Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a type of bacteria that typically infects the pulmonary system, and NTM–central nervous system (CNS) infection, which occurs in the brain, is a very rare disease. A 64-year-old female patient presented with seizures as the main symptom and was found to have a mass of less than 1 cm in the right temporal lobe with accompanying edema. Although diseases such as tumor metastasis and parasitic cyst were suspected, the patient underwent a surgical resection, and NTM-CNS infection with abscess was diagnosed through biopsy. Antibiotic treatment was initiated after surgery, and the patient has been followed up without any significant symptoms. In this report, we review a rare case of NTM-CNS infection and discuss the understanding and treatment of this disease.

Clostridium perfringens food poisoning ranks among the most common gastrointestinal diseases in developed countries. In Korea, C. perfringens food poisoning gradually increases. Using PCR, 72 strains of C. perfringens isolated in Seoul, 2013 were tested for the presence of toxin genes. Of the tested strains, 32 isolates carried the cpe gene, 37 isolates carried the cpb2 gene and 3 isolates carried the cpe and cpb2 genes, respectively. 32 cpe-positive strains were isolated from the food poisoning patient, whereas among 37 cpb2-positive strains, 22 strains were isolated from asymptomatic person. To investigate epidemiological relationship between the isolates, Pulsed-filed gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed. The genetic relatedness of the isolates ranged from 55.9% to 100% and 47 distinct PFGE profiles were observed. The results show that the cpe-positive outbreak strains showed close genetic relation, whereas the cpb2-positive isolates revealed a wide genetic diversity.
Clostridium perfringens* ; Developed Countries ; Electrophoresis ; Foodborne Diseases* ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Korea ; Molecular Epidemiology* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Seoul

Coronary artery fistula is a rare congenital anomaly. Most patients with this anomaly are asymptomatic, but some may develop heart failure, myocardial ischemia or arrhythmias. We report a case of a patient who presented with myocardial ischemia secondary to persistent Thebesian veins. Coronary angiography demonstrated a marked capillary blush draining into the left ventricular cavity through multiple microfistulae from the left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery and right coronary artery. The patient was discharged without chest pain and was medically maintained with a beta-blocker and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Arteries ; Arteriovenous Fistula ; Capillaries ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessel Anomalies ; Coronary Vessels ; Fistula ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Veins

Antimicrobial resistance threatens the effective treatment of bacterial infections and is a serious problem worldwide. Multidrug-resistant bacteria are difficult to treat and the treatment outcome is worse than with susceptible bacteria. In Korea, the antibiotic resistance rates of the major Gram-positive bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP) are very high. Clinicians should know the risk factors for developing multidrug-resistant bacterial infection, update the changing local epidemiology of resistant bacteria, and choose appropriate antibiotics in clinical practice. The overuse and misuse of broad spectrum antibiotics should be avoided. This review focuses on the epidemiology and risk factors of MRSA, VRE, and PRSP, the major multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Bacterial Infections ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Enterococcus ; Epidemiology ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections* ; Korea ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Risk Factors ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Treatment Outcome

Of total 1,438 specimens of patients with diarrhea in Seoul, 2011, 217 samples (15%) were found pathogenic Escherichia coli that included 192 strains (89%) of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). The highest isolation rate for ETEC and EAEC was found in August and September. Sixty two pathogenic E. coli strains (34 ETEC and 28 EAEC strains) were selected from 175 strains (94 ETEC and 81 EAEC strains) isolated in August and September. Of 94 strains characterized for ETEC phenotype, 76 (81%) expressed heat-stable toxin (ST) only. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was carried out by using sixteen types of antibiotics. A high level of antimicrobial resistance to tetracycline (57%), ampicillin and ticarcillin (54%) was observed among EAEC isolates while the highest resistance rate of ETEC was found for nalidixic acid (47%), followed by tetracycline (32%). As to the antimicrobial susceptibility test, EAEC showed the complicated multi-drug resistant patterns in which the resistance was higher than ETEC. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was carried out to examine the genetic relatedness among ETEC and EAEC isolates. Except for 11 strains, 51 strains were divided by eight pulsotypes. In PFGE analysis, isolates from foodborne disease outbreaks in August and September 2011 showed close relation.
Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Diarrhea ; Disease Outbreaks ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli ; Escherichia coli ; Foodborne Diseases ; Humans ; Nalidixic Acid ; Phenotype ; Tetracycline ; Ticarcillin

OBJECTIVE : To evaluate the vitamin D nutritional status and its influencing factors in Korean mothers and their newborn infants. METHODS : Maternal (n=181) and cord blood (n=180) serum concentrations of vitamin D (25OHD3), calcium, inorganic phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, intact parathyroid hormone were measured at the time of delivery. We defined vitamin D deficient, insufficient, and sufficient as 25OHD3 <11, 11~30, and >30 ng/mL, respectively. Using questionnaires, average duration of sun-light exposure (minutes/day) and dietary intake of vitamin D (microngram/day) were obtained. RESULTS : 1) The mean 25OHD3 level in mothers was 23.4+/-9.9 (range 4~71.6) ng/mL, and in newborns, 16.9+/-7.5 (range 0.9~53.6) ng/mL. 2) 8.3% of mothers and 22.2 % of newborns were vitamin D deficient, and 70% of both mothers and newborns were insufficient. 3) Maternal 25OHD3 showed a strong positive correlation with cord blood 25OHD3 (r=0.727, p<0.001). 4) The most significant risk factor for low 25OHD3 levels was the season of birth (June through November) in both mothers and newborns. 5) In multiple logistic regression analysis, the season of birth and the mode of delivery remained significant for maternal vitamin D status, whereas maternal 25OHD3 and the mode of delivery remained significant for neonatal vitamin D status. CONCLUSION : In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency was relatively common in Korean mothers and their newborn infants, and the most significant risk factor for low vitamin D status was the season of birth.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Calcium ; Fetal Blood ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Logistic Models ; Mothers* ; Nutritional Status* ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Parturition ; Phosphorus ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Seasons ; Vitamin D Deficiency ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze effects of cardiovascular disease prevention in small scale enterprise using community-based approach. METHOD: The target work site included 4,050 small scale enterprises which were under 50 in non-manufacturing workplace and total 20,986 employees were enrolled. Data collection was conducted from March to December, 2008 by 46 occupational health nurses who were registered in Korean Association of Occupational Health Nurses. RESULTS: The rate of smoking was decreased from 39.9% to 34.6%, and normal BMI group was increased from 61.6% to 64.0%. Evaluation of post-intervention blood pressure(BP) outcomes revealed that significant reductions in systolic BP and diastolic BP(3.25mmHg and 1.89mmHg, respectively) were achieved. In addition, the amount of reduction in total cholesterol level was 180.89+/-28.22mg/dL at pre-ntervention and 177.71+/-24.73mg/dL at post-intervention. CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular prevention program by community-based approach was an effective strategy for quitting smoking and improving BMI, BP, and cholesterol control.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Data Collection ; Health Promotion ; Occupational Health ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Workplace

The aim of this study was to analyze the natural history of atopic dermatitis (AD) and the risk factors associated with the remission of AD in Korean children. We enrolled 597 children with AD that occurred in the first year of life. A variety of factors influencing the prognosis were assessed by medical records and telephone interviews. Their outcome was classified into complete remission, intermittent, and persistent AD. AD had completely disappeared in 422 cases (70.6%), while 149 (25%) and 26 cases (4.4%) showed intermittent and persistent skin symptoms, respectively. The average healing time was 29.6 months in complete remission group and expected healing time of the AD was 60 months. None of risk factors were significant by multivariate analysis. But, in moderate-to-severe AD group, maternal diet restriction during lactation (P = 0.046) and no sensitization to cow's milk (P = 0.017) were significantly associated with remission of AD in the multivariate analysis. In conclusion, AD occurring in the first year of life disappears in a significant proportion of patients. In addition, in Korean children with moderate-to-severe AD, maternal diet restriction of allergenic food during lactation and sensitization to cow's milk seem to predict the prognosis of AD.
Adult ; Child, Preschool ; Dermatitis, Atopic/*diagnosis/etiology ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity/complications ; Humans ; Infant ; Interviews as Topic ; Lactation ; Male ; Milk Hypersensitivity/complications ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Remission Induction ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Purpose: We evaluated the use of three criteria to determine the need for additional treatment of cystic thyroid nodules after their recurrence following ethanol ablation (EA). Methods: In total, 154 patients (male:female=30:124; mean age, 53.4 years; range, 23 to 79 years) with 154 thyroid nodules (49 cystic and 105 predominantly cystic nodules) who presented between January 2014 and August 2017 were enrolled. All patients underwent follow-up ultrasonography (US) 1 month after EA, and were divided into therapeutic success and failure groups. Therapeutic success was defined as the absence of any residual fluid or sufficient volume reduction (≥50%) with improvement of nodule-related symptoms. The therapeutic failure was defined according to three previously suggested criteria for recommending additional treatment: nodules with ≥1 mL of remnant fluid (criterion 1), volume reduction <50% (criterion 2), and demonstration of a solid component with vascularity (criterion 3). Results: Thyroid nodules treated by EA showed significant volume reduction (18.4±21.6 mL to 4.2±6.5 mL [1-month follow-up] to 1.9±3.3 mL [final follow-up], P<0.001) and improvement in clinical problems. Therapeutic failure were 26 patients according to criteria 1, 14 patients according to criteria 2, and 35 patients according to criteria 3. Additional treatment was unnecessary in 81.3%, 70.0%, and 77.8% of patients deemed to need it according to criteria 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Conclusion The choice to perform additional treatment after EA should be made according to a combination of clinical problems and US features. Understanding this concept will be useful in planning further treatment following US-guided EA.