Echovirus 6 (ECV6) is the prevalent serotype detected in aseptic meningitis cases in Korea. To analyze the genetic variation of ECV6 isolates recently circulating in Korea, we determined the partial sequence of the VP1 capsid gene from 22 Korean ECV6 isolates and performed pairwise analysis against 42 reference strains from the GenBank database using MegAlign. The 22 Korean ECV6 isolates formed 3 distinct genetic clusters: Kor-lineage I, II, and III. The Korean ECV6 strains showed significant genetic diversity with 14.8~22.8% nucleotide divergence among the 3 different lineages. These ECV6 Kor-lineages were demonstrated to belong to different genetic clusters using VP1 sequence-based phylogenetic analysis, implying that the recently circulating Korean ECV6 strains have potential antigenic variation.
Antigenic Variation ; Capsid ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; Echovirus 6, Human ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Genetic Variation ; Korea ; Meningitis, Aseptic

PURPOSE: To clarify the difference between the bolus-tracking technique and a fixed scan delay protocol in the achievement of the optimal pancreatic phase of the pancreas with MDCT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 526 patients underwent pancreatic and portal venous phase imaging of the pancreas using 16-channel MDCT. All the examinations were randomized into either scanning using a bolus-tracking technique with a scan delay of 20s after the aorta was enhanced > 100 HU (groups 1 and 2) or scanning with a scan delay of 38 s from the beginning of the injection (groups 3 and 4). A contrast material of 300 mgI/mL (groups 1 and 3) or 370 mgI/mL (groups 2 and 4) at an injection speed of 3 mL/sec was injected at 2 mL/kg body weight. The pancreatic CT attenuation values were compared. RESULTS: The scan delay times of the pancreatic phase in groups 1 and 2 were 38+/-3.8s and 37.4+/-3.4s, respectively. At the pancreatic phase, the pancreatic attenuation values of groups 1 and 2 were slightly higher than those of groups 3 and 4 (115.5+/-15.4 vs 111.7+/-15.1HU; p=0.093, 128.3+/-17.1 vs 119+/-17.1HU; p=0.003). There was no significant difference between groups at the portal venous phase. CONCLUSION: The use of a bolus-tracking technique in the optimal pancreatic phase of pancreatic CT does not significantly improve the pancreatic enhancement but does at higher iodine concentrations.
Aorta ; Body Weight ; Humans ; Iodine ; Pancreas*

BACKGROUND: Enteroviruses are known as major pathogen for aseptic meningitis. Although rapid diagnosis for enteroviruses is very essential to exclude bacterial infections in patients with meningitis, classical diagnostic method based on virus isolation is not practicable for timely treatment of patients due to its laborious and time-consuming procedure. Recently molecular methodologies as alternatives are routinely used for rapid and sensitive diagnosis for enteroviruses infections. METHODS: Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR ELISA kit for targeting 5'non-coding region (NCR) with highly conserved genetic identity among all genotypes of enteroviruses was introduced in this investigation. RT-PCR ELISA was evaluated about sensitivity and specificity through virus isolation using clinical specimens from patients suspected of enteroviral infections and enteroviral isolates comparing with conventional RT-PCR identifying them. RESULTS: The detection limit of the RT-PCR ELISA was up to 10-100 folds higher than virus isolation using cell culture and conventional RT-PCR. On comparison between above two methods, the detection rate of RT-PCR ELISA for clinical specimens from patients with aseptic meningitis was 7% higher than that of conventional RT-PCR targeting 5'NCR (P=0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that RT-PCR ELISA developed in this study could be an alternative diagnostic method for the detection of enteroviral genome with high sensitivity and specificity.
5' Untranslated Regions ; Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Enterovirus/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Enterovirus Infections/*diagnosis ; *Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Infant ; Meningitis, Aseptic/diagnosis ; RNA, Viral/analysis ; *Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rotavirus/genetics ; Rotavirus Infections/diagnosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Emergencies in dentistry can be classified as medical and dental. Medical emergencies occur mainly during dental treatment in patients with a systemic disease. Dental emergency departments are largely divided into dental emergency rooms located in dental college hospitals and medical emergency rooms located in medical institutions. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of and provide help to dental emergency patients in a dental hospital. METHODS: Overall, 1806 patients admitted to a dental emergency room at Yonsei University Dental Hospital for 1 year were included. The data collection period was from October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015. An investigator reviewed medical records from the electronic medical record (EMR) system and radiographs. RESULTS: The patients were 1,070 men and 736 women. The sex ratio was 1.45:1. The commonest age group was of 0–9 years, including 451 (25.0%) patients, followed by 20–29 years, including 353 (19.5%) patients, and 30–39 years, including 277 (15.3%) patients. Of the 108 patients transferred to the Severance emergency department, 81 had trauma, 19 were in pain, 4 were bleeding, and 4 had other complaints. Among chief complaints, 1,079 patients (60.3%) had trauma, 564 (31.5%) had pain, and 75 (4.2%) had bleeding. Twenty-three cases (1.3%) were caused by temporomandibular disorder (TMD). CONCLUSION: Dentists should be able to adequately assess patients in a dental emergency room and treat trauma, pain, and bleeding.
Data Collection ; Dentistry ; Dentists ; Electronic Health Records ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Research Personnel ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), associated with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), is a very rare disease. We here report a case of HLH occurring after induction chemotherapy for AML. AML-associated HLH can be triggered by AML itself, by chemotherapeutic agents, or by infectious complications. Our patient developed a high-grade fever of unknown cause, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates, and shock after successful treatment of AML with induction chemotherapy, and had high serum ferritin, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, hemophagocytic histiocytes in bone marrow, low natural killer cell activity, and elevated soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels. A diagnosis of HLH was made. Dexamethasone, cyclosporine, and etoposide were given and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed. Careful suspicion of HLH may be warranted if a patient experiences fever of unknown etiology, high ferritin levels, and liver dysfunction during AML treatment.
Bone Marrow ; Cyclosporine ; Dexamethasone ; Diagnosis ; Etoposide ; Ferritins ; Fever ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Induction Chemotherapy* ; Interleukin-2 ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute* ; Liver Diseases ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic* ; Rare Diseases ; Shock

BACKGROUND: Relaxin is a transforming growth factor β1 antagonist. To determine the effects of relaxin on scar reduction, we investigated the scar remodeling process by injecting relaxin-expressing adenoviruses using a pig scar model. METHODS: Scars with full thickness were generated on the backs of Yorkshire pigs. Scars were divided into two groups (relaxin [RLX] and Control). Adenoviruses were injected into the RLX (expressing relaxin) and Control (not expressing relaxin) groups. Changes in the surface areas, color index and pliability of scars were compared. RESULTS: Fifty days after treatment, the surface areas of scars decreased, the color of scars was normalized, and the pliability of scars increased in RLX group. CONCLUSION: Relaxin-expressing adenoviruses improved the surface area, color, and pliability of scars. The mechanism of therapeutic effects on scar formation should be further investigated.
Adenoviridae* ; Cicatrix* ; Genetic Therapy ; Pliability ; Relaxin* ; Swine ; Therapeutic Uses ; Transforming Growth Factors

Aluminum nanoparticles (Al-NPs) are one of the most widely used nanomaterial in cosmetics and medical materials. For this reason, Al-NP exposure is very likely to occur via inhalation in the environment and the workplace. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanism of Al-NP neurotoxicity via inhalation exposure. In this study, we investigated the effect AL-NPs on the brain. Rats were exposed to Al-NPs by nasal instillation at 1 mg/kg body weight (low exposure group), 20 mg/kg body weight (moderate exposure group), and 40 mg/kg body weight (high exposure group), for a total of 3 times, with a 24-hr interval after each exposure. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis indicated that the presence of aluminum was increased in a dose-dependent manner in the olfactory bulb (OFB) and the brain. In microarray analysis, the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) activity (GO: 0043405), including Ptprc, P2rx7, Map2k4, Trib3, Trib1, and Fgd4 was significantly over-expressed in the treated mice than in the controls (p = 0.0027). Moreover, Al-NPs induced the activation of ERK1 and p38 MAPK protein expression in the brain, but did not alter the protein expression of JNK, when compared to the control. These data demonstrate that the nasal exposure of Al-NPs can permeate the brain via the olfactory bulb and modulate the gene and protein expression of MAPK and its activity.
Aluminum* ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Brain* ; Inhalation ; Inhalation Exposure ; Mass Spectrometry ; Mice ; Microarray Analysis ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; Nanoparticles* ; Nanostructures ; Olfactory Bulb ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; Plasma ; Rats*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between masseter muscle thickness, facial morphology, and mandibular morphology in Korean adults using ultrasonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ultrasonography was used to measure the masseter muscle thickness bilaterally of 40 adults (20 males, 20 females) and was performed in the relaxed and contracted states. Facial photos and panoramic radiography were used for morphological analyses and evaluated for correlations with masseter muscle thickness. We also evaluated the correlations of age, body weight, stature, and body constitution with masseter muscle thickness. RESULTS: In the relaxing, the masseter was 9.8±1.3 mm in females and 11.3±1.2 mm in males. In the contracted state, it was 12.4±1.4 mm in females and 14.7±1.4 mm in males. Facial photography showed that bizygomatic facial width over facial height was correlated with masseter muscle thickness in both sexes in the relaxed state, and was statistically significantly correlated with masseter muscle thickness in males in the contracted state. In panoramic radiography, correlations were found between anterior angle length and posterior angle length and masseter muscle thickness in females, and between body length and posterior angle length, between anterior angle length and body length, between ramal length and body length, and between body length and condyle length in males. CONCLUSION: Masseter muscle thickness was associated with facial and mandibular morphology in both sexes, and with age in males. Ultrasonography can be used effectively to measure masseter muscle thickness.
Adult ; Body Constitution ; Body Weight ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Masseter Muscle ; Photography ; Radiography, Panoramic ; Ultrasonography ; Young Adult

Objectives: This study aimed to propose an efficient mental health service plan to be implemented during epidemics by identifying the mental health characteristics of people who have returned from countries with large-scale coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks. Methods: We analyzed the mental health evaluation scale data submitted by 504 quarantined people who had returned from countries hit by the COVID-19 pandemic from January to April 2020 through a government support project. Results: The average age of the study group was 35.6±8.72 years, and males accounted for 67.1% and females 32.9% of the total subjects. The screening score for post-traumatic stress disorder was met by 12.1% of the subjects. Moderate to high level of depression and anxiety symptoms were seen in 10.7% and 7.0%, respectively. Also, 2.2% of the group complained of clinical level somatization symptoms, and 1.4% were evaluated as being at a high risk of suicide. The average scores and the proportion of subjects at high risk on all scales were significantly higher in female than in male. In a comparison by age, the average score of post-traumatic stress symptoms was significantly higher in subjects in their 20s than those in their 50s, and the proportion of the subjects at high risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms also showed a significant variation between age groups. However, there were no significant differences by age with respect to depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and suicidal tendencies. Conclusion During an epidemic, the mental health problems of people may increase, and the risk appears to be higher in female and young adults. Therefore, in addition to strong protection policies, a customized support system for each target group is required.

Purpose: In sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy (SLNB) during breast cancer surgery, SLN mapping using dye and isotope (DUAL) may have lower false-negative rates than the dye-only (DYE) method. However, the long-term outcomes of either method are unclear. We aimed to compare long-term oncological outcomes of DYE and DUAL for SLNB in early breast cancer. Materials and Methods: This retrospective single-institution cohort study included 5,795 patients (DYE, 2,323; DUAL, 3,472) with clinically node-negative breast cancer who underwent SLNB and no neoadjuvant therapy. Indigo carmine was used for the dye method and Tc99m-antimony trisulfate for the isotope. To compare long-term outcomes, pathologic N0 patients were selected from both groups, and propensity score matching (PSM), considering age, pT category, breast surgery, and adjuvant treatment, was performed (1,441 patients in each group). Results: The median follow-up duration was 8.7 years. The median number of harvested sentinel nodes was 3.21 and 3.12 in the DYE and DUAL groups, respectively (p=0.112). The lymph node–positive rate was not significantly different between the two groups in subgroups of similar tumor sizes (p > 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the mapping method was not significantly associated with the lymph node–positive rate (p=0.758). After PSM, the 5-year axillary recurrence rate (DYE 0.8% vs. DUAL 0.6%, p=0.096), and 5-year disease-free survival (DYE 93.9% vs. DUAL 93.7%, p=0.402) were similar between the two groups. Conclusion Dye alone for SLNB was not inferior to dual mapping regarding long-term oncological outcomes in early breast cancer.