PURPOSE: To decide diagnostic titer in a single determination of antibody by indirect particle agglutination test and to characterize the occurrence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae during a 9 year-period in Seoul. METHODS: M. pneumoniae pneumonia diagnosed serologically at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital from 1986 to 1995 were reviewed, retrospectively. Antimycoplasma antibody was measured by indirect particle agglutination test. Diagnosis was based on 4 fold-rise or single high titer. Single diagnostic titer was set up by the value greater than the 90th percentile of the titer at one year of the children who initially had 4 fold-rise or > or =160. RESULTS: The geometric mean titer and the 90th percentile at 1 year of the 15 children who initially had antibody titer > or =160 or 4 fold-rise were 122 and 639, respectively, and single diagnostic titer was established as > or =640. A total of 126 childern were included by our diagnostic criteria. Male and female ratio was 1.17:1 and the mean age was 6 years 4 months. Pneumonia by M. pneumonuae occurred every years during the study period showing increased cases every 3 years. In the epidemic years, the cases occurred in late spring, summer and early fall. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the occurrence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in Seoul from 1986 to 1995 was characterized by epidemics every 3 years as well as its endemicity.
Agglutination Tests ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul*

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that impaired mucociliary clearance plays a role in the pathophysiology of bronchial asthma. Cough productive of mucoid sputum is common, and mucous plugs in the airways are frequently observed. These clinical features are in keeping with the histologic lesions of asthma, which involve primarily the epithelial and mucous-producing structures of the conducting airways. Some studies have shown that the mucociliary clearance is impaired in adult asthma, but it has not been studied in childhood asthma. The objectives of this study were to examine whether the mucociliary clearance is impaired in childhood asthma and to estimate the degree of impairment in comparison with that of immotile cilia syndrome. METHOD: Thirteen children with mild stable asthma and eight patients with immotile cilia syndrome completed this study. Ten healthy children were recruited as a normal control group. The whole-lung mucociliary clearance was measured by the radioaerosol technique. Aerosols, tin colloid particles tagged with the radionuclide technetium-99m(99mTc), were generated by means of nebulizer, and inhaled via a mouthpiece. The retention of radioactivity was measured at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes by gamma camera, and mucociliary clearance was calculated as percent retention at each time. RESULTS: 1) In each subject, the percent retention decreased variably with the lapse of time. 2) The percent retention of radionuclide decreased at each time in order of normal control, bronchial asthma and immotile cilia syndrome and the percent retention of immotile cilia syndrome was significantly higher than that of normal control at each time(p<0.05). 3) At two hours, the percent retention of bronchial asthma(65.0 1.8(SE)%) was significantly higher than that of the normal control(54.4 3.5%, p<0.05), and significantly lower than that of immotile cilia syndrome(73.3 +/- 1.4%, p<0.01). 4) When the percent retention was analyzed according to PC20 in the children with bronchial asthma, they had no relationship with each other. CONCLUSION: Mucociliary clearance in the children with bronchial asthma was significantly lower than normal control. This finding indicates that impaired mucociliary clearance operates in childhood asthma as well, and suggests that it may be one contributing factor in the pathogenesis of asthma. The degree of impairment, however, was not so severe as immotile cilia syndrome.
Adult ; Aerosols ; Asthma* ; Child* ; Cilia ; Ciliary Motility Disorders ; Colloids ; Cough ; Gamma Cameras ; Humans ; Mucociliary Clearance* ; Nebulizers and Vaporizers ; Radioactivity ; Sputum ; Tin

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The evaluation of vestibular function is very important for patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) as it is a well-known prognostic factor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate subclinical vestibular dysfunction (SVD) and its association with prognosis in sudden SNHL patients with and without dizziness using the vestibular function tests. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Seventy eight patients who had been diagnosed with unilateral sudden SNHL were examined by dividing them into three groups according to their clinical findings such as vestibular function and subjective symptoms: 1) normal, 2) SVD and 3) dizziness. Vestibular dysfunction and hearing recovery rates were also assessed. RESULTS: Patients with SVD accounted for 62.5% of patients even though they did not complain subjective dizziness. The extent of vestibular dysfunction in the dizziness group was greater than that in the SVD group (p=0.05). The hearing recovery rates for normal, SVD and dizziness group were 72% (13/18), 57% (17/30) and 48% (12/25), respectively. The incidence and extent of vestibular dysfunction was greater in patients with severe hearing loss than in those with moderate to severe loss. A significant correlation was noted between hearing recovery rate and vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing. Normal and abnormal VEMP data were associated with good and poor recovery (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The evaluation of vestibular function is important in sudden SNHL patients with dizziness; however, SVD also explains a significant proportion of sudden SNHL in the absence of dizziness. Notably, VEMP is useful tools for evaluating prognosis of sudden SNHL.
Dizziness ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prognosis ; Vestibular Function Tests*

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of problem drinking among female university students, and also aims to identify whether satisfaction with life and happiness moderate the relationship between problem drinking and depressive symptoms in this population.METHODS: A stratified clustered sample of 1,267 female university students were recruited in a cross-sectional study. Data were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions on socio-demographic characteristics, as well as questions about problem drinking (Alcohol Use Disorders of Identification Test, AUDIT), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI), satisfaction with life (Satisfaction with Life Scale, SWLS) and happiness (Positive Psychotherapy Inventory, PPTI).RESULTS: The prevalence of problem drinking among the female university students that participated in the survey was 38.5%. By moderated regression analysis, happiness showed a moderating effect between problem drinking and depressive symptoms (β=−0.248, p < 0.01). However, the moderating effect of satisfaction with life was not significant (β=−0.095, p=0.215).CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a positive psychology-based program for female university students with problem drinking may be useful for the alleviation of depressive symptoms.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Drinking ; Female ; Happiness ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Psychotherapy

Ischemic colitis represents most common form of gastrointestinal ischemia, usually developed in elderly or debilitated patient with a variety of underlying medical problems. The presumed etiologies are numerous. It usually presents as an acute abdominal illness with bloody diarrhea. Subacute ischemic colitis in healthy adults develops spontaneously in the absence of major vasculature occlusion, and the original insult precipitating the ischemic event usually cannot be established. Diagnosis is based on the clinical symptom, barium study, colonoscopic and histopathologic findings. Therapy and outcome are depen-dent on the severity of disease. It usually requires only medical management and is asso-ciated a good prognosis. We report a case of subacute ischemic colitis in healthy adults developed after severe watery diarrhea with literatures.
Adult ; Aged ; Barium ; Colitis, Ischemic* ; Colon ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea* ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Prognosis

The silver nanocrystalline is widely used for biological field because of its biocompatibility and anti-microbial effect. The objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the silver nanocrystalline ointment on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) capsulitis. Total 39 patients were included in this study and all patients were received single topical application of the silver nanocrystalline ointment (group A, n=30) or placebo ointment (group B, n=19). Measured variables were maximum mouth opening (MMO), visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and VAS for function. In results, we could not assess any therapeutic efficacy of single application in the chronic TMJ capsulitis (p>0.05). However, the single application of silver nanocrystalline ointment showed significant improvement in MMO and VAS for pain compared to placebo effect in the acute TMJ capsulitis (p<0.05). We could not find any complications related to ointment application in both groups. In conclusion, the single application of silver nanocrystalline ointment was effective in improving patient's symptom in acute TMJ capsulitis without any noticing complications.
Humans ; Mouth ; Placebo Effect ; Silver* ; Temporomandibular Joint* ; Visual Analog Scale

Accidental foreign body ingestion is one of the general pediatric problems. If more than one magnet are ingested, they can attract each other across the intestinal wall. This kind of event may cause necrosis, perforation or fistula. Therefore, they must be retrieved by gastroduodenoscopy while they are still in the stomach. The authors have experienced an unusual small bowel complication, which was small bowel-mesentery-small bowel fistula, caused by the ingestion of magnets.
Eating ; Fistula* ; Foreign Bodies ; Intestinal Fistula ; Necrosis ; Stomach

The objectives of this study were to characterize the alterations of 3p and 9p in sporadic renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and to assess the relationship between the clinical stages or tumor size and the alteration of these chromosomes. Thirty eight archival, paraffin embedded tissue sections from 38 patients with RCC were analyzed for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 3p and 9p with 11 microsatellite markers. LOH was detected in 81.6% (31/38) and 37.8% (14/37) at 3p and 9p, respectively. The frequencies of LOH at VHL and FHIT locus were 75.6% and 72.2%, respectively. Twelve cases out of 38 showed LOH at both 9p21 and 3p. The loss of 3p in the samples tested was not related to clinical stages and tumor size, but that of 9p21 was significantly associated with advanced stage and larger tumor size. These results support that 3p deletion, including VHL and FHIT gene, play a critical role in the tumorigenesis of sporadic RCC, especially at early stage, and that 9p21 may contribute to the progression of sporadic RCC.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Humans ; Loss of Heterozygosity* ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Paraffin

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of vegetable consumption with the incidence of CHD in Korean men by a case-control study. The case group consisted of 108 patients with EKG-confirmed myocardial infarct or angiographically-confirmed(>or=50% stenosis) angina pectoris admitted to a university teaching hospital in Seoul, Korea. Controls were 142 age-matched patients admitted to the departments of ophthalmology and orthopedic surgery at the same hospital. Dietary intake was assessed by a nutritionist using a semiquantitative food frequency method, while body mass index (BMI), tobacco use, and past history of cardiovascular disease were determined during an interview and examination. The consumption of vegetables was classified by the average frequency of intake(less than 3 times/week, 3~4 times/week, 5~6 times/week, more than once/day). The percentage of subjects who consumed vegetables less than 3 times per week was 29.6% for cases and 17.6% for controls; while men who consumed vegetavle more than once per day were 16.7% for cases and 32.4% for controls. After the adjustment for age, body mass index, and tobacco use, the odds ratio of men who consumed vegetables at least once per day was 0.38(95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.85) compared with men who consumed vegetables less than three times per week. These results suggested that in a population with a relatively low fat intake, consumption of vegetables at least once per day may reduce the risk of CHD in men.
Angina Pectoris ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Case-Control Studies* ; Coronary Disease ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Nutritionists ; Odds Ratio ; Ophthalmology ; Orthopedics ; Risk Factors* ; Seoul ; Tobacco Use ; Vegetables*

BACKGROUND: To date, a variety of surgical approaches have been used to reconstruct the medial orbital wall fracture. Still however, there is still a controversy as to their applicability because of postoperative scars, injury of anatomical structures and limited visual fields. The purpose of this study was to introduce a useful additional medial subbrow approach for better reduction and securement more accurate implant pocket of medial orbital wall fracture with the subciliary technique. METHODS: We had performed our technique for a total of 14 patients with medial orbital wall fracture at our medical institution between January 2016 and July 2017. All fractures were operated through subciliary technique combined with the additional medial subbrow approach. They underwent subciliary approach accompanied by medial wall dissection using a Louisville elevator through the slit incision of the medial subbrow procedure. This facilitated visualization of the medial wall fracture site and helped to ensure a more accurate pocket for implant insertion. RESULTS: Postoperative outcomes showed sufficient coverage without displacement. Twelve cases of preoperative diplopia improved to two cases of postoperative diplopia. More than 2 mm enophthalmos was 14 cases preoperatively, improving to 0 case postoperatively. Without damage such as major vessels or extraocular muscles, enophthalmos was corrected and there was no restriction of eyeball motion. CONCLUSION: Our ancillary procedure was useful in dissecting the medial wall, and it was a safe method as to cause no significant complications in our clinical series. Also, there is an only nonvisible postoperative scar. Therefore, it is a recommendable surgical modality for medial orbital wall fracture.
Cicatrix ; Diplopia ; Elevators and Escalators ; Enophthalmos ; Fracture Fixation ; Humans ; Methods ; Muscles ; Orbit ; Orbital Fractures ; Visual Fields