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Background@#Although the combination tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) is recommended at adolescence in developed countries, the tetanus and diphtheria toxoid vaccine (Td), which is less costly, is recommended instead in some parts of the world. A new Td, BR-TD-1001, was developed by a Korean manufacturer for distribution to endemic regions and for use in the initial step of novel Tdap development. @*Methods@#This phase 3, randomized, double-blind, multi-center trial, conducted in Korea, aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of BR-TD-1001. Healthy children aged 10 to 12 years were randomized 1:1 to receive either BR-TD-1001 or the control Td (Td-pur, GlaxoSmithKline). Antibodies were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. @*Results@#A total of 218 subjects (BR-TD-1001, n = 108; control, n = 110) were enrolled and included in the safety analysis. Vaccine-mediated antibody responses were similar in both groups. We confirmed the non-inferiority of BR-TD-1001 against the control, Td; 100% of both groups achieved seroprotection against diphtheria and tetanus. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between groups in the proportion of participants who demonstrated boost responses against diphtheria and tetanus toxoids. The incidence of solicited local and systemic adverse events (AEs), unsolicited AEs, and serious AEs did not differ significantly between groups. @*Conclusion@#The BR-TD-1001 satisfied the immunological non-inferiority criterion against diphtheria and tetanus, with a clinically acceptable safety profile.
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Purpose@#To compare differences and changes in the parents’ awareness regarding influenza and influenza vaccination for their children according to educational intervention. @*Methods@#This study involved 1,034 parents with children aged 6–59 months, who lived in five areas in northern Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in 2015; the study was conducted using the questionnaire survey method. Survey items included awareness regarding influenza and influenza vaccination for children and future intentions of influenza vaccination and the underlying reasons. The participants were divided into 3 groups and differences according to education (group A: no education, group B: provided education) and the changes before and after education (group C) were analyzed. @*Results@#Differences according to education between groups A and B were seen in the recognition of high-risk of influenza in their children, effectiveness of influenza vaccination, and cost of the influenza vaccine. Changes before and after education in group C were seen in the recognition of high-risk of influenza in their children, safety of influenza vaccination, cost of the influenza vaccine, and negativity toward the influenza vaccine. @*Conclusions@#Educated parents were more aware regarding influenza and influenza vaccination for their children aged 6–59 months.
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One of the major factors contributing to drug resistance in Acinetobacter nosocomialis infections is biofilm development, which is facilitate by quorum-sensing (QS) systems. Quorum sensing by the LuxI and LuxR homologues, AnoI and AnoR, in A. nosocomialis plays a role in biofilm formation and motility of this pathogenic bacterium. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of exogenous N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) on the regulation of biofilm and motility of A. nosocomialis and anoI-deletion mutant. We found that anoR mRNA expression levels in the anoI-deletion mutant were increased in the presence of different types of AHLs compared with that in the absence of exogenous AHL. Among AHLs, C12-HSL appeared to exert the greatest stimulatory effect on biofilm formation and motility. Notably, the anoI-deletion mutant also exhibited significant decreases in expression of the biofilm- and motility-related genes, csuC, csuD and pilT, decreases that were attenuated by addition of exogenous AHLs. Combining the AHL C12-HSL with C6-HSL or C10-HSL exerted synergistic effects that restored the motility phenotype in the anoI-deletion mutant. Taken together, our data demonstrate that C12-HSL may act as an important signaling molecule in A. nosocomialis through regulation of biofilm formation and cell motility, potentially providing a new target for the control of A. nosocomialis infections.
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Purpose@#We aimed to assess local tumor progression (LTP) rate and associated prognostic factors in 92 patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using saline-perfused electrodes to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (≤ 5 cm). @*Materials and Methods@#Total 92 patients with 148 HCCs were treated with RFA using salineperfused electrodes, from 2009 to 2015. We retrospectively evaluated technical success, technique efficacy, and LTP rates. Potential prognostic factors for LTP were perivascular tumor, subphrenic tumor, artificial ascites, tumor size (≥ 2 cm), and previous treatment of transarterial chemoembolization. Analysis was performed by lesion, rather than by person. @*Results@#During follow-up period from 1 to 97.4 months, total cumulative LTP rates were 7.9%, 11.4%, and 14.6% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. These values were significantly higher in the perivascular (35.1%; p = 0.009) and subphrenic group (38.9%; p = 0.002) at 5-year. We did not observe any significant difference in LTP according to other prognostic factors (p > 0.05). @*Conclusion@#RFA with saline-perfused electrode is a safe and effective treatment modality for HCC (≤ 5 cm), with lower LTP rates. Nevertheless, perivascular and subphrenic HCCs demonstrated higher LTP rate than other sites. It is imperative to note that perivascular and subphrenic location of HCC are associated with a high risk of local recurrence, despite the use of salineperfused electrodes.
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Purpose@#To establish age/sex-specific reference intervals for serum uric acid and to examine the associations between serum uric acid level and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in Korean children and adolescents. @*Methods@#We analyzed data for 1,349 subjects aged 10 to 19 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2017. @*Results@#The mean uric acid levels were 5.9±1.3 mg/dL (interquartile range, 5.0–6.8 mg/dL) in males and 4.6±0.9 mg/dL (interquartile range, 3.9–5.2 mg/dL) in females. The mean uric acid level increased significantly from 10–13 years of age in males, but not in females. The overall prevalence of MetS was 5.9% (7.3% in males and 4.3% in females; P=0.022). The prevalences of MetS in the lowest, second, third, and highest quartiles of uric acid level were 4.4%, 3.3%, 6.1%, and 15.2%, respectively, in males (P for trend <0.001) and 1.9%, 0.0%, 4.1%, and 10.9%, respectively, in females (P for trend <0.001). Compared with the lowest quartile of uric acid level, the odds ratio (with 95% confidence interval) for MetS in the highest quartile was 2.897 (1.140–7.361) in males and 5.173 (1.459–18.342) in females. Subjects in the highest quartile exhibited increased risk for abdominal obesity and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in both sexes. @*Conclusion@#Serum uric acid level is positively associated with MetS and its components abdominal obesity and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
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Child , Humans , Cross-Sectional Studies , Education , Health Policy , Incidence , Influenza Vaccines , Influenza, Human , Korea , Mortality , Parents , Seasons , VaccinationABSTRACT
Background/Objectives@#To analyze the clinical characteristics of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in children and adolescents.Materials & Methods: Medical records of 31 DTC cases that were diagnosed and treated at Korea Cancer Center Hospital between 2002 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. @*Results@#Most cases were papillary carcinoma (n=26), with female predominance (n=25). Median age was 16.4 years (range, 11.9-18.6 years). Extrathyroidal extension was present in 24 cases. Twenty cases had tumor involvement at cervical lymph nodes and three had lung metastasis. Twenty-two patients received radioactive iodide treatment with a median cumulative dose of 300 mCi (range, 100-920 mCi). During a median follow-up of 68.2 months (range, 2.3-191.4 months), serum thyroglobulin level was elevated in 15 patients. Among them, two cases had remnant thyroid tissue, 4 had recurrence at cervical lymph nodes, and the remaining 9 did not have any detectable lesion. All were alive, and 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 45.2±10.1%. Age £15 years, tumor size, lymph node status (N1b), and distant metastasis had negative effects on EFS. On multivariate analysis, age and tumor size had prognostic significance. @*Conclusion@#For DTC of children and adolescents (£18 years old), age ≤15 years and tumor size were prognostic factor. Therefore, patients in this age group need meticulous follow-up. Further studies are necessary to answer the potential influence of age on the incidence and behavior of DTC.
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BACKGROUND@#Annual vaccination is the principal way to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with influenza. In the 2016–2017 influenza seasons, the influenza epidemic appeared to exhibit a different pattern from the previous years. Because of the unusual trend, the incidence of influenza-like patients among school-aged children had increased, causing doubts about the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine among elementary school students in Korea.@*METHODS@#The study was conducted in elementary schools in each province of Korea in cooperation with the Student Health Policy Division of the Ministry of Education. Each Provincial Office of Education of Korea, except for Jeju, randomly selected one to two elementary schools for each District Office of Education. A total of 2,739 elementary school students were enrolled and vaccination and influenza infection status were collected from the subjects' parents through questionnaires, from February 13th to 21st in 2017. Vaccine effectiveness was defined as calculating the infection rate of influenza among the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups and determining the decreased infection rate of the vaccinated group relative to the unvaccinated group, while adjusting for time of vaccination and infection.@*RESULTS@#Adjusting for the interval between vaccination and infection, vaccine effectiveness of influenza was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.6% to 28.9%), 22.5% (95% CI, 10.3% to 33%), and 28.7% (95% CI, 17.5% to 38.3%) at 2 or more weeks, 3 or more weeks, and 4 or more weeks after vaccination, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#In conclusion, considering the time required for adequate immunogenicity, the 2016–2017 seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness in Korean elementary school students was 17.6%–28.7%, which was less effective than that of previous years.
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Background/Objectives@#To analyze the clinical characteristics of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in children and adolescents.Materials & Methods: Medical records of 31 DTC cases that were diagnosed and treated at Korea Cancer Center Hospital between 2002 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. @*Results@#Most cases were papillary carcinoma (n=26), with female predominance (n=25). Median age was 16.4 years (range, 11.9-18.6 years). Extrathyroidal extension was present in 24 cases. Twenty cases had tumor involvement at cervical lymph nodes and three had lung metastasis. Twenty-two patients received radioactive iodide treatment with a median cumulative dose of 300 mCi (range, 100-920 mCi). During a median follow-up of 68.2 months (range, 2.3-191.4 months), serum thyroglobulin level was elevated in 15 patients. Among them, two cases had remnant thyroid tissue, 4 had recurrence at cervical lymph nodes, and the remaining 9 did not have any detectable lesion. All were alive, and 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 45.2±10.1%. Age £15 years, tumor size, lymph node status (N1b), and distant metastasis had negative effects on EFS. On multivariate analysis, age and tumor size had prognostic significance. @*Conclusion@#For DTC of children and adolescents (£18 years old), age ≤15 years and tumor size were prognostic factor. Therefore, patients in this age group need meticulous follow-up. Further studies are necessary to answer the potential influence of age on the incidence and behavior of DTC.
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BACKGROUND@#Annual vaccination is the principal way to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with influenza. In the 2016–2017 influenza seasons, the influenza epidemic appeared to exhibit a different pattern from the previous years. Because of the unusual trend, the incidence of influenza-like patients among school-aged children had increased, causing doubts about the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine among elementary school students in Korea.@*METHODS@#The study was conducted in elementary schools in each province of Korea in cooperation with the Student Health Policy Division of the Ministry of Education. Each Provincial Office of Education of Korea, except for Jeju, randomly selected one to two elementary schools for each District Office of Education. A total of 2,739 elementary school students were enrolled and vaccination and influenza infection status were collected from the subjects' parents through questionnaires, from February 13th to 21st in 2017. Vaccine effectiveness was defined as calculating the infection rate of influenza among the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups and determining the decreased infection rate of the vaccinated group relative to the unvaccinated group, while adjusting for time of vaccination and infection.@*RESULTS@#Adjusting for the interval between vaccination and infection, vaccine effectiveness of influenza was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.6% to 28.9%), 22.5% (95% CI, 10.3% to 33%), and 28.7% (95% CI, 17.5% to 38.3%) at 2 or more weeks, 3 or more weeks, and 4 or more weeks after vaccination, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#In conclusion, considering the time required for adequate immunogenicity, the 2016–2017 seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness in Korean elementary school students was 17.6%–28.7%, which was less effective than that of previous years.
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PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct reference data for birth length of full-term and preterm Korean infants by sex and to define a sex-specific birth length cut-off to identify small for gestational age (SGA).METHODS: Data were collected from the 4th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007–2009), comprising 843 children with birth length data and birth history.RESULTS: References for the 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th percentiles of birth length and weight were created using singleton neonates of gestational age (GA) 36–37 weeks and 38–41 weeks by sex. The birth length cutoff value for SGA (<10th percentile) was 48 cm in both male and female neonates, and the ≤3rd percentile cutoff was 47 cm in males and 46 cm in females born at a GA of 38–41 weeks.CONCLUSION: New Korean reference data were created for birth length and differed from those of other ethnicities. Further research on short-term and long-term health outcomes of SGA infants based on the new reference data is needed.
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Child , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Asian People , Gestational Age , Nutrition Surveys , Parturition , Reproductive HistoryABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study was conducted to compare immunogenicities and reactogenicities of the trivalent inactivated subunit influenza vaccine and split influenza vaccine in Korean children and adolescents.METHODS: In total, 202 healthy children aged 36 months to <18 years were enrolled at six hospitals in Korea from October to December 2008. The subjects were vaccinated with either the split or subunit influenza vaccine. The hemagglutinin inhibition antibody titers against the H1N1, H3N2, and B virus strains were measured, and the seroconversion rates, seroprotection rates, and geometric mean titers were calculated. All subjects were observed for local and systemic reactions.RESULTS: Both the split and subunit vaccine groups had similar seroprotection rates against all strains (95.9%, 94.9%, 96.9% vs. 96.0%, 90.9%, and 87.9%). In children aged 36 to <72 months, the seroprotection rates were similar between the two vaccine groups. In children aged 72 months to <18 years, both vaccines showed high seroprotection rates against the H1N1, H3N2, and B strain (98.4%, 98.4%, 98.4% vs. 97.0%, 95.5%, and 91.0%), but showed relatively low seroconversion rates (39.1%, 73.4%, 35.9% vs. 34.3%, 55.2%, and 38.8%). There were more local and systemic reactions in the split vaccine group than in the subunit vaccine group; however, no serious adverse reactions were observed in both groups.CONCLUSIONS: Both the split and subunit vaccines showed acceptable immunogenicity in all age groups. There were no serious adverse events with both vaccines.
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Adolescent , Child , Humans , Hemagglutinins , Herpesvirus 1, Cercopithecine , Influenza Vaccines , Influenza, Human , Korea , Seasons , Seroconversion , Vaccines , Vaccines, SubunitABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The titer of influenza vaccine-induced antibodies declines over time, and younger children have lower immunogenicity and shorter duration of immunity. This study aimed to compare persistence of antibody at 6 months after influenza vaccination according to influenza virus strains, vaccine type, antigen dose, and primed status in children aged 6 to 35 months. METHODS: A total 124 healthy children aged 6 to 35 months were enrolled from September to December 2016 at 10 hospitals in Korea and randomly assigned to either a full dose of quadrivalent influenza vaccine or a half dose of trivalent influenza vaccine with Victoria B strain group. Hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers (that measure the seroprotection rates) were assessed for the recommended influenza strains at 6 months post vaccination. RESULTS: The seroprotection rates at 6 months for strains A (H1N1), A (H3N2), B/Yamagata, and B/Victoria were 88.7%, 97.4%, 36.6%, and 27.6%, respectively. The seroprotection rates for A (H1N1), A (H3N2) and B (Victoria) were 91.4%, 98.7% and 27.5% in a full dose of quadrivalent vaccine vs. 83.7%, 94.6% and 27.9% in a half dose trivalent vaccine, respectively. The seroprotection rate for the B (Yamagata) strain was 23.8% in the quadrivalent group and 14.0% in the trivalent group. CONCLUSION: Persistence of antibodies at 6 months was more favorable against the influenza A strains than against the B strains. Persistence of antibodies to additional B strain at 6 months was superior in the quadrivalent vaccine group. The immunity of primed children with different B strains was not superior to that of the unprimed group with another B strain.
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Child , Humans , Antibodies , Hemagglutination , Influenza Vaccines , Influenza, Human , Korea , Orthomyxoviridae , Vaccination , VictoriaABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We aimed to determine the prognostic significance of lymphocyte counts and the lymphocytemonocyte ratio (LMR) in pediatric patients with osteosarcoma. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 27 pediatric patients with localized extremity osteosarcoma, treated at the Korea Cancer Center Hospital between May 2002 and March 2016. Leukocyte counts and LMR before treatment and on day 14 (LMR14) of the first cisplatin-doxorubicin chemotherapy round were evaluated. Patients were dichotomized according to the median value of these parameters, and survival rates were compared. RESULTS: The median age of the 27 patients was 9.9 years (range, 3.2–14.1 years) and tumor sites were: distal femur (n=14), proximal humerus (n=7), proximal tibia (n=2), proximal fibula (n=2), and elsewhere (n=2). Patients were followed up on for a median of 76.4 months (range, 4.5–174.7 months), and 5-year overall (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) rates were 66.0%±9.8% and 60.9%±9.7%, respectively. Patients with a higher pretreatment lymphocyte count (≥2,320/μL) had better OS (90.9% vs. 46.2%, P=0.04) and EFS (83.9% vs. 38.5%, P=0.02). However, the day 14 lymphocyte count was not associated with survival. While no survival difference was observed between patients grouped according to pretreatment LMR (median value, 6.3), patients with a higher LMR14 (≥5) fared better than those with lower LMR14 (5-year OS: 83.3% vs. 46.3%, P=0.04). CONCLUSION: Pretreatment lymphocyte count and LMR during chemotherapy had prognostic significance in pediatric osteosarcoma patients. Further studies involving larger cohorts are necessary to validate our findings.
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Humans , Cohort Studies , Disease-Free Survival , Drug Therapy , Extremities , Femur , Fibula , Humerus , Korea , Leukocyte Count , Lymphocyte Count , Lymphocytes , Medical Records , Monocytes , Osteosarcoma , Retrospective Studies , Survival Rate , Tibia , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The frequency with which the 2 B lineages have been found to cocirculate in a season has been on the rise, which has spurred the need for a quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) to protect against both B lineages. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that QIV include both B lineages beginning in the 2013–2014 flu season. This study was conducted to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of an egg-cultivated QIV in healthy Korean children and adolescents aged ≥ 6 months to < 19 years. METHODS: A total of 528 subjects were randomized 4:1 to receive either a QIV (GC3110A) or a trivalent influenza vaccine. Hemagglutination inhibition antibody responses were assessed 28 days after the last dose. Safety was also evaluated. RESULTS: The proportion of subjects in the GC3110A group who achieved seroconversion was confirmed to exceed 40% across all age groups. The proportion of subjects aged ≥ 6 months to < 3 years in the GC3110A group who achieved seroprotection failed to meet the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) standard of 70%. Potential causes may include the small number of subjects, as well as the small dosage. However, results pertaining to the other age groups satisfied the MFDS standard. The safety profile was also comparable to that of the control. CONCLUSION: The new quadrivalent split influenza vaccine may offer broader protection to children and adolescents aged ≥ 3 years to < 19 years of age against both influenza B lineages than the existing trivalent influenza vaccines (Registered at the ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02541253).
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Adolescent , Child , Humans , Antibody Formation , Hemagglutination , Influenza Vaccines , Influenza, Human , Seasons , Seroconversion , World Health OrganizationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ferritin reference values vary by age, gender, and ethnicity. We aimed to determine reference values of serum ferritin (SF) and the percentage of transferrin saturation (TSAT) for Korean children and adolescents. METHODS: We analyzed data from 2,487 participants (1,311 males and 1,176 females) aged 10–20 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010–2012). We calculated age- and gender-stratified means and percentile values for SF and TSAT. RESULTS: We first plotted mean SF and TSAT by gender and according to age. In males, mean SF tended to be relatively constant among participants aged 10 to 14 years, with an upward trend thereafter. Mean SF trended downward among female participants until the age of 15 years and remained constant thereafter. Thus, significant gender differences in ferritin exist from the age of 14 years. High levels of SF were associated with obesity, and lower SF levels were associated with anemia and menarche status. CONCLUSION: We established reference values of SF and TSAT according to age and gender. The reference values for SF calculated in this study can be used to test the association between SF values and other defined diseases in Korean children and adolescents.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Anemia , Ferritins , Korea , Menarche , Nutrition Surveys , Obesity , Reference Values , TransferrinABSTRACT
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the most frequent infectious diseases. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are among major pathogens causing UTI. A variety of virulence genes are mainly responsible for the severity of these emerging infection. This study investigate the influences of virulence properties of UPEC isolates with reference to multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). The aim of this study was targeted that investigation of the bacterial pathogenicity associated with UTI in children. A total of 58 UPEC isolates were collected from urine samples from patients with clinical diagnosis of uncomplicated UTI. The MLST of UPEC strains were assessed by methods based on polymerase chain reaction. Motility was evaluated using soft-agar plates. Biofilm formation was analyzed in microtiter dish biofilm formation assay. Cell death assay was analyzed by Annexin V/Phosphatidylserine staining and DNA fragmentation assay. According the result, the predominant sequence type (ST) was ST95 (24.1%) and ST73 (17.2%). There were some difference in virulence gene and antibiotics resistance between ST95 and ST73. The number of 11 (18.9%) isolates were strongly adherent. Based on the detected biofilm formation, these strongly adherent are almost ST73. The ST95 was higher than ST73 in population, but ST95 was lower than ST73 in motility and cell death induction. This study indicated that the UPEC molecular strains are related to some virulence traits. Furthermore, the virulence factors carried by ST73 strains contribute to their abilities to colonize the host and cause disease.
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Child , Humans , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Biofilms , Cell Death , Colon , Communicable Diseases , Diagnosis , DNA Fragmentation , Korea , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Urinary Tract Infections , Uropathogenic Escherichia coli , Virulence Factors , VirulenceABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Seasonal influenza can be prevented by vaccination. Disease prevention in children aged <60 months is of particular importance because of the associated familial and societal burden. Considering that caretakers make the decision to vaccinate their children, the identification of drivers and barriers to vaccination is essential to increase influenza vaccination coverage. METHODS: A total of 639 parents participated in the pre- and posteducational survey and 450 parents participated in the study via telephone interviews. The participating parents were asked to rank their agreement with each statement of the survey questionnaire on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), and the scores between pre- and postintervention were compared. RESULTS: Before the educational intervention, 105 out of 639 participants reported not to agree to vaccinate their children against influenza. After the intervention, 46 out of the 105 parents changed their opinions about childhood vaccination. The physicians' recommendation received the highest agreement score and was the most important driver to vaccination, whereas the cost of vaccination was the strongest factor for not vaccinating children. In general, the participants significantly changed the agreement scores between pre- and postintervention. However, the unfavorable opinions about vaccination and the convenience of receiving the influenza vaccine did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that a specific educational intervention involving caregivers is very effective in increasing the influenza vaccination coverage of children aged less than 60 months.
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Child , Humans , Caregivers , Influenza Vaccines , Influenza, Human , Interviews as Topic , Parents , Seasons , VaccinationABSTRACT
Seasonal influenza is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality of children in Korea. However, few data are available on parental perception and action toward childhood influenza. This study aimed to characterize parental perception and patterns of action in response to influenza and influenza-like illnesses (ILIs), including vaccination and healthcare use. This prospective study involved a random survey of parents whose children were aged 6–59 months. The survey was conducted in October 2014. The study included 638 parents of 824 children younger than 6 years. Most parental information of influenza came from mass media (28.2%) and social media (15.5%). The factor that most often motivated parents to vaccinate their children against influenza was promotion of the government or mass media (36.6%). Negative predictors of immunization included safety concerns about influenza vaccination (28.1%) and mistrust in the vaccine's effectiveness (23.3%). Therefore, correct information about influenza and vaccination from mass media will be one of the cornerstones for implementing a successful childhood immunization program and reducing morbidity and mortality in Korea. Furthermore, to enroll younger children in vaccination programs, and to minimize coverage gaps, public concerns about vaccine safety should be resolved. The demographic data in the present study will be used to provide a deeper insight into a parental perception and will help health care providers increase influenza immunization rate.
Subject(s)
Child , Humans , Delivery of Health Care , Health Personnel , Immunization , Immunization Programs , Influenza Vaccines , Influenza, Human , Korea , Mass Media , Mortality , Parents , Prospective Studies , Seasons , Social Media , VaccinationABSTRACT
Hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a life-threatening syndrome that generally occurs as a complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or, less commonly, after conventional chemotherapy. Regarding SOS in rhabdomyosarcoma patients who received conventional chemotherapy, the doses of chemotherapeutic agents are associated with the development of SOS. Several cases of SOS in rhabdomyosarcoma patients after receiving chemotherapy with escalated doses of cyclophosphamide have been reported. Here, we report on a 9-year-old female with rhabdomyosarcoma who developed severe SOS after receiving chemotherapy consisting of vincristine, actinomycin-D, and a moderate dose of cyclophosphamide. She was treated successfully with defibrotide without sequelae to the liver.