No abstract available.
Nocardia Infections*

OBJECTIVE: To examine the pattern of gestational weight gain using maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: We used maternal weight data from 1,825 women who had noncomplicated pregnancy between Jan. 2002 and Aug. 2009. The rate of maternal weight gain in each trimester, the associations between gestational weight gain per trimester and maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes, and the relationship between maternal characteristics and trimester weight gain were analyzed. RESULTS: The average rate of weight gain (kg/week) was lowest during the first trimester (0.06+/-0.30), peaked during the second trimester (0.52+/-0.23), and slowed slightly in the third trimester (0.47+/-0.23). With the exception of infant sex, all six maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes included in the multivariate analyses (parity, maternal age, height, BMI, preeclampsia, gestational DM) were associated significantly with maternal weight gain in at least one trimester. The important maternal predictors of weight gain per trimester were prepregnancy BMI, height and age in the first trimester; prepregnacy BMI, parity and height in the second; and height, age and parity in the third. CONCLUSION: The pattern of gestational weight gain is associated with a number of maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes, and these relationships vary according to which trimester is being examined.
Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Maternal Age ; Multivariate Analysis ; Parity ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Weight Gain

PURPOSE: Superior cervical sympathectomy was performed on argon laser induced experimental branched retinal vein occlusion in rabbits to evaluate its effect on retinal blood flow. METHODS: Branched retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) was induced by argon laser in 30 eyes (15 pigmented rabbits) divided into three groups. One and 3 weeks after inducing BRVO, superior cervical sympathectomy was performed in Group 1 (early) and 2 (late), respectively. Group 3 was left as a control group. Fundus photography, fluorescien angiography and Heidelberg Retinal Flowmetry (HRF) were performed prior to and after sympathectomy. Pathologic examination was done after enucleation. RESULTS: The sympathectomy groups, especially Group 1 (early), showed better recovery of retinal blood flow, volume, and velocity. CONCLUSIONS: Sympathetic block appears to produce dilatation of the retinal blood system, and we suggest stellate ganglion block technique as an effective treatment modality on human beings with BRVO.
Angiography ; Argon ; Dilatation ; Humans ; Photography ; Rabbits* ; Retinal Vein Occlusion ; Retinaldehyde* ; Rheology ; Stellate Ganglion ; Sympathectomy* ; Veins*

Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease is a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension in which the primary abnormality is obliterative obstruction of pulmonary veins, especially venules. Clinicaly, we should suspect this disease in the case of congestive cardiac failure with pulmonary hypertension, chronic interstitial pulmonary edema, and normal or elevated wedge pressure on cardiac catheterization. We experience a case of pulmonary hypertension due to pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. A 55-years -old woman developed progressive dry cough and dyspnea for 3 months. Physical examination showed normal heart sounds, diffuse crackles in the whole lung fields. The liver was not palpable and pitting edema was absent. The diagnosis was made by chest HRCT, 2-D echocardiography, normal pulmonary capillary wedge pressure on cardiac catheterization, and confirmed by thoracoscopic lung biopsy. This patient was treated with vasodilator(calcium antagonist) and with mild symptomatic improvement. We reported a case of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease with review of literatures.
Biopsy ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Edema ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Heart Sounds ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Liver ; Lung ; Physical Examination ; Pulmonary Edema ; Pulmonary Veins ; Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease* ; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure ; Respiratory Sounds ; Thorax ; Venules

Twenty-six nalidixic acid-resistant Shigella sonnei strains isolated from 1982 to 2001 and 56 nalidixic acid-resistant mutants induced by quinolone drugs from susceptible wild strains were analyzed by sequencing the gyrA gene. All the 22 nalidixic acid-resistant isolates from 1998 to 2001 showed identical amino acid substitution of Ser to Leu (TCG --> TTG) at codon 83 while 7 different mutation types were detected in artificially induced nalidixic acid-resistant mutants. Asp87 (GGC) type was observed most commonly among mutants induced by nalidixic acid while Ser83 (TTG) type was common among mutants induced by ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin. All the isolates collected between 1998 and 2001 showed identical or nearly identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern. These results suggest that the explosive increase of S. sonnei infection after 1998 was mainly due to the spread of restricted number of clones resistant to nalidixic acid.
Amino Acid Substitution ; Ciprofloxacin ; Clone Cells ; Codon ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Epidemiology ; Molecular Epidemiology* ; Nalidixic Acid* ; Norfloxacin ; Shigella sonnei* ; Shigella*

A total of 40 Salmolella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) strains were isolated from clinical specimens of swine at 10 farms in Kyungpook province from 1998 to 2000. We investigated the clonal relationship of S. typhimurium isolates by antimicrobial susceptibility, plasmid profile, and Southern hybridization analysis with tetA, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). All S. typhimurium isolates showed identical biochemical characteristics and were resistant to tetracycline, streptomycin, and sulfamehtoxazole. They were classified into 5 groups by antimicrobial resistance patterns. S. typhimurium isolates carried 3 to 5 plasmids and were classified into 5 groups by plasmid profiles. Southern hybridization showed that tetA gene was located in 21 kb of plasmid. S. typhimurium isolates from 9 different farms showed identical or similar PFGE patterns, which indicates clonal origin of the strains. All S. typhimurium isolates, except one isolate from 1998, seemed to belong to be one clone by the combination of three epidemiological typing methods. These data demonstrated that a specific clone of Salmolella enterica serovar Typhimurium was widely spread in swine farms in Kyungpook province.
Clone Cells* ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Epidemiology ; Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Plasmids ; Prevalence* ; Salmonella enterica* ; Salmonella* ; Streptomycin ; Swine* ; Tetracycline

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the role of general hospice palliative nurse through job analysis (duties, task, and task elements). METHODS: The sample consisted of 136 nurses or professors who were performing duties related to hospice care areas in Korea. A survey method was used, and the questionnaire included frequencies, criticality, and difficulties of task elements in job description by the DACUM method. Descriptive statistics were performed by using SPSS WIN 17.0. RESULTS: The job description of general hospice palliative nurse was identified 8 duties, 36 tasks, and 137 task elements. As for the 8 duties, the average scores of frequency, criticality, and difficulty were 2.94, 3.66, and 2.80, respectively. The role of 'pain assessment' was the most important task element among frequency and criticality. The lowest score at the frequency and criticality were 'manage public finance' and 'collect datum through diagnostic test & lab', respectively. Furthermore, the role of 'identify spiritual needs of patients and family' was the most difficult task, whereas the role of 'manage documents and information' was the least. CONCLUSION: In this study, we could recognize the reality of general hospice palliative nurse's performances. For general hospice palliative nurse, therefore, concrete practice guide lines of psychosocial and spiritual care, communication skills, and bereavement care with qualifying system are critically needed.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Hospice Care ; Hospices ; Humans ; Job Description ; Korea ; Nurse's Role ; Nursing Staff ; Task Performance and Analysis

The safety of ICSl as a novel procedure of assisted fertilization may be assessed by the health of the baby born. In order to evaluate the safety of ICSI, perinatal outcome and congenital anomaly of the babies born after ICSI were compared with those of babies born after IVF (control group). We analysed the clinical data from the obstetric and pediatric records, including the information obtained through telephone. The results are as follows; Mean gestaional age (+/-SEM) and birth weight in singleton pregnancy were 38.8+/-1.9 weeks and 3209.7+/-501.9gm in IVF group, 39.0+/-2.2 weeks and 3289.9+/-479.5gm in ICSI group, respectively. Mean gestational age and birth weight in twins were 36.8+/-2.1 weeks and 2512.8+/-468.0gm in IVF group, 36.5+/-2.8 weeks and 2492.7+/-537.1gm in ICSI group. In IVF group, perinatal mortality rates were 8.5 in singletons and 56.6 in twinst for the ICSI singletons and ICSI twins, the perinatal mortality rates were 11.6 and 49.0, respectively. The incidence of congenital malformations was 3.6% (8/224) in IVF group and 2.1% (4/188) in ICSI group, there was no statistical difference (p>0.05, Fisher's exact test). The incidence of major congenital anomalies was 0.9% (2/224; pulmonary artery hypoplasia, renal cystic dysplasia) in IVF group and 1.1% (2/188; holoprosencephaly, Cri du chat syndrome) in ICSI groups (p>0.05, Fisher's exact test). Similarly, there was no significant difference in incidence of minor congenital anormalies 2.7% (6/224) in IVF group and 1.1% (2/188) in ICSI group respectively (p>0.05, Fisher's exact test). In conclusion, there was no difference in the perinatal outcome and the incidence of congenital anomalies between the babies born after ICSI and those after conventional IVF.
Birth Weight ; Fertilization* ; Gestational Age ; Holoprosencephaly ; Humans ; Incidence ; Perinatal Mortality ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Artery ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic* ; Telephone ; Twins

BACKGROUND: Gefitinib targets the epidermal growth factor receptor r(EGFR), and Gefitinib has antitumor activity in patient with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, only 10 to 20 percent of patients show a clinical response to this drug, and the molecular mechanisms underlying patient sensitivity to gefitinib are unknown. PTEN (Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome Ten) plays a role for the modulation of the phosphat?idylinositol 3-kinase pathway (PI3K), which is involved in cell proliferation and survival, so that it can inhibit cell cycle progression and induce G1 arrest. Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between PTEN expression and gefitinib's responsiveness in patients having advanced non small cell lung cancer that had progressed after previous chemotherapy. METHODS: The expression of PTEN was studied by immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded tumor blocks that were obtained from 22 patients who had been treated with gefitinib from JAN, 2001 to AUG. 2004. For the evaluation of the relationships between the PTEN expression, the clinical stage and the basal characteristics, those cases that showed the respective antigen expression in >50% of the tumor cells were considered positive. RESULTS: The positive rate of PTEN staining was 55% of the total of 22 patients. There was a significant relationship between the increased expression of PTEN and the response group (p=0.039). However, there was no significant relationship between the expression of PTEN and other clinicopathologic characteristics. CONCLUSION: The expression of PTEN in patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer that has progressed after previous chemotherapy may play a role in gefitinib's responsiveness.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Proliferation ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (PLE) is a rare syndrome characterized by memory impairment, affective and behavioral disturbances and seizures. Among many different neoplasms known to cause PLE, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most frequently reported. The pathogenesis is not fully understood but is believed to be autoimmune-related. We experienced a patient with typical clinical features of PLE. A 67-year-old man presented with seizure and disorientation. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated high signal intensity in the bilateral amygdala and hippocampus in flair and T2-weighted images suggestive of limbic encephalitis. Cerebrospinal fluid tapping revealed no evidence of malignant cells or infection. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography showed a lung mass with pleural effusion and a consequent biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of PLE associated with SCLC. The patient was subsequently treated with chemotherapy and neurologic symptoms gradually improved.
Aged ; Amygdala ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Electrons ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Limbic Encephalitis ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Memory ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes ; Pleural Effusion ; Seizures ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma