In order to evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in terminally failing hearts, we screened the explanted hearts of transplantation recipients for the presence of HBV DNA and HCV RNA. DNA and RNA extractions were taken from explanted failing hearts (N=7) and normal hearts (N=). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ PCR of HBV or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ RT-PCR of HCV were performed. The positivity of HBV in failing hearts was 63% (17/27) and it was 50% (3/6) in normal hearts in PCR. There was no significant difference in the positivity of HBV DNA between failing and normal hearts. The positivity of HCV in failing hearts was 18.5% (5/27) and it was 16.7% (1/6) in normal hearts in nested RT-PCR. There was no significant difference in the positivity of HCV RNA between failing and normal hearts. HCV was very rarely observed in explanted terminally failing hearts and HBV was frequently found in both explanted failing hearts and normal hearts. We concluded that these viruses have little direct causal relationship with the development of heart failure.
DNA ; Heart Failure ; Heart* ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans* ; Mass Screening* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; RNA

No abstract available.
Constriction, Pathologic* ; Diagnosis*

We report a case of an erythrodermic form of mycosis fungoides in a 68-year-old male, who showed generalized erythroderma with scales for 3 months. Lymphadenopathies in the inguinal and neck areas were present. Histopathological findings showed epidermotropism, perivascular atypical lymphocyte infilteration in the upper dermis, and dermatopathic lymphadenopathy in the inguinal lymph node. T cell markers were positively stained in the immunohistochemical study. These clinicopathological features were consistent with an erythrodermic form of mycosis fungoides(TNM IIl). The patient was treated with PUVA therapy and low dose chemotherapy.
Aged ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative ; Dermis ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Mycosis Fungoides* ; Neck ; PUVA Therapy ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the effectiveness of CPR training for nurses in the 6-sigma course. METHOD: The participants were nurses and doctors who worked in the medical center. For data analysis, the SPSS/PC14.0 program was used. RESULT: The total 11 categories of the primary problems were revealed on the recognition of carrying out CPR by nurses and doctors. After understanding the nurses' CPR knowledge and the practical ability, the survey showed 14.97 points and 67.12 points. After the education, the scores were increased from 14.87 to 23.25 in knowledge and from 67.12 to 93.43 in practical ability. The 6-sigma problem was ended as worked up the management plan and understood the changes over the management improving team. CONCLUSION: This study carries an emphasis on understanding of various CPR performance problems applied with 6-sigma in ward. In addition, improvement activities in relation to policy of hospitals suggest the high possibilities that the application of the improvement activities could be extended into the entire hospitals.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Lifting ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the effectiveness of CPR training for nurses in the 6-sigma course. METHOD: The participants were nurses and doctors who worked in the medical center. For data analysis, the SPSS/PC14.0 program was used. RESULT: The total 11 categories of the primary problems were revealed on the recognition of carrying out CPR by nurses and doctors. After understanding the nurses' CPR knowledge and the practical ability, the survey showed 14.97 points and 67.12 points. After the education, the scores were increased from 14.87 to 23.25 in knowledge and from 67.12 to 93.43 in practical ability. The 6-sigma problem was ended as worked up the management plan and understood the changes over the management improving team. CONCLUSION: This study carries an emphasis on understanding of various CPR performance problems applied with 6-sigma in ward. In addition, improvement activities in relation to policy of hospitals suggest the high possibilities that the application of the improvement activities could be extended into the entire hospitals.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Lifting ; Statistics as Topic

No abstract available.
Humans ; Immunoglobulin E* ; Nephrosis, Lipoid*

In air leak syndrome, a significant portion of the volume delivered during a positive pressure breath can be lost through the leak. HFOV can achieve adequate ventilation at lower peak and/or mean intrapulmonary pressure than conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) and has been an effective treatment of already established air leak syndrome. We report a 1-day-old male infant with severe respiratory failure from pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum, who was refractory to CMV with chest tube drainage. HFOV was applied to this patient for 114 hours, and improvement of oxygenation and ventilation as well as significant reduction of pneumothorax followed.
Chest Tubes ; Drainage ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mediastinal Emphysema ; Oxygen ; Pneumothorax ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Ventilation*

Bacteroides fragilis is a Gram negative nonsporulating anaerobic rod bacterium that makes up about 1 to 2% of the norrnal human colonic microflora. In 1984, Myer et al. reported that some strains of B. fragilis produce enterotoxin and cause diarrheal disease in cattle and human. Since then it has been termed enterotoxigenic B. fragilis (ETBF). In this study, we tried to detect enterotoxin gene from 37 B. fragilis strains, isolated in Korean patients, to confirm the existence of ETBF and usefulness of PCR as a rapid diagnosis method. By this method, we identified 9 ETBF strains and confirmed their pathogenesis by cytotoxicity test. No significant cross- reactivity with other anaerobes or aerobes was observed. Thus, the PCR method may be considered useful for the sensitive and rapid detection of anaerobic infections. And the entire amplified PCR mixture was ligated into a pT7Blue T-vector and transformed into E. coli. When the nucleotide sequences of cloned PCR products were compared with reported enterotoxin gene, pBF529 inserted DNA sequence was nearly in good agreement with it but pBF570 inserted DNA sequence showed some difference at nucleotide 270-300. A search for nucleotide sequence homologies revealed that pBF529 exhibited 99%, but pBF570 indicated only 90% identity with reported enterotoxin gene. According to these results, it was suggested that ETBF toxin can be differentiated into at least 2 subtypes.
Animals ; Bacteroides fragilis* ; Bacteroides* ; Base Sequence ; Cattle ; Clone Cells ; Colon ; Diagnosis ; Enterotoxins* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Cattle* ; Yersinia enterocolitica* ; Yersinia*

No abstract available.
Leptospira interrogans* ; Leptospira*