PURPOSE: Intussusception is a very common pediatric problem and needs early management. This study evaluated the risk factors of intussusception in infants and children for early diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: 216 cases of pediatric intussusception occurring between 1993 and 1999 in Mokpo Catholic Hospital were investigated retrospectively. 164 patients treated with barium reduction comprised the barium reduction (BR) group and 52 patients treated with manual reduction or bowel resection was operation (OP) group. RESULTS: The age incidence under 1 year old was 108 patients (65.9%) in BR group, 45 patients (86.5%) in OP group. Male to female ratio was 1.8:1 in BR and 1.7:1 in OP, respectively. In the seasonal distribution spring was more common in both group (34.1%, 34.6%). 60.4% in BR group, 76.9% in OP group were revealed leukocytosis above 10.000/mm3 in serum. Previous combined diseases were upper respiratory infection (31.7%, 42.3%), acute gastroenteritis (1.2%, 1.9%) and multiple familial polyposis (0.5% in BR group). The frequent symptoms and signs were bloody stool (86.0%,92.3%), abdominal pain and irritability (86.6%, 82.7%), vomiting (76.9%, 67.3%), and abdominal mass (56.7%, 76.9%). Tachycardia was 12.2% in BR and 44.2% in OP. In plain abdominal radiography, intestinal obstructive pattern was present in 5.5% of BR group and 53.8% of OP group. Success rate of barium reduction within 24 hours after symptom appearance was 82.3%. Within 24-48 hours was 61.1%, above 48 hours was 25%. There was a statistically significant difference between BR group and OP group of patients under 1 year old, with tachycardia, symptoms for longer than 48 hours and obstructive pattern on plain abdominal radiography (p<0.05). Of surgical cases, 84.6% were idiopathic. The common anatomical type was ileo-colic type (53.9%). The methods of operation were manual reduction (94.2%) and bowel resection (5.8%). Postoperative complications occurred in 4 cases; 3 cases of wound infection and 1 case of pulmonary complication. Recurrence rate was 12.8% in BR group. CONCLUSION: Risk factors of high incidence such as under 1 year old, severe obstructive pattern on the plain abdominal radiograph, symptoms for longer than 48 hours, and tachycardia, were related with a low success rate of barium reduction. Therefore, a gentle barium enema is recommended in high risk patients for diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention.
Abdominal Pain ; Barium ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Enema ; Female ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant* ; Intussusception* ; Jeollanam-do ; Leukocytosis ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; Radiography, Abdominal ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Seasons ; Tachycardia ; Vomiting ; Wound Infection

Cutaneous manifestations of Vibrio vulnificus septicemia are bullae, vesicles, necrotic ulcers, localized swelling, cyanosis, and gangrene, which begin to occur mostly on the legs. The characteristic cutaneous lesions associated with pain often give an informative clue for the suspicion of Vibrio vulnificus infection in endemic area. We report a case of Vibrio vulnificus septicemia with atypical cutaneous manifestation of generalized erythema multiforme-like eruption in a Korean man, who died within 9 hours following hospitalization in spite of the intensive therapy. We suggest EM-like eruption of V. vulnificus septicemia is the novel cutaneous manifestation and may indicate poor prognosis.
Cyanosis ; Erythema* ; Gangrene ; Hospitalization ; Leg ; Prognosis ; Sepsis* ; Ulcer ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

No abstract available.
Humans

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is one of the treatment options used for patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), although its effectiveness is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ESWT in the treatment of MPS in terms of pain relief and functional improvements. METHODS: We assessed 93 patients with MPS who underwent ESWT from March 2009 to July 2014. After exclusion of 25 patients with shoulder diseases, 68 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean follow-up period was 7.5 months (± 4.2 weeks), and the average duration of symptoms was 5 months (range, 2-16 months). ESWT was applied to intramuscular taut bands and referred pain areas once a week for 3 weeks. Visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores were obtained at an initial assessment and at the 6-week, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up assessments. RESULTS: VAS pain scores and ASES scores improved significantly after 3 sessions of ESWT (p<0.05). Both scores were improved, although not significantly, after 6 weeks (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ESWT is an effective treatment option for patients with MPS.
Elbow ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes* ; Pain, Referred ; Shock* ; Shoulder ; Visual Analog Scale

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed* ; Sensitivity and Specificity*

No abstract available.
Daegu* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length*

Hemoptysis is a major reason for emergency department (ED) visits. Catamenial hemoptysis (CH), a rare condition of thoracic endometriosis, can cause recurrent hemoptysis but is difficult to diagnose in the ED due to the scarcity of cases and nonspecific clinical findings. We report a case of a 26-year-old woman who presented to the ED with recurrent hemoptysis since 2 years without a definite cause. Her vital signs and blood test findings were unremarkable. Chest computed tomography (CT) did not show any specific lesions other than a non-specific ground-glass opacity pattern in her right lung. She was on day 4 of her menstrual cycle and her hemoptysis frequently occurred during menstruation. Although there was no histological confirmation, based on her history of hemoptysis during menstruation and no other cause of the hemoptysis, the patient was tentatively diagnosed with CH and was administered gonadotropin-releasing hormone. She had no recurrence of hemoptysis for 3 months. While CH is difficult to diagnose in the ED, the patient’s recurrent hemoptysis related to menstruation was a clue to the presence of CH. Therefore, physicians should determine the relationship between hemoptysis and menstruation for women of childbearing age presenting with repeated hemoptysis without a definite cause.

Recovery from central nervous system (CNS) injury, such as stroke or spinal cord injury (SCI), largely depends on axonal regeneration, and the neuronal and glial cells plasticity in the lesioned tissue. The lesioned tissue following CNS injury forms a scar that is composed of astrocytes and mixed with connective tissues. At the glial scar, the regenerating axon forms dystrophic endbulbs which do not regenerate and grow beyond the glial scar without a suitable environment. Along with the astrocytes, microglia are also suspected of being involved in necrotic and apoptotic neuronal cell death and the early response to axonal damage in CNS injury. The inflammatory response, a major component of secondary injury and controlled by the microglia, plays a pivotal role in nerve injury and control the regenerative response. As a result, it is very important to control the glial cell function in order to assure the recovery of the CNS injury. Studies have suggested that agmatine, a L-arginine derived primary amine, is a potential modulator of glial cell function after CNS injuries. Agmatine was found to possess anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective characteristics that benefited the rehabilitation process following CNS injury. In this review, we will discuss the effect of agmatine on glial cells in the process of recovery after CNS injury.
Agmatine ; Arginine ; Astrocytes ; Axons ; Cell Death ; Central Nervous System ; Cicatrix ; Connective Tissue ; Microglia ; Neuroglia ; Neurons ; Plastics ; Regeneration ; Rehabilitation ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Stroke

Agmatine, the primary decarboxylation product of L-arginine, generated from arginine decarboxylase. Since the discovery of agmatine in the mammalian brain in the 1990s, an increasing number of agmatine-mediated effects have been discovered, demonstrating the benefits of agmatine on ischemic strokes, traumatic brain injury and numerous psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Agmatine also has cellular protective effects and contributes to cell proliferation and differentiation in the central nervous system (CNS). Neural progenitor cells are an important component in the recovery and repair of many neurological disorders due to their ability to differentiate into functional adult neurons. Recent data has revealed that agmatine can regulate and increase proliferation and the fate of progenitor cells in the adult hippocampus. This review aims to summarise and discuss the role of agmatine in the CNS; specifically, the effects and relationship between agmatine and neural progenitor cells and how these ideas can be applied to potential therapeutic application.

Agmatine, the primary decarboxylation product of L-arginine, generated from arginine decarboxylase. Since the discovery of agmatine in the mammalian brain in the 1990s, an increasing number of agmatine-mediated effects have been discovered, demonstrating the benefits of agmatine on ischemic strokes, traumatic brain injury and numerous psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Agmatine also has cellular protective effects and contributes to cell proliferation and differentiation in the central nervous system (CNS). Neural progenitor cells are an important component in the recovery and repair of many neurological disorders due to their ability to differentiate into functional adult neurons. Recent data has revealed that agmatine can regulate and increase proliferation and the fate of progenitor cells in the adult hippocampus. This review aims to summarise and discuss the role of agmatine in the CNS; specifically, the effects and relationship between agmatine and neural progenitor cells and how these ideas can be applied to potential therapeutic application.