The authors developed a biodegradable polymer that releases an antibiotic (nalidixic acid) slowly and continuously, for prevention of catheter-induced infection during drainage of cerebrospinal fluid. We investigated the in vitro antibiotic releasing characteristics and bacterial killing effects of the new polymer against E. coli. The novel fluoroquinolone polymer was prepared using diisopropylcarbodiimide, poly (e-capro-lactone) diol, and nalidixic acid. FT-IR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis proved that the novel antibacterial polymer was prepared successfully without any side products. Negative MS showed that the released drug has a similar molecular weight (M.W.=232, 350) to pure drug (M.W.=232). In high pressure liquid chromatography, the released drug and drug-oligomer showed similar retention times (about 4.5-5 min) in comparison to pure drug (4.5 min). The released nalidixic acid and nalidixic acid derivatives have antibacterial characteristics against E. Coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhi, of more than 3 months duration. This study suggests the possibility of applying this new polymer to manufacture drainage catheters that resist catheter-induced infection, by delivering antibiotics for a longer period of more than 1 month.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/*administration & dosage ; Biodegradation ; Biofilms ; Catheterization/*adverse effects ; Cerebrospinal Fluid/*physiology ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drainage/*adverse effects ; *Drug Delivery Systems ; Humans ; Nalidixic Acid/*administration & dosage ; Polymers/administration & dosage ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Spectrum Analysis, Mass

BACKGROUND: Viral warts are common viral infections and are usually self-limiting. However, there have been few studies assessing the characteristics of patients with viral warts. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of viral warts during a five-year-period. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of patients with viral warts who had been diagnosed in the Myongji hospital from January 2007 to December 2011. RESULTS: One thousand seven hundred and ninety patients with viral warts were assessed. A group of patients aged under 10 years had the highest occurrence of common warts (46.8%). The mean age was 16.9 years. Hands (47.7%) were more commonly involved than feet (36.4%). Cryotherapy was used to treat most of the patients. One thousand and sixty-one patients (59.3%) showed complete resolution of the wart lesion in the clinical ground. CONCLUSION: The number of patients with viral warts is currently increasing. This study provides useful data on the prevalence and characteristics of viral warts.
Aged ; Cryotherapy ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Warts

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Fulminant invasive fungal sinusitis (IFS) is an aggressive, destructive disease most commonly affecting the immunocompromised hosts. This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of invasive fungal sinusitis and to determine its prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Fifteen cases of invasive fungal sinusitis were retrospectively reviewed. Prognosis was analyzed according to predisposing factors including the underlying disease, the extent of disease, the mycotic species, and treatment modalities. RESULTS: Overall 5-year survival rate of the patients with IFS was 60%. There was significant survival gain in the group for which underlying disease was well controlled (p=0.04). There was no difference in survival in terms of mycotic species and extent of disease at presentation. No statistically significant difference in survival was observed between the conservative surgery and the radical surgery group. CONCLUSION: Survival is usually determined at the very early period of treatment. The most important prognostic factor is not the surgical modalities including wide surgical resection or conservative debridement, but the optimal control of underlying disease.
Causality ; Debridement ; Fibrinogen ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Sinusitis* ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: Scabies is an ectoparasite caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, an obligate human parasite. Although its incidence has been decreasing, it is not a rare dermatologic disease and is difficult to diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of scabies patients and find out etiologic factors in transmission. METHODS: Two hundred and ninety-five patients who were diagnosed with scabies at the Dermatologic Department, Myongji Hospital, Goyang city, Korea were enrolled. Medical records were evaluated in a retrospective manner. RESULTS: We studied 295 scabies patients who were diagnosed by the mineral oil test or skin biopsy. The mean age of the patients was 58.2 (male: 56.7/female: 61.2), and 74% of patients were over 60 years. There was seasonal variation in occurrence, and scabies was found to be most common in winter. The majority of suspected routes of infection were transmission through convalescent hospitals (38.1%) and caregivers (15.2%). Nosocomial infection and communal living were the major causes. 73.8% of scabies patients had underlying medical disease, such as hypertension (32.2%) and dementia (11.9%). CONCLUSION: Currently, scabies prevalence is still increasing in Goyang city, because of the increased number of convalescent hospitals.
Biopsy ; Caregivers ; Cross Infection ; Dementia ; Hospitals, Convalescent ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Mineral Oil ; Mites ; Parasites ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sarcoptes scabiei ; Scabies ; Seasons ; Skin

No abstract available.
Congenital Abnormalities* ; Rhinoplasty*

BACKGROUND: In contrast with bone formation markers, most of available indices of bone resorption are urine markers and show relatively high degree of variability. The serum resorption assay has therefore been developed. We evaluated serum bone-derived degradation products of type I collagen C-telopeptide (s-CTX) and serum osteocalcin by Elecsys 2010 (Hitachi Boehringer Mannheim, Tokyo, Japan). METHODS: For 18 healthy controls, 15 osteopenic and 7 osteoporotic patients samples, serum CTX and serum osteocalcin were measured by Elecsys 2010 using -CrossLaps/serum (Roche Diagnostic Corp., Indianapolis, USA) kit and N-MID Osteocalcin (Roche Diagnostic Corp. kit, respectively. DPD by Immulite (Diagnostic Products Corp., LA, USA) using Pyrilinks-D(TM) (Diagnostic Products Corp.) kit and serum osteocalcin for correlation by Gamma counter (Hewlett Packard, Meriden, USA) using ELSA-OSTEO (CIS, Cedex, France) kit were measured. RESULTS: The within-run and between-run coefficient of variation (CV) values of s-CTX were 6.41% and 6% in low concentrations and 3.84% and 7% in high concentrations, respectively. The within-run and between-run CV values of serum osteocalcin were 2.21% and 6% in low concentrations and 1.25% and 3% in high concentrations, respectively. The dilution recovery of s-CTX and serum osteocalcin was 100-169% (mean, 134%) and 80-138% (mean, 104%), respectively. S-CTX and DPD (R=0.369, P=0.019), and serum osteocalcin by Elecsys 2010 and RIA (R=0.889, P<0.001) showed positive correlations, respectively. CONCLUSTIONS: S-CTX and serum osteocalcin by Elecsys 2010 exhibits good analytical performance and correlate with DPD and serum osteocalcin by RIA, respectively. Therefore, these may replace DPD and serum osteocalcin by RIA and can be used for bone resorption and formation markers, respectively.
Bone Resorption ; Collagen Type I ; Humans ; Osteocalcin* ; Osteogenesis

Balloon dacryocystoplasty has been reported to be a safe, easy and effective nonoperative treatment for nasolacrimal stenosis. The results were not encouraging, however, because of its high failure and recurrence rates. To evaluate the feasibility of using modified Gianturco expandable metallic stents for maintenance of the dilated nasolacrimal system(NLS), 20 stents of 3 mm in diameter and 10mm long were placed in 20 nasolacrimal ducts of 10 dogs for 1 month to 10 months. It was more difficult to introduce the stents into the proximal portion(A) of the NLS than into the distal portion(B) due to the narrow and bony canal of the A portion. Twenty stents showed no migration in follow-up studies of up to 10 months. One complete occlusion occurred in a stent placed in A portion. Autopsy studies showed stents were covered with epithelium within 2 months after placement. Our experience suggest that the placement of Gianturco self-expandable stents may be a useful method of dilating and maintaining the luminal diameter of the NLS, although care must be taken to select the proper stent size.
Animals ; Autopsy ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dogs* ; Epithelium ; Follow-Up Studies ; Methods ; Nasolacrimal Duct ; Phenobarbital ; Recurrence ; Stents*

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia(BOOP) is a pathologic entity characterized by the formation of plugs of fibrous tissue in bronchioles and alveolar ducts. It had been described in association with several connective tissue diseases, i.e. systemic lupus erythematosus, Behcet's disease, polymyositis-dermatomyositis, polymyalgia rheumatica and Sjogren's syndrome. Recently, there were few additional reports on BOOP, anteceded by rheumatoid arthritis. We had experienced a case of 60 years old female patient who had been admitted for acute respiratory difficulty and abnormal chest roentgenographic findings. She was diagnosed as having rhematoid arthritis 20 years ago. On the course of our treatment, she did not respond to antibiotics. Moreover, no microorganism grew in the sputum and blood. Thus, the bronchoscopic biopsy was done. The patient showed a dramatic response to steroid therapy, and the pathologic findings of the bronchoscopic biopsy confirmed as BOOP. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of BOOP anteceded by rheumatoid arthritis in Korea.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biopsy ; Bronchioles ; Bronchiolitis Obliterans* ; Bronchiolitis* ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia* ; Dermatomyositis ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Polymyalgia Rheumatica ; Sjogren's Syndrome ; Sputum ; Thorax

Hydrops fetalis is diagnosed when abnormal fluid collections are manifest in two or more fetal compartments, including abdominal ascites, pleural effusions, pericardial effusions, skin edema, polyhydroamniosis and placental edema. Although fetal hydrops was hystorically most commonly associated with Rh blood group isoimmunization, the availability of Rh immunoglobulin has increased the proportion of fetuses affected due to nonimmune etiologies. We have experienced a case of nonimmune hydrops fetalis at 32 weeks of gestation in a 27-year-old woman and reported that with brief review of related literatures.
Adult ; Ascites ; Edema ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Hydrops Fetalis* ; Immunoglobulins ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pleural Effusion ; Pregnancy ; Skin

We experienced a case of aldosterone and cortisol secreting adrenal adenoma associated with pregnancy in a 23 year old female patient.The patient complained of severe thoraco-lumbar pain, weight gain, sweating, anxiety, and mild abdominal discomfort. On physical findings, hypertension, tachycardia, facial plethora, moon face, buffalo hump and truncal obesity were found.
Adenoma ; Aldosterone ; Anxiety ; Buffaloes ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypertension ; Moon ; Obesity ; Pregnancy ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Tachycardia ; Weight Gain