7 % (mean age, 63.1 ± 2.7 years; n = 242). The numbers of male patients (69.4%), those with diabetes mellitus history (36.3%), and those with pretransplantation ischemic heart disease history (17.7%) were significantly higher in the elderly group than in the younger age groups. Elderly patients were more likely to receive a cadaveric kidney, and overall mortality rates were significantly higher in the elderly patients (1-year survival 93.3%, 5-year survival 91.3%). However, death-censored allograft survival rate and BPAR were not affected by patient age (P = .104 and .501, respectively). Among the elderly, BPAR and female donors were independent risk factors for allograft loss., Conclusion: The overall survival rate of the elderly KTRs was significantly lower than that of younger KTRs. However, the death-censored allograft survival rate did not differ between groups. Kidney transplantation should not be stagnated especially in elderly patients with end-stage renal disease., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Climate change may significantly affect human health. The possible effects of high ambient temperature must be better understood, particularly in terms of certain diseases' sensitivity to heat (as reflected in relative risks [RR]) and the consequent disease burden (number or fraction of cases attributable to high temperatures), in order to manage the threat., Purpose: This study investigated the number of deaths attributable to abnormally high ambient temperatures in Seoul, South Korea, for a wide range of diseases., Method: The relationship between mortality and daily maximum temperature using a generalized linear model was analyzed. The threshold temperature was defined as the 90th percentile of maximum daily temperatures. Deaths were classified according to ICD-10 codes, and for each disease, the RR and attributable fractions were determined. Using these fractions, the total number of deaths attributable to daily maximum temperatures above the threshold value, from 1992 to 2009, was calculated. Data analyses were conducted in 2012-2013., Results: Heat-attributable deaths accounted for 3,177 of the 271,633 deaths from all causes. Neurological (RR 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04-1.11) and mental and behavioral disorders (RR 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07) had relatively high increases in the RR of mortality. The most heat-sensitive diseases (those with the highest RRs) were not the diseases that caused the largest number of deaths attributable to high temperatures., Conclusion: This study estimated RRs and deaths attributable to high ambient temperature for a wide variety of diseases. Prevention-related policies must account for both particular vulnerabilities (heat-sensitive diseases with high RRs) and the major causes of the heat mortality burden (common conditions less sensitive to high temperatures).