BACKGROUND: This study aims to obtain basic data regarding the proper maintenance and potential role of humidifiers in the development of nosocomial pneumonia. We investigated into a spectrum of bacteria that grew after disinfection in humidifiers that were used in intensive care units (ICUs). The bacteria were isolated at different time points after disinfection. METHODS: We randomly selected 6 humidifiers that were used in an ICU and conducted a series of bacterial culture studies at 24 hr, 48 hr, 72 hr and 168 hr after disinfecting the six humidifiers. The fluid from the humidifider was cultured in the same manner as the dialysate. RESULTS: No bacteria were isolated in most of the 6 humidifiers 24 hr after the disinfection of the instruments. Gram-negative bacilli such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Burkholderia cepacia, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia were cultured at 48 hr after disinfection. CONCLUSION: Regular and thorough disinfection of humidifiers is necessary to prevent possible spread of infection via humidifiers in the ICU.
Acinetobacter baumannii ; Bacteria ; Burkholderia cepacia ; Disinfection ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Pneumonia ; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

No abstract available.
Hysterectomy*

The rapid COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test using Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 and the conventional COVID-19 PCR test using Standard M nCoV Detection were compared after matching for sex, age, and hospitalization period. The rapid COVID-19 PCR test group exhibited shorter turnaround time and emergency department stay.

BACKGROUND: Eruptive syringoma is a very rare variant of syringoma and arises most frequently on the anterior trunk of young people. Because eruptive syringoma represents clinically a very rare distinct entity, clinicopathologic studies rarely have been described in literature. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to characterize clinical and histopathologic findings of eruptive syringomas which were diagnosed by histopathologic examination for a 10 year period in Asan medical center. METHODS: The hospital records, clinical history, and biopsy slides of 13 eruptive syringoma were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 5 men(38%) and 8 women (62%) with the mean age of 31 years. The mean age of onset was 23 years and 3 patients(23%) presented the lesions before puberty. The most frequently involved sites were anterior trunk, axilla, upper extremities, neck, and face in descending order. The most common initial clinical diagnosis was verruca plana(38%). Most of the lesions did not show self-limiting course and several treatment modalities including oral isotretinoin or CO2 laser were not so effective. All cases showed characteristic histopathologic features of syringoma and 76% of them revealed increased basal melanin pigment or pigmentary incontinence. CONCLUSION: Eruptive syringoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of flat papular lesions by histopathologic examination and it may help to avoid inappropriate therapeutic approach.
Adolescent ; Age of Onset ; Axilla ; Biopsy ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Isotretinoin ; Lasers, Gas ; Melanins ; Neck ; Puberty ; Retrospective Studies ; Syringoma* ; Upper Extremity ; Warts

Benign symmetric lipomatosis is characterized by diffuse symmetric deposits of nonencapsulated fat, generally affecting the cervical and upper dorsal regions. There is a history of alcohol abuse in nearly all the cases. It is rarely reported in non-drinkers. Herein we report a 63-year-old man presenting with one year's history of multiple ill-defined symmetric soft mass on posterior neck, upper trunk and upper extremities without the history of alcohol abuse. We ad-ministered corticosteroid orally due to osteoarthritis of the knee for a long time.
Alcoholism ; Humans ; Knee ; Lipomatosis* ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Osteoarthritis ; Upper Extremity

PURPOSE: Liposarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma, and usually occurs on the thigh or in the retroperitoneal space, but rarely in the oral region. This report presents a case of liposarcoma of the cheek and includes a review of the literatures. METHODS: A 21-year-old woman was admitted with a palpable mass in her cheek of about two years duration, which increased in size gradually initially, but had increased rapidly over the three months. There was no particular pain or tenderness. MRI showed a well-enhanced, well-defined mass, which suspected to be hemangioma. RESULTS: The spherical, well-encapsulated mass was surgically excised. Biopsy results revealed myxoid liposarcoma. FDG PET-CT on the seventh postoperative day, revealed a minimal to mild FDG-uptake soft tissue lesion around the mass defect area without evidence of distant metastasis. The patient is being observed and undergoing radiation therapy. CONCLUSION: Liposarcoma in the head and neck region is a rare disease, and can be overlooked as a benign tumor without a pathologic diagnosis. Therefore, proper treatment and follow-up are required based on an understanding of this disease.
Biopsy ; Cheek ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Liposarcoma ; Liposarcoma, Myxoid ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Rare Diseases ; Retroperitoneal Space ; Sarcoma ; Thigh ; Young Adult

Further understanding of male human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is necessary to prevent infection in men, as well as transmission to women. In our current study, we investigated patterns of HPV infection and genotype distributions in male genital warts using the Anyplex II HPV28 Detection kit. We reviewed the medical records of 80 male patients who presented to 5 neighborhood clinics in Ulsan, Korea, for the treatment of genital warts between April 2014 and January 2015. All patients underwent HPV genotyping. The prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection were analyzed, and the patterns of HPV infection according to age were assessed. Among the study patients, 13 (16.3%) were negative for HPV infection, 46 (57.3%) were infected with low-risk HPV, and 21 (26.3%) were infected with high-risk HPV. Patients with multiple HPV infection were more likely to have high-risk HPV infection (P = 0.001). The prevalence of HPV infection was much higher in samples obtained by tissue excision due to a definite lesion (P = 0.001). There were no differences in high-risk HPV infection (P = 0.459), multiple HPV infection (P = 0.185), and recurrence at diagnosis (P = 0.178) according to age. HPV-6 and HPV-11 were the most common type overall (39.7% and 13.8%, respectively). HPV-16 and HPV-18 were the most common high-risk infections (both 3.4%). HPV infection is not only commonly encountered in male genital warts, but is also accompanied by high-risk HPV and multiple infections.
Adult ; Condylomata Acuminata/epidemiology/*pathology/virology ; DNA, Viral/genetics/metabolism ; Genotype ; Human papillomavirus 11/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Human papillomavirus 16/genetics/isolation & purification ; Human papillomavirus 18/genetics/isolation & purification ; Human papillomavirus 6/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: Seasonal variations in asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits have long been recognized. This study aimed to investigate the seasonal patterns of asthma in children and adolescents who presented at emergency departments in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed the National Emergency Department Information System records from 117 emergency departments in Korea that comprised all of the patients with asthma who were aged 3-18 years and who presented at the emergency departments from 2007 to 2012. The children and adolescents were divided into 3 groups based on their ages, namely, 3-6 years, 7-12 years, and 13-18 years. The data were tabulated, and graphs were created to show the seasonal trends in the monthly numbers of emergency department visits as a consequence of asthma. RESULTS: A total of 41,128 subjects were identified, and the male-to-female ratio was 1:0.5. General ward admissions comprised 42.6% (n=17,524 patients) of the emergency department visits, and intensive care unit admissions comprised 0.8% (n=335 patients) of the emergency department visits. The monthly numbers of emergency department visits for asthma varied according to the season, with high peaks during fall, which was from September to November, and low levels in summer, which was from June to August. CONCLUSIONS: Important differences in the seasonal patterns of emergency department visits for asthma were evident in children and adolescents. Identifying seasonal trends in asthma-related emergency department visits may help determine the causes and reduce the likelihood of asthma exacerbation.
Adolescent* ; Asthma* ; Child* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Epidemiology ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea* ; Patients' Rooms ; Seasons*

BACKGROUND: A recent advancement in microsurgery, the free flap is widely used in the reconstruction of the lower leg and foot. The simple and effective methods of local flaps, including transposition and advancement flaps, have been considered for patients with chronic debilitation who are unable to endure long surgical procedures or general anesthesia. However, the location and size of the wound may restrict the clinical application of a local flap. Under these circumstances, a sural flap can be an excellent alternative, rendering satisfying clinical outcomes in chronically debilitated patients. METHODS: Between 2008 and 2012, 39 patients underwent soft tissue defect treatment by sural artery flap as a final method. All of the patients had at least one chronic disease or more (diabetes, hypertension, vascular disease, etc.). Also, all of the patients had a history of chronic lower extremity ulceration, which revealed no response to several months of conservative treatment. RESULTS: The results of the 39 cases had a success rate of 100% with 39 complete recoveries. Nine cases suffered complications: partial necrosis (n=4), wound dehiscence without necrosis (n=3), hematoma (n=1), and infection (n=1). CONCLUSIONS: The sural artery flap is not only useful for the lower leg but also for the heel, and other various parts. Furthermore, it is a relatively simple surgical technique for reconstructing the defect area for patients with various chronic conditions with a high surgical risk or contraindications to surgery.
Anesthesia, General ; Arteries ; Chronic Disease ; Foot ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Heel ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Microsurgery ; Necrosis ; Organic Chemicals ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Surgical Flaps ; Ulcer ; Vascular Diseases

Clindamycin resistance in Staphylococcus species can be either constitutive or inducible. Inducible resistance cannot be detected by the conventional antimicrobial susceptibility test. In this study, we determined the prevalence of inducible clindamycin resistance in staphylococcal isolates at a Korean tertiary care hospital. Between February and September 2004, 1,519 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and 1,043 isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were tested for inducible resistance by the D-zone test. Overall, 17% of MRSA, 84% of MSSA, 37% of MRCNS, and 70% of MSCNS were susceptible to clindamycin. Of the erythromycin non-susceptible, clindamycin-susceptible isolates, 32% of MRSA, 35% of MSSA, 90% of MRCNS, and 94% of MSCNS had inducible clindamycin resistance. Inducible clindamycin resistance in staphylococci was highly prevalent in Korea. This study indicates importance of the D-zone test in detecting inducible clindamycin resistance in staphylococci to aid in the optimal treatment of patients.
Staphylococcus aureus/metabolism ; Staphylococcal Infections/*metabolism ; Prevalence ; *Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Korea ; Humans ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; *Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Clindamycin/*pharmacology ; Anti-Infective Agents/*pharmacology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology