Systemic air embolism occurs when air enters the pulmonary venous system as a result of a positive gradient caused by low pulmonary venous pressure or increased airway pressure, or both. Systemic air embolism has been frequently reported after penetrating thoracic trauma and can induce life-threatening complications. In blunt thoracic trauma, systemic air embolism has been rarely diagnosed. Because air embolism associated with blunt trauma is more insidious, diagnosis is usually not appreciated unless special circumstances allow discovery of air in major vessels or coronary arteries, such as during emergency resuscitative thoracotomy. We report a case of systemic air embolism in an 18-month-old girl after accidental thoracic blunt trauma and review related literature.
Child* ; Coronary Vessels ; Diagnosis ; Embolism, Air* ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Thoracotomy ; Venous Pressure

The purpose of this study was to assess the energy value of breakfast and its relation to total daily nutrient intake and serum lipid. Dietary intakes were evaluated through the 3-day dietary recalls(interview for 1day and self-report for 2 days) from 333 Korean urban adults aged 20-49 year. Serum lipids in fasting blood samples were measured form 98 of those 333 adults. Low energy breakfast(<15% of daily energy intake) was consumed by 22.6% of males and 18.5% of females. 59.4 of males and 43.3% of females consumed a breakfast of average energy intake(15-25% daily energy intake) ; and 18.1 of males and 38.2% of females consumed a significant contribution to a total daily nutrient intake. The daily nutrient intake except crude fiber and vitamin A, B, B, and C in males and except vitamin C in females significantly increased as the energy value of breakfast increased. The differences in energy and nutrient intakes at breakfast were not made up for by other meals. To make matters worse, the satisfactory-energy breakfast group took more energy at dinner compared with the low-energy and average-energy breakfast group took more energy at dinner compared with the low-energy and average-energy breakfast groups in females. Among serum lipid parameters, TG was negatively correlated with energy provided at breakfast, and total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol had a negative correlation with energy and carbohydrates provided at breakfast in males. For females TG was positively correlated with the ratio of carbohydrates to energy at breakfast but negatively correlated with the ratio of fat to energy at breakfast. These results suggest that satisfactory energy intakes at breakfast have positive effects on the adequacy of daily nutrient intake and may positively affect the serum lipid status.
Adult* ; Ascorbic Acid ; Breakfast* ; Carbohydrates ; Cholesterol ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meals ; Vitamin A

The purpose of this study is to examine how nutritionists, principals and parents evaluated the importance and priorities of different selection factors for food materials suppliers in an attempt to suggest how to ensure the best supplier choice, since the selection of the best supplier was mandatory for the successful TQM of school food services. This study especially aims to develop priority alternatives based on relative rather than absolute assignments on selection of suppliers for school food service materials. To apply AHP, the selection factors of a food materials suppliers were grouped into five categories, which included quality, service, reliability, hygiene and price. And the five categories involved 28 elements. As the result, quality was considered most crucial on the whole, followed by service, reliability, hygiene and price; and food labeling in the category of quality evaluated as that of first priority in the totality evaluation elements.
Dietary Sucrose ; Food Labeling ; Food Services ; Humans ; Hydroxyproline ; Hygiene ; Parents

PURPOSE: Acute diarrhea in young children is a major problem in pediatric hospitals worldwide. We evaluated the clinical efficacy of orally administered Lactobacillus acidophilus in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children. METHODS: From September 2002 to July 2003 at National Police Hospital 41 children aged 3 months to 5 years with acute diarrhea were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomized to one of two groups to receive either 0.5 x 10(8) colony forming unit (CFU) of L. acidophilus or matching placebo on admission and every 8 hours during hospitalization. RESULTS: The mean duration of diarrhea in all 41 children was decreased (p=0.001) in the L. acidophilus (40.5 hours) group compared to the placebo (56.6 hours) group. Stool frequency was also reduced (p=0.01) on the 3rd day in the L. acidophilus group. Rotavirus was identified in 58% of the patients. The decrease of duration of diarrhea was more significant in rotavirus-negative patients (p=0.002) compared to the rotavirus-positive patients (p=0.027). CONCLUSION: L. acidophilus shows to be an effective therapeutic agent in acute diarrhea in children. Further studies are needed to confirm the present findings.
Child* ; Diarrhea* ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, Pediatric ; Humans ; Lactobacillus acidophilus* ; Lactobacillus* ; Police ; Probiotics ; Rotavirus ; Stem Cells

The incidence of endobronchial tumor in the pediatric period is very rare and the symptoms are very close to those of respiratory tract infection. Diagnosis can be delayed because of low clinical suspicion and the many ways in which these tumors can present. We report the first case, in Korea, of a pulmonary carcinoid tumor that presented with recurrent pneumonia at the same location in adolescence. Treatment is surgical and geared towards complete resection while sparing healthy lung parenchyma. Long-term and careful follow up is recommended to detect local and distant metastasis.
Adolescent* ; Carcinoid Tumor* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pneumonia* ; Respiratory Tract Infections

The purpose of this research was to understand how individuals reflect on the frequency and quantity of foods that they consume. Participants selected 5 males and 15 females aged 30 years or older were first interviewed on the frequency of their food consumption. Then based on this data, they were given a cognitive interview using the method of verbal proving. The individual cognitive interviews were recorded with consent while being conducted after complete approval by the Seoul National University Institution Review Board. The recorded material was evaluated using a thematic analysis after transcribing them into text. By analyzing stages of reflection, the major barriers to make the device difficult are revealed: 1) More difficulty in remembering events over the course of a full year due to diversification in the types of food that people consume 2) difficulty calculating the average for seasonal foods 3) difficulty estimating the amount of consumption from the photos presented 4) difficulty estimating amount of consumption from the quantity presented 5) difficulty processing foods that people think are healthy and foods are unhealthy simultaneously 6) difficulty having to consider foods where target food goes in as an ingredient; 7) difficulties arising from having to increase frequency when the amount consumed is higher than the quantity that is presented 8) difficulty having to combine the frequency and quantity of each food item when numerous foods are clustered into one category. These findings show that the less participants were involved in cooking, the more diverse their eating habits were, and the more they tried to adhere to rules of filling out the questionnaire, the more it was difficult for them to come up with an answer to the question being asked. It therefore seems necessary to construct a Food Frequency questionnaire that is attentive to these problems that arise from the recall stages.
Cooking ; Eating ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires* ; Seasons ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of dialysis on the autonomic and peripheral nerve function has been a subject of considerable debate. In addition, no longitudinal study on the course of uremic neuropathy in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) during dialysis has been reported. We carried out a prospective study to investigate the effect of dialysis on the autonomic and peripheral nerve function during the first 12 months of dialysis. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with ESRD (14 on HD and 11 on CAPD; 11 diabetic and 14 non- diabetic) were enrolled. Autonomic nerve function test and median nerve conduction velocity study were done at the initiation of dialysis and then repeated after 12 months of dialysis. RESULTS: At the initiation of dialysis, sympathetic nerve function and parasympathetic nerve function were abnormal in all HD and CAPD patients. After 12 months of dialysis, no significant changes occurred in autonomic function test. There was no significant difference in autonomic function test between HD and CAPD patients. There was no significant difference in median nerve conduction velocity between HD and CAPD patients after 12 months of dialysis. At the initiation of dialysis, 6 of 11 diabetic and 4 of 14 non-diabetic patients had abnormal median nerve conduction velocity. After 12 months of dialysis, normalization of median nerve conduction velocity occurred only in 3 non-diabetic patients. There was a singinficant difference in median nerve conduction velocity between diabetic and non-diabetic patients after 12 months of dialysis. CONCLUSION: We conclude that dialysis does not significantly alter the autonomic nerve function during the first 12 months of dialysis, but may improve the peripheral nerve function in non-diabetic uremic patients.
Autonomic Pathways ; Dialysis* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Longitudinal Studies ; Median Nerve ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Prospective Studies

PURPOSE: The outcomes of a surgical approach for patients with an esophageal carcinoma remain unsatisfactory despite its high complication rates. We conducted a phase II trial, using combined FP (5-fluorouracil and cisplatin) chemotherapy and concurrent radiotherapy, as a definitive therapy for patients with esophageal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with histologically proven esophageal cancer were enrolled onto this study. The treatment consisted of four courses of chemotherapy and six and a half weeks of radiotherapy. The patients received chemotherapy in weeks 1, 5, 12 and 16 (5-fluorouracil 1, 000 mg/m2 on days 1 to 4 and cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 1). Radiotherapy was administered at a dose of 59.4 Gy, in five 1.8 Gy fractions a week. RESULTS: A total of 22 eligible patients entered the study. Of the 19 evaluable patients, a complete response occurred in 7 (37%), and a partial response in 8 (42%). After a median follow-up of 35 months, the overall survival rate was 32% at three years and the median survival was 11 months. Fourteen (64%) received planned dose of radio-therapy and 13 (59%) received more than three courses of chemotherapy. However, there was no difference in three-year survival rates between the patients that received less than three courses of chemotherapy and those that received three or more courses (31% vs. 32%). The major treatment related toxicity was mucositis, which developed in every patient, with grades III or IV in thirteen (59%) patients. During the treatment, the patients lost, on average, 3.8% of their body weight. The mean hospital stay was 23 days, with a total duration of treatment of 74 days. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent FP chemoradiotherapy was effective as a definitive therapy for patients with esophageal cancer. The major toxicity was mucositis. Although the treatment was relatively feasible, a randomized trial of reduced courses of chemotherapy is warranted.
Body Weight ; Chemoradiotherapy* ; Cisplatin ; Drug Therapy ; Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Mucositis ; Radiotherapy ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to clarify the role of acute alcohol use and alcohol use disorder in individuals exhibiting suicidal behaviors, including repetition of suicide attempt. METHODS: Data pertaining to 691 suicide attempters who had visited an emergency center and had been followed-up from 2010 to 2015 were gathered. Participants were categorized into following three groups according to alcohol use pattern at the time of the suicide attempt: 1) suicide attempters with neither alcohol use disorder nor acute alcohol consumption (NAU), 2) suicide attempters who had used alcohol during the suicide attempt but did not have alcohol use disorder (AAU), and 3) suicide attempters with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Group comparisons and multivariate Cox proportional models for suicidal behavior were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: AUD have been shown to have lower lethality of suicide attempt but higher risk of suicide reattempts in the future. Furthermore, positive relationships between suicide reattempts and AUD persisted throughout the longer period than other groups. CONCLUSION Suicide attempters with AUD should be considered a high-risk group for suicide reattempts in future, and this group should be followed-up for a longer period with specialized care program.

PURPOSE: A phase II study was conducted in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in order to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the combination chemotherapy regimen of mitomycin C, vinorelbine, and cisplatin (MVrP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 1996 and December 2000, fifty-nine patients with unresectable stage IIIB to IV, pathologically documented NSCLC were enrolled in this study. One cycle consisted of mitomycin C 10 mg/m2 i.v. day 1, vinorelbine 30 mg/m2 i.v. days 1 & 15, and cisplatin 80 mg/m2 i.v day 1 and the next cycle consisted of vinorelbine 30 mg/m2 i.v. days 29 & 43, and cisplatin 80 mg/m2 i.v day 29. Each cycle was alternated and treatments were repeated every 8 weeks. RESULTS: We were able to evaluate fifty-three of 59 patients. Objective responses were seen in 22 (41.5%) patients (CR 0%, PR 41.5%). The median duration of response was 13.7 weeks and the median time to progression was 17.7 weeks. The median overall survival was 45.6 weeks. There was a significantly longer survival seen in responders (p=0.041). The toxicities of this regimen were acceptable without treatment related toxic death. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a combination regimen of mitomycin C, vinorelbine, and cisplatin is relatively effective and well tolerated for the treatment of advanced NSCLC.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Cisplatin* ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Humans ; Mitomycin*