PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze the change in the obesity index in girls receiving a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa), based on treatment duration, and to aid in nutritional counseling by investigating dietary habits and lifestyle. METHODS: Anthropometric examinations were conducted on 62 girls treated with GnRHa from January 2010 through July 2014. Parents were asked to fill out questionnaires on patient dietary habits and lifestyle. RESULTS: The group taking GnRHa for over 1 year had a higher rate of obesity increase than the group taking GnRHa for less than 1 year, but they had common habits related to obesity, which should be corrected. In addition, 69.2% of the normal weight group taking GnRHa for over 1 year gained weight, and needed more intensive programs, which include physical exercise and nutritional education. Although girls with precocious puberty showed a decrease in the intake of high-calorie foods with nutritional intervention regardless of treatment duration, they still had problems that needed improvement, such as shorter meals and lack of exercise. CONCLUSION: Girls with precocious puberty and their parents should emphasize maintenance of proper body weight, especially when treatment for over 1 year is anticipated. Consistent education in nutrition, ways to increase intensity and duration of physical activity, and the need to slow down mealtimes are important in managing obesity; doctors need to perform regular checkups and provide nutritional counseling.
Body Weight ; Counseling ; Education ; Exercise ; Female* ; Food Habits* ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Meals ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Parents ; Puberty, Precocious*

Although an association of Kawasaki disease (KD) with infectious agents has been suggested, none have been proven to cause KD. In this case study, we present a case of KD with concurrent onset of influenza and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infections. A 27-month-old boy presented with prolonged fever, cough, and rhinorrhea. During the initial testing, influenza A infection was identified, and he was treated with oseltamivir. Despite the antiviral therapy, the fever persisted, and he had cervical lymph node enlargement, bilateral conjunctival injection, fissured red lips, strawberry tongue, and erythematous skin lesions on the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination site. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with KD and was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The result of the initial antimycoplasma immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody testing and was positive, and an increased IgM titer from baseline was found in a repeat test. We reviewed the hypotheses on pathogens known to be associated with KD and the etiology of KD. Based on our findings, we suspect that symptoms of KD and coronary artery lesions can occur from various infections besides those caused by Mycoplasma species and influenza viruses.
Bacillus ; Child, Preschool ; Coronary Vessels ; Cough ; Fever ; Fragaria ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Influenza A virus* ; Influenza, Human* ; Lip ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Oseltamivir ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Skin ; Tongue ; Vaccination

BACKGROUND: Home therapy has merits, enabling rapid treatment thereby reducing complications, but difficulty with venous access is a barrier to treatment. There is a paucity of data on this. This study investigated the current status of home therapy for patients with hemophilia, and examined problems and potential solutions.METHODS: Patients and their families who were performing home therapy and who attended the camp of the Korea Hemophilia Association in 2014 were asked to complete questionnaires. The questionnaires pertained to complications of infusion and whether (or not) factor infusion was properly performed. Responses were scored on a scale from 1-5, with a high frequency of complications and adequate performance of infusion being allocated relatively higher scores.RESULTS: The mean score of complications arising from infusion was 1.56±0.46. This was relatively low and was not correlated with the factor infusion training method. The performance of home therapy obtained a relatively high score: 4.46±0.56. The performance score was significantly higher for patients who had practiced infusion with medical personnel, an injection simulator or a video clip.CONCLUSION: Although most patients properly performed home therapy, further improvement is needed in training of infusion and keeping records of bleeds. It is essential to establish guidelines on home therapy, develop a standardized patient and family training program, and reinforce the role of hemophilia treatment centers in educating patients and their families.
Education ; Hemophilia A ; Humans ; Korea ; Methods

Neoplasm from the accessory parotid glands (APG) rarely occurs, and its malignancy rate is higher than other salivary glands. The B-cell lymphoma from APG is rare, with less than 2% of all malignancy in APG. The mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, a subtype of B-cell lymphoma, tends to be a localized disease with an indolent clinical course. It is very rare for MALT lymphoma to develop bilaterally in the APG and the parotid glands without an autoimmune disease. A 43-year-old male presented with superficial masses in the bilateral infra-zygomatic regions, and was pathologically confirmed as MALT lymphoma by excisional biopsy. We report this very rare and interesting case with a brief literature review.

PURPOSE: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common disease in the emergency department (ED). In general, UTI could be treated easily without complication. However, UTI with bacteremia can progress to sepsis or severe sepsis and delay of appropriate treatment can result in worse prognosis. Increased serum procalcitonin level in the bacterial infection of ED patients has been proven. The purpose of this study is to examine the clinical utility of procalcitonin as a predictor for bacteremia in UTI patients in the ED setting. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. UTI Patients admitted through the ED of three academic teaching hospitals from January 2010 to December 2012 were enrolled. We investigated demographic characteristics, hemodynamic variables, and laboratory results including serum procalcitonin level at presentation to the ED according to the presence of bacteremia. ROC curve was obtained and multivariate regression analysis was performed to test the predictive value of serum procalcitonin level for bacteremia in UTI patients. RESULTS: A total of 334 patients were enrolled. Bacteremia was proven in 135 UTI patients. UTI patients with bacteremia had significantly higher serum level of procalcitonin (0.830 vs. 6.860, p<0.0001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, level of procalcitonin and platelet count showed statistical significance (Odds Ratio=1.018, (1.007-1.028), 0.995, (0.992-0.998), 95% CI). Area under the curve for procalcitonin was 0.729, and cut off value was 2.52 ng/ml. CONCLUSION: Serum procalcitonin level could be used as a valuable predictor for the presence of bacteremia in UTI patients visiting the ED.
Bacteremia* ; Bacterial Infections ; Calcitonin ; Cohort Studies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hemodynamics ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Platelet Count ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sepsis ; Urinary Tract Infections*

Bile acids and their synthetic derivatives induced apoptosis in various kinds of cancer cells and anticancer effects. It has been reported that the synthetic chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) derivatives showed apoptosis-inducing activity on various cancer cells in vitro. It wasn't discovered those materials have apoptosis-inducing effects on G361 human melanoma cells. The present study was done to examine the synthetic bile acid derivatives, HS-1199 and HS-1200, induced apoptosis on G361 cells and such these apoptosis events. The viability of G361 cells was assessed by the MTT assay. Induction of apoptosis was confirmed by DNA electrophoresis and Hoechst staining. Westen blot analysis and immunofluorescent staining were performed to study the alterations in expression level and translocation of apoptosis-related proteins. Proteasome activity and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) change were also assayed. Tested G361 cells showed several lines of apoptotic manifestation such as activation of caspase-3, DFF and PARP, DNA degradation (HS-1200 only), nuclear condensation, inhibition of proteasome activity, reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential, and the release of cytochrome c and AIF to cytosol. Between two synthetic derivatives, HS-1200 showed stronger apoptosis-inducing effect than HS-1199 did. Taken collectively, we here demonstrated for the first time that synthetic CDCA dedrivatives induce apoptosis of human melanoma cells through the proteasome, mitochondria and caspase pathway. Therefore our data provide the possibility that HS-1200 could be considered as a novel therapeutic strategy for human melanoma cells from its powerful apoptosis-inducing activity.
Apoptosis* ; Bile ; Bile Acids and Salts ; Caspase 3 ; Chenodeoxycholic Acid* ; Cytochromes c ; Cytosol ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; Humans* ; Melanoma* ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Mitochondria ; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex

Pancreatic cystic lesions include retention cysts (congenital cysts), pseudocysts, and cystic neoplasms. Pancreatic cystic neoplasms have recently been diagnosed more commonly, possibly due to advances in imaging and widespread screening programs. Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas account for 10-20% of pancreatic tumors. Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms are regarded as premalignant lesions, whereas serous cystadenoma is not. In the clinical setting of acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cystic lesions are usually diagnosed as pseudocysts. However, cystic neoplasms of the pancreas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cysts, even in patients with a history of pancreatitis. In the Korean literature, MCN combined with acute pancreatitis has rarely been reported. Here, we report a case of MCN presenting with acute pancreatitis in a 22-year-old female, which was initially misdiagnosed as pancreatic pseudocyst.
Cystadenoma, Serous ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Mucins* ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatic Cyst ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Pancreatic Pseudocyst ; Pancreatitis* ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether funisitis is associated with changes in the umbilical cord plasma concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8), microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity and neonatal outcome. METHODS: The relationship among the presence of funisitis, IL-6 and MMP-8 concentrations in umbilical cord plasma at birth, the results of amniotic fluid culture performed within 5 days of birth was examined in 83 consecutive singleton births (20-35 weeks' gestation). Funisitis was diagnosed in the presence of neutrophil infiltration into the umbilical vessel wall or Wharton's jelly. The IL-6 and MMP-8 concentration was measured with a specific immunoassay. Amniocentesis was performed in 47 patients within 5 days of birth. RESULTS: (1) Funisitis was present in 21.7% of patients. (2) Patients with funisitis had a significant higher cord plasma IL-6 concentration, but had no significant difference in cord plasma MMP-8 concentration. (3) Clinical chorioamnionitis was more common in patients with funisitis than those without funisitis. (4) A cord plasma IL-6 > 6.34 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 75.4% in the identification of funisitis. (5) No correlation between cord blood plasma IL-6 concentration and MMP-8 concentration was found. (6) There was no significant correlation between gestational age at birth and cord blood plasma MMP-8 concentrations, but there appeared to be a trend to increase of cord plasma MMP-8 concentrations as gestational ages at birth were increased. (7) Neonates with congenital sepsis had a significantly higher cord plasma IL-6 and MMP-8 concentration than those without congenital sepsis. CONCLUSION: In patient with funisitis, umbilical cord plasma IL-6 concentrations were higher than those without funisitis, but umbilical cord plasma MMP-8 concentrations had no significant difference in each group. The umbilical cord plasma IL-6 and MMP-8 can be useful as a predictor of the occurrence of congenital sepsis in preterm infant.
Amniocentesis ; Amniotic Fluid* ; Chorioamnionitis* ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Interleukin-6* ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 8* ; Neutrophil Infiltration ; Parturition ; Plasma* ; Pregnancy ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sepsis ; Umbilical Cord* ; Wharton Jelly

To evaluate the effect of allergic parameters, such as serum IgE, eosinophil, and skin test on the bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in patients with chronic airflow obstruction, we performed methacholine bronchial provocation test, pulmonary function test, skin prick test, and measured blood eosinophil counts and serum IgE level from seventy-nine patients who showed persistent fixed airflow obstruction, less than 75% of predicted value in FEV~ and FEV1/FVC, despite of conventional treatment without steroid therapy for more than 3 months. The results were as follows 1) There were 53 patients with BHR and 26 patients without BHR. There were no statistically significant differences in sex, age, and smoking duration between positive BHR group and negative BHR group (p>0.05). 2) There was no statistically significant difference in absolute and predicted value of FVC(p>0.05). But there were significantly lower absolute, predicted value of FEV1 and FEV1/FVC% in positive group compared with negative group (p<0.05). 3) There was somewhat higher trend of serum IgE level in positive group. Skin test was not significantly different between two groups (p > 0.05 ). 4) Blood eosinophil count was significantly higher in positive group than in negative group(p<0.05). Conclusion of this study is that increased bronchial responsiveness in patients with chronic airflow obstruction is inversely related to the level of pulmonary function and significantly associated with blood eosinophilia.
Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Methacholine Chloride ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Skin ; Skin Tests ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: For the effective management of hypertension, drug adherence and life style modification are important. We investigated the effects of mobile phone text-message reminders on compliance and life style modification in patients with hypertension. METHODS: The study was performed at family medicine outpatient clinics at 15 hospitals in South Korea from July 2008 to June 2010. Study subjects included 1,449 patients who were all prescribed candesartan cilexetil. Patients were randomly divided into two groups- mobile phone text-message reminder group and control group. In the reminder group, contents of text messages were recommendations for antihypertensive adherence, exercise, low salt diet, and reduction of weight and alcohol. In the control group, the date of next visit was sent at 10 week. Mobile phone text-messages were sent at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks by the coordinating center. Thereafter, they were followed up for 12 weeks. Chi-square test was performed to compare compliance and performance indexes of the two groups. RESULTS: The reminder group had 719 (49.6%) patients vs. 730 (50.4%) patients in the control group. Attendance rate were 92.8% for the reminder group and 94.7% for the control group (P=0.14). 94.7% of the reminder group and 94.0% of the control group took their medication regularly (P=0.59). The target blood pressure was attained in 75.8% of the reminder group and 75.4% of the control group (P=0.87). Similarly, rates of weight loss, decreased alcohol use, increased physical activity and a low salt diet showed no significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, mobile phone text reminders did not show to have any significant positive effect on the management of hypertension.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Blood Pressure ; Cellular Phone* ; Compliance* ; Diet ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Life Style ; Motor Activity ; Text Messaging ; Weight Loss