These results suggest that anti-IL-33 as well as sST2 have therapeutic potential for allergic asthma through inhibition of Th2 cytokine production.

BackgroundWhether the combination of antimicrobial therapy is a factor in mortality in Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia remains to be elucidated. This study investigated the risk factors for mortality in P. aeruginosa bacteremia patients and the influence of adequate antimicrobial therapy and combination therapy on clinical outcomes.MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed data of 234 patients with P. aeruginosa bacteremia at a 1,200-bed tertiary teaching university hospital in South Korea between January 2010 and December 2012. Factors associated with mortality were determined. Mortality was compared in patients with adequate empirical and targeted combination therapy, and monotherapy, and inappropriate therapy.ResultsA total of 141 (60.3%) patients were given appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment (combination therapy in 38 and monotherapy in 103). Among 183 patients (78.2%) who finally received appropriate targeted treatment, 42 had combination therapy and 141 had monotherapy. The percentage of patients receiving empirical combination therapy was slightly, but not significantly higher, in the survivor group than in the nonsurvivor group (17.0% [31/182] vs. 13.5% [7/52], p = 0.74). A similar tendency was demonstrated for targeted combination therapy (19.8% [36/182] vs. 11.5% [6/52], respectively; p = 0.31). However, in a subgroup analysis of data from patients (n = 54) with an absolute neutrophil count less than 500/mm3, the patients who had appropriate empirical or targeted combination therapy showed better outcomes than those who underwent monotherapy or inappropriate therapy (p < 0.05). Mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR], 6.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.64–18.11; p = 0.0001), the use of a central venous catheter (OR, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.35–6.43; p = 0.007), a high Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (OR, 4.65; 95% CI, 1.95–11.04; p = 0.0001), and presence of septic shock (OR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.33–6.38; p = 0.007) were independent risk factors for 14-day mortality.ConclusionsDisease severity was a critical factor for mortality in our patients with P. aeruginosa bacteremia. Overall, combination therapy had no significant effect on 14-day mortality compared with monotherapy. However, appropriate combination therapy showed a favorable effect on survival in patients with febrile neutropenia.

Clinicians must be aware of potential metastatic infections in patients with KPLA, especially if they have diabetes mellitus and thrombocytopenia. The APACHE II score was predictive of mortality in patients with KPLA.

BackgroundObesity is a major risk factor for the development of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Although clinical and epidemiological studies have shown that OSA and obesity are strongly associated, few Asian studies have examined the associations between anthropometric obesity indices and OSA, especially in the Korean population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of anthropometric obesity indices on OSA in a Korean population.MethodsAnthropometric indices, including neck circumference, waist circumference, and body mass index, were assessed in 383 consecutive subjects with suspected OSA.ResultsOf the 383 subjects assessed, 316 (82.5%) were diagnosed with OSA. Neck circumference (r = 0.518), waist circumference (r = 0.570), and body mass index (r = 0.512) were correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index (p<0.001, for all). After adjusting for age, sex, alcohol consumption, and smoking, a logistic regression model showed that neck circumference [odds ratio (OR), 1.414; p<0.001)], waist circumference (OR, 1.114; p<0.001), and body mass index (OR, 1.364; p<0.001) were associated with OSA. The linear regression model showed that neck circumference (β = 3.748, p<0.001), waist circumference (β = 1.272, p<0.001), and body mass index (β = 3.082, p<0.001) were associated with apnea-hypopnea index. The cut-off values for predicting OSA were determined as 34.5 cm for neck circumference, 76.5 cm for waist circumference, and 23.05 kg/m2 for body mass index for females, and 38.75 cm for neck circumference, 88.5 cm for waist circumference, and 24.95 kg/m2 for body mass index for males.ConclusionIncreased anthropometric indices were significantly associated with the presence and severity of OSA in a Korean population. In addition, this study demonstrated the cut-off values for body mass index, waist circumference, and neck circumference for increased OSA risk.

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BackgroundThe release of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) by T lymphocytes increases after rechallenge with Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen, especially, at a localized site of tuberculosis (TB) infection. We aimed to compare the clincial efficacy of two commercial IFN-γ release assays from pleural fluid for the diagnosis in tuberculous pleurisy.MethodsWe performed T-SPOT.TB and QuantiFERON-TB Gold tests simultaneously on pleural fluid and peripheral blood samples from patients with pleural effusion, in South Korea, an area with intermediate TB burden.ResultsThirty-six patients were enrolled prospectively, and tuberculous pleurisy was found in 21 patients. Both the numbers of IFN-γ secreting T cells and the concentration of IFN-γ were greater in the pleural tuberculous group, comparing with the non-tuberculous group. Moreover, in the tuberculous group, there was a significant difference in IFN-γ producing spot-forming cells using the T-SPOT.TB method between pleural fluid and peripheral blood. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, was the greatest for pleural fluid T-SPOT.TB test, followed by peripheral blood T-SPOT.TB test, peripheral blood QuantiFERON-TB Gold test, and pleural fluid QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (area under the ROC curve of 0.956, 0.890, 0.743, and 0.721, respectively). The T-SPOT.TB assay produced less indeterminate results than did QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay in both pleural fluid and peripheral blood.ConclusionThese findings suggest that the pleural fluid T-SPOT.TB test could be the most useful test among the IFN-γ release assays for diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy in an area with an intermediate prevalence of TB infection.

Pulmonary infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematologic malignancy. Bronchoscopy is at present still the traditional first investigation in immunosuppressed patients that have developed pulmonary infiltrates. There is limited data available on the validity of fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) to determine the etiology of pulmonary infiltrates with concurrent hematologic malignancy. We retrospectively analyzed the microbiological results of 206 bronchoscopic examinations and treatment changes used in 187 patients with hematologic malignancy and pulmonary infiltrates. Bacteria, fungi, and viruses were found in 85 (41.3 %), 49 (23.8 %), and 55 (28.6 %) of cases, respectively, and overall yield of bronchoscopy was 65.0 %. We compared the microbiological findings with respect to neutropenia, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) status, and the type of malignancy. There were significantly more bacterial and viral infections detected in post-HSCT patients, and more viruses were detected in patients without neutropenia. Galactomannan (GM) was measured in 149 BAL samples. With a GM index threshold of ≥0.5, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV, respectively) of the BAL GM assay were 93.94 %, 86.21 %, 65.96 %, and 98.04 %, respectively. Treatment was modified in 62 cases (30.1 %). There was no significant relationship of treatment modification with the underlying disease, HSCT, or neutropenia. Bronchoscopy with BAL is a valuable diagnostic tool to determine the etiology and appropriate treatment in patients with hematologic malignancy and pulmonary infiltrates. A BAL GM test is recommended when invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is suspected.

PurposeAsthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), inflammation, and remodeling. There is emerging interest in the involvement of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel in the pathophysiology of asthma. This study examined whether TRPV1 antagonism alleviates asthma features in a murine model of chronic asthma.MethodsBALB/c mice were sensitized to and challenged by ovalbumin to develop chronic asthma. Capsazepine (TRPV1 antagonist) or TRPV1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) was administered in the treatment group to evaluate the effect of TPV1 antagonism on AHR, airway inflammation, and remodeling.ResultsThe mice displayed increased AHR, airway inflammation, and remodeling. Treatment with capsazepine or TRPV1 siRNA reduced AHR to methacholine and airway inflammation. Type 2 T helper (Th2) cytokines (interleukin [IL]-4, IL-5, and IL-13) were reduced and epithelial cell-derived cytokines (thymic stromal lymphopoietin [TSLP], IL-33, and IL-25), which regulate Th2 cytokine-associated inflammation, were also reduced. Airway remodeling characterized by goblet cell hyperplasia, increased α-smooth muscle action, and collagen deposition was also alleviated by both treatments.ConclusionsTreatment directed at TRPV1 significantly alleviated AHR, airway inflammation, and remodeling in a chronic asthma murine model. The TRPV1 receptor can be a potential drug target for chronic bronchial asthma.