No abstract available.
Polyps*

To elucidate iron utilization patterns of Staphylococcus aureus according to the growth, we checked the residual iron concentration and the production of siderophores at the indicated times while culturing S. aureus ATCC 6538 and 25923 strains in brain heart infusion broth. By using streptonigrin susceptibility test and investigating growth curves in three culture media of which iron concentration is 0.2, 20, 45 uM, respectively, we found out that iron metabolism of 6538 strain was more active than that of 25923 strain. In point of tendency of iron consumption, 6538 strain steeply consumed iron just before the onset of stationary phase, but 25923 strain did gradually iron throughout the growth phase. Nevertheless, total amount of iron consumed by each strain during the growth was almost no difference between the strains. CAS diffusion assay in detecting siderophores showed that siderophore production followed iron consumption. These results suggest that the siderophores play significant role in iron utilization in vitro.
Brain ; Culture Media ; Diffusion ; Heart ; Iron* ; Metabolism ; Siderophores ; Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus* ; Streptonigrin

No abstract available.
Heart* ; Thoracic Surgery*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In addition to diagnostic criteria, a broad range of nonspecific clinical features can be found in patients with Kawasaki disease. This lack of specificity may cause confusion with other febrile illnesses and delay the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. The purpose of this study is to describe common associated symptoms and their clinical significances in children affected with Kawasaki disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: As a retrospective study, we reviewed the medical records of 121 children who were treated for Kawasaki disease at Presbyterian medical center from January 2005 to June 2010. All clinical symptoms, laboratory data and echocardiographic findings in patients with KD were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: We found that there are 9 associated symptoms, namely cough, rhinorrhea, sputum, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, arthralgia, headache and seizure, which occur in patients with Kawasaki disease. Among the study group, there were only 32 children with no associated symptoms (26.4%). Patients with abdominal pain and headache had an older mean age than those without such symptoms. The incidence of seizure was significantly higher in incomplete Kawasaki disease patients compared with those with complete Kawasaki disease. Vomiting was highly associated with IVIG non-responder group. CONCLUSION: To decrease the incidence of serious coronary complications due to delayed diagnosis, physicians need to be aware of the manifestations of Kawasaki disease and the possibility of associated symptoms, which, being unspecific, may otherwise not raise any red flags.
Abdominal Pain ; Arthralgia ; Child ; Cough ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Headache ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Incidence ; Medical Records ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; Protestantism ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum ; Vomiting

The content of meconium in amniotic fluid(AF) is important for assessing the risk of several perinatal problems such as asphyxia, meconium aspiration syndrome and various perinatal infections. This estimate is usually performed subjectively by visual inspection. The purpose of this study is to develop the objective method for quantitative measurement of meconium content in AF. Absorption spectra and meconium-crit of the solutions with various concentrations of meconium were measured. EfFects of filtration and blood contamination on the measurement of meconium content were also estimated by the same methods. Optical densities(OD) were correlated with concentrations of meconium in the whole range of scanned wavelengths. A specific peak of meconium was not available but the highest OD around 410 nm was shown. OD were linearly related to the concentrations of meconium. Meconium-crits were also well-correlated with the concentrations of meconium. Filtration of AF as well as blood contamination in AF severely affected the measurement of meconium content in AF. From the results of this study, both the spectrophotometric method and meconium-crit couid be objective methods for measuring meconium content. Both methods had merits and shortcomings. Filtration and blood contamination should be avoided for the measurement of meconium content in AF. We hope that both or either one of the two methods will be clinically used.
Absorption ; Amniotic Fluid* ; Asphyxia ; Female ; Filtration ; Hope ; Infant, Newborn ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome ; Meconium*

Background: Direct-acting antivirals are recommended for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus in Korea. However, evaluation of direct-acting antiviral regimens in a real-world setting is limited. The aims of this study were to investigate the effectiveness and safety of direct-acting antiviral treatment in Korean patients infected with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1b or 2 at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted with patient data obtained between August 2015 and August 2019 at Jeonbuk National University Hospital. The primary effectiveness endpoint was sustained virological response 12 weeks posttreatment (SVR12) via intention-to-treat (ITT) and modified intention-to-treat (mITT) analyses. Results: Of the 270 patients, 47.0% were infected with genotype 1b and 53.0% with genotype 2. ITT analysis revealed that SVR12 was achieved in 78.9% of all patients, 77.2% in genotype 1b patients, and 80.4% in genotype 2 patients. Of the 21.1% of all patients who did not achieve SVR12, the majority of treatment failures were non-virologic failures (19.7%). mITT analysis revealed that SVR12 was achieved in 98.2% of all patients, 98.0% in genotype 1b patients, and 98.3% in genotype 2 patients. Almost half of all patients experienced one or more adverse events (43.3%), leading to 2.6% discontinuing scheduled treatment. The most common adverse event was anemia. Conclusions Direct-acting antiviral-based treatment regimens showed high effectiveness and safety. Non-virological factors, such as premature treatment discontinuation due to adverse events or loss of follow-up, were the major disruptors in achieving SVR12.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to compare analgesic efficacy and side effects of intrathecal morphine and fentanyl with epidural bupivacaine. METHODS: Twenty nine healthy women, ASA physical status 1 or 2 with an uncomplicated pregnancy and single fetus in vertex position were given lumbar epidural or combined spinal-epidural analgesia. In the epidural analgesia group (n = 18), 0.25% bupivacaine 8 - 10 ml and fentanyl 50 - 75ng was injected into the epidural space. In the CSE group (n = 11), analgesia performed dural puncture with a 27 gauge spinal needle and fentanyl 15ng and morphine 0.2 mg in 2 ml normal saline solution was injected. In both groups, whenever the patient requests further analgesia, we injected 0.125% bupivacaine 10 ml and fentanyl 50 - 75ng into the epidural space. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in duration of analgesia, the second stage of labor and pushing. The CSE group offers rapid onset time. The total dose of bupivacaine and fentanyl administered during analgesia was significantly more in the epidural group than the CSE group. After intrathecal fentanyl 15ng and morphine 0.2 mg, the duration of analgesia was 162 +/- 122 min. After the first 0.25% bupivacaine 10 ml and fentanyl 50 - 75ng, it was 92.5 +/- 5 min in the epidural group and 190 +/- 101 min in the CSE group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with epidural analgesia, Intrathecal fentanyl 15ng and morphine 0.2 mg as part of CSE analgesia provide rapid onset time and prolonged analgesia, and a lower total dose of local anesthetics for labor and delivery. However women who received CSE analgesia were more likely to itch (64%) than solely epidural analgesia.
Analgesia* ; Analgesia, Epidural* ; Anesthetics, Local ; Bupivacaine ; Epidural Space ; Female ; Fentanyl ; Fetus ; Humans ; Morphine ; Needles ; Pregnancy ; Punctures ; Sodium Chloride

PURPOSE: To evaluate CT findings which may help differentiate benign from malignant parotid tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CT findings of seventy-one cases with surgically-proven parotid tumors were retrospectively analysed for size, location, margin, internal density, adjacent tissue plane and lymphadenopathy. RESULTS: The margin of the mass was smooth and sharp in most benign tumors (89.5%), and irregular or indistinct in twelve which were malignant (75%, p<0.01). With regard to internal density, 70.2% of benign tumors were homogeneous (similar to muscle) and 81.3% of malignant tumors were heterogeneous (p<0.01). When analysing low density patterns within the mass, focal low densities in benign tumors (11/17) and diffuse or scattered multifocal low densities in those which were maligant (8/13) were frequently seen. Three malignant tumors invaded adjacent muscles, the parapharyngeal space, and bones, each in one case, and twelve malignant and one benign tumor infiltrated the adjacent fascia or subcutaneous fat layer. In five patients with a malignant tumor, obliteration by the mass of the fat plane between the mastoid tip and styloid process was noted, suggesting facial nerve invasion, while in three cases of malignancy, lymphadenopathy greater than 1cm was seen. CONCLUSION: In differentiating malignant and benign parotid tumors, the presence of irregular or indistinct margin of the mass, and invasion of adjacent structures, are important. Lymph node enlargement greater than 1cm and diffuse internal low densities, which may suggest necrosis or cystic change were also helpful in differential diagnosis.
Diagnosis, Differential* ; Facial Nerve ; Fascia ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mastoid ; Muscles ; Necrosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Subcutaneous Fat

This study evaluated the safety of an office bleaching gel (RemeWhite, Remedent Inc., Deurle, Belgium) containing 30% hydrogen peroxide. 37 volunteers were recieved office bleaching with the RemeWhite for 3 times at one visit, total 2 visits. As control group, the same gel in which hydrogen peroxide was not included was applied to 34 volunteers with the same protocol. There was no difference between experimental group and control group using electric pulp test. In the result of gingival inflammation index and tooth sensitivity test, there was mild pain response in experimental group but it disappeared as time went by. Therefore, safety of the office bleaching gel containing 30% hydrogen peroxide was confirmed.
Hydrogen ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Inflammation ; Tooth

PURPOSE: Divided end-loop colostomy is recommended in some cases of unresectable rectal cancer or anal incontinence, because a conventional loop colostomy is difficult to managing due to bulky stoma volume for a long period. In such case of the divided end-loop colostomy, severe inflammation may occur at the stoma site by poor conditions of the patient so that cause to be retracted or detached, and distal loop may be disrupted. To avoid these problems, we designed subtotally divided end-loop colostomy and studied its clinical effectiveness retrospectively. METHODS: About a 3 cm diameter, round skin incision as presumed colostomy size was made at the left lower abdomen, and entered the abdominal cavity by splitting the rectus muscle fibers. The caudal side of colon can be identified by confirming the fusioned taenia at the rectosigmoid colon level. After pulling out the colonic loop, the distal colon far from the lesion was subtotally divided by a GIA staple or manual suture, which cut obliquely 80% or 90% from the antimesenteric side of the distal loop while maintaining the 10% or 20% mesenteric side of the colonic loop. Then an end-loop colostomy is matured with a small fistularization of the distal loop as the undivided mesenteric side of colon. RESULTS: In 8 cases, subtotally divided colonic loop using a GIA staple. But in 9 cases, divided manually because of makedly thickened, edematous colonic wall resulting from prolonged obstruction. There were several mild complications, i.e. transient dermatitis in 5 cases, transient bulky stoma due to edema in 4 cases, mild retraction of stoma in 2 cases, and mild prolapse of stoma in 1 case. There were no major functional abnormalities during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Although we need to get further clinical experiences, the subtotally divided end-loop colostomy seems to be a useful alternative surgical procedure for unresectable rectal cancer.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Cavity ; Colon ; Colostomy* ; Dermatitis ; Edema ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Prolapse ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Sutures ; Taenia