BACKGROUND: To access the accuracy and clinical usefulness of microplate identification (ID) system for the identification of Enterobacteriaceae, we compared microplate ID system with API 20E(bioMerieux, Etoile, France). METHODS: Ninety-two cultures of Enterobacteriaceae and one isolate of Aeromonas species were simultaneously identified by microplate ID system and the API 20E. Twenty biochemical tests used in microplate ID system were lactose, sucrose, and H2S in Kligler's iron agar media; indole, sucrose, raffinose, arabinose, trehalose, adonitol, dulcitol, sorbitol, cellibiose, methy-red, phenylalanine deaminase, ornithine decarboxylase, lysine decarboxylase, arginine dihydrolase, urease, and citrate in microplate; and oxidase test. The identification was obtained by considering percent likelihood(% ID), modal frequency and ID score method. RESULTS: Among the 92 cultures of Enterobacteriaceae and one isolate of Aeromonas species, agreement rate of identification according to the % ID between microplate ID system and API 20E were 90.3% to the species level and 97.8% to the genus level. CONCLUSIONS: For the identification of clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates, the microplate ID system compares favorably with API 20E in identification accuracy and have the advantage of costsaving and easy to use.
Aeromonas ; Agar ; Arabinose ; Arginine ; Citric Acid ; Enterobacteriaceae* ; Galactitol ; Iron ; Lactose ; Lysine ; Ornithine Decarboxylase ; Oxidoreductases ; Phenylalanine ; Raffinose ; Ribitol ; Sorbitol ; Sucrose ; Trehalose ; Urease

Necrolytic migratory erythema is a rare, distinctive, necrotizing cutaneous eruption usually associated with glucagonoma, an alpha-cell tumor of the pancreas. Other clinical features include ane- mia, diabetes mellitus and weight loss. However, it also occurrs without the pancreatic glucagonoma. So this rare condition is called pseudoglucagonoma syndrome, and has been described in association with chronic hepatic diseases, malabsorption with villous atrophy, chronic pancreatitis, celiac sprue, hypoproteinemia and odontogenic infection. We report a case of pseudoglucagonoma syndrome induced by malnutrition without glucagonoma. A 28-year-old Korean female was referred to our department complaining of multiple erythematous, desquamative, crusted and erosive patches on the extremities, and diffuse scalp alopecia for 5 years. She also had perianal erosion, angular cheilitis without glossitis, amenorrhea, axillary and pubic hair loss, and weight loss. Six years previously she had had Whipples operation for a pancreatic solid and papillary neoplasm. The laboratory data showed hypoalbuminemia, essential fatty acid deficiency, diabetes mellitus and slightly high levels of zinc and glucagon. A skin biopsy showed irregular acanthosis, epidermal edema and pallor, dyskeratosis, areas of superficial epidermal necrosis and vascular dilatation of the papillary dermis. The patient improved dramatically after intravenous hyperalimentation and oral intake of mediurn chain triglyceride. For 2.5 years she has taken medium-chain triglycerides without any other treatment, and no side effects on recurrence has been observed.
Adult ; Alopecia ; Amenorrhea ; Atrophy ; Biopsy ; Celiac Disease ; Cheilitis ; Dermis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dilatation ; Edema ; Extremities ; Female ; Glossitis ; Glucagon ; Glucagonoma ; Hair ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Hypoproteinemia ; Malnutrition ; Necrolytic Migratory Erythema* ; Necrosis ; Pallor ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total ; Recurrence ; Scalp ; Skin ; Triglycerides* ; Weight Loss ; Zinc

It has been generally assum d that eccrine poroma arises from acrosyringium, the epidermal sweat duct unit. Eccrine poroma mainly involves the non hairy surfaces of the skin, but it has also been found on hair-bearing areas. One of the characteristics of this structure is absence of melanocytes and melanin granules arnong its cells. However a complete absence of melanocytes and melanin granules in eccrine poroma is not invariable and a few reports of such an occurrence have been presented. The authors report herein a case of unusual and rare eccrine poroma. The eccrine poroma had melanin pigment and melanocytes, was pedunculated and occurred on the parietal scalp which was the unusual site of involvement. The eccrine poroma was also combined with a pedunculated congenital melanocytic nevus on the supraauricular scalp.
Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Nevus, Pigmented* ; Poroma* ; Rabeprazole ; Scalp* ; Skin ; Sweat

No abstract available.
Humans

BACKGROUND: Ketamine use in emergency room has been increased. It has rapid onset of action and appropriate duration of action. It does not need endotracheal intubation and produces potent analgesia, sedation, and amnesia. The object of this study is to determine the safety and the degree of physician's satisfaction in relation to ketamine use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective study using protocol. Pediatric trauma patients who need sedation were given IM ketamine(4mg/kg) and atropine(0.01mg/kg) in a same syringe. Monitoring of patients was done by EM residents and complications of ketamine use were recorded. Physician's satisfaction was also recorded after the procedure. RESULTS: Intramuscular ketamine was administered 54 times, mainly for laceration repair. Physicians completed protocol for 51 of treated children. The median time for onset of sedation was 6.5+/-2.4 min, and duration of action was 32.4+/-10.8 min. Hypersalivation occurred in 9.8%(n=5); random movement 3.9%(n=2), emesis during procedure(n=1), emesis at home(n=1), and transient oxygen desaturation(n=1). All were quickly identified and treated without specific airway management and sequelae. Of 84% of physicians was satisfied with ketamine use for pediatric sedation. CONCLUSION: Intramuscular ketamine can be administered safely and satisfactorily in emergency room to facilitate pediatric procedures in conjunction with a defined protocol and appropriate monitoring.
Airway Management ; Amnesia ; Analgesia ; Child ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Ketamine* ; Lacerations ; Oxygen ; Prospective Studies ; Sialorrhea ; Syringes ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: To compare the pullout strength and insertion torque of proximally tapered screw (PT) with fully tapered screw (FT) and to investigate the correlation between the pullout strength and bone mineral density, morphology of pedicle, and insertion torque of the screw in osteoporotic lumbar spine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen osteoporotic lumbar vertebrae from four white human cadavers were used. Bone mineral density, pullout strength and insertion torque were measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, MTS and torque screw driver individually. RESULTS: The FT screw provided greater pullout force and insertion torque than the PT screw in 12 of 15 vertebrae tested (p<0.01). Pullout strength was correlated with insertion torque in PT (r=0.666, P=0.0006) and FT (r=0.464, P=0.19) screws. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study indicate that the FT screws provide higher pullout strength and insertion torque than PT screws in osteoporotic lumbar spine and suggest that the development of tapered minor diameter may lead to an improved pedicle screw with high pullout strength and insertion torque. Nevertheless, further study is needed to investigate the effect of tapering the minor diameter on the mechanical bending strength of the screw.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Bone Density ; Cadaver ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Spine* ; Torque

PURPOSE: We investigated the difference in injury of the corticospinal tract (CST) and the spinothalamic tract (STT) in patients with putaminal hemorrhage, using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). METHODS: Thirty one consecutive patients with PH and 34 control subjects were recruited for this study. DTT scanning was performed at early stage of PH (7-63 days), and the CST and STT were reconstructed using the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain (FMRIB) Software Library program. Injury of the CST and STT was defined in terms of the configuration or abnormal DTT parameters was more than 2 standard deviations lower than that of normal control subjects. RESULTS: Among 31 patients, all 31 patients (100%) had injury of the CTS, whereas 25 patients (80.6%) had injury of the STT: the incidence of CST injury was significantly higher than that of STT (p<0.05). In detail, 20 (64.5%) of 31 patients showed a discontinuation of the CST in the affected hemisphere; in contrast, 14 patients (45.2%) of 31 patients showed a discontinuation of the STT in the affected hemisphere. Regarding the FA value, 6 (19.4%) of 31 patients and 2 (6.4%) of 31 patients were found to have injury in the CST and STT, respectively. In terms of the fiber number, the same injury incidence was observed in 11 patients (35.5%) in both the CST and STT. CONCLUSION The greater vulnerability of the CST appears to be ascribed to the anatomical characteristics; the CST is located anteriorly to the center of the putamen compared with the STT.

We report on a patient who showed visual recovery following bilateral occipital lobe infarct, as evaluated by follow up functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). A 56-year-old female patient exhibited severe visual impairment since onset of the cerebral infarct in the bilateral occipital lobes. The patient complained that she could not see anything, although the central part of the visual field remained dimly at 1 week after onset. However, her visual function has shown improvement with time. As a result, at 5 weeks after onset, she notified that her visual field and visual acuity had improved. fMRI and DTT were acquired at 1 week and 4 weeks after onset, using a 1.5-T Philips Gyroscan Intera. The fiber number of left optic radiation (OR) increased from 257 (1-week) to 353 (4-week), although the fiber numbers for right OR were similar. No activation in the occipital lobe was observed on 1-week fMRI. By contrast, activation of the visual cortex, including the bilateral primary visual cortex, was observed on 4-week fMRI. We demonstrated visual recovery in this patient in terms of the changes observed on DTT and fMRI. It appears that the recovery of the left OR was attributed more to resolution of local factors, such as peri-infarct edema, than brain plasticity.
Brain ; Brain Infarction ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Diffusion* ; Edema ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Middle Aged ; Occipital Lobe* ; Plastics ; Vision Disorders ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Cortex ; Visual Fields ; Visual Pathways

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows to isolate the corticospinal tract (CST) area from adjacent structures. Using DTI, we investigated the characteristics of the CST areas according to the pontine level in the normal human brain. We recruited 33 healthy subjects and DTIs were acquired using a sensitivity-encoding head coil on a 1.5-T Philips Gyroscan Intera. We measured the size and fractional anisotropy (FA) value of the CST area at the upper, middle, and lower pons. The size of the CST area in the lower pons was smaller than those of the mid-pons and upper pons, and the size of the CST area in the mid-pons was smallerthan that of the upper pons (p<0.05). FA values of the lower pons were larger than those of the mid-pons and upper pons, and the FA value of the mid-pons was also larger than that of the upper pons (p<0.05). In summary, we found a smaller size and higher FA value of the CST area from rostral to caudal direction in the pons. These results suggest a more compact neural structure of CST areas from rostral to caudal direction in the pons.
Adult ; Brain/*anatomy & histology ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pyramidal Tracts/*anatomy & histology

BACKGROUND: Some bacteria have typical antibiogram profiles which can be used to verify antimicrobial susceptibility tests and organisms identification. So, we developed interpretative reporting and quality control software program using antibiogram of disk susceptibility test for more accurate results and helping physician's decision making in antibiotic therapy. METHODS: A computer program was developed with knowledge base rules based on antimicrobial disks tested, bacterial classification, bacteria's resistance mechanism and phenotypic probability to antibiogram results. And comment contents according to detection code of antibiogram were coded. All comment code were displayed to computer's screen, and interpreted results were printed to the final report after the validation and correction of the disk susceptibility test results. RESULTS: Detection code for evaluating aminoglycoside susceptibility pattern of gram-negative bacilli were detected, in order of decreasing frequency, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (9.1%), Citrobacter freundii (9.1%), Enterobacter species (8.3%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.6%), Escherichia coli (3.6%), and Acinetobacter species (3.3%). More than 5% of C. freundii, Enterobacter species, E. cloacae, E. aerogenes, and Morganella morganii were detected by detection code for evaluating natural resistance. CONCLUSIONS: It is considered that this program is useful in quality control of antimicrobial susceptibility test and decision making in antimicrobial therapy of patients. And detection rate of rule check codes on natural resistances of gram-negative bacilli in this study were higher than those previously reported. Finally, it is concluded that further studies on natural resistance of antimicrobials about gram-negative bacilli, and the addition and reformation of codes for rule check and comment contents are needed.
Acinetobacter ; Bacteria ; Citrobacter freundii ; Classification ; Cloaca ; Decision Making ; Enterobacter ; Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Knowledge Bases ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests* ; Morganella morganii ; Quality Control* ; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia