BACKGROUND: To identify the prevalence and related factors for vitamin D deficiency in the patients who admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) of a Korean tertiary care hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data from ICU patients requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) for a period of > 48 h to identify the prevalence and associated factors for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level < 20 ng/mL. RESULTS: Among 570 patients admitted to the ICU, 221 were enrolled in the study, 194 in the vitamin D deficient group and 27 in the non-deficient group. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in critically ill patients was 87.8%. The patient age was lower in the vitamin D deficient group compared with the non-deficient group (64.4 ± 15.4 vs. 71.0 ± 9.6 years, p = 0.049). A higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score (odds ratio [OR] 1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-1.37) and chronic illness (OR 3.12, 95% CI 1.08-9.01) were associated with vitamin D deficiency after adjusting for age and body mass index. Clinical outcomes of duration of MV, ICU stay, and 28- and 90-day mortality rates were not significantly different between the vitamin D deficient and nondeficient groups. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency was common in critically ill patients, particularly among younger patients. Higher APACHE II score and chronic illness were associated with vitamin D deficiency.
APACHE ; Body Mass Index ; Calcitriol ; Chronic Disease ; Critical Care ; Critical Illness* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Mortality ; Prevalence* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Healthcare ; Vitamin D Deficiency* ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

T. verrucosum Infection has been reported for the first time in 1986 in Korea and has been increasing progressively. To evaluate the progress of clinical and histopathological change of dermatophytosis caused by T. verrucosum, inoculation study, using T. verrucosum isolated from infected human (human strain) and from infected cattle (cattle strain), was done in 24 male albino Hartley guinea pig. Their clinical and histopathological changes were evaluated. In addition, comparison for the growth rate between human strain and cattle strain on Sabouraud's glucose agar was made. The results were as follows: 1. Growth rate on Sabouraud's glucose agar: Cattle strain showed significantly more rapid growth rate than human strain on Sabouraud's glucose rate at 25℃ and 37℃. And cattle strain showed more rapid growth rate at 37℃ than 25℃. But human strain showed no significant difference of growth rate at both temperature. 2. Clinical findings: Initial erythema, scale and crust were developed about 8th after inoculation. All three findings reached maximum severity about 12th to 16th day and disappeared about 30th to 34th day after inoculation. There was no significant difference in progress of erythema, scale and crust between cattle strain and human strain. 3. Histopathological findings: Although mild acanthosis was noticed on the 3rd day after inoculation, the other findings including parakeratosis, intraepidermal abscess, spongiosis and vascular change, cellular infiltration were found on 9th day after inoculation. They reached maximum severity on the 12th day and lasted to the 25th day after inoculation. After that, all three findings were decreased gradually between 29th day and 33th day. On the PAS staining, hyphae and spores were found on the 6th day and disappeared on the 21th day after inoculation. 4. In trichophyton skin test, all of the 24 guinea pigs became positive within average 9.83±1.17 days These findings suggested that dermatophytosis caused by T.verrucosum induced rapid cell mediated immunity and contributed to rapid resolution of the lesion.
Abscess ; Agar ; Animals ; Cattle ; Erythema ; Glucose ; Guinea Pigs* ; Guinea* ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Immunity, Cellular ; Korea ; Male ; Parakeratosis ; Skin Tests ; Spores ; Tinea ; Trichophyton*

A 6-year-old girl visited us with a 4-week history of inflammatory, pustular, tender patches and plaques on the scalp, and a 3-day history of multiple, erythematous, indurated, tender, subcutaneous nodules on both pretibial areas. A swab was taken from the scalp lesion and colonies of Tiichophyton mentagrophytes grew on culture. The histopathological findings of the leg nodule were consistent with erythema nodosum. The patient was treated with oral itraconazole and deflazacort, combined with topical potassium permanganate solution. Erythema nodosum regressed two weeks later and the kerion of the scalp regressed six weeks after starting the treatment, leaving residual scarring alopecia. The patient was diagnosed as erythema nodosum probably induced by kerion celsi, that has not been reported in the Korean literature.
Alopecia ; Child ; Cicatrix ; Erythema Nodosum* ; Erythema* ; Female ; Humans ; Itraconazole ; Leg ; Potassium Permanganate ; Scalp ; Tinea Capitis*

A 12-year-old girl presented with a 1-week duration of hair loss associated with splitting of the hair ends and whitish dots on the occipital hairs. On microscopic examination, a longitudinal splitting of the hair shaft with reconstitution of the normal hair distal to the fracture, nodular swellings, with the appearance of broomsticks pushed into one another, at the site of whitish swellings, and the flattening and twisting of the hair shaft around the long axis were demonstrated. Minor trauma to injury-prone hair is a common cause of hair shaft defects, however the reports with the combined conditions are insufficient in the literature. We describe a patient with central trichoptilosis associated with localized trichorrhexis nodosa and pili torti.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Child ; Female ; Hair ; Humans

This study was conducted to investigate food and meal preference of workers (435 male and 212 female) in the Chonnam Yeosu industrial area. The results of the survey were analyzed by principal components analysis. The results were obtained as follows: 19.3% of the subjects were twenties, 28.3% were thirties, 28.8% were forties and 23.7% were fifties. Females liked rice rolled in dried laver, rice cakes, janchi-noodle and breads, on the other hand males liked thick beef soup, loach soup, an eel stew and soju. The young liked instant noodles, fried chicken, sweet and sour pork, pork cutlet, pizza, hamburger, ham, sausage and fruit beverage, on the other hand the old liked a fish pot stew, loach soup, eel stew, fish boiled in soy with spices, panfried fish, sea slug, ascidian, bunder, green laver and boiled burdock-lotus root in soy. Females who are young liked hamburger and sweet and sour pork whereas males who are young liked instant noodles, pork cutlet, ham, sausage and fruit beverage. Aged females liked fish boiled in soy with spices, panfried fish, bunder, green laver, boiled burdock-lotus root in soy whereas aged males liked a fish pot stew, loach soup, eel stew, sea mussel and oysters. Boiled rice was located within the middle irrespective of age and sex, but noodles, wheat flour meal, fast foods and fruits were situated at the young female side. Aged males liked soup and pot stew. Young males liked meats and eggs whereas fish and shellfish and kimch were located at the aged people side. Aged females liked sea weeds and most people disliked vegetables but females liked some vegetables irrespective of age. Processed foods, salted foods, and alcohol were generally disliked foods by subjects but males liked those foods. Soybean curd was liked more males than females, and teas, except coffee, was liked by males.
Aged ; Beverages ; Bivalvia ; Bread ; Chickens ; Coffee ; Eels ; Eggs ; Fast Foods ; Female ; Flour ; Fruit ; Gastropoda ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Meals ; Meat ; Ostreidae ; Ovum ; Shellfish ; Soybeans ; Spices ; Tea ; Triticum ; Urochordata ; Vegetables

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT) is a complicated procedure with a high incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI). Previous studies indicate that even transient or mild post-LT AKI can result in critical conditions, including prolonged stays in hospitals and intensive care units and increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and occurrence of AKI in LT recipients. METHODS: Medical data from 203 patients who received LT surgery from January 2010 to August 2016 in a single university hospital setting were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Patients were classified as either underweight (BMI <20 kg/m²) or normal weight (20 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m²). Demographic data, anesthetic methods, complications, and perioperative laboratory test values of each patient were assessed. Propensity analyses and logistic regression were performed to evaluate the association between BMI and post-LT AKI. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in occurrence of post-LT AKI between underweight and normal weight patients. The underweight patient group had significantly longer hospital stay compared with the normal weight patient group (P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: BMI classification was neither a positive nor negative predictor of postoperative AKI occurrence. However, patients with lower BMI had significantly longer hospital stay compared with their counterparts. Although our study was limited by its retrospective design, our observations suggest that lower BMI might play a role in post-LT AKI.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Body Mass Index* ; Classification ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Logistic Models ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies* ; Thinness

We have had an opportunity to study a patient with acute sensory neuronopathy. The patient was a 32-yearold housewife; the rapidly spreaded tingling sensation along both arms and legs developed, rendering her severely ataxic. There was no history of antecedent illness, familial neurological disease, or exposure to toxins and special drugs. On examinations, there was no abnormality in her mental and cranial nerve function. There was no motor weakness. She showed the profound loss of kinesthetic sense which was acutely progressive and associated with severe sensory ataxia and pseudoathetosis. All tendon reflexes were absent. However, cutaneous senses were preserved. There was no significant abnormal laboratory finding except elevated CSF protein content. On electrophysiologic findings, the decrease in the amplitude of action potentials with only mild slowing of conduction velocities of sensory nerves were found even though motor nerve conduction studies were normal. Median and tibial somatosensory evoked potentials could be elicited, although the median N19 scalp response and tibial N45 waveforms were prolonged in latency. Plasmapheresis were provided; clinical features improved. However, the electrophy-siological abnormalites remained. Thus we wish to report an additional case of woman suffering from the acute sensory neuronopathy, complementing the cases described by Stemm, Schaumburg and Asbury.
Action Potentials ; Arm ; Ataxia ; Complement System Proteins ; Cranial Nerves ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; Female ; Humans ; Kinesthesis ; Leg ; Neural Conduction ; Plasmapheresis ; Reflex, Stretch ; Scalp ; Sensation

In order to investigate the occurrence characteristics of cancer in terms of industry in Kwangju-Chonnam area, medical utilization records of industrial medical insurance corporations during the period of 1987 to 1988 were reviewed for the identification of neoplastic disease. The cases obtained from the medical records were followed up for the verification and to get additional information. Standardized incidence data were compared by occupational characteristics. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to analyze the difference of incidence or distribution of cancer as a whole or of some selected cancer. Total cases of cancer identified were 242 during the study period. Annual incidence rate was calculated as 123.1 per 100,000 person. The frequent types of cancer were cancers of stomach, liver, lung, colon and rectum, bladder and lymphoma in descending order. Employees of mine and other sand handling industries showed significantly higher risks for cancer of stomach and cancer as a whole. Employees of the transportation industry showed the higher risk for cancer of liver. Workers in small-sized industry (< or = 100) had a higher risk for cancer than who in large-sized industry (>100). These findings suggested the effect of occupational environmental exposure to cancer development.
Colon ; Environmental Exposure ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insurance* ; Liver ; Liver Neoplasms ; Logistic Models ; Lung ; Lymphoma ; Medical Records ; Occupations ; Rectum ; Silicon Dioxide ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Transportation ; Urinary Bladder

PURPOSE: The purposes of the study were to understand the levels of older adults' perceived stresses in terms of family relationship, physical health, financial difficulty, death of family members, and household environment, and to identify the influences of the stresses on their suicidal ideation. METHODS: The subjects were 302 older adults residing in Daegu, Korea. The data were collected by questionnaires between March and April 2007. RESULTS: Older adults perceived the highest level of stress from the death of family members and had high levels of stresses from physical health, family relationships, financial difficulty, and household environment in order. The variables influencing suicidal ideation were stresses from family relationships, physical health, and financial difficulty. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, it is recommended that nurses provide in-depth screening of suicide risk for older adults who visit general health care settings through the identification of the levels of stresses in terms of family relationships, physical health, and financial difficulty. It is further suggested to provide collaborative interventions between primary health care providers and psychiatric professionals for suicide prevention and treatment in older adults.
Adult ; Delivery of Health Care ; Family Characteristics ; Family Health ; Family Relations ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Primary Health Care ; Suicidal Ideation ; Suicide ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Fetal bilateral renal agenesis is a lethal congenital anomaly. An early and reliable prenatal diagnosis is extremely important as it may offer options for pregnancy termination as early as possible. The criteria for the ultrasonographic diagnosis of bilateral renal agenesis are severe oligohydramnios, nonvisualization of the bladder, and the empty renal fossa. However, severe oligohydramnios makes it difficult to diagnose the disease because of poor sonographic resolution. We present two cases of bilateral renal agenesis, one is diagnosed by ultrasonography after amnioinfusion at 24 weeks gestation, the other is diagnosed postnatally after term delivery.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Oligohydramnios ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Bladder