Jin-Hwa Lee

There have been few large-scale studies on the relationship between smoking and gut microbiota. We investigated the relationship between smoking status and the composition of gut microbiota. This was a population-based cross-sectional study using Healthcare Screening Center cohort data. A total of 758 men were selected and divided into three groups: never (n = 288), former (n = 267), and current smokers (n = 203). Among the three groups, there was no difference in alpha diversity, however, Jacca

BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common causes of chronic cough and a potential risk factor for exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of GERD in patients with COPD and association between GERD and COPD exacerbation. METHODS: Data were collected from the National Health Insurance Database of Korea. The subjects were 40 years old and older, who had COPD as primary o

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) plays an important role in innate immunity. Recent in vitro studies have shown that TNF-alpha may also serve as a growth factor for some bacteria. We examined the physiologic relevance of this phenomenon both in vitro and in vivo. Recombinant mouse TNF-alpha increased in vitro proliferation of Escherichia coli but not Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a concentration-dependent manner, and this effect was attenuated by anti-TNF-alpha antibodies. However, in vivo, T

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Overlap syndrome shares features of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics of overlap syndrome and their effect on self-rated health (SRH). METHODS: We analyzed data from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2007-2009. Subjects with acceptable spirometry and available wheezing history were included. Subjects were classified into four groups based on forced exp

BACKGROUND: Chronic bronchitis (CB) is one of the classic phenotypes of COPD. The aims of our study were to investigate genetic variants associated with COPD subjects with CB relative to smokers with normal spirometry, and to assess for genetic differences between subjects with CB and without CB within the COPD population. METHODS: We analyzed data from current and former smokers from three cohorts: the COPDGene Study; GenKOLS (Bergen, Norway); and the Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identi

Pre-treatment NLR at admission may be a useful biomarker for mortality and development of ARDS in patients with miliary TB.

In Asian cities, the characteristics of COPD patients vary and the history of exposure to biomass fuels or dusty jobs was related to frequency of symptoms, severe airflow limitation, and poor quality of life.

BACKGROUND: The human immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is mediated by macrophages and T-lymphocytes. The alveolar macrophage phagocyting mycobacterium produces interleukin (IL)-1 as an inflammatory mediator, and IL-8 as a cytokine for leukocyte recruitment and granuloma formation. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) is an internal antagonist of IL-1. METHODS: Plasma levels of IL-1ra and IL-8 and other serologic markers were measured in 18 patients with active tuberculosis bef

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) might reduce the risk of lung cancer by controlling airway inflammation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) because both are associated with chronic inflammation. The objective was to assess the impact of ICS on lung cancer risk reduction in COPD patients. We performed a nested case-control study based on the database of the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, a nationally representative cohort of 1,125,691 participant

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a common and serious condition worldwide. The mortality from severe CAP remains high, and this has reached 50% in some series. This study was conducted to determine the mortality and predictors that contribute to in-hospital mortality for patients who exhibit CAP and acute respiratory failure that requires mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 85 patients with severe CAP as a primary cause of acu

BACKGROUND: Resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains is an increasing problem worldwide. Our purpose was to determine the prevalence of drug resistance (DR) and risk factors of DR in patients with tuberculosis and to assess the clinical characteristics and socioeconomic status of patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis. METHODS: We retrospectively studied drug susceptibility tests and clinical and socioeconomic records for 308 cases of culture-positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis infect