Recent development in thepolymerase chain reaction (PCR) has brought an extraordinary opportunity for the rapid detection of M. tuberculosis in clinical specimens for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Pneumoconiosis is a sort of pulmonary fibrosis consequent to inhalation of the respirable dust. The association between pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumoconiosis is well recognized. There is a 10-fold increase in the tuberculosis risk among the workers who have pneumoconiosis demonstrated by chest roentgenogram. The physicians managing the patients with pneumoconiosis have to maintain a high index of suspicion for the development of mycobacterial infection, since the diagnosis of tuberculosis is often difficult. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a very slow growing organism and acid-fast bacillus (AFB) staining frequently shows false negative results, and therefore PCR would be a very rapid, easy and sensitive diagnostic method for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pneumoconiotic patients. To compare the PCR method with the conventional methods in diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum, we used the sputa of 115 pneumoconiosis patients in Munkyeong Cheil Hospital. Of 32 pulmonary tuberculosis in the pneumoconiosis patients, 29 were PCR positive and were higher than 28, 20 positive by culture and AFB stain. Overall sensitivity, specificity, and which were 90.6, 91.5 % respectively for the PCR assay, 87.5, 100 % for the culture method ; 62.5, 98.7 % for the AFB stain. The PCR assay is a rapid, efficient, sensitive method which can detect M. tuberculosis directly in pneumoconiosis patients, and further study should be followed for the development of the easier method.
Bacillus ; Diagnosis* ; Dust ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Pneumoconiosis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the status of infection control during influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted in November 2009 at the 100 hospitals designated by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) as influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009-treatment institutions. RESULTS: In 32.3% of the hospitals, the ventilation system of the influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 isolation ward was separated from the hospital's ventilation system. With regard to wearing personal protective equipment while caring for patients with H1N1 infection, during usual patient contact, masks were always worn by all medical staff at all the hospitals; however, medical staff at 38.7% and 51.6% of the hospitals did not wear gloves and gowns, respectively. During aerosol-generating procedures, some medical staff wore surgical masks, whereas medical staff at 10% and 23.3% of the hospitals did not wear gowns and protective goggles, respectively. In all, 64.5% of the hospitals responded that the contents of the guidelines established by the KCDC were insufficient for reference purposes in actual practice. CONCLUSION: Some of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009-treatment institutions are believed to be inadequate in facilities, infection control during patient treatment, and administrative measures among their efforts to prevent transmission in hospital. In preparation against the outbreak of similar diseases in the future, the government needs to establish guidelines highly applicable by medical staff, to secure exclusive spaces and personnel for treating infectious disease patients, and to develop personal protective gear support and management systems.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Communicable Diseases ; Delivery of Health Care ; Eye Protective Devices ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Influenza, Human ; Korea ; Masks ; Medical Staff ; Pandemics ; Ventilation ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Oral allergy syndrome(OAS) is composed of it,ching sense and edema in oral cavity, lips, throat, pharynx, and larynx following eating some fresh fruits or vegetables. It has been known that most of patients with OAS are allergic to pollens. Common epitopes were found among pollens, fruits and vegetables. Although OAS is a common farm of food allergy in adults, this is the first epidemiologic study of OAS in Korea. MATERIAL AND METHOD: One hundred and fifty one patients who showed positive skin reaction to pollens were telephone-interviewed. Investigation of the prevalence and clinical manifestations of OAS was possible in 81 patients. RESULT: The prevalence of OAS among these patients was 34.6% (28/81). OAS was found in 24(48%) out of 50 patients sensitized to tree pollens, whereas 4(13%) of 31 grass or weed pollen-sensitized paients had OAS. Most common causative food was apple and all of 17 apple- OAS patients were sensitized to tree pollens. Peach was the second common food and 14 of 15 peach-OAS patients were sensitized to tree pollens. Besides oral symptoms, rhinitis, asthma, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or generalized urticaria were accompanied in half of the OAS patients (14/28). Some patients showed OAS to some unique Korean foods such as dropwort, taro and Aster. CONCLUSION: OAS was very common in pollen-sensitized patients. Larger epidemiologic studies are needed to find unique Korean foods and their antigensm causing OAS.
Adult ; Asthma ; Colocasia ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Edema ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epitopes ; Filipendula ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Fruit ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Korea ; Larynx ; Lip ; Mouth ; Nausea ; Pharynx ; Poaceae ; Pollen* ; Prevalence ; Prunus persica ; Rhinitis ; Skin ; Urticaria ; Vegetables ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Arthrography* ; Wrist*

PURPOSE: The pharmacologic effect of atropine on HPS can be considered to control pyloric muscle spasm. Therefore, we studied the effects of intravenous atropine sulfate on the clinical course of HPS, and periodically observed the ultrasonographic appearance of the pyloric muscles after atropine treatment. METHODS:From April 1998 to May 1999, 14 infants who were diagnosed with HPS were treated with intravenous atropine sulfate. Intravenous atropine sulfate was administered at an initial dose of 0.04mg/kg/day, which was divided into 8 equal doses. The daily dose was increased by 0.01 mg/kg/day until vomiting was controlled for an entire day while infants received unrestricted oral feeding. Ultrasonographic examinations were performed during hospitalization and repeated at least every 2 months until normalization of pyloric muscles was confirmed. RESULTS: Intravenous atropine was effective in 12 of 14 infants with HPS and the conditions of 9 of them improved. Two infants who were not free from vomiting despite a week of intravenous atropine sulfate treatment underwent pyloromyotomy. A series of ultrasonographic examinations were done after vomiting had improved with intravenous atropine sulfate. The ultrasonographic findings showed good passage of gastric contents through pyloric canals despite thickening of the pyloric muscles. CONCLUSION: Intravenous administration of atropine sulfate is an effective therapy for HPS and can be an alternative to pyloromyotomy. (J Korean Pediatr Soc 2000;43:763-768)
Administration, Intravenous ; Atropine* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infant ; Muscles ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic* ; Spasm ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Amputation* ; Replantation*

Our purpose is to describe a successful twin pregnancy and delivery after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) followed by calcium ionophore with spermatozoa from a globozoospermic man. On the second attempt of ICSI, all of eight metaphase II oocytes were fertilized with treatment with calcium ionophore. Day 3 transfer of six normally developing embryos resulted in an ongoing twin pregnancy, and two preterm healthy babies were born in the 33th week of gestation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of pregnancy and delivery after ICSI followed by calcium ionophore with spermatozoa from a globozoospermic man in Korea.
Calcium* ; Embryonic Structures ; Humans ; Metaphase ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Twin* ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic* ; Spermatozoa*

The study evaluated the effectiveness of intervention for male adolescent smokers by making an assessment in terms of changes in food habits, nutrition knowledge, plasma catalase, superoxide dismutase(SOD), glutathione peroxidase peroxidase(GSH-px) activities and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance(TBARS) after Vit C supplementation and nutrition education. The subjects, male adolescent smokers, were assigned into four groups : Control group(19 students), education(Educ.) group(19 students), Vit C supplementation (suppl) group(19 students), and Educ. + Vit C suppl. group(19 students). The Educ. group and Educ. + Vit C suppl. group received nutrition education once a week for 2 weeks. The Vit C suppl. group Educ. + Vit C suppl. group received 500 mg ascorbic acid for 35 days. All data were collected before intervention and after intervention. Nutrition knowledge of those who received education increased, and the frequency of fruit and yellow-green vegetable consumption also increased. Plasma antioxidant enzyme activities were not different except for the SOD activity in the Educ. + Vit C suppl. group, which was significantly increased. The plasma ceruloplasmin level of groups that received Vit C supplementation was reduced more than any other groups, and the specific ceruloplasmin ferroxidase activity of groups that received Vit C supplementation was elevated more than other groups. These intervention programs had an impact on food habits, nutrition knowledge, plasma antioxidant enzyme activities, and plasma TBARS in male adolescent smokers. Various nutrition education programs must be implemented for adolescent smokers, and further studied are needed regarding sorts and amount of antioxidant nutrients and supplementation duration.
Adolescent* ; Ascorbic Acid ; Catalase ; Ceruloplasmin ; Education* ; Food Habits* ; Fruit ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Humans ; Male* ; Plasma ; Superoxides ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances ; Vegetables

Double elevator palsy (DEP) is an unusual anomaly of ocular motility in which both elevator muscles of the same eye are weak with a resultant inability or reduced ability to elevate the eye and hypotropia. This anomaly is occured congenitally, but occasionally occured as an acquired form. Congenital DEP, which is main cause of the monocular elevation paralysis, is characterized by the progressive deterioration and the absence of diplopia. The etiology is obscure, but is thought to be supranuclear lesion. We observed DEP of the same side of eyes in two patients who were brothers. The limitation of elevation and hypotropia were improved after Knapp's transposition procedure or Jensen's procedure.
Diplopia ; Elevators and Escalators* ; Humans ; Muscles ; Paralysis* ; Siblings*