Sei Won Lee

Tuberculosis (TB) may produce abnormalities in the peripheral blood, including anemia. However, the evolution of TB-associated anemia with short-term combination anti-TB chemotherapy has not been well elucidated. The aim of this study was to characterize TB-associated anemia by clarifying its prevalence, characteristics, and evolution, through involving large numbers of patients with TB. The medical records of adult patients with TB diagnosed between June 2000 and May 2001 were reviewed. Among 8

We evaluated the effects of previous pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) on the risk of obstructive lung disease. We analyzed population-based, the Second Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001. Participants underwent chest X-rays (CXR) and spirometry, and qualified radiologists interpreted the presence of TB lesion independently. A total of 3,687 underwent acceptable spirometry and CXR. Two hundreds and ninety four subjects had evidence of previous TB on CXR with no subjects having

Stem cell (SC) therapy has become a potential treatment modality for pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), but the efficacy of human SC and priming effects have not yet been established. The mobilization and homing of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are modulated by priming factors that include a bioactive lipid, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which stimulates CXCR4 receptor kinase signaling. Here, we show that priming human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with S1P enhances their therapeutic effica

Although the IFN-γ level measured by QFT-GIT assay decreased after successful anti-TB treatment in most participants, less than half of them exhibited QFT-GIT reversion. Thus, the reversion to negativity of the QFT-GIT assay may not be a good surrogate for treatment response in otherwise healthy young patients with TB.

Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are one of the most important causes of postoperative morbidity and mortality after abdominal surgery. Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been considered a risk factor for PPCs, it remains unclear whether mild-to-moderate COPD is a risk factor. This retrospective cohort study included 387 subjects who underwent abdominal surgery with general anesthesia in a tertiary referral hospital. PPCs included pneumonia, pulmonary edema, pu

Purpose To evaluate whether bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) increases ventilation and therefore improves ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) mismatch. Materials and Methods All patients provided written informed consent to be included in this study, which was approved by the Institutional Review Board (2013-0368) of Asan Medical Center. The physiologic changes that occurred after BLVR were measured by using xenon-enhanced ventilation and iodine-enhanced perfusion dual-energy computed tomograp

Despite some discrepancies in the baseline participant characteristics and interventions among studies, mobile app-based pulmonary rehabilitation resulted in favorable exercise capacity, symptom score, quality of life, and hospitalization outcomes when compared with conventional pulmonary rehabilitation. In the meta-analysis, the CAT scores of the mobile app-based pulmonary rehabilitation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P=.02). In real-world practice, mobile app-b

Influenza viruses can result in significant lung injury with significant morbidity and mortality. In this study, we evaluated the impact of cigarette smoke (CS) exposure on the pulmonary fibroblastic response after influenza infection. We used a murine model in which animals were exposed to CS or room air and subsequently infected with H1N1 influenza virus. Inflammatory and fibrotic responses were measured at different time points after influenza infection. Primary fibroblasts were isolated from

RvD1 attenuated smoking-induced emphysema in vivo by reducing inflammation and promoting tissue regeneration. This result suggests that RvD1 may be useful in the prevention and treatment of emphysema.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) Army instituted a vivax malaria chemoprophylaxis program (hydroxychloroquine [HCQ] 400 mg per week) in 1997 that was expanded to nearly 200,000 soldiers by 2007, raising concerns for the emergence of drug-resistant vivax malaria. Therefore, a study of whole blood HCQ concentrations for all malaria patients admitted to four ROK Army hospitals was conducted from June through September 2007. For all 142 vivax malaria patients enrolled, fevers returned to normal by Day 3

The quantitative analysis of fissure shows that incomplete fissures increased the probability of CV on Chartis™, while the defect size did not affect the overall rates. TLVR could be achieved even in some patients with relatively large fissure defect, if they showed negative CV on Chartis™.

An easy and reliable diagnostic method for malaria is highly desirable. We examined the recently introduced SD Bioline Malaria Antigen test, which detects Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase, with the additional aid of the presence or absence of thrombocytopenia to diagnose vivax malaria. We enrolled 732 patients with clinically suspected malaria in an area where vivax malaria is endemic. We performed microscopic examination of thin film, applied the SD Bioline Malaria Antigen test, and checked pla