• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.54-60
• /
• 2022

Salmonella meningitis is rare yet poses causes significant neurological morbidity in children. Infants, especially those under 3 months of age, and those with immunocompromised states, such as malignancy, malaria, and human immunodeficiency virus infection, are at increased risk for developing Salmonella meningitis. Herein, we describe a case of Salmonella meningitis in a previous healthy 8-year-old girl who presented with high fever, vomiting, and altered mental status. Group D Salmonella species were isolated in cerebrospinal fluid culture, and no abnormal findings were noted in brain magnetic resonance imaging. Immunoglobulin levels and lymphocyte subset counts were within the normal ranges, and no genetic mutation responsible for primary immunodeficiency disease was detected by next-generation sequencing. The patient's condition improved rapidly with third-generation cephalosporin, and no complications or sequalae developed. Nontyphoidal Salmonella can cause meningitis in immunocompetent children and can be successfully treated with early administration of antibiotics.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.161-169
• /
• 2022

Engagement is an important factor in the field of rehabilitation as it is a known factor that have a positive influence on functional gaining in people who receive rehabilitation therapy. Although a number of measurements for engagement have been recently developed, investigation of possible factors that may have influence on engagement is not well established. Currently available evidence suggests that engagement is affected by mood and it is hypothesized that a personal factor may contribute to engagement. Therefore, this study aims to test the hypothetical relationship between mood and engagement while performing a manual dexterity task through an experiment in healthy participants prior to investigation on people with medical condition who requires rehabilitation therapy. After inducing target mood (positive or negative mood) for study participants by asking them to recall autobiographical memories, change in muscle activity, which was operationalized as an indicator of engagement, was investigated. Electromyogram (EMG) was recorded from four muscle areas in non-dominant hand side to quantify muscle activity. The results show that the target moods were appropriately induced with the method. Although there were subtle differences in the level of engagement between different moods, certain variables derived from muscle activity were significantly different; mean amplitude for wrist extensor EMG showed significant difference between different moods (Z = -2.023, p < .05) indicating that muscle activities in the wrist extensor are greater for positive mood than negative mood region during manual dexterity task. Meanwhile, performance outcomes of Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (MMDT), such as mean completion time and number of errors, between moods showed no significant difference in two different moods, resulting in MMDT administration may not be useful task in distinguishing the level of rehabilitation engagement.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.61.1-61.10
• /
• 2022

Background: Although there are growing demands for stem cell-based therapy for companion animals in various diseases, a few clinical trials have been reported. Moreover, most of them are the results from only one or a few times of stem cell injection. Objectives: The aim of this study is to describe a long-term treatment with allogeneic adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in a dog with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is a rare canine disease. Methods: The dog with RA received intravascular injection of allogeneic ASCs derived from two healthy donors once a month for 11 months. To assess therapeutic effects of ASCs, orthopedic examination and clinical evaluation was performed. Cytokines of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in the plasma were measured using ELISA analysis. Results: Despite this repeated and long-term administration of allogeneic ASCs, there were no side effects such as immunorejection responses or cell toxicity. The orthopedic examination score for the dog decreased after ASCs treatment, and the clinical condition of the dog and owner's satisfaction were very good Conclusions: Although ASCs has been suggested as one of the options for RA treatment because of its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive functions, it has never been used to treat RA in dogs. The present report describes a case of canine RA treated with allogeneic ASCs for long-term in which the dog showed clinical improvement without adverse effects.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.251-258
• /
• 2020

This study was conducted to find out the difference between aging anxiety and self-efficacy according to the general characteristics of the elderly in the community and to find out the correlation between aging anxiety and self-efficacy. From April 2019 to August 2019, 284 responses were used in the final analysis, focusing on senior citizens' health centers, welfare centers for senior citizens, health centers, and senior citizen centers in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, and the survey was conducted using an aging anxiety scale and a self-efficacy scale. Studies have shown that aging anxiety has shown statistically significant differences in age, economic level, health condition, and present concern, and self-efficacy has shown statistically significant differences in age, academic background, religion, economic level and health status. The higher the age anxiety, the lower the self-efficacy. It is thought that it can be used to establish specific strategic measures for successful aging that can keep healthy for a long time and maintain a safe life.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.14-21
• /
• 2022

Complex chromosome rearrangements (CCRs) are structural chromosomal rearrangements involving at least three chromosomes and more than two breakpoints. CCR carriers are generally phenotypically normal but related to higher risk of recurrent miscarriage and having abnormal offspring with congenital anomalies. However, most of CCR carriers are not aware of their condition until genetic analysis of either abortus or affected baby or parental karyotyping is performed. Herein, we present the case that CCR carrier patients can be identified by preimplantation genetic testing of preimplantation embryos. An infertile male patient with severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia was diagnosed balanced reciprocal translocation, 46,XY,t(3;11) (p26;p14) at first. After attempting the first preimplantation genetic testing for structural rearrangement (PGT-SR) cycle, we found the recurrent segmental gain or loss on 21q21.3-q22.3 of five out of nine embryos. As a result of karyotype re-analysis, the patient's karyotype showed a balanced CCR involving chromosomes 3, 11, and 21 with three breakpoints 3p26, 11p14, and 21q21. The patient underwent two PGT-SR cycles, and a pregnancy was established after the transfer of an euploid embryo in the second cycle. Amniocentesis confirmed that the baby carried normal karyotype without mosaicism. At 37 weeks gestation, a healthy girl weighting 3,050 g was born.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
• /
• 2003.09a
• /
• pp.162-177
• /
• 2003

It has been known that the color of skin reflects the blood flow within. In lips, the capillaries close to the skin surface are numerous; hence lips are redder than the rest of face. However, dermatological research on lips is not as advanced as research on facial or body skin, and little was known about the relationship between relatively dull-colored lips and skin blood flow. The physiological differences between colorful and dull-colored lips were studied by a two-dimensional laser Doppler blood flow analyzer, a spectrometer for the measurement of the degree of oxygen saturation, and a confocal microscope for observing inside lips non-invasively. Dull-colored lips and the corner of lips (dull-colored compared to the center) showed relatively poor blood flow and lower oxygenated hemoglobin. It was found that colorful lips (generally the young) had a blood flow that tended to run straight in parallel with the skin surface. This unique blood-capillary structure can express clear red blood. Those with dull-colored lips had lost this unique structure. Their blood ran perpendicularly from the deep of the skin and down back again into the deep part as like the blood circulation patterns of facial skin. Therefore, the lips of the latter group had fewer blood capillaries near skin surface in the lips than that of the colorful-lips group. A lipstick containing a-glucosyl-hesperidin, which is derived from certain citrus fruits and can enhance blood circulation, was applied for evaluating its effects. Blood flow was increased 30 min after the application. After two weeks of daily application, the lips' condition became noticeably less dull. These findings suggest that the decrease of blood flow in dull-colored lips is caused by the loss of the unique capillary structure and the use of the lipstick to increase blood flow can give a vivid color to lips.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.224-238
• /
• 2023

To develop customized food products for gastric cancer patients, it is crucial to understand their dietary characteristics and changes in their perception of smell and taste due to their condition. This study conducted in-depth interviews and administered olfactory and gustatory tests on 20 patients with gastric cancer. A control group of 20 healthy, gender and age matched individuals, was included for comparison. Patients reported difficulties in sustaining their appetite, particularly during chemotherapy. This could be attributed to gastrointestinal discomfort and an altered perception of smell and taste. The olfactory test revealed that cancer patients were significantly less sensitive than the control group. Also, a smaller number of participants in the cancer group were reported to have a normal taste function, which enabled them to perceive umami, one of the five basic taste compared to those in the control group. These findings demonstrated that gastric cancer patients experience post-surgical digestive issues, chemotherapy-induced changes in smell and taste, and appetite loss. To improve the quality of life of these patients and the efficacy of the treatment, it is necessary to consider not only their nutritional requirements but also other factors such as appetite loss and discomfort when developing meals specifically for them.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.38-47
• /
• 2023

In this study, we aimed to explore whether eating alone is associated with mental health conditions in Korean adolescents. The data of 2,012 Korean adolescents aged 12-18 years were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2019. Participants were classified into three groups based on the frequency of eating alone: none (all meals with others); 1 meal/day alone; and ≥2 meals/day alone. Mental health conditions were assessed based on stress recognition, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. Multivariable logistic regressions were employed to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of poor mental health conditions according to the frequency of eating alone. Adolescents who ate ≥2 meals/day alone had higher odds of stress recognition (AOR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.94-3.63), depressive symptoms (AOR: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.47-4.42), and suicidal ideation (AOR: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.05-6.08) than those who ate all their meals with others. In addition, having breakfast or dinner alone increased the odds of stress recognition. Considering the continuous increase in the social phenomenon of eating alone, nutritional educations are needed to develop adolescents' ability to choose more nutritionally balanced and healthy meals when eating alone.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.478-487
• /
• 2022

Objective: This study was conducted to analyze the effect of wearable complex muscle support system on energy efficiency during walking in elderly. Design: Cross sectional study Methods: Twenty healthy elderly participated in this study. All subjects performed a 6 minuteswalk test(6MWT) and stair climbing test in dual, slack and no suit conditions. In each condition, oxygen consumption(VO₂), metabolic equivalents(METs), energy expenditure measures(EEm), physiological cost index(PCI), walking velocity and heartrate were measured. Through repeated measured ANOVA, it was investigated whether there was a statistically significant difference in the measurement results between the three conditions. Results: In over-ground walking, VO₂, METs and EEm showed significant differences between no suit and slack conditions(p<0.05). In stair climbing, VO₂ showed significant difference between slack and dual conditions(p<0.05). Also, METs and EEm showed significant differences between no suit and slack, and between slack and dual conditions(p<0.05). Conclusions: Wearing the wearable complex muscle support system for elderly does not have much benefit in energy metabolism efficiency in over-ground, but there is a benefit in stair walking.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.1-5
• /
• 2018

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease (EGID), a chronic allergic condition characterized by dense infiltration of eosinophils in the digestive tract, is classified into two types, eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), which features dense infiltration of eosinophils in the esophageal epithelial layer, and eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE), in which the entire digestive tract including the esophagus may be involved. Patients with EoE only have esophageal symptoms, since the other parts of the digestive tract are not involved. On the other hand, 80% of EGE patients have lesions in the small intestine. The esophageal epithelial layer in healthy individuals has no or negligible infiltration by eosinophils, while the small intestinal mucosal layer, especially the distal small intestinal mucosa, can show dense eosinophil infiltration even in the absence of disease. Therefore, histological changes observed in cases of EGE are not qualitative but rather quantitative, as compared to EoE, which has qualitative histopathological changes, indicating important pathogenetic differences between the types. Comparisons of clinical, laboratory, and morphological characteristics between EoE and EGE have revealed several interesting differences. Both EoE and EGE patients are frequently affected by atopic diseases, such as bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis, and elevated plasma levels of Th2 type cytokines and chemokines are also similarly seen in both. On the other hand, age at diagnosis differs, as the former is generally found in individuals from 30 to 50 years old, while the latter appears in all age groups. Additionally, 80% of patients with EoE are male as compared to only 50% of those with EGE. Furthermore, approximately 60% of patients with EoE respond favorably to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) administration, whereas EGE patients rarely show a response to PPIs. Nevertheless, both diseases show a similarly favorable response to a six foods elimination diet and glucocorticoid administration. These similarities and differences of EoE and EGE provide important clues for understanding the pathogenesis of these EGID types.