• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2002

We arrived at the following conclusions after we have studied esophagitis through the literatures of oriental and western medicine. 1. The western medical causes of acute esophagitis are corrosiveness chemical material, esophageal or gastric disease, trauma, blister stomatitis, filamentous fungus infection and uremia of chronic patient etc, and the oriental medical causes are qi and blood stagnation, blood stasis and stagnation, stagnant phlegm by coldness, heating, dyspepsia and food poisoning etc. 2. The western medical causes of chronic esophagitis are malfunction of lower esophageal sphincter, esophageal tom chink and hernia, increase of gastric pressure by overeating, fatness, pregnancy and ascites etc, and the oriental medical causes are asthenic cardiac qi, hepatic qi attacking stomach by seven kinds of depression, cold-damp stagnation and insufficiency of gastric qi by overeating, excessive drinking and sexual indulgence etc. 3. The main symptoms of acute esophagitis are severe chest pain, instantly vomiting, swallowing pain etc, and chronic esophagitis are occasionally light chest pain, heart bum, anorexia, dysphagia, dizziness, general body weakness etc. These symptoms are come under thoracic obstruction, acid regurgitation, vomiting and chest pain of oriental medicine. 4. The western medical diagnoses of acute and chronic esophagitis have used radiation test, esophageal endoscopy, esophageal pressure test and biopsy etc, and the oriental medical diagnoses have used syndrome differentiation by four examination of inspection, listening and smelling examination, inquiring, pulse-taking and palpitation. 5. The western medical treatments of acute esophagitis have regarded preservation stability of esophagus as a principle, and the oriental medical treatments mainly have used expelling pathogen of expelling cold and regulating qi, cooling and removing stasis, promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, eliminating phlegm and regulating qi. 6. The western medical treatments of chronic esophagitis have regarded decrease flowing backward of gastric juice as a purpose, and the oriental medical treatments mainly have used strengthening body resistance of replenishing and strengthening cardioqi, dispersing stagnated hepatoqi, expelling cold and dehygrosis, invigorating stomach and nourishing qi.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.8
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• pp.758-762
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• 2003

Purpose : Our examination was designed to determine the diagnostic properties of the cutoff point for the prediction of bacteremia in febrile children less than 3 years of age. Cutoff point is the value that simultaneously maximizes both sensitivity and specificity. Methods : We conducted a retrospective study of febrile children, less than 3 years of age, who clinically have no identifiable source of fever. Peripheral blood leukocyte count(WBC), absolute neutrophil count(ANC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) and C-reactive protein(CRP) were measured at the same time. All patients received blood culture, urine culture and/or CSF culture. Bacterial infection was defined as single pathogen isolated from the CSF or blood or a urinary tract infection (UTI). Patients were dichotomized into two groups : those with bacterial infection and no bacterial infection. We analyzed the characteristics of the children in the two groups. Results : Seventy-one patients(44 males; 27 females) were enrolled in the study. Twenty patients (28%) had a serious bacterial infection(twelve urinary tract infection, five bacteremia, three meningitis) and fifty-one(72%) had no serious bacterial infection. WBC, ESR and CRP were significantly different between the two groups(P<0.05). The cutoff point of WBC, ESR and CRP were $20,000/mm^3$, 30 mm/hr and 3.0 mg/dL, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of each cutoff point were WBC(75%, 75%), ESR(79%, 68%) and CRP(83%, 77%), respectively. Conclusion : These data show the ability of predictors to identify febrile children less than 3 years of age with bacterial infection. Febrile children who reach the cutoff point must be treated intensively and those who do not reach the cutoff point can be carefully managed without administering antimicrobial agents.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.140-146
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• 2014

Purpose: The etiology of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) has changed since the introduction of the rotavirus vaccination. The aim of this study was to clarify which common pathogens, both bacterial and viral, are currently causing AGE in infants. Methods: Infants with acute diarrhea were enrolled. We tested for 10 bacterial pathogens and five viral pathogens in stool specimens collected from infants with AGE. The clinical symptoms such as vomiting, mucoid or bloody diarrhea, dehydration, irritability, and poor oral intake were recorded, and laboratory data such as white blood cell count and C-reactive protein were collected. The clinical and laboratory data for the cases with bacterial pathogens and the cases with viral pathogens were compared. Results: Of 41 total infants, 21 (51.2%) were positive for at least one pathogen. Seventeen cases (41.5%) were positive for bacterial pathogens and seven cases (17.1%) were positive for viral pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus (13 cases, 31.7%) and Clostridium perfringens (four cases, 9.8%) were common bacterial pathogens. Norovirus (five cases, 12.2%) was the most common viral pathogen. Fever and respiratory symptoms were common in the isolated viral infection group (p=0.023 and 0.044, respectively), whereas other clinical and laboratory data were indistinguishable between the groups. Conclusion: In our study, S. aureus (41.5%) and norovirus (12.2%) were the most common bacterial and viral pathogens, respectively, among infants with AGE.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.55.1-55.12
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• 2023

Background: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), caused by the PPR virus (PPRV), is an acute and fatal contagious disease that mainly infects goats, sheep, and other artiodactyls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are considered the primary innate immune cells. Objectives: PBMCs derived from goats were infected with PPRV and analyzed to detect the relationship between PPRV replication and apoptosis or the inflammatory response. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to identify PPRV replication and cytokines expression. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect apoptosis and the differentiation of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells after PPRV infection. Results: PPRV stimulated the differentiation of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. In addition, PPRV induced apoptosis in goat PBMCs. Furthermore, apoptosis and the inflammatory response induced by PPRV could be suppressed by Z-VAD-FMK and Z-YVAD-FMK, respectively. Moreover, the virus titer of PPRV was attenuated by inhibiting caspase-1-dependent apoptosis and inflammation. Conclusions: This study showed that apoptosis and the inflammatory response play an essential role in PPR viral replication in vitro, providing a new mechanism related to the cell host response.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.194-202
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• 1999

Background : Group B ${\beta}$-hemolytic Streptococcus(GBS) has been the major pathogen of neonatal sepsis in western country. In contrast, GBS has played little role in neonatal sepsis in Korea. But recently, neonatal GBS infections are encountered more frequently. It is important to characterize the clinical and epidemiological features of GBS infection in Korean children. Methods: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of twenty-seven infants and children with GBS infection experienced at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital during 14 year-period from June, 1985 to June, 1999. Fourteen strains isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid were serotyped. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of 10 strains were determined by agar dilution method for penicillin, ampicillin, ampicillin with sulbactam, cefarolin, cefuroxime, and cefuiaxone. Results: The numbers of cases with GBS infection increased in 1990s. Among twenty seven cases, twenty-five cases were under three months of age and both of two cases with underlying disease occurred at three years of age. All neonatal infections were late-onset type and meningitis predominated. Serotypes were III(6 strain), Ib(4), Ia(l) and V(2). All of the strain were susceptible to all of the antibiotics tested. Conclusion: GBS infections in infants were increasingly recognized. GBS should be considered as an etiological agent of neonatal sepsis or meningitis in Korea. Maternal screening and prophylactic antibiotic therapy may be considered.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.86-90
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• 2004

Hemolytic uremic syndrome(HUS) is characterized by acute renal failure, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and thrombocytopenia and the most common pathogen is Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157 : H7. Ischemic colitis, which rarely occurs in children, is due to the reduced local blood flow to the intestine, tissue necrosis and secondary bacterial infection. We describe a patient who was admitted with abdominal pain, vomiting and hematochezia, and diagnosed as ischemic colitis by barium enema. This patient showed hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and progressive renal failure and was subsequently diagnosed as hemolytic uremic syndrome. After hemodialysis, the patient showed improvement of symptoms and resolution of renal failure and ischemic colitis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.6
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• pp.469-473
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• 2010

Nocardia farcinia, an aerobic, gram-positive bacilli actinomycetes of the genus Nocardia, is an uncommon pathogen found in humans. The most common Nocardia infection sites are the lung, central nervous system, and skin. Even though hematogenous dissemination can occur, isolation of the organism from blood cultures is very rare. We report a case of Nocardia infection that was isolated on blood cultures. A 59-year-old male with a medical history that includes a liver transplantation 6-years prior due to hepatocellular carcinoma secondary to chronic hepatitis B, developed pneumonia and was transferred to Severance Hospital. At the time of admission, the patient's initial exam showed hypothermia, tachypnea, and hypotension. His chest radiograph showed severe pneumonia and a large abscess on left upper lobe. Under the presumptive diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia or other opportunistic infection, we started broad spectrum antibiotics. However, he developed Nocardia sepsis, rapidly deteriorated, and subsequently died.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.207-212
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• 2017

Infections of Toxoplasma gondii and Babesia microti are reported in many wild animals worldwide, but information on their incidence and molecular detection in Korean wild fields is limited. In this study, the prevalence of T. gondii and B. microti infection in blood samples of 5 animal species (37 Chinese water deer, 23 raccoon dogs, 6 roe deer, 1 wild boar, and 3 Eurasian badgers) was examined during 2008-2009 in Gangwon-do (Province), the Republic of Korea (=Korea) by using serological and molecular tests. The overall seropositivity of T. gondii was 8.6% (6/70); 10.8% in Chinese water deer, 4.3% in raccoon dogs, and 16.7% in roe deer. PCR revealed only 1 case of T. gondii infection in Chinese water deer, and phylogenic analysis showed that the positive isolate was practically identical to the highly pathogenetic strain type I. In B. microti PCR, the positive rate was 5.7% (4/70), including 2 Chinese water deer and 2 Eurasian badgers. Phylogenetic analysis results of 18S rRNA and the ${\beta}$-tubulin gene showed that all positive isolates were US-type B. microti. To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. microti detected in Chinese water deer and Eurasian badger from Korea. These results indicate a potentially high prevalence of T. gondii and B. microti in wild animals of Gangwon-do, Korea. Furthermore, Chinese water deer might act as a reservoir for parasite infections of domestic animals.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.240-247
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• 2011

Purpose: The rationale for skin surface cultures is that bacterial colonization precedes infection and, as a result, that identification of a potential pathogen is predictive of later systemic infection in preterm infants. We aimed to analyze results of surveillance surface cultures in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants and seek for effective ways of performing surveillance surface cultures. Methods: We analyzed the surveillance surface cultures of 113 ELBW infants over a 4-year period. Surveillance cultures were obtained routinely from five sites: axilla, external ear canal, nasopharynx, throat (or tracheal aspirate if intubated) and anus. Each surface culture obtained during the 13 days, prior to the date of the blood culture, was compared with the blood culture obtained when sepsis was suspected. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of the surveillance cultures were calculated among 1894 blood-surface culture pairs by surface sites, recovered organisms and interval between surveillance samples and blood cultures. Results: The overall sensitivity, specificity and PPV of surface cultures were 45.9, 22.4 and 6.8%, respectively. The PPV was highest for the throat/tracheal cultures (11.0%) and lowest for the anal cultures (2.3%). As the time of culturing progressed toward the day of blood culturing, the sensitivity and specificity of the surface cultures significantly increased. Only axillary and throat/tracheal cultures were useful in predicting the microorganisms causing sepsis. Conclusion: Surface cultures could help to predict sepsis pathogens and infection surveillance in preterm infants could be continued with a reduced number of cultured sites focusing on the axilla and throat/trachea.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2015

Purpose: Although the American Academy of Pediatrics provides clinical guidelines for urinary tract infection (UTI) infants, guidelines are not appropriate for neonates and infants less than 2 months of age due to insufficient data. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of neonates and young infants less than 2 months old (group 1) with UTI compared to older infants from 2 to 12 months old (group 2). Methods: We reviewed UTI patients aged 0 to 12 months admitted to the pediatric department in the last 5 years. Clinical characteristics such as age, sex, fever duration, recurrence, progression to acute pyelonephritis (APN), malformations like hydronephrosis and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), and laboratory results were compared between group 1 and group 2. Results: 615 patients were included in this study. Group 1 had 94 cases and group 2 had 521 cases. Escherichia coli was the most commonly isolated pathogen in urine cultures. Fever duration was shorter in group 1 (vs.) 2 ($1.91{\pm}1.43$ days vs. $3.42{\pm}2.40$ days, P<0.05). As compared to group 2, group 1 had a higher proportion of patients with antenatal hydronephrosis and hydronephrosis found after admission (10.6% vs. 3.6% and 75.5% vs. 55.9%, P<0.05). There were differences between two groups in white blood cell (WBC) count (Group 1: $13,694{\pm}5,315/{\mu}L$, Group 2: $15,271{\pm}6,130/{\mu}L$, P<0.05) and C-reactive protein (Group 1: $32.02{\pm}35.17mg/L$, Group 2: $46.51{\pm}46.63mg/L$, P<0.05). Conclusion: Compared to older infants, UTI in neonates and young infants shows milder clinical manifestations except higher rates of hydronephrosis but outcome is alike.