BACKGROUND: Cleaning and disinfection of fiberoptic bronchoscope requires careful attention, especially to mycobacterium species because the contamination of mycobacteria could raise confusion on diagnosis. Recently, we detected contamination of Wydex(R) solution used in bronchoscope washer with Mycobacterium chelonae. In this study, we evaluated the mycobactericidal effect of 12 kinds of disinfectants for M. chelonae. METHOD: To evaluate the bactericidal effect of Wydex(R) 2%, Cidex(R) 2.25%, Cidex(R) 3%, Bacteriokiller (BK) disinfectant, Perasafe(R), HICLO-S(R), Lamicine(R), ethanol, Instrusept(R), Virkon(R), Betadine(R), and Vipon(R) against M. chelonae, culture was performed after exposure of two M. chelonae strains (ATCC 35749, the type strain and the strain isolated from contaminated Wydex(R) solution) to each disinfectant solution. The growth of organism was examined for up to 8 weeks. RESULTS: Growth of M. chelonae (reference strain of ATCC 35749 and isolated strain) was observed after a week incubation for Wydex(R) 2%, Cidex(R) (2.25%, 3%) and control. For BK disinfectant and Perasafe(R), they grew after 2-3 weeks, and 3-4 weeks, respectively. For HICLO-S(R) and Lamicine(R), only the contaminated strain grew after two and three weeks, respectively. For ethanol, Virkon(R), Betadine(R), Vipon(R), and Instrusept(R) , growth was not observed from either strain. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results, Instrusept(R), virkon(R), ethanol, Betadine(R), and Vipon(R) were effective for the disinfection of M. chelonae. Especially, Instrusept(R) was thought to be useful as a disinfectant for bronchoscopes because it has advantages including non-corrosiveness, chemical stability, and non-irritativeness. And additional washing with ethanol might be effective. The finding that strain isolated from contaminated bronchoscopes was more resistant to disinfectants than reference strain suggested that the more resistant strains are selected throughout the improper disinfection.
Bronchoscopes ; Diagnosis ; Disinfectants* ; Disinfection ; Ethanol ; Mycobacterium chelonae* ; Mycobacterium*

Asphyxiating thoracic dysplasia(ATD;Jeunes's syndrome) is a rare variety of short limb dwarfism. It is characterized by an extremely small thorax when compared to the ab-dominal circumference, which frequently results in respiratory distress. Other anomalies as-sociated with Jeune's syndrome are pelvic bone malformations and renal dysplasia. It was first described and namely by Jeune et al. in 1954. Jeune's syndrome is an autosomal rece-ssive trait and has a 25% recurrence risk. These patients died at early age due to respirat-ory insufficiency. Death due to uremia has occurred in number of children surviving infan-cy, following progressive renal failure, hypertension and hepatic failure. About 50 cases have been reported in the world literature. We experienced a case of small thorax with short limb dwarfism on antenatal ultraso- und examination and then the baby was delivered by cesarean section. The diagnosis was confirmed to Asphyxiating thoracic dysplasia by clinical features, radiological findings and pathological findings. We reported a case of Asphyxiating thoracic dysplasia with review of literatures.
Cesarean Section ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Dwarfism ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Liver Failure ; Pelvic Bones ; Pregnancy ; Recurrence ; Renal Insufficiency ; Thorax ; Uremia

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of wearing rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses on the topographic changes in keratoconus. METHODS: Seventy-seven keratoconic eyes that wore multicurve RGP contact lenses and 30 keratoconic eyes that wore no contact lenses were retrospectively analyzed. The mean follow-ups were 22.6 and 20.5 months in the lens-wearing and control groups, respectively. Visual acuity, comfort, daily wearing time, and corneal staining were evaluated for both groups. The changes in topographic indices were compared between the lens-wearing and control groups. RESULTS: Multicurve RGP lens corrected logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity of the lens-wearing group significantly improved from -0.016+/-0.065 to -0.032+/-0.10 at follow-up (p=0.05). In the lens-wearing group with advanced keratoconus, the Sim Kmax, Sim Kmin, apical power, astigmatic index, and anterior elevation significantly decreased from 57.68+/-4.26 diopter (D), 50.50+/-2.32 D, 62.79+/-5.11 D, 7.20+/-0.55 D and 67.36+/-16.30 microm to 55.51+/-4.28 D, 49.62+/-3.26 D, 60.31+/-5.41 D, 5.90+/-0.51 D and 60.61+/-16.09 microm, respectively (paired t-test, p<0.05). The irregularity index of 3 mm did not significantly change. Meanwhile, in the control group, the apical power and irregularity index increased from 55.56+/-7.25 D and 3.06+/-1.68 D to 57.11+/-7.75 D and 3.25+/-1.71 D, respectively (paired t-test, p=0.008, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Properly fitted multicurve RGP contact lenses are not likely to contribute to the progression of keratoconus.
Adult ; Astigmatism/etiology/pathology/therapy ; *Contact Lenses ; Cornea/*pathology ; *Corneal Topography ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Keratoconus/complications/pathology/*therapy ; Male ; Prognosis ; Prosthesis Design ; Retrospective Studies ; Time Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: In the ovary apoptosis eliminates granulosa cells (GC) during follicle atresia. While we identified many cell death regulatory molecules not yet characterized in the ovary, of particular interest were members of the Bcl-2 family which contain only the Bcl-2 homology (BH)-3 domain. The objectives of this study was to investigate and compare the expression patterns of BH3-only Bcl-2 family members in various organs and evaluate their function in ovarian granulosa cells. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from GC, ovaries, uteri, hearts (low rate of cell turnover) and livers (high rate of cell turnover) of prepubertal female mice. BH3-only Bcl-2 family members were cloned to make riboprobe. The expression patterns in the tissues evaluated by Northern blot analysis. Nix mRNA expression in ovarian granulosa cells after gonadotropin treatment also compared by Northern blot analysis. RESULTS: Bad, Bid, Bim, Bmf, Map-1 and Nix were expressed in granulosa cells. Nix was most abundantly expressed in GC. In contrast, Blk was expressed in the ovary, liver, heart and uterus, but not in GC. Bmf, a sensor or microfilament disassembly, was expressed in GC, ovary and uterus, with limited to no expression in non-reproductive tissues. Nix mRNA expression was not regulated by gonadotropin after 42 hour. CONCLUSION: These studies will help to complete a molecular blueprint of the regulatory network that controls GC death during follicular atresia. In addition, these data, which show a tissue/cell-selective profile of BH3-only expression, may also explain the known variation in the in vivo apoptotic response of different tissues/cells to generic stimuli that should be globally lethal.
Actin Cytoskeleton ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Blotting, Northern ; Cell Death ; Clone Cells ; Female ; Follicular Atresia ; Gonadotropins* ; Granulosa Cells* ; Heart ; Humans ; Liver ; Mice* ; Ovary* ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Uterus

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate by functional MRI (MRI) the location of the primarymotor cortex in patients with schizencephaly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: fMRI was performed in four patients withschizencephaly who complained of seizures;three were right handed and one was ambidex trous. Associated lesionswere agenesis of the corpus callosum in one patient and absence of the septum pellucidum in another. fMRI employedthe single sliced FLASH BOLD technique using a 1.5-T MR imager with a standard head coil, and was obtained in theaxial plane. Thirty consecutive images were obtained on finger movements of each hand were obtained;the motor taskconsisted of repetitive finger to thumb opposition. Percentage change in primary motor cortex signal intensity wascalculated, and ipsilateral activation index was compared betweenthe affected and unaffected hemispheres. RESULTS: Percentage change in signal intensity increase in the activated area of the unaffected hemisphere ranged from4.8% +/-0.9% to 9.2+/-1.2%(mean:5.6%+/-1.5%) of the baseline value. The ipsilateral activation index of the affectedhemisphere was 0-0.38 and that of the unaffected hemisphere was 15.4-Infinity;in patients with schizencephalysignificantly different(p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that increased activation in the unaffectedhemisphere reflect functional reorganization of the primary motor cortex.
Corpus Callosum ; Fingers ; Hand ; Head ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Malformations of Cortical Development ; Motor Cortex* ; Septum Pellucidum ; Thumb

Axillary disorders originate from an axillary lymph node, subcutaneous fat layer, accessory breast, nerve, vessel and muscle. The most common causes of a palpable axillary mass are a lymph node pathology containing a benign axillary lymphadenopathy, and malignant lymph nodes such as a metastatic lymphadenopathy from breast cancer and a malignant lymphoma. For the detection of masses in the axilla, mammography and sonography are the imaging modalities of choice. We present a spectrum of various axillary masses with correlative radiological imaging and pathological findings in this pictorial essay. Knowledge of the radiological findings of various axillary disorders is useful for a differential diagnosis and for preventing unnecessary invasive procedures.
Animals ; Axilla ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lymphatic System ; Lymphoma ; Mammary Neoplasms, Animal ; Mammography ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Pathology ; Radiography ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the status of HIV infection and AIDS incidence using a back-calculation model in Korea. METHODS: Back-calculation is a method for estimating the past infection rate using AIDS incidence data. The method has been useful for obtaining short-term projections of AIDS incidence and estimating previous HIV prevalence. If the density of the incubation periods is known, together with the AIDS incidence, we can estimate historical HIV infections and forecast AIDS incidence in any time period up to time t. In this paper, we estimated the number of HIV infections and AIDS incidence according to the distribution of various incubation periods RESULTS: The cumulative numbers of HIV infection from 1991 to 1996 were 708~1,426 in Weibull distribution and 918~1,980 in Gamma distribution. The projected AIDS incidence in 1997 was 16~25 in Weibull distribution and 13~26 in Gamma distribution. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated cumulative HIV infections from 1991 to 1996 were 1.4~4.0 times more than notified cumulative HIV infections. Additionally, the projected AIDS incidence in 1997 was less than the notified AIDS cases. The reason for this underestimation derives from the very low level of HIV prevalence in Korea. Further research is required for the distribution of the incubation period of HIV infection in Korea, particularly for the effects of combination treatments.
HIV Infections ; HIV* ; Incidence* ; Korea* ; Prevalence

Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP) is an uncommon process in childhood, and is characterized by interstitial accumulation of mature lymphocytes, plasma cells and reticuloendothelial cells. LIP is believed to have autoimmune or immunologic pathogenesis, because it is frequently associated with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Epstein-Barr virus infection, common variable immunodeficiency. The patient described in this report had idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Evans syndrome and LIP. The diminished levels of IgG1 & IgG2 were the only immunologic abnormality, which suggest that this patient may be in the early phase of common variable immunodeficiency or selective IgG2 & IgG4 deficiency due to immunoglobulin heavy chain deletion. We can rule out the possibility of lymphoma by clonality study, which showed polyclonal lymphocyte infiltration. On our knowledge, this is the first report of LIP in Korean children.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Child ; Common Variable Immunodeficiency ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains ; Lip ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial* ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoma ; Plasma Cells ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of nursing education using a CD ROM on the anxiety and knowledge of the patients having minor surgery. METHOD: Forty patients hospitalized in K hospital in Seoul from April to August 2002 participated in this study. In the experimental group, twenty patients received nursing education on the operational procedures and post-operational care. The control group, received conventional nursing care only. Anxiety experienced by patients was measured by Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and knowledge was measured by an instrument developed by Rahe et al. The data were analyzed by SPSS statistical program. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in anxiety level between two groups. However, subjects in the experimental group were found to have significantly higher postoperative knowledge levels than those in the control group, and were very satisfied with the CD ROM program. CONCLUSION: The nursing education program using CD ROM before minor surgery proved to be an effective nursing intervention to increase knowledge of patients and contribute to their self care after discharge. To decrease anxiety of the surgery, the nursing education program should be combined with supprortive emotional nursing intervention, such as touch, and massage.
Anxiety* ; Education, Nursing* ; Humans ; Massage ; Nursing Care ; Nursing* ; Patient Education as Topic ; Self Care ; Seoul ; Surgical Procedures, Minor*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of nursing education using a CD ROM on the anxiety and knowledge of the patients having minor surgery. METHOD: Forty patients hospitalized in K hospital in Seoul from April to August 2002 participated in this study. In the experimental group, twenty patients received nursing education on the operational procedures and post-operational care. The control group, received conventional nursing care only. Anxiety experienced by patients was measured by Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and knowledge was measured by an instrument developed by Rahe et al. The data were analyzed by SPSS statistical program. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in anxiety level between two groups. However, subjects in the experimental group were found to have significantly higher postoperative knowledge levels than those in the control group, and were very satisfied with the CD ROM program. CONCLUSION: The nursing education program using CD ROM before minor surgery proved to be an effective nursing intervention to increase knowledge of patients and contribute to their self care after discharge. To decrease anxiety of the surgery, the nursing education program should be combined with supprortive emotional nursing intervention, such as touch, and massage.
Anxiety* ; Education, Nursing* ; Humans ; Massage ; Nursing Care ; Nursing* ; Patient Education as Topic ; Self Care ; Seoul ; Surgical Procedures, Minor*