Purpose : Ghrelin, being secreted from the stomach, stimulates growth hormone secretion and controls energy homeostasis by increasing appetite. Leptin, being secreted from the adipocytes, controls weight and energy homeostasis by decreasing appetite. Leptin concentration is reported to increase after childhood cancer therapy. This study was aimed to compare ghrelin and leptin concentrations in normal children and children who received... |
Purpose : Chromosome analysis is important in genetic study and genetic counseling. This study was performed to evaluate the type and incidence of chromosome abnormalities in a single hospital for 25 years. Methods : Chromosome analyses were performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes, obtained from 4,856 patients with suspected chromosomal aberrations, referred to cytogenetic laboratory in Department of Pediatrics, Kyungpook National... |
Any infant noted to be jaundiced at 2 weeks of age should be evaluated for cholestasis with measurement of total and direct serum bilirubin. With the insight into the clinical phenotype and the genotypephenotype correlations, it is now possible to evaluate more precisely the neonate who presents with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Testing should be performed for the specific treatable causes of... |
Purpose : The anthracyclines (AC) are widely used chemotherapeutic agents for pediatric cancers. However, the therapeutic use of these agents is limited by their cardiotoxicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels as a marker for AC-induced cardiotoxicity compared to echocardiography in Korean children with cancer. Methods : Fifty-five pediatric... |
Purpose : Post-lumbar puncture headache is common complaint. A study of post-diagnostic lumbar puncture headache in children is rare. Various factors that might influence the occurrence of post- diagnostic lumbar puncture headache in children exist. The purpose of this prospective study was to assess the frequency and risk factors for post-diagnostic lumbar puncture headache in children. Methods : From March 2005... |
We report on two premature infants who developed nosocomial infection caused by Chryseobacterium meningosepticum in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). One premature infant developed sepsis, meningitis, and hydrocephalus, and was treated successfully with ciprofloxacin plus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole combination therapy for 4 weeks and with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The other premature infant, who was in a chronically debilitated state, had infection... |
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has expanded and evolved substantially in the last decades to treat various malignant and nonmalignant diseases. However, the conditioning regimen can lead to transplantation related death by major organ dysfunction, severe infection and bleeding. In the allogeneic setting, graft versus host disease may also develop, making post-transplant management complex. To overcome these problems, new stem... |
The cure rate of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children dramatically improved over past 5 decades from zero to about 80%. The main cause of improvement is owing to the development of chemotherapy by multicenter clinical trial of large study groups with the understanding of leukemia biology. Recently, pediatric ALL protocols were applied to the treatment of adolescent and even... |
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disorder that affects discrete areas of the CNS, including the optic nerves, in a quite variable relapsing-remitting fashion over a prolonged period of time. Although MS is usually considered to be a disease that affects peoples in early to middle adulthood, children do develop multiple sclerosis. The frequency of MS onset before the age... |
Purpose : To demonstrate genetic background of pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD), I examined the genetic polymorphism of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in KD patients. Methods : PCR-RFLP of PAI- 1 promotor gene was analyzed in 56 KD patients admitted to Kyunghee University Hospital, Gachon Medical School Gil Hospital, and Eulji Hospital from March to August 2000 and 206 normal... |
The recent advances in the basic hematology and immunology have significantly enhanced the understanding of histiocytic disorders. The Histiocyte Society which was established in 1985 enabled the randomized trials for these diseases, and important knowledge regarding pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, therapy and late consequences has been obtained. The treatment of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) has varied greatly over last decades,... |
Aplastic anemia is a rare disease, which is characterized by pancytopenia and hypocellular bone marrow without infiltration of abnormal cells or fibrosis. The incidence in Asia is higher than in the West and new cases are diagnosed at a rate of 5.1 per million pediatric populations per year in Korea. The pathophysiology is understood roughly by defective hematopoiesis, impaired bone... |
To understand the hemolytic anemia (HA) in children, the diagnostic approach and management of hereditary and acquired HA are described. The hereditary hemolytic anemia (HHA) can be classified according to the pathogenesis into three types : RBC membrane defects, hemoglobinopathies, and RBC enzymopathies. Clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and molecular defects of these three types are presented briefly. In Korea,... |
Diamino-diphenyl-sulfone (Dapsone) is widely used in the treatment of leprosy and a variety of blistering skin diseases. It sometimes has adverse side effects with common usual doses, such as skin, nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney and hematologic toxicity. One of these side effects is a rare but serious hypersensitivity reaction called dapsone syndrome, which occurs several weeks after the... |
Purpose : To evaluate the potential prognostic value of the antithrombin-III (AT-III) level in the children with acute lung injury (ALI), we analyzed several early predictive factors of death including AT-III level at the onset of ALI and compared the relative risk of them for mortality. Methods : Over a 18-month period, a total of 198 children were admitted to our... |
Even though we drink and excrete water without recognition, the amount and the composition of body fluid remain constant everyday. Maintenance of a normal osmolality is under the control of water balance which is regulated by vasopressin despite sodium concentration is the dominant determinant of plasma osmolality. The increased plasma osmolality (hypernatremia) can be normalized by the concentration of urine,... |
As a result of the widespread use and enhanced quality of high-resolution radiological techniques, a recent report has revealed a relatively high prevalence of small adrenal tumors in patients with untreated congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency. However, there are scarcely any pediatric cases of adrenocortical tumor following long-term treatment in patients suffering with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. We report... |
Purpose : Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is a common and benign congenital disorder of the musculoskeletal system in neonates and infants. The pathophysiology is that the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) is shortened on the involved side by fibrosis, leading to ipsilateral tilt and contralateral rotation of the face and chin. In this study, we investigated the clinical features of CMT, the... |
Purpose : The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth and neuropsychologic function following treatments for pediatric hematologic and oncologic diseases. Healthy monozygotic twins served as ideal controls for comparison to exclude possible confounding factors. Methods : Seven children treated with various hematologic and oncologic diseases were included in the study: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; n=2), Diamond-Blackfan anemia... |
In the United States, The concept of designation for hospital facilities that care for newborn infants according to the level of complexity of care provided was first proposed in 1976. The extent of perinatal health care regionalization varies widely from one area to the other. facilities that provide hospital care for newborn are classified into three categories on the basis... |
Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy (AHEI) is an uncommon form of cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis that occurs in infants and children younger than 2 years. AHEI is characterized clinically by marked peripheral edema and fever as well as large palpable purpuric and ecchymotic skin lesions in a target-like pattern, mainly on the face, ears and extremities, similar to the skin findings... |
Purpose : Failure of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT) may be encountered in practice because of either relapse of the malignancy or dysfunction of the graft. Second HSCT may be the only option for some patients whose initial HSCT failed. Methods : From May, 1991 to December, 2004, 115 HSCTs were performed at the Pediatric Blood & Marrow Transplantation Center, Chonnam National... |
Purpose : The importance of staphylococcal infections in NICU has been emphasized in terms of increased resistant strains and increased incidence of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we inrestignted the clinical characteristics and risk factors for staphylococcal infections, and looked into sensitivity trends of antibiotics in the era of a high rate of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in our... |
Sideroblastic anemia is a rare, heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by hyperferremia, microcytic hypochromic anemia, and bone marrow erythroid hyperplasia with the presence of numerous ringed sideroblasts. We describe herewith the case of a rare coincidence of sideroblastic anemia and mitral valve prolapse with resultant regurgitation in a 2-year-old boy. In addition to the inherent propensity for the development of... |
Purpose : In this study, we analyzed the short term changes of thyroid function, incidence and risk factors of thyroid dysfunction soon after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children. Methods : We enrolled 80 pediatric patients following allogeneic HSCT, at the Catholic HSCT center between January, 2004 and February, 2006. Serum TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), total serum thyroxine and... |
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... |
Purpose : Refractory status epilepticus(RSE) is a serious neurological emergency in children. The mortality is high and the neurological outcome is not good. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) pleocytosis in refractory status epilepticus in children. Methods : From January 1999 to January 2006, 25 out of 37 children with refractory status epilepticus had... |
Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors affecting hematologic recovery and infection in high-dose chemotherapy(HDCT) and autologous stem cell transplantation(ASCT) in patients with high-risk solid tumor. Methods : From January 2004 to December 2005, 72 HDCTs and ASCTs were applied to children with high-risk solid tumor at Samsung Medical Center. Medical records of these 72 HDCTs and... |
Atretic cephalocele is a degenerative form of encephalocele, which is detected as a cystic mass in the head, primarily in infants. Its presentation and prognosis vary and depend on various factors, including the nature of the tissues within the cyst, other concomitant anomalies, the site of development, and the presence or absence of an embryonic straight sinus. We here report... |
Purpose : Bacteremia is one of the major concerns in the treatment of pediatric cancer patients. This study was to determine the etiologic agents and the pattern of antibiotic susceptibilities in a single tertiary medical center. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the cases of bacteremia in pediatric cancer patients from 1998 to 2005 in Keimyung University Dongsan... |