PurposeThe potential effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) treatment on the weight of girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) remains a controversy. We investigated anthropometric changes during and after GnRHa treatment among girls with CPP.MethodsThis retrospective study evaluated data from 127 girls with CPP who received GnRHa treatment for ≥2 years. Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) values were compared at the baseline (visit 1), after 1 year of GnRHa treatment (visit 2), the end of GnRHa treatment (visit 3), and 6–12 months after GnRHa discontinuation (visit 4).ResultsThe height z score for chronological age (CA) increased continuously between visit 1 and visit 4. No significant differences were observed in BMI z score for CA between visits 1 and 4. However, an increasing trend in the BMI z score for bone age (BA) was observed between visits 1 and 4. The numbers of participants who were of normal weight, overweight, and obese were 97, 22, and 8, respectively, at visit 1, compared to 100, 16, and 11, respectively, at visit 4 (P=0.48).ConclusionAmong girls with CPP, the overall BMI z score for CA did not change significantly during or after GnRHa treatment discontinuation, regardless of their BMI status at visit 1. However, the BMI z score for BA showed an increasing trend during GnRHa treatment and a decreasing trend after discontinuation. Therefore, long-term follow-up of BMI changes among girls with CPP is required until they attain adult height.

Rotavirus is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in infancy and early childhood. Febrile seizures can occur in some infants or children exhibiting rotavirus gastroen teritis even without severe electrolyte imbalance, hypoglycemia or abnormal cere brospinal fluid (CSF) finding. Some reports have described diffuse cerebral white matter lesions on diffusionweighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWMRI) in neonates with rotavirusassociated encephalopathy/encephalitis. In this case study, a 6dayold male neonate was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit after having a fever lasting 24 hours. On hospital day two, the seventh day after birth, the patient had his first seizure. The pregnancy and delivery were uneventful. The lab findings, including a CSF exam, were normal, but a stool antigen test for rotavirus was positive. The electroencephalography (EEG) examination result was normal. DW MRI of the brain showed bilateral symmetric diffusion restriction in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum as well as in the periventricular white matter of the lateral ventricles. Multiple scattered highsignalintensit foci on T1weighted image/ fluidattenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) in the periventricular white matter were also seen bilaterally. He is now 17 months old, and there were no further seizures. He did not show any neurodevelopmental delay. This case reports that the patient with rotavirusinduced neonatal seizures with cerebral white matter abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a normal neurodevelopmental outcome on the followup.

Purpose: Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is an important morbidity in preterm infants. Its reported prevalence in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants is 3% to 15% in VLBW infants. PVL develop seizure disorder, intellectual disability, visual problem, and cerebral palsy. This study was done to describe the risk factors of PVL in VLBW infants. Methods: Medical records of 172 VLBW infants at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital neonatal intensive care unit were reviewed retrospectively from January 2010 to De cember 2014. Patients were divided into the nonPVL group (n=155) and the PVL group (n=17). The PVL group included both cystic and noncystic forms. Demographic findings and factors associated with PVL were compared between these groups. Results: The incidence of noncystic and cystic PVL was 9.8%. The mean gestational age was significantly lower in the PVL group. The mean birth weight was not significantly different between the groups. The incidences of premature rupture of membrane and pregnancy induced hypertension were not significantly different between the two groups. The number of histologic chorioamnionitis was significantly higher in the PVL group (P<0.05). Other conditions such as respiratory distress syndrome, patent ductus arteriosus, earlyonset sepsis, and hypotension were not significantly different between the two groups. The incidence of intravascular hemorrhage (IVH) (grade ≥3) was more significant in the PVL group (P<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that histologic chorioamnionitis (odds ratio [OR], 6.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 36.3) and IVH (grade ≥3) (OR, 16.9; 95% CI, 1.9 to 153.1) were significant risk factors of PVL. Conclusion: Histologic chorioamnionitis and IVH (grade ≥3) increase the risk of PVL in VLBW infants. Strategies to prevent these conditions could attenuate the incidence of PVL.

We investigated the serum cholesterol and visceral fat lowering effects of Momordica charanatia (MC) and Withania somnifera (WS) extracts in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Combination of fermented MC and WS extracts (FMCWS) as well as that of non-fermented extracts (MCWS) were orally administered to HFD-induced obese mice along with the HFD supplementation for 8 weeks. During the experiment, body weight, food intake, and levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol were analyzed. Body weight and the levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly increased in the HFD-fed mice compared with the normal control (NC) group. However, supplementation of the extracts showed a tendency to reduce body weight gain and suppressed the levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride with the increment of HDLcholesterol levels. Abdominal fat weight was significantly increased in the HFD group, and the size of adipocytes within the epididymal adipose tissue was markedly expanded compared with the NC group. However, in the FMCWS and MCWS groups, the abdominal fat weight was significantly reduced and the sizes of the adipocytes were noticeably diminished compared with those of the HFD-fed mice. Moreover, the deposition of giant vesicular fat cells observed in the liver tissue of the HFD group was prominently reduced in these groups. These results indicate that the combination of extracts from MC and WS tends to have potent synergic effects in reducing body weight gain as well as significantly lowering the visceral fat and the serum lipid levels, and thus improving anti-obesity efficacy in HFD-induced obese mice.

Purpose: Wet wrap therapy is a well-known treatment for severe atopic dermatitis (AD). However, wet wrap therapy with usual bandage was a troublesome and time-consuming process of application. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety and convenience of wet wrap therapy with new garments in children with moderate-to-severe AD. Methods: We compared 56 AD children treated with wet wrap therapy and 14 AD children treated with only conventional therapy. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical features, change of SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, adverse effects and parent's reports. Results: The initial mean SCORAD index was 60.3± 15.3 points. No significant differences in sex, age, initial SCORAD index, total eosinophil count, total IgE level, food allergen sensitization, inhalant allergen sensitization or associated allergic diseases were found between the wet wrap and conventional groups. The pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions except wet wrap therapy were same in the 2 groups. Wet wrap therapy with garments or tubular bandage was easily done one time per day overnight in 10.6± 3.5 days by parents. Improvement in total SCORAD index, intensity, subjective symptoms and pruritus were significantly higher in the wet wrap group than in the conventional group (36.2 vs. 26.9, 6.0 vs. 4.0, 9.9 vs. 7.4, and 4.8 vs. 3.6 points). No folliculitis and serious adverse effects were reported. Conclusion: Wet wrap therapy with new garments could be easily done by parents. Wet wrap therapy may be effective and safe in controlling moderate-to-severe AD in children.