No abstract available.
Foodborne Diseases* ; Korea*

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the emergence of a novel influenza on April 24, 2009, and they declared pandemic on June 11. In Korea, the proportion of influenza-like illness and the consumption of antiviral agents peaked in early November. The government established the Central Headquarters for Influenza Control and operated the emergency response system. In the quarantine stations, we checked the body temperature and collected quarantine questionnaires from all the arrivals from infected countries. We also isolated the confirmed cases in the national isolation hospitals. However, as the community outbreaks were reported, we changed strategy from containment to mitigation. We changed the antiviral agent prescription guideline so that doctors could prescribe antiviral agents to all patients with acute febrile respiratory illness, without a laboratory diagnosis. Also the 470 designated hospitals were activated to enhance the efficacy of treatment. We vaccinated about 12 million people and manage the adverse event following the immunization management system. In 2010, we will establish additional national isolation wards and support hospitals to establish fever clinics and isolation intensive care unit (ICU) beds. We will also make a computer program for managing the national isolation hospitals and designated hospitals. We will establish isolation rooms and expand the laboratory in quarantine stations and we will construct a bio-safety level 3 laboratory in each province. In addition, we plan to construct a bio-safety level 4 laboratory at a new Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) facilities in Ossong.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Disaster Planning/*organization & administration ; *Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; *Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza, Human/drug therapy/*epidemiology ; Quarantine/organization & administration ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; World Health Organization

BACKGROUND: Para-aminosalicylic acid(PAS) is a 2nd-line drug that can cause severe adverse reactions leading to poor patient compliance. This study evaluated the relapse rate according to the discontinuance of PAS at a certain point after bacteriological conversion during the course of chemotherapy for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB). METHODS: 42 out of 452 MDR-TB patients were enrolled in this study. All subjects were receiving chemotherapy including PAS at National Masan TB Hospital between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2001. The relapse rate was evaluated after the discontinuance of PAS from their initial regimen as a result of the severe adverse reactions at a certain point after the bacteriological conversion during the course of chemotherapy for MDR-TB. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 2.5:1, and the mean age was 47.2 years old. The average number of past histories, used drugs and resistant drugs was 1.2, 3.9 and 4.3. The mean number of sensitive drugs included in the inirial regimen was 3.9. The mean time for bacteriological conversion and discontinuance of the PAS was 2.3 months after initiating treatment and 6 months after bacteriological conversion, respectively. There was no relapse after discontinuing PAS during a mean follow up period of 31.6 months. CONCLUSION: PAS may be discontinued in the cases of serious gastrointestinal problems approximately 6 months after bacteriological conversion without concern about relapse.
Compliance ; Drug Therapy* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Patient Compliance ; Recurrence* ; Retrospective Studies* ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant

INTRODUCTION: We wanted to evaluate the efficacy of bipolar hemiarthroplasty using Berger's two-incision surgical technique for patients with muscular weakness around the hip joint and/or a high risk of dislocation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed bipolar hemiarthroplasty for 15 femoral neck fractures using Berger's two-incision technique between December 2005 and July 2007. The mean age of the patients was 75.2 years old. Four of them had difficulty in walking due to the sequalae after stroke and five have been treated for psychoneurologic disorders. We investigated the operation time, the length of the anterior and posterior incisions, the amount of bleeding, the time untill walking after the operation, the total hospital stay, the recovery to activities of daily living and the complications such as dislocation. RESULTS: The mean operating time was 93 minutes. The average anterior and posterior skin incision length was 6.4 cm and 7.2 cm, respectively. The mean amount of bleeding was 420 cc at the time of surgery and 230 cc postoperatively through a drain. The patients started walking at a mean of 3.3 (1 to 5) days after the operation and the mean hospitalization was 24.3 days. Fourteen patients went back to their pre-injured activities of daily living, except one case with an intraoperative periprosthetic fracture. As for complications, two cases (13.3%) of femoral fracture were intraoperatively observed and one case of skin necrosis on the anterior incision site occurred. There were not any cases of dislocation or infection. CONCLUSION: Two-incision bipolar hemiarthroplasty had advantages for rehabilitation in elderly patients who have a high risk of dislocation, as well as in the patients with muscle weakness. But the operation took a long time and it had a high complication rate.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Dislocations ; Femoral Fractures ; Femoral Neck Fractures ; Femur Neck ; Hemiarthroplasty ; Hemorrhage ; Hip Joint ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Muscle Weakness ; Necrosis ; Periprosthetic Fractures ; Skin ; Stroke ; Walking

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes of venous hemodynamics after the treatment of the primary varicose vein of the lower limbs. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 493 lower limbs (221 right and 272 left, 157 male and 336 female) who underwent surgery for the primary varicose veins from September 1994 to May 1999. All patients were evaluated using air-plethysmography (APG) pre-and post-operatively. RESULTS: The prevalent age was 40 to 49-year-old and the male to female ratio was 1:2. Presumed etiological factors included occupations requiring long periods of standing in 94 cases, and pregnancy in 188 female cases. The average duration of illness was 12.9+/-8.2 years. 232 limbs were treated with a method of the greater saphenous vein high ligation (GSV HL) and above knee (AK) stripping with varicosectomy (VS), 38 limbs with GSV HL and total stripping and VS, 101 with short saphenous vein HL and VS, 100 with external banding valvuloplasty of GSV and VS, 5 with external banding valvuloplasty of GSV only, 10 with Linton's operation, 6 with GSV branch ligation and VS, and sclerotherapy in 9. The reduction rate of venous volume (VV) were 13.9+/-6.6 % in GSV stripping group and 20.4+/-18.2% in GSV valvuloplasty group. The reduction rate of venous filling index (VFI) were 53.6+/-31.0% in GSV stripping group and 58.9+/-33.7% in GSV valvuloplasty group. The increasing rate of ejection fraction (EF) were 26.9+/-41.1% in GSV stripping group and 21.1+/- 32.2% in GSV valvuloplasty group. The reduction rate of ambulatory venous pressure (AVP) were 4.4+/-128% in GSV stripping group and 22.7+/-73.3% in GSV valvuloplasty group. CONCLUSION: In patients with primary varicose vein of the lower limbs, APG could be a useful method for the documentation of hemodynamic improvement by showing decrease in VV, VFI, AVP and increase in EF.
Extremities ; Female ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Knee ; Ligation ; Lower Extremity* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupations ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Saphenous Vein ; Sclerotherapy ; Varicose Veins* ; Venous Pressure

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed two patients, who had taken the same plane from Los Angeles to Seoul, with novel influenza A (H1N1). Through contact tracing, we concluded that the second patient was infected during the flight.
Aircraft ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Contact Tracing ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Influenza, Human ; Korea ; Los Angeles ; Ventilation