The author investigated serum immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, and IgM) and complements (C3) of cord blood in 74 cases of normal fullterm infants and 50 cases of premature infants. Serum immunogloblin and complement levels were measured by the single radial immunodiffusion method. The following results were obtained; 1) The mean seru IgG levels of cord blood in 74 cases of the normal full term infants was 1407.3+/-230.5mg/dl. 2) The mean serum IgG levels of cord blood in 50 cases of the premature infants was 675.2+/-329.4mg/dl. In comparison of serum IgG levels between the premature infants and the normal full term infants, serum IgG levels in the premature infants was significantly lower than that level of the normal infants (P< 0.05). 3) The serum IgA levels were measured in 28 (37.8%) of 74 cases of the normal full term infants and in 6 912%) of 50 cases of the premature infants. The serum IgA levels measured ranged from 0.4mg/dl to 3.7mg/dl in the normal full term infants and ranged from 0.4mg/dl to 2.4mg/dl in the prematre infants. 4) The mean serum IgM levels of cord blood in 74 cases of the normal full term infants was 4.05+/-3.53mg/dl and that in 50 cases of the premature infants was 2.20+/-2.15mg/dl. 5) The mean serum C3 levels of cord blood in 74 cases of normal full term infants was 49.7+/-18.1mg/dl and those of the premature infants was 30.9+/-10.5mg/dl. In comparison of serum C3 levels between the premature infants and the normal full term infants, the mean levels of serum C3 in the premature infants was significantly lower A statistically significant increase of IgG and C3 levels of cord blood in newborn infants were observed in accordance with the increase of the gestational age. It has been suggested that decreased IgG levels among premature infants may provide a rationale for prophylactic gamma globulin administration.
Complement System Proteins* ; Fetal Blood ; gamma-Globulins ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Immunodiffusion ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Premature

OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer has been the most prevalent female cancer in South Korea since 2001. Early detection of this disease is the most effective strategy for reducing mortality. The objective of this study was to identify factors which could predict advanced stage at diagnosis of breast cancer. METHODS: Participants who were initially diagnosed with breast cancer and referred to the Stress Clinic of the Breast Cancer Center at Kyungpook National University Hospital were included. Through a semi-structured interview, the authors investigated psychosocial variables such as the extent of marital and family functioning and emotional-economic family burden as well as sociodemographic and health behavior-, health characteristic- and cancer-related variables. RESULTS: Data were collected from 219 participants. One hundred and twenty(54.8%) subjects were diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer. Variables that were significantly different between the advanced-stage and early-stage groups included : monthly breast self examination(p<0.000), annual mammographic screening(p< 0.000), mode of tumor detection(p<0.000), nature of the first symptoms(p<0.000), time to treatment after di-agnosis(p<0.000), overloaded economic and family burden(p=0.018), marital functioning(p<0.000) and family functioning(p<0.00). Logistic regression analysis indicated that irregular annual mammography screening(OR=7.431 ; 95% CI 2.407-22.944) or a lack of screening(OR=25.299 ; 95% CI 7.855-81.482) and a dysfunctional marital relationship(OR=4.772 ; 95% CI 2.244-10.145) were significantly associated with advanced stage at diagnosis of breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: We reconfirmed screening behavior to be a risk factor for delayed diagnosis of breast cancer. Our findings also emphasized the importance of psychosocial factors such as marital functioning in early detection of breast cancer. Psychiatric consultation in the area of martial functioning could be beneficial for increasing early detection in breast cancer.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Delayed Diagnosis* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Mammography ; Marriage* ; Mass Screening ; Mortality ; Psychology* ; Risk Factors ; Time-to-Treatment

No Abstract Available.
Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus*

No Abstract Available.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus* ; Vibrio* ; Virulence Factors* ; Virulence*

No Abstract Available.
Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus*

No Abstract Available.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus* ; Vibrio* ; Virulence Factors* ; Virulence*

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia(CAP) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recently, the evolution of drug-resistant microorganisms has become a serious problem in CAP management. Specific antimicrobial therapy is the cornerstone of CAP management. However, obtaining an accurate etiologic diagnosis clinically is not easy and empirical antimicrobial treatment is usually administered prior to the correct microbiologic diagnosis. In this study, the clinical usefulness of empirical CAP treatment was investigated. METHODS: A total 35 cases were studied prospectively over a 16-month period in Mokpo Catholic Hospital from Dec. 1995 to Mar. 1997. The microbiologic diagnosis was made by sputum, blood culture, a specific serum antibody test and an immunologic study. RESULTS: The causative organisms were isolated in 10 (30%) out of 33 cases: 8 cases and 1 case on the sputum culture and blood culture respectively, and 1 case by an indirect hemagglutinin test. 12 cases had underlying diseases: pulmonary tuberculosis 4, alcoholism 4, diabetes mellitus 3, and liver cirrhosis 1. Antimicrobial treatment was given empirically and all cases recovered. CONCLUSION: A definite microbiologic diagnosis before commencing the appropriate treatment in CAP is not straightforward. Empirical therapy according to a clinical assessment is important and helpful. However, every effort to make the correct etiologic diagnosis should be taken.
Alcoholism ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Hemagglutinins ; Jeollanam-do* ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Mortality ; Pneumonia* ; Prospective Studies ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Even though benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) mostly affects a single semicircular canal (SCC), BPPV simultaneously involving more than one SCC is not rare. This multi-canal BPPV may either involve the same canals on both sides or simultaneously affect different canals on the same or on both sides. Since the SCCs can be involved in various combinations in one or both ears, multi-canal BPPVs pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The different patterns of nystagmus induced during each positional maneuver should be differentiated from positional vertigo and nystagmus due to central lesions. It remains unknown which canal should be treated first and which maneuver should be adopted for multi-canal BPPVs. Furthermore, the optimal interval from treatment of a canal to another should be determined. The response to canalith repositioning maneuvers and recurrences do not differ between multi- and single canal BPPVs in spite of more frequent involvement of multiple canals in traumatic cases.
Ear ; Recurrence ; Semicircular Canals ; Vertigo

PURPOSE: The Purposes of this study are to identify the circulating etiologic viruses of acute lower respiratory tract infection in children and to understand the relation with clinical diagnosis. METHODS: We obtained a total of 418 nasopharyngeal aspirates from children admitted for their acute lower respiratory tract infections at three tertiary hospitals in Seoul from September 2008 to March 2009. We performed multiplex RT-PCR to identify 14 etiologic viruses and analyzed their emerging patterns and clinical features. RESULTS: Average age of patients was 16.4 months old and the ratio of male to female was 1.36. Viruses were detected in 56.2% of a total of 418 samples. Respiratory syncytial virus (35%) was the most frequently detected and followed by human rhinovirus (22%), human bocavirus, adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus, influenza virus and human coronavirus. Co-infection reached 21.9% of positive patients. CONCLUSION: When we manage the patients with acute lower respiratory infectious diseases, we should remind the role of various viral pathogens, which might be circulating by seasons and by local areas.
Adenoviruses, Human ; Child ; Coinfection ; Communicable Diseases ; Coronavirus ; Female ; Human bocavirus ; Humans ; Male ; Metapneumovirus ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Paramyxoviridae Infections ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; Respiratory System ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Rhinovirus ; Seasons ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Viruses

The cumulative incidence of breast cancer in Korea is low, being about one-fifth of that in the United States. This low incidence has been mainly explained by environmental factors, and recently, however, racial variations in the disease-causing genes should also be considered. The BRCA1 is one of the common genes involved in early-onset breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer in the United States and Northern Europe. However, the involvement of BRCA1 in Korean'breast cancer patients are still unclear. We performed germline mutation screening of the BRCA1 gene by DNA single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. We examined 27 breast cancer patients who were diagnosed less than 35 years by age including two cases with family history of breast cancer. Our study showed no germline mutation at the exons 2, 11 and 20, which were known as the supreme susceptible regions of BRCA1 mutations. Even though our cases did not fulfilled the criteria of familial breast/ovarian cancer, the proprotion of families who inherit the mutated BRCA1 allele seems to be very small and might be negligible among Korean population. Therefore, it is considered that the BRCA1 itself cannot be a major susceptibility gene and the contributions of other genes might be important for the breast cancer.
Alleles ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; DNA ; Europe ; Exons ; Genes, BRCA1 ; Germ-Line Mutation* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; United States