A Pilot Study of Comparisons Between 1999 and 2007 Data on Childhood Asthma Caregiver's Quality of Life Questionnaire / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: Childhood asthma is one of the most frequent chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract and can have profound effects on emotional, and economical aspects not only for childhood asthma patients, but also the patient's caregivers. It was also performed has been done in Korea in 1999 under the supervision of The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease (KAPARD). We compared and evaluated the data from the questionnaire between 1999 and 2007 in order to obtain the pilot data for a nation-wide study on the life quality of childhood asthma caregivers. METHODS: We selected childhood asthma patients at the Department of Pediatrics, Hanyang University Seoul Hospital and Guri Hospital. The contents and categories of the questionnaire were identical with the one developed by KAPARD, the questionnaire were filled up twice at first & second visit, divided into emotion and activity domains. All items were rated on a 5 scores from 1 to 5: 1, a lower quality of life; and 5, a satisfactory quality of life. For the validity of the study, the caregivers filled up the first and the second questionnaire at least at 1-week intervals the measurement of forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV1) at each time and also added an item in the second questionnaire which compared the difference between 2 visits, subsequently scoring +5 for the most improved state, -5 for the most aggravated state and 0 for the stationary state. RESULTS: In this study, may higher scores in the second visit suggested successful management of asthma may contribute to the improvement in the caregiver's quality of life. Particularly, items such as "Frustration", "Embarrassment", "Worry about daily works" and "Concern about side effect of medicine" have been improved in the emotion domain, and "sleepless", "Night awakening", and "Disturbance of housework" in the activity domain. Between 1999 and 2007, "Concerning", and "Concern about ordinary works" has been improved in the first visit, and "Disturbance of houseworks", "Worry about daily works" and "Concern about side effects of medicine" in the second visit. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that there may be no significant different items regarding the quality of life between the stable and changed groups, suggesting that our questionnaire can be applicable to clinical practice.

Communicating Bronchopulmonary Foregut Malformation: A Case Report

Communicating bronchopulmonary foregut malformations are rare tracheobronchial anomalies characterized by a fistula between an isolated portion of respiratory tissue and the esophagus or stomach. We describe a case of CBFM in which chest radiography revealed total haziness in the right lung field. The diagnosis was confirmed by esophagography.

Pulmonary Nodules Resected for Suspected Metastsis from Extrapulmonary Malignancy: CT-Pathologic Correlation

PURPOSE: To assess the relative frequency of benign and metastatic nodules in patients in whom nodules were resected due to suspected metastasis, and to compare the CT features of these nodules with pathologic findings in resected specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-four pulmonary nodules resected by pulmonary metastasectomy in 31 patients with extrathoracic malignancies were included in our study. We retrospectively analyzed the CT features of each nodule with regard to size, shape, margin characteristics, the presence or absence of cavity, location and distance from the pleura. RESULTS: Among 94 resected nodules, 67 (71 %) were metastatic, and 27 (29 %), were benign. Among the pathologically benign nodules, involvement was as follows : fibrosis (n=14), intrapulmonary lymph node (n=7), necrosis (n=3), organizing pneumonia (n=2) and xanthogranulomatous inflammation (n=1). The mean diameter of metastatic nodules was 10.9 (range, 1-30) mm, and that of benign nodules 6.0 (range, 1-30) mm. Statistically significant differences in nodule size were found between the two groups (p<0.05), though CT revealed no significant differences in terms of shape, margin, the presence or absence of cavity, location and distance from the pleura. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-nine percent of surgically resected nodules in patients with extrathoracic malignancies were benign. Although the possibility of metastatic nodule increases with larger nodule size, the correct diagnosis of pulmonary nodules requires histopathologic confirmation or monitoring of serial changes in nodule size.

Pulmonary Nodules Resected for Suspected Metastsis from Extrapulmonary Malignancy: CT-Pathologic Correlation

PURPOSE: To assess the relative frequency of benign and metastatic nodules in patients in whom nodules were resected due to suspected metastasis, and to compare the CT features of these nodules with pathologic findings in resected specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-four pulmonary nodules resected by pulmonary metastasectomy in 31 patients with extrathoracic malignancies were included in our study. We retrospectively analyzed the CT features of each nodule with regard to size, shape, margin characteristics, the presence or absence of cavity, location and distance from the pleura. RESULTS: Among 94 resected nodules, 67 (71 %) were metastatic, and 27 (29 %), were benign. Among the pathologically benign nodules, involvement was as follows : fibrosis (n=14), intrapulmonary lymph node (n=7), necrosis (n=3), organizing pneumonia (n=2) and xanthogranulomatous inflammation (n=1). The mean diameter of metastatic nodules was 10.9 (range, 1-30) mm, and that of benign nodules 6.0 (range, 1-30) mm. Statistically significant differences in nodule size were found between the two groups (p<0.05), though CT revealed no significant differences in terms of shape, margin, the presence or absence of cavity, location and distance from the pleura. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-nine percent of surgically resected nodules in patients with extrathoracic malignancies were benign. Although the possibility of metastatic nodule increases with larger nodule size, the correct diagnosis of pulmonary nodules requires histopathologic confirmation or monitoring of serial changes in nodule size.

Plasma Homovanillic Acid Level in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder / 대한정신약물학회지

This research was performed to investigate whether or not the psychobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder is related to dopamine systems. Plasma homovanillic acid levels were measured in 16 male patients with posttraumatic stress disorder and in 16 nonpsychiatric normal males. Posttraumatic stress disorder was diagnosed using the DSM-IV. Plasma homovanillic acid levels were significantly higher in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder than in normal control subjects(p<0.05). The findings of this study suggest that hyperactivity of dopamine systems may be related to the psychobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder.

A Clinical and Epidemiological study on Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in Children

No abstract available.