Jae Yun Ahn

Plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a predictive biomarker for the detection of acute kidney injury in adult poisoning

Abstract Context: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication in intoxicated patients. Recently, a new biomarker - neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) - was used to predict AKI in patients who were critically ill or had sepsis. Objective: To evaluate the utility of plasma NGAL as an early predictor of AKI in adults with acute poisoning. Materials and methods: This retrospective, observational, cohort study was conducted between December 2013 and November 2014. A total of 157 consecutive adult patients who presented to the emergency department (Level 1 regional center) of Kyungpook National University Hospital, a tertiary teaching hospital in Daegu, Korea, within 24 h of poisoning were included. Initial plasma NGAL levels and laboratory parameters were concurrently measured upon hospital arrival. AKI was defined according to Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria. Development of AKI was predicted using plasma NGAL levels and by analyzing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: The overall rate of AKI was 14.6% (n = 23). Plasma NGAL levels in the AKI group were higher than those in the non-AKI group (median, 310 vs. 86 ng/mL; p <0.001). Additionally, baseline NGAL levels allowed for better prediction of AKI than initial creatinine levels. The AUC of plasma NGAL was 0.895 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.832–0.941), with a cut-off value of 227 ng/mL (sensitivity, 76.2%; specificity, 95.8%). Plasma NGAL had a higher predictive capacity for AKI than serum creatinine (AUC 0.741, 95% CI: 0.662–0.810), base deficit (AUC 0.795, 95% CI: 0.701–0.870), lactate (AUC 0.781, 95% CI: 0.690–0.856), and anion gap (AUC 0.636, 95% CI: 0.535–0.730). Conclusion: Plasma NGAL may serve as a good predictor of AKI in cases of adult poisoning.

Epidemiological and Survival Trends of Pediatric Cardiac Arrests in Emergency Departments in Korea: A Cross-sectional, Nationwide Report

Cardiac arrest (CA) in children is associated with high mortality rates. In Korea, cohort studies regarding the outcomes of pediatric CAs are lacking, especially in emergency departments (EDs) or in-hospital settings. This study was conducted to examine the trends in epidemiology and survival outcomes in children with resuscitation-attempted CAs using data from a cross-sectional, national, ED-based clinical registry. We extracted cases in which cardiopulmonary resuscitation and/or manual defibrillation were performed according to treatment codes using the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) from 2008 to 2012. The total number of ED visits registered in the NEDIS during the 5-yr evaluation period was 20,424,530; among these, there were 2,970 resuscitation-attempted CAs in children. The annual rates of pediatric CAs per 1,000 ED visits showed an upward trend from 2.81 in 2009 to 3.62 in 2012 (P for trend = 0.045). The median number of estimated pediatric CAs at each ED was 7.8 (25th to 75th percentile, 4 to 13) per year. The overall rates for admission survival and discharge survival were 35.2% and 12.8%, respectively. The survival outcome of adults increased substantially over the past 5 yr (11.8% in 2008, 11.7% in 2010, and 13.6% in 2012; P for trend = 0.001); however, the results for children did not improve (13.6% in 2008, 11.4% in 2010, and 13.7% in 2012; P for trend = 0.870). Conclusively, we found that the overall incidence of pediatric CAs in EDs increased substantially over the past 5 yr, but without significantly higher survival outcomes. Graphical Abstract

A comparative study of three different gene expression analysis methods

BACKGROUND TNF-α regulates immune cells and acts as an endogenous pyrogen. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is one of the most commonly used methods for gene expression analysis. Among the alternatives to PCR, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) shows good potential in terms of specificity and sensitivity. OBJECTIVE However, few studies have compared RT-PCR and LAMP for human gene expression analysis. Therefore, in the present study, we compared one-step RT-PCR, two-step RT-LAMP and one-step RT-LAMP for human gene expression analysis. METHODS We compared three gene expression analysis methods using the human TNF-α gene as a biomarker from peripheral blood cells. Total RNA from the three selected febrile patients were subjected to the three different methods of gene expression analysis. RESULTS In the comparison of three gene expression analysis methods, the detection limit of both one-step RT-PCR and one-step RT-LAMP were the same, while that of two-step RT-LAMP was inferior. One-step RT-LAMP takes less time, and the experimental result is easy to determine. CONCLUSIONS One-step RT-LAMP is a potentially useful and complementary tool that is fast and reasonably sensitive. In addition, one-step RT-LAMP could be useful in environments lacking specialized equipment or expertise.

Association between public cardiopulmonary resuscitation education and the willingness to perform bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a metropolitan citywide survey

Objective Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an important factor associated with improved survival rates and neurologic prognoses in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We assessed how factors related to CPR education including timing of education, period from the most recent education session, and content, affected CPR willingness. Methods In February 2012, trained interviewers conducted an interview survey of 1,000 Daegu citizens through an organized questionnaire. The subjects were aged ≥19 years and were selected by quota sampling. Their social and demographic characteristics, as well as CPR and factors related to CPR education, were investigated. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate how education-related factors affected the willingness to perform CPR. Results Of total 1,000 cases, 48.0% were male. The multivariate analyses revealed several factors significantly associated with CPR willingness: didactic plus practice group (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 3.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3 to 5.0), group with more than four CPR education session (AOR, 7.68; 95% CI, 3.21 to 18.35), interval of less than 6 months from the last CPR education (AOR, 4.47; 95% CI 1.29 to 15.52), and education with automated external defibrillator (AOR, 5.98; 95% CI 2.30 to 15.53). Conclusion The following were associated with increased willingness to perform CPR: practice sessions and automated electrical defibrillator training in public CPR education, more frequent CPR training, and shorter time period from the most recent CPR education sessions.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis after a trigger point injection

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a rare form of mediastinal infection. Most cases are associated with esophageal rupture. DNM after a trigger point injection in the upper trapezius has not been described previously. We present a case of DNM after a trigger point injection in the upper trapezius. A 70-year-old man visited the emergency department with chest discomfort and fever after a trigger point injection in the left upper trapezius. Chest computed tomography showed evidence of DNM, and antibiotic therapy was immediately administered intravenously. Because of the risk of sudden death, poor prognosis due to underlying disease, and his age, he declined surgical treatment and died of septic shock. Although trigger point injections are generally considered safe, caution should be used in patients with an underlying disease or in the elderly. Early diagnosis, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and aggressive surgical management are essential to improve the prognosis.

New intervention model of regional transfer network system to alleviate crowding of regional emergency medical center

Emergency department (ED) crowding is a serious problem in most tertiary hospitals in Korea. Although several intervention models have been established to alleviate ED crowding, they are limited to a single hospital-based approach. This study was conducted to determine whether the new regional intervention model could alleviate ED crowding in a regional emergency medical center. This study was designed as a “before and after study” and included patients who visited the tertiary hospital ED from November 2011 to October 2013. One tertiary hospital and 32 secondary hospitals were included in the study. A transfer coordinator conducted inter-hospital transfers from a tertiary hospital to a secondary hospital for suitable patients. A total of 1,607 and 2,591 patients transferred from a tertiary hospital before and after the study, respectively (P < 0.001). We found that the median ED length of stay (LOS) decreased significantly from 3.68 hours (interquartile range [IQR], 1.85 to 9.73) to 3.20 hours (IQR, 1.62 to 8.33) in the patient group after implementation of the Regional Transfer Network System (RTNS) (P < 0.001). The results of multivariate analysis showed a negative association between implementation of the RTNS and ED LOS (beta coefficient -0.743; 95% confidence interval -0.914 to -0.572; P < 0.001). In conclusion, the ED LOS in the tertiary hospital decreased after implementation of the RTNS.