Complete occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

We report a case of a 5-year-old girl who developed left hemiparesis and left facial palsy, 6 days after the initiation of fever and respiratory symptoms due to pneumonia. Chest radiography, conducted upon admission, showed pneumonic infiltration and pleural effusion in the left lung field. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed acute ischemic infarction in the right middle cerebral artery territory.

Development of a questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life in korean children with allergic rhinitis.

Purpose: Korean children have their own unique lifestyle based on their living environment and culture. This study aimed to develop a questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life in Korean children with allergic rhinitis.

Methods: After a preliminary survey, an initial questionnaire was developed.

Antiallergic effect of anti-Siglec-F through reduction of eosinophilic inflammation in murine allergic rhinitis.

Background: Sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin-F (Siglec-F) in mice and its functional paralog Siglec-8 in humans are transmembrane receptors that play a role in the apoptosis of eosinophils. We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of anti-Siglec-F antibodies in a murine model of allergic rhinitis.

Methods: Twenty-eight BALB/c mice were used.

Comparison between febrile and afebrile seizures associated with mild rotavirus gastroenteritis.

Purpose: We aimed on identifying the differences of febrile and afebrile seizures associated with mild rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) in the pediatric population.

Method: Medical charts of pediatric patients who had been admitted between July 1999 and June 2011 due to RVGE were retrospectively reviewed. Subjects were ultimately divided into three groups; 'no seizure' (NS: patients without seizure), 'febrile seizure' (FS: patients with fever during seizure), 'afebrile seizure' (AFS: patients without fever during seizure).

Beneficial effect of anti-interleukin-33 on the murine model of allergic inflammation of the lower airway.

Objective: Interleukin (IL)-33, which mediates the T(h)2 allergic pathway, may play a key role in allergic airway inflammation. This study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic potential of anti-IL-33 antibody for treatment of allergic inflammation of the lower airway in a murine model.

Methods: Twenty-four BALB/c mice were used in this study.

Prevalence of primary immunodeficiency in Korea.

This study represents the first epidemiological study based on the national registry of primary immunodeficiencies (PID) in Korea. Patient data were collected from 23 major hospitals. A total of 152 patients with PID (under 19 yr of age), who were observed from 2001 to 2005, have been entered in this registry.

Comparison of air pollution and the prevalence of allergy-related diseases in Incheon and Jeju City.

Purpose: A high level of air pollutants can increase the number of patients with allergy-related diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR). To analyze the association between air pollution and allergic disease, we investigated 2 areas in Korea: Incheon, an industrial area, and Jeju, a non-industrialized area.

Methods: Second grade students at elementary schools (11 schools in Incheon and 45 schools in Jeju) were examined in a cross-sectional study.

A case of acute hepatitis with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and transient depression of multiple coagulation factors.

We report a case of acute severe hepatitis with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) infection and transient depression of multiple coagulation factors. A 5-year-old boy, previously healthy, was admitted with pneumonia.

Effects of the ketogenic diet on neurogenesis after kainic acid-induced seizures in mice.

The ketogenic diet (KD) remains a therapy in search of explanation although it is an established treatment of intractable epilepsy. Recent studies suggest that the KD may be both anticonvulsant and antiepileptogenic. Epileptic seizures have been shown to stimulate the proliferation rate of neuronal progenitor cells in adult animals, which may be related to epileptogenesis.

Topiramate monotherapy in infantile spasm.

Infantile spasm is an age-related refractory epilepsy. Topiramate is a new anticonvulsant with multiple mechanisms of action, and it may be effective for treating pediatric epilepsies. To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of first-line topiramate treatment for infantile spasm, 20 patients received topiramate monotherapy during this study.

A novel mutation (A148V) in the glucose 6-phosphate translocase (SLC37A4) gene in a Korean patient with glycogen storage disease type 1b.

We report a Korean patient with glycogen storage disease type 1b (GSD-1b) whose diagnosis was confirmed by liver biopsy and laboratory results. The patient presented with delay of puberty and short stature on admission and had typical clinical symptoms of GSD as well as chronic neutropenia and inflammatory bowel disease. Mutation analysis of the glucose 6-phosphate translocase 6-phosphate translocase (SLC37A4) gene revealed that the patient was a compound heterozygote of two different mutations including a deletion mutation (c.

Effects of air pollutants on childhood asthma.

Epidemiologic studies have suggested the association between environmental exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the increased risk of incurring asthma. Yet there is little data regarding the relationship between personal exposure to air pollution and the incidence of asthma in children. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of exposure to air pollution on children with asthma by using exposure biomarkers.

Soluble transferrin receptor concentration is not superior to log ferritin for evaluating erythropoiesis in adolescents with iron deficiency anemia.

Background: This study investigated the associations of soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), log ferritin, the ratio of sTfR to log ferritin (sTfR-F index), and the log of the ratio of sTfR to ferritin [log(sTfR/F)] vs. reticulocyte production during iron deficiency.

Methods: Fluorescent intensity of reticulocytes, immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF), reticulocyte maturity index (RMI), sTfR, and serum ferritin were measured in 149 adolescents.

Effects of particulate matter (PM10) on the pulmonary function of middle-school children.

It has been reported that the particulate matter under 10 microm (PM10) has deleterious effects on respiratory health. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of PM10 upon normal children's lung function. The subjects were 368 middle school students in two areas of Incheon Metropolitan City.

Effects of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms on the relationship between maternal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and neonatal birth weight.

The purpose of the investigation was to determine whether genetic polymorphisms in enzymes that metabolize exogenous chemicals modulate the effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure on birth weight. A survey was conducted from 2000 to 2001 among 266 pregnant women who were hospitalized for delivery and on their singleton live births. We determined maternal GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction and measured the urinary cotinine of pregnant women at delivery by radioimmunoassay.