PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing premature infants who are small for their gestational ago. METHODS: The medical records of 1,010 premature infants of 26 to 35 weeks of gestational age born at Il-Sin Christian Hospital, Busan from January 2000 to August 2006 were reviewed. We collected data on gestational age, birth weight, infant gender, birth order, maternal age and previous abortion history and analyzed the factors influencing premature infants who were small for their gestational ago at birth. RESULTS: In our study more female than male (P=0.042) in premature infants who were small for their gestational ago were born from mothers aged younger than 20 or older than 35 (P=0.041). But association between smallness for gestational age and birth order or maternal previous abortion history was statistically insignificant (P=0.228, P=0.129). CONCLUSION: Considering the association of birth weight and the survival rate of premature infants, it is thought that maternal age had an influence on the survival rate of premature infants. Social and political support to lower the teenager pregnancy and older pregnancy is expected to increase the survival rate of premature infants and the birth of healthy normal neonates.
Abortion, Induced ; Adolescent ; Birth Order ; Birth Weight* ; Busan ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Medical Records ; Mothers ; Parturition* ; Pregnancy ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common bacterial infectious disease in childhood. Especially UTI in infant and young children is associated with urinary tract anomalies such as hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics, and uroradiologic findings of UTI caused by pathogens other than E. coli with UTI caused by E. coli in infant and young children. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 170 infants and children, who had been admitted for UTI to Il Sin Christian Hospital from January 2003 to December 2005. All patients were divided into two groups; E. coli and non-E. coli UTI, and they were compared for demographic data, clinical data (degree and duration of fever, time to defervescence, and length of hospital stay), underlying urinary tract anomalies (by history and ultrasonography), recurrent infection (by history and past medical records), and laboratory data [urinalysis, white blood cells (WBC) count in peripheral blood, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum creatinine level]. RESULTS: Of the 170 UTI patients, the number of non-E. coli UTI was 114 (67.1%) and E. coli UTI was 56 (32.9%). As compared to E. coli group, non-E. coli group was younger in age (0.52+/-0.59 years vs 0.84+/-1.39years, P<0.05), had higher rates of urinary tract anomalies [n=46 (82.1%) vs n=53 (46.5%), P<0.001], higher recurrence rate, shorter time to defervescence, less peripheral blood WBC count, lower level of CRP, lower level of ESR. CONCLUSION: The characteristics of non-E. coli UTI compared to E. coli UTI was younger age, milder clinical symptoms and signs, higher rates of urinary tract anomalies and higher recurrence rate.
Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Child ; Communicable Diseases ; Creatinine ; Fever ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Infant ; Leukocytes ; Medical Records ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract* ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

PURPOSE: The anthropometric data of newborns published by Lubchenco et al in the 1960's have been most commonly used in Korea as a standard of newborn growth. We hypothesized that Lubchenco's data have limitations for Korean premature infants born in the 2000's. We analyzed and compared the data of birth weight, length, and head circumference. METHODS: The medical records of 1,159 premature infants of 26 to 35 weeks of gestational age born at Il-Sin Christian Hospital of Busan from January 2,000 to August 2,006 were reviewed. The anthropometric data from total 1,010 premature infants were analyzed after excluding the data from infants whose gestational age were estimated by other than ultrasonogram, and infants with major congenital anomalies or chromosomal anomaly, born from foreign parent, and extreme outliers. RESULTS: In the birth weights by gestational age, our 90 percentile values were lower than Lubchenco's 90 percentile values for all gestational age studied, particularly for less than 30 weeks the 90 percentile curve was drawn at the area as that of Lubchenco' 75 percentile. And our 10 percentile values were higher than Lubchenco's 10 percentile values for all gestational age studied. In the birth length and head circumference by gestational age, our 90 percentile values were lower than Lubchenco's 90 percentile values for all gestational age studied, and the 90 percentile curve was drawn at the area as that of Lubchenco's 75 percentile. And our 10 percentile values were higher than Lubchenco's 10 percentile values for all gestational age studied. CONCLUSION: It is unreasonable to apply Lubchenco's data published before 4th decades to present Korean premature infants and have a risk to underestimate intrauterine growth retardation or small for gestational age and large for gestational age. Considering for the possibility of increasing the mortality and morbidity of premature infants due to delayed diagnosis and treatment by these underestimating, our anthropometric data of premature infant is expected to contribute to lower the mortality and morbidity of premature infants.
Birth Weight ; Busan ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Head ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Parents ; Parturition ; Pregnancy* ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the changes of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients who were registered in a community mental health center. METHODS: The patients enrolled in this study were those registered in Suwon City Community Mental Health Center in 2008 and 2012, and there were 440 and 460 patients, respectively. The authors analyzed demographic data, medical insurance status, registration status of mental disability and clinical characteristics, such as diagnosis, type of medical institution the patients received medical care from, medication, duration of illness, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and global assessment function scores. RESULTS: There were more married patients in 2012 than in 2008 (23.1% vs. 34.3%, p<0.001) and the proportion of patients who were employed was larger in 2012 (8.2% vs. 10.2%, p=0.302). Also, in 2012, more patients received Level 1 medical care rather than health insurance (27.9% vs. 35.3%, p=0.007) and the number of patients with registered mental disability increased (27.7% vs. 52.6%, p<0.001). From 2008 to 2012, the number of patients diagnosed with other disorders besides psychotic disorders increased (15.5% vs. 22.9%, p=0.007). Also, more patients tended to receive medical treatment from private mental clinics (38.6% vs. 58.1%, p<0.001), and to be administered with atypical antipsychotics rather than conventional antipsychotics (58.6% vs. 80.4%, p=0.022). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that many characteristics of the patients registered in a community mental health center have been gradually changed. The patients registered in 2012 were likely to be diagnosed with other disorders besides psychotic disorders and to get more atypical antipsychotics compared to patients registered in 2008. This study would contribute to finding out the proper roles and functions of mental health centers, and, as a result, the mental health centers could be able to provide better quality of service to their registered patients.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Diagnosis ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Insurance Coverage ; Insurance, Health ; Mental Health* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Social Welfare

This study performed the forensic anthropological sex estimation of Koreans in a non-metric way by reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) images of skulls. The skull CT images used in this study were 100 (51 males, 49 females), and all CT images were taken with a slice thickness of 0.75 mm and then reconstructed into 3D images using the MIMICS 23.0 program. Using the reconstructed 3D image, measurements were repeated twice. The sex determination was male if the 4 point to 5 point was relatively more in five landmarks, and female if the points of 1 to 2 were relatively more. Results of the study show that, 88 of the 100 cases matched the actual sex. Among the 12 discrepant cases, ten cases were mismatched with the actual sex even though the estimation and repeated estimation readout of sexestimating were the same. Two cases, were “unknown,” showing different sexes in the first and repeated estimations. In conclusion, this study indicated that a forensic anthropological analysis from 3D images provided accurate point information on the landmarks of skulls, showing as high an accuracy as the sex estimation method using real bones. The ten cases of sex mismatch, except the two “Unknown” cases, are considered to be errors that did not consider differences in population groups. In further studies, further establishing a nonmetric, specifically Korean methods to increase the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation is need.