• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.163-176
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• 2002

Objectives：This study was designed to investigate the temperamental characteristics and the differences of temperamental characteristics in Korean children according to the sociodemographic and family environment factors using Toddler Temperament Scale(TTS). Methods：The samples consisted of 1,175 children who were attending twenty-five Samsung Child Care Centers nationwide. Both Korean version of TTS and child developmental questionnaire(designed by the Department of Psychiatry, Samsung Medical Center) were distributed to the parents of these children. Score of 9 temperamental categories was determined using the result of TTS, and determination of 5 temperamental clusters was conducted by the Fullard's criteria. Statistical analyses were performed according to the sex, birth order, existence of siblings, residential city, residential province, marital state of child's parents, and parental relationship to compare the scores of temperamental categories and the distribution of temperamental clusters. Results：The distribution of temperamental clusters was as follows；Easy 35.8%, Intermediate Low (IL) 33.1%, Intermediate High(IH) 11.1%, Slow-To-Warm-Up 6.3%, and Difficult 13.6%. Some of 9 temperamental categories were statistically different according to the sex, birth order, existence of siblings, residential city, residental province, marital state of child's parents, and parental relationship. From the viewpoint of 5 temperamental clusters, there were statistically more Easy and less Difficult children in good relation between each parent(p=.022). In spite of no statistical significance, the children in conditions of first-born, non-existence of siblings, middle or small residential city, Chung-Cheong province, married state of parent had a tendency to be easier to care. Conclusions：The toddler temperamental characteristics of Korean children showed some differences in several sociodemographic and family environment factors. We could confirm that the 'Goodness of Fit' was very important in child temperament.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.529-535
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• 1998

Background: Interleukin-4 plays an important role in pathogenesis of asthma, especially in developing atopy by means of switching B lymphocytes to produce IgE. It has been shown that there is polymorphism in the Interleukin-4 promoter region, transversion of cytosine to thymine at-598 from translation initiation site of IL-4 gene. There has also been quite a few works to reveal the role of the polymorphism of IL-4 gene in patients with asthma. We performed this investigation to determine the role of the polymorphism in the severity of symptoms of patients with asthma. We also examined the frequency and the type of the polymorphism in asthmatics compared with non-asthmatics as well. Method: The subjects enrolled in this study were 49 asthmatics and 33 non-asthmatics. All the asthmatics were classified as mild and moderate to severe by the NHLBI/WHO Workshop. DNA from both asthmatics and non-asthmatics was extracted, then performed ARMS(Amplification Refractory Mutation System) as well as RFLP using BsmFl restriction enzyme in order to confirm the polymorphism of Il-4 gene. Results: There was no significant difference in the occurrence of polymorphism of the IL-4 promoter sequence between asthm and non-asthma groups(P=0.7). Among those with polymorphisms, the number of C/C type was slightly more than C/T type in both asthmatics and non-asthmatics, 26 vs 21 in asthmatics and 18 vs 15 in non-asthmatics, which was, however, insignificant statistically. No significant relationship between the severity of asthma and the polymorphism was found(P=0.7). Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the severity of asthma and the IL-4 promoter polymorphism(P=0.709). Interestingly, the frequency of the polymorphism in both asthmatics as well as non-asthmatics was found to be even higher than that occurred in Caucasians. However, no significant difference in the frequency of the polymorphism was found in both groups.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.107-115
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• 1998

Background: Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia(CEP) presents with profound systemic symptoms, including fever, malaise, night sweats, weight loss, and anorexia together with localized pulmonary manifestations such as cough, wheeze, and sputum. It is an illness occurring predominantly in women. The chest radiogragh shows fluffy opacities that often have a characteristic peripheral configuration. The hallmark of CEP is the peripheral blood eosinophilia and a prompt response to oral corticosteroid therapy. We investigated characteristics of eleven patients of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, reported in Korea. Method: There were eleven reports of CEP from 1980 to 1996, including three cases experienced in our hospital. The journals were analysed in respects of clinical history, laboratory, and radiographic findings. Results: 1) Male vs. female ratio is 3 : 8. The peak incidence occurred in forty and fifty decades. The atopic diseases were present in 6 cases. Asthma was the commonest manifestation 2) The presenting symptoms were as follows: cough, dyspnea, sputum, weight loss, fever, general weakness, night sweats, urticaria with the descending incidence. 3) Peripheral blood eosinophilia was present in all patients(mean ; 38.4%) and serum IgE level was elevated in nine patients(mean ; 880IU/ml). Conclusion: The diagnosis of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia is based on classic symptoms, including fever, night sweats, weight loss with a typical roentgenogram of peripheral pulmonary infiltrates and peripheral blood eosinophilia, and that is confimed by lung biopsy and/or bronchoalveolar lavage. Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia is responsive to corticosteroid promptly and recommended at least 6 months of therapy to prevent relapse.