No abstract available.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation*

PURPOSE: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is an extensive public health problem, so cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has been widely taught to lay communities. However, little research has been done to assess attitude and reluctance to performing CPR in Korea. The present study clarified the basic factors affecting attitude and reluctance towards resuscitation in Seoul, Korea. METHODS: Using a telephone survey of a randomly selected sample of Seoul citizens, we questioned 1,007 subjects over a 2 week period in November 2006 on their prior training, knowledge, and awareness of resuscitation. The survey questions sought to clarify basic aspects of knowledge and attitude towards CPR, as well as to gather demographic information. RESULTS: Forty-five percent of subjects had previously been taught CPR. Of these, 70% had been taught more than two years previously. While sixty-nine percent indicated a general willingness to performed CPR on a stranger, only 6.8% responded that they definitely would perform CPR. In addition, only 3.3% were able to remember the correct compression- to-ventilations ratio for adult CPR. Of the 314 respondents who were unwilling to performed CPR, 44.3% gave as their reason the risk involved in a deteriorating situation, while 33.1% cited a lack of CPR knowledge. The factors most related to CPR performance and reluctance were male (odds ratio=1.997, p=0.048), prior CPR education (odds ratio=1.798, p=0.001), and accuracy of CPR knowledge (odds ratio=1.983, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Although general awareness of CPR among the Korean community is high, practical knowledge relating to the performance of basic CPR is poor. This suggests that present community CPR educational strategies had limited efficacy.
Adult ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest ; Public Health ; Resuscitation ; Telephone

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Inhalation injuries can produce a wide spectrum of negative clinical effects. Respiratory failure remains one of the leading causes of death in burned patients with inhalation injury. Despite advances in understanding of inhalation injury, few studies have focused on histopathologic findings of tracheal mucosa. The purpose of this study is to investigate histopathologic changes of tracheal mucosa in burned patients with inhalation injury. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Tracheotomy was performed on 31 patients who was admitted to the Hospital center from May 2005 to March 2006. Thirty-one patients were divided into two groups : patients with inhalation injury (group I)(n=16), patients without inhalation injury (group II)(n=15). Tracheal mucosa were taken out during the tracheotomy. The tracheal mucosa were read blindly by one pathologist. RESULTS: Histopathologic examination showed the following finding in the tracheal mucosa of all patients in the group I : epithelial ulceration. Different findings were observed in the group I as time passed by after inhalation injury, such as interstitial edema, inflammatory cell infiltration, capillary dilatation, and increased fibrosis. No abnormal findings were observed in the tracheal mucosa in the group II. CONCLUSION: Inhalation injuries cause histopathologic damages to tracheal mucosa. The different histopathologic findings of tracheal mucosa that take place in time following inhalation injuries suggest to process an inflammatory reaction. The study in related to clinical features should be needed due to tracheal mucosa injury may produce respiratory complications.
Burns* ; Burns, Inhalation ; Capillaries ; Cause of Death ; Dilatation ; Edema ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Inhalation* ; Mucous Membrane* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Trachea ; Tracheotomy ; Ulcer

Background & Objectives: Vasomotor rhinitis (VMR) is a chronic non-allergic rhinitis without the increased Ig E level and eosinophilia. Azelastine hydrochloride is a second generation anti-histamine medication with anti-inflammatory properties that inhibits the synthesis of inflammatory materials. There are reports that azelastine hydrochloride can be effective in the treatment of VMR. Therefore, this study examined the clinical efficacy of intranasal azelastine hydrochloride spray in comparison with placebo for the treatment of VMR. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This study was a prospective double blind randomized test. The subjects consisted of 84 VMR patients. Among them, 54 patients were treated with intranasal azelastine hydrochloride for 4 weeks and 30 patients with intranasal normal saline. Following the treatment, an analysis of the symptom score was performed in order to compare the treatment effects between the study group and the control group. RESULTS: In the study group, the symptom score was significantly improved in the areas of sneezing (1.38 to 0.72), rhinorrhea (1.57 to 0.76), nasal obstruction (1.76 to 1.01) and postnasal drip (1.43 to 0.65). In the control group, however, the symptom score was significantly improved in a single area of rhinorrhea (1.73 to 0.65). Patients in the study group, thus, displayed greater improvements in the areas of sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obasturction and postnasal drip comparative to the control group. Consequently, the study group patients were more satisfied with their quality of life than those of the control group. CONCLUSION: Azelastine chloride is a useful medicine for the treatment of VMR, especially in controlling sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction and postnasal drip.
Eosinophilia ; Humans ; Nasal Obstruction ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Vasomotor* ; Sneezing

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Respiratory failure remains one of the leading causes of death in burn patients with inhalation injury. Obtaining and maintaining a secure airway are both essential and challenging. Although different airway managements are performed in burn patients with inhalation injury, its exact indications and timing remain controversial. The purpose of this study is to define the principle of airway management in burn patients with inhalation injury. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective study was performed on 177 burn patients with inhalation injury who were admitted to Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital at Hallym University Medical Center from July 2002 to June 2005. RESULTS: Severty-seven patients underwent mask O2 supply for initial airway management. A total of 77 patients survived. One hundred patients underwent endotracheal intubation for initial airway management. Of these, 42 patients underwent tracheotomy after endotracheal intubation. A total of 42 patients reported abnormal chest X-ray findings. Of these, 10 patients survived and had significant improvement in PaO2/FiO2 ratios within 3 days following tracheotomy. CONCLUSION: In most cases, laryngotracheal edema subsides within 72 hours, permitting short periods of airway management. Deterioration of respiratory function permits prolonged intubation and ventilator support. Although tracheotomy does not improve general condition, it offers some advantages in terms of pulmonary toilet, patient comfort and airway security. If patients show deterioration of respiratory function, tracheotomy should be performed earlier.
Academic Medical Centers ; Airway Management* ; Burns* ; Burns, Inhalation ; Cause of Death ; Edema ; Heart ; Humans ; Inhalation* ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Masks ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax ; Tracheotomy ; Ventilators, Mechanical

We report a case of alopecia neoplastica in a 54-year-old woman, who presented with a 2 month history of a solitary 2X2 cm sized, erythematous hairless plaque on the vertex. Histological findings showed an extensive infiltration of tumor cells in the dermis, resulting in loss of the pilosebaceous structure. Tumor cells infiltrated in sheets or cords of cells, sometimes demonstrating glandular structures, and tumor cells formed small groups or single rows between thickened collagen bundles; the characteristic features of alopecia neoplastica.
Alopecia* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Collagen ; Dermis ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Scientific and epidemiologic studies have shown that several dermatoses of Vietnam veterans were caused by Agent Orange. Most of the previous studies on Vietnam veterans have been about the relationship between systemic diseases including limited dermatoses and Agent Orange, but there have been no clinical studies of dermatoses of Korean Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange. OBJECTIVE: We conducted this study to find out the distribution and characteristics of dermatoses of Korean Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange. METHODS: A total of 19, 262 Korean Vietnam veterans who received their first dermatological examination at Seoul Veterans Hospital between January 1997 and December 2003 were included in this study, which consisted of a skin examination and 15-item questionnaire. RESULTS: 1. The distribution of dermatoses groups were as follows: pruritus, psychocutaneous disorders, and neurocutaneous dermatoses (36.1%), dermatomycosis and deep mycosis (20.5%), eczema (11.6%), diseases of the skin appendages (3.6%), epidermal and adnexal nevi and tumors (2.1%), drug eruption, erythema, and urticaria (1.8%), and papulosquamous diseases (1.5%). 2. Pruritus (31.6%) was the most frequent dermatosis in all age groups. 3. The frequency of dermatoses related to exposure to Agent Orange were as follows: seborrheic dermatitis (4.8%), chronic urticaria (1.7%), psoriasis vulgaris (1.2%), xerotic eczema (0.5%), photosensitive dermatitis (0.2%), chloracne (0.1%), soft tissue sarcoma (0.1%), and malignant tumors (0.01%). 4. With regard to regional groups of dispatch in Vietnam, QuiNhon (20.1%) was the most frequent area of dispatch. There was no statistically significant difference in frequency of dermatoses related to exposure to Agent Orange between Dian, where larger amounts of Agent Orange were sprayed, and the other regional groups. 5. For duration of dispatch in Vietnam, there was no statistically significant difference in frequency of dermatoses related to exposure to Agent Orange between two groups of duration. CONCLUSION: This study showed the distribution and characteristics of dermatoses of Korean Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and may be helpful as the fundamental epidemiologic data of dermatoses of Korean Vietnam veterans for dermatologists to examine.
Chloracne ; Citrus sinensis* ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Dermatomycoses ; Drug Eruptions ; Eczema ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Erythema ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Nevus ; Pruritus ; Psoriasis ; Sarcoma ; Seoul ; Skin ; Skin Diseases* ; Urticaria ; Veterans* ; Vietnam* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Holoprosencephaly is a rare CNS developmental defect with midline cleavage of embryonal forebrain during the fourth week of fetal development characterized with s single ventricle. Holoprosencephaly is divided into three types by the degree of the brain cleavage : alobar, semilobar, and lobar. Depending on the degree of defected regions, there exist variable clinical symptoms and signs such as stillbirth, hypotonia, apnea, convulsion, delayed development and visual disturbance. It was frequently associated with the deformity of the brain as well as the midline facial structures. Advances in neuroimaging over the past decades have led us to a better understanding of the pathogenesis and the variability of holoprosencephaly. As a result, a lot of cases of holoprosencephaly with various clinical and pathologic findings have been reported. We experienced a case of isolated interhemisphere fusion of frontal lobes with intact septum pellucidum in a child with febrile status epilepticus. Is it a variant of holoprosencephaly?
Apnea ; Brain ; Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Fetal Development ; Frontal Lobe* ; Holoprosencephaly* ; Humans ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Neuroimaging ; Prosencephalon ; Seizures ; Septum Pellucidum* ; Status Epilepticus ; Stillbirth

Chondroid syringoma, also known as `mixed tumor of the skin', is a kind of acquired hamartoma of folliculosebaceous-apocrine lineage. Histologically, it is characterized by the biphasic pattern, with epithelial structures enveloped by abundant stroma. We report a case of chondroid syringoma, as an asymptomatic nodule, on the upper lip of a 55-year-old male. Histologically, the tumor had both epithelial components with follicular differentiation and myxochondroid stroma.
Adenoma, Pleomorphic* ; Hamartoma ; Humans ; Lip ; Male ; Middle Aged

Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma is a rare soft-tissue tumor of smooth muscle derivation that accounts for 2%-3% of all soft tissue sarcomas. Cutaneous leiomyosarcomas can be subdivided into dermal and subcutaneous leiomyosarcomas. Because of the different prognosis, it is important to distinguish between dermal and subcutaneous forms. Immunohistochemical stains, such as vimentin, smooth muscle actin (SMA), desmin, CD68, CD34, and S-100, may aid in the recognition of smooth muscle derivation and in the differentiation from other malignant spindle cell tumors. We report a case of cutaneous leiomyosarcoma on the extensor surface of the left thigh in a 61-year-old man.
Actins ; Coloring Agents ; Desmin ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma* ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Prognosis ; Sarcoma ; Thigh ; Vimentin