No abstract available.
Acid-Base Equilibrium* ; Acidosis*

PURPOSE: This study was performed to estimate the incidence of nosocomial sepsis and to identify the most relevant risk factors for nosocomial sepsis in high-risk very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. METHODS: A retrospective review of 341 VLBW infants, admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Eulji University Hospital (Daejeon & Seoul) between January 2002 and June 2009, who survived more than 72 hours was performed. The incidence, causative organisms, risk factors and prognosis of nosocomial sepsis in VLBW infants were analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of nosocomial sepsis was 16.1% and the onset date of nosocomial sepsis was 21.5+/-15.9 days (mean+/-SD) after delivery. Staphylococcus aureus (21.3%) was the most common organism in the patients with nosocomial sepsis in VLBW infants. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, gestational age [odds ratio (OR), 0.87; 95% CI, 0.83-0.91], umbilical artery catheter use for more than 5 days (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.15-4.46), umbilical venous catheter use for more than 5 days (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.11-4.16), peripheral arterial line use (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.14-4.04) and intravenous intralipids (OR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.13-14.32) were identified as risk factors. CONCLUSION: The limited usage of intravascular catheter related procedures and the short providence of intravenous nutrition may decrease the incidence of nosocomial sepsis in VLBW infants.
Catheters ; Cross Infection ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Logistic Models ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sepsis ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Umbilical Arteries ; Vascular Access Devices

Acute rejection in renal transplantation is a major risk factor threatening the longterm graft survival. Acute rejections refractory to conventional anti-rejection therapy using steroid pulse or antilymphocyte preparations occur in minority, preceding to progressive deterioration of renal function and graft loss. Recent reports showed that tacrolimus rescue therapy in this refractory rejections has converted rejection process. In order to evaluate the clinical outcome of tacrolimus rescue therapy in refractory rejections, we performed a retrospective study. Since April 1997, we performed tacrolimus rescue therapy intent-to-treat for steroid- or OKT3- resistant rejections in 5 patients. All rejections were histologically confirmed according to Banff criteria. As conventional antirejection therapy, steroid pulse therapy (solumedrol 500~1000 mg iv for 3 days) or OKT3 therapy (5 mg/day for 14 days) was performed. The outcome of the rescue therapy is classified into three categories by the change of serum creatinine level or the histologic findings; Improvement-return of serum creatinine level (sCr) to or below the prerejection baseline (nadir) level, Stabilization-arrested sCr increase, Failure-progressive deterioration of renal function, or graft loss. All were men and the mean age was 38 years. Living related- & unrelated-donor transplantation were 2 and 3 cases respectively. Immunosuppression were done with CsA Pd+ (3) or CsA+ Pd+ AZA (2). Acute rejection grades according to Banff criteria were mild (2) or moderate (3). The mean interval between transplantation and tacrolimus conversion was 54.4 days. The outcome was as follows; improvement 2 cases, stabilization 1 case and failure 2 cases. During 3~10 months followup PTLD occured in 1 case, treated with graft nephrectomy and no other complications in other 4 cases. In conclusion, we can convert ongoing refractory rejections to steroid and OKT3 therapy by tacrolimus rescue therapy in 60% (3/5) successfully. Although longterm followup result is necessary to confirm the efficacy and safety of the tacrolimus rescue therapy, the result of this early trial is so good that we may try tacrolimus in refractory rejections for rejection reversal.
Creatinine ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Male ; Muromonab-CD3 ; Nephrectomy ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Tacrolimus* ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Infarction* ; Retrospective Studies*

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) is an infectious disease showing diverse clinical manifestations according to different serotypes of hantavirus. Korean hemorrhagic fever(KHF), HFRS caused by Hantaan or Seoul virus in Korea, shows diverse clinical manifestations even in the same serotype of hantavirus. On the assumption that the antigenicity, nucleotide and amino acid sequence diversity of hantaviruses, as well as immune response diversity of individual KHF patient may be present, this study was performed to analyse the genetic diversity of hantaviruses isolated from patients with KHF. In the 13 samples(9 strains of hantavirus isolated from bloods, urines or autopsy tissue of KHF patients and 4 serums of KHF patients), hantaviral RNAs were extracted, cDNAs of partial M segment were amplified by RT-PCR using genus-reactive primer, amplified cDNAs were analysed by direct sequencing method, and then the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences were compared with previously known sequences of four serotypes of hantavirus isolated from rodent hosts and each other by the computer assistance. The results were as follows. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of 11 samples among the 13 human isolates showed 90.3-95.5%, 86.7-97.9%, the other 1 sample 82.7%, 71.9% homology respectively to those of Hantaan virus 76-118 strain, and another 1 sample showed 83.7%, 75.3% homology respectively to those of Seoul virus B1 strain isolated from rodent host. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of 7 among 12 Hantaan samples showed differences within 5%, 10% respectively each other and high genetic similarities, but those of the other 5 among 12 Hantaan samples showed low genetic similarities each other. In conclusion, hantaviruses isolated from KHF patients showed genetic diversity compared with previously known hantaviruses isolated from rodent hosts.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Autopsy ; Communicable Diseases ; DNA, Complementary ; Fever ; Genetic Variation ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Humans ; Korea ; RNA ; Rodentia ; Seoul virus

Between January, 1990, and December, 1994, 105 elderly patients(over the age of sixty) were referred to the Division of Nephrology at the Seoul National University Hospital as acute renal failure(ARF) (serum creatinine >1.7mg/dL, patients who had been diagnosed to have acute on chronic renal failure were excluded). To find out the characteristics of ARF in the elderly, we made a retrospective study of our data. Sufficient data for analysis were available in 101 of these. Among these patients, prerenal failure occured in 5% of the cases, ischemic ATN 34%, toxic ATN 11%, renovascular obstruction 5%, glomerular disease 5%, postrenal failure 15%. Dialysis was required in 31 patients(31%). Twenty four patients were treated by hemodialysis, it was carried out in 1 patient by the peritoneal route, and the other 6 patients were treated by CAVH. The most common indication was hypervolemia(77%). Twenty seven patients died during the period of acute renal failure. The most common cause of death was infection(15 patients), and the others were underlying diseases, pulmonary complications and cardiovascular complications. Oliguria, and chronic underlying disease were poor prognostic factors. There were significant differences between living and died group in APACHE II score(P<0.05). We conclude that ischemic ATN is a more common cause of ARF in the elderly than in the younger, and presence of oliguria and chronic underlying disease are poor prognostic factors.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Aged* ; APACHE ; Cause of Death ; Creatinine ; Dialysis ; Hemofiltration ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Lung Diseases ; Mortality ; Nephrology ; Oliguria ; Renal Dialysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

Eleven hantavirus isolates were obtained by innoculation of viremic blood, urine, or autopsy tissue specimens from ten HFRS patients, and sera were obtained from five patients with HFRS. The disease was diagnosed by clinical manifestations and indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique. We obtained 6 hantaviruses from gene bank. So, we analyzed 22 hantavirus samples to elucidate the genetic diversity. The hantaviral RNAs were extracted and 365 base-pair complementary DNAs of M segment were obtained by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 326 base-pair by nested PCR. The nucleotide sequences of amplified cDNA fragments were determined by the direct sequencing method using automatic DNA sequence analyzer. We got full M segment sequences of 28 reported hantaviruses with medline searching, and aligned them with our 22 samples, and the phylogenetic analysis for nucleotide and amino acid sequences were done by the Clustal method. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of Hantaan virus 17 samples showed high (above 90%) homology with 76-118 strain, but 2 samples showed significant differences with 76-118 strain and with other 17 samples. The 3 Seoul virus samples showed high intraspecies differences in 1 sample, and showed singnificant differences with SR-11 strain. In phyogenetic tree analysis, Puumala virus and Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome viruses showed high homology, but Hantaan and Seoul viruses showed significant genetic diversity among strains. In conclusion, hantaviruses isolated from HFRS patients showed genetic diversity compared with those isolated from rodent hosts.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Autopsy ; Base Sequence* ; DNA, Complementary ; Genetic Variation ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome ; Hantavirus* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Puumala virus ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA ; Rodentia ; Seoul virus

PURPOSE: Fungal peritonitis is a fatal disease with a high mortality and morbidity to the peritoneal dialysis(PD) patients. This study was implemented to provide a guideline for the prevention and treatment of fungal peritonitis in PD patients by analyzing the clinical and microbiologic features of fungal peritonitis cases. METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively into the 15 cases(14 patients) of fungal peritonitis among 376 end stage renal disease(ESRD) patients who newly started PD in the Seoul National University Hospital from Jan. 1991 to Dec. 1999. RESULTS: The patients' age was 53.6+/-11.6 years (mean+/-standard deviation) and their male to female ratio was 12:3. They have been on PD for 29.2+/-27.7 months before the fungal peritonitis developed. Candida species was the most common etiologic agent, accounting for 10(62.5%) out of the 16 fungal organisms isolated from our patients. Among others were two Aspergillus, one Cryptococcus, one Penicillium, one Torulopsis, and one Trichosporon beigelii cases. Bacterial agents were isolated simultaneously in five fungal peritonitis cases. Peritoneal catheters were all removed no later than 72 hours after the diagnosis was made. Patients were given a single or combined therapy with amphotericin B, fluconazole, or flucytosine on the physician's choice. The outcomes of fungal peritonitis were as follows; 20% continued PD, 60% converted to HD and 20% died of fungal peritonitis. We made a comparative analysis between the fungal and bacterial peritonitis cases which developed in the same 5-year period, which showed significantly higher catheter removal and technique failure rates in the fungal cases. CONCLUSION: Fungal peritonitis is a rare but a fatal disease with a high mortality and a technique failure rate. Candida species was the most prevalent microorganism in our study.
Amphotericin B ; Aspergillus ; Candida ; Catheters ; Cryptococcus ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fluconazole ; Flucytosine ; Fungi ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Penicillium ; Peritoneal Dialysis* ; Peritonitis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Trichosporon

We performed a retrospective study to find out the frequency, clinical and pathological characteristics of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) in Korean adults. Of the total 1,893 adults with biopsy-proven glomerulonephritis over the 13-year period from 1979 to 1991 in Seoul National University Hospital, there were 212 cases of MPGN of whom 22 had primary MPGN and 190 secondary MPGN. Secondary MPGN was composed of 64 cases of hepatitis B virus- associated glomerulonephritis(HBV-GN), 121 cases of lupus nephritis(LN) and 5 cases associated with other conditions. Age at diagnosis(median and range in years) was higher in primary MPGN(31, 16-67) and in HBV-GN (39, 16-60) than in LN(28, 16-44)(P<0.05). Male-to- female ratio was 1.2:1 in primary MPGN, 7.5:1 in HBV-GN and 1:13 in LN. At the time of diagnosis, nephrotic syndrome and azotemia were more frequent in primary MPGN(72%, 50%) and in HBV-GN (50%, 42%) than in LN(25%, 15%)(P<0.05). Decreases of C3 and CH50 were more common in LN(59%, 77%) than in primary MPGN(24%, 41%) or in HBV-GN(12%, 32%)(P<0.05). On light microscopic exams, tubular atrophy was more frequently observed in primary MPGN(96%) than in HBV-GN(57%) or in LN(69%)(P<0.05). Under immunofluorescence microscopy, mesangial deposition of IgM was more common in HBV-GN (50%) and in LN(59%) than in primary MPGN(6%) (P<0.05). The prognosis was better in LN(13 remission, 15 persistence, 1 end stage) than in primary MPGN(1 remission, 8 persistence, 4 deterioration, 6 end stage) or in HBV-GN(18 persistence, 4 deterioration, 2 end stage)(P<0.05). Conclusively, in Korea considering much higher incidence of secondary MPGN than that of primary MPGN contrary to western countries and the difference in prognosis between the primary and secondary forms, one should consider the possibility of secondary MPGN, especially hepatitis B virus- associated glomerulonephritis and lupus nephritis in adult patients diagnosed as MPGN by kidney biopsy in Korea.
Adult* ; Atrophy ; Azotemia ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative* ; Hepatitis B ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Kidney ; Korea ; Lupus Nephritis ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: Korean hemorrhagic fever(KHF), a severe from of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS), is the most common cause of acute renal failure in far east. Two serotypes of hantavirus, Hantaan and Seoul viruses, were identified as pathogens for KHF in Korea. To elucidate the diagnostic applicability for the serotype diagnosis in KHF patients, using a nested reverse transcriptase-PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism(nRT-PCR /RFLP), we screened 4 prototype viruses, 11 virus isolates from KHF patients, and 69 specimens obtained from 30 KHF patients. METHODS: The nRT-PCR was performed using serotype specific primers for G1 segments for Hantaan(HF3 1140-1163, HB14 1363-1342) and Seoul(SF2 809-832, SB3 1200-1177) viruses. The PCR product was further amplified using nested primers for Hantaan(HF4, 1141-1164, HB13, 1360-1339) and Seoul(SF7 863-884, SB1 1165-1142) viruses. Amplified segments were digested with restriction enzymes specific for either Hantaan(Cla I) or Seoul(Sac I) virus sequences. In all cultured viruses, serotypes identified by nRT-PCR/RFLP were consistent with those of PRNT. RESULTS: In KHF patients, nRT-PCR/RFLP results were compatible with Hantaan virus in 10 patients and with Seoul virus in 13 patients. In 3 patients both Hantaan and Seoul specific amplified bands were visualized in serially collected samples, and in 4 patients no detectable amplicons were detected. Among 69 specimens, 55 specimens obtained from 3 to 33 day of illness were positive. The positive rate was affected by the hospital where specimens were collected, but not by clinical phases, the day of illness, or severity of HFRS. CONCLUSIONS: In general, nRT-PCR/RFLP was a rapid and convenient method for serotype diagnosis in most of the KHF patients. The presented method also make it possible to detect genetic variation of hantavirus within the same serotype. But unlike the viruses in culture, in testing patients' sera, the sensitivity of this methods needed to be improved especially by adequate sample handling.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Diagnosis ; Far East ; Fever ; Genetic Variation ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Humans ; Korea ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Seoul virus* ; Seoul*