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Purpose: This study aimed to gather opinions from medical educators on the possibility of introducing an interview to the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE) to assess professional attributes. Specifically following topics were dealt with: the appropriate timing and tool to assess unprofessional conduct; the possiblity of prevention of unprofessional conduct by introducing an interview to the KMLE; and the possibility of implementation of an interview to the KMLE., Methods: A cross-sectional study approach based on a survey questionnaire was adopted. We analyzed 104 pieces of news about doctors’ unprofessional conduct to determine the deficient professional attributes. We derived 24 items of unprofessional conduct and developed the questionnaire and surveyed 250 members of the Korean Society of Medical Education 2 times. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation analysis, and Fisher’s exact test were applied to the responses. The answers to the open-ended questions were analyzed using conventional content analysis., Results: In the survey, 49 members (19.6%) responded. Out of 49, 24 (49.5%) responded in the 2nd survey. To assess unprofessional conduct, there was no dominant timing among basic medical education (BME), KMLE, and continuing professional development (CPD). There was no overwhelming assessment tool among written examination, objective structured clinical examination, practice observation, and interview. Response rates of “impossible” (49.0%) and “possible” (42.9%) suggested an interview of the KMLE prevented unprofessional conduct. In terms of implementation, “impossible” (50.0%) was selected more often than “possible” (33.3%)., Conclusion: Professional attributes should be assessed by various tools over the period from BME to CPD. Hence, it may be impossible to introduce an interview to assess professional attributes to the KMLE, and a system is needed such as self-regulation by the professional body rather than licensing examination.

Background: Timely recognition of warning signs from deteriorating patients and proper treatment are important in improving patient safety. In comparison to the traditional medical emergency team (MET) activation triggered by phone calls, automated activation of MET may minimize activation delays. However, limited data are available on the effects of automated activation systems on the time from derangement to MET activation and on clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of an automated alert and activation system for MET on clinical outcomes in unselected hospitalized patients., Methods: This is an observational study using prospectively collected data from consecutive patients managed by the MET at a university-affiliated, tertiary hospital from March 2013 to December 2019. The automated alert system automatically calculates the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) and subsequently activates MET when the MEWS score is 7 or higher, which was implemented since August 2016. The outcome measures of interest including hospital mortality in patients with MEWS of 7 or higher were compared between pre-implementation and post-implementation groups of the automated alert and activation system in the primary analysis. The association between the implementation of the system and hospital mortality was evaluated with logistic regression analysis., Results: Of the 7678 patients who were managed by MET during the study period, 639 patients during the pre-implementation period and 957 patients during the post-implementation period were included in the primary analysis. MET calls due to abnormal physiological variables were more common during the pre-implementation period, while MET calls due to medical staff's worries or concern about the patient's condition were more common during the post-implementation period. The median time from deterioration to MET activation was significantly shortened in the post-implementation period compared to the pre-implementation period (34 min vs. 60 min, P < 0.001). In addition, unplanned ICU admission rates (41.2% vs. 71.8%, P < 0.001) was reduced during the post-implementation period. Hospital mortality was decreased after implementation of the automated alert system (27.2% vs. 38.5%, P < 0.001). The implementation of the automated alert and activation system was associated with decreased risk of death in the multivariable analysis (adjusted OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.56-0.90)., Conclusions: After implementing an automated alert and activation system, the time from deterioration to MET activation was shortened and clinical outcomes were improved in hospitalized patients., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Adenovirus infection can cause severe pneumonia even in immunocompetent adults. However, there is limited data on the benefits of cidofovir treatment in severe adenovirus pneumonia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of cidofovir treatment with clinical improvement in immunocompetent adult patients with severe adenovirus pneumonia., Methods: We evaluated 22 male patients who admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) with severe adenovirus pneumonia between January 2014 and December 2019. The patients were divided into 2 groups, patients treated with cidofovir or not. Clinical outcomes including time to defervescence and stopping of oxygen supplement, length of stay in ICU and hospital, and the need for mechanical ventilation (MV) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) were compared between the 2 groups., Results: Among 22 patients, 13 patients (59%) were treated with cidofovir and 9 (41%) were not. The difference in mean time (95% confidence interval [CI]) to defervescence and stopping of oxygen supplement between cidofovir group and no cidofovir group was 2.1 (-5.7 to 10.0) and 1.0 (-14.9 to 16.8) days, respectively. The difference in mean length of stay (95% CI) in ICU and hospital between the 2 groups was 0.2 (-7.1 to 7.5) and -0.4 (-18.3 to 17.5) days, respectively. The differences in proportion of patients requiring MV and ECMO between the 2 groups was 28.2 (-17.4 to 73.8) % and -10.3 (-52.2 to 31.7) %, respectively., Conclusions: The treatment with cidofovir for severe adenovirus pneumonia in immunocompetent patients did not improve clinical outcomes. Further studies with larger samples with prospective design are warranted.

Background: The inflammatory process is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and brain tissue injury following cerebral ischemia. Human resistin is a member of small cysteine-rich secreted proteins and has been implicated in inflammatory responses. This study investigated the association of serum resistin level with acute cerebral infarction (ACI). We also investigated its association with the short-term functional outcome., Methods: This study included 106 patients with ACI and 106 age-matched and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Serum resistin level was assessed by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent sandwich assay. The association of serum resistin levels with ACI was analyzed by logistic regression analysis., Results: The serum resistin level was significantly higher in patients with ACI than the control group [median (interquartile range), 35.7 ng/mL (13.0 to 70.5) ng/mL vs. 10.5 ng/ml (15.4 to 16.6), P<0.001]. Logistic regression analysis showed that serum resistin level was associated with an ACI (odds ratio=1.055, 95% confidence interval: 1.035-1.074, P<0.001). Among stroke subtypes, the serum resistin level was higher in the patients with large artery atherosclerosis than those with other subtypes (P=0.013). High resistin levels were also significantly associated with unfavorable functional outcome at discharge (odds ratio=1.043, 95% confidence interval: 1.024-1.063, P<0.001)., Conclusions: This study suggests the potential association of resistin with stroke and cerebral atherosclerosis. Increased serum resistin levels were also associated with early unfavorable neurological outcome., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Purpose: This study aims to design that using formative assessment as an instructional strategy in real-time online classes, and to explore the application of Bloom's taxonomy in the development of formative assessment items., Methods: We designed the instruction using formative assessment in real-time online classes, developed the items of formative assessment, analyzed the items statistically, and investigated students' perceptions of formative assessment through a survey., Results: It is designed to consist of 2-3 learning outcomes per hour of class and to conduct the formative assessment with 1-2 items after the lecture for each learning outcome. Formative assessment was 31 times in the physiology classes (total 48 hours) of three basic medicine integrated. There were nine "knowledge" items, 40 "comprehension" items, and 55 "application" items. There were 33 items (31.7%) with a correct rate of 80% or higher, which the instructor thought was appropriate. As a result of the survey on students' perceptions of formative assessment, they answered that it was able to concentrate on the class and that it was helpful in achieving learning outcomes., Conclusion: The students focused during class because they had to take formative assessment immediately after the learning outcome lecture. "Integration of lesson and assessments" was maximized by solving the assessment items as well as through the instructor's immediate explanation of answers. Through formative assessment, the students were able to utilize metacognition by learning what content they understood or did not understand. Items that consider Bloom's taxonomy allow students to remember, understand, and apply to clinical contexts.

Introduction: Wall-eyed bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia (WEBINO) is a rare variation of internuclear ophthalmoplegia associated with bilateral lesions of the medial longitudinal fasciculus., Case Report: In this case, the edematous lesions of the ipsilateral midbrain infarction appeared to compress the contralateral medial longitudinal fasciculus, resulting in WEBINO. Treatment of focal cerebral edema caused by ischemic stroke is still under debate. However, in this case, antiedema treatment was implemented to prevent the sequelae of the edematous lesion caused by a midbrain infarction, and a relatively rapid improvement of ocular symptoms was observed., Conclusion: Herein, we report a rare case of WEBINO caused by a unilateral midbrain infarction in which the patient experienced edema-related neurological deficits. This case provides evidence that early antiedema therapy may benefit patients with similar presentations., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The prediction of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) or pathological nodal involvement of tumor cells is critical for successful treatment in early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We developed and validated a Deep Cubical Nodule Transfer Learning Algorithm (DeepCUBIT) using transfer learning and 3D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to predict LVI or pathological nodal involvement on chest CT images. A total of 695 preoperative CT images of resected NSCLC with tumor size of less than or equal to 3 cm from 2008 to 2015 were used to train and validate the DeepCUBIT model using five-fold cross-validation method. We also used tumor size and consolidation to tumor ratio (C/T ratio) to build a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. Two-hundred and fifty-four out of 695 samples (36.5%) had LVI or nodal involvement. An integrated model (3D CNN + Tumor size + C/T ratio) showed sensitivity of 31.8%, specificity of 89.8%, accuracy of 76.4%, and AUC of 0.759 on external validation cohort. Three single SVM models, using 3D CNN (DeepCUBIT), tumor size or C/T ratio, showed AUCs of 0.717, 0.630 and 0.683, respectively on external validation cohort. DeepCUBIT showed the best single model compared to the models using only C/T ratio or tumor size. In addition, the DeepCUBIT model could significantly identify the prognosis of resected NSCLC patients even in stage I. DeepCUBIT using transfer learning and 3D CNN can accurately predict LVI or nodal involvement in cT1 size NSCLC on CT images. Thus, it can provide a more accurate selection of candidates who will benefit from limited surgery without increasing the risk of recurrence., Competing Interests: Authors BL, WSS, and SP were employed by company Deargen Inc. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Beck, Gil, Na, Hong, Chun, An, Kim, Hong, Lee, Shim, Park and Ko.)

The prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), especially early-stage LUAD, is dependent on clinicopathological features. However, its predictive utility is limited. In this study, we developed and trained a DeepRePath model based on a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) using multi-scale pathology images to predict the prognosis of patients with early-stage LUAD. DeepRePath was pre-trained with 1067 hematoxylin and eosin-stained whole-slide images of LUAD from the Cancer Genome Atlas. DeepRePath was further trained and validated using two separate CNNs and multi-scale pathology images of 393 resected lung cancer specimens from patients with stage I and II LUAD. Of the 393 patients, 95 patients developed recurrence after surgical resection. The DeepRePath model showed average area under the curve (AUC) scores of 0.77 and 0.76 in cohort I and cohort II (external validation set), respectively. Owing to low performance, DeepRePath cannot be used as an automated tool in a clinical setting. When gradient-weighted class activation mapping was used, DeepRePath indicated the association between atypical nuclei, discohesive tumor cells, and tumor necrosis in pathology images showing recurrence. Despite the limitations associated with a relatively small number of patients, the DeepRePath model based on CNNs with transfer learning could predict recurrence after the curative resection of early-stage LUAD using multi-scale pathology images.

Background: Limited data are available on practical predictors of successful de-cannulation among the patients who undergo tracheostomies. We evaluated factors associated with failed de-cannulations to develop a prediction model that could be easily be used at the time of weaning from MV., Methods: In a retrospective cohort of 346 tracheostomised patients managed by a standardized de-cannulation program, multivariable logistic regression analysis identified variables that were independently associated with failed de-cannulation. Based on the logistic regression analysis, the new predictive scoring system for successful de-cannulation, referred to as the DECAN score, was developed and then internally validated., Results: The model included age > 67 years, body mass index < 22 kg/m 2 , underlying malignancy, non-respiratory causes of mechanical ventilation (MV), presence of neurologic disease, vasopressor requirement, and presence of post-tracheostomy pneumonia, presence of delirium. The DECAN score was associated with good calibration (goodness-of-fit, 0.6477) and discrimination outcomes (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.890, 95% CI 0.853-0.921). The optimal cut-off point for the DECAN score for the prediction of the successful de-cannulation was ≤ 5 points, and was associated with the specificities of 84.6% (95% CI 77.7-90.0) and sensitivities of 80.2% (95% CI 73.9-85.5)., Conclusions: The DECAN score for tracheostomised patients who are successfully weaned from prolonged MV can be computed at the time of weaning to assess the probability of de-cannulation based on readily available variables.

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Background: Sex hormones may be associated with a higher incidence of ischemic stroke or stroke-related events. In observational studies, lower testosterone concentrations are associated with infirmity, vascular disease, and adverse cardiovascular risk factors. Currently, female sexual hormones are considered neuroprotective agents. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of sex hormones and the ratio of estradiol/testosterone (E/T) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS)., Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2016, 146 male patients with AIS and 152 age- and sex-matched control subjects were included in this study. Sex hormones, including estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone, were evaluated in the AIS patient and control groups. We analyzed the clinical and physiological levels of sex hormones and hormone ratios in these patients., Results: The E/T ratio was significantly elevated among patients in the stroke group compared to those in the control group (P = 0.001). Categorization of data into tertiles revealed that patients with the highest E/T ratio were more likely to have AIS [odds ratio (OR) 3.084; 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.616-5.886; P < 0.001) compared with those in the first tertile. The E/T ratio was also an independent unfavorable outcome predictor with an adjusted OR of 1.167 (95% CI: 1.053-1.294; P = 0.003)., Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that increased estradiol and reduced testosterone levels are associated with AIS in men.

Background: Vancomycin is the treatment of choice for serious methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Current guidelines recommend giving an initial loading dose (LD) of 25-30 mg/kg to rapidly increase the serum concentration. However, high-quality evidence for the clinical benefit of LD is lacking. Herein, we aim to examine the association between vancomycin LD and clinical outcome., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on adult patients treated for MRSA pneumonia with vancomycin in medical intensive care units from April 2016 to August 2018. MRSA pneumonia was defined by the Centers for Disease Control and National Healthcare Safety Network definition. The primary outcome was the clinical cure of pneumonia. Secondary outcome measures included time to pharmacokinetic (PK) target attainment, microbiological cure, acute kidney injury, and all-cause mortality., Results: A total of 81 patients were included; of these 22 (27.2%) received LD. The mean initial dose was significantly higher in the LD group. Clinical cure was similar in both groups (68.2% vs. 66.1% in the LD and non-LD groups, respectively; P=0.860). No significant difference was observed in the microbiological cure, all-cause mortality, and incidence of acute kidney injury. Furthermore, no difference was observed in terms of time to PK target attainment (69.2 vs. 63.4 h in the LD and non-LD groups, respectively; P=0.624). Vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration of <2 mg/L was identified as an independent predictive factor for clinical cure in multivariable analysis, whereas vancomycin LD was not., Conclusions: Initial LD is not associated with better clinical outcome or rapid pharmacological target attainment in critically ill patients with MRSA pneumonia. Further studies are warranted to provide better evidence for this widely recommended practice., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd-20-2243). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the frequency of tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) in fibromyalgia (FM) patients., Patients and Methods: In this prospective study, we investigated paresthesia of the foot, sensory and motor deficits, atrophy of the abductor hallucis muscle, and the presence of Tinel's sign in 76 female FM patients (mean age 39.3±7.4 years; range, 24 to 52 years) and 60 sex-matched healthy control subjects (mean age 38.6±8.2 years; range, 28 to 49 years) without FM between July 2016 and June 2018. Bilateral electrophysiological studies of the tibial, peroneal, sural, and medial as well as lateral plantar nerves were performed., Results: Paresthesia was observed in 22 FM patient extremities and four control subject extremities (p=0.002). Local tenderness at the tarsal tunnel was observed in 12 FM patient extremities and two control subject extremities (p=0.021). TTS was detected electrophysiologically in 14 FM patient extremities and two control subject extremities (p=0.009)., Conclusion: Paresthesia of the foot and local tenderness at the tarsal tunnel were significantly more prevalent in FM patients than in healthy control subjects. TTS is statistically more frequent in patients with FM than the normal population. The potential comorbidities of TTS and paresthesia of the foot should be carefully examined in FM patients., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2020, Turkish League Against Rheumatism.)

Background: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is the standard treatment for severe acute kidney injury in critically ill patients. However, a practical consensus for discontinuing CRRT is lacking. We aimed to develop a prediction model with simple clinical parameters for successful discontinuation of CRRT., Methods: Adult patients who received CRRT at Samsung Medical Center from 2007 to 2017 were included. Patients with preexisting ESRD and patients who progressed to ESRD within 1 year or died within 7 days after CRRT were excluded. Successful discontinuation of CRRT was defined as no requirement for renal replacement therapy for 7 days after discontinuing CRRT. Patients were assigned to either a success group or failure group according to whether discontinuation of CRRT was successful or not., Results: A total of 1,158 patients were included in the final analyses. The success group showed greater urine output on the day before CRRT discontinuation (D-1) and the discontinuation day (D0). Multivariable analysis identified that urine output ≥300 mL on D-1, and mean arterial pressure 50∼78 mm Hg, serum potassium <4.1 mmol/L, and BUN <35 mg/dL (12.5 mmol/L) on D0 were predictive factors for successful discontinuation of CRRT. A scoring system using the 4 variables above (area under the receiver operating curve: 0.731) was developed., Conclusions: Scoring system composed of urine output ≥300 mL/day on D-1, and adequate blood pressure, serum potassium <4.1 mmol/L, and BUN <35 mg/dL (12.5 mmol/L) on D0 was developed to predict successful discontinuation of CRRT., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Little is known of nosocomial infections (NI) in patients who suffer from in-hospital cardiac arrest who undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This study aimed to investigate clinical pictures of NI, and the association of NIs with clinical outcomes in in-hospital cardiac arrest patients who undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation., Methods: To evaluate the incidence and clinical characteristics of NI in patients who undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a retrospective cohort study was conducted in a single tertiary referral center between January 2010 and December 2018. We included adult patients who undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for in-hospital cardiac arrest and excluded patients who were out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or failed ECMO implantation. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared between NI and Non-NI patients, or multidrug-resistant (MDR) and non-MDR. The independent risk factors associated with NIs were also analyzed using multivariable logistic regression model., Results: Thirty-five (23.3%) patients developed a NI. These cases included 21 patients with a gram negative (G-) infection, 12 patients with a gram positive (G+) bacterial infection, and two patients with fungal infection. Pneumonia was the most common type of NIs, followed by catheter-related infection. The in-hospital mortality and neurologic outcomes at discharge were not different between the NI and non-NI groups. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens were detected in 10 cases (28.6%). The MDR NI patients had a higher ICU mortality than did those with non-MDR NI (80% vs. 32%, p = 0.028). Following multivariable adjustment, body mass index (adjusted OR 0.87, 95% CI, 0.77-0.97, p = 0.016) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to pump on time (adjusted OR 1.04, 95% CI, 1.01-1.06, p = 0.001) were independent predictors of NI development., Conclusions: In patients who received extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, NIs were not associated with an increase in in-hospital mortality. However, NIs with MDR organisms do increase the risk of in-hospital mortality. Lower body mass index and longer low flow time were significant predictors of NI development., Competing Interests: The authors have delcared that no competing interests exist.

Background: This study identified predictors of hospital mortality after successful weaning of patients with cardiogenic shock off venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support., Methods and results: Adult patients who received peripheral VA ECMO from January 2012 to April 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. After excluding patients who died on ECMO support, predictors for survival to discharge were investigated in patients who were successfully weaned off ECMO. Of 191 patients successfully weaned off ECMO, 143 (74.9%) survived to discharge. The prevalence of a history of stroke and coronary artery disease, as well as ECMO-related complications, including newly developed stroke and sepsis, was a higher in patients who did not survive to discharge than in those who did. On the day of ECMO weaning, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and serum lactate were higher in patients who did not survive to discharge, although there was no significant difference in blood pressure and the use of vasoactive drugs between the 2 groups. On multivariable analysis, stroke and sepsis during ECMO support, a lower Glasgow Coma Scale and acute kidney injury requiring continuous renal replacement therapy after weaning were significant predictors for in-hospital mortality., Conclusions: Complications that occurred during ECMO and the presence of extracardiac organ dysfunction after weaning were associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock who were successfully weaned off ECMO.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors for early medical emergency team reactivation (which is defined as repeated medical emergency team calls within 72 hr after the index medical emergency team call) in the patients remaining on the ward after index medical emergency team activation., Design: Retrospective analysis with prospectively collected data., Setting: A university-affiliated, tertiary referral hospital., Patients: All consecutive patients over 18 years old who received medical emergency team intervention., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: Of the 3,989 cases eligible for analysis, 514 cases (12.9%) were classified into the reactivation group, with the remainder assigned to the nonreactivation group. In a multivariate analysis, chronic lung disease (odds ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.03-1.86; p = 0.032), chronic liver disease (odds ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.04-1.99; p = 0.028), activation due to bedside concern about overall deterioration without abnormal physiological variables (odds ratio, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.00-1.68; p = 0.049), advice or consultation only for medical emergency team intervention (odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.97; p = 0.027), and discussion about treatment limitation (odds ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.25-0.60; p < 0.001) were independently associated with medical emergency team reactivation. In the reactivation group, 249 patients (48.5%) were transferred to the ICU after repeated calls. Medical department admission (odds ratio, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.12-2.52; p = 0.012), chronic liver disease (odds ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.07-2.79; p = 0.025), hematological malignancies (odds ratio, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.10-2.41; p = 0.015), and tachypnea at the end of medical emergency team were risk factors for medical emergency team reactivation requiring ICU admission. Discussion about treatment limitation (odds ratio, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.05-0.40; p < 0.001) was also associated with decreased risk of medical emergency team reactivation requiring ICU admission., Conclusions: An increased risk of early medical emergency team reactivation was associated with medical emergency team activation by bedside concern about overall deterioration and patients with chronic lung or liver disease.

Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: Both authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd-20-2940). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Background/aims: We evaluated the efficacy of docetaxel and epirubicin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer and assessed the predictive factors for response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and prognostic factors related to relapse-free survival., Methods: Forty patients who received docetaxel and epirubicinas neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer were evaluated retrospectively. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisted of intravenous injection of 75 mg/m2 docetaxel and 60 mg/m2 epirubucin on day 1, every 21 days, and two to six cycles., Results: Twenty-five (62.5%) patients showed a partial response, and 15 (37.5%) patients showed a stable disease in the first response evaluation after two or three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In the second response evaluation of nine patients who received six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, one patient achieved a complete response, but two patients with hormone receptor-negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer experienced disease progression. Twenty-five (62.5%) patients experienced downstaging after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with > 20% pretreatment Ki-67 and decrease of Ki-67 between pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed a trend for better response. In multivariate analysis, advanced pathological stage showed a significant negative effect on relapse-free survival., Conclusion: Docetaxel and epirubicin neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed a good response in locally advanced breast cancer. Pretreatment Ki-67 and change of Ki-67 may play a role as predictive factor for response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Purpose: (4S)-4-(3-[ 18 F]Fluoropropyl)- L -glutamic acid ( 18 F-FSPG) is a radiopharmaceutical for PET imaging of system x C - activity, which can be upregulated in prostate cancer. We present data on the first evaluation of patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent prostate cancer with this radiopharmaceutical., Experimental Design: Ten patients with primary and 10 patients with recurrent prostate cancer were enrolled in this prospective multicenter study. After injection of 300 MBq of 18 F-FSPG, three whole-body PET/CT scans were obtained. Visual analysis was compared with step-section histopathology when available as well as other imaging studies and clinical outcomes. Metabolic parameters were measured semiquantitatively. Expression levels of xCT and CD44 were evaluated by IHC for patients with available tissue samples., Results: 18 F-FSPG PET showed high tumor-to-background ratios with a relatively high tumor detection rate on a per-patient (89%) and per-lobe (87%) basis. The sensitivity was slightly higher with imaging at 105 minutes in comparison with 60 minutes. The maximum standardized uptake values (SUV max ) for cancer was significantly higher than both normal ( P < 0.005) and benign pathology ( P = 0.011), while there was no significant difference between normal and benign pathology ( P = 0.120). In the setting of recurrence, agreement with standard imaging was demonstrated in 7 of 9 patients (78%) and 13 of 18 lesions (72%), and revealed true local recurrence in a discordant case. 18 F-FSPG accumulation showed moderate correlation with CD44 expression., Conclusions: 18 F-FSPG is a promising tumor imaging agent for PET that seems to have favorable biodistribution and high cancer detection rate in patients with prostate cancer. Further studies are warranted to determine the diagnostic value for both initial staging and recurrence, and how it compares with other investigational radiotracers and conventional imaging modalities., (©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Background: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is an important cause of acute respiratory failure (ARF) in immunocompromised patients, yet no actual clinical tool suitably identifies patients at risk. Recently, a multivariable prediction model has been proposed for haematology patients with ARF requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission to assess the risk of PCP (PCP score). However, it has not yet been validated externally., Methods: To validate the PCP score, a retrospective cohort study was conducted in two large designated haematology centres in Korea. One-hundred and forty haematology patients with ARF were admitted to ICU. They underwent aetiologic evaluations between July 2016 and June 2019. The predictive ability of the score was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for both the discrimination and calibration of the score., Results: Among the 141 patients, 13 (9.2%) were finally diagnosed of PCP. Although the median of PCP score in PCP group was higher than in non-PCP group (3.0 [interquartile range 0.0-4.0] vs. 2.0 [0.5-4.0]), the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.679). The area under the ROC curve of the PCP score in our cohort was 0.535 (95% CI, 0.449-0.620), indicating no discriminatory ability. When using a cut-off of 3.0 the score, the result was 38.5% (95% CI, 13.9-68.4) sensitive and 7.03% (95% CI, 61.6-78.1) specific. The negative predictive value was 58.8% and positive predictive value was 59.8% for a 10% prevalence of PCP., Conclusions: In this study, the PCP score was not useful to predict the risk of PCP in haematology patients with ARF. Further prospective validation studies are needed to validate the score's use in routine clinical practice for the early diagnosis of PCP in haematology patients.

Background: Previous research has focused on intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired hypernatremia; however, ICU-acquired hyponatremia has frequently been overlooked and has rarely been studied in surgical or mixed ICUs. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence of ICU-acquired hyponatremia, the risk factors associated with its development, and its impact on outcomes in critically ill medical patients., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on the prospective registry of all critically ill patients admitted to the medical ICU from January 2015 to December 2018. Baseline characteristics and management variables were compared between ICU-acquired hyponatremia and normonatremia patients., Results: Of 1342 patients with initial normonatremia, ICU-acquired hyponatremia developed in 217 (16.2%) patients and ICU-acquired hypernatremia developed in 117 (8.7%) patients. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (8.0 vs 7.0, P = 0.009) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 scores (55.0 vs 51.0, P = 0.005) were higher in ICU-acquired hyponatremia patients compared with normonatremia patients. Baseline sodium (137.0 mmol/L vs 139.0 mmol/L, P < 0.001), potassium (4.2 mmol/L vs 4.0 mmol/L, P = 0.001), and creatinine (0.98 mg/dL vs 0.88 mg/dL, P = 0.034) levels were different between the two groups. Net volume balance over first 3 days was higher in ICU-acquired hyponatremia patients (19.4 mL/kg vs 11.5 mL/kg, P = 0.004) and was associated with the development of ICU-acquired hyponatremia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.004; 95% confidence interval, 1.002-1.007; P = 0.001). ICU mortality was similar in both groups (15.2% vs. 14.4%, P = 0.751), but renal replacement therapy was more commonly required in ICU-acquired hyponatremia patients (13.4% vs 7.4%, P = 0.007)., Conclusions: ICU-acquired hyponatremia is not uncommon in critically ill medical patients. Increased volume balance is associated with its development. ICU-acquired hyponatremia is related to increased use of renal replacement therapy but not to mortality.

Background: To compare the diagnostic sensitivity of [ 18 F]fluoroestradiol ([ 18 F]FES) and [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([ 18 F]FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for breast cancer recurrence in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive primary breast cancer., Methods: Our database of consecutive patients enrolled in a previous prospective cohort study to assess [ 18 F]FES PET/CT was reviewed to identify eligible patients who had ER-positive primary breast cancer with suspected first recurrence at presentation and who underwent [ 18 F]FDG PET/CT. The sensitivity of qualitative [ 18 F]FES and [ 18 F]FDG PET/CT interpretations was assessed, comparing them with histological diagnoses., Results: Of the 46 enrolled patients, 45 were confirmed as having recurrent breast cancer, while one was diagnosed with chronic granulomatous inflammation. Forty (89%) patients were ER-positive, four (9%) were ER-negative, and one (2%) patient did not undergo an ER assay. The sensitivity of [ 18 F]FES PET/CT was 71.1% (32/45, 95% CI, 55.7-83.6), while that of [ 18 F]FDG PET/CT was 80.0% (36/45, 95% CI, 65.4-90.4) with a threshold of positive interpretation, and 93.3% (42/45, 95% CI, 81.7-98.6) when a threshold of equivocal was used. There was no significant difference in sensitivity between [ 18 F]FES and [ 18 F]FDG PET/CT (P = 0.48) with a threshold of positive [ 18 F]FDG uptake, but the sensitivity of [ 18 F]FDG was significantly higher than [ 18 F]FES (P = 0.013) with a threshold of equivocal [ 18 F]FDG uptake. One patient with a benign lesion showed negative [ 18 F]FES but positive [ 18 F]FDG uptake., Conclusions: The restaging of patients who had ER-positive primary breast cancer and present with recurrent disease may include [ 18 F]FES PET/CT as an initial test when standard imaging studies are equivocal or suspicious.

Introduction : The global number of patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support has been growing after several studies highlighted the favorable results attained in cases of severe respiratory failure. However, evidence-based guidelines for optimal use of ECMO are lacking. Areas covered : This review covers optimal candidates, timing of initiation, strategies for patient management including mechanical ventilation, and decision-making regarding discontinuation of ECMO based on its potential role in treatment of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Expert opinion : Early initiation of ECMO should be considered if hypoxemia and uncompensated hypercapnia do not respond to optimal conventional treatment. Use of a comprehensive management approach for preventing additional lung injury and extrapulmonary organ failure is critical during ECMO support to ensure the best outcome. The possibility of weaning from ECMO should be fully assessed by a multidisciplinary team during ECMO support. Futility should not be determined solely by duration of ECMO, and use of prolonged ECMO for lung recovery may be worthwhile.

Objectives: There are limited data regarding extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in immunocompromised patients, despite an increase in ECMO use in patients with respiratory failure. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of immunocompromised patients requiring ECMO support for severe acute respiratory failure., Methods: Between January 2012 and December 2015, all consecutive adult patients with severe acute respiratory failure who underwent ECMO for respiratory support at 16 tertiary or university-affiliated hospitals in South Korea were enrolled retrospectively. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the immunocompromised status at the time of ECMO initiation. In-hospital and 6-month mortalities were compared between the 2 groups. In addition, association of immunocompromised status with 6-month mortality was evaluated with logistic regression analysis., Results: Among 461 patients, 118 (25.6%) were immunocompromised. Immunocompromised patients were younger and had lower haemoglobin and platelet counts than immunocompetent patients. Ventilatory parameters and the use of adjunctive/rescue therapies were similar between the 2 groups, but prone positioning was more commonly used in immunocompetent patients. Successful weaning rates from ECMO (46.6% vs 58.9%; P = 0.021) was lower and hospital mortality (66.1% vs 59.8%; P = 0.22) was higher in immunocompromised patients. In addition, immunocompromised status was associated with higher 6-month mortality (74.6% vs 64.7%, adjusted odds ratio 2.10, 95% confidence interval 1.02-4.35; P = 0.045)., Conclusions: Immunocompromised patients treated with ECMO support for severe acute respiratory failure had poorer short- and long-term prognoses than did immunocompetent patients., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

The effect of the growth of ambient pressures on the penetration of laser welded molybdenum (Mo) alloy was explored. It was found that when ambient pressure rose from 0.1 MPa to 1.8 MPa, the penetration of base metal (BM) was significantly reduced, which was only 17% of that obtained under ambient pressure of 0.1 MPa. Moreover, the mechanism underlying the significant reduction of the penetration of BM was analyzed. At first, by using a high-resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM), the size and the number of nano-sized metallic particles generated during laser welding under different ambient pressures were surveyed. Furthermore, the scattering and absorption of the nano-sized metallic particles for laser energy under different ambient pressures were investigated; afterwards, by applying a high-speed camera and a spectrometer, the transient behaviors and spectral signals of plasmas during fiber laser spot welding under different ambient pressures were monitored. On this basis, the inverse bremsstrahlung absorption of plasmas for laser energy under different ambient pressures was explored; finally, fiber laser spot welding test was carried out on glass/metal composite samples under different ambient pressures to survey the influence of the change of ambient pressure on dynamic behaviors of the molten pool during the welding.

Accurate prediction of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prognosis after surgery remains challenging. The Cox proportional hazard (PH) model is widely used, however, there are some limitations associated with it. In this study, we developed novel neural network models called binned time survival analysis (DeepBTS) models using 30 clinico-pathological features of surgically resected NSCLC patients (training cohort, n = 1,022; external validation cohort, n = 298). We employed the root-mean-square error (in the supervised learning model, s- DeepBTS) or negative log-likelihood (in the semi-unsupervised learning model, su-DeepBTS) as the loss function. The su-DeepBTS algorithm achieved better performance (C-index = 0.7306; AUC = 0.7677) than the other models (Cox PH: C-index = 0.7048 and AUC = 0.7390; s-DeepBTS: C-index = 0.7126 and AUC = 0.7420). The top 14 features were selected using su-DeepBTS model as a selector and could distinguish the low- and high-risk groups in the training cohort (p = 1.86 × 10 -11 ) and validation cohort (p = 1.04 × 10 -10 ). When trained with the optimal feature set for each model, the su-DeepBTS model could predict the prognoses of NSCLC better than the traditional model, especially in stage I patients. Follow-up studies using combined radiological, pathological imaging, and genomic data to enhance the performance of our model are ongoing.

Background: Studies of mechanically ventilated patients with a low risk of reintubation have suggested that the use of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy reduces the risk of reintubation compared with conventional oxygen therapy (COT). However, the effect of HFNC following extubation in elderly patients with a high risk of reintubation remains unclear., Methods: All consecutive medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients aged >65 years who were mechanically ventilated for >24 h were prospectively registered between July 2017 and June 2018. Control was obtained from a historical database of patients attending the same ICU from January 2012 to December 2013. A total of 152 patients who underwent HFNC after planned extubation according to institutional protocols (HFNC group) were compared with a propensity-matched historical control group who underwent COT ( n  = 175, COT group). The primary outcome was the proportion of reintubated patients within 48 h after planned extubation., Results: One hundred patients from the HFNC group and 129 patients from the COT group were matched by a propensity score that reflected the probability of receiving HFNC, and all variables were well matched. Post-extubation respiratory failure (41.0% versus 33.3%, p  = 0.291) and reintubation rate within 48 h (16.0% versus 11.6%, p  = 0.436) did not differ between the HFNC and COT groups. However, decreased levels of consciousness as a sign of post-extubation respiratory failure (27.0% versus 11.7%, p  = 0.007) were significantly increased in the HFNC group compared with the COT group., Conclusion: Among elderly patients who underwent planned extubation, HFNC was not associated with a decrease in the risk of reintubation. Further prospective study evaluating the clinical benefits of post-extubation HFNC in elderly patients is needed. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Background: The prevalence of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) and associated hypoxic respiratory failure is increasing in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients. However, no prior studies have evaluated the effect of early anti-PCP treatment on clinical outcomes in HIV-negative patient with severe PCP. Therefore, this study investigated the association between the time to anti-PCP treatment and the clinical outcomes in HIV-negative patients with PCP who presented with hypoxemic respiratory failure., Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed involving 51 HIV-negative patients with PCP who presented in respiratory failure and were admitted to the intensive care unit between October 2005 and July 2018. A logistic regression model was used to adjust for potential confounding factors in the association between the time to anti-PCP treatment and in-hospital mortality., Results: All patients were treated with appropriate anti-PCP treatment, primarily involving trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The median time to anti-PCP treatment was 58.0 (28.0-97.8) hours. Thirty-one (60.8%) patients were treated empirically prior to confirmation of the microbiological diagnosis. However, the hospital mortality rates were not associated with increasing quartiles of time until anti-PCP treatment (P = 0.818, test for trend). In addition, hospital mortality of patients received early empiric treatment was not better than those of patients received definitive treatment after microbiologic diagnosis (48.4% vs. 40.0%, P = 0.765). In a multiple logistic regression model, the time to anti-PCP treatment was not associated with increased mortality. However, age (adjusted OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.14) and failure to initial treatment (adjusted OR 13.03, 95% CI 2.34-72.65) were independently associated with increased mortality., Conclusions: There was no association between the time to anti-PCP treatment and treatment outcomes in HIV-negative patients with PCP who presented in hypoxemic respiratory failure.

Background: We aimed to investigate the effects and proper timing of left heart decompression (LHD) on the clinical outcomes of patients on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO)., Methods: Among 335 adult patients who underwent VA ECMO from January 2013 to December 2016, 50 who underwent LHD were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the timing of LHD: those in whom percutaneous LHD was performed at ECMO initiation (prophylactic LHD group, n=18) and those who required LHD to treat complications of impaired left ventricle (LV) unloading (therapeutic LHD group, n=32)., Results: Thirty-day mortality rates were 34.4% and 5.6% in the therapeutic and prophylactic LHD groups, respectively (P=0.036). The rate of successful weaning from ECMO (62.5% vs. 83.3%, P=0.123) and duration of ECMO support (10.5 vs. 15.4 days, P=0.332) were not significantly different between the groups. However, the rate of bridging to cardiac replacement therapy, such as heart transplantation or left ventricular assist device, was significantly higher in the prophylactic LHD group (66.7%) than in the therapeutic LHD group (37.5%) (P=0.048)., Conclusions: Prophylactic percutaneous transseptal left atrial (LA) drainage at ECMO initiation appeared to be associated with a lower early mortality rate and a higher likelihood of successful bridging to cardiac replacement therapy than therapeutic LHD to treat complications of left ventricular distension., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2019 Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mortality rates associated with sepsis have increased progressively in Korea, but domestic epidemiologic data remain limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, management and clinical outcomes of sepsis patients in Korea., Methods: This study is a multicenter retrospective cohort study. A total of 64,021 adult patients who visited an emergency department (ED) within one of the 19 participating hospitals during a 1-month period were screened for eligibility. Among these, patients diagnosed with sepsis based on the third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) were included in the study., Results: Using the Sepsis-3 criteria, 977 sepsis patients were identified, among which 36.5% presented with septic shock. The respiratory system (61.8%) was the most common site of infection. The pathogen involved was identified in 444 patients (45.5%) and multi-drug resistance (MDR) pathogens were isolated in 171 patients. Empiric antibiotic therapy was appropriate in 68.6% of patients, but the appropriateness was significantly reduced in infections associated with MDR pathogens as compared with non-MDR pathogens (58.8% vs. 76.0%, P<0.001). Hospital mortality was 43.2% and 18.5% in sepsis patients with and without shock, respectively. Of the 703 patients who survived to discharge, 61.5% were discharged to home and 38.6% were transferred to other hospitals or facilities., Conclusions: This study found the prevalence of sepsis in adult patients visiting an ED in Korea was 1.5% (15.2/1,000 patients). Patients with sepsis, especially septic shock, had a high mortality and were often referred to step-down centers after acute and critical care., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (Copyright © 2019 The Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine.)

Background: Data on the association between obesity and mortality in patients who require acute cardiac care are limited, so we investigated the effect of obesity on clinical outcomes in patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). Methods and Results: We reviewed 2,429 eligible patients admitted to the CICU at Samsung Medical Center between January 2012 and December 2015. After excluding 197 patients with low body mass index (BMI) to adjust for the possibility of frailty, patients were divided into 3 categories: normal BMI (n=822), 18.5-22.9 kg/m 2 ; moderate BMI (n=1,050), 23-27.4 kg/m 2 ; and high BMI (n=360), ≥27.5 kg/m 2 . The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Overall, 124 (2.6%) of 2,232 patients died during 28-day follow-up after CICU admission. The 28-day mortality was numerically lower in the moderate (4.5%) and high (5.3%) BMI groups than in the normal BMI group (7.1%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.052). After multivariable adjustment, the moderate and high BMI categories were not significant predictors of primary outcome (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.74, 95% CI 0.50-1.09, P=0.127 and adjusted HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.47-1.36, P=0.404, respectively). However, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores, liver cirrhosis, malignancy, history of cardiac arrest, and need for organ support treatment were independent predictors of 28-day mortality., Conclusions: Obesity was not associated with short-term mortality in patients requiring cardiac critical care.

Cerebral metabolism alterations influence cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition and are sensitive to brain injury. In subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients, Fisher scale, Hunt-Hess scale, and World Federation of Neurological Societies (WFNS) grading scale evaluating SAH severity are inadequate to predict long-term outcome; therefore, in an effort to determine metabolite pattern disparity and discover corresponding biomarkers, we designed an untargeted CSF metabolomic study covering a broad range of metabolites of SAH patients with different severity and outcome. The present study demonstrated the SAH altered the cerebrospinal fluid metabolome involving carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Pyruvate metabolism was enhanced in SAH patients with Hunt-Hess scale above III, and the CSF pyruvate level was significantly associated with WFNS grading scale above III. There is no significant variation among CSF metabolome in SAH patients with merely different amounts and distribution of bleeding. SAH patients with unfavorable outcome present upregulated CSF amino acids level and enhanced lipid biosynthesis. The present study provides a novel possibility of early identification of patients who might possess unfavorable outcome and further clarification of the underlying pathophysiology.

Background: Admission blood glucose (BG) level is a predictor of mortality in critically ill patients with various conditions. However, limited data are available regarding this relationship in critically ill patients with cardiovascular diseases according to diabetic status., Methods: A total of 1,780 patients (595 with diabetes) who were admitted to cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) were enrolled from a single center registry. Admission BG level was defined as maximal serum glucose level within 24 hours of admission. Patients were divided by admission BG level: group 1 (< 7.8 mmol/L), group 2 (7.8-10.9 mmol/L), group 3 (11.0-16.5 mmol/L), and group 4 (≥ 16.6 mmol/L)., Results: A total of 105 patients died in CICU (62 non-diabetic patients [5.2%] and 43 diabetic patients [7.9%]; P = 0.105). The CICU mortality rate increased with admission BG level (1.7%, 4.8%, 10.3%, and 18.8% from group 1 to group 4, respectively; P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, hypertension, mechanical ventilator, continuous renal replacement therapy, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and admission BG level significantly influenced CICU mortality in non-diabetic patients (group 1 vs. group 3: hazard ratio [HR], 3.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.47-7.44; P = 0.004; group 1 vs. group 4: HR, 6.56; 95% CI, 2.76-15.58; P < 0.001). However, in diabetic patients, continuous renal replacement therapy and APACHE II score influenced CICU mortality but not admission BG level., Conclusion: Admission BG level was associated with increased CICU mortality in critically ill, non-diabetic patients admitted to CICU but not in diabetic patients., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) readmission is generally associated with increased hospital stays and increased mortality. However, there are limited data on ICU readmission in critically ill cancer patients., Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on the prospective registry of all critically ill cancer patients admitted to the oncology medical ICU between January 2012 and December 2013. After excluding patients who were discharged to another hospital or decided to end-of-life care, we divided the enrolled patients into four groups according to the time period from ICU discharge to unexpected events (ICU readmission or ward death) as follows: no (without ICU readmission or death, n = 456), early (within 2 days, n = 42), intermediate (between 2 and 7 days, n = 64), and late event groups (after 7 days of index ICU discharge, n = 129). The independent risk factors associated with ICU readmission or unexpected death after ICU discharge were also analyzed using multinomial logistic regression model., Results: There were no differences in the reasons for ICU readmission across the groups. ICU mortality did not differ among the groups, but hospital mortality was significantly higher in the late event group than in the early event group. Mechanical ventilation during ICU stay, tachycardia, decreased mental status, and thrombocytopenia on the day of index ICU discharge increased the risk of early ICU readmission or unexpected ward death, while admission through the emergency room and sepsis and respiratory failure as the reasons for index ICU admission were associated with increased risk of late readmission or unexpected ward death. Interestingly, recent chemotherapy within 4 weeks before index ICU admission was inversely associated with the risk of late readmission or unexpected ward death., Conclusion: In critically ill cancer patients, patient characteristics predicting ICU readmission or unexpected ward death were different according to the time period between index ICU discharge and the events., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome is a spectrum of disorders characterized by unique phenotypic features including multiple hamartomas caused by mutations of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN. Cowden syndrome and Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome are representative diseases, and both have several common clinical features and differences. Because PTEN mutations are associated with an increased risk of malignancy including breast, thyroid, endometrial, and renal cancers, cancer surveillance is an important element of disease management. We report a germline mutation of the PTEN (c.723dupT, exon 7) identified in a young woman with a simultaneous occurrence of breast cancer, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, and follicular neoplasm. This case suggests that it is critical for clinicians to recognize the phenotypic features associated with these syndromes to accurately diagnose them and provide preventive care.

Introduction and Objectives: This study investigated whether the vasoactive inotropic score (VIS) is independently predictive of mortality in cardiogenic shock (CS)., Methods: This study was retrospective, observational study. Patients who were admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit from January 2012 to December 2015 were screened, and 493 CS patients were finally enrolled. To quantify pharmacologic support, the patients were divided into 5 groups based on a quintile of VIS: 1 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 38, 39 to 85, and > 85. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality., Results: In-hospital mortalities in the 5 VIS groups in increasing order were 8.2%, 14.1%, 21.1%, 32.0%, and 65.7%, respectively (P < .001). Multivariable analysis indicated that VIS ranges of 39 to 85 (aOR, 3.85; 95%CI, 1.60-9.22; P = .003) and over 85 (aOR, 10.83; 95%CI, 4.43-26.43; P < .001) remained significant prognostic predictors for in-hospital mortality. With multiple logistic regression to remove any confounding effects, we found that the localized regression lines regarding the odds of death intersected each other's (medical therapy alone and combined extracorporeal membrane oxygenation group) path at VIS = 130. In contrast to linear correlation between VIS and mortality for patients treated with medical therapy alone, there was little association between a VIS of 130 or more and the probability of in-hospital mortality for patients who were treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation., Conclusions: A high level of vasoactive inotropic support during the first 48hours was significantly associated with increased in-hospital mortality in adult CS patients., (Copyright © 2018 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: No data are available on the duration of time needed to assess the adequacy of lung function after stopping sweep gas for weaning of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The objective of this study was to investigate changes in arterial blood gases (ABGs) during sweep gas off trials in patients receiving venovenous ECMO., Methods: Data on patients receiving venovenous ECMO, with a weaning trial at least once, were collected prospectively from January 2012 through December 2017. Serial changes in ABGs during sweep gas off trial and clinical outcomes after weaning from venovenous ECMO were evaluated., Results: Over the study period, 192 sweep gas off trials occurred in 93 patients: 115 (60%) failed and 77 (40%) were successful. During the trial, significant changes in blood gases were observed within 1 h in all patients. When serial ABGs were compared according to trial off results, there were no significant differences in the pH, PaCO 2 , and HCO 3 - trends across time points between successful and failed trials. However, PaO 2 (70.6 versus 93.4 mmHg), SaO 2 (91.9 versus 95.2%), and PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratio (164.0 versus 233.4) were significantly lower in failed trials than successful trials within 1 h after stopping sweep gas. After 2 h of trial off, no significant change in blood gases was observed until the end of the trial., Conclusions: No change in blood gases was observed 2 h after stopping sweep gas in patients receiving venovenous ECMO. Based on our institutional experience, however, we suggest monitoring for 2 h or more after stopping sweep gas flow to assess if patients are ready for decannulation. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Background: Bacterial pneumonia is a major cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. However, it is unknown whether the type of pneumonia, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) versus hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), should be considered when predicting outcomes for ARDS patients treated with ECMO., Methods: We divided a sample of adult patients receiving ECMO for acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by bacterial pneumonia between January 2012 and December 2016 into CAP ( n = 21) and HAP ( n = 35) groups and compared clinical and bacteriological characteristics and outcomes., Results: The median acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II and sequential organ failure assessment scores were 22 and 8, respectively, in the CAP and HAP groups. The most commonly identified organism in the CAP group was Streptococcus pneumonia ( n = 12, 57.1%), while Acinectobacter baumanii was the most commonly identified in the HAP group ( n = 13, 37.1%). However, the incidence of multidrug resistant bacteria was not different between groups (57.1% versus 74.3%, p = 0.125). Of the 56 patients in the study, 26 were successfully weaned from ECMO, and 20 were discharged from the hospital. There were no significant differences in ECMO weaning rate (47.6% versus 45.7%, p > 0.999) or survival to discharge rate (33.3% versus 37.1%, p > 0.999) between the two groups. The 30-day and 90-day mortality rates were also similar., Conclusion: Patients with CAP and HAP who received ECMO for respiratory support had similar characteristics and clinical outcomes.

Background: Despite the increasing use of colistin in clinical practice, the optimal dosing, and administration route have not been established. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcome and safety of intravenous (IV) colistin with a loading dose (LD) and adjunctive aerosolized (AS) colistin administration in critically ill patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) or ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CRGNB)., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 191 critically ill patients who received colistin for the treatment of HAP or VAP caused by CRGNB. Patients were divided into three groups: non-LD IV (patients received only IV colistin without LD), LD IV (patients received only IV colistin with LD), and AS-LD (patients received IV colistin with LD and adjunctive AS colistin)., Results: There was no difference in clinical response between the three groups. However, the rate of microbiological eradication was significantly higher in the AS-LD group (60%) than in the non-LD IV (31%), and LD IV (33%) groups ( p  = 0.010). Patients treated with adjunctive AS colistin in combination with LD IV had significantly lower 30-day mortality rates than patients treated with IV colistin alone ( p  = 0.027). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, adjunctive AS colistin was still significantly associated with lower mortality (adjusted OR 0.338, CI 95% 0.132-0.864, p  = 0.024). However, nephrotoxicity did not change according to the use of LD regimen and AS colistin administration ( p  = 0.100)., Conclusions: Adjunctive AS colistin in combination with IV colistin with LD was related to an improved 30-day mortality and microbiological outcome without an increase in nephrotoxicity in critically ill patients with HAP and VAP caused by CRGNB. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Background: There are limited data regarding prolonged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, despite increase in ECMO use and duration in patients with respiratory failure. The objective of this study was to investigate the outcomes of severe acute respiratory failure patients supported with prolonged ECMO for more than 28 days., Methods: Between January 2012 and December 2015, all consecutive adult patients with severe acute respiratory failure who underwent ECMO for respiratory support at 16 tertiary or university-affiliated hospitals in South Korea were enrolled retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups: short-term group defined as ECMO for ⩽28 days and long-term group defined as ECMO for more than 28 days. In-hospital and 6-month mortalities were compared between the two groups., Results: A total of 487 patients received ECMO support for acute respiratory failure during the study period, and the median support duration was 8 days (4-20 days). Of these patients, 411 (84.4%) received ECMO support for ⩽28 days (short-term group), and 76 (15.6%) received support for more than 28 days (long-term group). The proportion of acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease as a cause of respiratory failure was higher in the long-term group than in the short-term group (22.4% versus 7.5%, p < 0.001), and the duration of mechanical ventilation before ECMO was longer (4 days versus 1 day, p < 0.001). The hospital mortality rate (60.8% versus 69.7%, p = 0.141) and the 6-month mortality rate (66.2% versus 74.0%, p = 0.196) were not different between the two groups. ECMO support longer than 28 days was not associated with hospital mortality in univariable and multivariable analyses., Conclusions: Short- and long-term survival rates among patients receiving ECMO support for more than 28 days for severe acute respiratory failure were not worse than those among patients receiving ECMO for 28 days or less.

Background: The introduction of a continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) device into the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuit is widely used. However, excessive pressure transmitted to the CRRT device is a major disadvantage. We investigated the effects of using additional pressure control lines on the pressure and the lifespan of the CRRT circuit connected to the ECMO., Methods: This is an observational study using prospectively collected data from consecutive patients receiving CRRT connected into the ECMO circuit at a university-affiliated, tertiary hospital from January 2013 to December 2016. The CRRT circuit was connected into the ECMO circuit through the Luer Lock connection without an additional pressure control line in 16 patients (9%, no line group), an additional pressure control line on the inlet line in 36 patients (23%, single line group), and additional pressure control lines on both the inlet and outlet lines in 118 patients (77%, double line group). The outcome measures of interest were compared among the three groups., Results: The median access pressure was higher in the no line group compared to the groups. However, median filter pressure, effluent pressure, and return pressure were higher in the double line group compared to the other groups. There were no significant differences in platelets, lactate dehydrogenase, and plasma hemoglobin among the 3 groups over the time period studied. Median lifespan of the CRRT circuits in the double line group was 45.0 (29.0-63.7) hours, which was higher compared to 21.8 (11.6-31.8) hours in the no line group and 23.0 (15.0-34.6) hours in the single line group, respectively. In addition, in-hospital mortality was lower in the double line group (48.3%) compared to the no line group (68.8%) and the single line group (75.0%)., Conclusions: Additional tubing can be considered a simple and safe method for pressure control and lengthening circuit survival when connecting the CRRT device to the ECMO circuit.

Background: Although the WIND (Weaning according to a New Definition) classification based on duration of ventilation after the first separation attempt has been proposed, this new classification has not been tested in clinical practice. The objective of this cohort study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of WIND classification and its association with hospital mortality compared to the International Consensus Conference (ICC) classification., Methods: All consecutive medical ICU patients who were mechanically ventilated for more than 24 h between July 2010 and September 2013 were prospectively registered. Patients were classified into simple, difficult, or prolonged weaning group according to ICC classification and Groups 1, 2, 3, or no weaning (NW) according to WIND classification., Results: During the study period, a total of 1600 patients were eligible. These patients were classified by the WIND classification as follows: Group NW = 580 (36.3%), Group 1 = 617 (38.6%), Group 2 = 186 (11.6%), and Group 3 = 217 (13.6%). However, only 735 (45.9%) patients were classified by ICC classification as follows: simple weaning = 503 (68.4%), difficult weaning = 145 (19.7%), and prolonged weaning = 87 (11.8%). Clinical outcomes were significantly different across weaning groups by ICC classification and WIND classification. However, there were no statistical differences in successful weaning rate (96.6% vs. 95.2%) or hospital mortality (22.5% vs. 25.5%) between simple and difficult weaning groups by the ICC. Conversely, there were statistically significant differences in successful weaning rate (98.5% vs. 76.9%) and hospital mortality (21.2% vs. 33.9%) between Group 1 and Group 2 by WIND., Conclusions: The WIND classification could be a better tool for predicting weaning outcomes than the ICC classification.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics and clinical outcomes of critically ill cancer patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in Korea., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that analyzed prospective collected data from the Validation of Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS3) in Korean ICU (VSKI) study, which is a nationwide, multicenter, and prospective study that considered 5,063 patients from 22 ICUs in Korea over a period of 7 months. Among them, patients older than 18 years of age who were diagnosed with solid or hematologic malignancies prior to admission to the ICU were included in the present study., Results: During the study period, a total of 1,762 cancer patients were admitted to the ICUs and 833 of them were deemed eligible for analysis. Six hundred fifty-eight (79%) had solid tumors and 175 (21%) had hematologic malignancies, respectively. Respiratory problems (30.1%) was the most common reason leading to ICU admission. Patients with hematologic malignancies had higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (12 vs. 8, P<0.001) and SAPS3 (71 vs. 69, P<0.001) values and were more likely to be associated with chemotherapy, steroid therapy, and immunocompromised status versus patients with solid tumors. The use of inotropes/vasopressors, mechanical ventilation, and/or continuous renal replacement therapy was more frequently required in hematologic malignancy patients. Mortality rates in the ICU (41.7% vs. 24.6%, P<0.001) and hospital (53.1% vs. 38.6%, P=0.002) were higher in hematologic malignancy patients than in solid tumor patients., Conclusions: Cancer patients accounted for one-third of all patients admitted to the studied ICUs in Korea. Clinical characteristics were different according to the type of malignancy. Patients with hematologic malignancies had a worse prognosis than did patients with solid tumor., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (Copyright © 2018 The Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine.)

Bloodstream infection (BSI) occurred in 21 of 121 patients (17%) receiving venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation within the median time of 6 days after initiation (interquartile range, 4-19 days). Longer duration of arterial catheterization and more blood transfusions were independently associated with BSI, which is associated with poor clinical outcomes.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;1-4.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the potential of tumor 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) avidity as a preoperative imaging biomarker for the prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Methods: One hundred and fifty-eight patients diagnosed with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages 0 or A HCC (median age, 57 years; interquartile range, 50-64 years) who underwent 18 F-FDG positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET/CT) before curative surgery at seven university hospitals were included. Tumor FDG avidity was measured by tumor-to-normal liver standardized uptake value ratio (TLR) of the primary tumor on FDG PET/CT imaging. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify significant parameters associated with MVI. The predictive performance of TLR and other clinical variables was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis., Results: MVI was present in 76 of 158 patients with HCCs (48.1%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that TLR, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, and tumor size were significantly associated with the presence of MVI (P < 0.001). Multinodularity was not significantly associated with MVI (P = 0.563). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for predicting the presence of MVI was best with TLR (AUC = 0.704), followed by tumor size (AUC = 0.685) and AFP (AUC = 0.670). We were able to build an improved prediction model combining TLR, tumor size, and AFP by using multivariable logistic regression modeling (AUC = 0.756)., Conclusions: Tumor FDG avidity measured by TLR on FDG PET/CT is a preoperative imaging biomarker for the prediction of MVI in patients with HCC.

Background: Many studies have shown a link between inflammation and cancer development. However, there are few studies regarding the correlation between Behçet disease (BD) and cancer., Objectives: To determine the overall cancer risk and risk for specific cancers in patients with BD., Methods: Patients with BD (n = 14,137; mean age, 44.2 ± 12.5 years; male patients, 32.4%) without known previous cancer were selected from the Korean National Health Insurance Database between 2007 and 2014. An age- and sex-matched control population of individuals without BD was randomly sampled at a ratio of 10:1. Both cohorts were followed for incident cancer until 2015., Results: Overall, cancer was newly diagnosed in 451 patients with BD (3.19%) and 3975 controls (2.81%) during the follow-up period. Patients with BD showed a significantly higher risk for cancer compared with the controls (hazard ratio [HR], 1.134; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.029-1.25), leukemia (HR, 5.801; 95% CI, 3.24-10.385), lymphoma (HR, 2.584; 95% CI, 1.559-4.283), oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer (HR, 2.113; 95% CI, 1.102-4.052), thyroid cancer (HR, 1.256; 95% CI, 1.05-1.501), and prostate cancer (HR, 1.784; 95% CI, 1.141-2.791)., Limitations: The treatment or severity of diseases in each individual was not examined., Conclusions: Patients with BD had a higher risk for overall cancer compared with controls without BD. Physicians should carefully monitor patients with BD for the potential development of malignancies., (Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) has suggested that extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients should be managed by a multidisciplinary team. However, there are limited data on the impact of ECMO team on the outcomes of patients with severe acute respiratory failure., Methods: All consecutive patients with severe acute respiratory failure who underwent ECMO for respiratory support from January 2012 through December 2016 were divided into the pre-ECMO team period (before January 2014, n = 70) and the post-ECMO team period (after January 2014, n = 46). Clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared between the two groups., Results: The mortality rates in the intensive care unit (72.9 vs. 50.0%, P = 0.012) and hospital (75.7 vs. 52.2%, P = 0.009) were significantly decreased in the post-ECMO team period compared to the pre-ECMO team period. The median duration of ECMO support was not different between the two periods. However, the proportion of patients successfully weaned off ECMO was higher in the post-ECMO team period (42.9 vs. 65.2%, P = 0.018). During ECMO support, the incidence of cannula problems (32.9 vs. 15.2%, P = 0.034) and cardiovascular events (88.6 vs. 65.2%, P = 0.002) was reduced after implementation of the ECMO team. The 1-year mortality was significantly different between the pre-ECMO team and post-ECMO team periods (37.8 vs. 14.3%, P = 0.005)., Conclusion: After implementing a multidisciplinary ECMO team, survival rate in patients treated with ECMO for severe acute respiratory failure was significantly improved.