• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.41-48
• /
• 1978

To examine the result of the government Medical Aid Program which began in January, 1977 as a part of social security policy implementation, all the medical records of the clients and official statistics in the year were analysed. The specific objectives this study pursues include the magnitudes and patterns of morbidity and utilization, and the characteristics of clients. One Korean rural area, Koje county was selected as the study area and subsequently all the clinics and hospitals assigned to work out the Aid Program are the subjects for the survey. A brief summary of the sutdy results as follows: a. The clients of Koje county are 6.4% of the total population in the area, more than the average percentage of the clients in Korea. It reflects on low level of economic status of the residents of the area. b. The population structure of the clients indicates that the large proportions of young and old age group are overwhelming, while the middle age group share very small portions. c. The utilization rates for primary care are 2.0 persons, 11.6 visits and 22.6 treatment days per 100 persons per months. Annual hospitalization is rated as 13.7 cases and 164 days per 1,000 persons, The utilization rates are slightly lower than those expected rates during planning period but eventually become higher than those of general population in rural Korea. d. The factors which influence the utilization rates are identified with client group (low income vs indigent), age and sex. e. The utilization pattern for primary care demonstrates seasonal variation similar to the pattern of general rural population in the low income group, but none in the indigent group. f. The most common diseases revealed at the primary care clinics are the acute respiratory infection (26.9%), acute gastritis (10.8%), skin and subcutaneous infection (6.8%). The cases of acute conditions are outnumbered than the cases of chronic condition. 8. The clinics, hospitals and other related health institutions are well cooperated in dealing health care services in their own capacities. Considering the above results Medical Aid Program generated satisfactory results at least in the utilization aspect.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.199-211
• /
• 2003

Objective : This is clinical report about the Wei syndrome(?證)-patient diagnosed as Guillian-Barre syndrome. Guillain-Barre syndrome(GBS), what is called acute inflammatory polyneuritis, is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks parts of peripheral nervous system. GBS is subclassified into acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy(AIDP), acute motor or motor-sensory axonal neuropathy(AMAN, AMSAN), and the other variants. The cause and mechanism of this syndrome are unknown yet. The typical Guillain-Barre syndrome could be diagnosed by the patient's syndroms and physical exams as the rapid onset of weakness, paralysis and loss of reflexes. The analysis of CSF and electrical test of nerve and muscle function can be performed to confirm the diagnosis. Most of the cases usually occur shortly after a viral infection. Method & Result : This is the clinical report about the one patient daignosed as Guillain-Barre syndrome. The patient, 9-year-old girl had the hemiparesis after upper respiratory infection. We characterized her as Wei syndrom(?證). The patient was treated by acupunture, indirect moxibustion, herb medication(通竅湯 加味方, 四物湯合檳蘇散 加味方) and had significant improvement in the Wei syndrome(?證). Conclusion : We report that we had good effects of oriental medical treatment on Guillain-Barre syndrome.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.519-528
• /
• 2002

Background : Steroid therapy has been shown to improve the clinical outcome in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients with histological evidence of fibroproliferation in the lung tissue and no identifiable source of infection. Because the histopathological features of acute interstitial pneumonia(AIP) are identical with that of ARDS, early steroid therapy was used in AIP patients who had histological evidence of fibroproliferation in the lung tissue and no identifiable source of infection. We analyzed seven years of our experience to evaluate the efficacy of early steroid therapy in AIP. Materials and Methods : A retrospective review was performed on AIP patients who received steroid therapy within 7 days of mechanical ventilatory support in Dankook university Hospital between May 1995 and May 2002. AIP was diagnosed clinically by ARDS without a known cause of the etiology and pathologically by a lung biopsy showing a fibroproliferative stage of diffuse alveolar damage. The clinical response and physiologic parameters were evaluated during steroid therapy. Results : Five AIP patients received intravenous methylprednisolone (1-2 mg/kg every 6 hours) after $0.6{\pm}1.7$ days of mechanical ventilatory support. Lung biopsies were performed after $1.8{\pm}1.4$ days of mechanical ventilatory support. Four patients(80%) survived and were extubated after $2.8{\pm}0.4$ days of steroid therapy with improvement in the $PaO_2/FiO_2$ ratio ($127.4{\pm}10.0$ at day 0 to $223.8{\pm}37.6$ at day 7) by steroid therapy. However, one patient(20%) died of respiratory failure after 15 days of steroid therapy. Conclusion : Early steroid therapy sppears to be beneficial in AIP patients without evidence of infection. However, as our study group was too small, further large scale studies to define the effectiveness of steroids are required.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.34-44
• /
• 2010

The causes for airway obstruction include foreign body aspiration, congenital structural abnormalities of the airway, infection, etc. And the potential causes of acute respiratory distress contain many situations, like hyperventilation, vasodepressor syncope, asthma, etc. A major factor that leads to the exacerbation of respiratory disorders is undue stress, either physiologic or psychologic. Psychologic stress in dentistry is the primary factor in the exacerbation of preexisting medical problems. Adequate pretreatment medical and dental evaluation of the prospective patient can often prevent respiratory problems from developing. The dentist can modify patient management to minimize the risk of exacerbating these conditions. When dental anxiety is a major factor, the use of psychosedative procedures and other stress-reduction techniques should also be considered. This is the report of a children case of airway obstruction and respiratory distress owing to sedation complication by use of Chloral hydrate and Ketamine before extraction of the mesiodens in a patient with bronchial asthma and tonsillar hyperplasia. After these situations, the patient was consulted & referred to the department of Pediatrics and Otorhinolaryngology.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.102-113
• /
• 2003

Purpose : Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common illnesses in children. The great majority of these infections involving lower respiratory tracts infections(LRTI) are caused by respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), influenza virus(INF), adenovirus(ADV), etc. Our purpose of this study was to examine the seasonal occurrence, clinical and laboratory features of each viral infections. Methods : Nasopharyngeal aspirates(NPA) were collected from 913 hospitalized children on the first day of admission. They were all admitted to Hangang Sacred Heart hospital and diagnosed as LRTIs. The study period was from September 1998 to August 2002. Specimens were inoculated onto HEp-2 cell, LLC-MK2 cell and MDCK cell. Viruses were detected by immunofluorescent method performed at day 10 postinoculation. Respiratory viruses were detected in 251(27%) cases. Medical records of 208 cases diagnosed as acute LRTIs were all taken reviewed and analyzed. Results : The identified pathogens were RSV 122 cases(58%), PIV 30 cases(14%), INFA 20 cases(10%), INFB 21 cases(11%) and ADV 15 cases(7%) during the study period. Outbreaks of RSV infections occurred every year but mostly on December, 1998 and November, 1999. LRTIs by PIV and ADV occurred during all seasons of the year. INFA was isolated moslty on March, 1999 and January, 2000. INFB infections occurred largely on April, 2002. The clinical diagnoses were bronchiolitis 88 cases(43%), pneumonia 87 cases(42%), croup 19 cases(9%) and tracheobronchitis 14 cases(6%). Common symptoms and signs were cough, rhinorrhea, sputum and fever. WBC counts in peripheral blood showed normal findings in 123 cases(59%). Each viral infections also showed some differences in auscultatory findings and chest X-ray findings. Conclusion : We learned that viruses are one of the major and important etiologic agents of acute LRTIs of children in Korea. However, we still need to find out more about its characteristic clinical features and continue studying on their seasonal occurrence to focus on their management and also prevention.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.136-144
• /
• 2007

Purpose : Human bocavirus (HBoV) was recently identified world widely in clinical specimens from infants and children with respiratory tract illness, but the role of HBoV in respiratory tract illnesses is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and the clinical manifestation of HBoV in pediatric patients. Methods : We retrospectively investigated 1,777 throat swab obtained between 2005 and 2006 from pediatric in-patients with acute respiratory tract diseases at the Kwang-ju Christian Hospital. The medical records of patients with positive results were reviewed for demographic and clinical data of HBoV infections. Results : HBoV DNA was found in 84 (4.7%) of the 1,777 hospitalized children and the mean age was 19 months. The most common diagnosis were pneumonia (67.8%), bronchiolitis (35.7%). HBoV infections were found year-round, though most occurred in spring and winter months. Conclusion : HBoV is frequently found in hospitalized infants and children with acute respiratory tract diseases in Korea, but an association of HBoV with a distinct respiratory tract manifestation was not apparent. To clarify the clinical significance of HBoV, further evaluation of various age groups and clinical groups is needed.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.576-583
• /
• 2018

Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are one of the major causes of common cold in humans and are also associated with acute asthma and bronchial illness. Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90), a molecular chaperone, is an important host factor for the replication of single-strand RNA viruses. In the current study, we examined the effect of the Hsp90 inhibitor pochonin D, in vitro and in vivo, using a murine model of human rhinovirus type 1B (HRV1B) infection. Our data suggested that Hsp90 inhibition significantly reduced the inflammatory cytokine production and lung damage caused by HRV1B infection. The viral titer was significantly lowered in HRV1B-infected lungs and in Hela cells upon treatment with pochonin D. Infiltration of innate immune cells including granulocytes and monocytes was also reduced in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) by pochonin D treatment after HRV1B infection. Histological analysis of the lung and respiratory tract showed that pochonin D protected the mice from HRV1B infection. Collectively, our results suggest that the Hsp90 inhibitor, pochonin D, could be an attractive antiviral therapeutic for treating HRV infection.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.273-281
• /
• 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Signaling pathways that are essential for virus production have potential as therapeutic targets against COVID-19. In this study, we investigated cellular responses in two cell lines, Vero and Calu-3, upon SARS-CoV-2 infection and evaluated the effects of pathway-specific inhibitors on virus production. SARS-CoV-2 infection induced dephosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3, high virus production, and apoptosis in Vero cells. However, in Calu-3 cells, SARS-CoV-2 infection induced long-lasting phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3, low virus production, and no prominent apoptosis. Inhibitors that target STAT3 phosphorylation and dimerization reduced SARS-CoV-2 production in Calu-3 cells, but not in Vero cells. These results suggest a necessity to evaluate cellular consequences upon SARS-CoV-2 infection using various model cell lines to find out more appropriate cells recapitulating relevant responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.339-349
• /
• 2020

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate anti-inflammatory and antitussive expectoration effects of Friltillariae Thunbergii Bulbus (FTB) in a mouse model. Materials and Methods: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of the FTB, we conducted in vitro experiments using RAW264.7 cells. An MTT assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were carried out to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of FTB. The expectorant effect on phenol red secretion, the antitussive effect on cough induced by ammonia solution, and leukocyte increased inhibition effects in acute airway inflammation in the animal model were confirmed. Results: FTB did not show cytotoxicity in the experimental group at 10, 30, 50, 100, 300, or 500 ㎍/ml and significantly inhibited the increase of NO, TNF-α and IL-6 in the experimental groups at 30, 50, 100, 300, and 500 ㎍/ml concentrations. In sputum, cough, and acute airway inflammation animal models, FTB significantly increased phenol red secretion in the 400 mg/kg administration group. FTB significantly reduced the number of coughs and significantly increased cough delay time in both 200 and 400 mg/kg dose groups. FTB decreased the white blood cell count in BALF (bronchoalveolar lavage fluid) in the 400 mg/kg administration group. Conclusion: Our study revealed that FTB elicits antitussive and expectorant effects by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines, increasing sputum secretion, suppressing cough, and reducing inflammatory cells. We concluded that FTB is a highly promising agent for respiratory tract infection with therapeutic opportunities.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.178-186
• /
• 2013

Objective: Human enteroviruses (HEVs) are a common causative agent of gastrointestinal or respiratory infections. In this study, to examine the genotypic diversity and characteristics of HEVs associated with patients in Seoul, we collected and analyzed stool and throat swab samples taken from patients with acute gastroenteritis or a common cold from 2011 to 2012. We researched the difference in genetic characteristics of HEVs from gastroenteritis and respiratory patients. Methods: For genetic analysis, we amplified the 5'-noncoding region and partial VP1 region of HEVs by RT-PCR. The genotypes of HEVs were further identified based on nucleotide sequences of the VP1 region. Results: The majority of the HEV infections in Seoul occurred from June to August. The molecular characteristic assay showed that although the majority of HEVs can be propagated by a fecal-oral route, Coxsackievirus A2 (n=13, 19.4%), A4 (n=8, 11.9%), and A5 (n=4, 6.0%) can be preferentially transmitted by a respiratory route. Conclusions: This Enterovirus surveillance system plays an important role in preparing for a severe outbreak. The genotypic characteristics of HEV may provide potentially useful data needed for epidemiological studies.