Improved survival rates in patients with H1N1 acute respiratory failure in Korea between 2009 and 2016.

There was a pandemic of influenza A (H1N1) in 2009; in Korea, there was also an H1N1 epidemic in 2016. We aim to investigate whether survival had improved in the setting of recent advances in intensive care unit (ICU) management. We conducted a retrospective analysis of acute respiratory failure patients with H1N1 influenza pneumonia in 2016 and 2009 respectively at two tertiary referral hospitals in Korea. A total of 28 patients were treated in 2016, and 34 in 2009. There was no significant difference in SOFA scores on ICU admission day. In-hospital mortality was significantly lower in patients of 2016 compared to those of 2009 (18% vs. 44% P = 0.028). By multivariable analyses, the treatment year 2016 was associated with a greater likelihood of survival. Compared to the patients treated in 2009, those treated in 2016 were one seventh as likely to die after adjusting for other clinical variables (hazard ratio for mortality, 0.15; 95% confidence interval. 0.03-0.63, P = 0.010). Improved survival in patients who underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment (in-hospital mortality, 17% vs. 60%, P = 0.242) and decreased tidal volumes during mechanical ventilation (median 5.4 mL/kg vs. median 9.2 mL/kg, P = 0.018) were observed in 2016 compared to 2009. Treatment outcomes for patients with H1N1 acute respiratory failure improved from 2009 to 2016 in two tertiary referral centers in South Korea

Serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 level predicts disease progression in interstitial lung disease.

Disease progression (DP) in interstitial lung disease (ILD) is variable and difficult to predict. In previous reports, serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) was suggested to be useful in diagnosing and predicting survival in ILD. The aim of our study was to investigate the usefulness of serum KL-6 as a predictor of DP in ILD. Clinical data of 199 patients with ILD (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: 22.8%) were prospectively collected and serum KL-6 levels were measured. DP was defined as a relative decline in forced vital capacity (FVC) ≥ 10%, acute exacerbation, or death during follow-up. The median follow-up period was 11.1 months. The mean age of the subjects was 62.2 years, and 59.8% were male. DP occurred in 21.6% of patients. The progressed group showed lower FVC, lower diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, lower the minimum oxygen saturation during the 6-minute walk test, higher fibrosis scores on high-resolution computed tomography, and higher KL-6 levels (826.3 vs. 629.0 U/mL; p < 0.001) than those of the non-progressed group. In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, serum KL-6 levels were a significant predictor of DP in ILD (area under the curve = 0.629, p = 0.009, and the optimal cut-off level was 811 U/mL). In multivariable Cox analysis, high serum KL-6 levels (≥ 800 U/mL) were only independently associated with DP in ILD (HR 2.689, 95% CI 1.445-5.004, P = 0.002). Serum KL-6 levels might be useful to predict DP in patients with ILD

The effects of poloxamer and sodium alginate mixture (Guardix-SG®) on range of motion after axillary lymph node dissection: A single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind pilot study.

PurposeRestricted shoulder mobility is a major upper extremity dysfunction associated with lower quality of life and disability after breast cancer surgery. We hypothesized that a poloxamer and sodium alginate mixture (Guardix-SG®) applied after axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) would significantly improve shoulder range of motion (ROM) in patients with breast cancer.MethodsWe conducted a double-blind, randomized, prospective study to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Guardix-SG® for the prevention of upper extremity dysfunction after ALND. The primary outcome measure was shoulder ROM at baseline (T0) and 3 (T1), 6 (T2), and 12 months (T3) after surgery. Secondary outcome measures were the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score(DASH), pain associated with movement, which was assessed using a numeric rating scale, and lymphedema assessed using body composition analyzer.ResultsA total of 83 women with breast cancer were randomly assigned to either the Guardix-SG® group or the control group. In the Guardix-SG® group (n = 37), Guardix-SG® was applied to the axillary region after ALND. In the control group (n = 46), ALND was performed without using Guardix-SG®. Comparing ROM for shoulder flexion before surgery (178.2°) and 12 months after surgery (172.3°), that was restored 12 months after surgery in the Guardix-SG® group, and there was no statistically significant difference between that at before surgery and 12 months after surgery (p = 0.182). No adverse effect was observed in either group.ConclusionsThe results of this study have shown that Guardix-SG® help improve shoulder ROM without causing adverse effects in patients who underwent breast cancer surgery. However, there was no statistically significant difference from the control group. A further large-scale study is needed to obtain a more conclusive conclusion.Trial registrationCRISKCT0003386; https://cris.nih.go.kr (20181207)

Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia Are Associated with In-Hospital Mortality among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Supported with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Metabolic abnormalities, such as preexisting diabetes or hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia during hospitalization aggravated the severity of COVID-19. We evaluated whether diabetes history, hyperglycemia before and during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, and hypoglycemia were risk factors for mortality in patients with COVID-19. This study included data on 195 patients with COVID-19, who were aged &gt;= 19 years and were treated with ECMO. The proportion of patients with diabetes history among nonsurvivors was higher than that among survivors. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that in-hospital mortality after ECMO support was associated with diabetes history, renal replacement therapy (RRT), and body mass index (BMI) &lt; 18.5 kg/m(2). Glucose at admission &gt;200 mg/dL and glucose levels before ventilator &gt;200 mg/dL were not associated with in-hospital mortality. However, glucose levels before ECMO &gt;200 mg/dL and minimal glucose levels during hospitalization 200 mg/dL before ECMO and minimal glucose &lt;70 mg/dL during hospitalization remained risk factors for in-hospital mortality after adjustment for age, BMI, and RRT. In conclusion, glucose &gt;200 mg/dL before ECMO and minimal glucose level &lt;70 mg/dL during hospitalization were risk factors for in-hospital mortality among COVID-19 patients who underwent ECMO.N

Proceedings of the second MadAnalysis 5 workshop on LHC recasting in Korea

International audienceWe document the activities performed during the second MadAnalysis 5 workshop on LHC recasting, that was organised in KIAS (Seoul, Korea) on February 12-20, 2020. We detail the implementation of 12 new ATLAS and CMS searches in the MadAnalysis 5 Public Analysis Database, and the associated validation procedures. Those searches probe the production of extra gauge and scalar/pseudoscalar bosons, supersymmetry, seesaw models and deviations from the Standard Model in four-top production

Proceedings of the second MadAnalysis 5 workshop on LHC recasting in Korea

International audienceWe document the activities performed during the second MadAnalysis 5 workshop on LHC recasting, that was organised in KIAS (Seoul, Korea) on February 12-20, 2020. We detail the implementation of 12 new ATLAS and CMS searches in the MadAnalysis 5 Public Analysis Database, and the associated validation procedures. Those searches probe the production of extra gauge and scalar/pseudoscalar bosons, supersymmetry, seesaw models and deviations from the Standard Model in four-top production

Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia Are Associated with In-Hospital Mortality among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Supported with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Metabolic abnormalities, such as preexisting diabetes or hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia during hospitalization aggravated the severity of COVID-19. We evaluated whether diabetes history, hyperglycemia before and during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, and hypoglycemia were risk factors for mortality in patients with COVID-19. This study included data on 195 patients with COVID-19, who were aged &ge;19 years and were treated with ECMO. The proportion of patients with diabetes history among nonsurvivors was higher than that among survivors. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that in-hospital mortality after ECMO support was associated with diabetes history, renal replacement therapy (RRT), and body mass index (BMI) &lt; 18.5 kg/m2. Glucose at admission &gt;200 mg/dL and glucose levels before ventilator &gt;200 mg/dL were not associated with in-hospital mortality. However, glucose levels before ECMO &gt;200 mg/dL and minimal glucose levels during hospitalization &lt;70 mg/dL were associated with in-hospital mortality. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that glucose &gt;200 mg/dL before ECMO and minimal glucose &lt;70 mg/dL during hospitalization remained risk factors for in-hospital mortality after adjustment for age, BMI, and RRT. In conclusion, glucose &gt;200 mg/dL before ECMO and minimal glucose level &lt;70 mg/dL during hospitalization were risk factors for in-hospital mortality among COVID-19 patients who underwent ECMO