No abstract available.
Cytarabine* ; Cytosine* ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Idarubicin* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute*

PURPOSE: Procalcitonin (PCT), a precursor of calcitonin, has been described as a biomarker of bacterial infection and inflammation. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of PCT levels and to reduce the unnecessary usage of antibiotics in children with lower respiratory tract infection (RTI). METHODS: Eighty-eight children, with lower RTI, under the age of 5 years, who were admitted to Chungnam National University Hospital, between May 2010 and December 2010, were enrolled. White blood cell counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and PCT were measured. Blood and sputum cultures were performed to identify the causative bacteria and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for the viruses. Clinical features were reviewed, retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean participant age was 1.9+/-1.5 years. The cut-off value for serum PCT levels, which was derived from the receiver-operator characteristic curve, was 0.11 ng/mL. In 29 patients (33.0%) with low PCT levels (<0.11 ng/mL), antibiotic therapy showed no benefit for clinical and laboratory findings. However, in 59 patients (67.1%) with high PCT levels (> or =0.11 ng/mL), hospitalization (P=0.005) and fever (P=0.054) exhibited a shorter duration, after antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSION: A single initial serum PCT levels (> or =0.11 ng/mL) may be clinically useful to give a guideline for antibiotic treatment in children with lower respiratory tract infection and to reduce the unnecessary usage of antibiotics.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Bacterial Infections ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Calcitonin ; Child ; Fever ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leukocyte Count ; Protein Precursors ; Respiratory System ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Sputum

PURPOSE: Despite recent advances in the surgical and postoperative management of infants with congenital heart disease, nutritional support for this population is often suboptimal. The purpose of this study was to develop a nutritional program for the postoperative period for infants who have had cardiac surgery and to evaluate effects of the program. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest measures was used. A newly developed nutritional program including a feeding protocol and feeding flow was provided to the study group (n=19) and usual feeding care to the control group (n=19). The effects of the feeding program were analyzed in terms of total feed intake, total calorie intake, gastric residual volume, and frequency of diarrhea. RESULTS: Calorie intake and feeding amount in the study group were significantly increased compared to the control group. However, the two groups showed no significant differences in gastric residual volume and frequency of diarrhea. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the nutritional program used in the study is an effective nursing intervention program in increasing feeding amount and calorie intake in infants postoperative to cardiac surgery and does not cause feeding-related complications.
Diarrhea/complications/etiology ; Enteral Nutrition/*methods/standards ; Female ; Heart Diseases/*surgery ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Nutritional Requirements ; *Postoperative Care/methods ; Postoperative Complications ; Program Development ; Program Evaluation

A 19-year-old, woman who had been diagnosed as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) a year ago, was admitted because of fever, dizziness, and sustained postoperative bleeding after a hemorroidectomy. On admission, a CBC revealed pancytopenia (Hb 6.2 g/dL, WBC 1,200/microL, platelets 11,000/microL) with a shift to themicroLeft, and the FDP and D-dimer were positive. She was treated for sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administrated twice for severe neutropenia. An increase in WBC and immature myeloid cells, mainly hypergranular promyelocytes on the peripheral blood followed and was considered to be the effect of G-CSF. To evaluate the cause of pulmonary infiltrates, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed on the 5th day of admission. The BAL fluid revealed many promyelocytes and myelocytes with occasional structures recognized as Auer rods. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was confirmed on the bone marrow study and chromosome analysis. Unfortunately, the patient died of septic shock on the 9th day of admission. We report here a very rare case of APL diagnosed in a SLE patient, the diagnosis of which was somewhat delayed due to the use of G-CSF and superimposed sepsis.
Bone Marrow ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Diagnosis ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Dizziness ; Female ; Fever ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Granulocyte Precursor Cells ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute* ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Myeloid Cells ; Neutropenia ; Pancytopenia ; Sepsis ; Shock, Septic ; Young Adult

Although patellofemoral arthritis is a common and debilitating orthopedic disorder, its treatment varies and remains controversial. This review aims to provide an overview of the current understanding of the pathophysiology of patellofemoral arthritis, as well as its various diagnostic and treatment options.Current Concepts: The pathophysiology of patellofemoral arthritis includes lower limb malalignment, trochlear and/or patellar dysplasia, patellar instability, trauma, and obesity. The disorder is characterized by chronic anterior knee pain aggravated by flexion of the knee joint. A critical imaging study of the Merchant and lateral knee radiographs may show the progression of patellofemoral arthritis and dysplasia of the patellofemoral joints. Non-pharmacologic treatment options for patellofemoral arthritis include patient education, self-management, exercise, weight loss, taping, bracing, and orthotics. Pharmacologic agents (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, oral narcotics, and duloxetine) and intra-articular injection therapies (glucocorticoids, hyaluronic acid, platelet-rich plasma, and other regenerative therapies) can be helpful for symptom relief in patients with patellofemoral arthritis. The surgical treatment can begin with lateral retinacular release to realign and decompress the patellofemoral joint. If failure in the improvement of symptoms is noted, a tibial tubercle osteotomy can be considered in young and active patients. While the early design and technique of patellofemoral arthroplasty were less than encouraging, more recent implant design and surgical techniques have demonstrated robust results.Discussion and Conclusion: Patellofemoral arthritis is a unique entity compared with tibiofemoral arthritis marked by distinct epidemiology, biomechanics, and risk factors and treatment options. It is essential to understand its pathophysiology and ensure proper treatment options.

PURPOSE: To determine the correlation and agreement between perpheral venous and arterial values in emergency department patients. METHODS: The study was conducted at an urban teaching hospital emergency department with an annual volume of 80,000 patient visits. Prospective comparison of paired peripheral venous and arterial values were evaluated from October, 2009 to February, 2010. Peripheral venous and arterial samples were taken as simultaneously as possible when patients who were deemed by the attending doctor to require an peripheral arterial sample presented in the emergency department. Collected information included age, sex, vital signs, emergency department initial diagnosis, lactate, pH, base excess, bicarbonate, pO2, and pCO2. Statistical methods were Shapiro-Wilk test, Spearman rho test, linear regression analysis, and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: Among the 546 patients, 50 were excluded and 496 were included. The majority (59.5%) of patients were male. Correlation constant (rho) of pH and lactate were 0.907 and 0.901, respectively. Mean difference and CI (confidence interval) of pH were -0.04 and -1.34~1.56, respectively. Mean difference and CI of lactate were 0.11 mmol/L and -0.15~0.07 mmol/L, respectively. CONCLUSION: Moderate correlation and agreement between perpheral venous and arterial pH, lactate, base excess, and CO2 was evident. Especially, peripheral venous pH, lactate correlated very well and had reasonable agreement with peripheral arterial values to serve as substitutes.
Blood Gas Analysis ; Emergencies ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Lactic Acid ; Linear Models ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Statistics as Topic ; Vital Signs

PURPOSE: To determine the correlation and agreement between perpheral venous and arterial values in emergency department patients. METHODS: The study was conducted at an urban teaching hospital emergency department with an annual volume of 80,000 patient visits. Prospective comparison of paired peripheral venous and arterial values were evaluated from October, 2009 to February, 2010. Peripheral venous and arterial samples were taken as simultaneously as possible when patients who were deemed by the attending doctor to require an peripheral arterial sample presented in the emergency department. Collected information included age, sex, vital signs, emergency department initial diagnosis, lactate, pH, base excess, bicarbonate, pO2, and pCO2. Statistical methods were Shapiro-Wilk test, Spearman rho test, linear regression analysis, and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: Among the 546 patients, 50 were excluded and 496 were included. The majority (59.5%) of patients were male. Correlation constant (rho) of pH and lactate were 0.907 and 0.901, respectively. Mean difference and CI (confidence interval) of pH were -0.04 and -1.34~1.56, respectively. Mean difference and CI of lactate were 0.11 mmol/L and -0.15~0.07 mmol/L, respectively. CONCLUSION: Moderate correlation and agreement between perpheral venous and arterial pH, lactate, base excess, and CO2 was evident. Especially, peripheral venous pH, lactate correlated very well and had reasonable agreement with peripheral arterial values to serve as substitutes.
Blood Gas Analysis ; Emergencies ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Lactic Acid ; Linear Models ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Statistics as Topic ; Vital Signs

PURPOSE: In 2000, the American Heart Association and International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation published guidelines for CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), and these guidelines were revised in 2005. Many physicians perform CPR differently than suggested by these guidelines. We investigated guideline conformation rates for CPR by non-emergency physicians. METHODS: From January 1st, 2005, to December 31st, 2005, and from January 1st, 2007, to September 30th, 2007, 103 in-hospital CPR cases were enrolled. We separated the 103 cases into two groups: 2005 patients and 2007 patients. Fifty-two cases in the 2005 group and 51 cases in the 2007 group were enrolled. The defibrillation method, defibrillation energy, epinephrine use, and atropine use were analyzed. RESULTS: Nineteen cases (82.6%) in the 2005 group and three cases (21.4%) in the 2007 group were performed using the appropriate defibrillation method (p=0.0002). Seventeen cases (73.9%) in the 2005 group and four cases (28.6%) in the 2007 group received the appropriate defibrillation energy (p=0.0069). Seven cases (14.0%) in the 2005 group and 16 cases (32.0%) in the 2007 group used the appropriate epinephrine dose (p=0.0325). Fourteen cases (28.0%) in the 2005 patient group and 14 cases (29.2%) inthe 2007 patient group used the appropriate atropine dose (p=0.8983). CONCLUSION: Although CPR guidelines were renewed in 2005, many physicians do not follow these guidelines. We suggest that adequate information, education, feedback, and further study are needed for guideline conformation.
American Heart Association ; Atropine ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Electric Countershock ; Epinephrine ; Humans ; Nerve Growth Factors ; Resuscitation ; S100 Proteins

Codeine is widely prescribed in clinical settings for the relief of pain and non-productive coughs. Common adverse drug reactions to codeine include constipation, euphoria, nausea, and drowsiness. However, there have been few reports of serious adverse reactions after codeine ingestion in adults. Here, we present a case of severe anaphylaxis after oral ingestion of a therapeutic dose of codeine. A 30-year-old Korean woman complained of the sudden onset of dyspnea, urticaria, chest tightness, and dizziness 10 minutes after taking a 10-mg dose of codeine to treat a chronic cough following a viral infection. She had previously experienced episodes of asthma exacerbation following upper respiratory infections, and had non-atopic rhinitis and a food allergy to seafood. A skin prick test showed a positive response to 1-10 mg/mL of codeine extract, with a mean wheal size of 3.5 mm, while negative results were obtained in 3 healthy adult controls. A basophil histamine release test showed a notable dose-dependent increase in histamine following serial incubations with codeine phosphate, while there were minimal changes in the healthy controls. Following a CYP2D6 genotype analysis, the patient was found to have the CYP2D6*1/*10 allele, indicating she was an intermediate metabolizer. An open label oral challenge test was positive. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient presenting with severe anaphylaxis after the ingestion of a therapeutic dose of codeine, which may be mediated by the direct release of histamine by basophils following exposure to codeine.
Adult ; Alleles ; Anaphylaxis* ; Asthma ; Basophil Degranulation Test ; Basophils ; Codeine* ; Constipation ; Cough ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 ; Dizziness ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Dyspnea ; Eating ; Euphoria ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Genotype ; Histamine ; Histamine Release ; Humans ; Nausea ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Rhinitis ; Seafood ; Skin ; Sleep Stages ; Thorax ; Urticaria

Background: The purpose of this study was to prepare data for the prevention and management of iron deficiency by analyzing the effects of taking iron supplements provided by blood centers for repeat blood donors. Methods: The high-risk groups with a potential iron deficiency were defined as three or more whole blood donations within the previous year and were provided with iron supplements for three months. Their hemoglobin and ferritin levels were checked up once a month for six months. The effectiveness of the iron supplements was evaluated by analyzing the changes in the initial and monthly hemoglobin and ferritin results. Results: At the time of recruitments, an average 50.4% (40.8% of men and 65.3% of women, respectively) of participants had ferritin levels of less than 15 ng/mL, the World Health Organization iron deficiency standard, but after three months iron supplementation, the results decreased to 10.9% (9.0% of men and 13.8% of women). The ferritin levels increased significantly after taking iron supplements for three months and showed significant increases in both men and women, particularly after two months (P＜0.05). Conclusion The dietary iron supplements containing low-dose iron were effective in preventing iron deficiency in repeat blood donors by increasing the ferritin levels.