• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.129-134
• /
• 2000

Purpose: It is difficult to determine the activity of tuberculosis radiologically. Therefore there have been efforts to assess the activity using radiopharmaceuticals such as $^{67}Ga,\;^{99m}Tc-tetrofosmin,\;and\;^{99m}Tc-MIBI$. But there may be some discrepancy in defining the term 'activity' between clinicians and nuclear physicians. While negative conversion of sputum acid fast bacilli (AFB) is defined as 'disappearance of activity' by clinicians, a loss of uptake in previously positive lesion is accepted as 'disappearance of activity' by nuclear physicians. We designed a prospective study to see if the negative conversion of sputum AFB could directly match the disappearance of radioactivity of the lesion. Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients with bacteriologically confirmed active localized pulmonary tuberculosis were scanned 10 and 60 min after intravenous injection of 550 MBq $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI. In 6 patients, who showed negative conversion of sputum AFB after 3-7 months of chemotherapy, $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI scan was repeated. For the purpose of comparison, target/nontarget ratios of the lesions were determined. Results: 12/15 (80%) patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis showed increased uptake of $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI in tuberculous lesion. After negative conversion of sputum AFB, 5/6 (83%) patients still showed increased uptake, although the intensity of uptake decreased. Conclusion: Uptake of radioactivity decreased but did not disappear after negative conversion of sputum AFB. $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI scan may be useful to address the degree of inflammation of pulmonary tuberculous lesion, but the uptake did not directly match the activity defined by positivity of sputum AFB. We nuclear physicians might have used the term 'activity' somewhat differently from clinicians who treat patients with tuberculosis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.21-30
• /
• 1991

An immunohistochemical study was performed to demonstrate comparative antigenicity of each body structure of the liver fluke, Clonorchis sinensis, such as the digestive tract, reproductive organs, excretory system, tegument and suckers. Indirect immunoperoxidase technique was applied, rising formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections of C. sinensis as the antigen. Pooled cat sera obtained 10 weeks after an experimental infection with C. sinensis and peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-cat IgG were used as the primary and secondary antibodies, respectively. The intensity of immunohistochemical stain was very sensitive upon the titers of the primary and secondary antibodies, and their optimum dilutions were found to be 1:1,000∼1:2,000 and 1:1,000, respectively. The intestinal epithelial cells, intestinal content and excretory bladder showed strong positive coloring reactions even at lower titer (1 : 2,000) of the primary antibody, whereas the uterine wall and eggs, vitelline glands, and male reproductive organs showed only weak positive reactions despite an increase in the antibody titer (1:1,000). On the other hand, the suckers, tegument, subtegumental cells and other parenchyme portions did not reveal any positive immunoperoxidase reaction at the same antibody titers. From the above results, it is highly suggested that the most potent antigenicity of C. sinensis occur from their excretory-secretory substances originated from the digestive and excretory organs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.85 no.3
• /
• pp.682-690
• /
• 2024

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is a rare immune-mediated complication of a viral infection commonly involving the bilateral thalamus and has been reported mainly in children. Here, we describe the MRI findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated ANE in two pediatric patients, including a 7-year-old girl with fever and mental change, and a 6-year-old girl with fever and generalized seizures. Brain MRI revealed symmetrical T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery high-signal intensity lesions in the bilateral thalamus with central hemorrhage. In one patient, the thalamic lesions showed a tri-laminar pattern on the apparent diffusion coefficient map. This report emphasizes the importance of creating awareness regarding these findings in patients with COVID-19, particularly in children with severe neurological symptoms. Furthermore, it provides a literature review of several documented cases of COVID-19 presenting with bilateral thalamic hemorrhagic necrosis, suggesting a diagnosis of ANE.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.139-146
• /
• 2013

Objective: As per the requirement of Korean Food and Drug Administration, this post-marketing surveillance was conducted in Korea to evaluate the safety and reactogenicity of Poliorix$^{TM}$ following its introduction in 2006. Methods: In this open, multicenter study, the vaccine was administered as per the current practice of Korean doctors and in reference to the guidebook by the Korean Pediatric Society and as indicated in the Korean label which was as follows - for primary vaccination three doses were given to infants at ages 2, 4 and 6 months whereas, for the booster dose a single dose was given to children aged 4-6 years. Safety data during this six year surveillance was collected using diary cards which were distributed to the parents to record adverse events. Results: A total of 639 subjects were enrolled into the study. Of these, 617 subjects and 22 subjects received the vaccine as a primary and booster dose, respectively. At least one unsolicited symptom was reported in 11.4% (73/639) of the subjects during the 7-day follow-up period; upper respiratory tract infection (2.5%;16/639) was the most frequently reported unsolicited symptom. One subject reported at least one unsolicited symptom (gastroenteritis) of grade 3 intensity within the 31-day post-vaccination period. Approximately 1.7% (11/639) of subjects reported 13 serious adverse events (SAEs). All SAEs were resolved by the end of the study. Conclusion: In Korea, primary and booster vaccination with Poliorix$^{TM}$ was well-tolerated in healthy subjects when administered according to the prescribing information as part of routine clinical practice.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.36-49
• /
• 2019

The objectives of this study were to extract "Field Survey Based Infection Tree of Pine Wilt Disease(FSB_ITPWD)" and "Object Classification Based Infection Tree of Pine Wilt Disease(OCB_ITPWD)" from the Research Forest at Kangwon National University, and evaluate the spatial distribution characteristics and occurrence intensity of wood infested by pine wood nematode. It was found that the OCB optimum weights (OCB) were 11 for Scale, 0.1 for Shape, 0.9 for Color, 0.9 for Compactness, and 0.1 for Smoothness. The overall classification accuracy was approximately 94%, and the Kappa coefficient was 0.85, which was very high. OCB_ITPWD area is approximately 2.4ha, which is approximately 0.05% of the total area. When the stand structure, distribution characteristics, and topographic and geographic factors of OCB_ITPWD and those of FSB_ITPWD were compared, age class IV was the most abundant age class in FSB_ITPWD (approximately 55%) and OCB_ITPWD (approximately 44%) - the latter was 11% lower than the former. The diameter at breast heigh (DBH at 1.2m from the ground) results showed that (below 14cm) and (below 28cm) DBH trees were the majority (approximately 93%) in OCB_ITPWD, while medium and (more then 30cm) DBH trees were the majority (approximately 87%) in FSB_ITPWD, indicating different DBH distribution. On the other hand, the elevation distribution rate of OCB_ITPWD was mostly between 401 and 500m (approximately 30%), while that of FSB_ITPWD was mostly between 301 and 400m (approximately 45%). Additionally, the accessibility from the forest road was the highest at "100m or less" for both OCB_ITPWD (24%) and FSB_ITPWD (31%), indicating that more trees were infected when a stand was closer to a forest road with higher accessibility. OCB_ITPWD hotspots were 31 and 32 compartments, and it was highly distributed in areas with a higher age class and a higher DBH class.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2005

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between H. pylori infection and recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in children and to evaluate the effects of eradication therapy on RAP. Methods: From January 1998 to January 2005, 166 children with RAP (61 male, 105 female) aged $10.0{\pm}3.3$ years were included. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopies were performed for all the patients. All H. pylori infected children (n=70) received the eradication therapy and were divided into two groups: Group Ia (n=52); eradicated, Group Ib (n=18); non-eradicated. H. pylori-negative children (n=96) were divided into three groups according to the medication: Group IIa (n=67); no medication, Group IIb (n=13); acid-suppressant, Group IIc (n=16); both acid-suppressant and antibiotics. Questionnaire for symptoms were asked at the first, 6th, 12th, 24th, and 36th months following the treatment (grade 0; completely resolved, grade 1; definitely improved, but there are occasional episodes of mild abdominal pain, grade 2; no change in the frequency and intensity of abdominal pain). Results: In about 90% of H. pylori positive children, RAP improved in the both H. pylori-eradicated and non-eradicated children in a follow-up survey. In about 75% of H. pylori-negative children, RAP also improved among in the three groups of patients regardless of medication. Conclusion: These results suggest that there was no correlations between improvement of RAP and eradication of H. pylori, and between improvement of RAP and medication. Consequently the reassurance that the children with RAP have no serious organic cause was important to improvement of RAP.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.102-108
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Kawasaki disease (KD) shows a variety of clinical signs of multi-system involvement, including clinical diagnostic criteria. It is unknown that the severity of the clinical signs is associated with the risk of coronary artery lesions (CALs). We wanted to evaluate clinical characteristics and the risk of CALs in the patient groups who had severe skin lesions or those with arthritis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 220 KD patients who were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). We compared clinical and laboratory data between the group with severe skin lesions (n=52) and those with mild or no skin lesions (n=168), and between the group with arthritis (n=6) and those without arthritis (n=214). Results: The mean age of total patients was $2.23{\pm}1.87years$ of age, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1 (138/82). Among 220 patients, 52 patients had CALs (23.6%), and 29 patients (13.2%) showed incomplete KD. The patients with CALs had a higher mean age, longer total fever duration, and higher rate of IVIG non-responsiveness. The patient group with severe skin lesions showed a higher mean age (P<0.001), more prolonged fever duration (P=0.041), higher frequency of CALs (P=0.033), higher WBC, neutrophil, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio levels, compared to the patient group without severe skin lesions. The patients with arthritis had a tendency of further treatment with methylprednisolone or infliximab. Conclusions: The frequency of CALs was higher in patient group with severe skin lesions. Our results suggest that the intensity of clinical signs of KD such as skin rash, cervical lymphadenopathy and possibly arthritis may be associated the risk of CALs.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.511-519
• /
• 2006

Autogenous bone grafts have been considered the gold standard for maxillofacial bony defects. However, this procedure could entail a complicated surgical procedure as well as potential donor site morbidity. Possibly the best solution for bone-defect regeneration is a tissue engineering approach, i.e. the use of a combination of a suitable scaffold with osteogenic cells. A major source of osteogenic cells is the bone marrow. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent and have the ability to differentiate into osteoblastic, chondrocytic, and adipocytic lineage cells. However, the isolation of cells from bone marrow has someproblems when used in clinical setting. Bone marrow aspiration is sometimes potentially more invasive and painful procedure and carries of a risk of morbidity and infection. A minimally invasive, easily accessible alternative would be cells derived from periosteum. The periosteum also contains multipotent cells that have the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts and chondrocytes. In the present study, we evaluated the osteogenic activity and mineralization of cultured human periosteal-derived cells. Periosteal explants were harvested from mandibule during surgical extraction of lower impacted third molar. The periosteal cells were cultured in the osteogenic inductive medium consisting of DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, 50g/ml L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, 10 nmol dexamethasone and 10 mM -glycerophosphate for 42 days. Periosteal-derived cells showed positive alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining during 42 days of culture period. The formation of ALP stain showed its maximal manifestation at day 14 of culture period, then decreased in intensity during the culture period. ALP mRNA expression increased up to day 14 with a decrease thereafter. Osteocalcin mRNA expression appeared at day 7 in culture, after that its expression continuously increased in a time-dependent manner up to the entire duration of culture. Von Kossa-positive mineralization nodules were first present at day 14 in culture followed by an increased number of positive nodules during the entire duration of the culture period. In conclusion, our study showed that cultured human periosteal-derived cells differentiated into active osteoblastic cells that were involved in synthesis of bone matrix and the subsequent mineralization of the matrix. As the periosteal-derived cells, easily harvested from intraoral procedure such as surgical extraction of impacted third molar, has the excellent potential of osteogenic capacity, tissue-engineered bone using periosteal-derived cells could be the best choice in reconstruction of maxillofacial bony defects.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.101-105
• /
• 2010

This study was aimed to understand conidial disperse of the pepper anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum acutatum, elapse time for the disease development, and inoculum potentials on infected fruits. Most (99.2%) conidia of the fungus disseminated from inoculum source on the rainy day, while only 0.8% conidia dispersed on the sunny day. Among the conidia 93.3% were caught under 60 cm height at 30 cm distance; however, conidia were detected at 120 cm height at the distance. Relatively susceptible pepper fruits to anthracnose showed first visible symptoms at 4 days after infection under a mimic field condition. However, it seemed that over 10 days are required for the disease to develop on moderately resistant pepper fruits under unfavorable conditions. The number of conidia formed on a lesion was positively correlated with the lesion size ($R^{2}=0.88$). Over 10 millions of conidia were formed at a normal lesion size 1.5 cm in length. In some large coalesced lesions ca. 4cm in length produced over 100 millions of the fungal conidia. Results further confirmed that the rainfall is the key factor for the inoculum disperse of the pepper anthracnose pathogen, Colletotrichum acutatum, and a long distance dissemination is plausible according to rain and wind intensity. Consequently, rain-proof structures are ideal to avoid the disease, and removal of infected fruits and timely chemical spray are indispensible to reduce the inoculum potential in the field.