No abstract available.
Phlebography*

PURPOSE: Effective management of pediatric hand burn is a considerable challenge for clinicians. Traditional dressings may result in significant pain, wound dryness, weak adhesive strength, and increase necessity for dressing change. Versiva(R)XC is combined dressing materials of hydrocolloid, hydrofiber, a polyurethane foam. Authors have used Versiva(R)XC in treatment of pediatric hand burns, and we experienced that maintenance of dressing is comfortable and decrease patient's discomfort. METHODS: Study enrolled 9 patients of mean age 3.6 years with second degree pediatric hand burn, Versiva(R)XC dressing initially applied after bullae aspiration and saline gauze dressing. After admission, we daily changed the dressing in first two or three days and had an interval of two or three days depending on the degree of exudate from the wound. RESULTS: The mean day of application was 6.3 days. None of patients required surgery and healed with no other complication of scar contracture and hypertrophic scar formation. CONCLUSION: The dressing with Versiva(R)XC was effective method because of decreased pain, easy dressing change, more comfort, and decreased hospital day.
Adhesives ; Bandages ; Blister ; Burns ; Cicatrix ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; Colloids ; Contracture ; Exudates and Transudates ; Hand ; Humans ; Polyurethanes

The major complications of Meckel's diverticulum(MD) are bleeding, intestinal obstruction, infection, umbilical fistula and perforation. Although the relative incidences vary between authors, bleeding is the most common complication in children. The aim of our study is to show the symptomatic guideline for the diagnosis of the bleeding MD. Eight cases with bleeding MD which were operated upon at the department of Pediatric Surgery, Yeungnam University Hospital from April 1985 to April 2001 were reviewed. Half of the patients were under 2 years of age and all patients were male. All patients were preoperatively diagnosed by previous history of intestinal bleeding (melena, hematochezia) and 99mTc pertechnetate MD scan. Segmental resection and end-to-end anastomosis was performed in 6 patients and diverticulectomy in 2 patients. Heterotropic gastric mucosa was found in 6 patients. Postoperative complication was not observed in any cases. In conclusion, in any male children with obscure intestinal bleeding, especially less than 2 years of age, bleeding MD must be suspected. It seems to us that 99mTc pertechnetate MD scan is a useful tool to diagnose bleeding MD.
Child ; Diagnosis* ; Fistula ; Gastric Mucosa ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Male ; Meckel Diverticulum* ; Postoperative Complications ; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m

Secondary osteosarcoma has a relatively higher incidence in middle aged persons than in children. Radiation-induced osteosarcoma occurs in approximately 1% of patients who have been treated with more than 2,500 cGy. The time interval from radiation to onset of secondary osteosarcoma is approximately 10 to 15 years. A 51-year-old female who have been treated with radiation for angiomyxoma was hospitalized due to right hip pain. She had a minor trauma 2 weeks prior to hospitalization. A day before hospitalization, she experienced a second trauma by fall, and then, severe hip pain developed. A radiograph of the patient showed femoral neck fracture with sclerotic change of fractured margin. We diagnosed the patient as having a neglected femoral neck fracture and treated it with closed reduction using cannulated screw fixation. At 6 months post-surgery, the patient had residual pain of the right hip and we could find overproduced callus at the fracture site. Through further evaluation, we diagnosed this as secondary osteosarcoma with pulmonary metastasis. We report this case to make a warning about a misdiagnosed osteosarcoma as a simple femoral neck fracture.
Bony Callus ; Child ; Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Femoral Neck Fractures ; Femur Neck ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Hip ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Myxoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteosarcoma

Background: Opioid withdrawal syndrome (OWS) may occur following the reduction or discontinuation of opioid analgesics. In critically ill pediatric patients, OWS is a common and clinically significant condition. However, OWS in adult patients has not been assessed in detail. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical features of OWS in mechanically ventilated patients treated in an adult intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: This study was a retrospective evaluation of data from patients treated in the medical ICU for > 3 days and who received only one type of opioid analgesic. OWS was assessed over a 24 hours period from discontinuation or reduction (by > 50%) of continuous opioid infusion. OWS was defined as the presence of ≥ 3 central nervous system or autonomic nervous system symptoms. Results: In 126 patients treated with remifentanil (n = 58), fentanyl (n = 47), or morphine (n = 21), OWS was seen in 31.0%, 36.2%, and 9.5% of patients, respectively (P = 0.078). The most common symptom was a change in respiratory rate (remifentanil, 94.4%; fentanyl, 76.5%; morphine, 100%). Multivariate Cox-proportional hazards model showed that OWS was negatively associated with morphine treatment (hazard ratio [HR], 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.037–0.743) and duration of opioid infusion (HR, 0.566; 95% CI, 0.451–0.712). Conclusion OWS is not uncommon in mechanically ventilated adult patients who received continuous infusion of opioids for > 3 days. The use of morphine may be associated with a decreased risk of OWS.

Desmoplastic cerebral astrocytoma of infancy is a massive cystic tumor, typically occurring in the cerebral hemisphere and a rare intracranial tumor that arises in subjects usually below the age of 18 months and shows a favorable prognosis. A 5.5-month-old boy was presented with a rapidly increasing head circumference and lethargy. A computerized tomography scan revealed a large, multicystic, partially enhancing right parieto-occipital mass with hydrocephalus. This patient was treated with a surgery and a firm plaque-like tumor along withmulticystic component was gross totally removed. The tumor mass was firmly attached to the dura and extended in fingerlike projections onto the cortical surface. The infant underwent no further therapy and has developed normally during 6 months after surgery. Desmoplastic cerebral astrocytoma of infancy is a rare intracranial tumor but recognition of this tumor should be appreciated because, despite its massive size and rapidly growing characterstics, this tumor often has a relatively benign clinical course.
Astrocytoma* ; Cerebrum ; Head ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Lethargy ; Male ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Paraquat is known to induce oxidant injury that results in multiorgan failure and lung fibrosis. Iron has been considered to play a key role in paraquat-induced oxidant lung injury. This study examined the effect of deferoxamine, an iron-chelating agent, in the treatment of paraquat poisoning. METHODS: From September, 2001 to April, 2005, 28 patients with paraquat poisoning who were admitted at a medical intensive care unit of a University-affiliated hospital, were enrolled in this study. Sixteen patients were treated according to the paraquat poisoning treatment guidelines and 12 received an intravenous infusion of deferoxamine in addition to the treatment guidelines. RESULTS: There were no differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, severity of paraquat poisoning, and the time elapsed from ingestion to presentation at hospital. There was no difference in overall mortality between the two groups but the incidence of respiratory failure in the deferoxamine group was higher than in the conventional group(4/7 versus 0/9, p=0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Deferoxamine seems to have no clinical benefit compared with the conventional treatment.
Deferoxamine* ; Eating ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Intensive Care Units ; Iron ; Lung ; Lung Injury ; Mortality ; Paraquat* ; Poisoning* ; Respiratory Insufficiency

Spirulina is a microscopic and filamentous cyanobacterium that contains essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidative components. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of spirulina intervention in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes. The subjects were 37 type 2 diabetic patients who visited a diabetic clinic in Seoul and randomly assigned into spirulina (8 g/day) or control group. During the intervention period of 12 weeks, subjects were asked to keep usual diet and prohibited to take any functional foods or dietary supplements. Spirulina supplementation for 12 weeks did not affect anthropometric parameters, however, lowered plasma triglycerides level significantly (p<0.05). Spirulina supplementation also resulted in a significant reduction in plasma malondialdehyde level (p<0.05) and an increase in plasma adiponectin level (p<0.1). The lipid lowering effect of spirulina supplementation was different according to serum lipid levels of the subjects before entering the intervention. The subjects with higher initial triglyceride level showed higher reduction in plasma triglyceride and blood pressure. The subjects with higher initial total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol level showed higher reduction in plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, IL-6, and blood pressure. It seems that spirulina supplementation is more effective in subjects with dyslipidemia. This study provides the evidence for beneficial effects of spirulina supplementation on blood lipid profiles, inflammatory variables, and antioxidant capacity in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes. The results suggest that spirulina is a promising agent as a functional food for diabetes management.
Adiponectin ; Amino Acids, Essential ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements ; Dyslipidemias ; Fatty Acids, Essential ; Functional Food ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; Malondialdehyde ; Minerals ; Plasma ; Spirulina ; Triglycerides ; Vitamins

OBJECTIVE: We developed a Revised Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-KR) and examined its reliability, validity, and factor structures. We also estimated its optimal cutoff scores for major depressive disorder (MDD) and minor depressive disorder (MnDD) stratified by age and education. METHODS: The GDS-KR was administered to 888 subjects (61 MDD patients, 45 MnDD patients, and 782 normal elders). Its internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined. Its concurrent validity was evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficients with the Korean version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-K) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). The mean GDS-KR scores of the MDD patients, MnDD patients and normal elders were compared to evaluate its discriminant validity. To evaluate its construct validity, a principal component analysis with varimax rotation was performed. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to evaluate its diagnostic ability. RESULTS: Chronbach's coefficient alpha for the GDS-KR was 0.90 and the test-retest reliability was 0.91 (p<0.01). The Pearson correlation coefficients of the GDS-KR scores with the CES-D-K and HAM-D scores were 0.63 (p<0.01) and 0.56 (p<0.01), respectively. The GDS-KR consisted of 5 factors. The optimal cut-off scores of the GDS-KR were 16/17 for MDD only and 15/16 for both MDD and MnDD. The optimal cutoff scores of the GDS-KR were higher in the less educated and younger subjects. The diagnostic accuracy for MDD of the GDS-KR was higher than that of the CES-D. CONCLUSION: The GDS-KR was found to be a reliable and valid questionnaire for screening MDD and MnDD in late life.
Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Education ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Principal Component Analysis ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Neoplasm Metastasis*