Spontaneous pneumothorax is a common clinical problem in emergency care. However, the overall incidences of primary spontaneous pneumothorax has been reported from as low as 1.4% to 7.6%. The clinical findings of simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax can be variable. Clinical presentation is variable, ranging from mild dyspnea to tension pneumothorax. Bilateral tension pneumothorax can defined as cases where no tracheal deviation is detected in chest X-ray, and symptoms may be equal bilaterally. Herein, we present a case with simultaneous bilateral tension pneumothorax, severely deteriorated (i.e. with loss of consciousness, cyanosis, and hemodynamically unstable), that was successfully treated with immediate large-size needle decompression.
Cyanosis ; Decompression ; Dyspnea ; Emergency Medical Services ; Incidence ; Needles ; Pneumothorax ; Thorax ; Unconsciousness

BACKGROUND: Although idiopathic cardiomyopathies(i-CMP) are very important in all age groups, the epidemiology of i-CMP in children has not been well defined. A retrospective study in Korean children was performed in 1998 to obtain basic data on i-CMP. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The medical records of all patients aged birth to 15 years from the hospitals where pediatric cardiologists worked were reviewed to obtain information on i-CMP. Pediatric cardiologists from a total of 22 hospitals were participated in reviewing the medical records of their patients and filling up the protocol. The data were pooled to the study committee and reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 278 cases with i-CMP, there were dilated cardiomyopathy (d-CMP) in 182 (65.4%): hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (h-CMP) in 74 (26.6%): restrictive cardiomyopathy (r-CMP) and unclassified in 17 (6.1%) and 5 (1.9%) each. The average annual occurrence of new cases as a whole was 2.65 per 100,000 (95% CI: 1.5-3.7): d-CMP, 1.73/100,000/year (95% CI: 0.73-2.73): h-CMP, 0.71/100,000/year (95% CI: 0.35-1.07): r-CMP, 0.16/100,000/year (95% CI: 0.02-0.3). The median age at the time of diagnosis was 11 months in d-CMP: 3.0 years in h-CMP: 6.9 years in r-CMP. The survival rate in d-CMP was 76% at 1 year, 72.5% at 2 year, 70% at 5 year. There was no difference in survival rate according to age (in d-CMP, between children less than 2 years of age and over 2 years of age (74% vs. 79% at 1 year: 67% vs. 76% at 5 year, p=NS): in h-CMP, between children less than 1 year of age and over 1 year of age (84% vs. 96% at 1 year: 63% vs. 81% at 5 year, p=NS)). R-CMP showed the worst survival rate (72% at 1 year, 30.2% at 5 year). CONCLUSION: In spite of the inherent defects of retrospective analysis, this study provides the useful epidemiological data in children with i-CMP. However, more systemic approach is needed to define the nature of the i-CMP in children.
Cardiomyopathies* ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Parturition ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: During the last decade, the reports of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Korea were not common. Therefore, we investigated the anti-tuberculosis drug resistance rate according to medical history and radiological findings, as well as the relationship between the drug resistance and treatment outcomes to provide guidelines for selection of drug regimen before drug sensitivity test. METHODS: The study population was composed of 745 hospitalized patients who received drug susceptibility test for M. tuberculosis and anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy for the last 5 years. RESULTS: The majority had resistance to at least one drug (91.3%; 3.8+/-2.6 drugs). Drug resistance rate of first line drugs was 25~55%; especially higher in retreatment cases and those with the cavity on chest X-ray. Drug resistance was not correlated with radiographic finding. The success rate for treatment was higher in new cases, patients with less severe disease status and those without cavity on chest X-ray. When new cases had no resistance to all of EHR (84.1%), the negative conversion rate by first line drugs was above 70~90%. For retreatment patients, the negative conversion rate was above 70% only when they were susceptible to all of EHR (31%). The relapse rate was 4~13%. CONCLUSIONS: Probably the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Korea will be considerably high. The drug resistance and treatment outcome was affected more by history of previous medical treatment than radiological findings. The previous EHRZ regimen is very effective as the initial treatment in new case, but revised retreatment regimen composed of at least 4 drugs is needed in the previously treated patients.
Drug Resistance ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical History Taking ; Prevalence ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Recurrence ; Retreatment ; Thorax ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant*

PURPOSE: We have done this retrospective study to know the relative incidence and clinical manifestations of organic acidopathies in Korea during 8 years(from Jul. 1997 to May 2005). This results of organic acid analysis of 1,787 patients were compared with the results of organic acid analysis that were published three years ago. METHODS: The results of quantitative organic acid analysis of samples of 1788 patients, referred from Jul. 1997 to May 2005, were analyzed retrospectively according to four age group(-2 mon, 3 mon-2 years, 3-12 years) and major clinical manifestations. Quantification of 83 organic acids was done with gas chromatography and mass spectometry. RESULTS: We diagnosed 470 patients with 27 diseases of organic acid metabolism during this study period. Diseases found more than 10 cases are cytosolic 3-ketothiolase deficiency, mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders, PDHC deficiency, mitochondrial 3-ketothiolase deficiency, glutaric aciduria type II, biotinidase deficiency, methylmalonic aciduria and propionic aciduria. Other diseases were diagnosed in less than 10 cases. CONCLUSION: Though the incidence of individual organic acidemia is low, the overall incidence of organic acidemia as a whole seems to be relatively high in Korea. Compared with the results of organic acid analysis that were reported three years ago, we couldn't find a new disease and the difference of the relative incidences of high incident diseases. We were apprehensive of the errors that was owing to the short study period(3 years), but the relative incidences of our study(8 years) were similar to the results of organic acid analysis that were reported three years ago.
Acetyl-CoA C-Acyltransferase ; Biotinidase Deficiency ; Chromatography, Gas ; Cytosol ; Electron Transport ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Metabolism ; Multiple Acyl Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Propionic Acidemia ; Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency Disease ; Retrospective Studies

The effects of hind-limb immobilization by skeletal fixation of bilateral ankle and knee joints. for sither one or five weeks on glycogen concentrations, glycogen resynthetic activities and insulin responses to glucose uptake of hind-limb muscles were studied on male Splague-Dawley rats. There were significant drops in muscle wet weight to body weight ratio of immobilized soleus and plataris. In the group immobilized for one week, the ratios of sleous and plantaris were decreased by 11% and 38% respectively; and in the group immobilized for five weeks, the ratios were decreased by 42% in both muscles equally. The glycogen concentration and glycogen resynthetic activities of soleus and plantaris muscles in immobilized rats were decreased significantly in the one week group. However, in the five week group, these values were increased significantly compared to the values of those muscles of the one week group. The increased values of the five week group did not exceed those of the control group. The glucose uptake rate of the soleus muscle of the hind-limbs immobilized for one week and for five weeks were studied in vitro. The basal glucose uptake rate of the muscle of the control group was 8.4 ± 0.77Mol/gm/20min. The values of basal rate and insulin responses to the glucose uptake rates in the doses of physiological and supramaximal on the soleus muscles immobilized for one week was significantly decreased, but after immobilization for five weeks, these values were not significantly different statistically those from of the control group statistically.
Animals ; Ankle ; Body Weight ; Extremities ; Fracture Fixation ; Glucose ; Glycogen ; Humans ; Immobilization ; In Vitro Techniques ; Insulin ; Knee Joint ; Male ; Metabolism ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Rats

The Marcus ankle arthrodesis was carried out in 16 patients at department of orthopaedic surgery of Korea Veterans Hospital from January 1989 to December 1993. All of patients were reviewed and evaluated with subjective and functional rating scales according to the Mazur scoring system. The average follow up was 23 months, ranging from 12 months to 60 months. The Marcus ankle arthrodesis involves a chevron osteotomy, tibial onlay graft medially, internal fixation with staples and screws. According to the Mazur score, the results were 6 cases of Excellent, 7 cases of Good. The average Mazur score was 75.1. There were 4 cases of complication, a non-union, a superficial wound infection, a bursitis, and a tendon injury. In summary the Marcus ankle arthrodesis by chevron osteotomy seems to be a good procedure, which gives solid bony union with short duration, relief of pain, normal looking ankle configuration without leg length discrepancy and good function with few complications.
Ankle ; Arthrodesis ; Bursitis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Inlays ; Korea ; Leg ; Osteotomy ; Tendon Injuries ; Transplants ; Weights and Measures ; Wound Infection

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an important regulator of energy metabolism, is activated in response to cellular stress when intracellular levels of AMP increase. We investigated the neuroprotective effects of AMPK against scopolamine-induced memory impairment in vivo and glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in vitro. An adenovirus expressing AMPK wild type alpha subunit (WT) or a dominant negative form (DN) was injected into the hippocampus of rats using a stereotaxic apparatus. The AMPK WT-injected rats showed significant reversal of the scopolamine induced cognitive deficit as evaluated by escape latency in the Morris water maze. In addition, they showed enhanced acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-reactive neurons in the hippocampus, implying increased cholinergic activity in response to AMPK. We also studied the cellular mechanism by which AMPK protects against glutamate-induced cell death in primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons. We further demonstrated that AMPK WT-infected cells increased cell viability and reduced Annexin V positive hippocampal neurons. Western blot analysis indicated that AMPK WT-infected cells reduced the expression of Bax and had no effects on Bcl-2, which resulted in a decreased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. These data suggest that AMPK is a useful cognitive impairment treatment target, and that its beneficial effects are mediated via the protective capacity of hippocampal neurons.
Acetylcholinesterase ; Adenoviridae ; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases ; Animals ; Annexin A5 ; Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Energy Metabolism ; Hippocampus ; Memory ; Neurons ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Rats ; Scopolamine Hydrobromide ; United Nations

Brucellosis is a world-wide zoonotic disease. We report the first case of brucellosis in South Korea that is not related to direct contract with intected cattles. The patient had been working in the market of by-product, stock raising for twenty years and complained of 1-month history of fever, chill, and intermittent epistaxis. We confirmed brucellosis by anti-brucella antibody test and PCR. After 6 weeks' treatment with rifampicin and doxycycline, fever and chilling subsided, and, generalized weakness and oral intake improved. We performed seroepidemiology study against workers who were working in the same market as the patient. However, we couldn't find out other cases with seropositivity. We concluded that although the workers of by-product market have a risk of getting brucellosis, the risk is low.
Animals* ; Brucellosis* ; Doxycycline ; Epistaxis ; Fever ; Humans* ; Korea ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rifampin ; Zoonoses

Brucellosis is a world-wide zoonotic disease. We report the first case of brucellosis in South Korea that is not related to direct contract with intected cattles. The patient had been working in the market of by-product, stock raising for twenty years and complained of 1-month history of fever, chill, and intermittent epistaxis. We confirmed brucellosis by anti-brucella antibody test and PCR. After 6 weeks' treatment with rifampicin and doxycycline, fever and chilling subsided, and, generalized weakness and oral intake improved. We performed seroepidemiology study against workers who were working in the same market as the patient. However, we couldn't find out other cases with seropositivity. We concluded that although the workers of by-product market have a risk of getting brucellosis, the risk is low.
Animals* ; Brucellosis* ; Doxycycline ; Epistaxis ; Fever ; Humans* ; Korea ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rifampin ; Zoonoses

PURPOSE: The prevalence of Reye syndrome has decreased since late 1980's. But we report that recently there were concentrative attacks of Reye syndrome after acute enteritis during the neonatal period. METHODS: Clinical symptoms and laboratory results(quantitative organic acid analysis, routine chemistry, arterial blood gas analysis, serum ammonia) of seven patients admitted at the Samsung Medical Center, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Wonju Christian Hospital and Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, referred from Jan. 2005 to Apr. 2005, were analysed retrospectively. The major clinical symptoms were derived from the patients' clinical records sended with urine samples and quantification of organic acids were done with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The mean age of seven cases is 18 days and the major preceding symptoms were gastrointestinal symptoms(vomiting, diarrhea, refusal to feeding). The major clinical symptoms were clouded conciousness, repiratory difficulty, vomiting, seizures, and diarrhea. One patient died; that patient's serum ammonia was twenty times higher than normal. CONCLUSION: The seven patients were neonates. Reye syndrome has been known to be closely related with upper respiratory infections as a preceding disease and to internal use of aspirin, but in our study, the major preceding disease of the seven cases was gastrointestinal infection and none of these used aspirin.
Ammonia ; Aspirin ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Chemistry ; Chromatography, Gas ; Diarrhea ; Disulfiram ; Enteritis* ; Gangwon-do ; Heart ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Mass Spectrometry ; Prevalence ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Retrospective Studies ; Reye Syndrome* ; Seizures ; Vomiting