Wegener's granulomatosis is a serious multi-systemic disease pathologically characterized by necrotizing vasculitis and granuloma. Although nervous system is one of major target organs in Wegener's granulomatosis, the involvement of facial nerve was rarely reported as an initial symptom. We experienced a female patient with Wegener's granulomatosis presenting otitis media, sinusitis and right facial palsy. Nasal mucosal biopsy revealed necrotizing vasculitis with granuloma formation, which was consistent with Wegener's granulomatosis. During steroid and cyclophosphamide therapy, she developed paralysis of abducens nerve. Methyprednisolone pulse therapy was administrated with symptomatic improvement. We describe a case of Wegener's granulomatosis presenting facial nerve palsy.
Abducens Nerve ; Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Facial Nerve ; Facial Paralysis* ; Female ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Nervous System ; Otitis Media ; Paralysis ; Sinusitis ; Vasculitis ; Wegener Granulomatosis*

PURPOSE: We assessed the usefulness of resistive index(RI) on spectral analysis of Doppler sonography for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 29 benign and 22 malignant lesions of breast, which were examined preoperatively with color and duplex Doppler andwere confirmed by histopathologically after operation. We analyzed the average and distribution of RI in benignand malignant lesions. RESULTS: Although, there was no difference in the average values of RI in benign and malignant breast lesions, the distribution of RI was below 0.7 in eighteen cases (62%) of benign lesions, and above 0.7 in eighteen cases (82%) of malignant lesions. Thus, RI is valuable for differentiation between benignand malignant lesions of breast. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of RI in breast disease using color and duplex Dopplerstudy is useful modality adjunct to the conventional ultrasonographic differentiation of benign and malignantlesions.
Breast Diseases ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure accessibility and to examine distribution of restaurants in the local community. METHODS: The target area of this study was two urban areas and a rural area in a city. We collected location information on all restaurants in target areas and classified all restaurants according to Korean food restaurants and Non-Korean food restaurants. We measured restaurant density per 100 m from the residences of the study population and calculated the distance of the nearest restaurant from the residences of the subjects using the Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis method. We compared the accessibility and distribution of restaurants in urban areas with that of the rural area, and compared the accessibility and distribution of Korean restaurants with that of Non-Korean restaurants. RESULTS: Restaurants in urban areas were more dense than those in the rural area, and, in urban areas, restaurants were intensively distributed around the subjects' residence. Also, there were more Non-Korean food restaurants than Korean food restaurants in urban areas, and it was opposite in the rural area. CONCLUSION: It is important that we understood the current state of the restaurant environment in the local community using GIS analysis for the first time in the field of food environment. Further research is necessary on the association of restaurant environments and the dietary life of the population.
Geographic Information Systems ; Restaurants*

The incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is known to be affected by sex hormone. Patients with Klinefelter's syndrome were reported to have abnormal sex hormonal metabolism and their chronic estrogenic stimulation seems to affect the pathogenesis of SLE. Therefore, association of SLE and Klinefelter's syndrome has been considered as a clue of the effect of sex hormone on SLE. We report the first case of Klinefelter's syndrome in a patient with SLE in Korea and discuss the association of SLE with Klinefelter's syndrome.
Estrogens ; Humans ; Incidence ; Klinefelter Syndrome* ; Korea ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Metabolism

Purpose: Hypoparathyroidism (hypoPTH) is the most common complication following thyroidectomy. We investigated the frequency and risk factors of hypoPTH after total thyroidectomy (TT) in pediatric patients with thyroid cancer. Methods: This retrospective study included 98 patients younger than 20 years who were diagnosed with thyroid cancer after T T during 1990–2018 and followed for more than 2 years at Seoul National University Hospital. HypoPTH was defined as receiving active vitamin D (1-hydroxycholecalciferol or 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol) after surgery. Results: The study included 27 boys (27.6%) and 71 girls (72.4%). The mean age at diagnosis was 14.9±3.7 years. HypoPTH occurred in 43 patients (43.9%). Twenty-one patients (21.4%) discontinued active vitamin D less than 6 months after surgery, while 14 (14.3%) continued active vitamin D for more than 2 years. Tumor multifocality (odds ratio [OR], 3.7 vs. single tumor; P=0.013) and preoperative calcium level (OR, 0.2; P=0.028) were independent predictors of hypoPTH immediately after TT. In addition, age (OR, 0.8; P=0.011) and preoperative calcium level (OR, 0.04; P=0.014) significantly decreased the risk for persistent hypoPTH requiring active vitamin D for more than 2 years. Conclusion HypoPTH occurred in 43.9% of pediatric thyroid cancer patients after TT in this study. Among them, one-third of patients continued active vitamin D medication for more than 2 years, which was predicted by young age and low preoperative calcium level.

Background: With the epidemiological transition, sociodemographic changes and differential lifetime experiences of women, women’s health research improves knowledge of diverse health issues and the impact of policies. To explore the initiatives of women’s health research in Korea, the present study examined the trends and topics of research on women’s health funded by the government. Methods: We searched all research projects on women’s health funded by the government between 2012 and 2020 in Korea using the National Science & Technology Information Service database. We reviewed all the titles and abstract of the projects and examined the research trends by year. Content analysis was performed using both deductive and inductive approaches. Text network analysis and visualization by topic were conducted for keywords with a minimum of 10 occurrences in the title and abstract. Results: Total number and funding amount of research projects on women’s health in 2020 increased by 2.4 and 2.2 times over 2012 levels, respectively. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety funded 20.9% of all projects. The majority of the topics (59.8%) addressed breast and gynecological cancers. Those on sexual and reproductive health accounted for 16.7%, with steep growth in the number (6.1 times) and funding (11.1 times) over 2012 levels. The topic analysis presented a more complex keyword network in 2020 than in 2012; however, the keywords frequently used in 2020 were similar to those of 2012. Conclusion Women’s health research projects have been growing in number and funding, with limited diversity in topics. Diversifying the topics and focusing on issues beyond the breast and pregnancy would be needed to reflect the complete life course of women.Institutionalization of diverse communication channels with various interest groups for women’s health would be needed to better understand women’s health needs from a public health perspective.

Purpose: This study investigated recent trends in the topics of women's health research in the United States (US), Canada, Japan, and the European Union where various research projects related to women and gender have been conducted. Methods: To explore recent international women's health research, we selected research projects conducted between 2012 and 2022 from the US National Institute of Health, Canada's Research Information System, Japan's Health, Labor and Welfare Science Research Performance Database, and the European Union's CORDIS website. We categorized the identified research into three main areas; common or serious diseases and conditions affecting women, diseases, and conditions specific to women, and factors influencing women's health. Results: The focus of health research expanded beyond traditional views of women, gender, and gender differences. Projects addressed the health needs of vulnerable groups, including refugees, migrants, incarcerated women, trans individuals, and pregnant women with autism. They also explored the connections between gender and racial differences in women's health. This inclusive approach considered the gaps and intersections within women's health. Conclusion Future women's health research in Korea will need to consider the intersectionality of gender, aging, and immigration. Environment-based approach in the research of drug addiction, mental health, nursing, and care would be important.

After recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) was introduced in the treatment of patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and idiopathic short stature (ISS), many studies have addressed the effect of GH treatment and changes in the height standard deviation score (SDS) after GH treatment. However, few studies comparing the effect of GH in Korean patients with idiopathic GHD and ISS have been designed. Therefore, this study focused on the difference in effect of GH treatment between the two groups. We retrospectively reviewed the height SDS of 34 patients with idiopathic GHD and 12 patients with ISS. The mean ages of the patients with idiopathic GHD and ISS were 9.84+/-2.09 and 10.72+/-1.48 years, respectively. All patients were treated with GH for 1 year and body parameters were recorded before and after the GH treatment. Change in height SDS in patients with idiopathic GHD was significantly higher than that in patients with ISS (0.62+/-0.33 vs. 0.40+/-0.27, p=0.03). However, body mass index, insulin-like growth factor-1, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 were not significantly different between the two groups after GH treatment. These results suggest that GH treatment has a more powerful effect on increasing height SDS in patients with idiopathic GHD than in patients with ISS.
Body Mass Index ; Growth Hormone ; Human Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies

Objectives: : We estimated the overall and age-specific percentages of the Korean population with presumed immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as of April 2022 using the national registry. Methods: : We used the national coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and vaccination registry from South Korea, as described to define individuals with a previous history of COVID-19 infection, vaccination, or both, as persons with presumed immunity. Results: : Of a total of 53,304,627 observed persons, 24.4% had vaccination and infection, 58.1% had vaccination and no infection, 7.6% had infection and no vaccination, and 9.9% had no immunity. The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged at a time when the presumed population immunity ranged from 80% to 85%; however, nearly half of the children were presumed to have no immunity. Conclusion : We report a gap in population immunity, with lower presumed protection in children than in adults. The approach presented in this work can provide valuable informed tools to assist vaccine policy-making at a national level.

PURPOSE:Renal disease is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in systemic lupus erythematosus. The aim of this study was to examine the therapeutic outcome of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) for 21 years. METHODS:We conducted a retrospective study of 100 patients with biopsy proven LN who were admitted at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital between 1985 and 2006, and were followed with a mean of 73 months. We diagnosed renal pathology according to WHO 1995 classification, and analyzed the therapeutic and long-term outcome of patients with LN treated with steroid alone or steroid with intravenous cyclophosphamide (CYC). RESULTS:The mean age at the time of renal biopsy was 28. 3 years and male to female ratio was 1:9.9. The initial therapy consisted of steroid alone in 69 patients and steroid with intravenous CYC in 31 patients. The proportion of diffuse proliferative LN and titer of anti ds-DNA were significantly higher in patients treated with steroid and CYC than in patients with steroid alone. The percentage of patients with clinical response was significantly higher in patients with steroid and CYC than in patients with steroid alone (p=0.018). The patients who experienced clinical response had an excellent long term outcome compared with those who had no clinical response. CONCLUSION:The clinical response was significantly higher in CYC combination regimen than steroid alone. The response to therapy in LN was an important factor for long-term prognosis. The early diagnosis and aggressive treatment with immunosupppressive agents are valuable for better outcome in patient with LN.
Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; DNA ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lupus Nephritis ; Male ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies