PURPOSE: Allergic inflammation of the lower respiratory tract is a characteristic clinical feature in asthma patients, in which eosinophils play an important role. The activity of eosinophil may be determined by measuring the level of eosinophil cationic protein(ECP) in sputum or serum as a potential marker of the inflammatory severity. METHODS: We measured the serum concentrations of ECP produced by eosinophils in 29 children with M. pneumoniae as the infected group, 26 children with M. pneumoniae as the non-infected group. RESULTS: Number of infected group was 29(male 18, female 11, mean age 5.5 years old), and that of non-infected group was 26(male 17, female 9, mean age 5.2 years old). There were no sex and age differences between the two groups. The mean concentrations of serum ECP in infected group and non-infected group were 14.37+/-9.00microgram/L and 9.15+/-7.75microgram/L, respectively. It showed significant change statistically(P<.05). Total eosinophil count in infected group(221.10+/-232.84/mm3) was higher than that of non-infected group(171.8+/-262.46/mm3). There was no significant difference between the two groups. But there was an increment of serum ECP and eosinophilia and no increment of total IgE and specific IgE in either group(P<.001). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that ECP may as a factor cause damage to the respiratory system similar to asthma in children with M. pneumonia.
Asthma ; Child ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Inflammation ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Respiratory System ; Sputum

MELAS(mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes) syndrome is a major subgroup of mitochondrial myopathy. Recent advances in molecular genetics revealed specific mutations in mitochondrial DNA which cause MELAS. We described here clinical and molecular genetic findings of sister and brother with MELAS syndrome. For molecular genetic studies, DNAs from peripheral blood nucleated cells were used. And the substitution of adenine to guanine at the nucleated position 3243 in the mitochondrial tRNALeu(UUR) gene was confirmed in the patients. Their mother was a heteroplasmic pattern which supports maternal transmission.
Acidosis, Lactic ; Adenine ; DNA ; DNA, Mitochondrial* ; Guanine ; Humans ; MELAS Syndrome* ; Mitochondrial Myopathies ; Molecular Biology ; Mothers ; Muscular Diseases ; Siblings*

"Clinical Practice Guideline for Stroke Rehabilitation in Korea 2012" is a 2nd edition of clinical practice guideline (CPG) for stroke rehabilitation in Korea, which updates the 1st edition published in 2009. After 1st stroke rehabilitation CPG, many studies concerning stroke rehabilitation have been published and the necessity for update has been raised. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supported the project "Development of Clinical Practice Guideline for Stroke Rehabilitation" in 2012. Thirty-two specialists in stroke rehabilitation from 18 universities and 3 rehabilitation hospitals and 10 consultants participated in this project. The scope of this CPG included both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke from the acute to chronic stages. The purpose of this CPG is to provide guidelines for doctors and therapists to make a decision when they manage stroke patients and ultimately, to help stroke patients obtain maximal functional recovery and return to the society. "Clinical Practice Guideline for Stroke Rehabilitation in Korea 2012" consists of 'Chapter 1; Introduction of Stroke Rehabilitation', 'Chapter 2; Rehabilitation for Stroke Syndrome, 'Chapter 3; Rehabilitation for Return to the Society', and 'Chapter 4; Advanced Technique for Stroke Rehabilitation'. Both the adaptation and de novo development methods were used to develop this 2nd edition of CPG. The appraisal of foreign CPGs was performed using 'Korean appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation II' (K-AGREE II); moreover, four CPGs from Scotland (2010), Austrailia (2010), USA (2010), Canada (2010) were chosen for adaptation. For de novo development, articles that were published following the latest foreign CPGs were searched from the database system, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library. Literatures were assessed in the aspect of subjects, study design, study results' consistency, language and application possibility in the Korean society. The chosen articles' level of evidence and grade of recommendation were decided by the criteria of Scotland (2010) and the formal consensus was derived by the nominal group technique. The levels of evidence range from 1++ to 4 and the grades of recommendation range from A to D. GPP (Good Practice Point) was recommended as best practice based on the clinical experience of the guideline developmental group. The draft of the developed CPG was reviewed by the experts group in the public hearings and then revised.
Canada ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Consensus ; Consultants ; Humans ; Korea* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Rehabilitation* ; Scotland ; Specialization ; Stroke*

“Clinical Practice Guideline for Stroke Rehabilitation in Korea 2016” is the 3rd edition of clinical practice guideline (CPG) for stroke rehabilitation in Korea, which updates the 2nd edition published in 2014. Forty-two specialists in stroke rehabilitation from 21 universities and 4 rehabilitation hospitals and 4 consultants participated in this update. The purpose of this CPG is to provide optimum practical guidelines for stroke rehabilitation teams to make a decision when they manage stroke patients and ultimately, to help stroke patients obtain maximal functional recovery and return to the society. The recent two CPGs from Canada (2015) and USA (2016) and articles that were published following the 2nd edition were used to develop this 3rd edition of CPG for stroke rehabilitation in Korea. The chosen articles' level of evidence and grade of recommendation were decided by the criteria of Scotland (2010) and the formal consensus was derived by the nominal group technique. The levels of evidence range from 1++ to 4 and the grades of recommendation range from A to D. Good Practice Point was recommended as best practice based on the clinical experience of the guideline developmental group. The draft of the developed CPG was reviewed by the experts group in the public hearings and then revised. “Clinical Practice Guideline for Stroke Rehabilitation in Korea 2016” consists of ‘Chapter 1; Introduction of Stroke Rehabilitation’, ‘Chapter 2; Rehabilitation for Stroke Syndrome, ‘Chapter 3; Rehabilitation for Returning to the Society’, and ‘Chapter 4; Advanced Technique for Stroke Rehabilitation’. “Clinical Practice Guideline for Stroke Rehabilitation in Korea 2016” will provide direction and standardization for acute, subacute and chronic stroke rehabilitation in Korea.
Canada ; Consensus ; Consultants ; Humans ; Korea* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Rehabilitation* ; Scotland ; Specialization ; Stroke*