Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Feb 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialOral solubilized ursodeoxycholic acid therapy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized cross-over trial.
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) with oral solubilized formula in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, patients with probable or definite ALS were randomized to receive oral solubilized UDCA (3.5 g/140 mL/day) or placebo for 3 months after a run-in period of 1 month and switched to receive the other treatment for 3 months after a wash-out period of 1 month. The primary outcome was the rate of progression, assessed by the Appel ALS rating scale (AALSRS), and the secondary outcomes were the revised ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) and forced vital capacity (FVC). ⋯ Gastrointestinal adverse events were more common with UDCA (P < 0.05). Oral solubilized UDCA seems to be tolerable in ALS patients, but we could not make firm conclusion regarding its efficacy, particularly due to the high attrition rate in this cross-over trial.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Feb 2012
Pathophysiological role of hormones and cytokines in cancer cachexia.
We investigated the role of fasting hormones and pro-inflammatory cytokines in cancer patients. Hormones (ghrelin, adiponectin, and leptin) and cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-6) were measured by ELISA or RIA in lung cancer and colorectal cancer patients before the administration of cancer therapy, and measurements were repeated every 2 months for 6 months. From June 2006 to August 2008, 42 patients (19 with colorectal cancer and 23 with lung cancer) were enrolled. ⋯ During the follow-up, the patients who showed a > 5% weight gain had higher ghrelin levels after 6 months. Patients exhibiting elevated IL-6 levels typically showed a weight loss > 5% after 6 months. A blunted adiponectin or ghrelin response to weight loss may contribute to cancer cachexia and IL-6 may be responsible for inducing and maintaining cancer cachexia.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Feb 2012
Improving survival rate of patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest: five years of experience in a single center in Korea.
The aim of this study was to describe the cause of the recent improvement in the outcomes of patients who experienced in-hospital cardiac arrest. We retrospectively analyzed the in-hospital arrest registry of a tertiary care university hospital in Korea between 2005 and 2009. Major changes to the in-hospital resuscitation policies occurred during the study period, which included the requirement of extensive education of basic life support and advanced cardiac life support, the reformation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) team with trained physicians, and the activation of a medical emergency team. ⋯ These trends in outcome improvement throughout the study were apparent in non-ICU (Intensive Care Unit) areas. We report that the in-hospital survival of cardiac arrest patients gradually improved. Multidisciplinary hospital-based efforts that reinforce the Chain of Survival concept may have contributed to this improvement.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Feb 2012
Case ReportsUnilateral pulmonary edema: a rare initial presentation of cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction.
Cardiogenic unilateral pulmonary edema (UPE) is a rare clinical entity that is often misdiagnosed at first. Most cases of cardiogenic UPE occur in the right upper lobe and are caused by severe mitral regurgitation (MR). ⋯ Follow-up chest Radiography showed complete resolution of the UPE. This case reminds us that AMI can present as UPE even in patients without severe MR or any preexisting pulmonary disease affecting the vasculature or parenchyma of the lung.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Feb 2012
Case ReportsKidney transplantation from a donor following cardiac death supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
To expand the donor pool, organ donation after cardiac death (DCD) has emerged. However, kidneys from DCD donors have a period of long warm ischemia between cardiac arrest and the harvesting of the organs. Recently, we used extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to minimize ischemic injury during 'no touch' periods in a Maastricht category II DCD donor and performed two successful kidney transplantations. ⋯ The kidneys were transplanted into two recipients and functioned immediately after reperfusion. The grafts showed excellent function at one and three months post-transplantation; serum creatinine (SCr) levels were 1.0 mg/dL and 0.8 mg/dL and the estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) were 63 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 78 mL/min/1.73 m(2) in the first recipient, and SCr levels were 1.1 mg/dL and 1.0 mg/dL and eGFR were 56 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 64 mL/min/1.73 m(2) in the second recipient. In conclusion, it is suggested that kidney transplantation from a category II DCD donor assisted by ECMO is a reasonable modality for expanding donor pool.