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BackgroundClimate change affects the survival and transmission of arthropod vectors as well as the development rates of vector-borne pathogens. Increased international travel is also an important factor in the spread of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) such as dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, chikungunya, and malaria. Dengue is the most important vector-borne viral disease. An estimated 2.5 billion people are at risk of infection in the world and there are approximately 50 million dengue infections and an estimated 500,000 individuals are hospitalized with dengue haemorrhagic fever annually. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is one of the vectors of dengue virus, and populations already exist on Jeju Island, South Korea. Currently, colder winter temperatures kill off Asian tiger mosquito populations and there is no evidence of the mosquitos being vectors for the dengue virus in this location. However, dengue virus-bearing mosquito vectors can inflow to Jeju Island from endemic area such as Vietnam by increased international travel, and this mosquito vector's survival during colder winter months will likely occur due to the effects of climate change.Methods and ResultsIn this section, we show the geographical distribution of medically important mosquito vectors such as Ae. albopictus, a vector of both dengue and chikungunya viruses; Culex pipiens, a vector of West Nile virus; and Anopheles sinensis, a vector of Plasmodium vivax, within Jeju Island, South Korea. We found a significant association between the mean temperature, amount of precipitation, and density of mosquitoes. The phylogenetic analyses show that an Ae. albopictus, collected in southern area of Jeju Island, was identical to specimens found in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, and not Nagasaki, Japan.ConclusionOur results suggest that mosquito vectors or virus-bearing vectors can transmit from epidemic regions of Southeast Asia to Jeju Island and can survive during colder winter months. Therefore, Jeju Island is no longer safe from vector borne diseases (VBDs) due to the effects of globalization and climate change, and we should immediately monitor regional climate change to identify newly emerging VBDs.

Venous aneurysms of the jugular vein are one of the rare causes of neck swelling, and primary venous aneurysms of the external jugular vein are extremely rare. A 46-year-old woman presented with a painless and suddenly growing mass in the left neck. A computed tomography angiography revealed a fusiform venous aneurysm of the external jugular vein containing intraluminal thrombus. We performed resection of the aneurysm and ligation of the external jugular vein. Removal of the aneurysm of the neck vein was necessary because venous aneurysms with thrombosis may lead to serious thrombotic complications such as pulmonary embolism.

While deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) after cardiac surgery is a significant contributor to patient morbidity and mortality, superficial sternal wound infection (SSWI) mostly has a benign course.We report a mortality case of aortic rupture resulting from SSWI after cardiac surgery. A 50-year-old male underwent an aortic valve replacement (AVR). Three months after the valve operation, he presented with severe dyspnea, which had never before been observed, and chest computed tomography revealed an ascending aortic rupture with large hematoma compressing the main pulmonary artery. We performed an emergent operation for aortic rupture that possibly originated from the SSWI. Postoperatively, the patient died of hypovolemic shock due to recurrent aortic rupture despite efforts to resuscitate him.