There have been several reports on the relationship between toxocariasis and eosinophilia, but all have been limited to the areas of Seoul or Gangwon-do. In the present study, we investigated the seroprevalence of toxocariasis among eosinophilia patients in Chungcheongnam-do, the central district of Korea. Among the 101 patients tested, 51 (50.5%) were identified as positive by Toxocara ELISA, and 46 (45.5%) were confidently diagnosed with toxocariasis because of absence of any other cause of eosinophilia. Whereas 22 of 42 seropositive patients (52.3%) had a recent history of consuming raw livers, especially the cow liver, only 1 of 25 seronegative patients (4%) had done so (P<0.01). From these results, we could confirm that toxocariasis is related to eosinophilia, and infer that ingestion of raw cow liver plays a vital role in the transmission of toxocariasis in Chungcheongnam-do.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/*blood ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eosinophilia/*etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Toxocariasis/*epidemiology ; Young Adult

We have examined the regenerative capabilities of the human scalp hair follicle after grafting the lower half of the follicle. Twenty-eight of 32 intact whole-hair follicles isolated from the human scalp regenerated hairs when grafted onto the forehead of the same person. Seven of the 15 lower-half follicles regenerated complete hair follicles 8 months after grafting showed that the lower-half follicle implant reconstituted the complete hair follicle. The sebaceous gland was not regenerated, but there was an outgrowth in the sebaceous gland regPark ion. Some grafts formed epithelial cysts. Two years after grafting, the histological examination of the regenerated follicle from the lower-half implant showed that the sebaceous gland was completely regenerated. While an intact follicle shows prominent naked shaft outgPark Park Parkrowth, the sheath grows concomitantly with the shaft in lower-half follicles in culture. If grafted lower-half follicles were located too deep, the regrown sheath could not reach the epidermal layer. In this situation, the formation of an epidermal cyst was likely.
Epidermal Cyst ; Forehead ; Hair Follicle* ; Hair* ; Humans ; Scalp ; Sebaceous Glands ; Transplants*

Drooling is defined as the unintentional flow of saliva out of the mouth or to the back of the pharynx due to salivary control problems and swallowing difficulties. Drooling is caused by posture, oral sensori-motor and cognitive problems, and medical symptoms. Treatments of drooling are defined under two criteria: 1) non-invasive treatment, which includes posture and oral motor therapy, and 2) invasive treatment, including botox injection and surgery.Drooling treatment should be initiated non-invasively and in a step-wise manner in all individuals. This mode of treatment is safe, age-free, and is considered the first line of therapy, before subjecting to invasive treatment.Clinical professionals provide non-invasive treatment via manual approaches, through passive sensori-motor stimulation to active oral motor activities. Comprehensive therapy protocols such as oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) for oral sensory normalization, head and neck postural control, and oral motor function improvements, are required to help control drooling. Clinical professionals therefore need to deeply understand the reason for drooling, and provide qualified non-invasive treatment for intensifying drooling control.

Drooling is defined as the unintentional flow of saliva out of the mouth or to the back of the pharynx due to salivary control problems and swallowing difficulties. Drooling is caused by posture, oral sensori-motor and cognitive problems, and medical symptoms. Treatments of drooling are defined under two criteria: 1) non-invasive treatment, which includes posture and oral motor therapy, and 2) invasive treatment, including botox injection and surgery.Drooling treatment should be initiated non-invasively and in a step-wise manner in all individuals. This mode of treatment is safe, age-free, and is considered the first line of therapy, before subjecting to invasive treatment.Clinical professionals provide non-invasive treatment via manual approaches, through passive sensori-motor stimulation to active oral motor activities. Comprehensive therapy protocols such as oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) for oral sensory normalization, head and neck postural control, and oral motor function improvements, are required to help control drooling. Clinical professionals therefore need to deeply understand the reason for drooling, and provide qualified non-invasive treatment for intensifying drooling control.

The definition of drooling is very broad, Drooling is characterized by saliva flowing out of the mouth or moving behind the pharynx unintentionally due to various reasons. Drooling is affected by increased salivation, and oral motor and swallowing functions. The amount depends on the situation, place, mood, and concentration. There is a need for comprehensive evaluation and treatment since drooling could be stimulated by various causes, such as sensory, motor, cognitive, and behavioral. Drooling evaluation is divided into objective and subjective evaluations. The objective evaluation mainly measures the amount of saliva secretion using a towel, a container, and a dental swab, and assessing the frequency of drooling at a fixed time. Subjective evaluation usually evaluates the subject’s severity and frequency of drooling during certain periods. A comprehensive evaluation that identifies the effects of salivation on the subject’s daily life, social interaction, psychology, and self-esteem, and evaluates the degree of drooling according to various postures, situations, and conditions, also needs to be considered. Nevertheless, there are several difficulties in developing standardized drooling assessment tools. The evaluation contents and results may vary depending on the treatment approach, such as botulinum toxin treatment or oral exercise therapy. The current article will help understand and select drooling assessment tools for identifying and measuring outcomes in clinical settings and studies.

Objective: This study was undertaken to identify the effect of Oral Motor Facilitation Technique (OMFT) on the drooling control ability of children afflicted with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Methods: Totally, 21 CP children with drooling problems participated in the study. OMFT was provided for 16 weeks (30 minutes, 1 session a week, 16 sessions). The drooling control ability was assessed by determining the severity and frequency using the Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale (DSFS) before, at 8 weeks, and 16 weeks after OMFT administration. The effectiveness of OMFT was analyzed at the time intervals using the Friedman test. Post hoc analyses were conducted by the Wilcoxon signed rank test and Kruskal Wallis test. Results: Drooling control ability showed significant improvement after 16 weeks of OMFT. Although the severity of drooling significantly increased after 8 weeks, the frequency was unchanged. Our results indicate that OMFT is a useful oral motor treatment protocol to manage the drooling control ability of children with CP. We recommend at least 8 weeks of OMFT administration. Conclusion Drooling is an important problem in dysphagia. Clinicians need to show more importance in controlling drooling, and a comprehensive oral motor treatment like OMFT should be considered for children afflicted with CP.

PURPOSE: Delayed treatment of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a common cause of mental retardation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate intellectual outcomes in preschool children with treated CH. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 43 children (age range: 13 to 60 days of life; 22 girls and 21 boys) diagnosed with CH. Children aged 5 to 7 years were examined using the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children or the Korean Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. RESULTS: The patients started treatment between 13 and 60 days of age. The mean intelligence quotient (IQ) of patients tested at age 5 to 7 years was 103.14±11.68 (IQ range: 76–126). None had intellectual disability (defined as an IQ <70). Twenty-one subjects were treated with a low dose (6.0–9.9 µg/kg/day) and 22 with a high dose of levothyroxine (10.0–16.0 µg/kg/day). There was no significant difference in the mean full-scale IQ (FSIQ), verbal IQ (VIQ), and performance IQ (PIQ) scores between the 2 groups. FSIQ, PIQ, and VIQ scores were not significantly correlated with initial dose of L-T4, initial fT4, age at treatment in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: IQ scores of subjects with early treated CH diagnosed through a neonatal screening test were within normal range, regardless of etiology, thyroid function, initial dose of levothyroxine, and age at start of treatment.
Child ; Child, Preschool* ; Congenital Hypothyroidism* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Infant, Newborn ; Intellectual Disability ; Intelligence ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neonatal Screening ; Reference Values ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroxine

Cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMV), an opportunistic infection of a immunocompromised patient, is a necrotizing retinitis occurred in AIDS or the patient using immunosuppressants. A 31-years-old male taken immunosuppressants after renal transplantation, had white granular foci and perivascular sheathings in the uper temporal retina of both eyes. Serologic test demonstrated positive response to bith IgG and IgM antibody against CMV. Argon laser photocoagulation was done and ganciclovir was intravenously treated 300 mg every 12 hours for three weeks without maintenance therapy. Nine months after treatment, there was no recurrence of retinitis. This result suggests CMV retinitis of renal transplanted patient may not need the maintenance therapy of ganciclovir.
Argon ; Cytomegalovirus Retinitis* ; Cytomegalovirus* ; Ganciclovir* ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Kidney Transplantation ; Light Coagulation ; Male ; Opportunistic Infections ; Recurrence ; Retina ; Retinitis ; Serologic Tests

A 71-year-old male initially presented with vocal cord palsy and underwent tracheostomy. After thorough examination, urogenital dysfunction, orthostatic hypotension, and Parkinsonism were found, which led to the diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA). After the tracheostomy, bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation was required during the night due to nocturnal hypoxemia. Night-time hypoxemia is related to central sleep apnea, which is one of the manifestations of MSA. This is the first case of MSA manifested by bilateral vocal cord palsy as an initial sign in Korea. This case supports the notion that MSA should be taken into consideration when vocal cord paralysis is observed.
Aged ; Airway Obstruction ; Anoxia ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypotension, Orthostatic ; Korea ; Male ; Multiple System Atrophy* ; Parkinsonian Disorders ; Sleep Apnea, Central ; Tracheostomy ; Ventilation ; Vocal Cord Paralysis*

Protozoa of the genus Cryptosporidium are small coccidian parasite known to infect the mucosal epithelium of a variety of animals including human, causing fatal course in immunodeficient patients as well as self-limited illness in healthy individuals. Various life cycle stages including trophozoite, meront, merozoite, gametocyte and oocyst in infected mucosa are a diagnostic feature. Electron microscopy (EM) provides sufficient findings for genus and species identification of this parasitic organism. The authors presented scanning and transmission EM findings of Cryptosporidium parvum infection in two children: one with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the other without any evidence of immune compromise.
Animals ; Child ; Cryptosporidium parvum ; Cryptosporidium* ; Epithelium ; Humans* ; Intestines* ; Life Cycle Stages ; Merozoites ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mucous Membrane ; Oocysts ; Parasites ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Trophozoites