A 73-year-old Chinese man was admitted to the Accident and Emergency Premorbid Ward of a local hospital in Malaysia. The patient complained of shortness of breath with cough and was in a semi-conscious state. He was later admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital. Six days after admission 5-6 maggots were recoverd from the nasal cavity. The maggots were identifi ed as the third-instar larvae of Lucilia cuprina Wiedmann (Diptera: Calliphoridae) based on the morphological characteristics. This patient was classifi ed as having nosocomial myiasis. The presence of the third instar larvae indicated that the infestation was not more than three to four days. An adult sarcophagid identifi ed as Parasarcophaga rufi cornis (Fabricius) caught in the ICU where the patient was warded provided further evidence of the potential for the nosocomial infestation.

Several gut commensals have been shown to modulate host immune response. Recently, many food derived microbes have also been reported to affect the immune system. However, a mechanism to identify immunostimulatory and immunoregulatory microbes is needed. Here, we successfully established an in vitro screening system and identified an immunoregulatory bacterium, Lactobacillus pentosus KF340 (LP340), present in various fermented foods. LP340 induced a regulatory phenotype in mice Ag presenting cells which, in turn, induced IL-10 and IFN-γ producing Type 1 regulatory T cells (Tr1 cells) from naïve CD4⁺ T cells. Naïve CD4⁺ T cells co-cultured with LP340 treated dendritic cells highly expressed cytokine receptor IL-27R and were CD49b and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 double positive. Oral administration of LP340 in mice with atopic dermatitis reduced cellular infiltration in affected ear lobes and serum IgE levels, thus, ameliorating the disease symptoms. This suggests a systemic immunoregulatory effect of LP340. These findings demonstrate that LP340, a bacterium derived from food, prevents systemic inflammation through the induction of IL-10 producing Tr1 cells.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Dendritic Cells ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Ear ; Immune System ; Immunoglobulin E ; In Vitro Techniques ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-10 ; Lactobacillus ; Mass Screening ; Mice ; Phenotype ; Receptors, Cytokine ; T-Lymphocytes ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory

The first national survey on esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula was conducted to access the current status of its incidence. clinical manifestation, preoperative diagnosis and management, type of its anomaly, associated anomalies, and surgical results and course. The 43 members of the Korea Association of Pediatric Surgeons received questionnaires and registration forms to be filled out on each patient who were born during the three years from January I, 1992 through Decestricurember 31, 1994. Questionnaires composed of six broad areas which include 1) preoperative diagnosis and management, 2) surgical technic, 3) long gap, 4) postoperative management, and 5) complications and courses. A total of 148 cases was returned by 28 members working at 23 institutions and 27 members returped questionnaires. We obtained the following results by analysis of the 148 cases of tracheoesophageal anomalies. The incidence of tracheoesophageal anomaly was about 1/10,000-11,000 in 1994, which is one third of that of anorectal malformations in Korea and the distribution of the patients was almost proportionate to the size of each province. Both sexes are about equally affected. Majority of the members make diagnosis of tracheoesophageal anomaly by taking a simple infantogram with a radiopaque tube in upper pouch and a little under half(46%) prefers to perform echocardiography as a part of preoperative management to identify congenital heart disease and lateralize the aorta. Esophageal atresia with distal TEF(87.50/0) was by far the most common and threre were pure esopahgeal atresia(5.6%), H-type TEF(2.l%), and so on. About half(49%) of the patients had one or more associated anomalies in addition to tracheoesophageal anomalies. Congenital heart disease was associated in 46 cases(31 %), anorectral malfomations in 19 cases(13%), musculoskeletal anomalies in 15 cases(10%), genitourinary anomalies in 10 cases(7%) and gastrointestinal anomalies in 7 cases(5%). Postoperatively, parenteral nutrition and assisted ventilation were given in 66% and 52% of patients respectively. Ninety three(74%) of 126 cases who underwent surgical procedure, experienced one or more complications such as respiratory complication (65%), leak(22%), stricture(21%) and so on. The survival rates related to the Waterston risk categories were 90.2% in grpup A, 71.4-75% in B₁, B₂, and C groups, and 28% in group C₂ and the overall survival rate was 71.4%. Thirty six(28.6%) of 126 cases died of pneumonia/sepsis(12 cases), respiratory failure(l2 cases), and congenital heart disease(4 cases). With short term follow-up, 69% of patients have been excellent whereas remainders of the cases have suffered from some sort of morbidity related to gastroesophageal reflux, recurrent respiratory infection, and esophageal stricure.
Aorta ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Esophageal Atresia ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Heart ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Surgeons ; Survival Rate ; Tracheoesophageal Fistula ; Ventilation

The survey on branchial anomalies was conducted by Korean Association of Pediatric Surgeons. A total of 173 cases were reported, which were managed by 36 members and cooperators during the three years from January 1, 1993 through December 31, 1995. The following results were obtained by retrospective analysis of the 173 cases of branchial anomalies. The presenting symptoms were cervical mass in 101 cases, pit with or without discharge in 71, cervical abscess in 47 and respiratory difficulty in 3. The average age of the patients with cervical abscess was 52 months. Seventy(79%) of 89 patients with branchial anomalies and a cystic mass had their first clinical manifestations by 1 year of age, while 40(51%) of 78 patients with only a branchial cyst had their first clinical manifestation in first year of life. Radiologic studies were carried out in 77 patients(43%). The preferred diagnostic modalities were ultrasonography(47 patients), simple neck radiogram(l9) and CT scan(17). Preoperative diagnosis was correctly made in 156(91%) of 173 patients. Seventeen patients were incorrectly diagnosed as thyroglossal duct cyst in 5 patients, cystic hygroma in 4, dermoid cyst in 3, and lymphadenopathy in 3. There were no remarkable difference in sex and laterality of presentation but bilateral lesions were found in 9(5%) patients and unusual locations of the anomalies were the manubrium, left subclavicular area, median cervial area, preauricular and parotid area. There were 78(45%) patients with cyst, 52(30%) patients with sinus, 35(20%) patients with fistula and 8(5%) patient with skin tag. Embryological classification was possible in only 64(37%) patients. The 2nd branchial anomaly was present in 50 (78%), the 1st branchial anomaly in 10(18%), and the 3rd or 4th branchial anomaly in 4(6%). Histopathological study of the lining epithelium(N=134) is recorded that 45% were lined with squamous epithelium, 17% with respiratory epithelium, 6% with. squamous and respiratory epithelium, 14% with inflammatory change. Lymphoid tissue was common(62%) in the wall of the lesions. Twelve(7%) of 158 patients had postoperative complications including wound complication, recurrence and facial nerve palsy.
Abscess ; Branchioma ; Child ; Classification ; Dermoid Cyst ; Diagnosis ; Epithelium ; Facial Nerve ; Fistula ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphangioma, Cystic ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Manubrium ; Neck ; Paralysis ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Respiratory Mucosa ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Surgeons ; Thyroglossal Cyst ; Wounds and Injuries

Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line ; Chickens ; Eggs ; Erythrocytes ; Guinea Pigs ; Hand ; Hemagglutination ; Hemagglutinins ; Humans ; Influenza Vaccines ; Influenza, Human ; Neuraminidase ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Ovum ; Sequence Analysis ; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms

To understand the current status of neonatal surgery in Korea, a suvey was made among the 27 members of Korean Association of Pediatric Surgeons. Response rate among surgeons was 78 perecnt, eighteen hospitals participated in this study. Five hundred and three cases of neonatal surgical patients were analyzed. In Korea, about 50% of cases were treated at the hospital in the capital city area. Regional number of patients were closely related to the regional population. Imperforate anus(19%), atresia/stenosis of gut(12%), and Hirschsprung's diseases(12%) were sitting at the top in the list. Majority of operation was done within the first week of life, especially during the first 24 hour period. Eighty per cent was major or so called index cases. Mortality in so-called index cases was 17%. High mortality was observed in patients with diaphragmatic hernia(47%), gastrointestinal perforation(65%) and esophageal atresia(28%). Low birth weight babies showed higher mortality in gastro -intestinal perforation, esophageal atresia and abdominal wall defect. These were compared to 1993 survey of Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons.
Abdominal Wall ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Esophageal Perforation ; Humans ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Mortality ; Surgeons

Objective: The rapid societal changes have underscored the importance of effective stress detection and management. Chronic mental stress significantly contributes to both physical and psychological illnesses. However, many individuals often remain unaware of their stress levels until they face physical health issues, highlighting the necessity for regular stress monitoring. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of vocal biomarkers in detecting stress levels among healthy Korean employees and to contribute to digital healthcare solutions. Methods: We conducted a multi-center clinical study by collecting voice recordings from 115 healthy Korean employees under both relaxed and stress-induced conditions. Stress was induced using the socially evaluated cold pressor test. The Emphasized Channel Attention, Propagation and Aggregation in Time delay neural network (ECAPA-TDNN) deep learning architecture, renowned for its advanced capabilities in analyzing person-specific voice features, was employed to develop stress prediction scores. Results: The proposed model achieved a 70% accuracy rate in detecting stress. This performance underscores the potential of vocal biomarkers as a convenient and effective tool for individuals to self-monitor and manage their stress levels within digital healthcare frameworks. Conclusion The findings emphasize the promise of voice-based mental stress assessments within the Korean population and the importance of continued research on vocal biomarkers across diverse linguistic demographics.

Objective: The rapid societal changes have underscored the importance of effective stress detection and management. Chronic mental stress significantly contributes to both physical and psychological illnesses. However, many individuals often remain unaware of their stress levels until they face physical health issues, highlighting the necessity for regular stress monitoring. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of vocal biomarkers in detecting stress levels among healthy Korean employees and to contribute to digital healthcare solutions. Methods: We conducted a multi-center clinical study by collecting voice recordings from 115 healthy Korean employees under both relaxed and stress-induced conditions. Stress was induced using the socially evaluated cold pressor test. The Emphasized Channel Attention, Propagation and Aggregation in Time delay neural network (ECAPA-TDNN) deep learning architecture, renowned for its advanced capabilities in analyzing person-specific voice features, was employed to develop stress prediction scores. Results: The proposed model achieved a 70% accuracy rate in detecting stress. This performance underscores the potential of vocal biomarkers as a convenient and effective tool for individuals to self-monitor and manage their stress levels within digital healthcare frameworks. Conclusion The findings emphasize the promise of voice-based mental stress assessments within the Korean population and the importance of continued research on vocal biomarkers across diverse linguistic demographics.

Objective: The rapid societal changes have underscored the importance of effective stress detection and management. Chronic mental stress significantly contributes to both physical and psychological illnesses. However, many individuals often remain unaware of their stress levels until they face physical health issues, highlighting the necessity for regular stress monitoring. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of vocal biomarkers in detecting stress levels among healthy Korean employees and to contribute to digital healthcare solutions. Methods: We conducted a multi-center clinical study by collecting voice recordings from 115 healthy Korean employees under both relaxed and stress-induced conditions. Stress was induced using the socially evaluated cold pressor test. The Emphasized Channel Attention, Propagation and Aggregation in Time delay neural network (ECAPA-TDNN) deep learning architecture, renowned for its advanced capabilities in analyzing person-specific voice features, was employed to develop stress prediction scores. Results: The proposed model achieved a 70% accuracy rate in detecting stress. This performance underscores the potential of vocal biomarkers as a convenient and effective tool for individuals to self-monitor and manage their stress levels within digital healthcare frameworks. Conclusion The findings emphasize the promise of voice-based mental stress assessments within the Korean population and the importance of continued research on vocal biomarkers across diverse linguistic demographics.

Objective: The rapid societal changes have underscored the importance of effective stress detection and management. Chronic mental stress significantly contributes to both physical and psychological illnesses. However, many individuals often remain unaware of their stress levels until they face physical health issues, highlighting the necessity for regular stress monitoring. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of vocal biomarkers in detecting stress levels among healthy Korean employees and to contribute to digital healthcare solutions. Methods: We conducted a multi-center clinical study by collecting voice recordings from 115 healthy Korean employees under both relaxed and stress-induced conditions. Stress was induced using the socially evaluated cold pressor test. The Emphasized Channel Attention, Propagation and Aggregation in Time delay neural network (ECAPA-TDNN) deep learning architecture, renowned for its advanced capabilities in analyzing person-specific voice features, was employed to develop stress prediction scores. Results: The proposed model achieved a 70% accuracy rate in detecting stress. This performance underscores the potential of vocal biomarkers as a convenient and effective tool for individuals to self-monitor and manage their stress levels within digital healthcare frameworks. Conclusion The findings emphasize the promise of voice-based mental stress assessments within the Korean population and the importance of continued research on vocal biomarkers across diverse linguistic demographics.