BACKGROUND: The Korean Red Cross has established three nucleic acid amplification test (NAT) centers, and the organization has begun NAT screening for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) for domestic blood donors commencing from February 2005. As a result, between February 2005 and July 2006, it was found that 80 of a total of 3,481,972 donors that were screened were positive for HIV-1 as determined by the NAT. This report will describe the characteristics of the HIV-1 positive reactive donors. METHODS: We attempted to determine the number of HIV-1 positive reactive donors for each NAT center, and attempted to characterize the donors by gender, age, RNA viral load, and the distribution of HIV-1 subtype. RESULTS: Among the 80 HIV-1 positive reactive donors determined by the NAT, 57.5% of the donors were in their twenties and all but one of the donors was male. Of all of the donors, 82.5% were repeated donors and four donors showed antibody negative window periods. The average quantity of HIV-1 RNA for 78 donors was 1.12x105 copies/mL and for the four donors that showed the antibody negative window periods was 2.68x105 copies/mL. The HIV-1 subtypes of 76 cases were all B of group M. CONCLUSION: NAT screening contributes to the safety of the domestic blood supply. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to study the characteristics of the blood that was found to show HIV positivity by the NAT.
Blood Donors ; Hepacivirus ; HIV* ; HIV-1* ; Humans* ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques* ; Red Cross ; RNA ; Tissue Donors* ; Viral Load

PURPOSE: Broselow Tape was designed to estimate endotracheal tube size on the basis of the body length of emergency pediatric patients. It was validated from the United States. We assess the accuracy of the Broselow Tape method for the prediction of endotracheal tube (ETT) size in Korean children. METHODS: We reviewed pediatric anesthetic charts at a tertiary care hospital for one year, and in addition we collected data on gender, age, height, weight and fifth fingernail width for children visiting two tertiary emergency departments over four months. The inclusion criteria were that patients were American System of Anesthesiology (ASA) grade I or II, and that they were within the measuring range of Broselow Tape. The comparison of two data pairs was by cluster analysis and included stratification based on propensity scores, adjusting, and grouping. RESULTS: Five hundred ninety-seven children and 537 pediatric anesthetic charts were included in this study. The mean ETT size as predicted by the Browslow tape method and as actually intubated were 5.12 mm and 5.11 mm (p=0.3851), respectively. The mean ETT size predicted by the 5th fingernail-width method and the age-based method were 5.48 mm (p<0.0001) and 4.95 mm (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: There was no difference between the ETT size predicted by Browslow tape method and actual tube size. We conclude that Broselow Tape can be used to predict ETT size for Korean children.
Anesthesiology ; Child* ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Intubation ; Nails ; Propensity Score ; Tertiary Healthcare ; United States

Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) patients may experience emotional withdrawal during their growth period due to their abnormal facial appearance. Distraction osteogenesis at an early age to improve their appearance can encourage these patients. Some abnormalities of the affected side can be overcome by distraction osteogenesis at an early age. However, differences in the growth rate between the affected and unaffected sides during the rest of the growth period are inevitable due to the characteristics of HFM. Therefore, re-evaluation should be performed after completion of growth in order to achieve stable occlusion through either orthognathic surgery or camouflage orthodontic treatment. An eight-year-old patient visited the clinic exhibiting features of HFM with slight mandibular involvement. He received phase I treatment with distraction osteogenesis and a functional appliance. Distraction osteogenesis was performed at the right ramus, which resulted in an open bite at the right posterior dentition. After distraction osteogenesis, a functional appliance and partial fixed appliance were used to achieve extrusion of the affected posterior dentition and settlement of the occlusion adjustment on the unaffected posterior dentition. The patient visited the clinic regularly for follow-up assessments, and at the age of 20 years, he showed facial asymmetry of the mandible, which had deviated to the right side. He received orthodontic treatment to improve the occlusion of his posterior dentition after the growth period. Without orthognathic surgery, stable occlusion and a satisfactory facial appearance were obtained through camouflage orthodontic treatment.

The prolonged neglect of the posterior teeth missing area may cause mesial drift, extrusion, unexpected movement of the adjacent teeth and alveolar bone loss with occlusion collapse. Therefore it is recommended to treat that area by the prosthesis as soon as possible after tooth missing. However, if orthodontic treatment is applied to move the remained teeth, it can create improved biomechanical dentoalveolar environment. The use of the third molars in teeth missing area provides advantages as optimizing of prosthesis size. However, crown shape, location, soundness of the third molar and possible of eruption failure should be considered. In this case report, two patients closed a second teeth missing site and reduced the size of the first and second teeth missing area for an implant by protraction of impacted third molars. This case reports the considerations for closing or reducing the posterior teeth space with protracting the third molars by comparing two patients.

The aim of this study was to examine the bioactivity and osseointegration of Ti-6Al-4V alloy implant which was modified by an anodic oxidation and a cyclic precalcification treatments. After blasting treatment using HAp (Hydroxyapatitie; HAp) powder which is resorbable blasting media (RBM) on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy implants, the anodic oxidation treatment and the cyclic precalcification treatment were conducted to form nanotube TiO2 layer and HAp precipitation respectively. The surface morphology of the surface-treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy implant was investigated after immersion in the simulated body fluid(SBF) for 3 days to investigate the bioactivity. To investigate the effect of surface treatment on bonding between the implant and bone, RBM treated implant and RBM-anodization-cyclic precalcification(RACP) treated implant were placed on the distal side of both tibia diaphysis of rats, and then the removal torque of the implant was measured after 4 weeks. On the surface of RACP treated group, bone-like apatite precipitation was observed after immersion in SBF for 3 days. The removal torque was significantly higher in the RACP treated group than in the RBM treated group. The interfacial fracture between the implant and the new bone was observed in the RBM treated group, but both the cohesive fracture at the new bone and the interfacial fractures between the implant and the new bone were observed in the RACP treated group.
Alloys ; Animals ; Diaphyses ; Immersion ; Nanotubes ; Osseointegration ; Rats ; Tibia ; Torque

PURPOSE: To determine the utility of HRCT in the diagnosis of chronic airflow obstruction and to correlate the morphologic abnormalities revealed by this modality with functional impairment in patients with chronic air-flow obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS:This study involved 80 patients with chronic airflow obstruction who underwent HRCT and a pulmonary function test. Final clinical diagnosis in these patients was determined by a chest physician on the basis of clinical features, bronchoscopy, pulmonary function test, and HRCT. In order to diagnose and determine the extent of areas of decreased attenuation revealed by HRCT (the CT score), the find-ings of HRCT were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists, who reached a consensus. Clinical and HRCT diagnoses were then compared, and the rate of agreement between them was calculated. The relation-ship between the extent of areas of decreased attenuation revealed by HRCT and by FEV1/FVC was evaluated using Correl 's account and Student 's unpaired t-test. RESULTS: The agreement rate between clinical and HRCT diagnoses was 77.5% (62/80). The rates for bronchiec-tasis (88.9%, 24/27), emphysema (93.9%, 31/33), and bronchiolitis obliterans (100%, 6/6) were considerably higher than those for chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma. The correlation rate between CT score and FEV1/FVC was significant in bronchiectasis (p<0.05; r: -0.76) and bronchiolitis obliterans (p<0.01; r:-0.66), but not in cases involving emphysema, bronchial asthma, or chronic bronchitis (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: HRCT is valuable in the diagnosis and prediction of physiologic impairment in patients with bronchiectasis and bronchiolitis obliterans, but has limited value in those with emphysema, chronic bronchitis or asthma.
Asthma ; Bronchiectasis ; Bronchiolitis Obliterans ; Bronchitis, Chronic ; Bronchoscopy ; Consensus ; Diagnosis* ; Emphysema ; Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Pulmonary Emphysema ; Respiratory Function Tests* ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are well known risk factors of intestinal cancer in relation to the extent and duration of disease. Rarely, small bowel cancer can develop after a longstanding inflammation of Crohn's disease with a relatively higher incidence than the general population. Signet ring cell carcinoma is a rare condition among intestinal cancers, and the diagnosis or detection is more difficult if the cancer originates from the small bowel. We report a case of a 30-year old female in whom signet ring cell carcinoma of ileum was diagnosed after a 15-year history of Crohn's disease.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Colonoscopy ; Crohn Disease/*complications/diagnosis/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Ileal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between depression and resilience in adolescents with congenital heart disease(CHD) and to identify the variables associated with depression. METHODS: The Resilience Scale(cronbach's alpha=0.92), Children's Depression Inventory(cronbach's alpha= 0.72) and Maternal Behavior Research Instrument(cronbach's alpha=0.88) were applied and analyzed to assess depression and resilience among 231 adolescents after surgery for CHD from three major cardiac centers in Korea. This group consist of 114 males and 117 females. The mean age was 15.8 years(range:13-18 years). The clinical severity of illness was rated by CHD functional index and NYHA functional class. RESULTS: The mean score for depression and resilience was 16.74(range: 0-49) and 115.84(range: 70-132) respectively. Depression was significantly related to age(r=0.25, P<0.001) and NYHA functional class(r=0.35, P<0.001), as well as being negatively correlated with oxygen saturation(r=-0.39, P< 0.001), academic achievement(r=-0.41, P<0.001), parental attitude(r=-0.49, P<0.001) and resilience (r= -0.59, P<0.001). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that parental attitude(beta=-0.48, P<0.01) and resilience(beta=-0.62, P<0.01) were related to depression. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that adolescents with CHD had a higher resilience and were less depressed with an affectionate parent. With respect to medical and nursing intervention programs, it is essential to identify strengths of adolescents with CHD in order to increase their resilience. Additionally, it is also important that parenting and counseling programs be implemented for the parents of adolescents with CHD.
Adolescent* ; Counseling ; Depression* ; Female ; Heart ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Maternal Behavior ; Nursing ; Oxygen ; Parenting ; Parents

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is an environmental factor that causes skin aging, and is also a major factor leading to cumulative alterations of skin structure, function and appearance. To investigate the effects of Selenium (Sel) on UV-induced skin aging, hairless mice were treated for 4 weeks with UV irradiation and topical application of Sel. Then, the effects of Sel were measured in the skin of these mice via histological analysis and Western blotting. According to the results of wrinkle formation analysis, the topical application of Sel induced a reduction in wrinkling formation in the damaged skin of the UV-irradiated mice. Additionally, our histological analysis demonstrated that the skin thickness in the Sel-treated group was less than in the UV-irradiated group. Furthermore, in an effort to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of Sel, the expression levels of matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) and MAPK protein were assessed in both groups. The application of Sel induced a reduction in MMP-1 expression levels to the levels observed in the non-irradiated group. However, the expression level of MMP-9 was increased slightly in the Sel application group as compared with the vehicle application group. Additionally, the levels of ERK phosphorylation were increased by the application of Sel, but the levels of JNK and p38 were not altered by Sel treatment. These results suggest the possibility that Sel should be considered as a skin aging-protective and therapeutic drug candidate, which functions via the regulation of MMP expression levels.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Mice ; Mice, Hairless ; Phosphorylation ; Selenium ; Skin ; Skin Aging

BACKGROUND: Depression is known to be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Conversely, diabetes is also a risk factor for depression, and patients with diabetes have nearly twice the risk of comorbid depression as the general population. Depression in patients with diabetes may cause poor clinical outcomes through lower adherence to self-care activities such as exercise, diet control, and glucose monitoring. Furthermore, diabetic patients with depression are more likely to suffer from microvascular or macrovascular complications. We explored the prevalence of major depressive disorder in Korean diabetic patients and its impact on self-care activities and glucose control. METHODS: We surveyed depressive symptoms and self-care activities in 191 type 2 diabetic patients from the outpatient clinic of the St. Mary's hospital. Two questionnaires were used for assessment, the Harvard Department of Psychiatry/National Depression Screening Day Scale (HANDS) and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA). RESULTS: Of the 191 respondents who completed questionnaires, 39 (20.4%) patients were categorized as having major depressive disorder. Among the depressed patients, only six (15.3%) had been previously evaluated and managed for their psychiatric problems. The incidence of depression was significantly higher in female diabetic patients compared to patients without depression (74.4% vs. 45.4%, P<0.001). Patients with depression showed significantly poorer diet control (18.5 vs. 15.9, P = 0.046) and less glucose monitoring (4.1 vs. 2.7, P = 0.047). However, there were no differences in exercise, foot care, or smoking status between the two groups. Additionally, metabolic parameters such as HbA1C and lipid profile were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Many diabetic patients are suffering from depression and exhibit poorer self-care activities than patients without depression. Identifying and managing depressed diabetic patients may help improve their self-care activities.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Diet ; Female ; Foot ; Glucose ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mass Screening ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Self Care ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stress, Psychological