BACKGROUND: In vitro epidermal keratinocytes(EKs) culture systems are widely used in studying skin biology and differentiation. Recently a monolayer culture method of nail matrix cells(NMCs) has been developed. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to establish a method of culture of NMCs and compared its characteristics with those of EKs. METHODS: Human NMCs were isolated and cultured in a defined medium. Phase contrast microscopic examination, growth rate and ketatin expression were evaluated. RESULTS: In in vitro monolayer culture, NMCs had a similar growth pattern and morphological features as EKs. The synthesis of hard keratins was detected. CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that the NMCs culture model may be useful for the study of nail properties and the effects of drugs.
Biology ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Methods ; Skin

The purpose of this paper was to report clinical results and complications of high tibial osteotomy with fibular shaft osteotomy for medial unicompartmental osteoarthritis with varus deformity of the knee. Especially, the complications related to fibular shaft osteotomy were surveyed and analysed. Among one hundred and thirty-one cases which underwent high tibial osteotomy from Nov 1993 to May 1999, twenty-five cases underwent it combined with fibular shaft osteotomy and followed up at least more than 2 years. Average follow-up period were 47 months. Hospital for special surgery(HSS) knee score and femorotibial angle from weight bearing anteroposterior roentgenography of the knee were evaluated and measured. HSS knee score was improved from average 69 points preoperatively to 93 points in average at the final follow-up. Femorotibial angle was varus 2.9 degrees in average preoperatively and improved to valgus 8.1 degrees in average postoperatively and valgus 6.6 degrees at the final follow-up. Complications were tender- ness near to fibular shaft osteotomy in 9 cases, superficial peroneal nerve injury in 8 cases, non-union of fibu- lar osteotomy in 7 cases, non-union or delayed union of tibia osteotomy in 3 cases. High tibial osteotomy with fibular shaft osteotomy was a effective procedure in improving clinical results of osteoarthritis of the knee. However care must be taken to avoid complications rel#ated to fibular osteotomy
Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Knee ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy* ; Peroneal Nerve ; Radiography ; Tibia ; Weight-Bearing

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pregnancy outcome, designate the predicting factor of neonatal thrombocytopenia, and reevaluate the treatment scheme of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in pregnancy. METHODS: Medical records of 83 patients(98 deliveries) who were diagnosed as having ITP and delivered at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei University College of Medicine from January 1990 to May 1999 were reviewed. For statistical analysis Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used. RESULTS: Among various maternal characteristics, inability to raise platelet counts more than 100,000/mm3 by any means of treatment, categorized as ""poor response to treatment"", could be designated as the predicting factor of neonatal thrombocytopenia (p<0.05). Pregnant women treated with prednisolone had significantly greater chance of having preterm delivery (p<0.001). The occurrence of postpartum anemia requiring transfusion was higher in the group undertaking cesarean section (p<0.05). Although a control group was missing, the pregnancy outcome was poor in the category of pregnancy induced hypertension(PIH) and preterm labor being 17.3% and 33.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The ITP patient should be carefully monitored during the antenatal care visits because of the increased incidence in adverse pregnancy outcome such as PIH and preterm labor. Neonatal thrombocytopenia could be predicted in the presence of inability to raise platelet counts to more than 100,000/mm3 by any means of treatment. Cesarean section should not be performed routinely under the indication of ITP due to the accompanynig morbidity and low incidence of bleeding sequalae in the neonate. The accompanying complications of prednisolone treatment raises questions and warnings about its usage, therefore a prospective study is warranted to evaluate the effect and complications of prednisolone treatment.
Anemia ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Gynecology ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Medical Records ; Mortuary Practice ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Obstetrics ; Platelet Count ; Postpartum Period ; Prednisolone ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic ; Thrombocytopenia* ; Thrombocytopenia, Neonatal Alloimmune

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors associated with skipping breakfast of Korean children by analyzing the 24-hour recall intake data from the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey. The sample of this study consisted of 1,600 children aged 7 to 18 years. About 17% of the children skipped breakfast, consuming no food or beverage at all. About 30% of children reporting breakfast skipping in a self-administered survey were shown to have eaten some foods as a result of analysis of the 24-hour recall data. Students having eaten breakfast consumed 21% of Estimated Energy Requirement at breakfast. The multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that age was associated with skipping breakfast both in elementary and middle/high school students; older students were more likely to skip breakfast. Elementary school students from low-income families were more likely to skip breakfast than those from upper-high income families. Intervention programs are needed to prevent children from skipping breakfast by targeting older students. For elementary school students, such programs should be first developed for those from lowincome families.
Aged ; Beverages ; Breakfast ; Child ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys

The aims of this study were to assess the quality of breakfast intake and to examine the relation of breakfast intake to the quality of daily diet in Korean school-aged children. The one day 24-hour recall data from the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey were analyzed. The sample of this study consisted of 1,600 children aged 7 to 18 years attending elementary, middle, or high schools. By calorie level of breakfast intake, the children were grouped into Breakfast Skippers (0 kcal; n = 268, 17%), Low Calorie Breakfast Eaters (0 kcal < and < 10% of Estimated Energy Requirement (EER); n = 190, 12%), Moderate Calorie Breakfast Eaters (10% < or = and < 25% of EER; n = 861, 54%), or Sufficient Calorie Breakfast Eaters (> or = 25% of EER; n = 281, 17%). General characteristics including weight status and nutritional quality of breakfast and daily diet were compared among the four groups. The average daily calorie intake of Breakfast Skippers, Low, Moderate, and Sufficient Breakfast Eaters were 1,771 kcal, 1,719 kcal, 1,902 kcal, and 2,349 kcal, respectively; they were 86.3%, 85.9%, 98.0%, and 124.9% of EER, respectively. The percentages of students consuming daily diet with protein, vitamin A, B1, B2, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, or iron less than Estimated Average Requirement decreased in the breakfast groups with the higher calorie level of breakfast intake. The Dietary Variety Score of daily diet significantly increased by increasing the calorie level of breakfast intake. The results indicated the quality of daily diet was positively related to the level of calorie intake from breakfast.
Aged ; Ascorbic Acid ; Breakfast ; Calcium ; Child ; Diet ; Humans ; Iron ; Niacin ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutritive Value ; Phosphorus ; Vitamin A

PURPOSE: To assess macular function before and after vitrectomy and membrane removal in epiretinal membranes by means of multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG). METHODS: The mfERGs (RETIscan(R), Roland, Germany) of 28 consecutive patients (28 eyes) with idiopathic epiretinal membranes were recorded before epiretinal membrane surgery and 3 to 6 months after surgery. The average retinal response density and implicit time of each local response were estimated as anatomic macular areas corresponding roughly to 5 rings. Preoperative and postoperative responses of mfERG were compared. The correlation of the change of retinal response density and postoperative macular configuration on optical coherent tomography (OCT) was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The postoperative value of P1 amplitude and implicit time were not statistically correlated with the preoperative value (p>0.05). There were no significant correlations between the changes of rings 1 and 2 with regard to the retinal response density of the mfERGs and visual acuity. There was no significant correlation between the change of retinal response density and postoperative macular configuration according to OCT. CONCLUSIONS: The use of mfERGs does not seem useful for predicting clinical prognosis after epiretinal membrane surgery. Further studies of influence of internal limiting membrane removal on mfERG response should be conducted.
Epiretinal Membrane ; Humans ; Membranes ; Prognosis ; Retinaldehyde ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

OBJECTIVES: The present study systematically reviewed previous studies published in Korea regarding obesity status of children and adolescents in order to provide valid directions for future research and to help establish evidence-based prevention strategies. METHODS: The articles were selected by searching the primary keyword ‘obesity’ and the secondary keywords ‘children’, ‘young children’, ‘adolescents’ or ‘kids’ on the KISS (Korean Studies Information Service System). Out of 503 articles excluding the overlap, 308 articles were selected with inclusion and exclusion criteria. Secular trends of obesity research, distribution of subjects, potential risk factors for obesity, and intervention method for obesity management were documented. The associations between obesity and dietary factors were summarized. RESULTS: The overall number of research studies has increased since 2000 but obesity management studies have decreased in recent years. Most of the studies used a cross-sectional design. Research on preschool children were extremely limited. Intervention studies targeting males were prevalent. The most significant variables relevant to dietary habits were speed of eating, regular breakfast and snacking. The most significant food and nutrient intake factors were thiamin and iron. Intakes of cereals and animal foods were significantly higher in obese children than the counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: The present review of locally published articles on the obesity status in children and adolescents suggested the need for well-designed further studies focused on risk factors of obesity and on a range of intervention methods conducive to the development of obesity prevention and management programs.
Adolescent* ; Animals ; Breakfast ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Eating ; Edible Grain ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Information Services ; Iron ; Korea* ; Male ; Methods ; Obesity ; Pediatric Obesity* ; Risk Factors* ; Snacks

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of foodservice management in organizations delivering meal boxes for low-income children during summer vacation. A survey was conducted with persons in charge of meal box production and service of these organizations via mail. Out of 114 questionnaires distributed nationwide, 100 were analyzed (87.8% analysis rate). Over half (53%) of the organizations delivered meal boxes consisting of rice and side dishes while the rest delivered side dishes only. About 81% of the organizations received KRW 3,000 per meal from their local governments and the rest received KRW 3,500. Only 28% of organizations had employed a dietitian. Over one-third (38%) of the respondents were unaware of the official nutritional standard of the foodservice program for low-income children during vacation. Most of the organizations (94%) had menu planned in advance. The average percentage of food cost was 84.1%. Over 40% of the organizations did not keep food samples for sanitation test (43%) and did not take any measures for keeping food temperature during delivery (45%). The organizations delivering rice and side dishes were more likely to be located in cities rather than rural areas and received higher reimbursement rate. The organizations receiving reimbursement of KRW 3,500 or hiring a dietitian were more likely to use standardized recipes, keep food samples for sanitation test, or take measures for keeping food temperature during delivery compared to the counterparts. Respondents reported that increasing reimbursement rate was the most necessary for improving the quality of meal box. This study results showed that the meal box delivery service for low-income children was not properly managed during the vacation, with regards to menu planning and food production. It is recommended that reimbursement rate for meal boxes should be adjusted depending on meal box types and local conditions.
Child ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Fees and Charges ; Humans ; Meals ; Menu Planning ; Postal Service ; Sanitation

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an immune-mediated disease which is a leading cause of acquired cardiovascular disease in developed country. Recently, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) blocker, infliximab has been considered a promising option for patients with refractory KD. Although chronic use of a TNF-alpha blocker could increase risk of opportunistic infections, a few studies have documented that use of infliximab was safe without serious adverse effects in patients with KD. We observed serious bacterial infection after infliximab treatment in an infant with refractory KD. Our patient was a 5-month-old male infant diagnosed with KD who did not respond to repeated doses of intravenous immunoglobulin. We effectively treated him with a single infusion of infliximab (5 mg/kg), but gram-negative (Acinetobacter lwoffii) septicemia developed after infliximab infusion. Therefore, we report a case of serious septicemia after treatment with infliximab, and suggest considering the risk of severe infection when deciding whether to prescribe infliximab to an infant with refractory KD.
Bacterial Infections ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Developed Countries ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Infant* ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Opportunistic Infections ; Sepsis* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Infliximab

No abstract available.
Acanthoma*