BACKGROUND: Titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film photocatalyst generates strong oxidizing power when illuminated with Ultra Violet (UV) light with wavelengths of less than 385 nm. In this study, we evaluated the bactericidal activity of it against Escherichia coli, Aspergillus fumigatus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. METHODS: The TiO2 film were prepared from titanium isopropoxide solution and it was coated on either inner(test) or outer(control) side on Petri dish. annealing at 500 degrees C. The test and control suspension of E. coli, A. fumigatus and M. tuberculosis were grown in the chamber coated inner and outer side. respectively with UV light. For the blank, cell suspensions were grown in TiO2 coated Petri dishes without UV light. The bactericidal activities were estimated by survival ratio calculated from the number of viable cells which form the nutrient agar. RESULTS: In the test, the survival ratio for E. coli and M tuberculosis decreased to a negligible level (i.e., essentially complete sterilization) within 1hr and 2 hr, respectively. and that for 11. fumigatus decreased markedly to about 15% within 6 hr. In the control, the survival ratio for E. coli, A. fumigatus and M. tuberculosis decreased to 40% within 150 min. 6 he and 2 hr, respectively. In the blank, the survival ratio for E. coli and M tuberculosis decreased only about 67% within 150 min and 40% within 2hr. In A. fumigatus, TiO2 only caused little Sterilization within 4 hr. CONCLUSIONS: TiO2 photocatalysts under UV light clearly showed bactericidal activity against E. coli, A. fumigarus and M. tuberculosis. This feature render TiO2 photocatalysts to be applicable to eliminate microorganism from indoor air environment combined with ventilation.
Agar ; Aspergillus fumigatus* ; Aspergillus* ; Escherichia coli* ; Escherichia* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Sterilization ; Suspensions ; Titanium* ; Tuberculosis* ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Ventilation ; Viola

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis and treatment of hypertension is imperative to prevent the complications associated with this condition. The development of accurate and convenient methods of blood pressure measurement, therefore, is indispensible. At present, the JNC V has acknowledged the use of automatic sphygmomanometer that can be used without the help of someone else. We compared automatic oscillometric sphygmomanometers manufactured by Sein Electronics, korea(SE-7000 and SE-5000) with the standard Korotkoff auscultatory mercuy sphygmomanometer meter. The correlation between these two methods were calculated to determine whether these products could actually be used in clinical practice. This study was undertaken to ensure the clinical evaluation of these two products and standardization of an antomatic sphygmomanometer in korea before it is actually used. METHODS: The study included eighty-three patients, ranging in age from 14 to 81 years, who were admitted to Hanyang University Hospital in October, 1995. The blood pressure measured by the automatic oscillometric sphygmomanometer(SE-7000) in the right arm and was compared with that measured by the standard mercury sphygmomanometer(baumanometer) in the left arm. Also the blood pressure measured by the automatic oscillometric sphygmomanometer(SE-5000) at the wrist was compared by the baumanometer in the same side arm. The correlation between these methods were determined by the paired Student`s t-test and by the simple liner regression method. RESULTS: The p value of systolic blood pressure between two methods(SE-7000 and baumanometer) in the both arms was 0.896 and correlation coefficient was 0.8286. The p value of diastolic blood pressure between this two methods was 0.352 and correleation coefficient was 0.7455. The p value of systolic blood pressure between two methods(SE-5000 and baumanomter) by the arm and the wrist was 0.00018 and correlation coefficient was 0.8588, the p value of diastolic blood pressure between this two methods was 0.000048 and correlation coefficient was 0.5944. CONCLUSION: The blood pressure measured by the SE-5000 at the wrist was statistically different from that measured with the baumanometer in the arm. Further studies are necessary to use this product in clinical practice. However, the systolic and diastolic blood pressures measured with the SE-7000 in the arm were relatively similar to those measured by the baumanometer enabling this products to be effectively used in clinical practice.
Arm ; Blood Pressure ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Sphygmomanometers* ; Wrist

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) is generally considered second or third most important infection type in nosocomial infections. However, there are only a few national surveillances about surgical site infection and prophylactic antibiotics use. We performed the surveillance of surgical site infections and antibiotic use in joint replacement operation, which is difficult and costly to treat. METHODS: The surveillance study of the hip joint (HRA) and knee joint replacement surgery (KRA) was performed in four university hospitals from July 2006 to December 2006. The Clinical variables, operative risk factors for SSI, and information of prophylactic antibiotics uses were evaluated. SSI surveillance was done in 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, and 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 436 cases (HRA, 227; KRA, 209) were enrolled for SSI surveillance. The SSI rates of HRA and KRA were 1.32 (3/227), and 1.44 (3/209) per 100 operations, respectively. The most of operation site was clean wound (97.9%). Staphylococcus aureus was observed in 19.8% before operation and among S. aureus infections about 20% was methicillin-resistant strain. The 1st generation cephalosporins were most frequently used for prophyaxis occupying 65.1%. The median duration of antibiotic use was 12 days (1-79 days). Any other specific risk factors were not correlated with SSI development. CONCLUSION: The multicenter surveillance study of SSI was first performed in Korea. The SSI rate was comparable with SSI reported in other country. We need to analyze the risk factors of SSI after collecting the data through further studies.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cephalosporins ; Cross Infection ; Hip Joint ; Hospitals, University ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Korea ; Methicillin Resistance ; Risk Factors ; Sprains and Strains ; Staphylococcus aureus

PURPOSE: Endothelial dysfunction is an event in the atherosclerotic process usually considered reversible at its early stage. Early detection, therefor, may improve the prognosis in the cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the vascular function in hemodialysis (HD) patients and to explore its relation to other various parameters with a specific emphasis on systemic inflammatory reaction (SIR), nutritional status and the presence of ischemic heart disease (IHD). METHODS: Flow-mediated endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (FMD) was measured, using Doppler sonogram, in 37 stable HD patients, 11 healthy people and 24 hypertensive controls. Nitroglycerine- induced endothelium-independent vasodilatation (EIV) and peak reaction time (PT) of each FMD and EIV were also measured. RESULTS: FMD in HD patients was decreased compared to healthy group whereas it was comparable in HD patients and hypertensive control. EIV in HD patients was significantly decreased compared to healthy and hypertensive controls. PT of each FMD and EIV was significantly delayed in HD patients. Each FMD and EIV showed a negative correlation with serum hsCRP level, but no significant correlations of FMD with other parameters were noted. Both FMD and EIV were further decreased in HD patients with IHD than non-IHD group. CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed a characteristic pattern of vascular dysfunction in HD patients: the impaired endothelial and smooth muscle function with a delayed reaction time. Importantly, SIR was one of the important factors determining vascular dysfunction in HD patients. Further studies will be necessary to define the causative role of SIR on endothelial dysfunction and the effect of inflammation- modulating therapy.
C-Reactive Protein ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Nutritional Status ; Prognosis ; Reaction Time ; Renal Dialysis ; Vasodilation

No abstract available.
Erythrocytes* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pouchitis is one of the most common and debilitating complications of a restorative proctocolectomy. We aimed to analyze the features of pouchitis after restorative proctocolecomy and to determine the risk factors related to its development. METHODS: A study was undertaken in 169 patients who underwent total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis between July 1989 and December 2003. Pouchitis was defined as change of bowel habit, change in stool consistency, hematochezia or abdominal pain, febrile sensation and/or low-grade fever improved by metronidazole or ciprofloxacin without evidence of infectious disease and sphincter damage. RESULTS: Among the 169 patients, patients with ulcerative colitis were 64, familial and attenuated adenomatous polyposis 44, Crohn's disease 2, and synchronous or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer were 59 cases. Overall, pouchitis occurred in 15.9% of the patients. The incidence was 37.5% in ulcerative colitis, 1% in non-ulcerative colitis, and 50% in Crohn's disease. In ulcerative colitis group, most of the pouchitis (60.9%) occurred within 6 months after the operation and the remainder experienced the first attack within 1 year after operation. Three patients progressed to chronic pouchitis. There was no association between pouchitis rate and sex, history of smoking, steroid use, temporary ileostomy construction, involvement of appendix or proximal colon, and evidence of indeterminate colitis. Only age was significantly related to the occurrence of pouchitis. CONCLUSIONS: Pouchitis developed exclusively in ulcerative colitis than other disease groups. Pouchitis occurred most frequently within 6 months after the operation, therefore, it is important to investigate carefully during one year after the operation in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli/complications ; Adult ; Colitis, Ulcerative/complications ; Colorectal Neoplasms/complications ; Crohn Disease/complications ; English Abstract ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pouchitis/*etiology ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to evaluate the changes of immunologic parameters during hospitalization, and the relationship between IgG and other laboratory or clinical indices in patients with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN). METHODS: We reviewed the medical charts of 36 children with APSGN who showed ASO titer >250 Todd U/L and C3<70 mg/dL. We evaluated the levels of IgG and other laboratory parameters including C3 and ASO at admission and at discharge (14 cases). RESULTS: The mean age of APSGN patients was 7.5+/-2.6 year of age, and male-to-female ratio was 2.3:1. At presentation, hypertension (systolic blood pressure>125 mmHg), gross hematuria, and weight gain were observed in 27.8% (10/36), 80.1% (29/36), and 80% (24/30) of the patients, respectively. The mean IgG level was 1,432+/-322 mg/dL (1,025+/-234 mg/dL in control group, P< 0.001), and C3 and ASO levels were 26.1+/-16.1 mg/dL and 1,068+/-730 Todd U, respectively. There were no correlation between IgG level and the levels of any of the parameters analyzed (ASO, C3, BUN, creatinine and white blood cell count), and the severity of the disease assessed by the weight-change during admission. The patients aged<6 years of age (10 cases) had less degree of the weight-change, compared to those of the patients aged>8 years of age (15 cases) (-0.6% vs. -5.7%, P=0.01). The IgG and ASO levels did not change, but C3 (P=0.001) and IgM (P=0.02) levels increased during admission. CONCLUSION: Increased IgG and ASO levels in APSGN did not change, but C3 level increased during admission. IgG level was not correlated with other laboratory parameters (ASO and C3) and the severity of the disease. Younger children seem to have less severe clinical course compare to older children. With our hypothetic pathogenesis of APSGN, further studies are needed to resolve the pathogenesis of the disease including the increase of IgG.
Child ; Creatinine ; Glomerulonephritis ; Hematuria ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Leukocytes ; Weight Gain

The aims of this study were to assess the risk of tuberculosis (TB) and the status of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in Korean patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receiving tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha blockers. We reviewed medical records of 525 Korean IBD patients (365 TNF-alpha blocker naive and 160 TNF-alpha blocker exposed) between January 2001 and December 2013. The crude incidence of TB was significantly higher in IBD patients receiving TNF-alpha blockers compared to TNF-alpha-blocker-naive patients (3.1% vs. 0.3%, P=0.011). The mean incidence of TB per 1,000 patient-years was 1.84 for the overall IBD population, 4.89 for TNF-alpha blocker users, and 0.45 for TNF-alpha-blocker-naive patients. The adjusted risk ratio of TB in IBD patients receiving TNF-alpha blocker was 11.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.36-101.3). Pulmonary TB was prevalent in patients treated with TNF-alpha blockers (80.0%, 4/5). LTBI was diagnosed in 17 (10.6%) patients, and none of the 17 LTBI patients experienced reactivation of TB during treatment with TNF-alpha blockers. Treatment with TNF-alpha blockers significantly increased the risk of TB in IBD patients in Korea. De novo pulmonary TB infection was more prevalent than reactivation of LTBI, suggesting an urgent need for specific recommendations regarding TB monitoring during TNF-alpha blocker therapy.
6-Mercaptopurine/adverse effects/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Adult ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Cohort Studies ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*drug therapy ; Crohn Disease/*drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Latent Tuberculosis/chemically induced/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Male ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/isolation & purification ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/chemically induced/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*antagonists & inhibitors

The aims of this study were to assess the risk of tuberculosis (TB) and the status of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in Korean patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receiving tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha blockers. We reviewed medical records of 525 Korean IBD patients (365 TNF-alpha blocker naive and 160 TNF-alpha blocker exposed) between January 2001 and December 2013. The crude incidence of TB was significantly higher in IBD patients receiving TNF-alpha blockers compared to TNF-alpha-blocker-naive patients (3.1% vs. 0.3%, P=0.011). The mean incidence of TB per 1,000 patient-years was 1.84 for the overall IBD population, 4.89 for TNF-alpha blocker users, and 0.45 for TNF-alpha-blocker-naive patients. The adjusted risk ratio of TB in IBD patients receiving TNF-alpha blocker was 11.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.36-101.3). Pulmonary TB was prevalent in patients treated with TNF-alpha blockers (80.0%, 4/5). LTBI was diagnosed in 17 (10.6%) patients, and none of the 17 LTBI patients experienced reactivation of TB during treatment with TNF-alpha blockers. Treatment with TNF-alpha blockers significantly increased the risk of TB in IBD patients in Korea. De novo pulmonary TB infection was more prevalent than reactivation of LTBI, suggesting an urgent need for specific recommendations regarding TB monitoring during TNF-alpha blocker therapy.
6-Mercaptopurine/adverse effects/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Adult ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Cohort Studies ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*drug therapy ; Crohn Disease/*drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Latent Tuberculosis/chemically induced/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Male ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/isolation & purification ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/chemically induced/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*antagonists & inhibitors

No abstract available.
Animals ; Drug Resistance, Multiple* ; Heterografts* ; Humans* ; Mice ; Mice, Nude*