Application of carbon dioxide as a novel approach to eradicate poultry red mites

Poultry red mites (PRMs), Dermanyssus gallinae, are one of the most harmful ectoparasites of laying hens. Because of their public health impact, safe, effective methods to eradicate PRMs are greatly needed. Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) was shown to eradicate phytophagous mites;however, there is no evidence that PRMs can be eradicated by CO2. Thus, the efficacy of CO2, applied by direct-spraying and dry ice-generated exposure, for eradicating PRMs was investigated. Both treatments eradicated > 85% of PRMs within 24 h and 100% of PRMs by 120 h of post-treatment. Therefore, these novel approaches may be useful for eradicating PRMs in clinical settings.

Age-Related Decrease in Skeletal Muscle Mass Is an Independent Risk Factor for Incident Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A 10-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Sarcopenia has emerged as an important risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although aging is the main cause of sarcopenia, the longitudinal association between age-related body composition changes and NAFLD development has not been fully investigated. Thus, we evaluated whether age-related increased fat mass or decreased muscle mass is an independent risk factor for incident NAFLD. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 4,398 initially NAFLD-free subjects who underwent routine health examinations during 2004 to 2005 and returned for a follow-up during 2014 to 2015. Their body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis, and fatty liver was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. RESULTS: At the 10-year follow-up, 591 out of 4,398 participants (13.4%) had developed NAFLD. In men and women, both increased fat mass and decreased appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) with aging were significantly associated with incident NAFLD after adjustment. A subgroup analysis according to the baseline obesity status showed that increased fat mass was significantly associated with incident NAFLD in obese and nonobese subjects. However, decreased ASM was significantly associated with incident NAFLD in nonobese but not in obese subjects. According to ΔASM tertiles (decrease of ASM), the odds ratios for incident NAFLD in nonobese subjects were 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.84) for the second tertile and 1.81 (95% CI, 1.34 to 2.45) for the third tertile after adjustment (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A progressive increase in fat mass and a loss of ASM with aging were significantly associated with incident NAFLD. This association was more prominent in nonobese subjects.

Acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain of wild birds in Korea—2014 to 2016

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity level can be used as a diagnostic marker for anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning. In this study, we aimed to establish a baseline level of normal brain AChE activity in wild birds. AChE activity was measured in the brains of 87dead wild birds (26 species). The level of AChE activity ranged from 6.40 to 15.9 µmol/min/g of brain tissue in normal wild birds. However, the brain tissue AChE activity level in wild birds exposed to organophosphate (OP) pesticide was 48.0%–96.3% of that in the normal birds. These results may serve as reference values to facilitate routine diagnosis and monitoring of OP-poisoned wild birds.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic integration of enrofloxacin against Salmonella Enteritidis after administering to broiler chicken by per-oral and intravenous routes

It is crucial to optimize the dose of fluoroquinolones to avoid antibiotic resistance and to attain clinical success. We undertook this study to optimize the dose of enrofloxacin against Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) in chicken by assessing its pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) indices. The antibacterial activities of enrofloxacin against S. Enteritidis were evaluated. After administering 10 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) of enrofloxacin to broiler chickens of both sexes by intravenous (IV) and peroral (PO) routes, blood samples were drawn at different intervals and enrofloxacin concentrations in plasma were determined. PK/PD indices were calculated by integrating the PK and PD data. The elimination half-lives (T(1/2)), time required to reach peak concentration (T(max)), peak concentration (C(max)), and area under curve (AUC) after administering enrofloxacin by PO and IV routes were 25.84 ± 1.40 h, 0.65 ± 0.12 h, 3.82 ± 0.59 µg/mL, and 20.84 ± 5.0 µg·h/mL, and 12.84 ± 1.4 h, 0.22 ± 0.1 h, 6.74 ± 0.03 µg/mL, and 21.13 ± 0.9 µg.h/mL, respectively. The bioavailability of enrofloxacin was 98.6% ± 8.9% after PO administration. The MICs of enrofloxacin were 0.0625–1 µg/mL against S. Enteritidis strains, and the MIC₅₀ was 0.50 µg/mL. The C(max)/MIC₅₀ were 7.64 ± 0.2 and 13.48 ± 0.7 and the 24 h AUC/MIC₅₀ were 41.68 ± 0.1 and 42.26 ± 0.3 after administering the drug through PO and IV routes, respectively. The data in this study indicate that the application of 50 mg/kg b.w. of enrofloxacin to chicken through PO and IV routes with a dosing interval of 24 h can effectively cure S. Enteritidis infection, indicating the need for a 5-fold increase in the recommended dosage of enrofloxacin in chicken.

Use of child safety seats during transportation of newborns / 소아과

PURPOSE: Child safety seats (CSS) are critical for the protection of children, in case of motor vehicle accidents. Although the national legislation mandates that all newborns must be placed in an appropriately installed CSS during transportation, people often do not perceive the importance of CSS and do not use it as recommended. The purpose of this survey was to understand the use of CSS for the safe transport of newborns from hospital to home. METHODS: We interviewed parents of newborn infants, using a structured questionnaire, at the time of their discharge from Cheil General Hospital & Women’s Health Care Center, between May 2014 and July 2014. RESULTS: A total of 403 participants were interviewed. The rate of CSS use was only 14.9%. Overall, 76.4% of the families interviewed were not aware about the recommendations on CSS use for newborns when travelling in a car. The provision of education on using CSS significantly influenced their rate of use. Parents who were educated about mounting the CSS in a car used it more as compared with others (25.7% vs. 12.2%) (P=0.002). Furthermore, if parents had heard about the importance or necessity of CSS, they used it more than others did (19.5% vs. 10.6%, P=0.032). CONCLUSION: Despite the legal regulation, most parents transport their newborn infants without a CSS while traveling from hospital to their home. The rate of CSS use was influenced by parental education and their knowledge about its necessity. Education programs for parents must be reinforced to increase the CSS use.

Relationship between Horse Racing Addiction and Health Status Indicators

BACKGROUND@#The purpose of this study is to investigate relationship between the horse racing addiction and the health status indicators.@*METHODS@#Surveys were conducted with visitors of the Korea Racing Association in Gyeonggi-do, from September 1 to September 24, 2017. We used the questionnaire, which contains questions to assess the horse racing addiction, mood depression, health-related quality of life, smoking amount, alcohol dependency, etc. Survey data were analyzed through t-test, chi-square test, logistic regression analysis, and multiple regression analysis by SPSS program (IBM Corp., Chicago, IL, USA).@*RESULTS@#The pathological gambling group was 47.5% (n=38) of the visitors, and they showed a different racecourse use behavior compared to the normal group. In addition, we found that the pathological gambling group had a significantly different health-related quality of life score and a depression score from the normal group, and that the addiction score and the depression score had a linear correlation.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Among the racecourse visitors, the ratio of the pathological gambler was considerably high, and the pathological gambling group showed different health-related quality of life score and a depression score compared to the normal group; especially, the depression score has a significant correlation with horse racing addiction. Therefore, the horse racing association and the health authorities should recognize the seriousness of the horse racing addiction, make an effort to select high risk users, and prepare a program to prevent pathological gambling.

Relationship between Horse Racing Addiction and Health Status Indicators

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to investigate relationship between the horse racing addiction and the health status indicators. METHODS: Surveys were conducted with visitors of the Korea Racing Association in Gyeonggi-do, from September 1 to September 24, 2017. We used the questionnaire, which contains questions to assess the horse racing addiction, mood depression, health-related quality of life, smoking amount, alcohol dependency, etc. Survey data were analyzed through t-test, chi-square test, logistic regression analysis, and multiple regression analysis by SPSS program (IBM Corp., Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: The pathological gambling group was 47.5% (n=38) of the visitors, and they showed a different racecourse use behavior compared to the normal group. In addition, we found that the pathological gambling group had a significantly different health-related quality of life score and a depression score from the normal group, and that the addiction score and the depression score had a linear correlation. CONCLUSIONS: Among the racecourse visitors, the ratio of the pathological gambler was considerably high, and the pathological gambling group showed different health-related quality of life score and a depression score compared to the normal group; especially, the depression score has a significant correlation with horse racing addiction. Therefore, the horse racing association and the health authorities should recognize the seriousness of the horse racing addiction, make an effort to select high risk users, and prepare a program to prevent pathological gambling.

Clinical Experiences with Febrile Infants, Younger than Three Months, with Urinary Tract Infection in a Single Center for Four Years: Incidence, Pathogens and Viral Co-infections

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence and microbiological characteristics of urinary tract infection in infants aged younger three months and to compare with other infection with positive urine culture. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 425 infants with a tympanic temperature >37.6℃, aged younger than three months, who were admitted to Cheil General Hospital in Seoul, Korea, from January 2013 to December 2016. Demographic and clinical features, laboratory findings, respiratory virus PCR and the pathogens of a urine culture were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 88 infants (63 males, 25 females) had urinary pathogens detected in the urine culture test. The incidence of UTI in febrile infants aged younger 3 months was 11%. The most common pathogen which causes UTI was E. coli as same as in previous studies. They were divided into a UTI group (n=48) and a non-UTI group (n=40). In comparison of both group, leukocytosis, C-reactive protein level, Absolute neutrophil count level, peak temperature is statistically significant. In both group, there were co-infections with viral pathogens in some cases, and the odd ratio of non-UTI group with viral infection was 3.28. CONCLUSION: The study determined the incidence and pathogen of UTI in febrile infants, aged younger three months. E. coli was responsible for the majority UTI. There were some viral co-infections in febrile infants with bacteriuria and incidence was higher in non-UTI group. WBC count, ANC count and CRP level were the differentiating factors of UTI from non-UTI group.

Clinical Experiences with Febrile Infants, Younger than Three Months, with Urinary Tract Infection in a Single Center for Four Years: Incidence, Pathogens and Viral Co-infections

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence and microbiological characteristics of urinary tract infection in infants aged younger three months and to compare with other infection with positive urine culture. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 425 infants with a tympanic temperature >37.6℃, aged younger than three months, who were admitted to Cheil General Hospital in Seoul, Korea, from January 2013 to December 2016. Demographic and clinical features, laboratory findings, respiratory virus PCR and the pathogens of a urine culture were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 88 infants (63 males, 25 females) had urinary pathogens detected in the urine culture test. The incidence of UTI in febrile infants aged younger 3 months was 11%. The most common pathogen which causes UTI was E. coli as same as in previous studies. They were divided into a UTI group (n=48) and a non-UTI group (n=40). In comparison of both group, leukocytosis, C-reactive protein level, Absolute neutrophil count level, peak temperature is statistically significant. In both group, there were co-infections with viral pathogens in some cases, and the odd ratio of non-UTI group with viral infection was 3.28. CONCLUSION: The study determined the incidence and pathogen of UTI in febrile infants, aged younger three months. E. coli was responsible for the majority UTI. There were some viral co-infections in febrile infants with bacteriuria and incidence was higher in non-UTI group. WBC count, ANC count and CRP level were the differentiating factors of UTI from non-UTI group.

Maternal food restrictions during breastfeeding / 소아과

PURPOSE: This study investigated self-food restriction during breastfeeding, reviewed the literature showing the effect of maternal diet on the health of breast-fed infants, and explored the validity of dietary restrictions. METHODS: Questionnaire data were collected from breastfeeding Korean mothers who visited the pediatric clinic of Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center from July 2015 through August 2015. The survey included items assessing maternal age, number of children, maternal educational attainment, household income, degree of difficulty with self-food restriction, types of self-restricted foods, dietary customs during breastfeeding, and sources of information about breastfeeding. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 145 mothers. More than a third (n=56, 39%) had discomfort from and usually avoided 4–5 types of food (mean, 4.92). Mothers younger than 40 years had more discomfort (odds ratio [OR], 12.762; P=0.017). Primiparas felt less discomfort than multiparas (OR, 0.436; P=0.036). Dietary practices were not influenced by maternal educational attainment or household income. The most common self-restricted foods were caffeine (n=131, 90.3%), spicy foods (n=124, 85.5%), raw foods (n=109, 75.2%), cold foods (n=100, 69%), and sikhye (traditional sweet Korean rice beverage) (n=100, 69%). Most mothers (n=122, 84.1%) avoided foods for vague reasons. CONCLUSION: Most mothers restricted certain foods unnecessarily. Literature review identified no foods that mothers should absolutely avoid during breastfeeding unless the infant reacts negatively to the food.

Predicting Factors of Roseola Infantum Infected with Human Herpesvirus 6 from Urinary Tract Infection

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and laboratory features of infants with roseola infantum due to human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) infection and those with urinary tract infection (UTI). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children who were hospitalized at Cheil General Hospital and Women's Health Care Center, College of Medicine, Dankook University, and diagnosed as having HHV6 infection or UTI. RESULTS: Among the infants admitted between September 2014 and May 2016, 92 (male, 45 and female, 47) were included in the study and divided into a HHV6 infection group (n=50) and a UTI group (n=42). The relative risk of UTI compared with that of HHV6 infection increased with pyuria (P<0.001), increased with leukocytosis (mean white blood cell [WBC] count, 15,048±5,756/mm³ vs 87,916±54,056/mm³; P<0.001), increased with C-reactive protein (CRP) level (4.89±4.85 mg/dL vs 1.04±1.76 mg/dL; P<0.001), and younger age (6.3±3.2 months vs 18.3±12.6 months; P<0.001). The relative risk of HHV6 infection compared with that of UTI increased with fever duration (4.3±1.7 days vs 2.8±1.7 days; P<0.001) and decreased with platelet (PLT) count (373±94×10³/mm³ vs 229±90×10³/mm³; P<0.001). No significant differences were found between the HHV6 groups according to the presence or absence of pyuria. CONCLUSION: Pyuria, age, fever duration, WBC count, CRP level, and PLT count were the differentiating factors of HHV6 infection from UTI. However, sterile pyuria can occur in children with HHV6 infection. In the presence of pyuria, CRP level and PLT count were the strong predictors of UTI compared with HHV6.

The Prenatal and Postnatal Incidence of Congenital Anomalies of the Kidneys and Urinary Tract (CAKUT) Detected by Ultrasound

PURPOSE: Congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT) are the most common anomalies identified in newborns. This study aims to demonstrate the prevalence of CAKUT including hydronephrosis diagnosed by antenatal and postnatal ultrasound over a five-year period. METHODS: The records of births between May 1st, 2009 and April 30th, 2014 at our hospital were collected. The number of infants who underwent renal ultrasound after birth for the detection of CAKUT was counted. The incidence of each type of CAKUT such as hydronephrosis, size abnormality, horseshoe kidney, and Multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) was retrospectively evaluated for antenatal screening and postnatal follow-up examination. RESULTS: During the study period, 33,276 infants were born and 521 neonates underwent postnatal renal ultrasound. 183 cases of CAKUT were detected prenatally and 140 postnatally using ultrasonographic examinations at the following time: (i) 3-7 days postnatally in 123 newborns (87.9%), (ii) during 1-3 months in 11 newborns (7.9%), and (iii) later than 3 months in 6 newborns (4.3%). Among diagnosed CAKUT, hydronephrosis was the most common anomaly with 113 newborns diagnosed prenatally and 46 postnatally. Duplex kidney was the second most common anomaly followed by horseshoe kidney, simple cysts in the kidney and so on. CONCLUSION: The detection of CAKUT is an important part of the prenatal ultrasound. This study analyzed the prevalence of CAKUT detected on prenatal screening and compared the results to those detected postnatally. Prenatal ultrasound screening fulfills the needs of postnatal examinations and therefore, both antenatal and postnatal sonographic investigations are of vital importance for diagnosis of renal and urinary tract anomalies.

Effect of General Hospital Nurses' Perception of Patient Safety Culture and Burnout on Safety Management Activities / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine effects of patient safety culture and burnout on safety management activities with a focus on clinical experience of nurses in general hospitals. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were given to nurses in a general hospital in C Province, and 107 questionnaires were used for final analysis. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 21.0 Program for t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. RESULTS: The highest score as perceived by general hospital nurses for patient safety culture was for 'Immediate superior/Manager'(3.84), for burnout, the highest score was for 'Emotional exhaustion' (4.13), and for safety management activities, the highest score was for 'Prevention of infection' (3.96). Patient safety culture and safety management activities perceived by general hospital nurses showed significant positive correlations (r=.35 p<.001). The correlations between burnout and safety management activities perceived by the nurses showed significant negative correlations (r=-.37, p<.001). Results of hierarchical regression analysis conducted to identify factors that affect safety management activities showed that patient safety culture (β=.40 p<.001) was effective for controlling safety management activities. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate a need to build a patient safety culture that fits the characteristics and situations of various hospitals.

Rare Case of Anal Canal Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma Associated with Perianal and Vulvar Pagetoid Spread

A 61-year-old woman was referred to surgery for incidentally found colonic polyps during a health examination. Physical examination revealed widespread eczematous skin lesion without pruritus in the perianal and vulvar area. Abdominopelvic computed tomography showed an approximately 4-cm-sized, soft tissue lesion in the right perianal area. Inguinal lymph node dissection and Mils' operation extended to perianal and perivulvar skin was performed. Histologically, the anal canal lesion was composed of mucin-containing signet ring cells, which were similar to those found in Pagetoid skin lesions. It was diagnosed as an anal canal signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) with perianal and vulvar Pagetoid spread and bilateral inguinal lymph node metastasis. Anal canal SRCC is rare, and the current case is the third reported case in the English literature. Seven additional cases were retrieved from the world literature. Here, we describe this rare case of anal canal SRCC with perianal Pagetoid spread and provide a literature review.

Appropriate Body Temperature Measurement Method for Parents of Infants

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to find a method for parents to easily and accurately measure their infant's body temperature following instructions and to recommend such method as the standard for parents at home. METHODS: Parents of 120 pediatric patients who were brought to the emergency room or well-baby clinic of a general hospital in Seoul were informed of correct ways to measure children's body temperature using digital and infrared thermometers. They were then asked to measure their children's body temperature. We observed and assessed the accuracy of the technique for each measuring method. Difficulty of each method was evaluated by the feedback from parents after the measurement. The correlation was analyzed between axillary, tympanic, or forehead temperature and rectal temperature, and the differences of accuracy and difficulty were compared between the measurement methods. RESULTS: Better accuracy was observed when parents measured the tympanic (87.5%) or axillary temperature (83.3%), rather than the forehead (76.7%) or rectal temperature (47.5%) (p<0.05). More parents indicated ease of use when they measured the forehead (89.2%) or tympanic (80.0%) temperature, rather than the axillary (60.0%) or rectal temperature (5.8%) (p<0.05). The axillary, tympanic, and forehead temperatures correlated well with the rectal temperature when measured accurately by parents (r=0.974, 0.976, 0.942, respectively). CONCLUSION: As parents measured the tympanic temperature using an infrared thermometer with the most accuracy and ease, using this method is recommended as the standard method to measure infant's body temperature at home.

Differences in Clinical Manifestations according to the Positivity of Interferon-γ Assay in Patients with Intestinal Tuberculosis

Intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) remains prevalent in Asia. An interferon-γ assay (QuantiFERON-TB gold test [QFT]) is considered to be an effective supplementary tool for diagnosing ITB. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical features of ITB patients based on the initial results of QFT. A total of 109 patients with ITB were enrolled, and 82 patients (75.2%) showed positive QFT results. In the QFT-positive group, the mean age (44.1±12.0 years) was significantly higher than that in the QFT-negative group (37.0±14.8, p=0.0096). Abdominal pain (p=0.006) and diarrhea (p=0.030) were more frequent in the QFT-negative group. Further, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher in the QFT-negative group (6.4±9.9 mg/dL) than in the QFT-positive group (1.3±2.3, p<0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that younger age (p=0.016), diarrhea (p=0.042), and high levels of CRP (p=0.029) were independent predictors of QFT-negative results in patients with ITB. These results suggest that prior exposure to TB, reflected by QFT positivity, may cause mild inflammation in patients with ITB.

Disease-specific Growth Charts of Marfan Syndrome Patients in Korea

Patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS) presents with primary skeletal manifestations such as tall stature, chest wall abnormality, and scoliosis. These primary skeletal manifestations affect the growth pattern in MFS. Therefore, it is not appropriate to use normal growth charts to evaluate the growth status of MFS. We aimed to develop disease-specific growth charts for Korean MFS patients and to use these growth charts for understanding the growth patterns in MFS and managing of patients with MFS. Anthropometric data were available from 187 males and 152 females with MFS through a retrospective review of medical records. Disease-specific growth charts were generated and 3, 25, 50, 75, and 97 percentiles were calculated using the LMS (refers to lambda, mu, and sigma, respectively) smoothing procedure for height and weight. Comparisons between MFS patients and the general population were performed using a one-sample t-test. With regard to the height, the 50th percentile of MFS is above the normative 97th percentile in both genders. With regard to the weight, the 50 percentile of MFS is above the normative 75th percentile in male and between the normative 50th percentile and the 75th percentile in female. The disease-specific growth charts for Korean patients with MFS can be useful for monitoring growth patterns, planning the timing of growth-reductive therapy, predicting adult height and recording responses to growth-reductive therapy.

Multivariate Analysis of Risk Factors Associated With the Nonreversal Ileostomy Following Sphincter-Preserving Surgery for Rectal Cancer

PURPOSE: A loop ileostomy is used to protect an anastomosis after anal sphincter-preserving surgery, especially in patients with low rectal cancer, but little information is available concerning risk factors associated with a nonreversal ileostomy. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors of ileostomy nonreversibility after a sphincter-saving resection for rectal cancer. METHODS: Six hundred seventy-nine (679) patients with rectal cancer who underwent sphincter-preserving surgery between January 2004 and December 2011 were evaluated retrospectively. Of the 679, 135 (19.9%) underwent a defunctioning loop ileostomy of temporary intent, and these patients were divided into two groups, that is, a reversal group (RG, 112 patients) and a nonreversal group (NRG, 23 patients) according to the reversibility of the ileostomy. RESULTS: In 23 of the 135 rectal cancer patients (17.0%) that underwent a diverting ileostomy, stoma reversal was not possible for the following reasons; stage IV rectal cancer (11, 47.8%), poor tone of the anal sphincter (4, 17.4%), local recurrence (2, 8.7%), anastomotic leakage (1, 4.3%), radiation proctitis (1, 4.3%), and patient refusal (4, 17.4%). The independent risk factors of the nonreversal group were anastomotic leakage or fistula, stage IV cancer, local recurrence, and comorbidity. CONCLUSION: Postoperative complications such as anastomotic leakage or fistula, advanced primary disease (stage IV), local recurrence and comorbidity were identified as risk factors of a nonreversal ileostomy. These factors should be considered when drafting prudential guidelines for ileostomy closure.

A New Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells (TREM) Family Member, TLT-6, is Involved in Activation and Proliferation of Macrophages

The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM) family, which is abundantly expressed in myeloid lineage cells, plays a pivotal role in innate and adaptive immune response. In this study, we aimed to identify a novel receptor expressed on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by using in silico bioinformatics and to characterize the identified receptor. We thus found the TREM-like transcript (TLT)-6, a new member of TREM family. TLT-6 has a single immunoglobulin domain in the extracellular region and a long cytoplasmic region containing 2 immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif-like domains. TLT-6 transcript was expressed in HSCs, monocytes and macrophages. TLT-6 protein was up-regulated on the surface of bone marrow-derived and peritoneal macrophages by lipopolysaccharide stimulation. TLT-6 exerted anti-proliferative effects in macrophages. Our results demonstrate that TLT-6 may regulate the activation and proliferation of macrophages.

Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia at 1-Month Age and Transient Thyroid Dysfunction in a Preterm Baby Treated for Fetal Tachycardia with Amiodarone / 대한주산의학회잡지

Fetal tachycardia is mostly benign, but sometimes results in serious consequences such as fetal hydrops and fetal death. To decrease cardiovascular burden, fetuses could be treated with transplacental administration of antiarrhythmic drugs such as digoxin, amiodarone. Although amiodarone has been proven to be effective against fetal tachycardia, it is also known to cause transient neonatal thyroid dysfunction and neurodevelopmental delay in some patients. Nonetheless, there has been only few postnatal follow-up studies with the patients who were diagnosed and treated for fetal tachycardia although majority of postnatal arrhythmias occurred within the first 48 hours of life in a recent report. We report a newborn with transient thyroid dysfunction and late-onset supraventricular tachycardia at 1 month age, who had fetal tachycardia treated with amiodarone at the 25th week of pregnancy.