OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the association between women with endometriosis and risk of preterm birth. METHODS: Two reviewers independently determined all prospective cohort study, retrospective cohort study, large population based cohort study, retrospective secondary analysis, and double blinded, multicentric, observational and cohort study, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial published using PubMed, Medline, Korea Education and Research Information Service, and Scopus from March 1994 through February 2016 without language restrictions comparing obstetric outcomes women with endometriosis and women without endometriosis. The meta-analysis was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement. Six studies met inclusion criteria, including 50,472 women. Among 50,472 pregnancies, 39,659 had endometriosis and 10,813 had no endometriosis. Meta-analyses were estimated with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using random effect analysis according to heterogeneity of studies. RESULTS: Data from six effect sizes from six studies involving 50,472 patients were enrolled. These meta-analyses showed women with endometriosis have an increased risk of preterm birth (odds ratio, 1.473; 95% confidence interval, 1.216 to 1.785). CONCLUSION: These meta-analyses demonstrate women with endometriosis at pregnancy have an increased risk of preterm birth. Therefore, it is worthy for obstetrics to increase the careful inspection in women with endometriosis during pregnancy.
Cohort Studies ; Education ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Information Services ; Korea ; Obstetrics ; Odds Ratio ; Population Characteristics ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth* ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: In this study, the retrospective radiographic study is executed to evaluate amount of bone loss of various conditions in patients using customized abutment for 4 years of follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects of this study were implant fixed dental prosthesis using CAD/CAM customized abutments. CAD/CAM customized abutment and fixed dental prosthesis were manufactured by the Prosthodontics Department of Chosun University Dental Hospital from August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012. Radiological assessments were performed on the patients who were treated by the fixed prosthodontics. After each treatment, a retrospective study was performed for a total of 4 years at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 4 years. RESULTS: As a result of the study, the customized abutment using CAD/CAM showed less bone loss than the results of existing research. There was no statistically significant differences at alveolar bone loss between splinting group and non-splinting group (respectively 0.27 mm, 0.5 mm). Also, there were statistically significant differences at alveolar bone loss in mx. anterior, mx. posterior, mn. anterior and mn. posterior part (respectively 1.37 mm, 0.39 mm, 0.00 mm, 0.30 mm). CONCLUSION: The customized abutment using CAD/CAM showed less bone loss than the results of existing research, there were statistically significant differences at alveolar bone loss in implant positions.
Alveolar Bone Loss ; Dental Prosthesis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Prosthodontics ; Retrospective Studies ; Splints

The funding acknowledgment in this article was partially omitted as published.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to analyze quality of and satisfaction with Korea medical services and identify factors affecting medical service satisfaction, revisit, and recommendation intention among international patients. METHODS: Secondary analysis of survey data conducted by Korea Health Industry Development Institute from June 10th to July 17th in 2013 was done using multiple regression and logistic regression analysis. The 191 international patients from 9 medical institutions in Seoul were enrolled. RESULTS: The results showed that international patients were satisfied with 85.6 points out of 100.0 points. International patients appraised higher in staff service rather than other services. Factors influencing medical service satisfaction were gender, religion, medical specialty, length of stay, and quality of medical services. Quality of medical service explained 29.8% of medical service satisfaction and especially, ‘doctor's care’ and ‘communication and patient respect‘ were significantly related to medical service satisfaction. Medical specialty had a significant influence on revisit intention. There were no statistically significant influencing factors of recommendation intention. Additionally, more satisfied patients were associated with higher revisit and recommendation intention. CONCLUSION: This study implies that quality of medical services is a critical factor for patient satisfaction and that satisfaction with medical services is an important factor for increasing revisit and recommendation intention among international patients. In addition, health care providers should consider cultural differences to enhance satisfaction with medical services for international patients. Therefore, multidimensional strategy is required to strengthen the cultural competency of healthcare providers.
Cultural Competency ; Health Personnel ; Health Services ; Humans ; Intention* ; Korea* ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Patient Satisfaction ; Seoul

PURPOSE: To report a case of non-clostridial gangrenous panophthalmitis extended directly from adjacent gangrenous skin infection METHODS: A 62-year-old woman, with diabetes mellitus, was admitted to ICU after explorative laparotomy for panperitonitis, retroperitoneal hemorrhage, and disseminated intravascular coagulation caused by traffic accident. She was referred to the ophthalmologic department because of necrotizing skin infection and panophthalmitis extended directly from an adjacent skin infection, which had developed after superficial abrasion on the left forehead. RESULTS: Necrotizing gangrenous skin infection with subcutaneous emphysema had rapidly progressed to her left face and there was panophthalmitis with subconjunctival gas bubbles. Proteus mirabilis, Serratia marcescens, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Enterococcus faecalis were cultured from the skin wound and aqueous humor, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Serratia marcescens were cultured from sump drainage. She died after 3 days because of sepsis, acute renal failure, and multiple organ failure. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should always keep in mind that a serious infectious disease like non-clostridial gas gangrene can develop even from a superficial skin wound in immunocompromised patients like diabetics.
Accidents, Traffic ; Acinetobacter baumannii ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Aqueous Humor ; Communicable Diseases ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Drainage ; Enterobacter aerogenes ; Enterococcus faecalis ; Female ; Forehead ; Gas Gangrene ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Laparotomy ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Panophthalmitis* ; Proteus mirabilis ; Sepsis ; Serratia marcescens ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Emphysema ; Wounds and Injuries

Bacillus anthracis is a soil pathogen capable of causing anthrax in animals and humans. To establish a method for specifically detecting B. anthracis, we used nested polymerase chain reaction. Outer and inner sets of oligonucleotide primers were designed from the protective antigen (pag) gene and from the cya gene of the plasmid pXO1. Ainplification of 482 bp or 208 bp DNA fragment obtained from a nested PCR method provided the basis for rapid and reliable assay for the detection and identification of B. anthracis.
Animals ; Anthrax ; Bacillus anthracis* ; Bacillus* ; DNA ; DNA Primers ; Humans ; Plasmids ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Soil

Background: Fusobacterium nucleatum has been identified to promote tumor progression in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, association between F. nucleatum and prognostic or clinicopathological features has been diverse among studies, which could be affected by type of biospecimen (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded or fresh frozen [FF]). Methods: Articles were systemically reviewed for studies that included the correlation between F. nucleatum and prognosis or clinicopathological features in CRC. Results: Ten articles, eight studies with survival-related features involving 3,199 patients and nine studies with clinical features involving 2,655 patients, were eligible for the meta-analysis. Overall survival, disease-free survival, and cancer-specific survival were all associated with worse prognosis in F. nucleatum–high patients (p<.05). In subgroup analysis, only studies with FF tissues retained prognostic significance with F. nucleatum. In meta-analysis of clinicopathological variables, F. nucleatum level was associated with location within colon, pT category, MLH1 hypermethylation, microsatellite instability status, and BRAF mutation regardless of type of biospecimen. However, lymph node metastasis and KRAS mutation was only associated with F. nucleatum level in FF-based studies. Conclusions In conclusion, type of biospecimen could affect the role of F. nucleatum as a biomarker associated with clinicopathological features and prognosis.

Impetigo herpetiformis (IH) is an extremely rare pustular dermatosis of pregnancy with typical onset during the second or third trimester of pregnancy and generally rapid resolution after delivery. Recurrent case of IH in subsequent pregnancy tend to earlier onset and greater severity. We report a 33-year-old pregnant woman, with a history of mild IH in the first pregnancy, who presented with generalized lesions at nearly 29 weeks' gestation. Her condition had become worse suddenly at 34 weeks' gestation. She developed fever, small for gestational age, and gait disturbance due to ache in both thighs. So we decided to terminate the pregnancy by repeat cesarean section. After delivery, her skin lesions had worsen rapidly in spite of treatment with corticosteroids. So she was treated with a large dose of acitretin. Three months after her delivery, her skin was returned to original state, except for residual pigmentation. In conclusion, our case indicates that clinicians should be aware of the possibility of sudden deterioration of the maternal lesions and fetal condition associated with IH.
Acitretin* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Adult ; Cesarean Section, Repeat ; Female ; Fever ; Gait ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Impetigo* ; Pigmentation ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Thigh

In general, twin pregnancy represents a high-risk pregnancy. The monozygous twin of all twin pregnancy is a real challenge for the obstetrician due to the severe complications that may arise during its development. An extremely uncommon, severe complication of monozygous twin pregnancy, which we recently experienced in Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, was a monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy with acardiac twin-twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence. An acardiac twin presented no heart, underdeveloped inferior part of the body, being transfused by the other fetus (pumping twin) by umbilical vessels. We report a 33-year-old pregnant woman, with a history of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in the second pregnancy, who presented with generalized edema, abdominal discomfort, and high blood pressure at 33 weeks' gestation. By ultrasonography, one of the babies is normally developed but in the other baby, head, upper extremities, and cardiac activity cannot be detected. The pumping twin was cardiomegaly, polyhydramnios, absent diastolic wave on the umbilical artery, and small for gestational age. We decided to terminate the pregnancy by primary cesarean section after administration of corticosteroids. The comprehension of this case is compulsory in order to provide maximum survival opportunity to the viable baby.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Adult ; Cardiomegaly ; Cesarean Section ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Comprehension ; Edema ; Female ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Head ; Heart ; Humans ; Hypertension ; In Vitro Techniques ; Perfusion* ; Polyhydramnios ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, High-Risk ; Pregnancy, Twin ; Pregnant Women ; Twins ; Ultrasonography ; Umbilical Arteries ; Upper Extremity

Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is associated with hypokalemia and occurs sporadically and usually in young adult males. We report ten cases with TPP ; all were males, mean onset age was 32.4 years old. The duration of attack. Varied from 10 to 18 hours. The distribution of paralysis was confined to limb muscles; more severe in proximal limbs and lower extremities. Potassium levels during acute attack correlated with the severity of paralysis and ECG changes, but not with the severity of decrease in TSH level. In all cases, administration of potassium salts was successful in treatment of acute attack. A patient had further attack in spite of euthyroid state under the treatment of thyrotoxicosis for one year. Another patient was free from paralytic attacks by chronic administration of the potassium salt and acetazolamide without treatment of thyrotoxicosis.
Acetazolamide ; Age of Onset ; Electrocardiography ; Extremities ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Muscles ; Paralysis* ; Potassium ; Salts ; Thyrotoxicosis ; Young Adult