Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2012
Retinopathy of prematurity in infants born before 25 weeks gestation in a Korean single neonatal intensive care unit: incidence, natural history and risk factors.
As younger preterm infants are able to survive, more extremely preterm infants are at risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). To investigate the incidence, progression and risk factors of ROP in extremely preterm infants in Korea, the medical records of infants born before 25 weeks gestation were retrospectively reviewed. The criteria for laser treatment agreed with type 1 ROP as defined by the Early Treatment for Retinopathy of Prematurity study. ⋯ All but one infant developed type 1 ROP after 31 weeks PMA. Univariate analysis showed that duration of total parenteral nutrition and onset of any ROP (PMA) were associated with the development of type 1 ROP. In conclusion, this study shows high incidence of ROP in extremely preterm infants and suggests that, although current screening protocols are feasible for most preterm infants born before 25 weeks gestation, earlier screening before 31 weeks PMA may be necessary in infants with an unstable clinical course.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2012
Incidence and risk factors of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections in children: a study of 333 consecutive shunts in 6 years.
The major aims of this study were to estimate the infection rate and recognize the risk factor for ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt infections in children. To analyze shunt infection rate and identify risk factors, a retrospective cohort analysis of 333 consecutive VP shunt series was performed at Seoul National University Children's Hospital in Korea between January 2005 and February 2011. Overall, 35 shunts (10.5%) were infected, which represented an infection rate of 0.075 infection cases per shunt per year. ⋯ In this study, cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection rate was 10.5%. Infection was frequently caused by methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci and S. aureus within two months after shunt surgery. Vancomycin may be considered as the preoperative prophylaxis for shunt surgery in a situation where methicillin resistance rate is very high.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2012
Comparative StudyComparison of lipid-related ratios for prediction of chronic kidney disease stage 3 or more in Korean adults.
Dyslipidemia is implicated in increased cardiovascular risk associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in the progression of renal damage. This study compared 4 different lipid-related ratios (total cholesterol [TC]/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], triglyceride [TG]/HDL-C, calculated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [c-LDL-C]/HDL-C, and non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratio) for prediction of CKD stage 3 or more to investigate the association between them. This cross-sectional study included 8,650 adults who participated in the 2007-2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. ⋯ For TG/HDL-C, the prevalence with CKD stage 3 or more increased with increasing quartile group in both sexes (P value for trend = 0.046 in men, 0.002 in women) while other lipid-related ratios showed increasing prevalence only in women. In comparison with the lowest quartile of the lipid-related ratios, only the fourth quartile of TG/HDL-C was associated with the prevalence of CKD stage 3 or more in both sexes after adjustment for multiple covariates (odds ratio [OR] for TG/HDL-C-Q(4), 1.82; 95% CI [confidence interval], 1.09-3.03 in men, OR 2.45; 95% CI, 1.52-3.95 in women). In conclusion, TG/HDL-C is the only lipid-related ratio that is independently associated with CKD stage 3 or more in both sexes of Koreans.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2012
A new disability rating method according to the job using the Korean Academy of Medical Science disability guideline.
The purpose of this study was to develop a disability rating scale according to job classification using the Korean Academy of Medical Society (KAMS) guidelines. All jobs were categorized based on their level of physical activity and professional skills. The KAMS guidelines were used for the impairment rating. ⋯ The KAMS disability rates were slightly higher than the McBride disability rates for the upper extremities, but were lower for the lower extremities and internal organs. This is the first Korean job-adjusted disability rating method. There are several limitations, but its impairment rating is more scientific and reflects the current Korean occupational environment.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2012
Coagulopathy as a prognostic factor of acute lung injury in children.
The coagulation cascade and inflammatory process are known to be associated with the pathophysiology of acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We retrospectively investigated laboratory values indicating coagulopathy obtained within 24 hr from diagnosis of ALI/ARDS in 79 children who received mechanical ventilation between 2008 and 2009 and their final outcomes. Prothrombin time (PT) (P = 0.001) and activated partial thromboplastin time PTT (APTT) (P = 0.001) were more prolonged in non-survivors than survivors (mean; 1.57 vs 1.33; 63 vs 57). ⋯ In stratification by ventilation-index (< 40, ≥ 40), prolonged PT (2.232, 1.095-4.540; 2.177, 1.092-4.342) and prolonged APTT (2.574, 1.230-5.386; 3.089, 1.500-6.360) were associated with lower OS and lower FFS. Prolonged PT and APTT are associated with mortality in mechanically ventilated children with ALI/ARDS. We suggest PT and APTT as prognostic factors of ALI/ARDS in children.