• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.59 no.5
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• pp.492-497
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• 2016

Objective : Decompressive craniectomy is an effective therapy to relieve high intracranial pressure after acute brain damage. However, the optimal timing for cranioplasty after decompression is still controversial. Many authors reported that early cranioplasty may contribute to improve the cerebral blood flow and brain metabolism. However, despite all the advantages, there always remains a concern that early cranioplasty may increase the chance of infection. The purpose of this retrospective study is to investigate whether the early cranioplasty increase the infection rate. We also evaluated the risk factors of infection following cranioplasty. Methods : We retrospectively examined the results of 131 patients who underwent cranioplasty in our institution between January 2008 and June 2015. We divided them into early (${\leq}90days$) and late (>90 days after craniectomy) groups. We examined the risk factors of infection after cranioplasty. We analyzed the infection rate between two groups. Results : There were more male patients (62%) than female (38%). The mean age was 49 years. Infection occurred in 17 patients (13%) after cranioplasty. The infection rate of early cranioplasty was lower than that of late cranioplasty (7% vs. 20%; p=0.02). Early cranioplasty, non-metal allograft materials, re-operation before cranioplasty and younger age were the significant factors in the infection rate after cranioplasty (p<0.05). Especially allograft was a significant risk factor of infection (odds ratio, 12.4; 95% confidence interval, 3.24-47.33; p<0.01). Younger age was also a significant risk factor of infection after cranioplasty by multivariable analysis (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-0.99; p=0.02). Conclusion : Early cranioplasty did not increase the infection rate in this study. The use of non-metal allograft materials influenced a more important role in infection in cranioplasty. Actually, timing itself was not a significant risk factor in multivariate analysis. So the early cranioplasty may bring better outcomes in cognitive functions or wound without raising the infection rate.

• Plant Disease and Agriculture
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 1999

The virus infection rates and disease symptoms of three major citrus viruses, citrus tristeza virus (CTV), satsuma dwarf virus (SDV), and citrus tatter leaf virus (CTLV), were investigated at 35 citrus orchards in Cheju Island from 1995. The infection rates of CTV, SDV, and CTLV were 69.8%, 8.6%, and 9.3%, respectively. However, depending on cultivars there were significant differences in the infection rates. The infection rates of CTV were highest in early satsuma mandarin (Citrusunshiu) with 80.9% and lowest in very early satsuma mandarin with 51.9%. In SDV, the highest was in very early stasuma mandarin with 23.1% and the lowest was in early satsuma mandarin with 6.3%. And the highest infection rate in very early satsuma mandarin with 17.9% and the lowest in tangors with 7.3% in CTLV. The symptoms of virus-infected citrus were very diverse; small and abnormal shape of fruits, abnormal leaves such as narrow boat and small spoon shapes of leaves, stem-pitting on the twig, bud-union crease and swelling of the graft part, reduction of the plant vigor and poor yields.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.306-313
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practice of mothers of young children in infection prevention in everyday life. The results will provide basic data for future interventions for infection prevention in early childhood. Methods: The participants included 313 mothers from three cities in Gyeongnam Province, Korea. The data were collected from December 2007 to January 2008 using a self-report questionnaire developed by there searchers and analyzed using the SPSS program. Results: Average rate for correct answers of knowledge of infection prevention was 81.1 %, and the mean score of practice in infection prevention was 3.18${\pm}$0.34, out of 5. There was a positive correlation in the relationship between knowledge and practice (r=.236, p<.001). There were differences in knowledge and practice according to mothers' education, monthly family income, and type of residence, but there were no differences according to number of children and admission history of child for infectious disease. Conclusion: The level of knowledge and practice infection prevention by the mothers was not enough to prevent infection in early childhood. Therefore,. effective strategies should be developed to help mothers in the prevention of infections during early childhood.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.115-119
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• 2020

Infectious myositis, an infection of the skeletal muscles, is a rare condition and potentially life-threatening if not detected and treated in the early stages. This clinical entity may arise from various pathogens, such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. A propagation of contiguous infection, penetrating trauma, vascular insufficiency, or hematogenous spreading of microorganisms can cause infectious myositis. Though several cases have been reported in large muscle groups in the lower extremities, there are only a few reports on infectious myositis of the masticatory muscles. We report three cases of infectious myositis presenting jaw pain and trismus. Unlike a common head and neck infection caused by the spreading of odontogenic origin, the early diagnosis of infectious myositis was difficult because no specific lesion suspected to be the infection source was observed in the physical examination and the plain radiographs. Advanced imaging modalities such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and laboratory evaluation is useful for the early detection of infectious myositis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1109-1114
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• 2021

Chlamydia pneumoniae is a type of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria that causes various respiratory tract infections including asthma. Chlamydia species infect humans and cause respiratory infection by rupturing the lining of the respiratory which includes the throat, lungs and windpipe. Meanwhile, the function of interleukin-4 (IL-4) in Ch. pneumoniae respiratory infection and its association with the development of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in adulthood and causing allergic airway disease (AAD) are not understood properly. We therefore investigated the role of IL-4 in respiratory infection and allergy caused by early life Chlamydia infection. In this study, Ch. pneumonia strain was propagated and cultured in HEp-2 cells according to standard protocol and infant C57BL/6 mice around 3-4 weeks old were infected to study the role of IL-4 in respiratory infection and allergy caused by early life Chlamydia infection. We observed that IL-4 is linked with Chlamydia respiratory infection and its absence lowers respiratory infection. IL-4R α2 is also responsible for controlling the IL-4 signaling pathway and averts the progression of infection and inflammation. Furthermore, the IL-4 signaling pathway also influences infection-induced AHR and aids in increasing AAD severity. STAT6 also promotes respiratory infection caused by Ch. pneumoniae and further enhanced its downstream process. Our study concluded that IL-4 is a potential target for preventing infection-induced AHR and severe asthma.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.206-210
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• 2005

Objective : Our aim is to evaluate the early changes of biologic markers such as white blood cell[WBC] count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate[ESR] and C-reactive protein[CRP] in early diagnosis of postoperative infection and to differentiate infection from inflammatory reaction in lumbar spine surgery. Methods : We reviewed 330patients who had undergone spinal operations between May 1999 and October 2001. For this study, the patients were classified into two groups, which include a group that underwent spinal decompressive surgery without instrumentation[SD], and the other group that underwent fusion surgery with spinal instrumentation[SI]. And each group was also subdivided into two groups respectively, one with infection and the other without infection. We retrospectively analyzed the WBC count, ESR and CRP preoperatively and postoperatively, according to their operation type and postoperative infection history. Results : Inflammatory indices were physiologically affected by instrumentation itself. But ESR and CRP elevations were more prolonged and sustained under infection. In SD patients without infection, ESR and CRP were stabilized 5 days after surgery. In SI patients without infection, CRP was stabilized about 7days after surgery, but ESR showed sustained and variously elevated. In both SD and SI groups, the stabilization of CRP was the most reliable behavior of surgery without infection. Conclusion : C-reactive protein is most sensitive parameter for postoperative spine infection. The knowledge of the inflammatory indices and their relatively uniform patterns with or without infection offers surgeons the ability to infer the state of surgical wound.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2021

Rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus) is a highly valued aquaculture species in Korea. However, the aquaculture industry suffers huge economic losses due to rock bream iridovirus (RBIV) infection in summer. The objective of this study was to determine genetic diversity and relationships of DNAs isolated from two groups of rock bream after RBIV infection using five microsatellite (MS) markers. The first group of fish died early and the second group of fish died later after RBIV infection. In this experiment, 90 fish (5.1±1.0 cm and 4.1±1.3 g) were injected with 50 μl of RBIV (10⁴ TCID⁵⁰/ml) and maintained at 26℃ for 15 days. Genomic DNAs were extracted from fins of 20 fish that died earlier or later after RBIV infection. These DNAs were subjected to genotyping using five MS markers (CA-03, CA3-05, CA3-06, CA-10, and CA3-36). Of these markers, CA3-05 (early death group), CA3-06 (late death group), and CA3-36 (both early and late death groups) showed different alleles distribution rates. In-depth studies are needed to provide valuable information for selecting RBIV-resistant fish. In conclusion, microsatellite marker distribution pattern differences between early- and late- death groups of rock bream after RBIV infection showing different RBIV susceptibilities were determined using MS markers and genotyping. Results of this study suggest that MS markers could be used to facilitate the selection of RBIV resistant rock bream.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.65-70
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• 2024

This paper highlights the importance of oral manifestations as indicators for early human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) detection through two case studies. HIV, responsible for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), damages CD4+ T-lymphocytes, leading to severe immunosuppression and increased vulnerability to various infections. Oral lesions often appear early in HIV infection and can signal disease progression. The study underscores the role of dentists in identifying these lesions, which can serve as crucial markers for HIV. We used two cases to illustrate the importance of screening in HIV patients. The first was a patient presented with oral soreness and a mass on his tongue. Despite having a positive HIV test result in a previous medical examination, but patient had intentionally concealed his infection. The second was a patient experienced dry mouth and burning sensation, with symptoms unresponsive to repeated antifungal treatments and suspected esophageal fungal infection. This led to the discovery of an HIV-positive status in a patient previously unaware of his infection. In both cases, oral manifestations played a crucial role in the early diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. These manifestations can be particularly useful for identifying HIV in patients who are asymptomatic or unaware of their status. Although oral lesions, such as oral candidiasis and oral hairy leukoplakia, are not exclusive to HIV but are more prevalent and severe in HIV-positive individuals. The findings support routine HIV screening and the critical role of dentists in recognizing oral signs of HIV infection to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2014

Purpose: The spontaneous seroconversion rate of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection in children is lower than that in adults. However, few studies have investigated the rate of transition from the immune-tolerant to the early immune-clearance phase in children. Methods: From February 2000 to August 2011, we enrolled 133 children aged <18 years who had visited the Department of Pediatrics, Kyungpook National University Hospital. All subjects were in the immune-tolerant phase of HBeAg-positive CHB virus infection. The estimated transition rate into the early immune-clearance phase was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Among the 133 enrolled pediatric CHB virus infection patients in the HBeAg-positive immune-tolerant phase, only 21 children (15.8%) had converted to the early immune-clearance phase. The average age at entry into active hepatitis was $10.6{\pm}4.8$ years. The incidence of transition from the immune-tolerant to the early immune-clearance phase in these children was 1.7 episodes/100 patient-years. When analyzed by age, the estimated transition rate was 4.6%, 7.1%, and 28.0% for patients aged <6, 6-12, >12 years, respectively. Conclusion: In children with CHB virus infection, the estimated rate of entry into the early immune-clearance phase was 28.0% for patients aged 12-18 years, which was significantly higher than that observed for children aged <12 years (11.7%; p=0.001).

• The Korean Journal of Medicine
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• v.99 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 2024

Early diagnosis and early treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are essential for clinical and public health benefits. Diagnostic algorithms for early diagnosis are being emphasized, and rapid tests at the point of care have been expanded to improve voluntary testing rates. Despite advances in laboratory diagnostic tests, early HIV infection can still be missed due to window periods, and it is crucial to recognize the limitations of testing methods and the potential for false negative and false positive results.