PURPOSE: To report clinical aspects of children diagnosed with refractive accommodative esotropia after wearing their first glasses to correct hyperopia accompanied with esodeviation. METHODS: The present study included 75 children followed up for at least 24 months. Age, spherical equivalent of refractive error, angle of deviation and presence of amblyopia were analyzed according to the duration between first wearing glasses and control of esotropia within 8 PD (< or =2 months vs. >2 months). RESULTS: The mean age was 4.48 +/- 2.08 years and mean follow-up was 50.17 months. Initial deviation angle without glasses was 25.43 +/- 10.07 PD at far, 27.72 +/- 11.45 PD at near, spherical equivalent was +4.86 +/- 2.41 D in right eyes, +5.05 +/- 1.06 D in left eyes and 8 of 75 patients (10.67%) had < or =2 D of hyperopia. Esotropia was controlled within 8 PD with hyperopic glasses in 61 of 75 children (81.3%) within 2 months, 6 (8%) within 3-6 months, 4 (5.3%) within 6-12 months and 4 (5.3%) after 12 months. In comparison, esotropia was controlled < or =2 months in 61 of 75 children (81.3%); 14 of 75 children (18.7%) requiring >2 months had less hyperopia (+4.02 D vs. 5.17 D), more severe esodeviation both at far (30.79 +/- 10.79 PD vs. 24.17 +/- 9.56 PD, p = 0.03) and at near distance (34.00 +/- 14.20 PD vs. 26.25 +/- 10.31 PD, p = 0.02) and higher initial amblyopia prevalence rates (71.5% vs. 47.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Several patients needed longer follow-up until esotropia was controlled within 8 PD after wearing hyperopic glasses considering the amount of hyperopia and angle of esodeviation.
Amblyopia ; Child ; Esotropia* ; Eyeglasses* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glass* ; Humans ; Hyperopia ; Prevalence ; Refractive Errors

The objectives of this study were to: (a) examine the overall operating conditions of both government-dominant and non-governmental food bank programs, (b) understand the operational management attributes on the target based on IPA (importance performance analysis)(c) analyze the present status of donating management, and (d) suggest a direction based on the analysis of advantages and disadvantages of food banks in each part. The random samples of 120 food bank operators were selected by a proportionate stratified random sampling method. A total of 60 government-dominant food banks and 25 non-governmental food banks were analyzed. The main results of this study were as follows: According to the Importance-Performance Analysis of operational management, "assistance for operating funds" and "deployment of experience staff" were placed at "Focus Here". There was a great shortage of experienced staff with food bank-specific knowledge. The average number of the government-dominant and non-governmental food bank program employees was 0.29 and 0.30 respectively, while the ratios of employees with other jobs were 0.96 and 0.83 respectively. Shortages of refrigeration facilities were an area that needs to be addressed. While 51.6% of donated food required cold storage, only 45% of government-dominant and 60% of non-governmental food bank programs had refrigeration facilities. Most of food bank operators (96.3%) were required to visit the donators' locations to pick up the donated foods. And the foods were distributed to the people in need, especially to the livelihood protectee.
Refrigeration

The purpose of this study was to examine the donators' characteristics and donative foods of both government-dominant and non-governmental food bank program, to understand the problems and benefits of food bank program, and to find the solutions to activate food bank program. The questionnaires were distributed to 120 food bank operators and 3 donators were selected from each food bank for the survey from April 2002 to May 2002. 118 sheets (32.8%) from government-dominant food bank and 53 sheets (20.1%) from non-governmental food bank were collected. The main results of this study were as follows: The largest donators to either government-dominant or non-governmental food bank programs were bakery and confectionery companies 31.4% and 45.3% respectively. The majority of donated foods were "goods in stock" (55.6%) and frequency of donation were largely on a daily basis (27.1% for government-dominant and 22.6% for non-governmental). Some of the donators who had more donative food did not donate, and the reasons were closeness to expiration date of food (67.3%), lack of legal protection in the event of food poisoning (54.5%), and poor public image of food related accidents (52.3%).
Foodborne Diseases

Purpose: Pediatric palliative care is a rapidly developing multidisciplinary approach that supports children with life-limiting conditions and their families. However, there is limited evidence on how to effectively support bereaved parents and siblings. The purpose of this study is to explore the therapeutic impact of art therapy for bereaved families, in accordance with John Bowlby’s four-stage theory of mourning. Methods: This single-case study employed the consensual qualitative research method. Art therapy records of bereaved families were reviewed individually, and records from one case were selected. Verbal statements made during the art therapy sessions and photocopies of the artworks were analyzed to understand the mourning process of the family. Results: A total of 113 statements and 12 artworks from 19 art therapy sessions were analyzed. As the art therapy progressed, each family member exhibited a pattern of engaging in more positive and healthy conversations in daily life, demonstrating the final stage of mourning: reorganization and recovery. The family dynamics also revealed that they reconstructed their inner world and redefined the meaning of loss, which is the final stage of mourning. The art therapy provided a safe environment for the family, allowing them to fulfill their wishes and regain the strength needed for recovery. Conclusion This study suggests that art therapy supports bereaved families in alleviating their psychological difficulties, engaging in a healthy mourning process, and functioning as members of society. Further research is needed to better understand the effect of art therapy as a bereavement support tool in pediatric palliative care.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the shapes and sizes of nasopharyngeal airways by using cone-beam computed tomography and to assess the relationship between nasopharyngeal airway shape and adenoid hypertrophy in children. METHODS: Linear and cross-sectional measurements on frontal and sagittal cross-sections containing the most enlarged adenoids and nasopharyngeal airway volumes were obtained from cone-beam computed tomography scans of 64 healthy children (11.0 +/- 1.8 years), and the interrelationships of these measurements were evaluated. RESULTS: On the basis of frontal section images, the subjects' nasopharyngeal airways were divided into the following 2 types: the broad and long type and the narrow and flat type. The nasopharyngeal airway sizes and volumes were smaller in subjects with narrow and flat airways than in those with broad and long airways (p < 0.01). Children who showed high adenoid-nasopharyngeal ratios on sagittal imaging, indicating moderate to severe adenoid hypertrophy, had the narrow and flat type nasopharyngeal airway (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Cone-beam computed tomography is a clinically simple, reliable, and noninvasive tool that can simultaneously visualize the entire structure and a cross section of the nasopharyngeal airway and help in measurement of adenoid size as well as airway volume in children with adenoid hypertrophy.
Adenoids ; Child ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Humans ; Hypertrophy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The olfactory identification test has been used in clinical assessment of olfactory ability for the following reasons: it is fast, it yields results compatible to a threshold test, and it gives a picture of how well the patient can deal with odors of everyday life. However, items in UPSIT (University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test)and CCCRC (Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center)identification test which are widely used in the world are selected for western people. Accordingly, these items in the tests are not appropriate for Koreans of different cultural background. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the selection of proper items for the olfactory identification test, 42 natural odors familiar to Koreans were applied to 40 normal subjects and 40 patients with decreased sense of smell without sinonasal diseases. Among 42 items, 16 items with high identifiability and familiarity were chosen according to the results of test-retest in normal subjects. RESULTS: The results of olfactory identification test using 16 selected items showed high correlation with olfactory threshold. CONCLUSION: These 16 items can be used for an olfactory identification test for Koreans.
Humans ; Odors ; Pennsylvania ; Recognition (Psychology) ; Smell

Emergence and spread of low-level mupirocin resistance in staphylococci have been increasingly reported in recent years. The aim of this study was to characterize missense mutations within the chromosomal isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase gene (ileS) among clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with low-level mupirocin resistance. A total of 20 isolates of MRSA with low-level mupirocin resistance (minimal inhibitory concentration, 16-64 microgram/mL) were collected from 79 patients in intensive care units for six months. The isolates were analyzed for isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (IleS) mutations that might affect the binding of mupirocin to the three-dimensional structure of the S. aureus IleS enzyme. All isolates with low-level mupirocin resistance contained the known V588F mutation affecting the Rossman fold, and some of them additionally had previously unidentified mutations such as P187F, K226T, F227L, Q612H, or V767D. Interestingly, Q612H was a novel mutation that was involved in stabilizing the conformation of the catalytic loop containing the KMSKS motif. In conclusion, this study confirms that molecular heterogeneity in ileS gene is common among clinical MRSA isolates with low-level mupirocin resistance, and further study on clinical mutants is needed to understand the structural basis of low-level mupirocin resistance.
Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects/*genetics ; *Mutation, Missense ; Mupirocin/*pharmacology ; Methicillin Resistance ; Isoleucine-tRNA Ligase/*genetics ; Intensive Care Units ; Humans ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial

Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is an autosomal dominant craniosynostosis syndrome, usually involving unior bilateral coronal synostosis and mild limb deformities, and is induced by loss-of-function mutations of the TWIST1 gene. Other clinical features of this syndrome include ptosis, low-set ears, hearing loss, hypertelorism, broad great toes, clinodactyly, and syndactyly. The authors of the present study report 2 children with clinical features of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome who showed mutations in the TWIST1 gene, and is the first molecular genetic confirmation of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome in Korea. The molecular genetic testing of the TWIST1 gene for patients with coronal synostoses is important to confirm the diagnosis and to provide adequate genetic counseling.
Acrocephalosyndactylia ; Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Craniosynostoses ; Ear ; Extremities ; Genetic Counseling ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Hypertelorism ; Korea ; Molecular Biology ; Syndactyly ; Synostosis ; Toes

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and risk factors for metabolic derangement in young adults with childhood-onset hypopituitary growth hormone deficiency (ACOHGHD). METHODS: Thirty patients with ACOHGHD who were treated with hormone-replacement therapy, aged 18 to 29 years, who visited the Seoul National University Children's Hospital between September 2009 and February 2010 were enrolled. Height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, and blood pressure were measured, and the clinical and hormonal features were reviewed retrospectively. We evaluated measures of metabolic derangement in the enrolled patients and in the data of healthy adults aged 20 to 29 years taken from the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) as part of the National Cholesterol Education Program-the Adult Treatment Panel III. RESULTS: Compared with the KNHANES participants, patients with ACOHGHD had significantly large waist circumference (men and women), high systolic blood pressure (BP) (women) and diastolic BP (men), and high serum triglyceride levels (women). The duration of illness correlated significantly with central obesity (r2=0.546, P=0.003). The prevalence of MetS was 10% in patients with ACOHGHD and 2.3% in KNHANES participants. The prevalence of central obesity and MetS was higher in patients with ACOHGHD than in KNHANES participants (P<0.001 and P=0.042, respectively). CONCLUSION: Abdominal obesity correlated with the duration of illness in patients with ACOHGHD. Waist circumference should be measured in the clinic to prevent MetS, particularly in patients with a long history of ACOHGHD, regardless of age or sex.
Adult ; Aged ; Blood Pressure ; Child ; Cholesterol ; Growth Hormone ; Hip ; Humans ; Hypopituitarism ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Waist Circumference ; Young Adult