PurposeInformation on the clinical features of lung abscess, which is uncommon in children, at hospitalizationis helpful to anticipate the disease course and management. There is no report concerning lung abscess in Korean children. We aimed to identify the clinical characteristics of pediatric lung abscess and compare the difference between primary and secondary abscess groups.MethodsThe medical records of 11 lung abscess patients (7 males and 4 females) from March 1998 to August 2011 at two university hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical characteristics, symptoms, underlying disease, laboratory and radiologic findings, microbiological results, and treatments were examined.ResultsSix patients had underlying structural-related problems (e.g., skeletal anomalies). No immunologic or hematologic problem was recorded. The mean ages of the primary and secondary groups were 2.4 and 5.3 years, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant. The mean length of hospital stay was similar in both groups (22.8 days vs. 21.4 days). Immunologic studies were performed in 3 patients; the results were within the normal range. Most patients had prominent leukocytosis. Seven and 4 patients had right and left lung abscess, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and antimycoplasma antibodies were detected in both groups. Two patients with primary lung abscess were administered antibiotics in the absence of other procedures, while 8 underwent interventional procedures, including 5 with secondary abscess.ConclusionThe most common symptoms were fever and cough. All patients in the primary group were younger than 3 years. Structural problems were dominant. Most patients required interventional procedures and antibiotics.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of mandibular anterior interdental space on the accuracy of intraoral scanners. Four models of mandibular arch with varying distances of anterior interdental space were analyzed; incisors were evenly spaced out between the two canines by 0 mm, 1 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm. The full arch of each model was scanned 10 times with iTero ® and Trios ®. The images were superimposed with those from the reference scanner (Sensable S3) and compared using Geomagic Verify. Statistical analysis was conducted using a t-test, paired t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Differences in the accuracy of images were statistically significant according to both iTero ® and Trios ® ; a greater deviation was noted with increasing anterior interdental space (p < 0.05). Upon dividing the lower arch into five sections, larger deviation was observed with iTero ® in the molar area, except in the model with 1 mm space. With Trios ® , the largest deviation was observed in the right molar area in all models. The maximum deviations of intermolar width were 0.66 mm and 0.76 mm in iTero ® and Trios ® , respectively. This comparison suggests that Trios ® demonstrates a higher accuracy than iTero ® in all models and in all sections of the arch. However, the mean deviations indicate that both iTero ® and Trios ® are clinically acceptable.

Diabetes mellitus affects 451 million people worldwide, and people with diabetes are 3-5 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. In vascular tissue, mitochondrial function is important for vasoreactivity. Diabetes-mediated generation of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) may contribute to vascular dysfunction via damage to mitochondria and regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). We have identified (–)-epicatechin (EPICAT), a plant compound and known vasodilator, as a potential therapy. We hypothesized that mitochondrial ROS in cells treated with antimycin A (AA, a compound targeting mitochondrial complex III) or high glucose (HG, global perturbation) could be normalized by EPICAT, and correlate with improved mitochondrial dynamics and cellular signaling. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were treated with HG, AA, and/or 0.1 or 1.0 μM of EPICAT. Mitochondrial and cellular superoxide, mitochondrial respiration, and cellular signaling upstream of mitochondrial function were assessed. EPICAT at 1.0 μM significantly attenuated mitochondrial superoxide in HG-treated cells. At 0.1 μM, EPICAT nonsignificantly increased mitochondrial respiration, agreeing with previous reports. EPICAT significantly increased complex I expression in AA-treated cells, and 1.0 μM EPICAT significantly decreased mitochondrial complex V expression in HG-treated cells. No significant effects were seen on either AMPK or eNOS expression. Our study suggests that EPICAT is useful in mitigating moderate ROS concentrations from a global perturbation and may modulate mitochondrial complex activity. Our data illustrate that EPICAT acts in the cell in a dose-dependent manner, demonstrating hormesis.

PurposeChest pain is common in children and adolescents and is a reason for referral to pediatric cardiologists. Although most cases of chest pain in these age groups are benign and do not require treatment, timely diagnosis is important not to miss life-threatening diseases requiring prompt treatment. We investigated certain clinical characteristics that may be useful in the diagnosis of such critical diseases.MethodsPatient medical records between July 2006 and September 2013 were retrospectively examined. We included 517 patients who presented with chest pain to the Department of Pediatrics at Kyung Hee University Hospital in Gangdong.ResultsMost cases of chest pain were idiopathic in origin (73.6%), followed by cases with respiratory (9.3%), musculoskeletal (8.8%), cardiac (3.8%), gastrointestinal (2.9%), and psychiatric (1.4%) causes. In 6 patients (1.2%) with air-leak syndrome including pneumothorax or pneumomediastinum, the pain was abrupt, continuous, and lasted for a short period of 1-2 days after onset in the older adolescents. Of the patients with cardiac pain, 13 had cardiac arrhythmias (65.0%), 6 had congenital heart diseases (30%), and 1 had coronary aneurysms caused by Kawasaki disease (5.0%). One patient with atrial flutter had only symptoms of syncope and chest pain.ConclusionThe abrupt, continuous chest pain of a short duration in the older children was characteristic of air-leak syndrome. In patients with pneumomediastinum, radiological diagnosis was difficult without careful examination. Combined syncope should not be neglected and further cardiac workup is essential in such patients.

The removal of Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solution using activated carbon (AC) has been investigated. Adsorption experiments were conducted and the maximum adsorption capacity was determined. The effect of experimental parameters such as pH, dye concentration and temperature were studied on the adsorption process. Equilibrium data were mathematically modeled using the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models to describe the equilibrium isotherms at different dye concentrations and temperature. Parameters of best-fit model were calculated and discussed. To understand the mechanism of adsorption, kinetic models were employed to follow the adsorption processes; the pseudo-first-order best described the adsorption of MB onto AC. It was found that pH plays a major role in the adsorption process; adsorption capacity was influenced by the physical and surface chemical properties of carbon and the pH of the solution. 99.0% MB removal was achieved at equilibrium.