Human parvovirus B19 is a single-strand DNA virus which causes erythema infectlosum, arthralgia, aplastic crisis in patients with red cell defect, chronic anemia in immunocompromised patients, and fetal hydrops in pregnant women . A 16-year-old women was referred to our hospital with pancytopenia and splenomegaly. In peripheral blood, spherocytosis and reitculocytopenia were observed. Many giant pronormoblasts with prominent inclusion bodies and deeply blue cytoplasm were observed but late erythroblasts were not observed in bone marrow smear. Osmotic fragility of patient's red cells was significantly increased. Human parvovirus Bl9 DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction. Only with supportive therapy, pancytopenia was spontaneously resolved.
Adolescent ; Anemia ; Arthralgia ; Bone Marrow ; Cytoplasm ; DNA ; DNA Viruses ; Erythema ; Erythroblasts ; Female ; Humans* ; Hydrops Fetalis ; Immunocompromised Host ; Inclusion Bodies ; Osmotic Fragility ; Pancytopenia ; Parvovirus B19, Human ; Parvovirus* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnant Women ; Splenomegaly

Seventy cases of moderate to severe hallux valgus deformities were operated by proximal metatarsal chevron osteotomy combined with modified McBride procedures from September 1994 to September 1996. The hallux valgus angle improved from an average of 35.1 degrees to 12.1 degrees postoperatively. The first intermetatarsal angle improved from an average of 15.4 degrees to 7.9 degrees. The position of sesamoids was normalized and the metatarsal bone shortened minimally. Union occurred in 6 weeks. Subjectively, pain was relieved in 95% of the patients, while walking and standing abilities improved in 90%. The shoewear improved in only 60% of the patients, showing less satisfactory results compared to other factors. In terms of complications, two recurrences occured but were treated without repeat surgery. Two malunions and four superficial wound infections occurred. In conclusion, proximal chevron metatarsal osteotomy combined with modified McBride procedures is a reliable operation as regards stability, technical ease, low complications and satisfactory results for moderate to severe Hallux valgus deformities.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Hallux Valgus* ; Hallux* ; Humans ; Metatarsal Bones* ; Osteotomy* ; Recurrence ; Reoperation ; Walking ; Wound Infection

The National Forensic Hospital is the only forensic psychiatric hospital in Korea. As of January 2016, the average number of patients assigned to each psychiatrist is more than 120. In this situation, the role of psychopharmacologic treatment becomes very important. To investigate the prescription patterns of major psychotropic medications (i.e., antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and antidepressants), we reviewed the medical records of the patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder who were admitted in January 2016. The data from 418 patients (403 with schizophrenia and 15 with schizoaffective disorder) were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The average number of major psychotropic medications prescribed for each patient during hospitalization was as follows: antipsychotics, 3.5±1.8; mood stabilizers, 0.5±0.7; and antidepressants, 0.5±0.8. The three most frequently prescribed antipsychotics were risperidone (21.7%), olanzapine (15.5%), and quetiapine (14.4%). More than half of the patients (233, 55.9%) were prescribed an antipsychotic polypharmacy regimen. This study found that patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder in forensic psychiatric hospital tend to be prescribed many psychotropic medications.
Antidepressive Agents ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Polypharmacy ; Prescriptions ; Psychiatry ; Psychopharmacology ; Psychotic Disorders* ; Quetiapine Fumarate ; Retrospective Studies ; Risperidone ; Schizophrenia*

BACKGROUND: Heparin salts induce negative proportional bias according to anticoagulant concentration for analysis of ionized calcium (iCa) However, D-phenylalanyl -L-prolyl- L-arginine chloromethyl ketone (PPACK), a selective thrombin inhibitor, do not bind to ionized calcium. Therefore, we evaluated PPACK as an alternative anticoagulant to lithium heparin (Li-Hep) for analysis of ira, blood gases and electrolytes. METHODS: The concentration of iCa in whole blood anticoagulated with heparin was compared with that in serum of patients admitted to Chungbuk National University Hospital (n=27). The blood gases, electrolytes and iCa according to each anticoagulant concentration (Ll-Hep or PFACK) were analyzed. The concentrations of anticoagulated whole blood (Li-Hep; 50 kIU/L, PPACK ; 75 mumol/L) were compared with those of nonanticoagulated whole blood for blood gases, electrolytes and iCa (n=17), RESULTS: The results were as follows; whole blood anticoagulated with Li-Hep demonstrated -0.28+/-0.15 mmol/L (26.6%) bias for ira compared with serum. No bias according to each anticoagulated concentrations were observed in analysis of blood gases, potassium and chloride. Negative proportional bias for iCa and sodium in serum anticoagulated with Li-HeP was observed. In comparison, no bias for ira and sodium was observed with PPACK. No bias was observed in analysis of blood gas or electrolytes with each anticoagulated whole blood except for sodium and chloride that had clinically nonsignificant bias. Whole blood anticoagulated with Li-Hep demonstrated a consistent -0.08+/-0.02 mmol/L (6.3%) bias for ira compared with nonanticoagulated whole blood. In comparison, no bias was observed with PPACK-anticoagulated whole blood for iCa. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that PPACK is an ideal anticoagulant without bias for analysis of iCa, blood gases and electrolytes.
Arginine ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Calcium* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Electrolytes* ; Gases ; Heparin* ; Humans ; Lithium ; Potassium ; Salts* ; Sodium ; Thrombin

Social stigma and discrimination are major barriers to an effective national response to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and there have been repeated calls to transform the current surveillance-focused policy. Serious instances of discrimination and clinical service failings increase the urgency and importance of addressing issues relevant to AIDS-related stigma. Yet, progress in achieving effective and people-centered responses to AIDS is insufficient.Current Concepts: Based on a comprehensive multi-sectoral review of a wide range of literature, this article examines the key features of AIDS-related stigma in South Korea and evaluates governmental and organizational efforts to redress them. Three major areas, of issues and possibilities for change, are identified: (1) addressing discrimination in health care settings, (2) decriminalization of HIV transmission, according to the Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U) principle, (3) improving the quality of life and social inclusion of people living with HIV.Discussion and Conclusion: An extensive examination of existing evidence on AIDS-related stigma, guided by the authors’ long-term experience of public participation and civic empowerment, suggests that by placing these three issues at the center of the national response to AIDS, significant improvement in the AIDS care continuum is achievable. People-centered service delivery models that focus on dismantling structural barriers and incorporating leadership from key populations will enable high-impact public health responses to AIDS and HIV infection.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of empowerment, infection control organizational culture, and infection control awareness on infection control performance among nurses in long-term care hospitals. Methods: A descriptive survey study was conducted with 125 nurses as subjects who had been working for at least six months in four long-term care hospitals located in Busan metropolitan city and Gyeongsangnam-do Province. Data were collected from September 30 to October 28, 2021 and analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 26.0. Results: The results showed that infection control performance had significant correlations with empowerment (r=.36, p<.001), infection control organizational culture (r=.51, p<.001), and infection control awareness (r=.75, p<.001). Multiple regression analysis for infection control performance revealed that the most powerful predictor was infection control awareness (β=.70, p<.001). Empowerment, infection control awareness and awareness of infection control guidelines explained approximately 60.0% of the variance in infection control performance. Conclusion Findings indicated that various factors are related to the infection control performance among nurses in long-term care hospital. Based on the results of this study, further development and application of the programs to enhance empowerment and infection control awareness are needed in order to improve the infection control performance of nurses in long-term care hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk factors that may be responsible for the development of contralateral reherniations from ipsilateral ones after open lumbar microdiscectomy (OLM), and to compare surgical outcomes of revision OLM for contralateral reherniations with those for ipsilateral ones. METHODS: Seventeen patients who underwent revision OLM for contralateral reherniation were enrolled into Group I, and 35 patients who underwent revision OLM for ipsilateral reherniation were enrolled into Group II. Using medical charts and imaging study results, the differences in the clinical and radiological factors were evaluated between the two groups. Clinical outcomes of each group were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the interval to reherniation from initial surgery (33 months for Group I and 18.6 months for Group II, p=0.009), as well as in the incidences of both protruded disc (35.3% for Group I and 8.6% for Group II, p=0.045) and mild disc degeneration (29.4% for Group I and 5.7% for Group II, p=0.031) at initial surgery. On binary multi-logistic regression analysis, significant differences were found in the interval to reherniation (p=0.027, Odds ratio=1.051) and incidence of mild disc degeneration (p=0.025, Odds ratio=12.03) between the two groups. There were no significant differences in the improvement of clinical outcomes after revision OLM between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The interval to reherniation from initial surgery and the grade of disc degeneration at initial surgery were key factors that distinguished the development of contralateral reherniations from ipsilateral ones. Surgical outcomes of revision OLM were similar in both groups.
Diskectomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Risk Factors

We reviewed 9 cases of pyogenic spondylodiscitis following percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD). Microbiologic cultures revealed 6 causative organisms. Five patients were managed conservatively and four were treated surgically. The mean follow-up period was 20.6 months and the average length of hospitalization was 24 days. Radiological evidence of spinal fusion was noted and infection was resolved in all patients. Although PELD is a safe and effective procedure, the possibility of pyogenic spondylodiscitis should always be considered.
Discitis ; Diskectomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Spinal Fusion

The possible causes of Brown-Sequard Syndrome (BSS) have been frequently observed with spinal trauma and extramedullary spinal tumors, but the cervical disc herniation to cause BSS is rare. The authors present five cases of patients who were diagnosed with BSS resulting from cervical disc herniation, and the results of the literature in view of their distinctive symptoms and clinical outcomes. Postoperatively, the patients showed complete or almost complete recovery from their motor and sensory deficits. On the basis of our cases, it is important to diagnose it early by cervical magnetic resonance imaging, especially in the absence of the typical symptoms of cervical disc herniation or other obvious etiology of extremity numbness. Immediate surgical treatment is also essential for a favorable functional neurological recovery.
Brown-Sequard Syndrome ; Extremities ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PURPOSE: In the 1970s, male sterilization (vasectomy) has been performed on a large scale as an accepted method of family planning in Korea. Since then, especially during last decade, there has been an increase in the number of patients requesting vasovasostomy after a long term interval following a vasectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 153 cases of vasovasostomy performed, 10 years or more after a vasectomy, at the Pusan National University Hospital between March 1983 and March 2002. Clinical data were collected through telephone interviews and a survey of medical records. RESULTS: The ages at the time of reversal ranged from 30 to 57, with an average of 41.6 years. The obstructive intervals ranged from 10 to 24, with an average of 17.0 years. To the cases were divided into 3 the obstructive intervals; 10 to 14, 15 to 19 and 20 to 24 years, with 130 (85.0%), 15 (9.8%) and 8 cases (5.2%), respectively. The overall patency and pregnancy rates were 81.6 and 36.0%, respectively. There were no significant differences according to the methods of vasovasostomy, suture materials, ooze from the proximal vasal end, the presence of sperm granuloma, the levels of anastomosis or the age of patients, with the exception of the ages of the partners in the patency and pregnancy rates for the patients with vasovasostomy 10 years or more after vasectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the pregnancy rates after vasovasostomies, following at least a 10 years long term obstruction, are very low, despite the desirable patency rates. Therefore, it is important that we should apply the assisted reproductive technology, as well as advanced surgical skills, to improve the pregnancy rates.
Busan ; Family Planning Services ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Pregnancy Rate ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Spermatozoa ; Sterilization, Reproductive ; Sutures ; Vasectomy* ; Vasovasostomy*