Neisseria animaloris is a common flora in animals, but its pathogenicity is rarely reported. In this case report, N. animaloris was isolated from a hospitalized cat with pneumonia. The cat was discharged after testing and treatment with appropriate antibiotics. This paper reports the first case of N. animaloris pneumonia in Korea.

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lurasidone (160 mg/day) compared to quetiapine XR (QXR; 600 mg/day) in the treatment of acutely psychotic patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of double-blind treatment with lurasidone 160 mg/day (n=105) or QXR 600 mg/day (n=105). Primary efficacy measure was the change from baseline to week 6 in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score and Clinical Global Impressions severity (CGI-S) score. Adverse events, body measurements, and laboratory parameters were assessed. Results: Lurasidone demonstrated non-inferiority to QXR on the PANSS total score. Adjusted mean±standard error change at week 6 on the PANSS total score was -26.42±2.02 and -27.33±2.01 in the lurasidone and QXR group, respectively. The mean difference score was -0.91 (95% confidence interval -6.35–4.53). The lurasidone group showed a greater reduction in PANSS total and negative subscale on week 1 and a greater reduction in end-point CGI-S score compared to the QXR group. Body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference in the lurasidone group were reduced, with significantly lower mean change compared to QXR. Endpoint changes in glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein levels were also significantly lower. The most common adverse drug reactions with lurasidone were akathisia and nausea. Conclusion Lurasidone 160 mg/day was found to be non-inferior to QXR 600 mg/day in the treatment of schizophrenia with comparable efficacy and tolerability. Adverse effects of lurasidone were generally tolerable, and beneficial effects on metabolic parameters can be expected.

BACKGROUND: Accurate volume measurement is important in the management of patients with congestive heart failure or renal insufficiency. A bioimpedance analyser can estimate total body water in litres and has been widely used in clinical practice due to its non-invasiveness and ease of results interpretation. To change impedance data to volumetric data, bioimpedance analysers use equations derived from data from healthy subjects, which may not apply to patients with other conditions. Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) was developed to overcome the dependence on those equations by constructing vector plots using raw impedance data. BIVA requires normal reference plots for the proper interpretation of individual vectors. The aim of this study was to construct normal reference vector plots of bioelectrical impedance for Koreans. METHODS: Bioelectrical impedance measurements were collected from apparently healthy subjects screened according to a comprehensive physical examination and medical history performed by trained physicians. Reference vector contours were plotted on the RXc graph using the probability density function of the bivariate normal distribution. We further compared them with those of other ethnic groups. RESULTS: A total of 242 healthy subjects aged 22 to 83 were recruited (137 men and 105 women) between December 2015 and November 2016. The centers of the tolerance ellipses were 306.3 Ω/m and 34.9 Ω/m for men and 425.6 Ω/m and 39.7 Ω/m for women. The ellipses were wider for women than for men. The confidence ellipses for Koreans were located between those for Americans and Spaniards without overlap for both genders. CONCLUSION: This study presented gender-specific normal reference BIVA plots and corresponding tolerance and confidence ellipses on the RXc graph, which is important for the interpretation of BIA-reported volume status in patients with congestive heart failure or renal insufficiency. There were noticeable differences in reference ellipses with regard to gender and ethnic groups.
Adult ; Blood Volume ; Body Fluid Compartments ; Body Water ; Electric Impedance ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Male ; Physical Examination ; Renal Insufficiency

The present erratum notice corrects one figure of the article.

In 2009, the first outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) or herpangina (HP) caused by enterovirus 71 occurred in the Republic of Korea. This study inquired into risk factors associated with complications of HFMD or HP. A retrospective medical records review was conducted on HFMD or HP patients for whom etiologic viruses had been verified in 2009. One hundred sixty-eight patients were examined for this investigation. Eighty patients were without complications while 88 were accompanied by complications, and 2 had expired. Enterovirus 71 subgenotype C4a was the most prevalent in number with 67 cases (54.9%). In the univariate analysis, the disease patterns of HFMD rather than HP, fever longer than 4 days, peak body temperature over 39degrees C, vomiting, headache, neurologic signs, serum glucose over 100 mg/dL, and having an enterovirus 71 as a causative virus were significant risk factors of the complications. After multiple logistic analysis, headache (Odds ratio [OR], 10.75; P < 0.001) and neurologic signs (OR, 42.76; P < 0.001) were found to be the most significant factors. Early detection and proper management of patients with aforementioned risk factors would be necessary in order to attain a better clinical outcome.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Blood Glucose/analysis ; Body Temperature ; Enterovirus A, Human/genetics/isolation & purification ; Female ; Fever/etiology ; Genotype ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/*complications/virology ; Headache/etiology ; Herpangina/*complications/virology ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Vomiting/etiology ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the epidemiology of enterovirus (EV) infections in children at a secondary hospital during recent 5 years. METHODS: We collected the cerebrospinal fluid, stool and throat swab samples from the pediatric patients with suspected EV infections in KEPCO Medical Center, Seoul, Korea from July 2006 to September 2010. EV detection and genotype identification were performed by RT-PCR at Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS: A total of 386 samples were collected from 277 patients during study period. Ninety-eight patients (35.4%) were diagnosed with EV infections. The RT-PCR positive rate was the highest in throat swab samples (48.3%). The median age of patient was 4.7 years (range, 0.1-12.5 years). Aseptic meningitis (50, 51.0%) was the most common clinical manifestation; herpangina (22, 22.4%) and hand-foot-mouth disease (18, 18.4%). One hundred EVs were isolated from 98 patients and 20 genotypes of EV were identified; Echovirus 30 (28 cases, 28%), Enterovirus 71 (12 cases, 12%), Echovirus 25 (10 cases, 10%), Echovirus 9 (9 cases, 9%) and Coxsackievirus A6 (8 cases, 8%). Aseptic meningitis caused by Echovirus 30 was the most common manifestation in 2008. There was no complicated case caused by Enterovirus 71. CONCLUSION: This study showed the epidemiology of confirmed EV infection in children from 2006 to 2010. There is a need for continuous surveillance of EV infections and its clinical manifestations.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Child ; Echovirus 9 ; Enterovirus ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Enterovirus Infections ; Genotype ; Herpangina ; Humans ; Korea ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Pharynx

PURPOSE: The HSV1-tk reporter gene system is the most widely used system because of its advantage that direct monitoring is possible without the introduction of a separate reporter gene in case of HSV1-tk suicide gene therapy. In this study, we investigate the usefulness of the reporter probe (substrate), 9-(4-[18F]fluoro-3-hydroxymethylbutyl)guanine ([18F]FHBG) for non-invasive reporter gene imaging using PET in HSV1-tk expressing hepatoma model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Radiolabeled FHBG was prepared in 8 steps from a commercially available triester. The labeling reaction was carried out by NCA nucleophilic substitution with K[18F]/K2.2.2. in acetonitrile using N2-monomethoxytrityl-9-[4-(tosyl)-3-monomethoxytritylmethylbutyl]guanine as a precursor, followed by deprotection with 1 N HCl. Preliminary biological properties of the probe were evaluated with MCA cells and MCA-tk cells transduced with HSV1-tk reporter gene. In vitro uptake and release-out studies of [18F]FHBG were performed, and was analyzed correlation between [18F]FHBG uptake ratio according to increasing numeric count of MCA-tk cells and degree of gene expression. MicroPET scan image was obtained with MCA and MCA-tk tumor bearing Balb/c-nude mouse model. RESULTS: [18F]FHBG was purified by reverse phase semi-HPLC system and collected at around 16-18 min. Radiochemical yield was about 20-25% (corrected for decay), radiochemical purity was >95% and specific activity was around >55.5 GBq/micro mol. Specific accumulation of [18F]FHBG was observed in HSV1-tk gene transduced MCA-tk cells but not in MCA cells, and consecutive 1 hour release-out results showed more than 86% of uptaked [18F]FHBG was retained inside of cells. The uptake of [18F]FHBG was showed a highly significant linear correlation (R2=0.995) with increasing percentage of MCA-tk numeric cell count. In microPET scan images, remarkable difference of accumulation was observed for the two type of tumors. CONCLUSION: [18F]FHBG appears to be a useful as non-invasive PET imaging substrate in HSV1-tk expressing hepatoma model.
Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cell Count ; Gene Expression ; Genes, Reporter ; Genetic Therapy ; Guanine* ; Mice ; Suicide ; Thymidine Kinase

RUNX1, a member of the runt domain gene family of transcription factors, encodes a heterodimeric transcription factor and regulates the expression of various genes related to hematopoiesis and myeloid differentiation. RUNX1 has been one of the target genes for research into various autoimmune diseases due to its properties as a transcription factor and functional distribution for chromosomal translocation. In an effort to identify additional gene polymorphisms in which variants have been implicated in asthma, we investigated the genetic polymorphisms in RUNX1 to evaluate it as a potential candidate gene for a host genetic study of asthma and IgE production. We identified 19 sequence variants by direct DNA sequencing in 24 individuals of which four common variants were selected for genotyping in our asthma cohort (1,055 asthmatic patients, 384 normal controls). Using logistic regression analysis for association with the risk of asthma, while controlling for age, gender, and smoking status as covariates, no significant associations with the risk of asthma were detected. However, two polymorphisms in the promoter region (-2084G>C and -1282G>A) showed a marginal association with total IgE levels (0.03 and 0.03 in recessive models, respectively). Our findings suggest that polymorphisms in RUNX1 might be one of the genetic factors for the regulation of IgE production.
Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Risk Factors ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Korea ; Immunoglobulin E/*blood ; Humans ; Female ; Data Collection ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit/*genetics ; Cohort Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Asthma/epidemiology/genetics ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; Adult ; Adolescent

BACKGROUND: Combination of propofol and remifentanil is an ideal regimen for total intravenous anesthesia. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect-site concentration of remifentanil for prevention of hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation during fixed propofol infusion (4microgram/ml) and to find any sexual differences. METHODS: Thirty ASA physical status I-II patients undergoing general anesthesia were assigned to male (n = 15), and female (n = 15) group. All patients received a target controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol with a fixed effect-site concentration of 4microgram/ml. After target effect-site concentration of propofol and remifentanil was reached, tracheal intubation was performed. The hemodynamic changes (systolic/diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate) were measured at 1 and 2 min before tracheal intubation (baseline), immediately after, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 min following tracheal intubation. In both groups, effect-site concentration of remifentanil was initiated with 3 ng/ml. Subsequent concentration of remifentanil was determined by hemodynamic responses of the previous patient to tracheal intubation based on up and down sequential allocation. RESULTS: The mean EC50 of remifentanil for prevention of hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation were 1.37 ng/ml (95% CI, 0.95-1.81 microgram/ml) in male group and 1.05 microgram/ml (95% CI, 0.68-1.40 ng/ml) in female group, respectively. In addition, there were no statistical significant differences between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively small dosages of remifentanil (0.68-1.81 microgram/ml) for attenuation of hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation was needed in Korean population in propofol TCI and there were no sexual differences.
Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Intravenous* ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure* ; Female ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Male ; Propofol ; Sex Characteristics

BACKGROUND: Combination of propofol and remifentanil is an ideal regimen for total intravenous anesthesia. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect-site concentration of remifentanil for prevention of hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation during fixed propofol infusion (4microgram/ml) and to find any sexual differences. METHODS: Thirty ASA physical status I-II patients undergoing general anesthesia were assigned to male (n = 15), and female (n = 15) group. All patients received a target controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol with a fixed effect-site concentration of 4microgram/ml. After target effect-site concentration of propofol and remifentanil was reached, tracheal intubation was performed. The hemodynamic changes (systolic/diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate) were measured at 1 and 2 min before tracheal intubation (baseline), immediately after, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 min following tracheal intubation. In both groups, effect-site concentration of remifentanil was initiated with 3 ng/ml. Subsequent concentration of remifentanil was determined by hemodynamic responses of the previous patient to tracheal intubation based on up and down sequential allocation. RESULTS: The mean EC50 of remifentanil for prevention of hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation were 1.37 ng/ml (95% CI, 0.95-1.81 microgram/ml) in male group and 1.05 microgram/ml (95% CI, 0.68-1.40 ng/ml) in female group, respectively. In addition, there were no statistical significant differences between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively small dosages of remifentanil (0.68-1.81 microgram/ml) for attenuation of hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation was needed in Korean population in propofol TCI and there were no sexual differences.
Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Intravenous* ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure* ; Female ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Male ; Propofol ; Sex Characteristics