• Childhood Kidney Diseases
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.22-28
• /
• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of non-carbapenem treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) in young children. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children under 2 years of age who were diagnosed and treated for UTIs caused by ESBL-producing E. coli from September 2014 to March 2020. Results: Forty-three children under 2 years of age were treated with non-carbapenem antimicrobials for UTIs caused by ESBL-producing E. coli without bloodstream infections. The overall clinical and microbiological success rates for empirical antimicrobial treatment were 90.7% and 97.7%. Three of the patients (7.0%) experienced a relapse of UTI within a month. An in vitro susceptibility test showed that two patients were sensitive and one was resistant to the antimicrobial treatments. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the time to defervescence, clinical success, microbiological success, and relapse rate between the susceptible (n=13) and non-susceptible groups (n=30). Conclusion: In this study, the overall relapse rate of patients treated with non-carbapenem antimicrobials was 7.0%. The patients showed high success rates in the clinical and microbiological responses to the non-carbapenems regardless of the results of the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility test. These results provide evidence that non-carbapenems may be viable alternative treatments for UTIs caused by ESBL-producing E. coli.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.14
• /
• pp.5951-5957
• /
• 2014

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) possesses several advantages for treating patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The theory of 'Jianpi Huayu Therapy' rooted from 'Jin Kui Yao Lue'is one of the most important therapies in this respect. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical effect and safety of hepatectomy combining with 'Jianpi Huayu Therapy' in the treatment of HCC. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with HCC were randomized allocated into hepatectomy combined with 'Jianpi Huayu Therapy' group (treatment group, n=60) and hepatectomy alone group (control group, n=60). Disease- free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were the primary end-points. Liver function at the end of one week after surgery, complications, average days of hospitalization as well as performance status (PS) at the end of one month post operation were also compared. Results: No significant differences existed between two groups on baseline analysis (p>0.05). No treatment related mortality occurred in either group. Post-operative complications were detected among 14 patients (23.3%) in the treatment group, and 12 (20.0%) in the control group (p=0.658). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) at the end of one week after operation was lower in the treatment than control groups (p=0.042). No significant differences in other indexes of liver function were discovered between two groups. Average days of hospitalization reduced by 0.9 day in treatment group than in control (p=0.034). During follow-up, 104 patients (86.6%) developed recurrence. The rates of 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS and median DFS for all patients were 77.4%, 26.3%, 9.0% and 25.6 months (range, 6.0~68.0), respectively (78.2%, 29.2%, 14.3% and 28.7 months for the 48 patients in the treatment group and 75.0%, 23.3%, 6.4%, and 22.6 months for the 56 patients in the control group (p=0.045)). 101 patients had died at the time of censor, with 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates and median survival for all patients of 97.5%, 76.4%, 40.5% and 51.2 months (range, 10.0~72.0), respectively (98.3%, 78.0%, 43.6% and 52.6 months, for treatment and 96.7%, 74.7%, 37.4%, and 49.8 months, for controls, respectively (p=0.048)). Conclusions: Hepatectomy combined with 'Jianpi Huayu therapy'was effective in the treatment of HCC, and reduced post-operative recurrence and metastasis and improved DFS and OS of HCC patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.58 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2015

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) are widely used to treat central precocious puberty (CPP). The efficacy and safety of GnRHa treatment are known, but concerns regarding long-term complications are increasing. Follow-up observation results after GnRHa treatment cessation in female CPP patients up to adulthood showed that treatment (especially <6 years) was beneficial for final adult height relative to that of pretreated or untreated patients. Puberty was recovered within 1 year after GnRHa treatment discontinuation, and there were no abnormalities in reproductive function. CPP patients had a relatively high body mass index (BMI) at the time of CPP diagnosis, but BMI standard deviation score maintenance during GnRHa treatment seemed to prevent the aggravation of obesity in many cases. Bone mineral density decreases during GnRHa treatment but recovers to normal afterwards, and peak bone mass formation through bone mineral accretion during puberty is not affected. Recent studies reported a high prevalence of polycystic ovarian syndrome in CPP patients after GnRHa treatment, but it remains unclear whether the cause is the reproductive mechanism of CPP or GnRHa treatment itself. Studies of the psychosocial effects on CPP patients after GnRHa treatment are very limited. Some studies have reported decreases in psychosocial problems after GnRHa treatment. Overall, GnRHa seems effective and safe for CPP patients, based on long-term follow-up studies. There have been only a few long-term studies on GnRHa treatment in CPP patients in Korea; therefore, additional long-term follow-up investigations are needed to establish the efficacy and safety of GnRHa in the Korean population.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.88-95
• /
• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the treatment duration and dentoskeletal changes between two different anchorage systems used to treat maxillary dentoalveolar protrusion and to examine the effectiveness of en-masse retraction using two miniscrews placed in the midpalatal suture. Methods: Fifty-seven patients (9 men, 48 women), who had undergone level anchorage system treatment at Aichi-Gakuin University Dental Hospital (Nagoya, Japan) were divided into two groups according to the method of maxillary posterior anchorage reinforcement: midpalatal miniscrews (25 patients, mean age 22 years) and conventional anchorage (32 patients, mean age 19 years). The en-masse retraction period, overall treatment duration, pre-treatment effective ANB angle, and change in the effective ANB angle were compared with an independent-samples t -test. Results: Compared to the headgear group, the duration of en-masse retraction was longer by approximately 4 months in the miniscrew group (p < 0.001). However, we found no significant difference in the total treatment duration between the groups. Moreover, a greater change in the effective ANB angle was observed in patients treated with miniscrews than in those treated with the conventional method (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The level anchorage system treatment using miniscrews placed in the midpalatal area will allow orthodontists more time to control the anterior teeth during en-masse retraction, without increasing the total treatment duration. Furthermore, it achieves better dentoskeletal control than does the conventional anchorage method, thereby improving the quality of the treatment results.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.10
• /
• pp.6109-6114
• /
• 2013

Aim: To determine whether beta-blockers (BBs) improve the overall survival (OS) of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods: The medical charts of 107 patients with metastatic NSCLC were retrospectively assessed. Thirty-five patients (BB group) using BBs during chemotherapy (CT) were compared with 72 controls [control=(C) group] who did not use BBs following the diagnosis of NSCLC. The histological tumor subtype, performance status (ECOG), age, gender, smoking status, comorbidities, other medications and chemotherapeutics that were received in any line of treatment were recorded. We compared the overall survival (OS) of the patients in the BB and C groups. Results: The mean age of the patients was 61 years (range 42-81 years) and all patients were administered CT. The BB group was more likely to have HT and IHD and was more likely to use RAS blockers (p<0.01 for all) compared with the C group, as expected. The mean follow-up time was 17.8 months (range 1-102 months) for the entire group. The most commonly prescribed BB agent was metoprolol (80% of cases). At the time of the analysis, 74 (69%) of all patients had died. In the univariate analysis the median overall survival (OS) was 19.25 (${\pm}2.87$) months (95%CI: 13.62-24.88) in the BB group and 13.20 (${\pm}2.37$) months (95%CI: 8.55-17.85) in the C group (p=0.017). However, the benefit of BBs on survival disappeared in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: The use of BBs during CT may be associated with an improved OS for patients with metastatic NSCLC.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.281-287
• /
• 1994

The effects of oleic acid, propylene glycol and 5% (w/w) oleic acid in propylene glycol on the electrical properties of hairless mouse skin were studied and the results were compared. The complex electrical impedance was measured as a function of frequency, and resistance and capacitance were determined from the Nyquist plot. Immediately after the treatment with oleic acid, resistance was 145% of the pretreatment value. However it decreased with time and, after 20 hours, it was about 25% of its pretreatment value. Capacitance increased; immediately after the treatment, it was about 125% of pretreatment value and it seemed to increase slowly with time. When the skin was treated with propylene glycol, resistance decreased about 5O% and capacitance increased about 65%. Similar results were observed when the skin was treated with 5% (w/w) oleic acid in propylene glycol, except that the magnitude of resistance drop was much larger. Oleic acid acted synergistically with propylene glycol. Together with the flux data in the literature, the results obtained in this work indicate that electrical resistance is closely related to the permeability of drug molecules through the skin. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanism of action of these penetration enhancers. Overall, this work provided further mechanistic insight into the role of SC lipids in skin resistance and capacitance.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.41-47
• /
• 1994

The effect of Azone and ethanol on the electrical properties of human and hairless mouse skin was studied and the results were compared. The complex electrical impedance was measured as a function of frequency, and resistance and capacitance were determined from Nyquist plot. After the treatment of human-heat separated epidermis with Azone, contrary to the expectation, resistance increased about 60% and it did not change with time. Capacitance also increased; immediately after the treatment, it was about 110% of pretreatment value and it increased further with time. On the other hand, when hairless mouse skin was treated with Azone, marked changes occured; resistance fell almost to the value of bathing medium itself and capacitance increased to about 200% of its pretreatment value. Similar result were obtained when hairless mouse skin was treated with 100% ethanol. The results suggest that there are differences in the strength of barrier properties of stratum corneum (SC) between human and hairless mouse skin. Overall, the results provide further mechanistic insight into ion conduction through the skin and into the role of SC lipids in skin capacitance.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.103-110
• /
• 2014

Objective : Western sleeping pills work very fast and effectively against insomnia. But they also bring about many side effects. Therefore oriental medicine can be a good alternative remedy. There are many clinical reports about patients treated for insomnia after stroke using oriental medicine. However, there are no clinical report about patients treated for insomnia after stroke diagnosed by Gobub & Bokjin. We want to prove the effect of Gobub & Bokjin in diagnosis and treatment for the insomnia patients after stroke. Methods : We chosed a patient who had suffered from insomnia after stroke. We administered acupuncture treatment, as well as Herbal medicine(Bokryoungum and Sanjoinsan). We monitored total sleep time per a day for 23 days. Results & Conclusion : Bokryoungum and Sanjoinsan was effective in improving overall sleep time day.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.89-95
• /
• 1997

The authors studied 5 cases of idiopathic CNS hypersomnia who visited Division of Sleep Studies, Seoul National University Hospital in 1995. Detailed medical history was taken and nocturnal polysomnography(NPSG), multiple sleep latency test(MSLT) and human leukocyte antigen(HLA) typing were performed. Neither cataplexy nor hypnagogic hallucination was reported in all cases and in NPSGs, there were tendencies of increased sleep period time and decreased slow wave sleep time. In MSLT, all the subjects showed average sleep latencies less than 8 minutes without sleep-onset rapid eye movement period(SOREMP). In HLA typing, some correlation between idiopathic CNS hypersomnia and HLA DR4 was observed. In contrast to previous reports, overall treatment response with methylphenidate was remarkable. Therefore, the authors suggest that patients suspected of idiopathic CNS hypersomnia be actively evaluated and treated with rather optimistic perspective.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.123-126
• /
• 2023

The prevalence of candidiasis, a contagious disease with high morbidity and mortality, has sharply increased globally over the last two decades. Candida albicans can cause serious infections in patients with weak immunity and in recipients of prolonged antibiotic treatment. Consequently, rapid and accurate identification of species can play an important role in the treatment of candidiasis. Here, we investigated the positive rate and infection trend of C. albicans according to age, specimen type, and sex using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction-based testing of samples collected for the diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases in Korea between 2018 and 2020. When the type of specimen collected was a swab, the positive rate of C. albicans was higher among younger women, and tended to decrease with age. Analysis of swab samples revealed higher positive rates than urinalysis. The reduction trend in positive rates by age was comparable between the overall samples and urine specimens. Among male patients, the positive rate did not differ substantially across the various types of specimens collected. Previous studies have shown a higher prevalence of non-albicans Candida species than C. albicans in clinical specimens, and exclusion of the former from our analysis may be a limitation of this study. However, our findings contribute significantly to the literature because globally, there is a paucity of epidemiological studies using molecular techniques to detect C. albicans in sexually transmitted disease test samples.