No abstract available.
Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Child* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation is common in elderly and associated with an increased risk for thromboembolism. Left atrial spontaneous echo contrast(SEC) and thrombus. which are easily detected by transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) in patients with rheumatic mitral valve disease and atrial fibrillation, have been known as markers of thromboembolism. However, most of the previous studies on left atrial SEC and thrombus were performed in rheumatic mitral valve disease or various conditions including rheumatic mitral valve disease. Therefore this study was underaken in order to investigatd 1) the prevalence of left atrial SEC and thrombus, and 2) clinical and echocardiographic variables related to left atrial SEC and thrombus in nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation. METHODS: In patients with estabished atrial fibrillation over 7 days, we examined the clinical gistory and performed transthoracic echocardiography(TTE) and TEE simultaneously. Enlisted patients were those without rheumatic mitral valve disease, prosthetic valves, previous thromboembolism, and recent anticoagulant therapy. RESULTS: 1) Left atrial SEC was detected in 32(62.7%) of 51 patients and left atrial thrombus in 10(19.6%). All thrombi were located in the left atrial appendage. 2) In univariate analysis, SEC positive group showed higher prevalence of congestive heart failure(CHF)(56.3% vs 0%, p<0.001), lower ejection fraction(42.2+/-14.1% vs 50.8+/-9.7%, p<0.05), lower left atrial appendage blood flow velocity(peak positive flow velocity ; 18.7+/-11.1cm/sec vs 32+/-12.4cm/sec, p<0.01, and peak negative flow velocity ; 21.4+/-12.4cm/sec vs 31.9+/-12.8cm/sec, p<0.01) than SEC negative group. Multivariate analysis identifed CHF as an independent variable related to left atrial SEC(p=0.02, Odds ratio ; 2.38, 95% CI ; 1.18-4.82). 3) In univariate analysis. left atrial thrombus positive group showed higher prevalence of CHF(70% vs 26.8%, p<0.05), larger left atrial demension(34+/-3.4mm/m2 vs 30.6+/-4.6mm/m2, p<0.05) than thrombus negative group. Multivariate analysis identifed CHF as an independent variable related to left atrial thrombus(p=0.04, Odds ratio ; 4.30, 95% CI ; 1.11-16.68). 4) Left atrial thrombus is more frequent in SEC positive group than in SEC negative group(28.1% vs 5.3%), however, there was no statistical significance(p=0.07). CONCLUSION: 1) Left atrial SEC is common in nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation and significantly related to CHF. 2) Left atrial thrombus is frequently detected in SEC positive patients, however, it is more realted to CHF than left atrial SEC itself.
Aged ; Atrial Appendage ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Echocardiography ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Heart ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Thromboembolism ; Thrombosis*

BACKGROUND: Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure(ABP) monitoring has become increasingly popular for diagnosing and treating hypertension. Therefore the reference value of normotensive subjects was necessary for interpretation of hypertensive subjects. Several studies were reported on reference values in normotensive subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine 24-hour ABP in normotensive Korean adults stratified for sex and five age groups. This study also assessed ABP in relation to a family history of hypertension, smoking and body mass index(BMI). METHODS: ABP monitoring was performed in 200 healthy normotensive volunteers(ranged in age from 20 to 69 years, five decades, 20 men and 20 women per each decade), over 24 hours, taking measurement at 30-min intervals. The 24-hour interval was divided into day-time(6am-10pm) and night-time(100pm-6am) periods. Mean ABP and pressure loads(percentage of systolic readings>140mmHg, diastolic readings>90mmHg) were obtained. RESULTS: The mean ABP in 200 subjects was 113+/-8.6/72+/-6.9mmHg over 24 hours, 117+/-9.7/75+/-7.0mmHg during day-time, and 106+/-9.8/67+/-8.3mmHg at night-time, and pressure loadd averaged 5.1+/-7.4/7.9+/-8.9% over 24 hours. The +2 standard deviation(SD) as the upper limit of normal was 130/86mmHg over 24 hours in 200 subjects. The mean ABP and pressure load were 116+/-7.6/74+/-7.6mmHg and 6.4+/-8.3/10.1+/-10.2% in 100 subjects of men, and 110+/-8.3+/-70+/-6.6mmHg, 3.7+/-6.0/5.7+/-6.8% in women. Mean ABP and pressure load showed significant difference in relation to age group and sex, however, no significant difference in relation to a family history of hypertension or smoking. In relation to BMI group, diastolic blood pressure and diastolic pressure load were significantly different.
Adult* ; Blood Pressure* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Reference Values ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: Screening of high-risk patients using bladder tumor markers can offer an advantage of early detection and saving medical costs. For these purpose many tumor markers have been developed to supplement invasive cystoscopy. Our study evaluated the NMP22 point-of-care test (NMP22 POCT), which is one of the tumor makers, comparing with the standard urine cytology for the diagnosis of bladder cancer. METHODS: From January to September 2005, 232 patients who had undergone a cystoscopy due to bladder cancer associated symptoms including hematuria and dysuria were enrolled in this study. Urine specimens were collected for NMP22 POCT and cytology. NMP22 POCT and urine cytology were compared for sensitivity and specificity. In addition, we evaluated urine stick test and microscopy to explain some false-positive results in NMP22 POCT. RESULTS: Superficial transitional cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 10 patients. The sensitivity of NMP22 test was 60% (95% confidence interval [CI], 26.2-87.8%), whereas that of cytology was 33.3% (95% CI, 7.5-70.1%); however, the difference was not significant. The specificity of NMP22 test was 69.8% (95% CI, 63.3-75.8%), compared with 99.0% (95% CI, 96.5-99.9%) for cytology (P<0.001). The presence of microscopic RBCs in urine specimen was significantly associated with the lower specificity of NMP22 POCT (P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: NMP22 POCT was significantly less specific than urine cytology. To be useful as a bladder cancer screening test, the NMP22 test should have a higher specificity.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nuclear Proteins/*urine ; Point-of-Care Systems ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*urine ; Urinary Bladder/pathology ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*diagnosis/urine ; Urine/cytology

This study examines how the decision-making process evolved in Korea during the initial phases of introduction and implementation of National Health Insurance. This study analyses the official documents and interviews views made with government officials and related personnel. We used the method of network analysis and multidimensional scaling in order to demonstrate how the major participants in the decision-making process developed and changed under the contemporary political situations. In the pre-implementation stage around 1976, major concerns were concentrated around the issues of financial support for social insurance, the fee schedule and who ought to be covered first. The total number of participants of the health or health-related organization was 61, which included the President, the Minister of Health and Social Affairs, representatives of special interest groups, etc. In the actual implementation period of 1982, different issues were brought up by the major participants. The number of participants in this period declined to 44 with the deletion of 19 and with the addition of two newly formed health insurance organizations. By 1988, as the implementation reached its final decision period, disagreements were centered on progressive premium rating and the administration of National Health Insurance. The number of participants increased to 60 after the addition of 16 participants. The analysis of this paper may provide some insight for other countries which wish to establish National Health Insurance; as reference to the policy-making process, it may provide some suggestions for when to initiate and how to formulate National Health Insurance policies.
Human ; Korea ; National Health Programs/*legislation & jurisprudence ; *Policy Making ; Statistics ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Mycoplasma hominis can cause life-threatening central nervous system infections in neonates following intrauterine infection or during delivery. In newborns, the dia gnosis and treatment of M. hominis meningitis are challenging, because cultures are often negative and the bacterium is not susceptible to empirical antibiotics. Herein, we describe a case of neonatal M. hominis meningitis diagnosed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and treated with ciprofloxacin. The patient was a 3-day-old female hospitalized for a fever and lethargy. Her blood laboratory findings were non-specific; cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination showed a white blood cell count of 580/µL and indicated meningitis. Her symptoms could not be controlled with empirical antibiotics. Urine culture on a special medium revealed ciprofloxacinsusceptible M. hominis. Furthermore, the RT-PCR performed with the CSF sample revealed M. hominis. Therefore, the patient was administered cipro­floxacin; after 2 days, the fever subsided. The patient was discharged on day 30 without complications.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) detected in Korean patients almost belongs to genotype C, which is subdivided into subgenotype C1 (or Cs) and C2 (or Ce). It was recently reported that the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma is different between subgenotype C1 and C2. Thus, we studied the distribution of subgenotypes of HBV in Korean chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. METHODS: Specimens of 421 patients, who were diagnosed as CHB and underwent antiviral treatment, were used. After sequence analysis for HBV S gene, subgenotype was identified through phylogenetic analysis. Utilizing the same sequence data, the distribution of serotypes was also investigated. RESULTS: Among 421 patient specimens, genotype C was found in 419 (99.5%) and genotype B in 2 (0.5%). Among the genotype C strains, 417 strains were C2 subgenotype and 2 strains were mixed subgenotypes. However, C2 was evidently found even in the mixed sequences. Serotypes of 419 HBV with genotype C were classified as follows: adr, 385 (91.9%), adw, 22 (5.3%), ayr, 2 (0.4%) and mixed serotype, 10 (2.3%). Serotype of both HBV with genotype B was adw. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that HBV detected in Korean CHB patients under treatment almost all belong to the C2 (Ce) genotype.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Blood Specimen Collection ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B virus/*classification/genetics ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/diagnosis/drug therapy/*virology ; Humans ; Korea ; Phylogeny ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Serotyping

BACKGROUND: Many immunochromatography (ICA) kits for anti-human immunodeficiency virus type (HIV) antibody (Ab) have been introduced to improve the accessibility of HIV Ab tests. However, qualified evaluation reports for HIV rapid tests are not enough to validate their performances. Metaanalysis for the performances of the HIV Ab rapid tests was performed in this study. METHODS: PubMed database was searched with combination of search terms, 'human immunodeficiency virus', 'HIV Ab', 'rapid test', 'immunochromatography', 'performance', 'sensitivity', and 'specificity'. Criteria of inclusion were performance studies for HIV ICA kits with serum or EDTA whole blood. Methodological qualities were evaluated with standards for reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies (STARD) checklists by two investigators. Homogeneity among selected studies was evaluated and then pooled sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Positive and negative predictive values were simulated with presumed HIV prevalence in Korea. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies were selected from 12 high-qualified papers with STARD checklists. The performance of 23 studies were found to be heterogeneous (P<0.1) and random effect model was used. Pooled sensitivity was 99.71% (95% CI: 99.45-99.97%) and pooled specificity was 99.27% (95% CI: 98.83-99.70%). With HIV prevalence of 0.03%, positive and negative predictive values were presumed to be 3.936% and 99.999%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis for HIV ICA rapid tests showed good performance. In consideration of low positive predictive values of HIV rapid tests, confirmation by enzyme immunoassay or Western blot is still needed. This study would be helpful in evaluating and establishing proper performance guideline for those kits not fully evaluated.
HIV Antibodies/*blood/immunology ; HIV Infections/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of long-term-stored leftover blood samples, and to evaluate the long-term stability of selected serum biomarkers such as proteins, enzymes, electrolytes, and tumour markers. METHODS: Stored blood samples were transferred to our biobank after being used to conduct tests for routine medical examinations in one health care institution, and were preserved at or below -70degrees C for 4 years. We analysed 24 biomarkers whose levels had been reported 4 years ago and tested them using the same analyser, reagents, and methods by utilizing an ADVIA Centaur Immunoassay System (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, USA) or an ADVIA 2400 Chemistry System (Siemens, USA). RESULTS: A total of 15 out of the 24 tested biomarkers showed significant differences in paired Student t-tests (P<0.01). Among them, 5 biomarkers (free T3, free T4, thyroid stimulating hormone, carcino-embryonic antigen, and alpha feto-protein) showed significant differences and high correlation coefficients (R2>0.975). Two biomarkers, creatinine and rheumatoid arthritis factor, showed no significant differences but were poorly correlated with previously analysed data. Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen, and insulin levels were discordant according to their reference ranges. A total of 3 biomarkers, C-reactive protein, cancer antigen 125, and HBV surface antibody, showed no significant differences and good correlations without discordant data. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that long-term storage for more than 4 years can result in a considerable bias for variable biomarkers. Only 3 of the 24 biomarkers evaluated were found to be stable biomarkers. Long-term storage of leftover samples is not recommended for most chemical analyses.
Alanine Transaminase ; Antigens, Surface ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Biomarkers* ; C-Reactive Protein ; Chemistry ; Creatinine ; Delivery of Health Care ; Electrolytes ; Enzyme Stability ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Indicators and Reagents ; Insulin ; Methods ; Protein Stability ; Reference Values ; Serum ; Thyrotropin

PURPOSE: We evaluated three blood glucose self-monitoring for measuring whole blood glucose levels in preterm and low-birth-weight infants. METHODS: Between December 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013, 230 blood samples were collected from 50 newborns, who weighed, < or =2,300 g or were < or =36 weeks old, in the the neonatal intensive care unit of Eulji University Hospital. Three blood glucose self-monitoring (A: Precision Pcx, Abbott; B: One-Touch Verio, Johnson & Johnson; C: LifeScan SureStep Flexx, Johnson & Johnson) were used for the blood glucose measurements. The results were compared to those obtained using laboratory equipment (D: Advia chemical analyzer, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.). RESULTS: The correlation coefficients between laboratory equipment and the three blood glucose self-monitoring (A, B, and C) were found to be 0.888, 0.884, and 0.900, respectively. For glucose levels< or =60 mg/dL, the correlation coefficients were 0.674, 0.687, and 0.679, respectively. For glucose levels>60 mg/dL, the correlation coefficients were 0.822, 0.819, and 0.839, respectively. All correlation coefficients were statistically significant. And the values from the blood glucose self-monitoring were not significantly different from the value of the laboratory equipment , after correcting for each device's average value (P>0.05). When using laboratory equipment (blood glucose < or =60 mg/dL), each device had a sensitivity of 0.458, 0.604, and 0.688 and a specificity of 0.995, 0.989, and 0.989, respectively. CONCLUSION: Significant difference is not found between three blood glucose self-monitoring and laboratory equipment. But correlation between the measured values from blood glucose self-monitoring and laboratory equipment is lower in preterm or low-birth-weight infants than adults.
Adult ; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring ; Blood Glucose* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Sensitivity and Specificity