Background/Aims: Although the diarrheal disease caused by Campylobacter bacteria has been continuously increasing in Korea, there has been limited study on the clinical aspects of Campylobacter enteritis in adults in Korea. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical features and characteristics of adult patients with Campylobacter enteritis. Methods: This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with Campylobacter enterocolitis at Nowon Eulji University Hopsital between January 2016 and December 2017. Campylobacter enterocolitis was diagnosed through polymerase chain reaction of stools from patients with acute diarrhea. Results: Among 630 hospitalized patients with acute diarrhea, Campylobacter enterocolitis was diagnosed in 88 patients (14.0%). The mean age was 37.9±19.1 years. Campylobacter enterocolitis was most prevalent in the summer (52 patients, 59.1%). Patients exhibited more than 10 times of diarrhea in 36 (40.9%), high fever above 39℃ in 19 (21.59%), and abdominal pain above 5 points on the numeric rating scale in 23 (26.14%) cases. In abdominal CT scan, pancolitis was found in 58 patients (65.9%). Small intestine was involved in 37 patients (42.4%). Mean CRP was 10.14 mg/dL (range 0.72-32.27 mg/dL). The duration of diarrhea after antibiotics treatment was 2.34±1.51 days in the ciprofloxacin treatment group and 2.26±1.71 days in the 3rd cephalosporin treatment group. Conclusions Campylobacter enterocolitis was common during summer. Commonly healthy young adults were hospitalized due to severe symptoms of Campylobacter enterocolitis. Whole colon and small bowel were frequently involved. Most patients were treated with antibiotics, and the efficacy of 3rd cephalosporin treatment was not inferior to that of ciprofloxacin treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate correlations between values of articulation tests and language tests for children with articulation disorder in Korea. METHODS: Data of outpatients with chief complaint of an articulation problem were retrospectively collected. Patients who underwent Urimal Test of Articulation and Phonation (U-TAP) with Assessment of Phonology and Articulation for Children (APAC), Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES), or Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (REVT) simultaneously were identified. Patients whose word-level percentages of correct consonants in U-TAP (UTAP_wC) were more than 2 standard deviations below the mean as diagnostic criteria for articulation disorder were selected. Those whose receptive language age (P_RLA), expressive language age (P_ELA), or combined language age (P_CLA) in PRES was delayed more than 24 months compared to their chronological age in months as diagnostic criteria for language disorder were excluded. RESULTS: Thirty-three children aged 3–6 years were enrolled retrospectively. PRES and U-TAP showed significant correlations for most of value relationships. PRES and APAC showed significant correlations for all value relationships except for receptive language age. All values of REVT were significantly correlated with all values from U-TAP, but not with any value from APAC. Articulation tests U-TAP and APAC showed significant correlations between percentages of correct consonants. Language tests PRES and REVT showed significant correlations for all value relationships. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that articulation abilities and language abilities might be correlated in children with articulation disorder.
Articulation Disorders ; Child ; Humans ; Korea ; Language ; Language Disorders ; Language Tests ; Outpatients ; Phonation ; Retrospective Studies ; Speech Articulation Tests ; Speech Disorders

PURPOSE: This study was performed in order to determine the changes over time in preventable and potentially preventable traumatic death rates, and to assess the factors that affected the deaths of trauma patients which occurred in Korean pre-hospital and hospital settings. METHODS: All trauma deaths occurring either in the emergency department (ED) or after admission at twenty Korean hospitals between August 2009 and July 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The deaths were initially reviewed by a team of multidisciplinary specialists and classified into non-preventable, potentially preventable, and preventable deaths. Only preventable and potentially preventable deaths were the subject of our analysis. Structured data extraction included patient demographics, vital signs, injury severity, probability of survival, preventability of mortality, reported errors in the evaluation and management of the patient, and classification of error types (system, judgment, knowledge). RESULTS: During the study period, 446 trauma victims died in the ED or within 7 days after admission. The mean age was 52 years, 74.1% were men and the mean time from injury to death was 35.6 hours. The most common cause of death was head injury (44.7%) followed by hemorrhage (30.8%) and multi-organ failure (8.0%). The rates of preventable/potentially preventable deaths were 35.2% overall and 29.8% when limited to patients surviving to admission. Of all death classifications, 31.2% were potentially preventable and 4.0% were preventable. Errors leading to preventable death occurred in the emergency department (51.2%), pre-hospital setting (30.3%) and during inter-hospital transfer (60.8%). Most errors were related to clinical management (48.4%) and structural problems in the emergency medical system (36.5%). CONCLUSION: The preventable death rates for Korean trauma victims were higher than those found in other developed countries, possibly due to poorly established emergency medical systems for trauma victims in pre-hospital and hospital settings. A system wide approach based on the emergency medical system and well-developed in-hospital trauma teams should be adopted in order to improve the quality of care of trauma victims in Korea.
Cause of Death ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Demography ; Developed Countries ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Judgment ; Korea ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Specialization ; Vital Signs

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was designed to compare the survival rates between patients with localized esophgeal cancer who were treated with concurrent chemoradiation therapy without surgery and patients who were treated with concurrent chemoradiation therapy including surgery. METHODS: Eighty-eight patients from January 1997 to December 2005 with locally advaned resectable esophageal cancer were selected and retrospectively analyzed. Survival period was defined as the time to death from the date of diagnosis or mid-monitor period of December 2005. Sixty-one patients were treated with chemoradiation therapy alone while twenty-seven patients were treated with chemoradiation therapy in addition to surgery as for curative intention. As for radiation therapy, 5,000-5,500 cGY was used. 5-Fluouracil and cisplatin were used for chemotherapy. The primary end point was overall survival time. The secondary end point was overall progression free survival time. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in tissue type, location and clinical staging, but the median age was significantly younger in the group treated with surgery (63.4 years) than the group treated without surgery (68.8 years). Median period analyzed was 17.3 months. Five year survival rate for the group with chemoradiation alone was 7.4% and 4% for the group with surgery. The median survival rate was 11+/-3 months for the group with chemoradiation alone and 10+/-6 months for the group with surgery, in which there was no statistical difference (p=0.697). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant increase in survival rate in patients who were treated by chemoradiation with surgery compared with chemoradiation alone. Further analysis in terms of prospective study is needed.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Esophageal Neoplasms/radiotherapy/surgery/*therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze sex- and laterality-specific patellofemoral alignment using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) in normal Korean patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 90 patients (45 men, 45 women; 180 knees) with no history of anterior knee pain or malalignment by physical examination. The mean patient age was 42.2 years (Range: 24~66 years). 3D-CT scanning was performed with each patient in the supine position with 15degrees of knee flexion. Patellofemoral joint alignment was evaluated by measuring the sulcus angle, congruence angle, lateral patellofemoral angle, condyle-patellar angle, and condyle-lateral angle. RESULTS: Comparing men and women, respectively, the sulcus angles were 145.9degrees+/-8.9 and 149.4degrees+/-9.7, the congruence angles were 12.6degrees+/-22.7 and 12.0degrees+/-19.6, the lateral patellofemoral angles were 9.9degrees+/-6.0 and 8.5degrees+/-4.3, the condyle-patellar angles (lateral facets) were 14.2degrees+/-7.1 and 11.8degrees+/-4.8, the condyle-patellar angles (patellar axes) were -8.5degrees+/-7.7 and -10.6degrees+/-6.1, and the condyle-lateral angles were 15.5degrees+/-7.6 and 16.4degrees+/-4.0. There was no significant difference in these measurements between left and right knees, but there was a significant difference in the sulcus angle and condyle-patellar angle between men and women (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These data will hopefully serve as a basis for evaluating normal patellofemoral alignment and for diagnosing patellofemoral malalignment in Korean patients.
Female ; Humans ; Knee ; Male ; Patellofemoral Joint ; Physical Examination ; Supine Position

BACKGROUND: This study was to evaluate a nationwide nosocomial infection rate and antimicrobial resistance in intensive care units(ICUs) in Korea. METHODS: The study was carried out at 16 university-affiliated teaching hospitals from July through October 2004. We performed a prospective multicenter study to investigate nosocomial infection rates, device-associated infection rated, and causative pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance. RESULTS: The urinary tract was the most commonly involved site. Nosocomial infection rate was 12.48 in medical. ICU (MICU), 9.59 in medical surgical ICU (MSICU), 14.76 in surgical ICU (MSICU), and 11.60 in other lCU. Device-associated infection rates were as follow: 1) rates of urinary catheter-associated urinary tract infection were 4.26 in MICU, 3.17 in SICU, 4.88 in MSICU, and 5.87 in other ICU; 2) rates of central line-associated bloodstream infection were 3.24 in MICU, 1.56 in SlCU, 2.36 in MSICU, and 1.78 in other ICU; 3) rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia were 3.61 in MlCU, 13.05 in SICU, 1.68 in MSICU, and 4.84 in other lCU. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently identified microorganism in this study; 93% of S. aurues were resistant to methicillin; 17% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated were resistant to imipenem; 11% of Enterococcus faecium and 18% of Enterococcus faecalis showed resistance to vancomycin. Over a half of Acinetobacter spp, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli showed resistant to fluoroquinolone. Conclusion: This study shows the seriousness of antimicrobial resistance and the importance of infection control in the lCU in Korea. This study should provide a theoretical strategy to enforce the infection control.
Acinetobacter ; Cross Infection* ; Enterococcus faecalis ; Enterococcus faecium ; Escherichia coli ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Hospitals, University* ; Imipenem ; Infection Control ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Korea* ; Methicillin ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated ; Prospective Studies ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ; Urinary Tract ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Vancomycin

Pancreatic pseudocyst is a well-known complication of pancreatitis. However spontaneous perforation and/or fistularization is rare. Perforations into the free peritoneal cavity, stomach, duodenum, colon, portal vein, pleural cavity, and through the abdominal wall have been reported. Rupture of pseudoaneurysm or bleeding pseudocyst following pancreatitis is a severe complication that can lead to massive gastrointestinal bleeding. Especially, rupture of a bleeding pseudocyst into the stomach combined with splenic artery pesudoaneurysm is very rare. We experienced a case of massive bleeding from pancreatic pseudocyst with pseudoaneurysmal rupture into the stomach which was controlled nonoperatively by splenic artery coil embolization and conservative treatment. We report the case with the literatures review.
Abdominal Wall ; Aneurysm, False ; Colon ; Duodenum ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Hemorrhage* ; Pancreatic Pseudocyst* ; Pancreatitis ; Peritoneal Cavity ; Pleural Cavity ; Portal Vein ; Rupture* ; Splenic Artery ; Stomach*

Primary lung lymphoma is an uncommon tumor, which constitutes 0.5% of primary lung cancer, and 3% of extranodal lymphoma. The most frequent radiologic presentation of pulmonary parenchymal lymphoma is single mass or nodule. But we have experienced a case which was radiologically presented as patchy lung infiltration at first, and then progressive multiple reticulonodular infiltrations in lung. A 48-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of fever and cough. Chest PA obtained on admission revealed multiple patchy infiltration. Eventually, open lung biopsy was performed and the specimen disclosed extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, and in bone marrow aspiration, hemophagocytosis was present. We report a case of primary extranodal NK/T cell lung lymphoma presented as patchy lung infiltrations, which was treated with chemotherapy.
Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Cough ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Lymphoma* ; Middle Aged ; Thorax

Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever, that may occur either acutely or the chronically. To understand the seroepidemiological patterns of C. burnetii infection in Korea, we examined a total of 3,178 sera from patients with acute febrile episodes by using indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) for detectable antibodies to C. burnetii and other eight rickettsial antigens. The IFA seropositivity>or=1:20 for C. burnetii phase II was 11.5% (368 out of 3,178 sera). The co-existence of antibodies to other rickettsial antigens was found in 216 out of the 368 positive sera. Thirty-seven point five percent (n=138) had antibodies to R. tsutsugamushi (cutoff>or=1:20), 16% (n=59) to Ehrlichia sennetsu, 14.9% (n=55) to Rickettsia typhi, 13.5% (n=50) to R. akari, 11.4% (n=42) to R. japonica, 8.9% (n=33) to R. prowazekii, 7.6% (n=28) to R. sibirica, and 6.7% (n=25) to R. conorii by IFA, respectively. These results are consistent with previous reports documenting diverse serum cross-reactivity in chronic Q fever. Therefore we excluded the samples that reacted to other rickettsial antigens at same or higher titers than to C. burnetii, resulting in the seropositive rate of 4.1%. The serological prevalence was 2% (n=64) when the conventional cut-off titer of 1:80 was used. Our results suggest that infections with C. burnetii are more prevalent than expected previously and should be differentially diagnosised for febrile illness occurring after exposure to ticks or other vectors.
Antibodies ; Coxiella burnetii* ; Coxiella* ; Diagnosis ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans ; Korea ; Neorickettsia sennetsu ; Prevalence ; Q Fever ; Rickettsia ; Rickettsia typhi ; Seroepidemiologic Studies* ; Ticks

OBJECTIVE: The aim of study was to compare incidence rate and causes of the preterm birth that are the major factor of newborn mortality and morbidity. METHODS: Respectively there were 428 preterm deliveries out of 5,309 deliveries, from January to August 1995, and there were 319 preterm deliveries out of 2,028 deliveries, from January to August 2000 at Gill hospital, a hospital in affiliation with Gachon Medical School. The data were collected by review of the hospital record and the statistical analysis was performed using paired T-tests, Oneway ANOVA, Fisher's exact test, and statistics significance was defined as p<0.05. RESULTS: The incidence rate of the preterm birth increased from 8.1%(428/5,309) in 1995 to 15.7%(319/2,028) in 2000. Unknown causes of preterm birth decreased from 25.5%(109) to 20.2%(66). PPROM(Preterm premature rupture of the membranes) decreased from 26.9%(115) to 22.9%(73). IIOC(Incompetent internal os of cervix) decreased from 9.7%(41) to 6.9%(22). Uterine anomaly decreased from 1.6%(7) to 1.0%(3). And other causes deceased from 8.9%(38) to 5.1%(16). Multiple pregnancy increased from 10.1%(44) to 17.6%(56). Fetal anomaly increased from 2.1%(9) to 6.3%(20). Pregnancy induced hypertension increased from 7.9%(34) to 13.3%(42). There was not much change for the placental disorder or for placental abruption which decreased from 7.3%(31) to 6.7%(21). According to the analysis, there is a noticeable decrement in IIOC but noticeable increase in multiple pregnancy, fetal anomaly and PIH. CONCLUSION: Comparing the data from the preterm birth of 1995 and 2000, the unknown cause of the preterm birth is understood more accordingly to the decrement of known cause. The increase of multiple pregnancy seems to be caused by better in vitro fertilization. The increase of fetal anomaly is most likely caused by drug abuse, environmental pollution, and prenatal diagnosis. Differ from the decrease of previous research, the increase of PIH is caused by the increase of incidence of the preterm birth and also patients moving from private hospital to 3rd party hospital. We hope that we can continuously research the cause of the preterm birth and use that basic information to decrease the death and disease rates of newborn infants
Abruptio Placentae ; Animals ; Environmental Pollution ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Gills ; Hope ; Hospital Records ; Hospitals, Private ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Incidence* ; Infant, Newborn ; Mortality ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Premature Birth* ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Rupture ; Schools, Medical ; Substance-Related Disorders