Influenza-associated encephalopathy is typically associated with a sudden onset of high fever, severe convulsions, rapidly progressive coma and death within 2 or 3 days. It has been actively researched in Japan as it caused a tremendous increase in the number of deaths from 1997 to 2002. But there has been reported only one case in Korea, who was diagnosed on the basis of serologic testing by hemagglutinin inhibition. We report here a 14-month-old boy who was taken supportive care and a 3-year-old girl who was taken amantadine and methyprednisolone pulse therapy. Both of them were admitted under the diagnosis of influenza-associated encephalopathy on the basis of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of nasopharyngeal fluid and cerebrospinal fluidm, brain magnetic resonance imagings. The first case was confirmed by the identification of influenza A/H3N2 in the cerebrospinal fluid culture by RT-PCR for the first time in Korea.
Amantadine ; Brain ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Child, Preschool ; Coma ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fever ; Hemagglutinins ; Humans ; Infant ; Influenza, Human ; Japan ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Seizures ; Serologic Tests

Shaken baby syndrome develop as a form of child abuse, with the majority of cases occurring during the first year of life. It results from extreme rotational cranial acceleration and deceleration effects induced by violent shaking of an infant. The characteristic injuries include subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages, and retinal hemorrhages. We experienced three cases of shaken baby syndrome. Although the history of trauma was little known, all of these cases had subdural hemorrhages. We present the cases with a review of related literature.
Acceleration ; Child ; Child Abuse ; Deceleration ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Humans ; Infant ; Retinal Hemorrhage ; Shaken Baby Syndrome* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Restless legs syndrome(RLS) is a common but frequently undiagnosed sensorimotor disorder. It has distinct clinical manifestations and also it is fairly common in late adulthood. However, it is rarely recognized in children because of the difficulties in expressing the signs and symptoms and the lacks of experience of pediatricians about the disease. Although its underlying pathophysiology is not fully understood, the diagnostic criteria of RLS in children were established in the year of 2003. We experienced a case of idiopathic restless legs syndrome in a 10-year-old boy and we present the case with a brief review of related literature.
Child* ; Humans ; Male ; Restless Legs Syndrome*

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that UFT may be an effective adjuvant therapy for completely resected IB (pT2N0) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We designed this study to clarify the feasibility of performing adjuvant chemotherapy with UFT for completely resected IB non-small cell lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We randomly assigned patients suffering with completely resected IB non-small cell lung cancer to receive either UFT 3g for 2 year or they received no treatment. All patients had to be followed until death or the cut-off date (December 31 2006). RESULT: From June 2002 through December 2004, 64 patients were enrolled. Thirty five patients were assigned to receive UFT(the UFT group) and 29 patients were assigned to observation (the control group). A follow-up survey on the 3 year survival rate was successfully completed for all the patients. The median follow-up time for all the patients was 32.8 months. In the UFT group, the median time of administration was 98 weeks (range: 2~129 weeks). The rate of compliance was 88.2% at 6 months, 87.5% at 12 months, 80.6% at 18 month and 66.7% at 24 months. Seven recurrences (24.1%) occurred in the control group and six (17.1%) occurred in the UFT group (p=0.489). The three-year disease free survival rate was 71.3% for the control group and 82.0% for the UFT group (p=0.331). On the subgroup analysis, the three-year disease free survival rate for the patients with adenocacinoma was 45.0% for the control group and 75.2% for the UFT group (p=0.121). The three-year disease free survival rate for the patients with non-adenocarcinoma was 88.1% for the control group and 88.9% for the UFT group (p=0.964). CONCLUSION: Postoperative oral administration of UFT was well-tolerated. Adjuvant chemotherapy with UFT for completely resected pT2N0 adenocarcinoma of the lung could be expected to improve the disease free survival, but this failed to achieve statistical significance. A prospective randomized study for a large number of patients will be necessary.
Adenocarcinoma ; Administration, Oral* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Compliance ; Disease-Free Survival ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Imatinib and GNF-5 are breakpoint cluster region-Abelson murine leukemia tyrosine kinase inhibitors which have been approved for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and various solid tumors. However, the effect and underlying mechanisms of imatinib and GNF-5 in HCC remain poorly defined. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity and underlying mechanisms of imatinib and GNF-5 in HepG2 human hepatocarcinoma cells. Cell proliferation and anchorage-independent colony formation assays were done to evaluate the effects of imatinib and GNF-5 on the growth of HepG2 cells. The cell cycle was assessed by flow cytometry and verified by immunoblot analysis. Gene overexpression and knockdown assays were conducted to evaluate the function of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2). Imatinib and GNF-5 significantly inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells. Imatinib and GNF-5 induced G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest by downregulating Skp2 and upregulating p27 and p21. Overexpression of Skp2 reduced the effect of imatinib and GNF-5 on HepG2 cells. Knockdown of Skp2 suppressed the proliferation and induced G0/ G1 phase arrest. Furthermore, knockdown of Skp2 enhanced the effect of imatinib and GNF-5 on growth of HepG2 cells. In conclusion, imatinib and GNF-5 effectively suppress HepG2 cell growth by inhibiting Skp2 expression. Skp2 promotes the cell proliferation and reverse G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest and it represents a potential therapeutic target for HCC treatment.

Background: To investigate the efficacy and safety of moderate-intensity rosuvastatin/ezetimibe combination compared to highintensity rosuvastatin in high atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This study was a randomized, multicenter, open, parallel phase 4 study, and enrolled T2DM subjects with an estimated 10-year ASCVD risk ≥7.5%. The primary endpoint was the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) change rate after 24-week rosuvastatin 10 mg/ezetimibe 10 mg treatment was non-inferior to that of rosuvastatin 20 mg. The achievement proportion of 10-year ASCVD risk <7.5% or comprehensive lipid target (LDL-C <70 mg/dL, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/dL, and apolipoprotein B <80 mg/dL) without discontinuation, and several metabolic parameters were explored as secondary endpoints. Results: A hundred and six participants were assigned to each group. Both groups showed significant reduction in % change of LDL-C from baseline at week 24 (–63.90±6.89 vs. –55.44±6.85, combination vs. monotherapy, p=0.0378; respectively), but the combination treatment was superior to high-intensity monotherapy in LDL-C change (%) from baseline (least square [LS] mean difference, –8.47; 95% confidence interval, –16.44 to –0.49; p=0.0378). The combination treatment showed a higher proportion of achieved comprehensive lipid targets rather than monotherapy (85.36% vs. 62.22% in monotherapy, p=0.015). The ezetimibe combination significantly improved homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function even without A1c changes (LS mean difference, 17.13; p=0.0185). Conclusion In high ASCVD risk patients with T2DM, the combination of moderate-intensity rosuvastatin and ezetimibe was not only non-inferior but also superior to improving dyslipidemia with additional benefits compared to high-intensity rosuvastatin monotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The Committee of the Korean Diabetes Association on the Epidemiology of Diabetes Mellitus performed a nationwide survey about the current status of glycemic control and diabetic complications in 2006. METHODS: The current study included 5,652 diabetic patients recruited from the rosters of endocrinology clinics of 13 tertiary hospitals in Korea. Age, gender, height, weight, waist circumference and blood pressure were investigated by standard method. Fasting and postprandial 2 hour glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profiles, fasting insulin and c-peptide levels were measured. Microvascular (microalbuminuria, retinopathy and neuropathy) and macrovascular (coronary artery disease [CAD], cerebrovascular disease [CVD] and peripheral artery disease [PAD]) complications were reviewed in their medical records. RESULTS: Mean age of total subjects was 58.7 (+/- 11.6) years and duration of diabetes was 8.8 (0~50) years. Mean fasting and postprandial 2 hour glucose levels were 145.9 +/- 55.0 and 208.0 +/- 84.4 mg/dL, respectively. Their mean HbA1c was 7.9 +/- 1.9%: the percentage of patients within target goal of glycemic control (< 7% of HbA1c) was 36.7%. In this study, 30.3%, 38.3% and 44.6% of patients was found to have microalbuminuria, retinopathy and nephropathy, respectively. Prevalence of CAD, CVD and PAD was 8.7%, 6.7% and 3.0%, respectively. Diabetic complications were closely related with age, duration of diabetes and glycemic control, and this relationship was stronger in microvascular complications than macrovascular ones. CONCLUSION: Only about one third of patients with diabetes was found to reach target glycemic control in tertiary hospitals of Korea. More tight control is needed to reduce deleterious complications of diabetes in Korea.
Arteries ; Blood Pressure ; C-Peptide ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Endocrinology ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Insulin ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Peripheral Arterial Disease ; Prevalence ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Waist Circumference

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Korean type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: A total of 4,240 diabetic patients (male 2,033, female 2,207; mean age 58.7 +/- 11.3 years; DM duration 8.9 +/- 7.6 years) were selected from the data of endocrine clinics of 13 university hospitals in 2006. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the criteria of the American Heart Association/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and the criteria of waist circumference from the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 77.9% (76.7% of males, 78.9% of females). The average number of the components of metabolic syndrome was 2.4 +/- 1.1. Abdominal obesity was seen in 56.8% of the patients, hypertriglyceridemia in 42.0%, low HDL cholesterol in 65.1%, and high blood pressure in 74.9%. Abdominal obesity and high blood pressure were much more prevalent among females than males, and low HDL cholesterol was much more prevalent among males than females. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was not different according to the duration of diabetes. Metabolic syndrome was strongly related with obesity (odds ratio, 6.3) and increased age (odds ratio in the over 70 group, 3.4). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 77.9% in Korean type 2 diabetic patients. Its prevalence was greater in obese patients and in those over 40 years of age.
Cholesterol, HDL ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Heart ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Lung ; Male ; Obesity ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Prevalence ; Waist Circumference