• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-38
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• 2011

The distributions of phytoplankton assemblages and environmental factors in Jinhae Bay and their relationships were investigated to estimate the potential limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth and community structure. In situ algal bioassay experiments were also conducted to assess the species-specific characteristics in phytoplankton responses under different nutrient conditions (control, N(+) and P(+) treatment). During the study periods, bacillariophyceae and cryptophyceae occupied more than 90% of total phytoplankton assemblages. Phytoplankton standing crops in the inner part of Masan Bay were higher than that of Jinhae Bay. The DIN:DIP ratio, pH and transparency showed the significant positive correlation with phytoplankton biomass. According to cluster and multidimensiolnal scaling (MDS) analysis based on phytoplankton community data from each station, the bay was divided into three groups. The first group included stations from the south-western part of Jinhae bay where cryptophyta species were dominated. The second group was distinguished from inner stations in Masan Bay. These stations showed low transpancy and high DIN:DIP ratio. The other cluster included the stations from the eastern part and central part of Jinhae Bay, which was characterized by the high DSi:DIP ratio and dominant of diatom species. Phosphorous (P) was limited in Masan Bay due to significantly increases in the phytoplankton abundances. Based on stoichiometric limitation and algal bio-assay in Jinhae Bay, nitrogen (N) was a major limiting factor for phytoplankton production. However, silicate (Si) was not considered as limiting factor, since Si/DIN and Si/P ratio and absolute concentration of nutrient did not create any potential stoichiometric limitation in the bay. This implies that high Si availability in winter season contributes favorably to the maintenances of diatom species.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2008

Purpose: Children with esophagitis express a variety of nonspecific symptoms and signs depending on their age, and diagnosis is limited because gastrointestinal endoscopy (GFS) and biopsy are difficult to perform. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of esophagitis in children with upper abdominal pain, to determine the necessity of esophageal biopsy, and to evaluate the associated risk factors. Methods: We reviewed 266 pediatric patients with upper abdominal pain who underwent history-taking, physical examination, and GFS with esophageal and gastric biopsies between January 2006 and December 2007. Esophagitis was confirmed on biopsy. We analyzed the risk factors for histologic esophagitis and the necessity of esophageal biopsy. Results: The prevalence of esophagitis was 19.9% (53/266 patients). The sensitivity and specificity of endoscopic diagnosis were 41.5% and 77%. Of 53 patients with histologic esophagitis, reflux esophagitis was seen in 50 patients, eosinophilic esophagitis was seen in 2 patients, and esophageal candidiasis was seen in 1 patient. Vomiting was a significant factor in patients under 8 yr of age (p<0.05). H. pylori infection was documented in 41.5% of patients with histologic esophagitis, compared with 58.5% of patients not infected with H. pylori (p<0.05). The possibility of histologic esophagitis was higher in patients with H. pylori infection (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2544 to 4.8286) and in those who visited in the spring (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2544 to 4.8286). Conclusion: We believe esophageal tissue biopsy should be performed in pediatric patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms who are undergoing GFS and stomach tissue biopsy, especially preschoolers and H. pylori-infected children in the spring.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.221-229
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• 1998

Purpose : The symptom of urinary tract infection in children is non-specific and systemic compared to that of adults. So the diagnosis of UTI in children can be delayed. If UTI in children is not appropriately managed, it may he resulted in renal failure, hypertension, growth failure in adolescence because there are already documented renal scar or urinary tract abnormality in infection period. Especially upper UTI that involve renal parenchyme may be result in fatal complication. The purpose of this study is analyzing the relationship between acute reactive marker and $^{99m}TC$-DMSA renal scan in upper urinary tract infection. Methods : This study included 56 children admitted at Dankook University Hospital Pediatric Department in Jan. 1995~May. 1998. We analyzed quantatively the results of acute reactive marker(CRP, ESR, WBC), pyuria, fever and compared to those of sonographically find ing and $^{99m}TC$-DMSA renal scan. Comparison between groups were performed by the chi-square (x2) test and a p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results : 1) The number of boys less than 1 year of age was larger than that of girls. But the number of boys more than 1 year of age was reversed. 2) The higher me level of reactive marker (CRP, WBC), the more the probability of upper UTI. 3) The higher fever, the more the probability of upper UTI. 4) The more pyuria, the more probability of upper UTI. 5) The more higher the grade of vesicoureteral reflux, the more probability of upper UTI. 6) $^{99m}TC$-DMSA renal scan is more sensitive and more specific diagnostic tool than renal sonogram. Conclusion : The appearance of an abnormal $^{99m}TC$-DMSA renal scan is correlated with acute reactive marker (CRP, ESR, WBC), fever, pyuria. $^{99m}TC$-DMSA renal scan can be a good valuable predictor tool in upper UTI. So we can start early treatment and decrease the incidence of complication of upper urinary tract by above indicators before knowing the result of urine culture. And we can follow up the patients in more good relationships with their parents by telling them the duration of treatment and follow-up plan.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2016

Purpose: Human parechovirus (HPeV) is an increasingly recognized pathogenic cause of central nervous system (CNS) infection in neonates. However, HPeV infections have not been studied in older children. This study determined the prevalence and clinical features of HPeV CNS infection in children in Korea. Methods: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays were performed using HPeV-specific, 5' untranslated, region-targeted primers to detect HPeV in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from children presenting with fever or neurologic symptoms from January 1, 2013, to July 31, 2014. HPeV genotyping was performed by sequencing the viral protein 3/1 region. Clinical and laboratory data were retrospectively abstracted from medical records and compared with those of enterovirus (EV)-positive patients from the same period. Results: Of 102 CSF samples, six (5.9%) were positive for HPeV; two of 21 EV-positive samples were co-infected with HPeV. All samples were genotype HPeV3. Two HPeV-positive patients were <3 months of age and four others were over 1 year old. While HPeV-positive infants under 1 year of age presented with sepsis-like illness without definite neurologic abnormalities, HPeV-positive children over 1 year of age presented with fever and neurologic symptoms such as seizures, loss of consciousness, and gait disturbance. The CSF findings of HPeV-positive patients were mostly within the normal range, whereas most (73.7%) EV-positive patients had pleocytosis. Conclusions: Although HPeV is typically associated with disease in young infants, the results of this study suggest that HPeV is an emerging pathogen of CNS infection with neurologic symptoms in older childhood.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.254-259
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• 2010

Background: Diagnosing chronic pulmonary embolism at an early stage is difficult because of the patient’s nonspecific symptoms. This condition is not prevalent in Korea, and in fact, there have been only a few case reports on this in the Korean medical literature. We analyzed the surgical outcome of performing pulmonary thromboendarterectomy in patients with chronic pulmonary embolism. Material and Method: The study subjects included those patients who underwent surgery for chronic pulmonary embolism from 1996 to 2008. For making the diagnosis, echocardiography, chest CT and a pulmonary perfusion scan were performed on the patients who complained of chronic dyspnea. Result: Pulmonary endarterectomy was performed as follows: by incision via a mid-sternal approach (7 patients); by incision via a left posterolateral approach (1 patient); using the deep hypothermic circulatory arrest technique (4 patients); under ventricular fibrillation (3 patients); and under cardioplegic arrest (1 patient). The postoperative systolic pulmonary artery blood pressure significantly decreased from a preoperative value of $78.9{\pm}14.5\;mmHg$ to $45.6{\pm}17.6\;mmHg$ postoperatively (p=0.000). The degree of tricuspid regurgitation was less than grade II after surgery. Two patients died early on, including one patient who had persistent pulmonary hypertension without improvement and right heart failure. Conclusion: Patients who have chronic pulmonary embolism are known to have a poor prognosis. However, we think that early surgical treatment along with making the proper diagnosis before the aggravation of right heart failure can help improve the quality of a patient's life.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was designed to know the usefulness of the MRI to distinguish lipoma and well differentiated liposarcoma (WDL). Materials and methods: 47 lipomatous tumors with MRI were reviewed among the 107 lipomatous tumors operated in our department. MRI examinations and their corresponding pathology reports were compared to determine sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic ability, positive predictable value and negative predictable value. Statistical analysis was performed to know the relationship between malignancy of the tumor (WDL) with the age and gender of the patients, and location, depth, size and the enhancement of tumors in MRI. Results: Among 28 lipoma in MRI examinations, 26 were proved as lipoma in pathology, and only 6 were WDL from 19 suspicious lesions in MRI, and others were proved as lipoma variants mostly. The varieties of lipoma variants were fibrolipoma, angiolipoma, spindle cell lipoma, lipoblastoma and angiomyolipoma. The sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic ability, positive predictable value and negative predictable value of MRI were 100%, 68 %, 72%, 31% and 100% in WDL, and 90%, 89%, 89%, 93% and 84% in lipoma. Among the variants to distinguish WDL and lipoma, the size of tumor and enhancement in MRI were significant statistically (p<0.05). Conclusion: MRI was highly sensitive in detection of WDL and highly specific in detection of simple lipoma. The size of tumor and enhancement in MRI were significant variants to distinguish WDL and lipoma. When MRI finding is non-specific, it is more likely to represent one of lipoma variants.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to correlate the imaging findings and the clinical findings in patients with transient splenial lesions (TSL). Materials and Methods: Total of 7 patients (M: F = 4: 3; age range 11 - 38 years, mean age 25.5 years) were studied between November 2006 and April 2011. The MRI findings and clinical findings in all patients were retrospectively reviewed. The location, MR signal intensity, restricted diffusion, enhancement pattern and reversibility from the follow up images were reviewed. Clinical features were reviewed with respect to the presented symptoms, signs, treatment and outcome. Results: The lesions were located in the splenium of corpus callosum in all patients. All lesions showed high signal intensity on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), and six patients showed restricted diffusion on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map. ADC map was not available in one patient. All lesions (n = 7) showed high signal intensity on the T2 weighted image (T2WI). Five of the patients (71.4%) with follow up images (range 7 - 34 days) showed complete resolution of focal high signal intensity on DWI, with recovery of ADC values as well as T2WI. After contrast media administration, none of the lesions showed any enhancements. All lesions with various etiologies including TB medication were developed in younger age patients and showed reversibility after the acceptable period of minimum 7 days with conservative treatment. Conclusion: All TSL showed nonspecific imaging findings, including restricted diffusion on DWI and ADC map on the initial images. However, reversibility of the lesions and the young age preference can be a characteristic finding of TSL with acceptable period of minimum 7 days. In addition, to keep it in mind that various etiologies including TB medication may cause TSL, is important for radiologists as well as clinicians.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.371-380
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• 2000

Purpose: Thallim-201 ($^{201}Tl$) brain SPECT, which can represent cellular activity of brain lesions, may provide more useful information in differentiating between benign and malignant brain lesions more so than CT of MRI, that merely represents anatomic changes or breakdown of blood brain barrier. We used $^{201}Tl$ brain SPECT prospectively to evaluate the utility of $^{201}Tl$-indices as an indicator of benign or malig nant lesions. Materials and Methods: We studied 28 patients. There were 13 cases of benign lesions (3: nonspecific benign lesion, 3: meningioma, 2: low grade glioma, 1: tuberculoma, central neurocytoma, hemangioblastoma, radiation necrosis, and choroid plexus papilloma) and 15 cases of malignant lesions (6: glioblastoma multiforme, 5: anaplastic glioma, 2: medulloblastoma, 1: metastasis and lymphoma). In all patients, CT and/or MRI were obtained and then $^{201}Tl$ brain SPECT was obtained with measuring mean $^{201}Tl$ index and peak $^{201}Tl$ index. An unpaired t-test was performed to compare the $^{201}Tl$-indices and pathologic diagnoses to evaluate the utility of $^{201}Tl$-indices as all indicator of benign or malignant lesions. Results: There were no statistically significant difference in $^{201}Tl$-indices between benign and malignant brain lesion (p>0.05). Conclusion: These results demonstrated that we could not use $^{201}Tl$ indices on brain SPECT alone as an indicator of benign or malignant brain lesions.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.51-64
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• 2002

We have compared(using the same series of experimental tissue samples) the levels of proteolytic enzyme activities and free radical-induced protein damage in synovial fluid from RA and CPH cases. Many protease types showed significantly increased (typically by a factor of approximately 2-3-fold) activity in RA, compared to normal rats. However, CPH significantly reduced the cytoplasmic enzyme activities of arginyl aminopeptidase, leucyl aminopeptidase, pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase, tripeptidyl aminopeptidase, and proline endopeptidase to almost about 1/10 each. For the Iysosomal proteases, synovial fluid samples from RA rats, CPH significantly reduced the enzyme activities of cathepsin B, dipeptidyl aminopeptidase I and dipeptidyl aminopeptidase II. In extracellular matrix degrading(collagenase, tissue elastase) and leukocyte as sociated proteases (leukocyte elastase, cathepsin G), CPH decreased these enzyme activities of collagenase, tissue elastase and leukocyte associated elastase in RA. In cytoplasmic and lysosomal protease activities in plasma from RA. CPH and normal plasma samples were not significantly different, suggesting that altered activity of plasma proteases (particularly those enzymes putatively involved in the immune response) is not a contributory factor in the pathogenesis of RA. In addition, the level of free radical induced damage to synovial fluid proteins was approximately twice that in RA, compared with CPH. CPH significantly decreased the level of ROS induced oxidative damage to synovial fluid proteins (quantified as protein carbonyl derivative). Therefore we conclude that both proteolytic enzymes and free radicals are likely to be of equal potential importance as damaging agents in the pathogenesis of inflammatory joint disease, and that the design of novel therapeutic strategies for patients with the latter disorder should include both protease inhibitory and free radical scavenging elements. In addition, the protease inhibitory element should be designed to inhibit the action of a broad range of protease mechanistic types (i.e. cysteine-, metallo- and serine- proteinases and peptidases). However, increased protein damage induced by ROS could not be rationalised in terms of compromised antioxidant total capacity, since the latter was not significantly altered in RA synovial fluid or plasma compared with CPH.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.481-487
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• 2010

Purpose: Recently many studies show early exposure during childhood growth to endotoxin (lipopolysaccharides, LPS) and/or early exposure to allergens exhibit important role in development of allergy including bronchial asthma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of endotoxin and allergen exposure in early life via the airways in the pathogenesis of allergic airways inflammation and airway hyperresposiveness (AHR) in mouse model of asthma. Methods: Less than one week-old Balb/c mice was used. Groups of mice were received either a single intranasal instillation of sterile physiologic saline, 1% ovalbumin (OVA), LPS or $1.0{\mu}g$ LPS in 1% OVA. On 35th day, these animals were sensitized with 1% OVA for 10 consecutive days via the airways. Animals were challenged with ovalbumin for 3 days on 55th days, and airway inflammation, hyperresponsiveness, and cytokine expression were assessed. Measurements of airway function were obtained in unrestrained animals, using whole-body plethysmography. Airway responsiveness was expressed in terms of % enhanced pause (Penh) increase from baseline to aerosolized methacholine. Lung eosinophilia, serum OVA-IgE and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cytokine levels were also assessed. ANOVA was used to determine the levels of difference between all groups. Comparisons for all pairs were performed by Tukey-Kramer honest significant difference test; $P$ values for significance were set to 0.05. Results: Sensitized and challenged mice with OVA showed significant airway eosinophilia and heightened responsiveness to methacholine. Early life exposure of OVA and/or LPS via the airway prevented both development of AHR as well as bronchoalveolar lavage fluid eosinophilia. Exposure with OVA or LPS also resulted in suppression of interleukin (IL)-4, 5 production in BAL fluid and OVA specific IgE in blood. Conclusion: These results indicate that antigen and/or LPS exposure in the early life results in inhibition of allergic responses to OVA in this mouse model of astham. Our data show that early life exposure with OVA and/or LPS may have a protective role in the development of allergic airway inflammation and development of allergen-induced airway responses in mouse model of asthma.