Healing is an intricate, interdependent process that involves complex interactions between cells, the microcellular environment, biochemical mediators and extracellular matrix molecules. The goals of wound healing are to minimize bloods loss, to replace any defect with new tissue, and to restore an intact epithelial barrier as rapidly as possible. The rate of wound healing is limited by the available vascular supply and the rate of formation of new capillaries and matrix molecules, which are heavily influenced by locally-acting growth factors that affect proliferation, angiogenesis, chemotaxis, gene expression, proteinases, and protein production. We present a new method for wound control and treatment, the V.A.C (vacuum-assisted closure) technique. It places open-cell foam dressing into the wound cavity and applies subatmospheric pressure. The application of subatmospheric pressure accelerates the rate of wound healing by the foollowing two mechanisms: 1. Removal of excessive interstitial fluids, which decrease localized edema, reduce concentration of inhibitory factors, and increase local blood flow. 2. Transmission of mechanical forces to surrounding tissues with resultant deformation of the extracellular matrix and cells, which then increase protein and matrix synthesis as well as cell proliferation. We applied it to 17 patients: 1 Livedo vasculitis, 1 burned by flame 3 pressure sores, 1 extravasation injury, 1 wound infection, 2 wound disruption, and 8 diabetes mellitus feet. In the end, most of the remaining wounds were treated with a simple split-thickness skin graft and the results were encouraging. We concluded that the V.A.C technique may be an effective substitute to help promote wound healing. It could be especially helpful in chronic complicated wounds in aging or debilitated patients who can not tolerate aggressive surgical procedures.
Aging ; Bandages ; Burns ; Capillaries ; Cell Proliferation ; Chemotaxis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Edema ; Extracellular Fluid ; Extracellular Matrix ; Foot ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Pressure Ulcer ; Skin ; Transplants ; Vasculitis ; Wound Healing* ; Wound Infection ; Wounds and Injuries*

A 49-year-old woman with anemia who developed headache and seizure after blood transfusion was diagnosed with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). Magnetic resonance imaging showed typical PRES findings including lesions in bilateral parieto-occipital subcortical white matter and overlying cortex. Only a few cases of PRES after transfusion have been reported and this case is unique in that there was a latent period between infusion and development of PRES. We postulate that rapid change of hemoglobin level may disrupt cerebral autoregulation and result in delayed PRES. We suggest that neurological symptoms after blood transfusion should be appropriately investigated.

Purpose: We investigated the satisfaction of physical therapy course according to teaching ways after COVID-19. Methods: 336 students in major of physical therapy were recruited in this study. Based on the classification of subjects in the national examination, the questionnaire was divided into 6 subjects in the basic field of physical therapy, 2 subjects in the field of physical therapy diagnostic evaluation, 8 subjects in the field of physical therapy intervention, and 3 subjects in other fields. The Likert scale was used. Results: In the basic field of physical therapy, all subjects were shown the high score of the satisfactory in face-to-face classes except for the public health and medical law compared to the non-face-to-face classes and mixed classes. Regarding the field of physical therapy diagnostic evaluation, the principle of diagnostic evaluation was shown the high score of the satisfactory in face-to-face classes compared to the non-face-to-face classes and mixed classes. In the field of physical therapy intervention, all subjects were shown the high score of the satisfactory in face-to-face classes compared to the non-face-to-face classes and mixed classes. Conclusion We found that the face-to-face classes in most of subjects was shown the high score of satisfactory. We believed that our results can be used as basic data for physical therapy major learning methods.

A soft rot of fruits caused by Mucor racemosus occurred on cherry tomato collected in Agricultural Products Wholesale Market in Jinju, Korea. The disease infection usually occurred wounded areas after cracking of fruits. At first, the lesions started with water soaked and rapidly softened and diseased lesion gradually expanded. Colonies were white to brownish to gray in color. Sporangia were 32~54 microm in size and globose in shape. Sporangiophores were 8~14 microm in width. Sporangiospores were 5~12 x 4~8 microm in size, ellipsoidal to subglobose in shape. Columella was 27~42 microm in size, obovoid, ellipsoidal, cylindrical-ellipsoidal, slightly pyriform in shape. Chlamydospores were numerous in sporangiophores and barrelshaped when young, subglobose in old cultures. Optimum growth temperature was about 25degrees C. The fungus was identified as M. racemosus Fres. This is the first report of soft rot on cherry tomato caused by M. racemosus in Korea.
Fruit ; Fungi ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Korea* ; Lycopersicon esculentum* ; Mucor* ; Prunus ; Sporangia ; Water ; Wounds and Injuries

We describe a 46-year-old woman with hypokalemic paralysis as the initial manifestation of Sjorgen's syndrome. Sjorgen's syndrome is an autoimmune exocrinopathy, characterized by keratoconjuntivitis sicca and xerostomia. Among the extraglandular manifestations of Sjorgen's syndrome, renal tubular involvement, especially renal tubular acidosis, is the most often latent or minimally symptomatic. Renal tubular acidosis is estimated to be present in 25~30 percent of the cases. Hypokalemic paralysis may serve as a clinical marker for more severe renal disease in patient who has primary Sjorgen's syndrome with renal tubular acidosis, even though it is a rare manifestation of Sjorgen's syndrome.
Acidosis, Renal Tubular ; Biomarkers ; Female ; Humans ; Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis* ; Middle Aged ; Paralysis ; Xerostomia

This is a statistical analysis based on the data of legal autopsies performed at the Headquarters of the National Institute Scientific Investigation(NISI), requested by every kind of law enforcement agencies during the year of 2001. NISI is located in Seoul, Korea and has three branches throughout the country. The Seoul NISI covers all legal autopsies in Seoul City, Incheon City, and Kyunggi Province and some cases referred from other regions. This report aims to analyse various aspects of 2,807 unusual deaths in Korea, chiefly Seoul and its surrounding area. Followings are the summary of the results. 1. The number of male was 2,043 cases (72.8%) and that of female 764 (27.2%). Male was over twice more than female. The forties were 723 cases (25.8%), the thirties 641 (22.8%), and these two decades occupied 48.6%. 2. Unnatural deaths were 1,690 cases (60.2%), natural 1020 (36.3%), and the unknown 97 (3.5%). Among 1,690 unnatural deaths, suicide was 415 (24.6%), homicide 418 (24.7%), accident 505 (29.9%), and the unclear 352 (20.8%). Homicide occupied 37.1% of trauma, 44.1% of blunt force injury excluding traffic and fall-down injury, and 83.5% of sharp force injury. The homicide rate in asphyxia was 32.5%, but it went up to 62.7% excluding hanging. It showed only 1.0% of homicide in poisoning. 3. Traumatic deaths were 825 cases, occupying 48,8% of 1,690 unnatural deaths, followed by asphyxial death (249 cases). Blunt trauma was 295 cases (35.8%) and the leading cause of death in traumatic death. Poisoning was 213 cases, among which the agrochemicals were dominant (68 cases). Thermal injuries were 193 cases, electrocution 31 cases, and starvation/neglect 10 cases. 36 cases were direct- 4. Among 1,020 natural deaths, heart diseases were 398 cases (39.0%), and vascular diseases 145 (14.2%), and these two categories were added up to 543 (53.2%). 5. Child deaths under the age of 10 were 194 cases. Homicide was 43 cases (48.9%) out of 88 unnatural deaths. Neonates including still births were the leading period of age in unnatural death, counting 64 cases(33.0%).
Agrochemicals ; Asphyxia ; Autopsy* ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Heart Diseases ; Homicide ; Humans ; Incheon ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Law Enforcement ; Male ; Parturition ; Poisoning ; Seoul ; Suicide ; Vascular Diseases

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence shows that interleukin(IL)-1 plays a critical role in inflammation and connective tissue destruction observed in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. IL-1 induces gene expression related to cytokines, chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases by activation of many different transcription factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chondrosarcoma cell line, SW1353, is known to be a valuable in vitro system for investigating catabolic gene regulation by IL-1beta in chondrocytic cells. To explore and analyze the changes in gene expression by IL-1 responsible for arthritis, SW1353 was treated with IL-1 for 1, 6 and 24 h and then total RNAs were purified for each time. The changes in gene expression were analyzed with 17k human cDNA microarrays and validated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: Greater than a two-fold change was observed in 1,200 genes including metallothioneins, matrix metalloproteinases, extracellular matrix proteins, antioxidant proteins, cytoskeleton proteins, cell cycle regulatory proteins, proteins for cell growth and apoptosis, signaling proteins and transcription factors. These changes appeared to be correlate with the pathophysiological changes observed in early osteoarthritis. CONCLUSION: cDNA microarray analysis revealed a marked variability in gene expression, and provided insight into the overall molecular changes. The result of this study provide initial information for further studies to identify therapeutic targets in osteoarthritis pathogenesis.
Apoptosis ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; Cell Line ; Chemokines ; Chondrosarcoma* ; Connective Tissue ; Cytokines ; Cytoskeleton ; DNA, Complementary* ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; Gene Expression ; Humans* ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-1beta ; Interleukins* ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Metallothionein ; Microarray Analysis ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis* ; Osteoarthritis ; RNA ; Transcription Factors

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare and distinguish the characteristics of anaphylaxis and angioedema, especially with oral mucosal involvement and treatment of patients who visited the Pediatric Emergency Department. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients under age 18-year-old who were diagnosed with anaphylaxis and angioedema with oral mucosal involvement and treated with epinephrine from May 2008 to May 2013 in a single Pediatric Emergency Department in Seoul, Korea. We evaluated their past history, possible triggering causes, symptoms, vital signs and treatment and discharge with education. RESULTS: During the study period the total cases of anaphylaxis were 79 and angioedema with oral mucosal involvement were 218. The age of patients with anaphylaxis was significantly higher (6.6+/-4.9 years vs. 4.1+/-3.3 years). The heart rate relative to age was significantly higher in the anaphylaxis group (49.4% vs. 36.2%). After discharge from the Emergency Center, 3.8% of anaphylaxis patients were prescribed an epinephrine injection. Education to avoid the triggering factor was provided in 32.9% of anaphylaxis group and 17.4% in the angioedema group. CONCLUSION: Besides blood pressure, we should pay attention to the heart rate in pediatric patients with severe allergic reactions. More active follow-up of anaphylaxis and angioedema with oral mucosal involvement is needed to educate parents and prescribe emergency medication.
Adolescent ; Anaphylaxis* ; Angioedema* ; Blood Pressure ; Child ; Education ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Epinephrine ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea ; Parents ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Vital Signs

Hyperhomocysteinemia has been recognized as an independent risk factor which causes atherosclerosis. The genetic mutation in MTHFR, an enzyme required for efficient homocysteine metabolism, produces a thermolabile enzyme with reduced activity. It has been suggested that thermolabile MTHFR is associated with vascular disease due to increased plasma homocysteine concentration. This study is a preliminary research for identifying the relationship between the MTHFR gene mutation and hypertensive subjects by examining the prevalence of 677 C-- Africa ; Atherosclerosis ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Genotype ; Health Services ; Homocysteine ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; Hypertension ; Metabolism ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)* ; Plasma ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Vascular Diseases