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

Rats were studied during 45 minutes treadmill exercise to determine the effects of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia on the utilization of cardiac muscle glycogen, and the utilization of diaphragm muscle glycogen was also studied for comparing to cardiac muscle. The hyperglycemia was produced by ingestion of 25% glucose solution(1ml/100gm, BW) and the hyperlipidemia by 10% intralipose ingestion(1ml/100gm, BW) with intraperitoneal injection of heparin(500 IU) 15 minutes before treadmill exercise. The mean blood glucose concentrations(mg/dL) in control and hyperglycemic rats were 110 and 145, respectively, and the mean plasma free fatty acid concentrations(micronEq/L) in control, control exercise(control-E) and hyperlipidemia exercise(HL-E) rats were 247, 260 and 444, respectively. In the hyperglycemic trial, the cardiac muscle glycogen concentration was not significantly decreased by the exercise but the concentration in control rats was decreased to 73.9%(p<0.05). The glycogen concentration of diaphragm was significantly decreased in both groups by the exercise, but the hyperglycemia decreased the glycogen utilization by approximately 10% compared to the control. The cardiac muscle glycogen concentration was not decreased by the exercise in control and hyperlipidemic rats but the utilization of glycogen in hyperlipidemic rats is lower than that of the control. These data illustrate the sparing effect of hyperglycemia on cardiac muscle glycogen usage during exercise, but the effect of hyperlipidemia was not conclusive. In the skeletal muscle, the usage of glycogen by exercise was spared by both hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Diaphragm ; Eating ; Glucose ; Glycogen* ; Hyperglycemia* ; Hyperlipidemias* ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myocardium* ; Plasma ; Rats*

Diaphragm is though to play the most role in breathing and has a substantially greater proportion of slow oxidative and fast glycolytic fibers, and low proportion of fast oxidative fibers. The respiratory muscle, diaphragm, has the functional characteristics of slow speed of contraction, high resistance to fatigue and the ability to respond to intermittent ventilatory loads, for example of exercise. In the present study, the characteristics of the metabolism (depletion and repletion) of glycogen and the structural changes of diaphragm during depletion and repletion of glycogen were observed in rats. For comparison, the red gastrocnemius muscle which has a greater proportion of fast oxidative glycolytic (FOG) and slow oxidative (SO) fibers, and low proportion of fast glycolytic (FG) fiber, was also studied. The glycogen concentration of diaphragm in overnight fasted rats was 2.30+/-0.14mg/gm wet weight. The values of glycogen concentration at 60, 90 and 120minutes of treadmill exercise loaded rats was significantly decreased compared to that of the overnight fasted rats. There was no significant difference among the glycogen concentration of diaphragm at 60, 90 and 120minutes of exercises. The glycogen concentration of diaphragm was decreased to 1.12+/-0.17 from 2.30+/-0.14mg/gm wet weight by treadmill exercise. The glycogen depletion rats of diaphragm during exercise was faster than that of red gastrocnemius in both of the first 60minutes and 120minutes duration of exercise. The glycogen repletion of diaphragm after intragastric glucose administration by stomach tube was studied in control and exercise groups. The glycogen concentration was significantly increased after glucose administration in both of the control and exercise groups. All of the concentration of exercise group at 60, 120 and 180minutes after glucose administration was significantly higher than those of control group. In conclusion, one of the characterics of diaphragm in glycogen metabolism is fast glycogen depletion during exercise, and slowness of glycogen repletion after glucose ingestion in rats.
Rats ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: Appropriate antituberculosis chemotherapy may not prevent occurrence or progression of tracheobronchial stenosis and obstruction in the patients with endobronchial tuberculosis. The effect of corticosteroid treatment combined with antituberculosis chemotherapy was inconclusive. We evaluated prospectively the effect of corticosteroid treatment. METHODS: We diagnosed endobronchial tuberculosis by bronchoscopic examination and bronchial biopsy in the patients of tuberculosis within one month of antituberculosis chemotherapy. After randomization, we prescribed isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide with or without prednisolone 40 mg for 4 weeks. We carried out bronchoscopy in second month and ninth month of treatment. RESULTS: Edematous endobronchial tuberculosis showed significant improvement of bronchial stenosis after corticosteroid treatment(p<0.05). Corticosteroid treatment did not have advantage of improvement of bronchial stenosis in the patients with infiltrative endobronchial tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: Corticosteroid is effective in the treatment of bronchial stenosis when endobronchial tuberculosis is edematous type, in the early period of antituberculosis chemotherapy.
Biopsy ; Bronchoscopy ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Drug Therapy ; Ethambutol ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Prednisolone ; Prospective Studies ; Pyrazinamide ; Random Allocation ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis*

OBJECTIVES: Culture of sputum is apt to be contaminated through oral cavity and proximal airway. Therefore, identification of true etiologic agents by sputum culture is not always reliable. In order to differentiate the pulmonary infection from non-infectious disease and to identify the true etiologic agent of acute pulmonary infection, we used PSB(Protected Specimen Brushing) and evaluated the efficacy of PSB. METHODS: In 168 patients with acute febrile illness with pulmonary infiltrations(male 106, female: 61, mean age: 49.5+/-17.6), we performed PSB via a bronchoscope and compared the results along with blood culture and sputum culture. Protected specimen brush was introduced through biopsy channel of bronchoscope and was rotated within the purulent secretions. Tip of the brush was severed with aseptic technique and was immersed in 1cc of Ringer's lactate solution and vigorously mixed for 1 minute. The specimen was submitted for quantitative culture within 15 minutes and was regarded positive culture if colony forming units were above 10(3)/ml. RESULTS: Using PSB for the diagnosis of pulmonary infection, sensitivity was 71.1% and specificity was 84.296. PSB was helpful in identifing true etiologic agent among several potentially pathogenic organisms. Using PSB for the diagnosis of UAP (ventilator associated pneumonia), sensitivity was 72.4% and specificity was 100%. CONCLUSION: Use of PSB can be a helpful method for the diagnosis of pulmonary infection and identification of its etiologic agents.
Biopsy ; Bronchoscopes ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Mouth ; Pneumonia ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum ; Stem Cells

The purpose of the present study was to determine the preventive effects of combined interventional trial of fish oil treatment and exercise training on insulin resistance of skeletal muscle in high-fat fed rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into chow diet (CD), high-fat diet (HF), high-fat diet with fish oil (FO), high-fat diet with exercise training (EX), and FO+EX groups. The rats in control group were fed chow diet containing, as percents of calories, 58.9% carbohydrate, 12.4% fat, and 28.7% protein. High-fat diet provided 32% energy as lard, 18% as corn oil, 27% as carbohydrate and 23% as casein. The fish oil diet had the same composition as the high fat diet except that 100 g menhaden oil was substituted for corn oil. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by in vitro glucose transport in the soleus muscle after diet treatment and treadmill running for 4 weeks. While the FO or EX only partially prevented insulin resistance on glucose transport and visceral obesity induced by high-fat diet, these interventions completely corrected hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia from the high-fat diet. The rats in the FO+EX showed normalized insulin action on glucose transport, plasma chemicals and visceral fat mass. Insulin-mediated glucose transport was negatively associated with total visceral fat mass (r=-0.734; p<0.000), plasma triglyceride (r=-0.403; p<0.05) and lepin (r=-0.583; p<0.001) concentrations with significance. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that only total visceral fat mass was independently associated with insulin-mediated glucose transport (r=-0.668; p<0.000). In conclusion, combined interventional trial of FO+EX recovered insulin resistance on glucose transport of skeletal muscle induced by high-fat diet. Visceral fat mass might be more important factor than plasma TG and leptin to induce insulin resistance on glucose transport of skeletal muscle in high-fat fed rats.
Animals ; Caseins ; Corn Oil ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat* ; Glucose* ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Hyperinsulinism ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin* ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Leptin ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal* ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Rats, Wistar ; Running ; Triglycerides

Clear cell sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor representing about 1% of soft tissue tumors. It usually presents in the distal extremities of young adults, frequently attached to tendons or aponeuroses. This slowly progressive tumor tends to recur and results in eventual development of metastatic growth. Early recognition of the disease and prompt wide excision of tumor are essential to get a favorable outcome. We report a rare case of clear cell sarcoma in a 57 year-old female who presented with an erythematous hard nodule on her abdomen.
Abdomen ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Sarcoma, Clear Cell ; Tendons ; Young Adult

We report a first case of meningitis due to listeria monocytogenes after cardiac transplantation in Korea. This patient is a 40-year-old man with Dilated cardiomyopathy, he presented with intermittent dyspnea and abdominal distension for about 1 year. After cardiac transplantation, he was treated with azathioprine, cyclosporine and prednisolone for graft rejection. He was presented with intermittent fever, headache and lethargy for about 10days after cardiac transplantation. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from blood culture and CSF culture. He was treated with intravenous penicillin G for 10days successfully and changed with ampicillin for 10days, took oral ampicillin for 10days without any complication after discharge.
Adult ; Ampicillin ; Azathioprine ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Cyclosporine ; Dyspnea ; Fever ; Graft Rejection ; Headache ; Heart Transplantation* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Korea ; Lethargy ; Listeria monocytogenes* ; Listeria* ; Meningitis* ; Penicillin G ; Prednisolone

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to obtain sex- and age-specific reference level for hearing threshold of normal aging in Korean and to determine if the rate of change in pure-tone hearing thresholds differed by sex. METHODS: Subjects were clients who visited the Health Promotion Center, Daegu Fatima Hospital, Daegu, Korea, from January 2004 to September 2005. Pure-tone audiometric measures were obtained from 3,470 subjects who also completed a hearing questionnaire. The slope of a linear regression was used to estimate the rate of change in pure-tone thresholds at 0.25 to 8 kHz for each ear in 214 men and 902 women without past history of otorrhea, usage of ototoxic drugs, head injury, job in noisy environment, and military service. RESULTS: Hearing thresholds were elevated with age in all test frequencies. Significant sex differences were found in pure-tone thresholds at 4 and 8 kHz after adjusting for age using analysis of covariance. In those high frequencies, hearing was worse in men than in women. The average rate of change in threshold was 0.28 and 0.24 dB per year at 0.25 kHz, increasing gradually to 1.27 and 1.05 dB per year at 8 kHz for men and women, respectively. Men had significantly faster rates of threshold increase at 4 and 8 kHz than women. CONCLUSION: These cross-sectional measures of hearing levels and rate of threshold increases at 4 and 8 kHz showed significant sex differences in Korean men and women with little evidence of noise-induced hearing loss.
Aging ; Auditory Threshold ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Ear ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Sex Characteristics ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: In some instances, thyroid cancer may be diagnosed only after resection of a putative or suspected benign nodule. In these cases a complete thyroidectomy is usually recommended to prevent recurrence. We analyzed the frequency of malignancy in the contralateral lobe after a complete thyroidectomy, and assessed the factors that may predict the presence of a malignancy, which might necessitate a complete thyroidectomy. METHODS: Between 1995 and 2001, 65 patients, who initially underwent a lobectomy and isthmectomy, but were finally diagnosed with differentiated thyroid carcinoma, underwent complete thyroidectomies. Their mean age was 39.8 +/- 12.4 years, ranging, 14 to 71 years. After initial surgery, 45 proved to have follicular carcinomas, 18 papillary carcinomas, 1 medullary and 1 insular carcinoma. The mean tumor size was 4.0 +/- 1.8 cm, ranging from 0.3 to 8.5 cm. After a complete thyroidectomy, the presence of a tumor the at contralateral lobe was assessed according to clinical parameters and the pathological findings in the ipsilateral lobe. RESULTS: The first surgeries revealed tumor multifocality in 27 cases, perithyroidal tumor extension in 4 and lymph node metastasis in 1. On completion of the thyroidectomy, 22 of the 65 patients had a malignancy in the contralateral lobe. Age, sex, size or the pathological primary tumor type, were not associated with the presence of additional tumors at the contralateral lobe. Tumor multifocality at the first surgery was the only significant variable to predict the presence of a tumor in the contralateral lobe. CONCLUSION: When thyroid cancer is diagnosed after ipsilateral surgery, the only predictive factor for the presence of a contralateral tumor was multifocality. We believe that a complete thyroidectomy is mandatory in these cases.
Carcinoma, Papillary ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy*