PURPOSE: Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children around the world. The aim of this study is to investigate the fat content in stools of patients with rotaviral enteritis compared to the stools of children who had no gastroenteritis. METHODS: Seventy two patients who were admitted to Konkuk University Hospital, College of Medicine from Jun 2001 to May 2002 due to rotaviral enteritis and seventy five patients who were admitted at the same time with other diseases with no gastrointestinal problems as control, were enrolled in this study. The age of patients was from one month to five years. The average age of children with rotaviral enteritis was 17+/-11 months and the average age of control patients was 14+/-15 months. Fat content of stools was investigated by acid steatocrit tests in both patients with rotaviral enteritis and control. RESULTS: Acid steatocrit value of patients with rotaviral enteritis was higher than that of control patients. There was no difference in acid steatocrit value of children with rotaviral enteritis among the age groups. In one month- to six month-old infants, there was no difference in acid steatocrit values between the children with rotaviral enteritis and control patients. But, over the age of seven months, the acid steatocrit value of children with rotaviral enteritis was higher than that of control patients. CONCLUSIONS: We are of the opinion that fat malabsorption in patients with rotaviral enteritis and steatorrhea in rotaviral enteritis may result from decreased fat absorption in the small intestine.
Absorption ; Child* ; Enteritis* ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Infant ; Intestine, Small ; Rotavirus ; Steatorrhea

The role of cerebral revascularization in the treatment of ischemic stroke has been incompletely investigated. Ten patients with middle cerebral artery occlusion or stenosis and four patients with internal carotic artery occlusion or stenosis underwent superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery(STA-MCA) bypass surgery in the setting of acute neurological deficits, crescendo transient ischemic attacks(TIA'S), or recent completed stroke(CS). Early STA-MCA anastomosis was remarkably helpful in the setting of acute cerebral ischemia and crescendo TIA'S for their symptomatic relief. In addition, low flow revascularization were performed safely and also contributed to stabilization or slight reduction of the neurological deficit enen in CS. However, further controlled randomized studies are indicated.
Arteries ; Brain Ischemia ; Cerebral Revascularization ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; Stroke*

PURPOSE: The gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) is widely used to treat patients with precocious puberty. However, its effect on growth is often difficult to predict because of the diverse nature of its causes and presentation. This study aims to show the impact of GnRHa treatment on insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) secretion, growth, and on other parameters that may help estimate the height velocity. METHODS: Data from 60 girls (mean age, 8.8+/-0.7 years) treated with GnRHa were analyzed. Their height, bone age (BA), serum IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 concentrations were measured at the start and after a year of GnRHa treatment. To eliminate the confounding effect of chronological age (CA), the standard deviation scores (SDSs) of their height, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 concentrations according to their CA at the start and after a year of GnRHa treatment were calculated. We looked for possible correlations between these variables and compared the subgroups based on their height velocities and midparental heights. RESULTS: During their one-year GnRHa therapy, height SDS for CA significantly decreased to 0.81+/-0.83 (P<0.001), but height SDS for BA increased to -0.28+/-0.68 (P<0.001). There was no significant change in serum IGF-I SDS, IGFBP-3 SDS, and IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio. The advanced BA was the factor most strongly correlated to the height velocity (R=0.265, P=0.041). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that GnRHa treatment may affect the height velocity due to mechanisms other than suppression of the IGF-I and IGFBP-3 secretory axis.
Axis ; Body Height* ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Puberty, Precocious

Macrodystrophia lipomatosa is a rare congenital disease characterized by and increase in all mesenchymal elements, particularly fibroadipose tissue. We experienced a case of surgically proven macrodystrophia lipomatosa of index finger in a 44-year-old male. MR imaging showed hypertrophy of fibroadipose tissue that characterizesthis condition.
Adult ; Fingers ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male

PURPOSE: Epidemiological data indicate that obesity is a risk factor in asthma, however effects related to obesity and adipokines on airway inflammation and bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) have not yet been demonstrated in the human airway. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum adipokine levels and BHR to mannitol in asthmatic children. METHODS: Serum adipokine levels were measured and pulmonary function tests were perfomed: baseline, postbronchodilator inhalation, methacholine inhalation, and mannitol inhalation. The response to mannitol was expressed as the dose causing a 15% decrease in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (PD15), and as the response-dose ratio (RDR) (% fall in FEV1/cumulative dose). RESULTS: Sixty-nine prepubertal children between the ages of 6 and 10 years were participated in the study. They comprised asthmatic children (n=40) and healthy (n=29). Twenty-two subjects (55.5%) with asthma had a positive mannitol bronchial provocation test (BPT) result. The body mass index (BMI) was higher in those asthmatics with positive mannitol BPTs than in asthmatics with negative mannitol BPTs and in the control group (19.30 kg/m2 vs. 17.60 kg/m2 vs. 17.93 kg/m2, P=0.035, P=0.046). Serum leptin levels were also significantly higher in asthmatics with positive mannitol BPTs than in asthmatics with negative mannitol BPTs and in the control group (10.58 ng/mL vs. 5.49 ng/mL vs. 6.75 ng/mL, P=0.002, P=0.016). Leptin values were significantly associated with a PD15 (r=-0.498, P=0.022) and RDR to mannitol (r=0.346, P=0.033) in asthmatic children after adjustment for BMI. CONCLUSION: Serum leptin levels were significantly associated with BHR to mannitol in asthmatic children.
Adipokines ; Asthma ; Body Mass Index ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Child* ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Inhalation ; Leptin* ; Mannitol* ; Methacholine Chloride ; Obesity ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: Recently, component-resolved diagnosis (CRD) using microarray technology has been introduced to the field of clinical allergy. This study was aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of microarray-based IgE detection for diagnosing clinical raw fruit allergy in birch pollen-sensitized children. METHODS: Thirty-one children with allergic disease who had been sensitized to pollen were studied. A pollen-sensitized patient was defined as having an allergen-specific history with concomitant positive skin-prick tests (SPTs) to natural allergen extracts or positive allergen-specific IgE. All subjects underwent SPTs for pollen and fruit. In all subjects, specific IgE to pollen and fruit were measured by ImmunoCAP. Specific IgE antibodies to allergen components were determined by a customized allergen microarray (ISAC). RESULTS: Thirteen of the 31 patients (41.9%) had a history of fruit hypersensitivity with positive SPTs. Measuring IgE to allergen components by ISAC, all the 13 patients with fruit hypersensitivity were positive to at least one of Mal d 1, Pru p 1, Pru p 3, Act d 8, and Act d 2 compared to 12 of the 13 patients (92.3%) who had at least 1 positive IgE to fruits (apple, peach, and kiwi) using ImmunoCAP. The sensitivity of ISAC microarray was 100.0% for the diagnosis of fruit hypersensitivity, but its specificity was 27.7% (5/18). The sensitivity of ImmunoCAP was 92.3%, and its specificity was 83.3%. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of allergen components tested using microarray for the diagnosis of clinical fruit hypersensitivity in children with pollen allergy was high; however, its specificity was low.
Antibodies ; Betula* ; Child* ; Diagnosis* ; Fruit* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Immunoglobulin E ; Pollen* ; Prunus persica ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal

PURPOSE: Dysregulated cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) synthesis is prominent in exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). Secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) plays a key regulatory role in the biosynthesis of CysLTs. We previously found that serum leptin levels correlate with (EIB) in children with asthma. The aim of this study was to address the relationship between plasma sPLA2/leptin levels and EIB. METHODS: Sixty-seven prepubertal children between the ages of 6 and 10 years were included in the study. They were asthmatics with EIB (n=25), asthmatics without EIB (n=21), and healthy subjects (n=21). We measured the plasma sPLA2 and leptin levels. We also performed pulmonary function tests at baseline, after bronchodilator inhalation, and after exercise. RESULTS: The sPLA2 and leptin levels were significantly higher in asthmatics with EIB than in those without and control subjects. In addition, sPLA2 levels were significantly correlated with body mass index (Speraman correlation coefficient r=0.343, P=0.023) and leptin levels (partial correlation coefficient r=318, P=0.033). The maximum decrease in % forced expiratory volume in 1 second after exercise was significantly correlated with both PLA2 levels (r=0.301, P=0.041) and leptin levels (r=0.346, P=0.018). CONCLUSION: The sPLA2 and leptin levels were significantly higher in asthmatics with EIB than in asthmatics without EIB and control subjects. In addition, sPLA2 levels were significantly correlated with leptin levels and EIB in asthmatic children.
Asthma ; Body Mass Index ; Bronchoconstriction* ; Child* ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Leptin* ; Phospholipases A2* ; Plasma* ; Respiratory Function Tests

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of liver injury after injection of ethanol, hot normal saline and hot hypertonic saline into normal rat liver. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty white rats weighing 200-300g were used. There were three groups (ethanol, hot normal saline, and hot hypertonic saline), and these were divided into subgroups (5 rats in each) according to amount of injected material and duration. Under either anesthesia, each drug (ethanol -0.05ml, 0.1ml, 0.2ml ; hot normal saline -0.1ml, 0.2ml, 0.4ml ; hot hypertonic saline -0.1ml, 0.2ml, 0.4ml ) was introduced directly into the liver. Pathologic specimens were obtained 7 and 14 days after injection. RESULTS: With regard to histologic change after 7 days, the ethanol group showed less tissue damage such as coagulation necrosis and inflammatory infiltration-than the hot saline group. There was however, no significant difference among the three groups in tissue damage 14 days. Nor was there any significant histologic difference between the different saline concentration groups. CONCLUSION: Histologically, there was no significant difference among the three groups in tissue damage at 14 days, and it is suggested that this is due to irreversible change in damaged tissue. Tissue damage was caused mainly by the high temperature of saline rather than by high osmolarity.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; Ethanol* ; Liver* ; Necrosis ; Osmolar Concentration ; Rats*

In this study, we investigated the molecular characteristics of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates that were recovered from an outbreak in a Korean hospital. A new multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for K. pneumoniae based on five housekeeping genes was developed and was evaluated for 43 ESBL-producing isolates from an outbreak as well as 38 surveillance isolates from Korea and also a reference strain. Overall, a total of 37 sequence types (STs) and six clonal complexes (CCs) were identified among the 82 K. pneumoniae isolates. The result of MLST analysis was concordant with that of pulsedfield gel electrophoresis. Most of the outbreak isolates belonged to a certain clone (ST2), and they produced SHV-1 and CTX-M14 enzymes, which was a different feature from that of the K. pneumoniae isolates from other Korean hospitals (ST20 and SHV-12). We also found a different distribution of CCs between ESBL-producing and -nonproducing K. pneumoniae isolates. The MLST method we developed in this study could provide unambiguous and well-resolved data for the epidemiologic study of K. pneumoniae. The outbreak isolates showed different molecular characteristics from the other K. pneumoniae isolates from other Korean hospitals.
Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Klebsiella pneumoniae/*classification/enzymology/genetics/isolation & purification ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; beta-Lactamases/*biosynthesis ; Mycobacteria, Atypical/*drug effects/genetics/isolation & purification

Organ specific autoimmune diseases may occur in the same individual. Type III polyglandular autoimmune disease is defined by the occurrence in the same individual of two or more of the following: autoimmune thyroid disease, pernicious anemia, insulin dependent diabetes, and other organ specific autoimmune diseases not falling into class I or class II categories. A 16-year-old girl developed pernicious anemia during the treatment of Graves' disease. She was diagnosed with Graves' disease 5 years ago and had received methimazole 20 mg/day, but the medication was not well tolerated. Bone marrow findings were compatible with pernicious anemia as macrocytic normochromic red blood cell (RBC) and increased megakaryocyte. The serum value of vitamin B12 was low, and the serum titer of antibody to gastric parietal cell was high. After diagnosis of pernicious anemia, she had treatment by monthly intramuscular vitamin B12 and methimazole (20 mg/day). The values of hemoglobin and RBC indices as well as thyroid function were normalized after 2 months. Vitamin B12 therapy was maintained for 1 year with normal RBC indices. At present, she dose not receive treatment with vitamin B12 but she does receive methimazole treatment. We report a case of treatment of pernicious anemia in a 16 year-old girl during treatment for Graves disease.
Adolescent ; Anemia, Pernicious ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Bone Marrow ; Child ; Erythrocytes ; Graves Disease ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Insulin ; Megakaryocytes ; Methimazole ; Parietal Cells, Gastric ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Vitamin B 12