Erythropoietin is the major hormonal regulator of erythropoiesis. It is controlled by many factors inducing hypoxia in tissue. The serum erythropoietin levels of neonates have shown gradual dccrease until 1 month of age, which they are reactivated in the period of physiologic anemia. This change is exaggerated if the meonates are born prematurely, and the levels of erythropoietin respond to lower hemoglobin are lower than those of term neonates and adults. The purpose of this study was to assess the values of erythropoietin levels to compare hemoglobin on the preterm and term neonates until 1 month of age. The results were as follows: 1) At birth mean erythropoietin values of preterm and term neonates were 16.5+/-1.4mU/ml, 16.5+/-1.7mU/ml respectively, there was no significant difference. Also erythropoietin values in preterm and term neonates were 23.6+/-13.3mU/ml, 10.9+/-1.5mU/ml respectively. Resticulocyte counts in preterm and term neonates were 10.7+/-3.3%, 5.7+/-2.9% respectively, so they were significantly higher in preterm than in term neonates. 2) The changes of mean hemoglobin, reticulocyte counts and erythropoietin according to postnatal ages were that those of reticulocyte counts and erythropoietin were significantly increased about 1 month of age. 3) At the 1 month of age, mean erythropoietin values in preterm neonates were lower than those of term neonates and adults, despite of the lowest hemoblobin. This results showed that erythropoietin values in preterm neonates during the physilolgic anemia were lower values than those of term neonates and adults in spite of the lowest hemoglobin.
Adult ; Anemia ; Anoxia ; Erythropoiesis ; Erythropoietin* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Parturition ; Reticulocyte Count

Diarrhea is an extremely common cause of morbidity in infancy. Occasionally it becomes protracted, leading to a vicious cycle of malabsorption, malnutrition and failure to thrive. Thirty nine infants of chronic diarrhea who had been admitted to the Department of pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine for 3 years between September, 1989 and December 1992, were clinically studied and analized, the results were as follows: 1) The mean age of the patiens was 7.5+/-4.9 months. Symptoms started at 4.0+/-3.4 months of age and lasted for 3.6+/-4.1 months. 2) Among 39 cases, there were 16 cases of secondary lactase deficiency (41%), 9 cases of milk allergy(23%) and 3 cases of rotaviral enteritis(8%). Three patients (8%). had hepatitis and a patient had sepsis. 3) Incidence is much more common in formula-fed infants than brast-fed infants. 4) The growth status of the patients were poor; 54% of the patients by body weight and 39% by height fell into lower 10 percentile of normal distribution. Malnutrition accompanied the majority (82%) of the patients; 46% of mild form, 23% of moderate and 13% of severe form by Gomez classification. 5) Laboratory data on admission showed anemia in 21% of patients, hypoalbuminemia in 13% and hypocholester olemia in 31%. 6) Thirty one percent of the patients were improved with conservative tratment only. 33% of the patients got improved by low lactose milk feeding and milk withdrawl was done in 23% of the patients. Total parenteral nutrition was performed in 13% of the patients. All patients were cured with the treatment. With the above results, the most common cause of chronic diarrhea in infancy is postinfectious disaccharidase deficiency. followed by milk allergy. Low lactose milk feeding and milk withdrawl can improve the infants from chronic diarrhea.
Anemia ; Body Weight ; Classification ; Diarrhea* ; Failure to Thrive ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Incidence ; Infant ; Lactase ; Lactose ; Malnutrition ; Milk ; Milk Hypersensitivity ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total ; Pediatrics ; Sepsis

In spite of the extensive use of antibiotics over several decades, Streptococcus pneumoniae still remains as one of the most serious human bacterial pathogens. In order to clone the pneumococcal genes whose expression is induced when pneumococcus causes infection in mice, S. pneumoniae strain ATCC 6303 was subcultured on blood agar plates (BAP) ten times to reduce the virulence first, and then passaged through BALB/c mice three times to restore the virulence. Subtractive hybridization was performed using the total RNA preparations isolated from BAP-cultured and mouse-passaged strains. Complementary DNAs corresponding to any mRNA species that were differentially expressed in the mouse- passaged strain were used as the probes to screen the genomic library of pneumococcus. Positive recombinants were selected and sequenced partially to identify the genes located within the cloned DNA. GenBank search of the sequence data has identified several genes including two heat shock genes (dnaK and dnap, a transposase-encoding gene, and a sequence which is very homologous to that of the ftsH gene.
Agar ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; DNA ; DNA, Complementary ; Genomic Library ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Mice ; Pneumonia ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Shock ; Streptococcus pneumoniae* ; Streptococcus* ; Virulence

No abstract available.
Torticollis*

20 patients with lumbosacral disorder underwent anterior spinal fusion using wide muscle splitting approach. The approach has considerable advantages over the usual muscle cutting approach or the transperitoneal approach commonly employed for this incision. The advantages of this approach are as follows: 1. The approach to the lesion site is safe and accurate. 2. The operation field is wide. 3. It is less destructive to the abdominal wall. 4, The defect left in iliac crest after removal of bone graft can be covered with external oblique layer. 5. The exposure given to the Ls-S1 intervertebral disc is superior to that given by the Rutherford Morrison approach.
Abdominal Wall ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Spinal Fusion ; Spine ; Transplants

1. 39 cases of fractures of the distal femur treated at the Gwang Ju Triservice Armed Hospital during period from January, 1968 to May, 1973 were subjected to analysis. 2. Most common cause of fracture was traffic accident and supracondylar fractures were most common. 3. Of 39 cases, 22 cases were treated by closed method with or without skeletal traction and 17 cases were treated by open reduction and internal fixation. 4. Closed methods resulted in better funtional recovery after union of fracture. 5. The healing period was 14 weeks in average.
Accidents, Traffic ; Adult ; Arm ; Clinical Study ; Femur ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Methods ; Traction

No abstract available.
Abdomen, Acute* ; Child* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: This study tested the efficacy of 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate for improving oral hygiene in intubated intensive care patients. METHODS: In a group of 57 ventilated patients, 29 received normal saline (NS) for oral hygiene, and 28 were treated with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG). Data on oral bacterial colonization was collected for 11 months from October 2005 to August 2006. Tests of oral hygiene and oral microorganism culture were performed on the day of the ventilation, and repeated on days 4, 8, and 12. RESULTS: Oral hygiene was significantly improved in the CHG group compared to that in the NS group (P<.001). Further, all patients (100%) in the NS group tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus on the 12th day after the endotracheal intubation, whereas only 42.9% (P=0.026) of the CHG group were positive. The NS group also had higher isolation rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 66.7% on the 8th day after intubation and 87.5% on the 12th day. At these same intervals, the CHG group had isolation rates of 29.4% (P=.028) and 14.3% (P=.010) respectively. CONCLUSION: The longer the period of endotracheal intubation, the more effective the 0.12% CHG treatment was for improved oral hygiene and reduction of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa colonization when compared to treatment with NS.
Chlorhexidine ; Colon ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Oral Hygiene ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Sodium Chloride ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Ventilation

OBJECTIVES: Outbreaks of pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) occur every 3-4 years in Korea, most recently in 2011. The aim of our study was to determine the optimal time to perform indirect particle agglutination antibody assays to improve early diagnosis of MP pneumonia in children. METHODS: A database of 206 pediatric patients treated for pneumonia at the Hanyang University Hospital from June to October 2011 was analyzed retrospectively for demographic characteristics and laboratory test results. RESULTS: Among the 206 patients treated for pneumonia during the study period, there were 160 children (mean age, 5.44 years) diagnosed with MP pneumonia, who were studied further. The mean age of these MP pneumonia patients was 5.44 years. Antibody titers increased with increasing time between symptom onset and the collection of serum collection: MP titers were <1:640 for sera collected after 5.44 days and titers > or =1:640 for those collected after 8.58 days; P<0.001). Antibody titers were considered positive when they reached > or =1:640. In 42 MP pneumonia patients in whom there was a four-fold or greater increase in titer between successive serum samples, the optimal cut-off time-point for distinguishing between the initial and second titer groups was 7.5 days after the onset of symptoms (sensitivity, 90.5%; specificity, 92.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Negative MP antibody titers earlier than 8 days after the onset of symptoms in children with pneumonia may require repeating to confirm the diagnosis. This finding could optimize diagnosis and result in better therapeutic outcomes of MP pneumonia in children.
Agglutination ; Child ; Disease Outbreaks ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Korea ; Mycoplasma ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: We evaluated the effectiveness of balloon dilatation and bougienage of post operative anastomotic stricture of upper G-I tract. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed 22 balloon dilatation and 24 Bougienage in 40 patients of post operative anastomotic stricture. The causes of operation were esophageal cancer(n=20), stomach cancer(n=16), laryngeal cancer(n=2), chemical(n=2) strictures. RESULTS: Successful dilatations of the anastomotic site stricture were achieved during the procedure in 38 patients(95%). There was one case of esophageal perforation as a complication. CONCLUSION: Esophageal balloon dilatation and Bougienage are safe and effective method for post operative anastomotic site stricture of upper G-I tract.
Constriction, Pathologic* ; Dilatation* ; Esophageal Perforation ; Humans ; Stomach