No abstract available.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length*

No abstract available.
Agranulocytosis* ; Granulocytes* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Humans ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory* ; Pregnancy*

Pemphigus erythematosus (PE) is a superficial type of pemphigus, which can be aggravated by sunlight (espicially UV light). Because of the known side effects of corticosteroids, we evaluated the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a corticosteroid-sparing agent and/or the effect of a single-drug regimen in two patients with PE with photosensitivity. We obtained a good therapeutic response with hydroxychloroquine in these two patients with PE. This drug could be used in selected patients with pemphigus who are prednisolone/ immunosuppressive-resistant or who have certain degrees of photosensitivity.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine* ; Pemphigus* ; Sunlight

BACKGROUND: To investigate how many rookie pitchers suffered from injuries while playing in the amateur league without guidelines for prevention of excessive pitching, we analyzed their amateur pitching patterns based on the pitch count, use of breaking balls, and pitches during winter camp. METHODS: Forty-one rookie pitchers who graduated from high school or university in 2013 and joined professional baseball teams. Participants were interviewed by a trainer using our questionnaire. Injury inclusion criteria were 1) history of shoulder surgery, 2) history of elbow surgery, 3) shoulder pain requiring treatment, and 4) elbow pain requiring treatment. RESULTS: Mean number of pitches per game and warm-up pitches for practice was 84.5 pitches (range, 15 to 130 pitches) and 16.4 pitches (range, 2 to 210 pitches), respectively. Mean number of pitches during the last year was 906.9 (range, 80 to 2,000). Mean number of maximal pitches was 127 pitches (range, 50 to 210 pitches). Fourteen pitchers had pitched over 150 pitches. Twenty-seven pitchers (65.9%) had pitched in spite of enduring pain. During winter training (mean 1.8 months), mean number of pitches per day was 162.5 pitches, and 20 pitchers (48.8%) had practiced pitching excessively despite the cold weather. Twenty-six rookies (63.4%) had shoulder pain or history of shoulder surgery, and 31 pitchers (75.6%) had elbow pain or history of elbow surgery. Only four participants (9.8%) did not have pain and history of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: For young baseball pitchers, guidelines for prevention of excessive pitching and for regulating the winter training program may be needed.
Baseball* ; Education ; Elbow* ; Humans ; Shoulder Pain ; Shoulder* ; Weather

PURPOSE: Peritoneal irrigation and drain insertion were traditionally performed following major abdominal surgery, as routine procedures The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the usefulness of peritoneal irrigation and drain insertion following elective gastric cancer surgery. METHODS: Between December 2000 and Feburary 2002, 184 patients having undergone surgery for gastric cancer were divided into two groups, a comparative group (86 patients with peritoneal irrigation and drainage) and an experimental group (98 patient without peritoneal irrigation and drainage). The demographics, histopathological classification, range of dissection, comorbid disease, first passage of flatus, start of soft diet, operation time, anesthesia time and operative complication were analyzed retrospectively in consecutive patients. The data were analyzed by student's t-tests with the level of significance set at P<0.05. RESULTS: No significance differences were found between the two groups in regard to demographics, range of dissection, comorbid disease or complications. However the mean length of hospitalization, operation time and anesthesia time and the first passage of flatus, and start of soft diet in the experimental group were significantly shorter than those in the comparative group. CONCLUSION: The result shows that routine peritoneal irrigation and drain insertion following elective gastric cancer surgery are ineffective in reducing postoperative complications. We think these procedures are unnecessary and offer no considerable advantages.
Anesthesia ; Classification ; Demography ; Diet ; Drainage* ; Flatulence ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Peritoneal Lavage* ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with dyslexia experience reading difficulties, whereas their other cognitive abilities seem normal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the event-related potential (ERP) patterns of children with dyslexia during a target-detection task. METHODS: Seventeen children with dyslexia and 18 children without this disorder participated in this study. We evaluated their writing and reading ability, symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and intelligence quotient. ERPs were recorded while participants performed a target-detection task, and the peak amplitude and latency of P100 and P300 were analyzed. The lateral asymmetry index (LAI) was calculated for each ERP component. RESULTS: The dyslexic group exhibited longer reaction times and larger P100 amplitudes than the non-dyslexic group in the right hemisphere. The P100 latency was also significantly delayed in the right hemisphere of those in the dyslexic group compared with those in the non-dyslexic group. The P300 amplitude was larger in the right hemisphere compared with left hemisphere in the dyslexic group, whereas no interhemispheric differences were observed with respect to the P300 latency. The LAI for P100 showed a significant right hemispheric dominance, whereas the LAI for P100 was significantly correlated with the accuracy of target detection in children with dyslexia. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that right hemispheric dominance acts as an ancillary system that compensates for poor reading in children with dyslexia.
Child* ; Dyslexia* ; Evoked Potentials* ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Reaction Time ; Reading ; Writing

No abstract available.
Echocardiography, Transesophageal*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of simvastatin on the catalase expression in human retinal pigment epithelium. METHODS: Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells were incubated for 6 hours and 24 hours with various concentrations of simvastatin. In addition, RPE cells were incubated with 200 microM of H2O2 and various concentrations of simvastatin. After incubation, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to examine the catalase messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression and a catalase assay was performed to examine the catalase activity in RPE. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured using a fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). RESULTS: Simvastatin increased the amount of catalase mRNA and catalase activity at 10 microM in RPE cells. Under oxidative stress (200 microM of H2O2), 2.5 microM of simvastatin increased the catalase mRNA expression and 5 microM of simvastatin increased catalase activity in RPE cells. In addition, simvastatin reduced free radical formation but this effect was diminished in the presence of an irreversible catalase inhibitor, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT). CONCLUSIONS: Simvastatin exhibits anti-oxidative effects by inducing the catalase expression in human RPE cells. This anti-oxidative effect may be beneficial for preventing age-related macular degeneration induced by oxidative stress.
Amitrole ; Catalase* ; Epithelial Cells* ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Macular Degeneration ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinaldehyde* ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Simvastatin*

PURPOSE: The most effective and basic Tb preventive measure is BCG vaccination. Even though the Intradermal vaccination method in BCG vaccination is known to be the most accurate method in preventing the advanced Tb, nowdays most of the Korean civilian hospitals utilize multipuncture BCG vaccination method ,which is quite contrary to the national standard intradermal vaccination method. Therefore I decided to inform and educate the pregnant women who would be in a position to choose the BCG vaccination method. This will help them understand the BCG vaccination methods properly. We should urge the intradermal method which is acknowledged as the national standard vaccination method. METHODS: The questionnaire was mailed twice to 214 pregnant women requring the antenatal care who visited any of the 9 health centers in Busan from the period of Aug to Oct. 2007. The 1st questionnaire was done in 214 pregnant women prior to education concerning the BCG vaccination methods and Tb, and the 2nd questionnaire was done after education. Contents of the questionnaire were general knowledges for BCG vaccination method, intention of selection for BCG vaccination, knowledges for the adverse effect, etc. Data analysis was performed utilizing SPSS (ver12) and the pregnant women's change in concept was comparatively analyzed with percentage, chi-square -test . RESULTS: Considering the general characteristics of the pregnant women who participated in the study, the highest percentage was noticed in their 15-28 gestational weeks (60.8%), Age over 30 (70.1%), Education level-college graduate (76.6%). Recognition to the presence of two types BCG vaccination method was 27.6% before education and 95.3% after education which showed a marked improvement (p=0.0001). After education, 82.2% of pregnant women decided to choose intradermal BCG vaccination method at birth which was 23.4% before education (p=0.0003). Despite the fact that intradermal BCG method is the national standard vaccination method, some of them prefer multipuncture BCG vaccination method, because most of the scars (41.3%), the civilian hospitals do it (35.7%), because of the lack of the education and information from the health centers and public institutions (17.4%). The future selection of BCG vaccination methods as follows: before education, intradermal BCG vaccination 31.0%, multipuncture BCG vaccination 14.6%, uncertain 54.4%, and after education, intradermal BCG vaccination 72.4%, multipuncture BCG vaccination 2.8%, uncertain 24.8% (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The pregnant women were not fully aware of intradermal and multipuncture BCG vaccination methods. Through education and information, it was possible for them to thoroughly recognize the BCG vaccination methods. In order to urge the intradermal BCG vaccination method, the health centers and public institutions need to educate and inform the pregnant women regarding the intradermal BCG vaccination method which is the standard vaccination method in Korea.
Cicatrix ; Female ; Humans ; Intention ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Parturition ; Postal Service ; Pregnant Women ; Statistics as Topic ; Vaccination ; Surveys and Questionnaires