• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 2018

Pleural paragonimiasis is uncommon in the pediatric population and therefore can be challenging to diagnose. This is a case of a 6-year-old girl with pleural effusion who had been having intermittent persistent epigastric pain and erythematous rash on the face, hands, and arms for 6 months. Exudative pleural effusion with prominent eosinophils and serum eosinophilia were observed. As patient showed high immunoglobulin M (IgM) titers against Mycoplasma pneumoniae, she was treated with antibiotics; however, the pleural effusion did not improve during hospitalization. Despite showing negative stool ova and cyst results, patient's serum and pleural effusion were positive for Paragonimus westermani-specific IgGs on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Respiratory symptoms, pleural effusion, and skin symptoms improved after praziquantel treatment.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2011

Purpose : We investigated the change of antibody titer to measles, mumps and rubella according to age after vaccination. Methods : The IgG antibody titers to measles, mumps and rubella were tested on the residual serum from patients aged 7-20 years old after routine laboratory testing in the hospital with informed consent from the parents. Results : Antibody to measles was present in 275 cases out of 408 cases with a positive rate of 67.4%, the mean IgG titer was 2.77${\pm}$1.18 Index. Antibody to mumps was present in 112 cases out of 408 cases with a positive rate of 27.5%, the mean IgG titer was 2.08${\pm}$1.29 Index. Antibody to rubella was present in 367 cases out of 408 cases with a positive rate of 90.0%, the mean IgG titer was 60.46${\pm}$63.47 IU/mL. Conclusion : It is important to maintain a high rate of vaccination coverage in order to prevent an outbreak of measles, mumps, or rubella. It is also important to stress the maintenance of vaccination records for further reference.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.207-211
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• 2011

Dengue is an acute febrile viral disease which is found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. Dengue fever has steadily increased in both incidence and distribution over the past 50 years. Even though Korea is not an endemic country for dengue fever, with the increasing numbers of overseas travelers in Korea, the numbers of imported dengue cases are steadily increasing. Here, we report a case of imported dengue hemorrhagic fever in a Korean child presenting with fever and epistaxis. Dengue fever should be considered if a patient who has a recent travel history to endemic areas showed classical symptoms.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.92-96
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• 2009

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory tract infections. M. pneumoniae infection frequently manifests with extrapulmonary symptoms such as central nervous system complications, skin or mucosal involvement, and gastrointestinal problems. However, cardiac complications associated with M. pneumoniae are rarely reported. We report the case of a 47-month-old girl who died of fulminant myocarditis associated with M. pneumoniae pneumonia.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.143-146
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• 2015

Since 2012, outbreaks of the Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been reported, including the Republic of Korea. To date, most of the people infected with the virus are adults. Herein we describe the clinical characteristics of cases of MERS-CoV infection among children. As of October 29, 2015, MERS-CoV has caused 34 pediatric infections, which accounts for 2.1% of all cases. The median age was 13 years (range 9 months to 17 years) and where gender has been reported (n=33), 57.6% cases were male. About half of the patients were asymptomatic and the majority of the symptomatic patients had respiratory symptoms. In general, the clinical outcome in children was favorable. Among the four patients who died of progressive pneumonia, three had documented comorbidities. MERS-CoV infection in children has a lower incidence and mortality compared to adults.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2015

Since April 2012, more than 1,600 laboratory-confirmed human infections with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been reported, occurring primarily in countries in the Arabian Peninsula; the majority in Saudi Arabia. The MERS outbreak in Korea, which began in May 2015 through the importation of a single case who had recently traveled to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. As of November 28th, 186 secondary and tertiary cases had been reported; 38 deaths, mainly associated with underlying chronic illnesses, were reported. One case was exported to China and has been recorded as the first MERS case in China. Thirty-seven confirmed cases were associated with the index case, who was hospitalized from May 15 to May 17. Emergency room at one of the nation's largest hospitals had been affected by hospital-to-hospital and intra-hospital transmissions of MERS-CoV, resulting in an outbreak of 90 infected patients. The vast majority of 186 confirmed cases are linked to a single transmission chain associated with health facilities. The median age of patients is 55 years, with a range of 16 to 87 years. The majority (61%) of patients are men. Twenty-five (14%) of the cases involve healthcare workers. The overall median incubation period was six days, but it was four days for secondary cases and six days for tertiary cases. There has been no evidence of airborne transmission and sustained human-to-human transmission in communities. Intensified public health measures, including contact tracing, quarantine and isolation of all contacts and suspected cases, and infection prevention and control have brought the MERS-CoV under control in Korea. Since 4 July no new cases have been reported.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.112-116
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• 2017

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome that commonly presents with stable hemodynamic status during the acute phase. An 8-year-old boy initially presented with severe hypotension and acute kidney injury. He was placed in the intensive care unit and was diagnosed with KD. Observed clinical features were defined as KD shock syndrome. His coronary artery was dilated during the subacute phase. Furthermore, he was given anti-hypertensive medications, owing to hypertension as an unusual complication of KD. We knew the importance of monitoring for blood pressure considering vasculitis as an aspect of the main pathogenesis of KD.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.117-122
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• 2017

Blackwater fever is a serious clinical syndrome manifested by acute intravascular hemolysis, fever, and the passage of black or red urine, which is classically associated with falciparum malaria and irregular administration of quinine. In Korea, Plasmodium vivax is the only endemic malaria circulating; a number of imported cases of falciparum malaria have been reported in patients following return from international travel to a malaria endemic area. Therefore, it is important for health care professionals including pediatricians to be aware of the falciparum malaria and its clinical courses. Herein, we report a case of a 14-year-old girl with severe falciparum malaria that was complicated by blackwater fever.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the potential health impacts and improve the quality of the free immunization program in Jinju City by maximizing the predicted positive health gains and minimizing the negative health risks. Methods: A steering committee was established in September 2010 to carry out the health impact assessment (HIA) and began the screening and scoping stages. In the appraisal stage, analysis of secondary data, a literature review, case studies, geographic information systems analysis, a questionnaire, and expert consultations were used. The results of the data collection and analyses were discussed during a workshop, after which recommendations were finalized in a written report. Results: Increased access to immunization, comprehensive services provided by physicians, the strengthened role of the public health center in increasing immunization rates and services, and the ripple effect to other neighboring communities were identified as potential positive impacts. On the other hand, the program might be inaccessible to rural regions with no private clinics where there are more at-risk children, vaccine management and quality control at the clinics may be poor, and vaccines may be misused. Recommendations to maximize health gains and minimize risks were separately developed for the public health center and private clinics. Conclusions: The HIA provided an opportunity for stakeholders to comprehensively overview the potential positive and negative impacts of the program before it was implemented. An HIA is a powerful tool that should be used when developing and implementing diverse health-related policies and programs in the community.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.790-793
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• 2005

Recently, the interest in the extension of human life and personal health has been increased. Accordingly, many researchers in a pharmacy and a medical world have been making efforts to improve the sustained drug release property and the stability of drug release property in a body. Many biological researches have demonstrated that chitosan derivatives are effective, safe absorption enhancers that can improve the delivery efficiency of drug and vaccine, and they are suitable for controlled drug release because they have good stability, bio-compatibility, and biodegradability. In this study the experiment was performed in vivo by utilizing chitosan nanoparticles as a biopolymer to control drug delivery rate at an optimal temperature, pH, and concentration. It was observed that nanoparticles containing insulin could effectively control the blood glucose at a low level.