Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HIFRS), scrub typhus, murine typhus and leptospirosis have been the principal acute febrile diseases in Korea. To evaluate the seroepidemiologic patterns of acute febrile illness, sera collected from 2,423 patients in 1996 were examined for antibodies against Hantaan virus, Orientia tsutsugamushi, Rickettsia typhi, and Borrelia burgdorferi by indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFA) and macroscopic agglutination test for Leptospira interogans. Seropositive cases against O. tsutsugamushi, Rickettsia typhi, Leptispira interogans and Hantaan virus were 192 (7.9%), 193 (8.0%), 12 (0.5%) and 324 (13.4%), respectively. Male was more affected in HFRS and murine typhus contrasting to scrub typhus and leptospirosis in female. Most positive cases occurred during October and November for scrub typhus, and during November and December for HFRS. These results showed similar patterns with previous epidemical data for recent couple of years, and possibly implied no significant changes occurred in ecologic situations for acute febrile diseases in Korea.
Agglutination Tests ; Antibodies ; Borrelia burgdorferi ; Female ; Hantaan virus ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Korea* ; Leptospira ; Leptospirosis ; Male ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Rickettsia typhi ; Scrub Typhus ; Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne

No abstract available.
Succimer* ; Thymoma*

Hantaviruses are distributed in rodent population world-widely even in geographical areas where hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) has not been reported. Va.ictus species of Family Muridae and Arvicolidae serve as the natural reservoirs of hantaviruses. Hantaan virus, Seoul virus, Puumala virus, Prospect Hll virus, Sin Hombre virus and New York virus are members of genus Hantavirus and isolated from lungs of A. agrarius, C glareolus, M. pennsylvanicus, P. maniculatus and P. leucopus respectively. This experiment was intended to find the distribution of hantavirus infection among wild rodents and isolate the hantavirus from lung tissue of seropositve Apodemus peninsulae, and compared the nucleotide and amino acid sequences with prototype of hantaan virus 76-118 strain. Hantaviral sequences were amplified from lung tissues of A. peninsulae by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Alignment and comparison of the 324 nucleotide of G2 region of M-genomic segment diverged 4.6% and 0% at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, and complete N protein-coding region of S-genomic segment diverged 3.7% and 1.4% nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively. This is the report to spill-over on the hantaan virus from A. peninsulae to A. peninsulae in Korea.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus Infections ; Hantavirus* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Muridae ; Murinae* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Puumala virus ; Rodentia ; Seoul virus

Multiple species of muridae and arvicolidae rodents serve as the natural reserviors of hantaviruses. Hantaviruses are distributed in rodent populations world-widely even in geographical areas where hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) has not been reported. Serologic diagnosis of infection, using hantaviral antigen, indicates that hantaviruses are wider distributed in wild rodents. This study was designed to intended the hantavirus infection among wild rodents captured in Kyebang mountain, Kangwon-do in Korea. A total of 216 wild rodents in 3 species were trapped in July and September in 1995. Serological evidence for hantaviruses infection were tested against five hantavirus antigens by indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFA). Among 100 Eothenomys regulus, 78 Apodemus peninsulae and 38 Apodemus agrarius (IFA). Among 100 Eothenomys regulus, 78 Apodemus peninsulae and 38 Apodemus agrarius; 12 C. regulus, 15 A. peninsulae and 6 A. agrarius were IF antibody positive against hantaviruses. This data suggest that Eothnomys regulus and Apodemus peninsulae would be a natural reservoir of hantaviruses.
Animals ; Diagnosis ; Gangwon-do ; Hantavirus Infections* ; Hantavirus* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Korea ; Muridae ; Murinae ; Rodentia*

Schirmer test and tear film break up time(BUT) were performed in 126 patients who complained of nonspecific conjunctival symptomps. The mean value of Schirmer test was 7.85mm/5min and the mean value of the BUT was 9.68sec. Marked decrease was shown in comparison with previously studied normal values of Korean and according to these results, dry eye was suspicious. Same as for normal eyes, there was no relationship between the Schirmer test and BUT in this study. So, Schirmer test and BUT with detailed slit lamp exam should be necessary for those who complain of tearing, foreign body sensation and visual disturbances and these may helpful for diagnosis and treatment of dry eye patients.
Diagnosis ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Reference Values ; Sensation ; Tears

Congenital coloboma which is characterized by an absence of a part of normal ocular tissues involving iris, lens, ciliary body, choroid, and optic nerve. And choroidal coloboma is a rare disease in which there are defects of a part or all parts of choroid and retinal pigment epithelium. Retinal detachment has been reported in 23-42% of the patients with choroidal coloboma, and when retinal breaks are within the area of coloboma, conventional scleral buckling technique has resulted in low rates of anatomic success. We report a case of choroidal coloboma combined by retinal detachment which was treated by pars, plana vitrectomy, fluid-gas exchange, and laser photocoagulation.
Choroid* ; Ciliary Body ; Coloboma* ; Humans ; Iris ; Light Coagulation ; Optic Nerve ; Rare Diseases ; Retinal Detachment* ; Retinal Perforations ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinaldehyde* ; Scleral Buckling ; Vitrectomy

Meralgia paresthetica is a syndrome consisting of numbness, pain, tingling, burning and/or a variety of other paresthesias on the distribution of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) of the thigh. We report a case of meralgia paresthetica in a 41-year-old woman who complained of the symptoms of pain, burning sensation, and dysesthesia which occurred whilst standing up without any other constitutional symptoms. The authors suspect that frequent. and persistent squatting may play a role in the development of the present symptoms.
Adult ; Burns ; Female ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Paresthesia ; Sensation ; Thigh

No abstract available.
Acute-Phase Proteins ; Bacterial Infections*

No abstract available.
Bronchiolitis* ; Humans

PURPOSE: This study compared the effectiveness and ease of operation of two different training methods, response sequence based training (RBST) and chest compression first training (CCFT), for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). METHODS: Eighty-five railroad workers were divided into two groups: those who applied the usual CPR training method (response sequence based training, 44 people) and those who applied our CPR training method (chest compression first training, 41 people). The objective skill performances were evaluated by using a mannequin (JAMY-IV RECO, Kyotokagaku, Japan). RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in CPR performance and artificial ventilation success rate between the RSBT group and the CCFT group. However, the artificial compression success rate and compression depth of the CCFT group compared to the RSBT group was statistically higher (p=0.006, 0.001). In addition, the wrong-hand-position rate of the RSBT group compared to the CCFT group was statistically higher (p=0.000). Furthermore, instructor satisfaction with practical training operations in the CCFT group compared to the RSBT group was statistically higher (p=0.001) and instructors reported that students were focused and easily capable of performing the CCFT training method. CONCLUSION: The chest compression first training method is easy to perform and not too complex to operate, making it effective in student performance and instruction. More effective CPR training is expected based on this method.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation* ; Education ; Humans ; Manikins ; Methods* ; Railroads ; Teaching ; Thorax ; Ventilation