Early management of adult sepsis and septic shock: Korean clinical practice guidelines.

Background: Despite recent advances and global improvements in sepsis recognition and supportive care, mortality rates remain high, and adherence to sepsis bundle components in Korea is low. To address this, the Korean Sepsis Alliance, affiliated with the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine, developed the first sepsis treatment guidelines for Korea based on a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: A de novo method was used to develop the guidelines.

Clinical implication of electrocardiogram change in patients experiencing lung transplantation with end stage lung disease.

Introduction: End-stage lung disease causes cardiac remodeling and induces electrocardiogram (ECG) changes. On the other way, whether lung transplantation (LTx) in end-stage lung disease patients are associated with ECG change is unknown. The object of this study was to investigate ECG changes before and after LTx in end-stage lung disease patients and whether these changes had clinical significance.

Post-Transplant Vitamin D Deficiency in Lung Transplant Recipients: Impact on Outcomes and Prognosis.

Despite the recognized clinical significance of vitamin D deficiency in other solid organ transplant recipients, its specific relevance in lung transplantation remains to be fully understood. In this study, we performed a retrospective observational study on the impact of vitamin D deficiency on clinical outcomes and prognosis in 125 lung transplant recipients (LTRs) from October 2014 to March 2020 at a university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Among 125 LTRs, 51 patients (40.

Regenerative Capacity of Alveolar Type 2 Cells Is Proportionally Reduced Following Disease Progression in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis-Derived Organoid Cultures.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive lung disease that culminates in respiratory failure and death due to irreversible scarring of the distal lung. While initially considered a chronic inflammatory disorder, the aberrant function of the alveolar epithelium is now acknowledged as playing a central role in the pathophysiology of IPF. This study aimed to investigate the regenerative capacity of alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells using IPF-derived alveolar organoids and to examine the effects of disease progression on this capacity.

Malnutrition is associated with mortality in Sjögren's syndrome-associated interstitial lung disease.

The role of nutritional status as a prognostic factor in patients with Sjögren's syndrome-associated interstitial lung disease (SjS-ILD) is currently unclear. This study aimed to predict the prognosis of patients with SjS-ILD through their nutritional status assessment. In this retrospective observational study, nutritional status was evaluated at the time of diagnosis using body mass index (BMI) and nutritional markers such as controlling nutritional status (CONUT), the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), and prognostic nutrition index (PNI) for all participants.

Immunogenicity and Predictive Factors Associated with Poor Response after Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Vaccination in Lung Transplant Patients.

Lung transplant patients are more likely to develop severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared with the general population and should be vaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, previous studies have reported reduced vaccination immunogenicity in lung transplantation patients. We aimed to investigate the serological response and associated factors after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in this population.

Risk Factors for Unfavorable Outcomes of Tuberculosis in Korea: Implications for Patient-Centered Care in Tuberculosis Treatment.

Background: The treatment success rate for tuberculosis (TB) has stagnated at 80-81% in South Korea, indicating unsatisfactory outcomes. Enhancing treatment success rate necessitates the development of individualized treatment approaches for each patient. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with unfavorable treatment outcomes to facilitate tailored TB care.

Impact of age on mortality and transfer to long-term care in patients in an intensive care unit.

Background: In the global trend of population aging, age is one of the significant factors to be considered in critically ill patients. However, the impact of age on clinical outcomes and long-term prognosis in this population varies across different studies.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis for patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) (30 beds) between January 2017 and December 2020 at the tertiary referral hospital in Korea.

Galactomannan Titer as a Diagnostic Marker of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Lung Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) can occur in immunocompromised patients, and an early detection and intensive treatment are crucial. We sought to determine the potential of Aspergillus galactomannan antigen titer (AGT) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum titers of beta-D-glucan (BDG) to predict IPA in lung transplantation recipients, as opposed to pneumonia unrelated to IPA. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 192 lung transplant recipients.

Protective effect of methotrexate on lung function and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Studies on the risk and protective factors for lung function decline and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) are limited.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate clinical factors and medication uses associated with lung function decline and mortality in RA-ILD.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined the medical records of patients with RA-ILD who visited Severance Hospital between January 2006 and December 2019.

Reference values of skeletal muscle area for diagnosis of sarcopenia using chest computed tomography in Asian general population.

Background: Diagnostic cutoff points for sarcopenia in chest computed tomography (CT) have not been established although CT is widely used for investigating skeletal muscles. This study aimed to determine reference values for sarcopenia of thoracic skeletal muscles acquired from chest CT scans and to analyse variables related to sarcopenia using the cutoff values determined in a general Asian population.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed chest CT scans of 4470 participants (mean age 54.

Long- and short-term clinical impact of awake extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as bridging therapy for lung transplantation.

Background: As lung transplantation (LTx) is becoming a standard treatment for end-stage lung disease, the use of bridging with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasing. We examined the clinical impact of being awake during ECMO as bridging therapy in patients awaiting LTx.

Methods: In this single-center study, we retrospectively reviewed 241 consecutive LTx patients between October 2012 and March 2019; 64 patients received ECMO support while awaiting LTx.

Incidence of cancer after asthma development: 2 independent population-based cohort studies.

Background: Evidence regarding the risk of cancer development after asthma diagnosis is controversial and inconclusive.

Objective: This study sought to determine whether asthma is associated with an increased risk for incident cancer.

Methods: Two independent, population-based, longitudinal cohorts were examined, and estimated hazard ratios were determined using Cox regression.