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). Before March 2010, the... |
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. In newborns hospitalized between March 2013 and October 2015, PCT levels... |
Nephrogenesis is normally accompanied by a tightly regulated and efficient vascularization. We investigated the effect of angiotensin II inhibition on angiogenesis in the developing rat kidney. Newborn rat pups were treated with enalapril (30 mg/kg/day) or vehicle (control) for 7 days after birth. Renal histological changes were checked using Hematoxylin & Eosin staining. We also investigated the intrarenal expression of vascular... |
Purpose:To investigate the effects of angiotensin II inhibition on the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the developing kidney, we tested the expression of EMT markers and nestin in angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor-treated kidneys. Methods:Newborn rat pups were treated with enalapril (30 mg/kg/d) or a vehicle for 7 days. Immunohistochemistry for the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), E-cadherin, vimentin, and nestin were... |
Purpose : We aimed to investigate the efficacy of and functional recovery after intracerebral transplantation of different doses of mouse mesenchymal stem cells (mMSCs) in immature rat brain with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methods : Postnatal 7-days-old Sprague-Dawley rats, which had undergone unilateral HI operation, were given stereotaxic intracerebral injections of either vehicle or mMSCs and then tested for locomotory activity in... |
SmithMagenis syndrome (SMS) is a rare disorder with multiple congenital anomalies caused by a heterozygous interstitial deletion involving chromosome 17p11.2, where the retinoic acid-induced 1 (RAI1) gene is located, or by a mutation of RAI1. Approximately 90% of the patients with SMS have a detectable 17p11.2 microdeletion on fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH). SMS is characterized by mental retardation, distinctive behavioral... |
Purpose : Hypertension (HTN) is no longer an exclusively adult disease; the prevalence of pediatric HTN is increasing. To understand the evaluation and treatment of childhood HTN in Korea, we investigated, via a questionnaire, how hypertensive children are currently assessed and managed by pediatric cardiologists (CA) and nephrologists (NE). Methods : We surveyed 82 pediatric CA and 77 NE, regarding... |
Purpose : Herbal medicine is thought to be widely used by children with epilepsy, but there have been few studies. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions and the actual conditions of usage of herbal medicine by children with epilepsy. Methods : From July to August 2007, three hundred seventy eight questionnaires were completed by parents of epileptic children who visited... |
Purpose : Oxcabarzepine (OXC), newly recommended antiepileptic drug, has been prescribed for patients with partial seizures and generalized tonic clonic seizures in Korea from 1999. There are limited reports about an efficacy of OXC therapy in epileptic children in Korea. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of OXC in the light of our experience. Methods : The patients, who had... |
Purpose : This study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of ibuprofen and indomethacin in the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in preterm infants and to determine whether ibuprofen can be an alternative drug. Methods : A total of 32 preterm infants with symptomatic PDA were enrolled in the study. Twelve infants received intravenous ibuprofen 10 mg/kg, followed... |
Purpose : This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of auditory evoked potential (AEP) in clarifying neuronal development in premature small for gestational age (SGA), and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants. Methods : A total of 183 premature infants who were born from August 2002 to July 2005, were examined with AEP. They were divided into three groups; AGA, symmetric-SGA... |
Purpose : The comatose mentality can be catastrophic, especially if the condition is severe or the duration is prolonged. Therefore, delayed diagnosis can result in a poor outcome or death. The best radiologic modality to differentiate from cerebral lesions in patients suffering from cerebral diseases is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rather than computed tomography (CT). Special apparatuses with metal... |
We report a case in which routine chest roentgenograms of an 840 g infant led to the belief that the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) was appropriately positioned within the superior vena cava when, in actuality, it was within the azygous arch. Although many cases of pleural effusions have been reported to be caused by a central venous catheter, a... |
Necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC) is the most common life-threatening surgical emergency in neonates, and remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In addition to conventional laparotomy, intraperitoneal drains have been used for the treatment of perforated NEC, especially in extremely low birth weight(ELBW) infants. We report a case of perforated NEC with bacterial peritonitis in an ELBW infant managed with primary... |
Purpose : This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of Korean Infant Development Screening Test in predicting delayed development in premature infants. Methods : A total of 74 children with histories of prematurity, who visited the pediatric neurology clinic of Korean University Ansan Hospital from August, 2002 to July, 2004, were examined, using the Korean Infant Development Screening Test. They were... |
The deficiency of enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase(HPRT) results in hyperuricemia and subsequently manifests in diverse symptoms. Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is a disorder characterized by hyperuricemia, mental retardation, choreoathetosis, spasticity and self-mutilation, resulting from complete deficiency of the enzyme, whereas partial deficiency of the enzyme shows symptoms of milder forms more often without abnormal neurologic signs. A 7-year-old boy with normal growth and... |
Purpose : Unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO), a well established experimental model of renal injury, gives rise to tubulointerstitial fibrosis, tubular dilatation and cellular atrophy. Angiotensin(ANG) II may take the prime role in the regulation of this response. The objectives in the current investigation were to determine whether the renal response to UUO involves the dedifferentiation of tubular epithelial cells to mesenchymal... |
Purpose : Long-term prognosis of Henoch-Sch nlein purpura(HSP) is determined by the existence and severity of renal involvement. We evaluated the relationship between various clinical features of HSP and the development of renal involvement using univariate and multivariate analyses for early detection and proper management of HSP nephritis. Methods : We performed a retrospective study of 200 children who were diagnosed... |
Intestinal lymphangiectasia, one of the protein-losing gastroenteropathies, is an uncommon disease characterized by dilated intestinal lymphatics, enteric protein loss, edema, hypoalbuminemia, and lympocytopenia. Small bowel biopsy and CT have been used to confirm the diagnosis of intestinal lymphangiectasia. Small bowel biopsy shows collections of abnormal dilated lacteals in submucosa with distortion of villi and CT findings have been described as... |
Purpose : This study aimed to evaluate risk factors of the first year relapse in children with nephrotic syndrome(NS) without the need for biopsy. Methods : We reviewed, retrospectively, 78 children diagnosed with steroid responsive nephrotic syndrome between July 1997 and June 2002. Median years to follow up were 4.4 years(range : 1-5 years). We divided the patients into two groups(group... |
Purpose : In order to investigate the role of endothelins in the cardiac development, the present study was designed to examine the effects of endothelin A receptor(ETAR) antagonist to the cellular proliferation and apoptosis in the neonatal rat heart. In addition, the expression of various regulatory genes in protein and mRNA levels by ETAR antagonist were examined. Methods : Neonatal... |
Purpose : Urinary tract infection(UTI) is the most common bacterial infectious disease that may induce severe renal injury unless early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are performed. If recurrent UTI is prevented, renal injury can be also reduced. Therefore, we studied the risk factors of recurrent UTI in children. Methods : We performed a retrospective study of 168 children(58 girls and 110... |
Purpose : To determine the postnatal changes in aldosterone action on the renal tubular reabsorption in low birth weight(LBW) infants, we assessed the relation of the aldosterone concentrations to renal parameters during the first 10 days of life. Methods : Twenty LBW infants were evaluated and their gestational ages ranged from 32.4 to 39.3 weeks and their birth weights ranged from... |
Purpose : This study was aimed at finding a diagnostic tool which is useful in predicting the neurologic outcome of the asphyxiated newborns. Methods : 31 newborns with asphyxia were evaluated by brainstem evoked potentials and cranial ultrasonography(CUS). During the neonatal follow-up, we evaluated the development of the babies with Bayley Scale of Infant Development II and INFANIB on corrected age... |
Graves disease is the most common clinical feature of hyperthyroidism in childhood. Clinical manifestations include emotional lability, hyperactivity, tremor, excessive sweating, exophthalmos and weight loss. In Graves disease, osteoporosis could occur because of a disturbance of mineral homeostasis which rarely develops from reduced calcium absorption of the gastrointestinal tract and increased urinary calcium excretion related to an increased bone resorption.... |
Purpose : At birth, as the fetus adjusts to the “new world”, the fetal pulmonary circulation undergoes a striking transition, characterized by an immediate rise in pulmonary blood flow and a sustained decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance(PVR). In the factors which reduce PVR after birth, are ventilation of the lung by gas, increase of oxygen tension in pulmonary vascular system,... |
Purpose : Diagnosis of a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) that should be treated is difficult to determine by clinical and echocardiographic examinations. The aim of this study was to clarify the interrelationship of plasma atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP) concentrations and clinical signs or echocardiographic signs of PDA in preterm infants and use plasma ANP concentrations as a diagnostic indicator of a hemodynamically significant PDA. Methods... |
Factor Ⅶ deficiency has an estimated incidence of 1/500,000 in the general population and autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance. Factor Ⅶ deficiency is characterized by prolonged prothrombin time(PT), and normal activated partial thromboplastin time(aPTT) and bleeding time(BT). Definite diagnosis of this condition requires a specific Factor Ⅶ assay. The clinical features are variable and do not always correlate with the... |
Purpose : The renin-angiotensin system plays an important role in renal growth and development. Exposuring the neonate to angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) inhibitor increases mortality and results in growth retardation and abnormal renal development. ACE inhibition in the developing kidney reduces the renal expression of TGF-β1 and EGF, which may account for renal growth impairment. This study was designed to... |
The 18q-syndrome is a deletion disorder that occurs in humans. Clinical symptoms are mental retardation, craniofacial anomalies, skeletal deformity, seizure, and hearing loss. 18q- deletion occurs over a broad region, spanning the interval from 18q22.2 to 18qter rather than a single critical region containing 18q. We experienced a case of 18q-syndrome in a male child. It was diagnosed by clinical... |