Piperacillin-Tazobactam versus Cefotaxime as Empiric Treatment for Febrile Urinary Tract Infection in Hospitalized Children.

Background: According to international pediatric urinary tract infection (UTI) guidelines, selecting ampicillin/sulbactam or amoxicillin/clavulanate is recommended as the first-line treatment for pediatric UTI. In Korea, elevated resistance to ampicillin and ampicillin/sulbactam has resulted in the widespread use of third-generation cephalosporins for treating pediatric UTIs. This study aims to compare the efficacy of piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) and cefotaxime (CTX) as first-line treatments in hospitalized children with UTIs.

Role of 16S Ribosomal RNA Analysis in Identification of Microorganisms in Febrile Urinary Tract Infection of Infants.

Objectives: To assess the role of 16S ribosomal RNA analysis in microbial identification in febrile infants under six months of age diagnosed with UTI, and compare it with the conventional culture results.

Methods: Young infants under 6 mo of age who were suspected UTI from May 2018 to April 2019 had been enrolled. Uropathogens were analyzed by the traditional microbiologic culture system and the 16S rRNA analysis.

Retinopathy of Prematurity Requiring Treatment Is Closely Related to Head Growth during Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Hospitalization in Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is caused by prenatal sensitization and postnatal insults to the immature retina. This process can be associated with the postnatal growth of preterm infants. We investigated whether ROP requiring treatment was associated with the postnatal growth failure of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.

Association of Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia with Adverse Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Preterm Infants without Severe Brain Injury.

Although impaired neurodevelopment is strongly associated with severe brain injury, most preterm infants survive without severe brain injury. In this study, the association of impaired neurodevelopment and neonatal morbidities of preterm infants was assessed after excluding those with severe brain injury. This was a retrospective study of very low birthweight infants in a single tertiary center.

Time-Dependent Anti-Demineralization Effect of Silver Diamine Fluoride.

This study compared the demineralization resistance of teeth treated with silver diamine fluoride (SDF) to that treated with fluoride varnish. A total of 105 healthy bovine incisors were divided into control, fluoride varnish, and SDF groups. The enamel surface density change was then measured by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) at three depths.

New modified version of the Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery category and mortality in premature infants with critical congenital heart disease.

Background: Despite advances in neonatal intensive care and surgical procedures, perinatal mortality rates for premature infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) remain relatively high.

Purpose: We aimed to describe the outcomes of premature infants with critical CHD and identify the risk factors including the new modified version of the Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery (M-RACHS) category associated with in-hospital mortality in a Korean tertiary center.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of premature infants with critical CHD admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from January 2005 to December 2016.

Group B streptococcal transmission via a prolonged colonizer in a neonatal intensive care unit.

This article reports five invasive Group B streptococcal (GBS) infections that occurred in a neonatal intensive care unit for about 3 months. This outbreak might have been associated with a prolonged GBS colonized infant and adjacent environmental contaminations. Infection control interventions prevented the additional spread of GBS infections.

Comparative Pathogenicity of Isolates from Wheat Kernels in Korea.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by species is a major disease of wheat and barley around the world. FHB causes yield reductions and contamination of grains with trichothecene mycotoxins including; nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON), and 15-acetylde-oxynivalenol (15-ADON). The objectives of this study were to identify strains of isolated in Korea from 2012-harvested wheat grain and to test the pathogenicity of these NIV- and DON-producing isolates.

Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration and functional state: The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) Study.

Background: Functional state and cholesterol metabolism are important for older adults; however, this association has not been fully investigated among community-dwelling older adults. Thus, we investigated the association of HDL cholesterol with multiple functional state measures in an elderly Korean population.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 3514 participants, aged 65 years or older, who participated in baseline health assessment for the Korean Urban Rural Elderly cohort study from 2012 to 2015.

Comparison of Formulas for Calculating Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in General Population and High-risk Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Background And Objectives: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), an established cardiovascular risk factor, can be generally determined by calculation from total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations. The aim of this study was to compare LDL-C estimations using various formulas with directly measured LDL-C in a community-based group and hospital-based group among the Korean population.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 1498 participants were classified into four groups according to triglyceride concentrations as follows: <100, 100-199, 200-299, and ≥300 mg/dL.

Serum uric acid concentration and metabolic syndrome among elderly Koreans: The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) study.

Background: Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that elevated serum uric acid concentration is an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome. However, few studies have focused on elderly populations. Thus, we investigated the association of serum uric acid concentration with metabolic syndrome in community-dwelling elderly Koreans.

Continuous alkaline pretreatment of Miscanthus sacchariflorus using a bench-scale single screw reactor.

Miscanthus sacchariflorus 'Goedae-Uksae 1' (GU) was developed as an energy crop of high productivity in Korea. For the practical use of GU for bioethanol production, a bench-scale continuous pretreatment system was developed. The reactor performed screw extrusion, soaking and thermochemical pretreatment at the following operating conditions: 3 mm particle size, 22% moisture content, 140 °C reaction temperature, 8 min residence time, 15 g/min biomass feeding and 120 mL/min NaOH input.

Urban-rural differences explain the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and insulin resistance in Korea.

An increasing number of studies report associations between low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level and insulin resistance; however, whether low vitamin D levels directly contribute to increased insulin resistance is unclear. We investigated the impact of residential area on the association between 25(OH)D and insulin resistance in elderly Koreans. Using data from the Korean Urban Rural Elderly study, we conducted cross-sectional analyses in 1628 participants (505 men and 1123 women).

The optimized CO2-added ammonia explosion pretreatment for bioethanol production from rice straw.

A CO2-added ammonia explosion pretreatment was performed for bioethanol production from rice straw. The pretreatment conditions, such as ammonia concentration, CO2 loading level, residence time, and temperature were optimized using response surface methodology. The response for optimization was defined as the glucose conversion rate.

A new genotype of Miscanthus sacchariflorus Geodae-Uksae 1, identified by growth characteristics and a specific SCAR marker.

Miscanthus is referred to as an ideal lignocellulosic bioenergy crop, which can be used to generate heat, power, and fuel, as well as to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The new Miscanthus sacchariflorus genotype named Geodae-Uksae 1 was recently collected from damp land in southern Korea. This study investigated the growth characteristics of Miscanthus genotypes, and developed a specific, sensitive, and reproducible sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker to distinguish new M.

A study testing the usefulness of a dish-based food-frequency questionnaire developed for epidemiological studies in Korea.

The purpose of the present study was to test the usefulness of dish items selected in developing a dish-based FFQ (DFFQ) to be used for epidemiological studies in Korea. The dietary data of 6817 subjects from the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for the analysis. The 24 h recall method was employed for the dietary survey.