BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids (GC) are the most potent medications used to control airway inflammation associated with asthma. The aim of this study was to see whether alterations in GC receptor binding contribute to poor response to GC therapy in severe asthma. METHODS: Seventeen patients with severe persistent bronchial asthma were studied. Patients were classified as GC sensitive if their morning FEV1 increased >15% after a 1-week course of systemic GC (>prednisolone 40mg/day) and GC-resistant if they failed to increase >15%. GC receptor binding affinity for dexamethasone of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were determined by using a radioligand binding assay and Scatchard analysis. RESULTS: There were no significant differences of age, serum IgE levels, peripheral blood eosinophils and atopic states between GC-resistant (n=10) and GC-responsive (n=7) groups. GC-resistant patients had significantly decreased GC receptor binding affinity (Kd=24.3+/-9.55) compared to the GC sensitive patients (Kd=13.5+/-1.48) and normal controls (n=6, Kd=4.24+/-1.09). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that decreased binding affinity of GC receptor is an important factor in clinical GC resistance in chronic severe asthma.
Asthma* ; Dexamethasone ; Eosinophils ; Glucocorticoids ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Inflammation ; Receptors, Glucocorticoid*

BACKGROUND: Aplastic anemia is an uncommon disease characterized by marrow hypocellularity, resulting in a reduction of the counts of circulating red blood cells, neutrophils, and platelets. The etiology of aplastic anemia remains unknown in the majority of cases. An association of aplastic anemia with pregnancy has been reported but the strength of such a relationship remains somewhat controversial. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of aplastic anemia with pregnancy and the optimal management of patients with aplastic anemia during pregnancy. METHODS: This retrospective study was done by review of medical records of 18 patients with aplastic anemia, of whom 8 patients were diagnosed before pregnancy and 10 patients were diagnosed during pregnancy, who had a total of 25 pregnancies after the diagnosis from January, 1990 to October, 1997 at the Seoul National University Hospital, RESULTS: The incidence of aplastic anemia during pregnancy was one in 806 persons(18/14, 507) in this study. During pregnancy, the circulating blood cell levels decreased in all pregnancies. In all 7 cases that showed a relapse during pregnancy the remission occurred following the termination of pregnancy. 12 patients presenting with severe aplastic anemia during pregnancy had poorer hematological improvement than patients with mild aplastic anemia after termination of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: In all patients with aplastic anemia during pregnancy the circulating blood cell levels decreased. The successful outcome in these cases illustrates the benefit of modern supportive care in the management of such patients. The present observations suggest that a pregnancy which occurs during the long-term remission of aplastic anemia may be allowed to progress to birth.
Anemia* ; Anemia, Aplastic ; Blood Cells ; Bone Marrow ; Diagnosis ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Medical Records ; Neutrophils ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine factors affecting happiness of adolescents who attended community child centers. METHODS: We surveyed 154 adolescents attending a community child center in P City with a structured self-report questionnaire from October 3 to October 15, 2016. Data was analyzed by SPSS 18.0 descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean scores of family strength, friend support, teacher support, and happiness were 3.8±0.84, 3.8±0.98, 3.7±0.84 and 3.7±0.63. There were significant differences in happiness according to the subjects' number of close friends and duration of their stay at the community child center. There were a significant positive correlations among family strength, friend support, teacher support, and happiness. The most significant factors affecting happiness included friend support (β=.40) and peaceable family strength (β=.35). These variables explained 44% of the total variance in happiness. CONCLUSION: It is desirable to prepare and support measures to increase friends' support and family strength in order to improve happiness of adolescents attending community child centers. The findings suggest that it is necessary to develop nursing intervention programs to promote friend support and family strength.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Family Health ; Friends ; Happiness* ; Humans ; Nursing

No abstract available.
Rheology* ; Umbilical Arteries*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference in clinical features, process, and prognosis depending on the presence of secondary aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) in patients with giant cell tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 33 patients who underwent surgery for giant cell bone tumors between March 2009 and April 2013 were selected. Data on clinical features were obtained from medical records and pathological and radiological review, including age, sex, location, and size of the tumor, and Campanacci grade, as well as whether there was any pathological fracture, local recurrence, distant metastasis, or malignant transformation. The Student t-test and Fisher exact test were used for comparison of the differences in clinical features by the presence or absence of ABCs. RESULTS: Local recurrence occurred in 6 of the 33 cases, 3 each were in the groups with and without ABCs; however, the difference was not statistically significant. In total, nine cases had pathological fractures, seven were in the group with ABC and two were in the group without ABC (p=0.013). No statistically significant differences in age, sex, location and size of the tumor, or Campanacci grade were observed between the groups with and without ABCs. CONCLUSION: There was no difference in the frequency of local recurrence between the groups with and without ABCs. However, pathological fracture occurred more frequently in the group with ABCs compared to the group without ABCs.
Bone Cysts, Aneurysmal ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Giant Cell Tumor of Bone* ; Giant Cell Tumors* ; Giant Cells* ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

Aged ; Air Pollutants ; Humans ; Mortality ; Ozone ; Particulate Matter ; Seasons ; Seoul ; Vascular Diseases

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine in vitro development of early preimplantation mouse embryos in various kind of serum-free conditioned media (SF-VCM) manufactured from DMEM cultured with Vero Cells. METHODS: A total of 846 two-cell mouse embryos were cultured in different kind of SF-VCM. SF-VCMs were divided into SF-VCM-10, -30 and -50 by media volume using DMEM #1 media, and divided into SF-VCM #1, #2 and #3 by controlled concentration of glucose and pyruvate (manufactured by DMEM #1: mixed three volume of DMEM-G (DMEM with glutamine without glucose and pyruvate) and one volume of DMEM-GGP (DMEM with glutamine, glucose, pyruvate), #2: mixed same volume of DMEM-G and DMEM-GGP and #3: mixed one volume of DMEM-G and three volume of DMEM-GGP, respectively). Experimental groups were mainly added 10% SSS, and 20% hFF was added to only Control group co-cultured with Vero cells. Development of embryos was observed every 24 hours. Results between different groups were analyzed using Chi-square test, and considered statistically significant when P-value was less than 0.05. RESULTS: In vitro developmental rate by each cleavage stages of mouse embryos cultured in SF-VCMs with a various volumes were significantly (P<0.05) higher in SF-VCM-30 (morula< or =: 97.2%, Blastocyst (BL)< or =: 97.2%, Hatching BL< or =: 82.2%) than other groups. In the rate of development on in vitro co-culture vs. a various SF-VCMs manufactured by DMEM controlled concentration of glucose and pyruvate, Group I (SF-VCM #1) was higher than other groups in each cleavage stages (morula< or =: 98.1%, Blastocyst (BL)< or =: 97.1%, hatching BL< or =: 81.7%, respectively). Moreover, specially, in the developmental rate into the hatching blastocyst < or = after 96 hours in vitro culture, Group I (81.7%) was significantly higher than control group (67.6%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: SF-VCM #1 manufactured by volume of 30 mL DMEM #1 media cultured in vitro for 48 hours in 250 mL flask was the most effective on in vitro developmental rate of mouse preimplantation embryos. Therefore, it is expected that SF-VCM #1 has application to human IVF-ET.
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Coculture Techniques ; Culture Media, Conditioned ; Embryonic Structures ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Glucose ; Glutamine ; Humans ; Mice ; Pyruvic Acid ; Vero Cells

PURPOSE: Birthmarks are commonly observed during neonatal period and its prevalence varies between races and countries. Most skin lesions are transient and not require medical treatment. But some birthmarks have potential medical significance and may be the first sign of systemic medical problems. We carried out a prospective study to determine the prevalence of birthmarks in Korean newborn infants. METHODS: From October 2012 to January 2013, 1,964 Korean newborn infants who were born in Cheil General Hospital, Kwandong University College of Medicine were evaluated for the presence of birthmarks within 48 hours after birth. RESULTS: Among 1,964 newborn infants, 980 (49.9%) infants were male and 984 (50.1%) were female. The most common pigmentary birthmark was Mongolian spot (97.1%), which was mostly presented on sacrogluteal area, and was followed by nevocellular nevi (0.8%), cafe-au-lait spot (0.8%), and sebaceous nevi (0.2%). Among vascular birthmarks, the most common lesion was salmon patch (30.8%), and followed by port-wine stain (0.2%) and hemangioma (0.2%). The common other lesions were sebaceous hyperplasia (37.4%), erythema toxicum neonatorum (10.2%), milia (4.1%), skin appendage (2.6%), anal dimple (1.2%), auricular pit (0.9%), miliaria (0.5%), aplasia cutis congenita (0.2%) in the order of frequency. CONCLUSION: We studied the prevalence of the birthmarks in Korean newborn infants. The most common pigmentary birth mark was mongolian spot, and the most common vascular birthmark was salmon patch in Korean newborn infants.
Cafe-au-Lait Spots ; Continental Population Groups ; Ectodermal Dysplasia ; Erythema ; Female ; Hemangioma ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Incidence* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Male ; Miliaria ; Mongolian Spot ; Nevus ; Parturition ; Port-Wine Stain ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Salmon ; Skin

Behcet disease is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease involving mucous membranes, skin, eyes, gastrointestinal tract, joints, vessels, and neurologic systems. The disease usually manifests in early adulthood. Childhood onset is rare. We experienced a case of Behcet disease in a 11-year-old boy. He suffered from recurrent arthritis of the left knee joint which was managed under the impression of septic arthritis since he was seven years old. Behcet disease should be considered in case of recurrent arthritis mimicing septic arthritis in children.
Arthritis* ; Arthritis, Infectious ; Behcet Syndrome* ; Child ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Skin

OBJECTIVE: To describe the radiographic findings of primary pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in previously healthy adolescent patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study, with a waiver of informed consent from the patients. TB outbreaks occurred in 15 senior high schools and chest radiographs from 58 students with identical strains of TB were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis by two independent observers. Lesions of nodule(s), consolidation, or cavitation in the upper lung zones were classified as typical TB. Mediastinal lymph node enlargement; lesions of nodule(s), consolidation, or cavitation in lower lung zones; or pleural effusion were classified as atypical TB. Inter-observer agreement for the presence of each radiographic finding was examined by kappa statistics. RESULTS: Of 58 patients, three (5%) had normal chest radiographs. Cavitary lesions were present in 25 (45%) of 55 students. Lesions with upper lung zone predominance were observed in 27 (49%) patients, whereas lower lung zone predominance was noted in 18 (33%) patients. The remaining 10 (18%) patients had lesions in both upper and lower lung zones. Pleural effusion was not observed in any patient, nor was the mediastinal lymph node enlargement. Hilar lymph node enlargement was seen in only one (2%) patient. Overall, 37 (67%) students had the typical form of TB, whereas 18 (33%) had TB lesions of the atypical form. CONCLUSION: The most common radiographic findings in primary pulmonary TB by recent infection in previously healthy adolescents are upper lung lesions, which were thought to be radiographic findings of reactivation pulmonary TB by remote infection.
Adolescent ; *Disease Outbreaks ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; *Radiography, Thoracic ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Schools ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/epidemiology/*radiography