The number of Internet users is rapidly increasing in Korea. Because of the busy modern life style, demands for the convenient medical services using the Internet are also increased. There are about 10,000 medical Internet sites in Korea. However, several surveys on the Internet medical information in Korea have shown disapointing results. As in other nations medical information is often inappropriate for the questions and some might be even harmful. Somewhat insufficient role of the Internet medical consultation do not satisfy the people' needs. There are eseveral movements for the improving medical Internet information system in Korea but are still at the beginning state. By using the Internet technology, telemedicne for the remote area, for the dementia patients, for the emergency care, and for the elderaly have been tried in Korea. But legal problems, insufficient evidence for its efficiency, and several other drawback make telemedicine be still remaining at the experimental state. However, increasing demands for the better medical services, developing inforamtion technology, expanding high-velocity network system, and fucure capacity mobile communication systems will obviate these problems in the near future.
Dementia ; Emergency Medical Services ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Internet* ; Korea ; Life Style ; Telemedicine*

Endoscopic variceal band ligation requires the incertion of over tube. Since adopting EVL, we encountered pharyngeal trauma and complaints of severe pain during over tube insertion. So We compared the safety and efficacy of EVL according to the method of scope insertion, as over tube and free hand method. We studied 49 patients who require EVL due to grade 3 esophageal varices. The group l consist of 26 patients who undergone EVL without over tube and group 2 consist of 23 patients who undergone EVL with over tube. There were no differences in basal arterial oxygen saturation by pulse oxymeter, basal heart rate and EKG by EKG monitor, hemoglobin concentration, and Child class between 2 groups. The changes of arterial oxygen saturation and EKG were not different between 2 groups during EVL. And the symptom score and speed of single band ligation were similar in over tube and free hand method of EVL. The complication induced by scope insertion methods is minor pharyngeal trauma only in over tube group. We suggest that over tube method of EVL can be replaced by free hand method in patients who complain of severe pain during over tube insertion, and with anatomical abnormality of oropharynx and urgent cases in which require good vision.
Child ; Electrocardiography ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Hand ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Oropharynx ; Oxygen

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

High dose intravenous gammaglobuline (IVLG) therapy is effective in some of the autoimmune diseases. Although the exact mechanism of action of IVIG is uncertain, the action as a neutralizing antibody against unknown etiologic agents, the action of blocking of Fc receptors of effector cells, or the action as a antiidiotypic antibody are suggested. We report a case of 12 year old girl with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis who was treated with high dose IVIG and got a remission. In August 1990 she was admitted to our hospital. because of intermittent fever, transient rash and multiple arthralgia. Under the diagnosis of systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, aspirin (4.0g/day) had been given with symptom improvement. She was readmitted in October 1990 because of aspirin intoxication and acute fulminant hepatitis. She was discharged after recovery and any medicine was not prescribed. In November 1990 she was admitted because of epigastric pain, vomiting, intermittent fever, multiple arthritis, and mild hepatomegaly. Total parenteral alimentation had been given under the diagnosis of superior mesenteric artery syndrome and gold sodium thiomalate (Myochrysine, 5 and 10 mg, two weekly IM injection) was given in conjunction with prednisolone (30 mg/day) and naproxen (375 mg/day). She was admitted again in February 1991 due to the fever, coughing, rash, and hepatosplenomegaly. Pneumonia and leukopenia (2100/mm(3)) were found and gold sodium thiomalate injection was discontinued. Gammaglobulin 1 g/kg/day was given intravenously for 2 consecutive days with dramatic symptom improvement. Five more monthly IV gammaglobulin had been given and the side reaction of injection were nausia, fever, and headache which were controlled by the decrease of infusion rate. Four months after the last IVIG injection she had no symtom of arthritis and the hepatosplenomegaly was decreased. Hemoglobin level was increase to 12.2 mg/dL form 6.2mg/dL and ESR was decrease to 15mm/h. The oral prednisolne and ibuprofen were stopped one year after th last IVIG injection. All the laboratory parameters of arthritis and physical examinations had been normal for more than two year after the stop of all the medications until March of 1994. We suggest that high dose intravenous gammaglobulin can be one of treatments for severe systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Arthralgia ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Juvenile ; Aspirin ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Child ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Exanthema ; Female ; Fever ; Gold Sodium Thiomalate ; Headache ; Hepatitis ; Hepatomegaly ; Humans ; Ibuprofen ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Leukopenia ; Naproxen ; Physical Examination ; Pneumonia ; Prednisolone ; Receptors, Fc ; Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome ; Vomiting

Sweets syndrome has 4 cardinal features, that is, fever, neutrophil polymorphonuclear leukocytosis of the blood, raised painful plaques on the limbs, face and neck, histologically a dense dermal infiltration with mature neutrophil polymorphs. Hematologic malignancies are associated with 10-15% of cases, but gastric adenocarcinoma associated case is very rare. A 57-year-old male patient admitted to Korea University affiliated hospital because of fever and painful erythematous plaques of both limbs. No response to antibiotics and antihistamines for 1 week, so we referred to dermatologic department for skin biopsy. After then under the impression of Sweet's syndrome, oral prednisolone 60 mg/day prescribed and skin lesions were progressively regressed. For the purpose of screening of associated disease, we did abdominal CT scan and panendoscopy with biopsy which revealed adenocarcinoma of stomach. We couldn't find out any other etiologic agents.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Extremities ; Fever ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Histamine Antagonists ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukocytosis ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Neutrophils ; Prednisolone ; Skin ; Stomach ; Sweet Syndrome* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The diagnosis of death by drowning is one of the hardest challenges in forensic pathology. Circumstantial factors and physical evidence such as autopsy findings are both important in drowning. However, drowning findings are not specific and no laboratory tests can specifically detect drowning. It has been suggested that fluid in the paranasal sinuses, especially the sphenoid sinuses, is a sign of drowning, in conjunction with other autopsy findings. This study aimed to determine the frequency of detection of fluid in the sphenoid sinuses in cases of death by drowning. From 2003 to 2012, 54 autopsied cases of drowning were selected and reviewed in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu. The most common autopsy findings were foaming at the mouth and nostrils (13%), frothy fluid in the airways (28%), pulmonary edema with overexpansion of lungs (87%), drowning liquid in the stomach and duodenum (52%) and hemorrhages in the petromastoid part of the temporal bone (93%). Fluid in the sphenoid sinuses was detected in 45/54 cases (83%). The plankton test was positive in 33/54 cases (87%), however, in 26 of these cases, plankton was found only in the lung tissue. In conclusion, detection of fluid in the sphenoid sinuses could be a diagnostic sign for death by drowning. The sphenoid sinuses are easily accessible on autopsy, so it is highly recommended to look for fluid in the sphenoid sinuses when performing an autopsy on bodies recovered from water.
Autopsy ; Cause of Death ; Drowning ; Duodenum ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Pathology ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lung ; Mouth ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Plankton ; Pulmonary Edema ; Sphenoid Sinus ; Stomach ; Temporal Bone

No abstract available.
Plummer-Vinson Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Hypocalcemia*

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Leptospirosis* ; Scrub Typhus*

PURPOSE: Nocturnal enuresis is one of the most common disorders of childhood, occurring in 15% of 5 year-old children. Although usually self-limiting, justification for early treatment has been founded in psyc hological impact on the child. Many investigators have reported upon the effectiveness of prospectively studied to compare the therapeutic effect between imipramine (Tofranil) and desmopressin (Minirin/1-Desamino-8-D-Arginine Vasopressin: DDAVP) on the monosymptomatic enuretic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 83 enuretic patients (primary enuresis 64 cases, secondary enuresis 19 cases) were randomized th one of two groups: imipramine group(44 cases) or desmopressin group (39 cases). They were free of other abnormalities in the screening tests. In addition to drug therapy, all of cases were performed motivational counselling, reduction of fluid in take prior to bedtime and voiding diary. The efficacy of drug was measured in reduction of the number of wet nights per week. During the treatment period, 83 cases were classified as excellent (0 to 1 wet night per week), good (over 59% reduction of wet night)and failed responder(less than 50% reduction of wet night). RESULTS: Average age of imipramine group and desmopressin group was 9.3 years (range 5-17) and 9.6 years (range 5-17), respectively. The number of wet nights per week decreased respectively from a mean of 6.1 to 3.4 in imipramine group are from a mean of 6.4 to 2.3 in desmopressin group. Average therapeutic duration and overall response rate in the imipeamine group and desmopressin group was 9.1 weeks, 6.7 weeks (p<0.05) and 90.9%, 95.9%, respectively (p<0.05). The overall relapse rate of imipramine group and desmopressin group was 40.0% and 40.8% during the follow-up period of 3 months after cessation of medication in excellent responders. There was no difference in the therapeutic effects between primary and secondary enuresis on each drug therapy. There was also on no difference in the therapeutic response according to constipation. No serious side effects were observed in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the overall effects of imipramine and desmopressin are excellent. But desmopressin has more effective therapeutic response and more shorter therapeutic duration as compared with imipramine.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Constipation ; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin* ; Drug Therapy ; Enuresis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Imipramine* ; Mass Screening ; Nocturnal Enuresis ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence ; Research Personnel ; Vasopressins