PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to determine the active and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in biological samples (plasma, saliva and urine) among high school students in Korea. METHODS: Study samples were from 99 nonsmoker or smoking volunteers from high school in Kyungki-do in 2000. ETS was defined as the having smokers of their family members or their friends. Urinary samples were extracted with ethyl ether at pH 10.5, and the extract was injected in GC-NPD. Plasma or saliva was extracted with methylene chloride at pH 10.5 and the quantification was performed with GC-MS (SIM). Peak shapes and quantitation of nicotine and cotinine were excellent, with linear calibration curves over a wide range of 1 to 3000 ng/mL. RESULTS: The results are as followings1. The prevalence of smoking among study subjects were 18.2% among males and 6.1% among females. A 69.7% of total subjects among both males and females were exposed at ETS. 2. The primary metabolite cotinine of nicotine was good indicator of ETS exposure in nonsmokers. Salivary cotinine was found to be highly correlated to the concentration of cotinine in plasma (r=0.9480). 3. Urine cotinine was increased among those with smokers in their family members, while salivary or blood cotinine was increased among with smoking friends. 4. Blood cotinine was highly correlated with salivary cotinine, but it was relatively poorly correlated with urine cotinine. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the results show how the students in high school in Korea suffer from secondhand smoke. It appeared that salivary cotinine was easy to collect and best way to predict the ETS among adolescents
Adolescent ; Calibration ; Cotinine ; Ether ; Female ; Friends ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea* ; Male ; Methylene Chloride ; Nicotine ; Plasma ; Prevalence ; Saliva ; Smoke* ; Smoking ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; Tobacco* ; Volunteers

PURPOSE: We attempted to observe the natural course of egg allergy and to investigate the risk factors predicting the likelihood of persistence of egg allergy in infants and young children with atopic dermatitis. METHODS: A total of 125 infants with atopic dermatitis and egg allergy were enrolled in this study. Egg allergy was defined when the serum egg white-specific IgE was equal or greater than 2 U/mL by CAP-FEIA.(Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) After follow-up evaluation of serum egg white-specific IgE, they were classified into two groups: "persistent" group(egg white- specific IgE> or =2 U/mL in children younger than 2 years and > or =7 U/mL in those older than 2 years) and "non-persistent" group. Median follow-up duration was 15 months. Specific IgE levels at first visit, family histories of allergic diseases, histories of breast milk feeding and the presence of sensitization to multiple food allergens were compared between the two group. RESULTS: The numbers of the "persistent" group and the "non-persistent" group were 75(60%) and 50(40%), respectively. The "persistent" group had higher egg white-specific IgE levels at first visit, more sensitization to multiple food allergens, and more breast-feeding than the non-persistent group.(P<0.05) Family histories of allergic diseases were not significantly different between the two groups.(P>0.05) CONCLUSION: Sixty percent of infants with atopic dermatitis and egg allergies showed persistent egg allergies during the median follow-up of 15 months. Infants with higher egg white-specific IgE level and sensitization to multiple food allergens at the initial evaluation are likely to develop persistent egg allergies.
Allergens ; Child* ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Egg Hypersensitivity* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Infant* ; Milk, Human ; Ovum* ; Risk Factors*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Psoriasis*

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) commonly causes neonatal meningitis and sepsis. In infants with late-onset meningitis, fever, irritability or lethargy or both, poor feeding, and tachypnea are common initial signs. Major neurologic sequelae are observed in 29% of children, the most serious including global or profound mental retardation, spastic quadriplegia, cortical blindness, deafness, uncontrolled seizures, hydrocephalus, and hypothalamic dysfunction. We report a 14-day-old full-term female infant who presented with grunting and irritability to the emergency room and was diagnosed with GBS meningitis subsequently complicated with central diabetes insipidus and secondary hypopituitarism. Central diabetes insipidus should be ruled out in infants with complicated GBS meningitis.
Blindness, Cortical ; Child ; Deafness ; Diabetes Insipidus, Neurogenic ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Hypopituitarism* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intellectual Disability ; Lethargy ; Meningitis* ; Quadriplegia ; Seizures ; Sepsis ; Streptococcus ; Tachypnea

Neointimal hyperplasia causes vascular stenosis and subsequent thrombosis, which result in vascular access failure in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are involved in this inflammatory process. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between vascular access failure and various inflammatory markers including the genetic polymorphisms of IL-10 and TNF-alpha. Seventy-five patients on hemodialysis with an arteriovenous fistula in place or an artificial graft (18 with vascular access failure and 82 without failure) and 98 healthy individuals were genotyped for IL-10 and TNF-alpha single nucleotide polymorphisms. Clinical and laboratory data including serum IL-10 and TNF-alpha levels were compared. Stimulated IL-10 levels, from in vitro incubation of blood with lipopolysaccharide, were also obtained and compared. Female gender, hypoproteinemia, and hypertriglyceridemia were associated with vascular access failure. The basal TNF-alpha level was significantly higher in patients with access failure. The distribution of IL-10 and TNF-alpha genotype did not differ among patients with or without access failure. This study could not demonstrate a relationship between genetic polymorphisms and vascular access failure. However, an altered immune response and inflammation might contribute to vascular access failure.
Adult ; Aged ; Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical/*adverse effects ; Catheters, Indwelling/*adverse effects ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-10/blood/*genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; *Renal Dialysis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood/*genetics

No abstract available.
Humans ; Lung ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Rhabdomyolysis

Heterotopic pregnancy, simultaneous intrauterine and extrauterine gestations, is a relatively rare conditon with an estimated incidence of 1 in 30,000 pregnancies in a natural cycle. But the incidence of heterotopic pregnancies has been increased because of rising incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease, pelvic surgery, intrauterine device, the use of various ovulation induction and assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, gamate intrafallopian insemination. The early diagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy is very difficult. So there is a higher maternal morbidity, mortality and fetal loss. Thus careful pelvic examination, combined with serial beta hCG determinations and transvaginal sonography to evaluate the adnexal region are important. We experienced a case of 34-years-old multiparous women with heterotopic pregnancy in natual cycle confirmed by surgical removal of ruptured right tubal pregnancy and sonographic finding of the intrauterine pregnancy, which carried the intrauterine pregnancy to term delivery without complication at 39+5 weeks of gestation, and report this case with a brief review of the literature.
Early Diagnosis ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Fertilization* ; Gynecological Examination ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insemination ; Intrauterine Devices ; Mortality ; Ovulation Induction ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic* ; Pregnancy, Tubal ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Ultrasonography

Characteristics and immuno-modulatory effects of Enterococcus (E.) faecium JS1-8 isolated from Kimchi were investigated for potential probiotic use. We measured their acid, bile, and heat tolerances, adhesion properties in Caco-2 cells, antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria, and bacteriocin-like substance-producing activity. Immuno-modulatory effects of E. faecium JS1-8 were measured by determination of nitric oxide (NO), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production in RAW 264.7 cells or RAW BLUE cells. JS1-8 survived at pH 2.0 for 2 hr and showed tolerance to 0.3% oxgall bile salt, and it survived after exposure for 5 min at 80degreesC. JS1-8 showed high antimicrobial inhibition zones to Staphylococcus aureus (460 mm), Listeria monocytogenes (310 mm), Salmonella enteritidis (280 mm), and E. coli (150 mm). Bacteriocin-like substance produced by JS1-8 showed a broad spectrum of activity against Listeria monocytogenes KCCM 40307 and Lactobacillus sake KCCM 40264. Low concentration (1 x 107 CFU/mL) of heat-killed E. faecium JS1-8 induced statistically higher production of NO than Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), which is a well-known immuno-modulatory lactic acid bacteria. Low and high (5 x 107 CFU/mL) concentrations of JS1-8 induced statistically higher production of NF-kappaB than that produced by LGG. We also found that JS1-8 increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in a concentration-dependent manner. As a result, E. faecium JSI-8 could be used as a useful probiotic for controlling pathogens and enhancing host immune responses.
Bacteria ; Bile ; Caco-2 Cells ; Cytokines ; Enterococcus ; Enterococcus faecium* ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Interleukin-1beta ; Lactic Acid ; Lactobacillus ; Lactobacillus rhamnosus ; Listeria monocytogenes ; NF-kappa B ; Nitric Oxide ; Probiotics ; Salmonella enteritidis ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

PURPOSE: To evaluate the ultrasonographic features of nonlactiferous breast abscess. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed ultrasonograms of 21 cases with surgically and clinically proved nonlactiferous breast abscess. The cases included 17 cases of acute or chronic inflammation and 4 cases of tuberculosis. RESULTS: Location of the lesion was subareolar in 15 cases and peripheral in 6. Mean anteroposterior/transverse diameter ratio was 0.49. Internal echogenicitiy of the lesion was variable, with heterogeneous mixed-echoic echotexture in 18 cases and homogeneous hypoechoic in 3. Margin of the lesion was irregular in 18 cases(85.7%) and posterior sonic enhancement was observed in 17 cases(81%). There were also noted obliteration of adjacent superficial fascia, localized skin thickening, and sinus tract or ductal ectasia in 19(90.5%), 9 (42.9%), and 9(42.9%) cases respectively. CONCLUSION: Major ultrasonographic findings of nonlactiferous breast abscess was subareolar located, variable shaped mass with posterior enhancement. Additional findings were fistular formation, loss of superficial fascia, and axillary lymphadenopathy.
Abscess* ; Breast* ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Inflammation ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Tuberculosis ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: To evaluate the ultrasonographic features of nonlactiferous breast abscess. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed ultrasonograms of 21 cases with surgically and clinically proved nonlactiferous breast abscess. The cases included 17 cases of acute or chronic inflammation and 4 cases of tuberculosis. RESULTS: Location of the lesion was subareolar in 15 cases and peripheral in 6. Mean anteroposterior/transverse diameter ratio was 0.49. Internal echogenicitiy of the lesion was variable, with heterogeneous mixed-echoic echotexture in 18 cases and homogeneous hypoechoic in 3. Margin of the lesion was irregular in 18 cases(85.7%) and posterior sonic enhancement was observed in 17 cases(81%). There were also noted obliteration of adjacent superficial fascia, localized skin thickening, and sinus tract or ductal ectasia in 19(90.5%), 9 (42.9%), and 9(42.9%) cases respectively. CONCLUSION: Major ultrasonographic findings of nonlactiferous breast abscess was subareolar located, variable shaped mass with posterior enhancement. Additional findings were fistular formation, loss of superficial fascia, and axillary lymphadenopathy.
Abscess* ; Breast* ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Inflammation ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Tuberculosis ; Ultrasonography