To get an estimates of the prevalence of cigarette smoking and the attitudes of the students regarding smoking, questionnaire survey was conducted with 856 students from each class out of 4 different years. Overall, 68.5 percent of male students interviewed were current smokers, as opposed to 7.4 percent of the women students. Most students started smoking before age 20 and smoked only filter-tip cigarettes. Even about half of current smokers consumed not more that 10 cigarettes daily, 55 percent of current smokers inhaled smoke into the chest. Cigarette smokers had a greater prevalence of phlegm production, related to their daily cigarette consumption and a higher average number of bed disability days. Most of the exsmokers stated that they had given up smoking because they feel sick when smoking. The decision to smoke seems mainly depends on a desire to follows the peer group attitudes. With regard to diffusion among college students and probably all high school graduates, a more logically designed prospective study would be necessary.
Adult ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Male ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/etiology ; Smoking*

Natural disasters may lead to the outbreaks of infectious diseases because they increase the risk factors for infectious diseases. This paper reviews the risk factors for infectious diseases after natural disasters, especially earthquake, and the infectious diseases following disasters reported in recent years. The infectious diseases after earthquake include diarrhea, cholera, viral hepatitis, upper respiratory tract infection, tuberculosis, measles, leptospirosis, dengue fever, tetanus, and gas gangrene, as well as some rare infections. Children are vulnerable to infectious diseases, so pediatricians should pay more attention to the research on relationship between infectious diseases and natural disasters.
Child ; Communicable Diseases ; etiology ; Diarrhea ; etiology ; Disasters ; Earthquakes ; Humans ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; etiology ; Wounds and Injuries ; complications

Gastroenteritis ; etiology ; virology ; Human bocavirus ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Parvoviridae Infections ; diagnosis ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; etiology ; virology

Deafness ; etiology ; Facial Paralysis ; etiology ; Hematologic Diseases ; etiology ; Humans ; Meningitis ; etiology ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; complications ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; etiology ; Urologic Diseases ; etiology

Aluminum ; toxicity ; Humans ; Nervous System Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Occupational Exposure ; Occupational Health ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo identify the causes of respiratory complications following liver transplantation (LT) and to discuss the management of these complications.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty four cases with pulmonary complications in the first two weeks after LT were identified among 163 patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University from February, 1999 to March, 2003.

RESULTSThe incidence rate of complications was 76%(124/163) with the total cure rate of 92%(114/124). The cure rates of the various complications were as follows: pleural effusion 100%(113/113), pneumonia 92%(76/83), respiratory insufficiency 91%(59/65), pulmonary hypertension 98%(101/103), pulmonary edema 98(58/59), atelectasis 100%(4/4) and pneumothorax 100%(2/2).

CONCLUSIONTo drainage the pleural effusion with an unicameral venous catheter is safety and effective. To cure or prevent pneumonia and atelectasis, aseptic manipulating, aspiration of sputum and keeping respiratory channel open were the key measurements of treatment. Restrictive ventilatory functional disturbance (RVFD) and dysfunction of ventilation are two major types of respiratory insufficiency in early stage of post-transplantation. The causes of pulmonary hypertension and edema are associated with pulmonary angiotasis and blood flow volume, and the vasodilator and diuretic often introduced in the therapy.

Female ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; etiology ; therapy ; Liver Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Male ; Pleural Effusion ; etiology ; therapy ; Pneumonia ; etiology ; therapy ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; therapy ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; etiology ; therapy ; Pulmonary Edema ; etiology ; therapy ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; etiology ; therapy ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; etiology ; therapy

An 8-year-old girl who had experienced intermittent cough and fever over a 3 year period, was admitted after experiencing a recurrence for one month. One year ago the patient experienced a recurrent oral mucosal ulcer. Physical examination showed vitiligo in the skin of the upper right back. Routine blood tests and immune function tests performed in other hospitals had shown normal results. Multiple lung CT scans showed pulmonary infection. The patient had recurrent fever and cough and persistent presence of some lesions after anti-infective therapy. The antitubercular therapy was ineffective. Routine blood tests after admission showed agranulocytosis. Gene detection was performed and she was diagnosed with dyskeratosis congenita caused by homozygous mutation in RTEL1. Patients with dyskeratosis congenita with RTEL1 gene mutation tend to develop pulmonary complications. Since RTEL1 gene sequence is highly variable with many mutation sites and patterns and can be inherited via autosomal dominant or recessive inheritance, this disease often has various clinical manifestations, which may lead to missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. For children with unexplained recurrent pulmonary infection, examinations of the oral cavity, skin, and nails and toes should be taken and routine blood tests should be performed to exclude dyskeratosis congenita. There are no specific therapies for dyskeratosis congenita at present, and when bone marrow failure and pulmonary failure occur, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and lung transplantation are the only therapies. Androgen and its derivatives are effective in some patients. Drugs targeting the telomere may be promising for patients with dyskeratosis congenita.
Child ; Dyskeratosis Congenita ; complications ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Mouth Diseases ; etiology ; Mouth Mucosa ; pathology ; Recurrence ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; etiology ; Telomere ; drug effects ; Ulcer ; etiology

The tracheocutaneous fistula after tracheostomy is a complex clinical problem. An ideal fistula closure is still difficult at present though a variety of fistula-closing methods have been reported in the literature. We used a turnover skin flap to cover the fistula. All the procedures were completed at bedside under local anesthesia. The fistula was successfully closed and well healed without complications within 7-9 days. It has been proven that this operation is simple, effective, and safe.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cutaneous Fistula ; etiology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; surgery ; Respiratory Tract Fistula ; etiology ; surgery ; Surgical Flaps ; Tracheal Diseases ; etiology ; surgery ; Tracheotomy ; adverse effects

Air Pollutants ; toxicity ; China ; epidemiology ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Patient Admission ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Temperature ; Weather

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of air pollution on respiratory health in school-aged children in the main urban area of Chongqing, China.

METHODSThe main urban area of Chongqing was divided into polluted area and clean area according to the air pollution data shown on the Environmental Protection Agency Website of Chongqing between 2010 and 2015. A cluster sampling method was used to select 695 third- or fourth-grade children from 2 primary schools in the clean or polluted area as study subjects, with 313 children from the clean area and 382 children from the polluted area. Pulmonary function was examined for all children and a standard American epidemiological questionnaire (ATS-DLD-78-C) was used to investigate the prevalence of respiratory diseases and symptoms.

RESULTSCompared with the clean area, the polluted area had significantly higher concentrations of inhalable particles (PM), fine particulate matter (PM), and nitric oxide (NO) (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed after adjustment for confounding factors, and the results showed that compared with those in the clean area, the children in the polluted area had significantly higher risks of cough (OR=1.644), cough during cold (OR=1.596), expectoration during cold (OR=2.196), persistent expectoration (OR=1.802), and wheezing (OR=2.415). The boys and girls in the clean area had significantly higher forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second than those in the polluted area (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAir pollution in the main urban area of Chongqing is associated with the increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms in school-aged children and has certain effect on children's pulmonary function.

Air Pollution ; adverse effects ; Child ; Female ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; etiology ; Vital Capacity