Malaria is one of the most important parasitic diseases especially in tropical areas. Over 300 million people are affected and the condition causes 1-3 million deaths each year. It is transmitted by the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Although Korea was declared to be free of Malaria by the WHO in 1979, malaria re-emergence has been apparent since 1993 amongst soldiers located near the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) in the northern part of the country. Conventional microscopic examination of thin and thick blood films demonstrates the presence of the parasite and thus this method has been used to confirm the diagnosis of malaria, but it is a labor-intensive procedure and relies upon subjective interpretation. To overcome these limitations, fast and reliable methods for malaria detection have been recently introduced. In this study, we compared three kinds of antibody detection kits and one biochemical test kit that determines the presence of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) with conventional peripheral blood smears. The antibody detection methods examined were, two rapid test pack format methods and a single microplate format enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, as manufactured by Korean companies. The sensitivities of the three commercial antibody detection kits in the early stage of malaria were 70.8%, 77.4%, and 63.6%, their corresponding specificities 90.5%, 91.8%, and 80.9%, and their accuracies 87.6%, 87.0%, and 76.7%. The sensitivity and specificity of the pLDH assay were 100% apiece and the results were in 100% concordance with the microscopy of thick blood films. Thus, the pLDH assay may be used as an alternative for conventional microscopic blood film examination, especially in emergency situations when prompt treatment is necessary.
Adult ; Aged ; Animal ; Antibodies, Protozoan/blood ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Human ; Lactate Dehydrogenase/blood ; Malaria/diagnosis* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Plasmodium/enzymology ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Recently malaria infection became one of the most important parasitic diseases in Korea. After the re-emergence of malaria in a young soldier in 1993 near the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ), three to four thousand people have been infected per year in the last few years and the cases of infection have been increasing threefold each year. Microscopic examination of a thick blood smear is a conventional and confirmatory method for diagnosis. However, it requires labor-intensive procedures and its interpretation is quite subjective. Faster and more reliable methods are needed for the diagnosis of malaria. METHODS: We evaluated 155 patients who were diagnosed as malaria. We performed point-of-care rapid diagnostic methods recently introduced: two antibody detection tests manufactured by Korean companies and one antigen (Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase, pLDH) detection test. The results were compared with those of microscopic examinations of thick blood smears. RESULTS: Sensitivities of two antibody detection assays and one antigen detection assay in acute attacks of malaria were 64.7%, 72.5%, and 96.1%; and, specificities were 88.5%, 89.4%, and 95.1%, respectively. Overall accuracy for all samples were 80.6%, 83.9%, and 95.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Antibody detection tests for malaria have limitations in sensitivity and accuracy to replace microscopic examination of blood film. Antigen tests detecting pLDH could replace conventional microscopic examinations of blood film, especially in emergency situations in cases that require prompt medication.
Diagnosis* ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Korea* ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Malaria* ; Military Personnel ; Parasitic Diseases ; Plasmodium

The main goal of transfusion medicine is safe and appropriate blood transfusion in all situations. To accomplish this, it is essential to have a high level quality management system for the entire process from blood donation to transfusion. Regulations regarding blood management have been adopted and strictly managed in Korea since 2007. Blood center's blood management tasks should establish appropriate quality management systems to ensure the safe supply of blood, as well as the basic resources of personnel, facilities and equipment in accordance with laws and regulations governed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Korea. The purpose of this review is to examine the contents and processes for quality control of clinical chemistry tests in Korean blood centers.
Blood Donors ; Blood Transfusion ; Chemistry, Clinical* ; Clinical Chemistry Tests* ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Quality Control ; Social Control, Formal ; Transfusion Medicine

No abstract available.
Cardiotocography* ; Meconium* ; Pregnancy*

We reviewed MR angiograms to evaluate its efficacy for visualizing the renal arteries and detecting renovascular disease. 41 renal arteries in 19 patients were examined by MR angiography. 3-D time-of-flight technique was used as routine examination method for MR angiography and 2-D time-of-flight technique was added in some particular cases to visualize venous flow. Within two weeks after MR angiography was performed, 23 renal arteries in 10 patients were additionally examined by conventional angiography or intraarterial DSA. The success rates of vessel visualization on MR angiography in normal renal arteries were 100% in main 67.7% in segmental, and 11.8% in intrarenal arteries. As a result of comparative study in normal main renal arteries with MR angiograms and conventional angiograms, overall correspondence in the number and the shape was noted and the caliber discrepancy between two examination did not exceed 3.0 mm. one arteriovenous fistula with aneurysm, one stenotic artery and two occluded arteries were well evaluated One arteriovenous fistula with aneurysm, and two occluded arteries were well evaluated by MR angiography. However three stenotic lesions were misdiagnosed as occlusions on MR angiography. and the overall accuracy was 87%. We conclude that MR angiography has the potential to be a noninvasive and useful screening method for determining the number of renal arteries and for detection of abnormalities of main renal arteries.
Aneurysm ; Angiography* ; Arteries ; Arteriovenous Fistula ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Methods ; Renal Artery*

BACKGROUND: Transfusion is a choice of treatment and should be used in order to maintain patients' lives and health. In order to supply safe blood, the quality improvements of hospital blood collection centers should be periodically monitored. To establish systematic surveillance of blood management system, we would like to suggest proper program. METHODS: Twenty-nine hospital small scale blood centers, collects less than 100 units of blood collection per year, were evaluated. Qualified were selected among blood bank specialists who were eligible to simultaneously perform inspections and consultations, and who had attended inspectors' workshop. RESULTS: Among twenty-five blood collection centers, four blood collection centers were closed prior to inspections. Among them, two blood collection centers were evaluated as inadequate. Among adequate centers, some questionnaires were evaluated as "not applicable" mainly for reasons pertaining to personnel and facilities, such as blood component preparation rooms and/or center administrators. CONCLUSION: A checklist for an inspection program should be reviewed continuously. Additionally, detailed guidelines for inspection should be standardized prior to commencing of subsequent year's inspection program. Finally, guidelines for inspection should be established for every questionnaire.
Blood Banks ; Checklist ; Quality Improvement ; Referral and Consultation ; Specialization ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Korean Society of Clinical Pathologists' Information Network(KSCPIN) began its service as a Closed User Group (CUG) In HiTEL. one of the major information providers in Korea, on March 2nd, 1995. The KSCPIN is the first and the only society which has its own information network among the Regular Member Society of Korean Medical Association. As the name CUG implies. this network is opened only for the members of the society. The main concept of KSCPCIN is to offer various informations and opinion exchange sites only to the society members. For providing various laboratory related informations to every one, we accepted non-society members as KSCPIN members to make KSCPIN as an opened CUG. KSCPIN now offers various bulletins and library not only for the society members, except for some limitations. KSCPIN consists of 115 clinical pathologists, 60 clinical pathology residents, 34 business men, 26 physicians, and 15 others making the total members of 262 at present. With new definition of members and new menu, KSCPIN was self-estimated as a successful CUG, and we recommend the utilization of CUG for all academic societies. In near future, we are going to move the CUG on the internet. which is our finalgoal.
Commerce ; Humans ; Information Services* ; Internet ; Korea ; Male ; Pathology, Clinical ; Running*

PURPOSE:We report the results of image-guided percutaneous biopsies with a biopsy gun and evaluate the clinical usefullness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and five biopsies under ultrasonographic or fiuoroscopic guidance were performed. Various anatomic sites were targeted (liver;50, chest;22, kidney;12, pancreas;8, intraperitoneum;7, retroperitoneum; ). RESULTS:Obtained tissue was diagnostic in 98 of the 105 biopsies(93%). In each instance, representative core tissue specimens were obtained. Evaluation of the core tissue by pathologist revealed consistent, uniform specimens that contained significant crush artifact in no case. Five biopsies yielded inadeguate tissues which were too small for histopathologic interpretation or were composed of necrotic debris. Two biopsies yielded adequate tissues, but tissues were not of the target. The diagnoses were malignancy in 77 biopsies and benign disease in 21 biopsies. No complications other than mild, localized discomfort were encountered except a transient hemoptysis and pneumothorax which was observed in two patients. CONCLUSION:Cutting biopsy with a biopsy gun provided sufficient amount of target tissue for an accurate diagnosis of malignant and benign disease. It was a safe and useful procedure for percutaneous biopsy.
Artifacts ; Biopsy* ; Diagnosis ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Pneumothorax

We report the case of a 64-year-old man presenting to the hospital for treatment of his anemia. Exact ABO blood typing is an essential step to prevent transfusion reactions. The selection of the wrong blood component for transfusion can be a clinical problem and in this case the patient had a cis-AB blood type that could have caused an ABO discrepancy. In this case neither autologous or directed blood transfusion was possible and O+ red blood cell was transfused without a transfusion reaction.
Anemia ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocytes ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype

BACKGROUND: The demand for platelet concentrates has increased for patients with hemato-oncologic diseases as well as for patients with chronic diseases. As platelet concentrates are preserved at 22~24degrees C, the chance of bacterial contamination exposure is increased, which can cause fatal outcomes. We evaluated various methods for detecting bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates. METHODS: 0.5 MacFarland standard solutions were prepared using the Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 & Escherichia coli ATCC25922 strains. The platelet concentrates were inoculated with various concentrations (10(1)~10(5) CFU/mL) of bacteria and then gram staining, plate culture, broth culture and 16s RNA were used to detect bacteria. RESULTS: The gram stain method was unable to detect bacteria concentrations less than 10(4) CFU/mL. The plate culture method detected bacterial growth concentrations up to 10(3) CFU/mL, but only 1 specimen of S. aureus was detected at the lowest concentration of 10(1) CFU/mL. The broth culture method detected 10(2) CFU/mL concentrations except for samples from S. aureus and E. coli strains. Among the 10(1) CFU/mL lowest concentrations, bacterial growth detected 3 samples from S. aureus and 2 samples from E. coli. For the broth culture method, detection of bacterial growth up to 10(1) CFU/mL took 58.9 hours, it took 57.5 hours for S. aureus and E. coli respectively, and it took 43.9 hours and 49.0 hours for 10(2) CFU/mL concentrations of S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. The PCR method showed all positive results except for 1 specimen of E. coli. CONCLUSION: The broth culture method showed similar sensitivity to PCR except for the 43.9~58.9 hours of an incubation period to show positive RESULTS. Overall, the PCR method was most sensitive and rapid method for detecting bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates.
Bacteria ; Blood Platelets ; Chronic Disease ; Escherichia coli ; Fatal Outcome ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA ; Staphylococcus aureus