Nosocomial infections surveillance is the basic activity of infection control programs, and many countries conduct surveillance using various methods. We convinced that each country should conduct an adequate and efficient surveillance system depending on their situations. Here we reviewed the recent nosocomial surveillance systems of other countries. As many countries have succeeded in reducing hospital infections, we expect that Korean Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System would contribute to nosocomial infection prevention and health promotion in Korea through an active surveillance at the national level.
Cross Infection* ; Health Promotion ; Infection Control ; Korea*

Management of patients with unstable fracture or fracture-dislocation of thoraco-lumbar spine continues to be controversial. One area of disagreement involves spinal fusion with internal fixation for prevention of later spinal instability. Intemal fixation of the spine without fusion has been advocated in the treatment of the unstable thoraco-lumbar fracture or dislocation. During the period of January 1981 to March 1984, thirty-two patients underwent fixation by Harrington distraction rod without fusion for the treatment of thoraco-lumbar fractures. Eight cases among them had second operation for the removal of the Harrington rods in 13.4months after Harrington rod fixation and were followed up clinically and radiolagically for 1 year at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Medical College and Center. The rationales for this procedure were to minimize the number of permanently stabilized segments and to provide more spinal mobility. We have expected that spontaneous fusion of vertebral body occur by the prolonged immobilization with Hamngton distraction rods. After the Harrington rods, the average conection rate of kyphotic angle was 41.8% and average correction rate of height of collapsed vertebral body or displacement of vertebral body was 42.3% at one year follow up. Instrumentations in eight patient were removed at 13.4 months after the initial surgery and the patients were followed up for one year. At the time of removal of instrumentation, unilateral partial facetectomy was done for histologic examination of the facet joint which is above the lower Harrington hook in four patients. The average correction rate of kyphotic angle was 37.5% and the average correction rate of height of collapsed or displaced vertebral body was 40.6% at one year after the removal of H-rods. The range of spine motions were incresed gradually. But histologic findings of the immobilized facet joint revealed fibrillation, fissures, thinning of the normal cartilagenous surface, decreased cartilagenous cellularity, and vascular tidemark invasion which are characteristics of osteoarthritis. Through this study, we obtained following conclusions: 1. Immediate Harrington distraction rodding was effective for the anatomic reduction of the collapsed vertebral body. And it provided immediate spinal stability, and spontaneous fusion of vertebral body. 2. Prolonged immobilization of the spine by Harrington rods is believed to have deleterious effect on articular cartilage of the immobilized facet joint as the degenerative changes of the cartilage of the facet joint was consistently found in this study. And it was regarded as a predisposing factors in the development of symptomatic arthritis of the spine. 3. If a fractured and collapsed vertebral body can be reduced by Harrington distraction rods, a spontaneous fusion of vertebral body occur. Harrington rodding without fusion could be one of the useful surgeries for management of the fractures and fracture-dislocation of the spine.
Arthritis ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular ; Causality ; Dislocations ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Osteoarthritis ; Spinal Fusion ; Spine ; Zygapophyseal Joint

No abstract available.
Acyclovir ; Chickenpox* ; Child* ; Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Humans

Interleukin-6(IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine, and deregulated IL-6 gene expression has been implicated as being involved in the pathogenesis of a number of diseaaes. So we measured the serum level of IL-6 to find a relationahip between uterine cervical cancer and serum IL-6 level. The serum levels of IL-6 were meesured m 54 patients adrnitted to the Severance hospital, from August, 1992 to February, 1993, of whom 27 patients were diagnosed as invasive cancer of cervix, 17 as CIN, and also utilizing 10 patiente diagnosed as uterine myoma as a control group for matched age and parity. The average serum level of IL-6 in invasive cancer, CIN, and uterine myoma were respectively 30.33pg/ml, 37.27pg/ml, and 12.45pg Jml. In 22% af cervical cancer patients (6 of 27), and 27% of CIN patients (4 of 17) studied blood levels of II-6 were detected whereas only 10% of uterine myoma (1 of 10) shorved the same result. However, the difference does not seem to be statistically significant, There was no statistically significant difference among any of the groups, and age and stage did not show any significant cmrelation, and the results need furt,ber investigations.
Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Leiomyoma ; Parity ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

A retrospective study was made of the previous medical records of 32 infants with congenital syphilis borne from mothers with untreated syphilis at Severence Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine during the years 1,972 through 19g3, These infants had a VDRL titer higher than 1: 8 with reactive FTA-ABS test and were also subjected to radiologic examinations. Radiologic changes and clinical features were analyzed, The following results were obtained: Of the total of 32 infants with congenital syphilis under 5 months of age, those under 1 month of age, were the most common group numbering a total of twelve. Of 32 infants with congenital syphilis, twenty-nine(91%) showed skeletal changes upon radiologic examination, Among them the different sites of bone involvernent revealed that the femur(92%) was the most commonly affected bone, followed by the humerus(88%), tibia(81%,), fibula(80%), ulna(72%), radius (68%). Among the same 29 infants a study of the presence of various abnormal bone changes showed that periostitis was the most common, being involved in 83%, the others being metaphysitis and periostitis(72%), metaphysitis(66%). 3. Among the clinicaI features presented in the 32 infants with congenital syphilis, hepatomegaly was the most common(63%,), followed by erythema with desquamation(47%), pneumonia(38%), maulopapules(34%).
Erythema ; Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody-Absorption Test ; Hepatomegaly ; Humans ; Infant ; Medical Records ; Mothers ; Periostitis ; Radius ; Retrospective Studies ; Syphilis ; Syphilis, Congenital*

No abstract available.
Classification* ; Fissure in Ano*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract*

No abstract available.
Nipples*

No abstract available.
Female ; Fibronectins* ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced* ; Plasma* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy*

No abstract available.
Tachycardia, Supraventricular*