Purpose: Although pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease, its incidence increased rapidly in Guro-gu, Seoul, since May 2024. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of pertussis cases and outbreaks during this period. Methods: Data from epidemiologic investigations of 355 laboratory-confirmed pertussis cases reported in 2024 in Guro-gu, Seoul, were analyzed using national surveillance records. Demographics, vaccination status, outbreak-associated educational settings, and symptom-to-test intervals were analyzed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests. Results: Between May and December 2024, 355 cases were reported, 85.4% of which occurred among school-aged children and adolescents, representing a marked increase compared with previous years. Outbreaks were identified in two elementary schools, three middle schools, and four private academies, indicating clustered transmission in educational settings, with school-based attack rates ranging from 3.2% to 6.3%. Among 146 outbreak-associated school cases, 95.4% had completed age-appropriate vaccination on time. The symptom-to-test interval showed a right-skewed distribution (median, 6 days; interquartile range, 3–11), with longer delays observed in high school students. Conclusion The sharp increase in pertussis cases among school-aged children underscores the need for strengthened surveillance in educational settings and improved timeliness of testing to reduce transmission. Delays in symptom-to-test intervals and the occurrence of cases despite age-appropriate vaccination suggest possible waning immunity, highlighting the importance of evaluating booster vaccination strategies and targeted age-specific public health interventions.

PURPOSE: An exercise program, which was composed of motions simple and easy to follow, was developed and applied to aged women as a way to improve their health conditions. METHOD: To ascertain the effects of the exercise, which was conducted twice a week and 16 times in total for 8 weeks from September 10 to November 5, 2005 in two experimental groups (31 persons) and a control group (31 persons), this study conducted quasi-experiments of nonequivalent control group pre-post test design. Data were analyzed using SPSS/PC Win 10.0, the reliability of the measuring tools using Cronbach's alpha, the verification of equivalence for general properties and dependent variables using Chi-square test and t-test, and the verification of hypotheses using t-test and ANCOVA. RESULTS: After the exercise program, the aged women showed profitable evaluation of decisional balance, high feeling of self-efficacy as well as improved subjective awareness of health. Their diastolic blood pressure and total cholesterol were also reduced significantly after the exercise. CONCLUSION: After the conduct of the exercise program for 8 weeks, aged women showed increased profitable decisional balance, self-efficacy and subjective awareness of health. This suggests that continuous and proper exercise is effective as an intervention for health improvement for the aged as well as the prevention of and recovery from geriatric diseases.
Aged* ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Humans ; Psychology*

The role of steroid receptor has been widely studied and well established in the field of breast cancer. In contrast of breast cancer, the clinicopathological roles of steroid receptors in benign breast diseases were not established clearly until now. Authors evaluated steroid receptor expressions of benign breast diseases using the immuno-histochemical staining and analyzed their relationship with pathologic types and the correlation between the positivity of steroid receptor expression and the proliferative activity of ductal epithelial cells. The results were follows; 1) The assayed tissue specimens were 93 cases which consisted with fibrocystic disease, 39 cases and fibroadenoma, 54 cases. 2) The positivity rate of steroid receptor expression in fibroadenoma (ER: 59.2%, PR: 75.9%) seemed to be more higher than in fibrecystic diseases (ER: 46.1%, PR: 55.5%) without a statistical significance. 3) The positivity rate of ER expression of fibrocystic diseases developed in premenopausal women (54.8%) was significantly higher than in postmenopausal women (2.5%). 4) Any significant correlation was not noted between the positivity of steroid receptor expression in the tissue and ductal epithelial proliferative activity. In conclusion, fibrocystic disease and fibroadenomas possessed a significant amount of steroid receptor positive cells in their tissues. However, the positivity of steroid receptor expression in the tissues seemed to have few correlation with the ductal epithelial cellular proliferation.
Breast Diseases* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Cell Proliferation ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; Humans ; Receptors, Steroid*

BACKGROUND: Since up to 90% of a theophylline dose is biotransformed, probably by interaction with one or more the variants of the cytochrome P-450 drug metabolism system, anti-tuberculosis agents including drugs influencing microsomal enzyme systems, such as isoniazid and rifampicin, may be affect the elimination of theophylline. METHODS: The effect of combination therapy with isoniazid(INH), rifampicin(RFP), ethambutol(EMB) and pyrazinamide(PZA) on the pharmacokinetics of theophylline was evaluated by a computer program using Bayesian method. Three group were divided as follows. Group lis control, Group II is treated with INH, RFP, EMB and PZA and Group lll is treated with INH, RFP and EMB. All of them were non-smoker who were normal in liver and renal functions, and not administered drugs affecting on the clearance of theophylline with exception of anti-tuberculous agents. RESULTS: When it compared control with test groups, the clearance of theophylline in Group ll and Group lll was significantly decreased(p<0.001), and half life in Group ll and Group lll showed significant elevation(p<0.001). However there were no significant differences in clearance and half life between the Group ll and Group lll. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that theophylline dose may be need of readjustment in concurrent medica fion of anti-tuberculous agents including INH, RFP, and EMB.
Bayes Theorem ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; Ethambutol* ; Half-Life ; Isoniazid* ; Liver ; Metabolism ; Pharmacokinetics* ; Pyrazinamide ; Rifampin* ; Theophylline*