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Background Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States. DILI is mainly caused by painkillers and fever reducers, and it is often characterized by the type of hepatic injury (hepatocellular or cholestatic). This report presents a case of fenofibrate-induced severe jaundice in a 65-year-old Korean male with no prior history of liver disease. We offer a strategy for patients who present signs of severe liver injury with jaundice and high elevations in serum transaminases. Case summary A 65-year-old male visited the gastroenterology outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital due to increased levels of liver enzyme and total bilirubin which were incidentally detected through a preoperative screening test. Abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography showed no biliary obstruction or non-specific findings in the liver. Liver biopsy was performed and the patient was finally diagnosed with acute cholestatic hepatitis. Following the biopsy, steroid therapy was initiated and after 3 wk of treatment, the total bilirubin level was reduced to 7.22 mg/dL. Conclusion In patients with hyperlipidemia, treatment including fenofibric acid induces rare complications such as severe jaundice and acute cholestatic hepatitis, warranting clinical attention.

BACKGROUND The (13)C-urea breath test ((13)C-UBT) is a noninvasive method for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. The aims of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic validity of the (13)C-UBT cutoff value and to identify influencing clinical factors responsible for aberrant results. METHODS (13)C-UBT (UBiTkit; Otsuka Pharmaceutical, cutoff value: 2.5‰) results in the range 2.0‰ to 10.0‰ after H. pylori eradication therapy were compared with the results of endoscopic biopsy results of the antrum and body. Factors considered to affect test results adversely were analyzed. RESULTS Among patients with a positive (13)C-UBT result (2.5‰ to 10.0‰, n = 223) or a negative (13)C-UBT result (2.0‰ to < 2.5‰, n = 66) after H. pylori eradication, 73 patients (34.0%) were false positive, and one (1.5%) was false negative as determined by endoscopic biopsy. The sensitivity, specificity, false-positive rate, and false-negative rate for a cutoff value of 2.5‰ were 99.3%, 47.1%, 52.9%, and 0.7%, respectively, and positive and negative predictive values of the (13)C-UBT were 67.3% and 98.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that a history of two or more previous H. pylori eradication therapies (OR = 2.455, 95%CI = 1.299-4.641) and moderate to severe gastric intestinal metaplasia (OR = 3.359, 95%CI = 1.572-7.178) were associated with a false-positive (13)C-UBT result. CONCLUSION The (13)C-UBT cutoff value currently used has poor specificity for confirming H. pylori status after eradication, and this lack of specificity is exacerbated in patients that have undergone multiple prior eradication therapies and in patients with moderate to severe gastric intestinal metaplasia. In addition, the citric-free (13)C-UBT would increase a false-positive (13)C-UBT result.

Purpose Bronchiectasis is the main cause of hemoptysis. When patients with bronchiectasis develop hemoptysis, clinicians often perform bronchoscopy and bronchial washing to obtain samples for microbiological and cytological examinations. Bronchial washing fluids were analyzed from patients with bronchiectasis who developed hemoptysis, and the clinical impacts of these analyses were examined. Materials and methods A retrospective observational study of patients who underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy for hemoptysis in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, a university affiliated tertiary referral hospital, between January 2006 and December 2010 were reviewed. Among them, patients who had bronchiectasis confirmed by computed tomography and had no definite cause of hemoptysis other than bronchiectasis were reviewed. The demographic characteristics, bronchoscopy findings, microbiological data, pathology results and clinical courses of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results A total of 130 patients were reviewed. Bacteria, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis were isolated from bronchial washing fluids of 29.5%, 21.3%, and 0.8% patients, respectively. Suspected causal bacteria were isolated only from bronchial washing fluid in 19 patients, but this analysis led to antibiotics change in only one patient. Of the 27 patients in whom NTM were isolated from bronchial washing fluid, none of these patients took anti-NTM medication during the median follow-up period of 505 days. Malignant cells were not identified in none of the patients. Conclusion Bronchial washing is a useful method to identify microorganisms when patients with bronchiectasis develop hemoptysis. However, these results only minimally affect clinical decisions.

Herein, we report a case of multiple systemic arteries to pulmonary artery fistulas without any underlying causes, presenting recurrent hemoptysis. Transcatheter embolization was successfully performed several times on multiple systemic feeding arteries. Multiple systemic arteries to pulmonary fistulas can be a source of uncontrolled bleeding, and embolization may be a reasonable therapeutic option to control the bleeding.

Objective This study was a post-hoc analysis of the results from a neuropsychological battery which was conducted to investigate the frontal lobe difference between obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) patients with and without schizotypal personality trait (SPT), especially dorsolateral prefrontal and medial frontal functions. Methods Fifty-five OCD patients were divided into two groups according to their Personality Disorder Questionnaire-4+ scores. Patients with OCD with SPT ( n = 17) and OCD without SPT ( n = 38) were compared to 52 schizophrenia patients and 67 healthy subjects. Two neuropsychological tasks, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and verbal fluency tests which are considered to reflect dorsolateral and medial frontal functions, were selected for an analysis. Results OCD with SPT patients and patients with schizophrenia performed significantly worse than controls in both the WCST and verbal fluency tasks, whereas OCD without SPT patients showed no deficits in the same tasks. Moreover, we found no statistically significant difference in either task between patients having OCD with SPT and patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion This study indicate that OCD with SPT may have distinct patterns of neurocognitive deficit that differ from those of OCD without SPT, especially in terms of frontal lobe function.

Background Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) for endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has been advocated to qualitatively diagnose biopsy samples. However, adequate ROSE criteria during EBUS-TBNA are unclear. The aim of this study was to determine adequacy criteria of ROSE in EBUS-TBNA samples and suggest an appropriate algorithm. Methods Patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA for nodal evaluation between March and July 2013 at Seoul National University Hospital were included prospectively. The ROSE slides were reviewed independently by two pathologists, and the results were compared to the final pathologic results. Diagnostic yields, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated in order to make nodal evaluations. Results EBUS-TBNA was performed on 300 lymph nodes in 133 patients. Samples were nondiagnostic in 7.7%, 6.3%, and 1.7% of the cytologic, histologic, and overall pathologic results, respectively. On the ROSE slides, a large tissue core size (≥2 cm), microscopic anthracotic pigment (MAP), and increased lymphocyte density (LD; ≥40 cells/field [40×, mean of 10 fields]) were significantly associated with adequate final cytologic or histologic results. Malignant cells were not statistically associated with adequacy but were considered a parameter indicating an adequate diagnosis. Using four sequential criteria, tissue core size, the presence of malignant cell, MAP, and LD ≥40 cells/field, the sensitivity and accuracy rates of ROSE increased from 64.4% to 98.6% and from 64.7% to 97.3%, respectively. Conclusions A high adequacy rate of ROSE in EBUS-TBNA can be achieved by sequentially applying four criteria: tissue core size, malignant cells, MAP, and increased LD.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of the 14-d moxifloxacin-based triple therapy for the second-line eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. METHODS: Between 2011 and 2013, we conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of 160 patients who had experienced failure of their first-line proton pump inhibitor-based eradication therapy and subsequently received the moxifloxacin-based triple therapy as a second-line eradication treatment regimen. The patients who were treated with the moxifloxacin-based triple therapy (oral 20 mg rabeprazole b.i.d., 1000 mg amoxicillin b.i.d., and 400 mg moxifloxacin q.d.) for 7 d were assigned to the RAM-7 group (n = 79) while those who took them for 14 days were assigned to RAM-14 group (n = 81). The eradication rates for both groups were determined by intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses. ITT analysis compared the treatment groups as originally allocated while the PP analysis including only those patients who had completed the treatment as originally allocated. Successful eradication therapy for H. pylori infection was defined as the documentation of a negative 13C-urea breath test 4 wk after the end of the eradication treatment. RESULTS: The overall ITT eradication rate was 76.2% (122/160). The final ITT eradication rates were 70.8% (56/79; 95%CI: 63.3%-77.1%) in the RAM-7 group and 81.4% (66/81; 95%CI: 74.6%-88.3%) in the RAM-14 group (P = 0.034). The overall PP eradication rate was 84.1% (122/145), and the final PP eradication rates were 77.7% (56/72; 95%CI: 70.2%-85.3%) in the RAM-7 group and 90.4% (66/73; 95%CI: 82.8%-98.1%) in the RAM-14 group (P = 0.017). The H. pylori-eradication rates in the RAM-14 group were significantly higher compared with that of the RAM-7 group according to both the ITT (P = 0.034) and the PP analyses (P = 0.017). Both groups exhibited good treatment compliance (RAM-7/RAM-14 group: 100%/100%). The adverse event rates were 19.4% (14/72) and 20.5% (15/73) in the RAM-7 and RAM-14 groups, respectively (P = 0.441). Adverse events occurred in 14 of the 72 patients (19.4) in the RAM-7 group and in 15 of the 73 patients (20.5) in the RAM-14 group. No statistically significant differences (P = 0.441) were observed. CONCLUSION: The 14-d moxifloxacin-based triple therapy is a significantly more effective second-line eradication treatment as compared to the 7-d alternative for H. pylori infection in South Korea.

Background: Atrophic gastritis is a precancerous condition, which can be diagnosed by several methods. However, there is no consensus for the standard method. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations among endoscopic, histologic, and serologic findings for the diagnosis of atrophic gastritis. Methods: From March 2003 to August 2013, a total of 2,558 subjects were enrolled. Endoscopic atrophic gastritis was graded by Kimura-Takemoto classification and histological atrophic gastritis was assessed by updated Sydney system. Serological assessment of atrophic gastritis was based on serum pepsinogen test. Results: The serum pepsinogen I/II ratio showed a significant decreasing nature when the extent of atrophy increased (R2=0.837, P

Background This study aimed to elucidate the phenotypic, immunologic, and clinical characteristics of Korean patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease and compare them with non-NTM bronchiectasis (BE) patients. Methods We prospectively recruited patients between 20 and 80 years of age who had nodular BE type NTM lung disease. Phenotypic, immunologic, and clinical characteristics were evaluated through physical examination, laboratory tests, pulmonary function tests, and radiographic examinations. Questionnaires were also answered. The results of the evaluations were compared with the results of non-NTM BE patients. Results A total of 84 patients with NTM lung disease and 47 non-NTM BE patients participated in the study. Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease and M. abscessus lung disease were most common. Patients with NTM lung disease had lower body mass index than non-NTM BE patients. Scoliosis was observed more frequently in patients with NTM lung disease than in non-NTM BE patients. Conclusions Significant similarities were seen between Korean patients with NTM lung disease and patients from other countries. Differences in phenotypic and clinical characteristics between NTM lung disease and non-NTM BE patients suggest differences in the immunopathogenesis of NTM lung disease and non-NTM BE. Trial registration information ClinicalTrials.gov Registration number; NCT01616745

Endobronchial metastasis of leiomyosarcoma is rare, but it can cause life-threatening complications, such as massive hemoptysis, respiratory failure or even death. The development of new endoscopic modalities allows for effective endobronchial management. We report three patients with endobronchial metastases from advanced leiomyosarcomas which caused bronchial obstruction. The bronchoscopic examinations revealed masses obstructing the left main bronchus in all three patients. After removing the endobronchial tumor via interventional bronchoscopy, there was symptomatic and radiologic improvement. Moreover, the patients were able to undergo additional palliative chemotherapy. Therefore, endobronchial management of endobronchial tumors should be considered in the treatment of endobronchial metastasis, even in patients with advanced malignancies.

G A A b st ra ct s for intractable anastomosis stenosis resistant to repeated EBD.(Purpose)The utility of mucosal incision with steroid injection for intractable anastomotic stenosis after gastrectomy is considered.(Material and Methods)The data of a total of 520 consecutive patients who underwent gastrectomy between 2009 and 2014were analyzed retrospectively with a view to determining the incidence of anastomotic stenosis. The period after operation when symptoms of stenosis appeared, methods of gastrectomy and reconstruction of surgery, complications, methods of treatment of stenosis, times of EBD, and the period until symptoms were disappeared were analyzed. We performed EBD only for cases with severe anastomosis stenosis. Mucosal incision was performed by needle knife for thickest part of stricture scar. As steroid injection, 80mg triamcinolone was performed for lack of mucosa after mucosal incision. (Results)Seven patients (1.3%) were developed severe stenosis which needed to be treated by EBD. The median interval between the surgery and detection of stenosis was 1.5 months. The methods of operation and reconstruction after gastrectomy are proximal gastrectomy with esophagogastric anastomosis for 6 patients and with esophago-jejuno anastomosis for 1 patient. 3 patients were added mucosal incision and steroid injection. No serious complication was happened . The median time of EBD until the lumen was kept was 7 times in all patients. The median period after first EBD until the lumen was kept was 10 months in patients conducted only balloon dilatation without mucosal incision, while the median period after mucosal incision was 1 month in patients with mucosal incision(P

Background: Relative to ample high-risk studies on neurocognitive function, only a few high-risk studies have examined affective functioning components as possible vulnerability markers. In this study, we comprehensively assessed baseline affective functioning in subjects at clinical high risk (CHR) and genetic high risk (GHR) for schizophrenia, and healthy controls (HC), and compared the results to elucidate possible vulnerability markers in the affective domain. Methods: We studied 3 groups of subjects: those with CHR (n = 28) or GHR (n = 28) and a HC group (n = 24). Affective-process- and affective-content-related functioning were assessed using 5 emotion-related scales. Results: In affective process, CHR subjects showed impairments in emotional awareness and mood repair, with some trend of impaired emotional expressivity as well as aggression control relative to either HC or GHR subjects, whereas GHR subjects showed only a trend of impairment in mood repair. In affective content, CHR subjects had less positive and more negative affect scores than the other 2 groups. Conclusions: These results correspond to previous findings of prodrome studies of schizophrenia and chronic schizophrenia and suggest that impaired mood repair and emotional awareness, as well as less positive and more negative affect may be potential candidates of vulnerability markers.

34 Background: Despite the development of EUS and CT technology, there are no clinically relevant imaging tools to detect accurate preoperative staging such as lymph node (LN) metastases. The aim of this study was to elucidate of the clinicopathological characteristics of understaging and overstaging of the preoperative assessment for the gastric cancer by EUS and CT. Methods: In total, 180 patients who underwent EUS and CT, followed by gastrectomy at Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University, from July 2012 to June 2014, were analyzed. The results from the preoperative EUS and CT were compared to the postoperative pathological findings. Results: For T staging, a total of 180 patients who underwent CT and EUS have been recruited and 99 patients with visualized primary lesions on CT were analyzed. For N staging, 180 patients who underwent EUS and CT were analyzed. The overall accuracy of EUS and CT for T staging was 63.7% and 69%, respectively. The overall accuracy for N staging was 74.3% and 69.6%, respectively. Compared with variables of under and over staging group with accurate staging group, Accuracy of T staging for lesions at the cardia (36.4% vs. 63.6%, P = 0.021), advanced gastric cancer group (55% vs. 90.9%, P = 0.005) and advanced T stage group (24.4% vs. 5.2 %, P = 0.001) was higher than that non-cardia lesions and EGC group. Ulcerative lesion (38.5% vs. 61.5%, P < 0.001) and histologically undifferentiated type (3.8% vs. 93.8%, P = 0.002) had significantly lower accuracy in N staging than non-ulcerative lesions and the differentiated cancer. Conclusions: Caution is required in interpreting the T staging of the advanced T stage (T3 and T4) lesions, lesions at the cardia and advanced gastric cancer lesions. The ulcerative and undifferentiated lesions needed careful interpretation for N staging. However, there seemed to be no significant differences of clinicopathological characteristics between EUS and CT. The accuracy of CT was close to that of EUS and both modalities were useful and complementary for the locoregional staging of gastric cancer.

To investigate the eradication rate and histological changes after Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication treatment following subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer.A total of 610 patients with H. pylori infection who had undergone surgery for either early or advanced gastric adenocarcinoma between May 2004 and December 2010 were retrospectively studied. A total of 584 patients with proven H. pylori infection after surgery for gastric cancer were enrolled in this study. Patients received a seven day standard triple regimen as first-line therapy and a 10 d bismuth-containing quadruple regimen as second-line therapy in cases of eradication failure. The patients underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) between six and 12 mo after surgery, followed by annual EGDs. A further EGD was conducted 12 mo after confirming the result of the eradication and the histological changes. A gastric biopsy specimen for histological examination and Campylobacter-like organism testing was obtained from the lesser and greater curvature of the corpus of the remnant stomach. Histological changes in the gastric mucosa were assessed using the updated Sydney system before eradication therapy and at follow-up after 12 mo.Eradication rates with the first-line and second-line therapies were 78.4% (458/584) and 90% (36/40), respectively, by intention-to-treat analysis and 85.3% (458/530) and 92.3% (36/39), respectively, by per-protocol analysis. The univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that Billroth II surgery was an independent factor predictive of eradication success in the eradication success group (OR = 1.53, 95%CI: 1.41-1.65, P = 0.021). The atrophy and intestinal metaplasia (IM) scores 12 mo after eradication were significantly lower in the eradication success group than in the eradication failure group (0.25 ± 0.04 vs 0.47 ± 0.12, P = 0.023; 0.27 ± 0.04 vs 0.51 ± 0.12, P = 0.015, respectively). The atrophy and IM scores 12 mo after successful eradication were significantly lower in the Billroth II group than in the Billroth I group (0.13 ± 0.09 vs 0.31 ± 0.12, P = 0.029; 0.32 ± 0.24 vs 0.37 ± 0.13, P = 0.034, respectively).Patients with H. pylori following subtotal gastrectomy had a similar eradication rate to patients with an intact stomach. H. pylori eradication is recommended after subtotal gastrectomy.

To evaluate the incidence and clinical characteristics of gastric cancer (GC) in peptic ulcer patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.Between January 2003 and December 2013, the medical records of patients diagnosed with GC were retrospectively reviewed. Those with previous gastric ulcer (GU) and H. pylori infection were assigned to the HpGU-GC group (n = 86) and those with previous duodenal ulcer (DU) disease and H. pylori infection were assigned to the HpDU-GC group (n = 35). The incidence rates of GC in the HpGU-GC and HpDU-GC groups were analyzed. Data on demographics (age, gender, peptic ulcer complications and cancer treatment), GC clinical characteristics [location, pathological diagnosis, differentiation, T stage, Lauren's classification, atrophy of surrounding mucosa and intestinal metaplasia (IM)], outcome of eradication therapy for H. pylori infection, esophagogastroduodenoscopy number and the duration until GC onset were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors influencing GC development. The relative risk of GC was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards model.The incidence rates of GC were 3.60% (86/2387) in the HpGU-GC group and 1.66% (35/2098) in the HpDU-GC group. The annual incidence was 0.41% in the HpGU-GC group and 0.11% in the HpDU-GC group. The rates of moderate-to-severe atrophy of the surrounding mucosa and IM were higher in the HpGU-GC group than in the HpDU-GC group (86% vs 34.3%, respectively, and 61.6% vs 14.3%, respectively, P0.05). In the univariate analysis, atrophy of surrounding mucosa, IM and eradication therapy for H. pylori infection were significantly associated with the development of GC (P0.05). There was no significant difference in the prognosis of GC patients between the HpGU-GC and HpDU-GC groups (P = 0.347). The relative risk of GC development in the HpGU-GC group compared to that of the HpDU-GC group, after correction for age and gender, was 1.71 (95%CI: 1.09-2.70; P = 0.02).GU patients with H. pylori infection had higher GC incidence rates and relative risks. Atrophy of surrounding mucosa, IM and eradication therapy were associated with GC.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of 14-d moxifloxacin-based sequential therapy as first-line eradication treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. METHODS: From December 2013 to August 2014, 161 patients with confirmed H. pylori infection randomly received 14 d of moxifloxacin-based sequential group (MOX-ST group, n = 80) or clarithromycin-based sequential group (CLA-ST group, n = 81) therapy. H. pylori infection was defined on the basis of at least one of the following three tests: a positive 13C-urea breath test; histologic evidence of H. pylori by modified Giemsa staining; or a positive rapid urease test (CLOtest; Delta West, Bentley, Australia) by gastric mucosal biopsy. Successful eradication therapy for H. pylori infection was defined as a negative 13C-urea breath test four weeks after the end of eradication treatment. Compliance was defined as good when drug intake was at least 85%. H. pylori eradication rates, patient compliance with drug treatment, adverse event rates, and factors influencing the efficacy of eradication therapy were evaluated. RESULTS: The eradication rates by intention-to-treat analysis were 91.3% (73/80; 95%CI: 86.2%-95.4%) in the MOX-ST group and 71.6% (58/81; 95%CI: 65.8%-77.4%) in the CLA-ST group (P = 0.014). The eradication rates by per-protocol analysis were 93.6% (73/78; 95%CI: 89.1%-98.1%) in the MOX-ST group and 75.3% (58/77; 95%CI: 69.4%-81.8%) in the CLA-ST group (P = 0.022). Compliance was 100% in both groups. The adverse event rates were 12.8% (10/78) and 24.6% (19/77) in the MOX-ST and CLA-ST group, respectively (P = 0.038). Most of the adverse events were mild-to-moderate in intensity; there was none serious enough to cause discontinuation of treatment in either group. In multivariate analysis, advanced age (≥ 60 years) was a significant independent factor related to the eradication failure in the CLA-ST group (adjusted OR = 2.13, 95%CI: 1.97-2.29, P = 0.004), whereas there was no significance in the MOX-ST group. CONCLUSION: The 14-d moxifloxacin-based sequential therapy is effective. Moreover, it shows excellent patient compliance and safety compared to the 14-d clarithromycin-based sequential therapy.

AIM: To compare the efficacy of 14- and 7-d bismuth-based quadruple therapies as second-line eradication treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. METHODS: Between 2004 and 2014, the medical records of 790 patients who had experienced failure of first-line proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based eradication therapy and were then treated with bismuth-based quadruple therapy were retrospectively reviewed. Those who received bismuth-based quadruple therapy [PPI, bismuth, metronidazole, and tetracycline (PBMT)] for either 7 d or 14 d were assigned to a PBMT-7 group (n = 543) or a PBMT-14 group (n = 247), respectively. The eradication rates for both groups were determined by intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses. ITT analysis compared the treatment groups as originally allocated while the PP analysis including only those patients who had completed the treatment as originally allocated. Successful eradication therapy for H. pylori infection was defined as a negative 13C-urea breath test 4 wk after the end of eradication treatment. RESULTS: The overall ITT eradication rate was 69.1% (546/790). Final ITT eradication rates were 67.4% (366/543; 95%CI: 63.1%-71.7%) in the PBMT-7 group and 72.8% (180/247; 95%CI: 67.4%-78.2%) in the PBMT-14 group (P = 0.028). The overall PP eradication rate was 80.0% (546/682), and the final PP eradication rates were 78.2% (366/468; 95%CI: 72.1%-84.0%) in the PBMT-7 group and 84.1% (180/214; 95%CI: 76.8%-90.8%) in the PBMT-14 group (P = 0.009). The H. pylori eradication rates in the PBMT-14 group were significantly higher than in the PBMT-7 group according to both ITT (P = 0.028) and PP analysis (P = 0.009). Compliance was similar in both groups (PBMT-7 group: 97.9%; PBMT-14 group: 96.4%). Adverse event rates were 10.7% (51/478) and 17.1% (38/222) in the PBMT-7 and PBMT-14 groups, respectively (P = 0.487). CONCLUSION: The 14-d bismuth-based quadruple therapy is a significantly more effective second-line eradication treatment for H. pylori infection than the 7-d alternative.

Giant bullae are large bullae occupying at least one-third of the hemithorax and surgical bullectomy is the treatment of choice. We report a case with symptomatic giant bullae which were resected successfully. A 35-year-old man presented with bilateral giant bullae that occupied almost the entire left hemithorax and a third of the right hemithorax. He was a current smoker with a 30 pack-year history and he presented with dyspnea on exertion. An elective surgical bullectomy was performed with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The patient recovered without any adverse events and stayed well for 1 month after surgery.

Ae-Ra Lee, Soo Jung Kim, Junghyun Kim, Ju-Hee Park, Jung-Kyu Lee, Ju-Young Kim, Suh-Young Lee, Hye-Ryun Kang Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul; Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul; Regional Pharmacovigilance Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea

Objective This study was conducted to investigate the cognitive factors that can longitudinally predict the response to treatment in patients with schizophrenia. Methods The subjects were 49 patients with schizophrenia who were newly hospitalized in an acute psychiatry ward and had not been treated with medication for at least 8 weeks prior to the study. The symptoms and cognitive functions of the patients were evaluated at baseline before treatment (T0), at eight weeks after treatment (T1), and one year after treatment (T2). Clinical symptoms were assessed using the PANSS, and cognitive functions were estimated using the Vigilance Test, Cognitrone Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the Korean version of the Memory Assessment Scales (K-MAS). Results The patient group showed marked impairments in cognitive function when compared to the normal group, but the patients' clinical symptoms and cognitive functions improved after drug treatment. The patients also showed consistent improvement in verbal and nonverbal memory function as time progressed. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between clinical symptoms and cognitive functions in the patient group. The cognitive variables that best predicted treatment response and prognosis were total errors on the WCST and immediate list recall component of the K-MAS. It was also shown that the number of total errors on the WCST was a better cognitive predictor than the number of errors in immediate recall. Conclusion The results of the present study show that the neurocognitive functions of patients with schizophrenia can be stabilized with treatment intervention, that treatment response is related to improvement in cognitive function, and that cognitive domains, especially executive function, can predict treatment response and prognosis in patients with schizophrenia.