PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical manifestations, contact history, and status of tuberculosis contact investigations in school-age children and adolescents with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) at two centers. METHODS: This study was conducted with 54 patients in the age ranging from 10 to 18 years, who were diagnosed with pulmonary TB at the Pusan National University Hospital and Pusan National University Children's Hospital, January 2008 to December 2012. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the patients. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 16 years old; 11 patients were aged 10 to 14 and 43 patients were aged 15 to 18. Among 54 patients, 19 had history of contact with pulmonary TB, 10 had contact with house members (household), and remaining 9 had contact with classmates (non-household). One out of 10 patients who had household contacts and 6 out of 9 patients who had non-household contacts were evaluated with contact investigation after the exposure to pulmonary TB. Among 7 patients who were evaluated with contact investigation, 3 were diagnosed with active pulmonary TB, 1 had latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and 3 had no evidence of TB or LTBI. The median period of diagnosis after the exposure to active pulmonary TB was 2 years in patients with household contacts and 0.23 years in patients with non-household contacts. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that if the contact investigation conducted properly, it would be helpful for early diagnosis and prevention of pulmonary TB.
Adolescent* ; Busan ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Latent Tuberculosis ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

PURPOSE: There are many forest and outdoor programs being offered but systematic reviews of effects are lacking. This study was done to identify content, format, and strategies of forest therapy programs for elementary school students. METHODS: Literature search using keywords in English and Korean was performed using 6 electronic databases in December 2016. Search participants were elementary school students and interventions conducted in the forest. Seventeen forest therapy studies were selected for evaluation. Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non-randomized study was used for quality assessment. RESULTS: All studies were quasi-experimental designs. Forest therapy programs included various activities in forests such as experience of five senses, meditation in the forest, walking in the forest, ecological play, observation of animals and insects. All studies used psychosocial health variables and forest healing programs had positive effects on sociality, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, stress, aggression, anger, and school adjustment. Limitations of these studies were vague reporting of the study, lack of ethical review and rigorous research designs. CONCLUSION: Forest therapy for elementary school child can be an effective way to improve psychosocial health. Future studies with rigorous study designs are needed to assess long-term effects of forest therapy on physical and psychosocial health.
Aggression ; Anger ; Animals ; Anxiety ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Child ; Depression ; Ethical Review ; Forests* ; Humans ; Insects ; Meditation ; Research Design ; Walking

We would like to correct the affiliation for the first author.

Early chondromalacia patellae is initiated by malalignment in the extensor machaniam and abno-rmal patellofemoral tracking. It is well known that chondromalacia often occurs in recurrent pateIlar subluxation. In the 50 normal and 60 pathologic knees, the following five parameters were studied; 1) Q angle 2) PT ratio by Insall & Salvati method 3) AB ratio dy Blackburne & Peel method 4) sulcus angle 5) congruence angle. The following conclusions were made. l. In 50 normal asymptomatic knees, the average Q angle was 14°. The patellar length was equal to the patellar ligament length and the average congruence angle was −8°. In 40 knees with “Chondromalacia”, the Q angle was increaed (19.5°), and the average congruence angle was −2°. 3. In 20 knees with recurrent subaxation, the patellar was high riding (PT ratio, 0.89), the sulcus angle was shallow (145.1°), and the average congruence angle was +4.35°.
Cartilage Diseases ; Chondromalacia Patellae ; Knee ; Methods ; Patella ; Patellar Ligament

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the role of CT and MR imagings in the diagnosis aortic dissection and differentiation between the true and false lumen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied forty patients with aortic dissection(AD) diagnosed imagings or surgery. Of the forty patients, 19 were examined with only CT, 14 with CT and MR, and 7 with MI~: Our points of view were(1) the classification of AD according to configuration of intimal flap by cross-sectional imaging, (2) differentiation between the true and false lumens, (3) the course of the false lumen, and (4)! detectability of the origin of major branch vessels of the abdominal aorta. RESULTS: The classification by corss-sectional imaging were crescentic(65%), circumferential(15%), flat(12%), and irregular(8%) type, in which false negative diagnosis was made in 1 case of crescentic and circumferential type, respectively. In 2 case of flat type and 1 case of irregular type, the differentiation between the true and false lumen was impossible with CT. The course of the false lumen in descending thoracic aorta revealed countrclock wise rotation(66%), clockwise rotation(5%) or fixed(29%) apperance. MR imaging was superior to CT in the detection of the origin of major branch vessels of the abdominal aorta. The determination of the origin of major branches of abdominal aorta arising from the true and false lumen were impossible in 2 cases in which only CT was done. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of crescentic and circumferential types of AD with narrow and thrombosed false lumen was problematic in both CT and MR with no difference of diagnostic accuracy between the two modalities. The differentiation between the true and false lumen was difficult in flat and irregular types with only CT. Therefore, when surgical treatment is considered as in type B aortic dissection, MR imaging is recommended in order to determine the origin of major branch vessels.
Aorta, Abdominal ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Classification ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies

Purpose: Some of the adolescent drinks more sugar-sweetened beverages. However, there is little evidence on the effect of eating behavior on emotional state and neurochemical changes under stress, especially on the levels of typical inhibitory neurotransmitters and gamma-aminobutyric acid. This article demonstrates that sucrose or saccharin drink reduces stress-related behavior responses and GABAergic deficits in adolescent rats. Methods: We randomly assigned 7-weeks-old Sprague-Dawley male rats to three groups:control group (Control), restraint stress only group (Stress), and restraint stress with unrestricted access to saccharin solution (Saccharin) and sucrose solution (Sucrose) as a positive control. We evaluated both anxious and depressive moods using an open field test and forced swim test, respectively. Using western blot analyses, the expression of a GABA-synthesizing enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase-67 (GAD67) and GABAergic markers, including calbindin and parvalbumin was assessed in the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. Results: We found that both the drinks alleviated anxiety and depressive moods, induced significant attenuation in GAD67 level, and reduced calbindin level under stress in the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. Conclusion The results provide an understanding of the effect of sucrose or saccharin drink on stress-related responses. We propose the consumption of sweet drinks as a plausible strategy to alleviate stress-related alterations in adolescents.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of NXP031, an inhibitor of oxidation by specifically binding to the complex of DNA aptamer/vitamin C, on dopaminergic neurons loss and the reaction of microglia in an animal model of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced subchronic Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: A subchronic PD mouse model was induced via an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of MPTP 30 mg/kg per day for five days. NXP031 (vitamin C/aptamer at 200 mg/4 mg/kg) and vitamin C at 200 mg/kg were administered via IP injections at one hour after performing MPTP injection. This process was performed for five days. Motor function was then evaluated with pole and rotarod tests, after which an immunohistochemical analysis was performed. Results: NXP031 administration after MPTP injection significantly improved motor functions (via both pole and rotarod tests) compared to the control (MPTP injection only) (p < .001). NXP031 alleviated the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and striatum caused by MPTP injection. It was found to have a neuroprotective effect by reducing microglia activity. Conclusion NXP031 can improve impaired motor function, showing neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons in the SN and striatum of MPTP-induced subchronic Parkinson’s disease mouse model. Results of this study suggest that NXP031 has potential in future treatments for PD and interventions for nerve recovery.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of NXP031, an inhibitor of oxidation by specifically binding to the complex of DNA aptamer/vitamin C, on dopaminergic neurons loss and the reaction of microglia in an animal model of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced subchronic Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: A subchronic PD mouse model was induced via an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of MPTP 30 mg/kg per day for five days. NXP031 (vitamin C/aptamer at 200 mg/4 mg/kg) and vitamin C at 200 mg/kg were administered via IP injections at one hour after performing MPTP injection. This process was performed for five days. Motor function was then evaluated with pole and rotarod tests, after which an immunohistochemical analysis was performed. Results: NXP031 administration after MPTP injection significantly improved motor functions (via both pole and rotarod tests) compared to the control (MPTP injection only) (p < .001). NXP031 alleviated the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and striatum caused by MPTP injection. It was found to have a neuroprotective effect by reducing microglia activity. Conclusion NXP031 can improve impaired motor function, showing neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons in the SN and striatum of MPTP-induced subchronic Parkinson’s disease mouse model. Results of this study suggest that NXP031 has potential in future treatments for PD and interventions for nerve recovery.

A thirty nine year-old male patient was scheduled for emergent craniotomy and epidural hematoma evacuation under general anesthesia. All data of the preoperative check lists for emergent operation were within normal limits and vital signs of the patient were stable. During the induction of anesthesia an armored tube was inserted into the trachea for this operation. Approximately 110 minutes after the induction of anesthesia, signs of complete airway obstruction developed abruptly. At that time we deflated the cuff balloon to exchange the tube. Then, the signs of airway obstruction disappeared completely. Therefore the deflation of cuff balloon is recommended in order to exclude the obstruction by the displaced cuff.
Airway Obstruction* ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Craniotomy ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Intubation ; Male ; Trachea ; Vital Signs

Acute peripheral vestibulopathy, of which the chief complaint is positional vertigo, comprises benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), labyrinthitis, labyrinthine fistula, and cerebellopontine angle tumors. Since the typical presentation of labyrinthine fistulas may be sensorineural hearing loss, positional vertigo, or disequilibrium, it is often difficult to distinguish from BPPV or Meniere's disease. Herein we report a 61-year-old female patient with typical symptoms and signs attributable to geotropic type variant of the lateral semicircular canal BPPV on the left side, who eventually was confirmed as having a labyrinthine fistula from chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma on the left side. This is another case where, even in the presence of isolated vertigo showing typical findings of acute peripheral vestibulopathy, other otologic symptoms and signs must not be overlooked.
Cholesteatoma* ; Ear, Inner ; Female ; Fistula* ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Humans ; Labyrinthitis ; Meniere Disease ; Middle Aged ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; Otitis Media ; Semicircular Canals ; Vertigo* ; Vestibular Neuronitis