• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.417-419
• /
• 2012

Tumors of the central nervous system are common in the pediatric population and constitute the second most prevalent tumor type in children. Within this group, spinal cord tumors are relatively rare and account for 1 to 10% of all pediatric central nervous system tumors. We describe a very rare case of an intradural extramedullary spinal cord tumor with a subcutaneous mass and discuss its clinical presentation, pathogenesis, and treatment. A male infant was delivered normally, with uneventful development. At 16 days post-delivery, his family took him to a pediatrician because of a mass on his upper back. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine revealed a well-demarcated soft-tissue mass with central cystic change or necrosis at the subcutaneous layer of the posterior back (T2-7 level). Another mass was found with a fat component at the spinal canal of the T1-3 level, which was intradural extramedullary space. After six weeks, the spinal cord tumor and subcutaneous mass were grossly total resected; pathologic findings indicated an atypical myxoid spindle cell neoplasm, possibly nerve sheath in type. The final diagnosis of the mass was an atypical myxoid spindle cell neoplasm. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged after nine days without any neurological deficit. We report a rare case of an intradural extramedullary spinal tumor with subcutaneous mass in a neonate. It is necessary to monitor the patient's status by examining consecutive radiologic images, and the symptoms and neurological changes should be observed strictly during long-term follow-up.

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

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.112-124
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the various postpartum symptoms and the relevant factors. So it can provide fundamental data about postpartum health care. In conclusion, we can prevent and manage the postpartum disease by using this data. Methods: The subject of the present study was 94 women (63 women who completed vaginal delivery and 31 women who delivered by cesarean section) who completed labor between November 1, 2013 and January 31, 2016, at the clinic of OB&GYN. They have been taking good care of their health at postpartum clinic in Andong Woori Women Hospital. We investigated the various symptoms and situation which occurred from the moment of hospital to postnatal admission health care period, and Korean medical doctor examined the patients through the four examination methods. We classified the symptoms by maternal age, the frequency of maternal childbirth, the method of delivery, the delivery season, the term of pregnancy, the body weight of infant, the weight change of mother and the way of feeding. Results: There were no remarkable corelation in the frequency of symptoms according to maternal age, the way of delivery, the delivery season, the change of weight before and after of delivery, gestational weeks at delivery, the manner of feeding and the body weight of infants except for the frequency of maternal childbirth. Conclusion: The symptoms of hemorrhoids, the feeling of coldness and chilliness increased with increasing the frequency of maternal childbirth. Other circumstances, there was no relationship with symptoms of postpartum.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.125-133
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between postpartium joint diseases and maternal season. So it can prevent postpartum joint diseases and provide fundamental data about postpartum health care. Methods: The subject of the present study was 219 women (142 women who completed vaginal delivery and 77 women who delivered by cesarean section) who completed labor between November 1, 2013 and November 31, 2016, at the clinic of OB&GYN. They have been taking good care of their health at postpartum clinic in Andong Woori Women Hospital. We investigated the various symptoms and situation which occurred from the moment of hospital to postnatal admission health care period and oriental doctor examined the patients. We classified the symptoms by the age of patients, the method of delivery, the term of pregnancy, the body weight of infant, the weight change of mother and the way of feeding. Through data analysis, we investigated the correlation between maternal season and postpartum joint diseases. Results: Postpartum joint diseases were the most common among all symptoms after childbirth. Postpartum joint diseases were classified into shoulder area pain and low back pain. In low back pain, there was no significant difference between maternal season and postpartum joint diseases. In shoulder, wrist and finger pain, pain was the most severe at winter delivery. It was the most painful in winter, followed by autumn, spring and summer. Conclusion: There was a close correlation between postpartum joint disease manifestations and maternal season.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.504-509
• /
• 1999

Background: Heart transplantation is considerated for a selected certain group of complicated congenital heart disease in neonates because corrective surgery is very difficult and has high mortality. Precise planning of transplantation is necessary to adequately fit the donor heart to the recipient. Material and Method: We have performed 4 neonatal pig heart transplantations to test the technical feasibility. Experiment 1: The transplantation was performed using the same technique as the adult heart transplantation. Experiment 2: The transplantation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome was simulated as we reconstructed the whole aortic arch with donor aorta. Experiment 3: The heart transplantation was done with radical pulmonary artery reconstruction. Experiment 4: The experiment was performed for a long term survival. Result: Preoperative planning was very important for adequate fitting. All animals could be weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass, however, two animals died due to bleeding at pulmonary artery and left atrium. Conclusion: We concluded that the neonatal heart transplantation can be applied in some complicated Further using animal model is mandatory.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.315-324
• /
• 2002

Objectives : This study was conducted to explore the relating factors with the delivery of low-birth-weight infants in Pyungtaek city. Methods : A questionnaire survey was obtained from 51 mothers with low-birth-weight babies and 90 mothers with full-term normal babies from April to October in 2001. Questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics, dietary habits including alcohol. drugging, and smoking, past and present disease, prenatal risk factors and prenatal check-up, and complications related to labor and delivery. Results : 1. In the low-birth-weight infants group, father's education level and mother's height were significantly lower, and proportion of old age mothers was significantly higher than those of the normal infant group. 2. Mothers with low-birth-weight infants experienced more premature rupture of membrane, placenta previa, ecclampsia, and twin pregnancy than mothers with normal infants. Gestational period of mothers with low-birth-weight infants was significantly shorter than that of mothers with normal infants. 3. No differences were found in eating habit, alcohol and drug ingestion, smoking, exposing to dangerous materials in two groups, but both groups were highly exposed to indirect smoking, although mothers rarely smoke. Conclusion : The findings of this study indicate that high risk group such as less educated, or older mothers need more prenatal health assessment and support from public health services. Addition to determine the risk factors related to the delivery of low-birth-weight infants, public health nurses pay more attention and develop efficient management system for vulnerable women and infants.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.60 no.6
• /
• pp.175-180
• /
• 2017

Purpose: Plasma level of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), an emerging, sensitive, and specific biomarker of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), rapidly decreases in infants receiving cyclooxygenase inhibitors for ductal closure. We investigated the usefulness of serial BNP measurement as a guide for individual identification of early constrictive responses to ibuprofen in preterm infants with symptomatic PDA (sPDA). Methods: Before March 2010, the standard course of pharmacological treatment was initiated with indomethacin (or ibuprofen) and routinely followed by 2 additional doses at intervals of 24 hours. After April 2010, individualized pharmacological treatment was used, starting with the first dose of ibuprofen and withholding additional ibuprofen doses if the BNP concentration was <600 pg/mL and clinical symptoms of PDA improved. Results: The BNP-guided group received significantly fewer doses of ibuprofen than the standard group did during the first course of treatment and the entire study period. The need for further doses of cyclooxygenase inhibitors and for surgical ligation was not significantly different between the 2 groups. No significant differences were seen in clinical outcomes and/or complications related to sPDA and/or pharmacological treatment. Conclusion: Individualized BNP-guided pharmacological treatment may be used clinically to avoid unnecessary doses of cyclooxygenase inhibitors without increasing the ductal closure failure and the short-term morbidity related to sPDA.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.121-125
• /
• 2004

Chickenpox is a common childhood infection that generally resolves without complications. But maternal chickenpox near term, or soon after delivery, can cause severe or fatal illness in the newborn. The severity of neonatal chickenpox is closely related to the time of maternal infection and the fatality is reported up to 30%. Although chickenpox is thought to be a mild disease, complications are frequent in neonates and immunocompromised children. The diagnosis of neonatal chickenpox is usually based on the typical clinical feature, the characteristic point in time and the maternal history of chickenpox. Serologic methods have been widely used to confirm clinical diagnosis. To prevent severe neonatal chickenpox, passive immunization is indicated. If varicella occurs, acyclovir treatment has to be done promptly. But the use of acyclovir in symptomatic healthy infant is controversial. We report a case of neonatal chickenpox that was infected by an asymptomatic infected mother and rapid improvement of varicella skin lesions without complications after intravenous acyclovir administration.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.73-80
• /
• 1991

In Korea, small-scale reclaimed areas have been suffering from many problems because of the lack of comprehensive developing strategy although considerable investments have been inputed by the public sector since 1970's. For 3 reclaimed sites in Chonnam Province chosen as case study areas, the analysis, the third attempt of widely-spanned studies on areal conditions, concentrated on their living conditions. Its results were as follows : 1. Although rural residents have increased their concern on health and medical services, the public sector can only serve basic and emergent level of them, and therefore, the private sector, which is mostly placed in urban areas and costed much higher than public one, has the dominant share of those services. So, because those costs are a great expense to rural residents, their supplying system should be planned with special reference to lightening the economic burden of them. 2. By the development of locally fitted programs and innovative systems, the rural education should be qualitatively improved to deal successfully with its small scale. That will result in increasing the schooling rate to schools in rural communities, lightening the economic burden of rural residents on education services and finally activating them to contribute the betterment of rural education. 3. Servicing level of water supply, sewerage and garbage disposal in the reclaimed areas has been remaining at the lower order even in other rural areas. In the design of rural water supply, average daily consumption per capita should be changed according to the composition rate of fishing households and variety of the source of water supply. 4. Most of rural residents in the reclaimed areas want to establish the welfare facilites for the infant, youth, aged and public bath However in the long-term basis, the cooperative production and processing facilities should be considered for modernized efficient farming.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.29-32
• /
• 2007

Background and Objectives: Improvements in the fields of neonatology and surgical subspecialities make tracheotomy possible to the younger population. But complication rates for infantile tracheotomy are significantly higher than that for the other pediatric tracheotomy. This study was designed to present our 9-year experiences of infantile tracheotomy and to evaluate the effect of several factors of complications. Materials and Methods: From 1996 through 2004, 60 tracheotomies were performed. Charts were reviewed with respect to indications for tracheotomy, underlying diseases, success rate in decannulation and length of support time until decannulation, complication and mortality rate. Results: There were 41 male patients and 19 female patients. Ventilatory support for neurological impairment(38.3%) was the leading indication for tracheotomy, followed by subglottic stenosis(36.7%), laryngomalacia(13.3%). Decannulation was accomplished in 60.0% of infants with an average of 56.5momths with tracheotomy. Complications occurred in 43.3%. There was one tracheotomy-related mortality in case of tracheal atresia. Most common complication was subglottic stenosis. Conclusion: Infantile tracheotomy had significant morbidities and its outcomes are thought to be usually related to the underlying disease and age. To prevent complication, early decannulation is advisable, and for long-term tracheotomy patients, regulation of reflux and infection may be necessary.