Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2013
Comparative StudyComparative estimation of coverage between national immunization program vaccines and non-NIP vaccines in Korea.
This study aimed to describe the differences in vaccination coverage between National Immunization Program (NIP) vaccines and non-NIP vaccines in Korea and to identify factors affecting the difference. Nationwide face-to-face interview-based questionnaire survey among randomly selected 4,374 participants aged 7-83 months was conducted. Vaccination coverage analyzed according to the birth cohorts, geographic areas, and socio-demographic characteristics. ⋯ On multivariate analysis, having a sibling were significantly associated with lower uptake of Hib vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), and rotavirus vaccine; while, older mother's age and attendance to daycare center were significantly associated with lower uptake of PCV and rotavirus vaccine (P < 0.001). We found differences in the vaccine coverage rate between NIP vaccines and non-NIP vaccines; and the data suggests potential disparity in accessing non-NIP vaccines in Korea. Expansion of NIP to include non-NIP vaccines can provide better protection against the diseases through increased coverage.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2013
Case ReportsAn infant with prenatally diagnosed congenital anaplastic astrocytoma who remains disease-free after proton therapy.
The authors present a rare of prenatally diagnosed congenital anaplastic astrocytoma. A 9-month-old boy had three recurrences despite two surgical resections and various chemotherapeutic regimens. He underwent the 3rd gross tumor removal at 11 months of age, followed by proton therapy, and now he remains disease-free for 3 yr without a significant neurocognitive dysfunction. This is the 1st case of a pediatric tumor treated by proton therapy in Korea, and proton therapy may be a treatment of choice for a congenital anaplastic astrocytoma in infants and young children, considering limitation of radiation therapy.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2013
Association of the catechol-o-methyltransferase gene polymorphisms with Korean autism spectrum disorders.
This study evaluated the family-based genetic association between autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and 5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the catechol-o-methyltransferase gene (COMT), which was found among 151 Korean ASDs family trios (dominant model Z = 2.598, P = 0.009, P FDR = 0.045). We found a statistically significant allele transmission or association in terms of the rs6269 SNP in the ASDs trios. Moreover, in the haplotype analysis, the haplotypes with rs6269 demonstrated significant evidence of an association with ASDs (additive model rs6269-rs4818-rs4680-rs769224 haplotype P = 0.004, P FDR = 0.040). Thus, an association may exist between the variants of the COMT gene and the occurrence of ASDs in Koreans.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2013
Hemoglobin concentration and risk of cardiovascular disease in Korean men and women - the Korean heart study.
This study investigated the relationship between hemoglobin concentration and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). A total of 407,858 subjects (256,851 men, aged 30-94 yr), who underwent physical examination at 17 Korean nationwide health examination centers, was included in this study. ⋯ Women with higher hemoglobin level showed higher HR with total CVD (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.01-1.31 for pre-menopausal women; HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01-1.16 for post-menopausal women). We found an independent U-shaped association between hemoglobin level and CVD incidence in Korean population.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2013
Case ReportsSingle nucleotide deletion mutation of KCNH2 gene is responsible for LQT syndrome in a 3-generation Korean family.
Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is characterized by the prolongation of the QT interval in ECG and manifests predisposition to life threatening arrhythmia which often leads to sudden cardiac death. We encountered a 3-generation family with 5 affected family members in which LQTS was inherited in autosomal dominant manner. ⋯ This mutation presumably resulted in a frameshift mutation, P151fs+15X. This study added a new genetic cause to the pool of mutations that lead to defected potassium ion channels in the heart.