• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2018

Purpose: This study investigated predictive factors for severe neonatal thrombocytopenia, which greatly increases the need for intensive care and is associated with a high mortality rate in premature infants. Factors adopted for prompt identification of at-risk newborns include blood test results and birth history. This study analyzed the relationship between the presence of severe neonatal thrombocytopenia and the mortality rate. The causes of thrombocytopenia in premature infants were also examined. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 625 premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Chung-Ang University Medical Center. The neonates were classified into 3 groups according to the severity of thrombocytopenia: mild ($100{\times}10^9/L{\leq}platelet<150{\times}10^9/L$), moderate ($50{\times}10^9/L{\leq}platelet<100{\times}10^9/L$), or severe (platelet<$50{\times}10^9/L$). Analysis of blood samples obtained at the onset of thrombocytopenia included platelet count, white blood cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin level, hematocrit level, absolute neutrophil count, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level. Results: Of the 625 premature infants admitted to our NICU, 214 were detected with thrombocytopenia. The mortality rate in thrombocytopenic neonates was 18.2% (39/214), whereas a mortality rate of only 1.0% was observed in non-thrombocytopenic neonates. The major causes of thrombocytopenia were perinatal insufficiency and sepsis in premature infants. Severe thrombocytopenia was noted more frequently in premature infants with higher WBC counts and in those with a younger gestational age. Conclusion: Platelet count, WBC count, and gestational age are reliable predictors for severe neonatal thrombocytopenia. The major causes of thrombocytopenia were perinatal insufficiency and sepsis in premature infants.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.73-81
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• 1998

Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were administered with Q-35 at the dose levels of 0, 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg/day by oral gavage from gestation day 17 to lactation period. Effects of the test chemical on general findings, reproductive performance of dams and development of Fl generation were examined. There were no treatment related changes in physical signs, body weight, necropsy findings, organ weights, delivery and nursing behavior. In 100 and 300 mg/fg/day treated groups, the food consumption of dams was decreased significantly during gestational day 19~21. The gestation length of 300 mg/tg/day treated group was increased significantly compared to the control group (22.3 $\pm$0.48 vs 22.0$\pm$0.39). Although the gestational length of all groups were in normal range of the rat, potential effect of the drug could not be ruled out. External anomaly of Fl fetus induced by Q-35 was not detected in any groups. There were no treaoent related changes in physical development, reflex functions, sensory functions, locomotor activity and motor coordinating activity. Estrus cycle, fertility and reproductive performance of Fl were not changed in all treated groups. There was no external abnormality related to the drug administration on the examination of F2. These results suggest that Q-35 has no adverse effect on the peri- and postnatal period in rats except the reduction of food consumption at the beginning of drug administration and the potential effect on the elongation of gestation length.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2017

Purpose: Although procalcitonin (PCT) level is useful for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis, PCT reliability is inconsistent because of the varied conditions encountered in neonatal intensive care units. This study aimed to investigate PCT levels and factors influencing increased PCT levelin newborns without bacterial infection during the first week of life. Methods: In newborns hospitalized between March 2013 and October 2015, PCT levels were measured on the first, third, and seventh days after birth. Newborns with proven bacterial (blood culture positive for bacteria) or suspicious infection (presence of C-reactive protein expression or leukocytosis/leukopenia) were excluded. Various neonatal conditions were analyzed to identify the factors influencing increased PCT level. Results: Among 292 newborns with a gestational age of $35.2{\pm}3.0$ weeks and a birth weight of $2,428{\pm}643g$, preterm newborns (n=212) had higher PCT levels than term newborns (n=80). Of the newborns, 7.9% had increased PCT level (23 of 292) on the firstday; 28.3% (81 of 286), on the third day; and 3.3% (7 of 121), on the seventh day after birth. The increased PCT level was significantly associated with prenatal disuse of antibiotics (P=0.004) and surfactant administration (P<0.001) on the first day after birth, postnatal use of antibiotics (P=0.001) and ventilator application (P=0.001) on the third day after birth, and very low birth weight (P=0.042) on the seventh day after birth. Conclusion: In newborns without bacterial infection, increased PCT level was significantly associated with lower gestational age and respiratory difficulty during the first week of life. Further studies are needed for clinical applications.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.10
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• pp.315-321
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• 2018

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of transient intubation for surfactant administration and extubated to nasal continuous positive pressure (INSURE) for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and to identify the factors associated with INSURE failure in extremely premature infants. Methods: Eighty-four infants with gestational age less than 28 weeks treated with surfactant administration for RDS for 8 years were included. Perinatal and neonatal characteristics were retrospectively reviewed, and major pulmonary outcomes such as duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) plus death at 36-week postmenstrual age (PMA) were compared between INSURE (n=48) and prolonged MV groups (n=36). The factors associated with INSURE failure were determined. Results: Duration of MV and the occurrence of BPD at 36-week PMA were significantly lower in INSURE group than in prolonged MV group (P<0.05), but BPD plus death at 36-week PMA was not significantly different between the 2 groups. In a multivariate analysis, a reduced duration of MV was only significantly associated with INSURE (P=0.001). During the study period, duration of MV significantly decreased over time with an increasing rate of INSURE application (P<0.05), and BPD plus death at 36-week PMA also tended to decrease over time. A low arterial-alveolar oxygen tension ratio (a/APO2 ratio) was a significant predictor for INSURE failure (P=0.001). Conclusion: INSURE was the noninvasive ventilation strategy in the treatment of RDS to reduce MV duration in extremely premature infants with gestational age less than 28 weeks.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.28 no.2 s.50
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• pp.373-385
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• 1995

The association between blood lead of children and Intelligent Quotient(I.Q) was investigated in a sample of 100 boys and girls aged $6\sim8$ years from one primary school within an industrial area of Pusan. The trained undergraduates in school of public health administered an 1.0. test one by one. Parents answered a questionnaire on demographic, perinatal and socioeconomic variables. Atomic Absorbtion Spectrophotometer was used to determine blood lead levels. The geometric mean of blood lead value was $7.99{\mu}g/dl$. In total children, there was no significant relationship between blood lead level and I.Q. But in the children who were born of gestational age of less than 38 weeks, children with higher levels of blood lead performed more poorly on I.Q test with correlation coefficient from -0.68 to -0.71. But, the children who were born of gestational age of 38 weeks and more were same as total children. These results suggest that exposure to low levels of lead in the children who were born premature probably may result in impaired intelligent development. But, We think that more profound study should be performed with sufficient numbers of subjects.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2001

Some of endocrine disruptors with sexual hormone-like effects have been increasingly reported to be immunotoxic in many species in recent several years. Phthalate esters have possible effects on the endocrine system. Prenatal exposure to di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) has been reported to impair the androgen-dependent development of the male reproductive tract in rat. Therefore, the immunomodulatory effect of DBP was investigated in the developing immune system of fetal and neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats. Timed-bred pregnant SD rats were given to the doses of 0, 250, 500, and 750 mg DBP/kg$\cdot$ body weight /day by gavage once a day from gestational day (GD) 5 to 18. On GD19 or GD22/postnatal day one (PD1), the dams were euthanized, and the changes in organ weights and thymus phenotypes were examined for their offsprings. At 750 mg DBP/kg$\cdot$b.w./day in maternal exposure group, GD19 fetuses showed decreases in body weight. The spleen/body weight ratios were reduced in GD 19 fetuses from the dams exposed to 500 and 750 mg DBP/kg$\cdot$b.w./day. There were no significant changes in thymus and spleen cellularities though these cellularities showed a tendency to decrease in a dose dependent way. In the DBP-exsposed GD22/PD1 offsprings, the body weights, the relative organ weights and the cellularities did not exhibit alteration. Additionally, the percentages of CD3$^{+}$(CD4$^{+}$CD8$^{+}$, CD4$^{+}$CD8$^{-}$, CD4$^{-}$CD8$^{+}$, and CD4$^{-}$CD8$^{-}$) and CD3$^{-}$(CD4$^{+}$CD8$^{+}$, CD4$^{+}$CD8$^{-}$, CD4$^{-}$CD8$^{+}$, and CD4$^{-}$CD8$^{-}$) thymocyte subsets were not changed in any DBP-treated group. The proliferative responses of splenic T cells to Con A and B cells to LPS were decreased in all DBP-exposed GD22/PD1 offsprings.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.163-170
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• 2020

Partheno Embryo's research is known to play a very important role in identifying the development of embryonic cells or analyzing the genetic mechanisms of embryonic development, but the information on apoptosis formed during the early stage of development on Partheno Embryo is very little. Therefore, this study analyzed whether the embryonic cell death of unit embryos can be inhibited by adding Scriptaid, one of HDACi, which plays a role in demethylation of histone proteins as a method of regulating the cell cycle in the early embryo development of Partheno Embryo. As a result, the differentiation rate was higher in the group that added Scriptaid and FBS, but the cellular development was higher in the group that added pregnant serum to Scriptaid. As a result of analyzing the expression of the gene through IF and PCR, the group with the addition of gestational serum increased the expression of BCL2 and PCNA, which affects the anti-Casp3 action in cell survival. In addition, it is interpreted that treatment of Scriptaid for 16 hours, rather than 24 h treatment lowers the expression of Casp-3, a representative factor of apoptosis, and also increases embryonic development, thus affecting early embryo development. Therefore, it is concluded that the 16-hour treatment of Scriptaid and the use of gestational serum will inhibit cell death in the early embryonic development and increase the development rate of the embryo.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.191-203
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• 1999

A clinical study was made on 365 low birth weight infant and 406 normal birth weight infant who had been born at Kangnam St. mary's Hospital during past 3 years from Jan. 1, 1995 to Dec. 31, 1997. the data of this study were gathered through reviewing of medical records. 1. Comparison of general characteristic with of obstetric characteristic 1) Old maternal age, previous abortion and previous LBWI delivery in the group of low birth weight infant(LBWI) mother were more prevalent than those in the group of normal birth weight infant(NBWI)mother 2) Cesarean section, abnormal presentation and multiple pregnancy in the group of LBWI mother were prevalent than those in the group of NBWI mother. 3) regular antenartal care and visiting rate of tertiary hospital in the group of LBWI mother were more prevalent than those in the group of NBWI mother. 2. Frequency of low birth weight infant 1) Anmual average frequency of LBWI was 6.5% and monthly frequency was the highest in January and december. 2) The frequency of LBWI was the highest in 37-40wks of gestational age and was the highest in 2251-2500 gm of birth weight. 3) The frequency of congenital anomaly in the group of LBWI was more prevalent than that of NBWI. 3. Mortality rate of LBWI The mortality rate of LBWI was 9.2%. The highest mortality rate was noted before 27wks of gestational age, less than 1000gm of birth weight and within 12hrs of delivery. 4. The most common complication of pregnant women was pre-term labor, the most complication relating to placenta was premature rupture of membrane(PROM) and the most fetal complication was fetal distress in delivered LBWI. 5. Significant relating factors of low birth weight infant delivery were associated with maternal age, previous delivery, previous low birth weight delivery, pre-eclampsia, anemia, oligohydramnios, PROM, placenta previa, abruptio placenta, fetal sex, fetal distress and congenital anomaly.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2441-2445
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• 2015

Background: Several risk factors leading to malignant transformation of hydatidiform moles have been described previously. Many studies showed that prophylactic chemotherapy for high risk hydatidiform moles could significantly decrease the incidence of malignancy. Thus, it is essential to discover a breakthrough to determine patients with high risk malignancy so that prophylactic chemotherapy can be started as soon as possible. Objectives: Development of a scoring system of risk factors as a predictor of hydatidiform mole malignant transformation. Materials and Methods: This research is a case control study with hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma patients as subjects. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Odds ratios (OR), attributable at risk (AR : OR-1) and risk index ($ARx{\beta}$) were calculated for develoipment of a scoring system of malignancy risk. The optimal cut-off point was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: This study analyzed 34 choriocarcinoma cases and 68 benign hydatidiform mole cases. Four factors significantly increased the risk of malignancy, namely age ${\geq}35$ years old (OR:4.41, 95%CI:1.07-16.09, risk index 5); gestational age ${\geq}$ 12weeks (OR:11.7, 95%CI:1.8-72.4, risk index 26); uterine size greater than the gestational age (OR:10.2, 95%CI:2.8-36.6, risk index 21); and histopathological grade II-III (OR:3.4, 95%CI:1.1-10.6, risk index 3). The lowest and the highest scores for the risk factors were zero and 55, respectively. The best cut-off point to decide high risk malignancy patients was ${\geq}31$. Conclusions: Malignant transformation of hydatidiform moles can be predicted using the risk scoring by analyzing the above four parameters. Score ${\geq}31$ implies high risk patients so that prophylactic chemotherapy can be promptly administered for prevention.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.613-618
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Iron deficiency in early life is associated with developmental problems, which may persist until later in life. The question of whether iron repletion after developmental iron deficiency could restore iron homeostasis is not well characterized. In the present study, we investigated the changes of iron transporters after iron depletion during the gestational-neonatal period and iron repletion during the post-weaning period. MATERIALS/METHODS: Pregnant rats were provided iron-deficient (< 6 ppm Fe) or control (36 ppm Fe) diets from gestational day 2. At weaning, pups from iron-deficient dams were fed either iron-deficient (ID group) or control (IDR group) diets for 4 week. Pups from control dams were continued to be fed with the control diet throughout the study period (CON). RESULTS: Compared to the CON, ID rats had significantly lower hemoglobin and hematocrits in the blood and significantly lower tissue iron in the liver and spleen. Hepatic hepcidin and BMP6 mRNA levels were also strongly down-regulated in the ID group. Developmental iron deficiency significantly increased iron transporters divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) and ferroportin (FPN) in the duodenum, but decreased DMT1 in the liver. Dietary iron repletion restored the levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit to a normal range, but the tissue iron levels and hepatic hepcidin mRNA levels were significantly lower than those in the CON group. Both FPN and DMT1 protein levels in the liver and in the duodenum were not different between the IDR and the CON. By contrast, DMT1 in the spleen was significantly lower in the IDR, compared to the CON. The splenic FPN was also decreased in the IDR more than in the CON, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that iron transporter proteins in the duodenum, liver and spleen are differentially regulated during developmental iron deficiency. Also, post-weaning iron repletion efficiently restores iron transporters in the duodenum and the liver but not in the spleen, which suggests that early-life iron deficiency may cause long term abnormalities in iron recycling from the spleen.