Eschar is an important finding for the diagnosis of scrub typhus. The IFA test for possible scrub typhus was performed. The presence or absence of eschar was thoroughly examined. Among the 176 scrub typhus cases confirmed by IFA, 162 (92.0%) cases had eschar; 128 patients (79.5%) had eschars on the front of the body. Eschars were primarily detected in males within 30 cm below the umbilicus (19 patients, 35.8%). Distributions on the lower extremities and the front chest above the umbilicus were 22.6% (12 patients) and 20.8% (11 patients), respectively. A different pattern was seen in females. The most prevalent area was the front chest above the umbilicus, which accounted for 40.7% (44 patients) of all the detected eschars. Our study is the first report of a schematic diagram that shows the differences between the males and females with respect to eschar location in scrub typhus patients.

Background: Several registries and centers have reported the results of renal biopsies from different parts of the world. As there are few data regarding the epidemiology of glomerulonephritis (GN) in South Korea, we conducted this study on renal biopsy findings during the last 20 years from a single center.Methods: Data for 818 patients who underwent renal biopsy at our center between 1992 and 2011 were collected retrospectively. All kidney specimens were examined with light microscopy (LM) and immunofluorescent microscopy (IF).Results: There were 818 cases of native kidney biopsies. In cases of primary GN, the most frequent type of renal pathology in adults (18–59 years) was mesangial proliferative GN (MsPGN, 34.5%) followed by IgA nephropathy (IgAN, 33.3%) and membranous GN (MGN, 8.8%). Indications in adults (18–59 years) were asymptomatic urinary abnormalities (75.3%) followed by nephrotic syndrome (19.8%) and acute kidney injury (AKI, 3.4%).Conclusions: Among 818 renal biopsy specimens, MsPGN and IgAN were the most frequent biopsy-proven renal diseases. MGN was the third most common cause of primary GN and lupus nephritis (LN) was the most common secondary glomerular disease. Our data contribute to the epidemiology of renal disease in South Korea.

Our objective was to examine the association between the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and mortality in Korean hemodialysis (HD) patients. We examined the GNRI of 120 maintenance HD patients and followed these patients for 120 months. Predictors for all-cause death were examined using life table analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model. Life table analysis revealed that subjects with a GNRI < 90 (n = 19) had a marginally lower survival rate than did those with a GNRI ≥ 90 (n = 101) (Wilcoxon test, P = 0.048). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses demonstrated that the GNRI was a significant predictor of mortality (hazard ratio 0.966, 95% confidence interval 0.945-0.995, P = 0.018), after adjusting for age, sex, presence of diabetes mellitus, and body weight. These results demonstrate that the GNRI may be a significant predictor of mortality in Korean HD patients.

PurposeKidney volume is regarded as the most precise indicator of kidney size. However, it is not widely used clinically, because its measurement is difficult due to the complex kidney shape. We attempted to evaluate the normal kidney volume in young Korean men by using multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT).Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed MDCT data of young Korean men (113 patients). After data processing, we measured the volume and length of the kidneys. Body parameters (height, body weight, body-surface area, and total body water) and laboratory data were collected. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated using Cockcroft-Gault (CG) equation.ResultsThe mean kidney volume was 205.29 ± 36.81 cm3; and mean kidney length was 10.80 ± 0.69 cm. The former correlated significantly with height, body weight, body-surface area, and total body water (p < 0.05, correlation coefficient : γ = 0.328, 0.649, 0.640, and 0.638, respectively). The latter also correlated significantly with all body indexes, however the correlation was weaker, except with height (p < 0.05, correlation coefficient : γ = 0.457, 0.473, 0.505, and 0.503, respectively). Only kidney volume significantly predicted estimated GFR (adjusted R2 = 0.431, F = 85.90 and p < 0.05).ConclusionThe kidney volume measured with MDCT is correlated well with body parameters, and is useful to predict renal function.

BackgroundThe relationships among serum bilirubin concentration, kidney function and proteinuria have yet to be fully elucidated, nor have these relationships been investigated in Korean adults.MethodWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of Korean adults who were evaluated at Kosin University Gospel Hospital (Busan, Republic of Korea) during a five-year period from January 2005 to December 2009. We evaluated the relationships among serum bilirubin concentration, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and 24-hour urinary protein excretion in a sample of 1363 Korean adults aged 18 years or older.ResultsThe values of eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 24-hour urine albumin ≥150 mg/day were observed in 26.1% (n = 356) and 40.5% (n = 553) of subjects, respectively. Fasting glucose levels ≥126 mg/dL were observed in 44.9% (n = 612) of the total sample. After adjustment for potential confounding factors including demographic characteristics, comorbidities and other laboratory measures, total serum bilirubin was positively associated with eGFR and negatively associated with proteinuria both in the whole cohort and in a subgroup of diabetic individuals.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first hospital-based study specifically aimed at examining the relationships among serum total bilirubin concentration, 24-hour urine protein and kidney function in Korean adults. We demonstrated that serum total bilirubin concentration was negatively correlated with 24-hour urine protein and positively correlated with eGFR in Korean non-diabetic and diabetic adults.