• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.149-156
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• 2005

Purpose : Acute septic arthritis and acute osteomyelitis are not rare diseases in pediatric population. But when the diagnosis is delayed or inappropriate treatments are given, permanent disabilities of joint or bone can be followed. We analysed clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, X-ray findings, causative microorganisms and antibiotic susceptibility results of the two diseases in children. Methods : During January 1992 and May 2002, we conducted a retrospective study of 103 children who were diagnosed as acute septic arthritis and acute osteomyelitis. We selected out 34 children who had positive culture results in the blood or involved sites. Results : 19 cases were diagnosed as acute septic arthritis and 15 cases were acute osteomyelitis. These diseases were most common in preschool children and next in neonates. Hip joints and tibia were the most common sites in each disease. X-ray findings showed abnormalities in 6 cases(36%) of acute septic arthritis and 7 cases(50%) of acute osteomyelitis on admission. The most common microorganism isolated from the involved sites was Staphylococcus aureus; 12 out of 14 cases in acute septic arthritis and 6 out of 13 cases in acute osteomyelitis. Conclusion : It is difficult to make a clear initial diagnosis of the two diseases. We could not find any differences between these two diseases on clinical manifestations such as fever, swelling, tenderness and limitation of movements in joint and bone. The most common microorganism was Staphylococcus aureus.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2016

Purpose: Enterovirus (EV) infection in children can manifest various diseases from asymptomatic infection to nonspecific febrile illness, hand-foot-mouth disease, and aseptic meningitis. This study was aimed to investigate epidemiology and clinical significance of various genotypes of EV infections in pediatric inpatient. Methods: We collected the stool samples from the admitted pediatric patients in Inha University Hospital from March 2014 to March 2015. EV detection and genotype identification were performed by real-time RT-PCR and semi-nested RT-PCR. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by neighbor joining method. Results: A total of 400 samples were collected during study period and 112 patients (28%) were diagnosed with EV infections. The mean age of EV positive patients was 2.66 years (0.1-14) and sex ratio was 1.73:1. Genetic sequences of EVs were identified; coxsackievirus B5 (17, 15.2%), coxsackievirus A16 (13, 11.6%), enterovirus 71 (10, 8.9%), and coxsackievirus A2 (9, 8.0%). Nonspecific febrile illness (96, 86%) was the most common clinical manifestation and the duration of fever was 0-11 days (mean 3.1 days). Rash (44, 39%) and meningitis (43, 38%) were followed. Patients who were attending daycare center or had siblings accounted for 82.1%. Phylogenetic relationship tree revealed 6 distinct genogroups among 56 types of EVs. Conclusions: This study is the report of epidemiology, serotype distribution and clinical manifestations of children with EV infection in Incheon. This data will be helpful for further study about the epidemiology of EV infection in Korea.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.179-187
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• 2007

Purpose : Acute viral respiratory tract infection is the most common illness among children. Involved organisms are respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza virus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, etc. The objective of the present study is to determine epidemiology of each viral infection in Busan, South Korea between January 2004 and December 2006. Methods : We retrospectively analyzed the results of clinical samples of throat and nasal swab collected from Busan city, South Korea between January 2004 and December 2006. We collected these samples from the children with acute respiratory illness. Viruses were detected by virus culture Results : The identified pathogens were influenza A in 131 cases (46.6 percent), RSV in 40 cases (14.2 percent), influenza B in 37 cases (13.2 percent), adenovirus in 23 cases (8.2 percent), enterovirus in 37 cases (13.2%) [coxsackie virus in 20 cases (7.1 percent), atypical enterovirus in 9 cases (3.2 percent), poliovirus in 4 cases (1.4 percent), echovirus in 4 cases (1.4 percent)], rhinovirus in 9 cases (3.2 percent), parainfluenza virus in 2 cases (0.7 percent), coronavirus and bocavirus in each 1 case (0.4 percent). Influenza A were detected every year, mostly in December through April and RSV in October through February. Adenovirus were detected through out the year. Bocavirus occurred in December, 2006. Conclusion : We analyzed epidemiologic characteristics of viruses to cause the respiratory disease that prevailed at Busan area for recent three years, and from now on, a further continuous study will be necessary.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.55-62
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• 2015

Purpose: Varicella Zoster Immune Globulin (VZIG) is available in Korea for post-exposure prophylaxis of the Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in high-risk patients. In July 2013, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) recommended extending the time for administration of VariZIG$^{(R)}$ from within 96 hours up to 10 days after VZV exposure. This study was performed to analyze the effectiveness of VZIG prophylaxis between the two groups of patients who received VZIG within 96 hours and more than 96 hours of exposure to varicella. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed in pediatric patients who received VZIG at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea from January 2001 to December 2012. Results: A total of 91 patients were identified. Fifty-seven patients were male (62.6%) and the median age was 5.91 years. Thirty-nine patients (42.9%) were exposed to VZV in the hospital. Underlying diseases were solid tumors (41.8%), hematologic malignancies (40.7%), and others (17.5%). Forty-five patients (49.5%) were hematopoietic cell transplant recipients. Seventy-four patients (81.3%) received VZIG within 96 hours after VZV exposure. There was no significant difference in the development of chickenpox between the two groups (2.7% vs. 5.9%, P=0.4664). In 22 seronegative patients, we also observed no significant difference between the groups in terms of the development of chickenpox (6.6% vs. 0%, P=0.667). Conclusions: This study showed that the effectiveness of VZIG for the prevention of chickenpox was comparable between patients who received VZIG within 96 hours and those who received VZIG more than 96 hours after exposure to VZV.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.122-129
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• 2001

Purpose : After Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is known to be a fatal disease, efforts and studies are made to determine the cause, treatment method and method of preventing infection. However, no treatment method is present and vaccine development has not been made. Therefore, the most effective treatment method is prevention, and almost 100% prevention is possible when correct preventive measures are taken. We suggest effective prevention education by comparing knowledge and attitude of those unmarried men who had sexual encounters with prostitutes (high risk group) and those with no sexual encounters with prostitutes (low risk group). Methods : From January 1, 2000 to June 30, 2000, a survey was done in 516 unmarried soldiers and college students. With the collected data, chi-square test was used to compare and analyze the demographic characteristic, knowledge on AIDS, and attitude on AIDS between the high risk group and low risk group. One-way ANOVA test was used to compare and analyze the scores on knowledge between these two groups. Results : Among 516 unmarried men, 256 men (49.6%) fell into the high risk group and 260 men (50.4%) into the low risk group. Both groups showed that they heard of AIDS during their middle school years. The main route of obtaining knowledge on AIDS was through TV programs with 124 men(48.4%) in the high risk group and 167 men (64.2%) in the low risk group (P=0.002). Among 20 items, the average score on knowledge was $13.9{\pm}1.9$ in the high risk group and $14.1{\pm}1.8$ in the low risk group with no statistical difference between these two groups (P=0.191). Two items showed statistical significance in the low risk group compared with the high risk group; these were the item of AIDS being transmitted through transfusion (P=0.014) and through mosquitoes (P=0.009). As for attitude, statistical significance was present in the item stating that AIDS patients should be isolated in the high risk group compared with the low risk group (P=0.029). Conclusions : The present study showed that both the high risk group and low risk group obtained knowledge on AIDS through TV. No statistical difference was present between the two groups other than the high risk group showed statistically high results in two items on knowledge and one item on attitude. Thus, these results showed that exposure to AIDS can be lowered with better knowledge and the attitude of those with a low risk of infection was more positive.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.171-182
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• 2018

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is one of the crops widely planted in tropical and subtropical areas. The papaya fruit has low calories and are plentiful in vitamins A and C and in minerals. A major problem in papaya production is a plant disease caused by the papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). The first PRSV-resistant GM papaya expressing a PRSV coat protein gene was developed by USA scientists in 1992. The first commercial GM papaya cultivars derived from the event was approved by the US government in 1997. Development of transgenic papayas has been focused on vaccine production and limited agricultural traits, including insect and pathogen resistance, long shelf life, and aluminum and herbicide tolerance. Approximately 17 countries, including the USA and China, produced transgenic papayas and/or commercialized them, which provoked studies on biosafety assessment and development of GM-detection technologies. For the biosafety assessment of potential effects on human health, effects of long-term feeding to model animals have been studied in terms of toxicity and allergenicity. Studies on environmental safety assessment include influence on soil-microbial biodiversity and transfer to soil bacteria of GM selection markers. Many countries, such as Korea, the European Union, and Japan, that have strict regulations for GM crops have serious concerns about unintended introduction of GM cultivars and food commodities using unauthorized GM crops. Transgene- and/or GM event-specific molecular markers and technologies for genomics-based detection of unauthorized GM papaya have been developed and have resulted in the robust detection of GM papayas.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.122-129
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• 2010

Purpose : Enteroviral infection is a common viral illness in children. We undertook this study in attempt to comprehend the epidemiologic and clinical features of enteroviral infections, particularly EV71 in children. Methods : We enrolled 63 children with enteroviral infection at Severance Children's Hospital in Seoul between May and August 2009. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed from stool or cerebrospinal fluid samples, which were then tested for enteroviral infection. Viral isolation and serotype identification also were performed by RT-PCR. Results : A total of 63 patients with clinical diagnosis of enteroviral infections were enrolled; of those, 38 (60%) were positive for enterovirus. The mean age of the patients was 2 years and 7 months and the sex ratio of male to female was 0.9 :1. Their clincal manifestations included aseptic meningitis (21 cases, 55%), HFMD (16 cases, 42%), herpangina (5 cases, 13%), neonatal fever (2 cases, 5%), encephalitis (1 case, 3%), and myocarditis (1 case, 3%). Serotypes of isolated enteroviruses were EV71 (8 cases, 21%), coxsackievirus B1 (8 cases, 21%), coxsackievirus A16 (2 cases, 6%), coxsakievirus A2 (1 case, 3%), coxsakievirus A5 (1 case, 3%), and echovirus 9 (1 case, 3%). Clinical symptoms of EV71 infection included HFMD (5 cases, 63%), aseptic meningitis (3 cases, 38%), encephalitis (1 case, 13%), and myocarditis (1 case, 13%). A positive rate of C-reactive protein in EV71 was higher than those in other enterviral infections. However, there was no statistically significant difference in other laboratory findings. Conclusion : We reported on identified enteroviruses, including EV71, during a period of 3 months in the summer of 2009. In this study, EV71 infection frequently occurred in male and clinical manifestation caused by EV71 was a more severe disease than that due to other enterviral infections. There is a need for continuous surveillance of enteroviral infection and its clinical manifestations for diagnosis and treatment of enteroviral infection.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2010

Purpose : Urinary tract infection (UTI) in children is the most common disease during the infantile period, therefore early diagnosis and treatment are important. Pyuria is a useful clinical parameter for the initial diagnosis of a UTI. In this study we aimed to compare the clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings in relation to the duration of pyuria in infants with UTIs. Methods : Three hundred seventy-four infants <12 months of age who were admitted between January 1995 and December 2005 for the first episode of a febrile UTI were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the duration of pyuria as follows: group 1, pyuria resolved <3 days after initial treatment; and group 2, pyuria lasted at least 3 days after initial treatment. Results : There were no significant differences between the two groups in relation to gender, age, total duration of fever, and organisms in the urine. Group 2 had a significantly higher peripheral blood leukocyte count ($14,360.86{\pm}5,526.16cells/mm^3$ vs. $11,822.55{\pm}5,687.26cells/mm^3$, P <0.001), erythrocyte sedimentation rate ($32.81{\pm}19.34mm/hr$ vs. $23.74{\pm}20.43mm/hr$, P <0.001), and C-reactive protein ($6.84{\pm}5.68mg/dL$ vs. $3.78{\pm}3.99mg/dL$, P <0.001) than group 1. There was a significantly higher incidence of hydronephrosis and a higher grade of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in group 2 compared to group 1. Conclusion : In infants with UTI, pyuria of longer duration is related to severe UTI and higher grade VUR, therefore aggressive radiologic studies may be necessary.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Purpose : Recently, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have become one of the major nosocomial pathogens in Korea. However, there have been few studies on the epidemiology of VRE colonization among neonates. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of VRE colonization, risk factors for VRE, and how to control the spread of VRE infection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH). Methods : We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 192 neonates who were admitted to the NICU of PNUH from March 2006 to March 2007. Surveillance cultures from rectal swabs for detecting VRE were obtained weekly during the study period. We analyzed the prevalence of VRE and various risk factors. Results : The rate of VRE colonization among NICU patients was 25% (48/192). Thirty five of these VRE colonized patients were transferred to the NICU from other local hospitals. Compared with the non-VRE group, the risk factors associated with VRE colonization were lower birth weight, congenital heart disease, applied mechanical ventilation, use of a central venous catheter, chest tubing, a history of surgery, and use of antibiotics. Conclusion : VRE colonization among patients admitted to the NICU is rapidly increasing. Monitoring and managing premature neonates from the beginning of the birth process, avoiding many invasive procedures, avoiding antibiotics such as vancomycin and third generation cephalosporin are important for preventing the emergence and spread of VRE colonization in the NICU.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2014

Purpose: To compare the clinical characteristics and laboratory finding between adenoviral and group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was performed in the patients with adenovirus infection among those who were admitted for febrile respiratory disease from January 2011 to July 2013 and GAS pharyngitis among those who visited for symptoms of scarlet fever from August 2006 to July 2013. Results: 179 patients (AV1 group) were diagnosed with adenoviral pharyngitis and 37 (AV2 group) of these patients had adenovirus single infection. 26 patients (GAS group) were diagnosed with scarlet fever. Adenoviral infection (AV2 group) developed in younger patients compared to GAS group ($2.8{\pm}2.1$ years vs. $5.4{\pm}1.8$ years, P =0.000). Total durations of fever and admission were longer in AV2 ($6.3{\pm}2.6$ days vs. $3.3{\pm}1.9$ days, P =0.000; $4.1{\pm}1.2$ days vs. $1.9{\pm}1.8$ days, P =0.000, respectively). WBC counts were higher in AV2 ($11,449{\pm}5,680$ cells/$mm^2$ vs. $6,722{\pm}6,941$ cells/$mm^2$, P =0.000). CRP was not significantly different between AV2 and GAS group ($3.8{\pm}3.2$ mg/dL vs. $5.2{\pm}5.1$ mg/dL, P =0.368). No difference was found between two groups in the percentage of antibiotics use (91.9% vs. 100%, P =0.261). Conclusion: Clinical characteristics and measures of inflammation in the laboratory findings were similar between adenoviral and GAS pharyngitis group. It is necessary to conduct the test for respiratory virus and bacteria in early stage to differentiate in the pharyngitis patients with leukocytosis and elevation of CRP level.