OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown the relationship between recognition of facial expressions and psychiatric symptoms. This study investigated how healthy young adults recognize neutral faces and which psychological distresses and symptoms relate to their recognition of neutral faces. METHODS: One hundred forty-three healthy volunteers participated in this study. We used neutral facial pictures, selected from the Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expressions of Emotion (JACFEE) photo set, to evaluate participants' facial expression recognition and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to measure and examine their psychological characteristics. RESULTS: There were significant positive correlations between the recognition rate of neutral expressions as contempt and trait-anxiety level (r=0.21 ; p=0.01) and depression (r=0.20 ; p=0.02). This contempt-recognition was significantly negatively correlated with resilience score (r=-0.22 ; p=0.01) and the TCI self-directedness subscale (r=-0.29 ; p=0.00). Also, the TCI's harm avoidance subscale score was significantly positively correlated with the contempt recognition rate (r=0.21 ; p=0.01). CONCLUSION: These finding suggests recognition of neutral faces as contempt may be related to psychological distress, including trait and temperament characteristics. This negative bias toward neutral emotion (expressions) may affect interpersonal relations and social functioning in a healthy population.
Affective Symptoms ; Anxiety ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Depression ; Facial Expression ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Polymethacrylic Acids ; Temperament ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Venous reflux in primary varicose vein arises from the saphenofemoral junction (SFJ), and the saphenopopliteal junction (SPJ) and it can arise from the non-junctional great saphenous vein (GSV) tributaries and, the non-saphenous veins. Superficial venous surgery (SVS) is associated with a significant improvement in the lower leg venous hemodynamics. We performed a retrospective study to examine the prevalence of the reflux pattern in the primary varicose veins and, to observe any change of non-junctional GSV reflux. METHOD: From May 2004 to July 2005, 481 patients (766 limbs) were diagnosed with venous incompetence by performing a duplex ultrasound examination. A follow-up duplex ultrasound examination was performed for a group of non-junctional GSV reflux patients and for a group of patient having both superficial vein reflux and deep vein reflux. RESULT: The prevalence of SFJ reflux, SPJ reflux, below the knee GSV reflux with competent SFJ and, non saphenous vein reflux was 82%, 13%, 10% and, 4.5% respectively. In the patients with SVS who had deep vein reflux (DVR), DVR was absent in only on two patients (6%). Eight patients (9.1%) of the 88 primary varicose vein patients had asymptomatic left iliac vein obstruction detected by performing an ascending venogram during radiofrequency ablation (RFA). On the duplex findings after SVS, the reflux pattern of left deep venous system was not different from the right deep venous system. CONCLUSION: Varicose veins may occur in any vein, even if junctional reflux is predominant. Careful duplex ultrasound evaluation will delineate the changing pattern of venous reflux with/without SVS. Although superficial venous surgery must fit the patient's map, the results might be variable. Prospective studies are needed to analyze the dynamics of venous reflux after SVS.
Catheter Ablation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Iliac Vein ; Knee ; Leg ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Saphenous Vein ; Ultrasonography ; Varicose Veins* ; Veins

BACKGROUND: We thought that nitroimidazoles including metronidazole had been overused empirically for treatment of trichomoniasis in Korea. But there were not any reports about in vitro-drug susceptibility and distribution of resistant strains of Trichomonas vaginalis up to date. Therefore, we made an experiment in order to observe the susceptibility of clinical isolates of T. vaginalis to a variety of antiprotozoal agents. METHODS: Twenty-six strains of T. vaginalis isolated from 217 patients afflicted with the increased vaginal discharge were tested by Meingassner's microtiter plate method in newly devised anaerobic box, in which anaerobic and microaerobic conditions were more easily manipulated. The agents used in this study for testing the minimal lethal concentration (MLC) to the clinical isolates were as follows; nitroimidazoles, doxycycline, Zinc sulfate and gentian violet as chemotherapeutic agents and povidone-iodine as vaginal cleansing agents were studied. RESULTS: In anaerobic culture, according to anaerobic resistance cut-point (minimal lethal concentration >3.1 microgram/mL) proposed by M ller etc., metronidazole (MTZ)-, tinidazole (TNZ)-and ornidazole (ONZ)-resistant strains were four (4/26, 15.4%), two (2/26, 7.7 %) and two (2/26, 7.7%) strains, respectively. Among these resistant strains, two strains (G7 and G16) were resistant to two drugs and one strain (G20) resistant to three drugs concomitantly. Their resistance range was narrow as 6.25~12.5 microgram/mL. MLC of clotrimazole was > or = 2,000 microgram/mL in all strains, econazole was as high as 62.5~250 microgram/mL and miconazole was also high as 62.5~> or = 2,000 microgram/mL. In microaerobic culture (O2 concentration <5%), all strains showed lower MLC to MTZ, TNZ and ONZ than >100 microgram/ mL (aerobic resistance cut-point proposed by M ller etc.). MLC of doxycycline ranged 62.5 to 250 microgram/mL both in microaerobic and anaerobic conditions. All strains of T. vaginalis growed well in 3,000 microgram/mL of povidone-iodine. 22 strains (84.6%) among 26 T. vaginalis strains showed MLCs of 3.5 mM~7.0 mM to zinc sulfate. Gentian violet showed 15.6~62.5 microgram/mL of MLC. CONCLUSION: In absolute anaerobic culture, 4 strains (15.4%) among 26 T. vaginalis strains were resistant to metronidazole. But these 4 strains were not resistant in microaerobic culture depending on Miler's aerobic resistance cut-point (>50~100 microgram/mL), the value decided in normal O2 pressure. Vaginal PO2 is 0~28mm Hg (median 1 mmHg) at healthy or trichomonas-infected women. Therefore, we think that his aerobic resistance cut-point value is hard to be available in microaerobic condition and microaerobic resistance guide-line is to be established newly.
Anti-Infective Agents ; Antiprotozoal Agents* ; Clotrimazole ; Detergents ; Doxycycline ; Econazole ; Female ; Gentian Violet ; Humans ; Korea ; Metronidazole ; Miconazole ; Nitroimidazoles ; Ornidazole ; Povidone-Iodine ; Tinidazole ; Trichomonas vaginalis* ; Trichomonas* ; Vaginal Discharge ; Zinc Sulfate

PURPOSE: Recently, vitamin D insufficiency has increased and has been correlated to growth and puberty in children. This study was conducted to find the prevalence of subclinical vitamin D insufficiency and its influence on school-aged children in Korea. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 397 children aged 7 to 15 years who had been tested for 25-OH vitamin D3 among the outpatients of the Department of Pediatrics in Eulji General Hospital from March 2007 to February 2011. Data for age, sex, comorbidities, serum 25-OH vitamin D3, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and sunlight exposure time were collected before and after 3 months of vitamin D administration, retrospectively. RESULTS: Vitamin D insufficiency was present in 343 (86%) of the subjects. In the vitamin D insufficient group, chronological age was 8.96+/-1.72 years, mean height (z-score [z]) was 0.51+/-1.26, mean BMI (z) was 0.81+/-2.20, and bone age was 10.26+/-1.75 years. In the vitamin D sufficient group, chronological age was 9.61+/-1.77 years, mean height (z) was-0.66+/-0.98, mean BMI (z) was-0.01+/-1.16, and bone age was 9.44+/-2.12 years. A paired t-test showed that three months after vitamin D administration, the mean 25-OH vitamin D3 level in the insufficient group increased to 24.38 +/-10.03 ng/mL and mean BMI (z) decreased to 0.67+/-1.06. CONCLUSION: In Korean school-aged children, vitamin D insufficiency were relatively higher and may be closely related with higher BMI. Insufficient rise of the level of vitamin D after supplementation suggest the new supplementation guidelines, especially for Korean children.
Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Child* ; Cholecalciferol ; Comorbidity ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Pediatrics ; Prevalence ; Puberty ; Retrospective Studies ; Sunlight ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

No abstract available.
Cannibalism ; Urinary Bladder

Purpose: This study aimed to identify and compare the risk factors of depression among middle-class Korean workers. Methods: A cross sectional study was designed for secondary data analysis. From the 8th Korean Medical Panel Survey (2008~2013), a total of 3,056 data was drawn and analyzed. With SPSS version 24, a developmental stage comparison, with the stage being young adults (20~39), middle-aged adults (40~64), and older adults (65+) were conducted. Frequency, percentage, x 2 test and logistic regression analysis were statistical tools used to analyze the data. Results: In all developmental groups, experience of frustration was found to be a common risk factor of depression. Stress from excessive task, peer-compared subjective health status, and self-perceived social class were risk factors of depression in the young adults and the middle-aged adults. Anxiety for the future significantly influenced depression in the middle-aged adults and older adults. Conclusion Experience of frustration was a major risk factor of depression among Korean middle-class workers. Interventions to reduce depression need to be developed focusing on the specific risk factors by developmental stages such as experience of frustration, stress from task burden, poor peer-compared subjective health status and anxiety for the future.

Autoimmune neutropenia of infancy (AIN) is caused by increased peripheral destruction of neutrophils as a result of antibodies in patients' blood that are directed against their own neutrophils. Due to non-specific symptoms, benign clinical courses, and cumbersome diagnostic tests, AIN are commonly undetected. Antineutrophil antibody test for diagnosis of AIN has recently become available. Compared to its relatively lower absolute neutrophil count (ANC), the clinical course of AIN is mostly benign. Therefore, although treatment is not usually necessary for AIN, it is applicable in order to rule out other significant diseases, such as severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), which can be transformed to myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myelocytic leukemia. For this reason, several treatments can be used for neutropenia: granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) for SCN, trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for prophylaxis. Here we report on two cases of AIN confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence test using flow cytometry.
Antibodies ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; Neutropenia ; Neutrophils ; Sulfamethoxazole ; Trimethoprim

Diabetic nephopathy is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease and characterized pathologically by the glomerular mesangial expansion and increased extracellular matrix(ECM) formation. Glomerular hyper-filtration and increased vascular permeability observed in the early stage of diabetic nephropathy have been proposed to play a significant pathophysiologic role in the eventual development of glomerulosclerosis of dia-betic nephropathy. Some studies have suggested that this glomerular hyperfiltration is mediated by increased nitric oxide(NO) production via the constitutive nitric oxide synthase(cNOS) pathway present in endothelial cells under the high glucose environment. However, the exact role of the inducible NOS(iNOS) pathway present in mesangial cells in the pathogenesis of diabetic neph-ropathy is not clearly established. The present study was carried out to examine whether NO production via the iNOS pathway is mo-dulated in cultured rat mesangial cells exposed to the high glucose environment and underlying mechanism of this modulation. For this purpose, the production of the stable metabolite of NO(nitrite), intracellular cyclic gu-anosine monophosphate(cGMP), iNOS mRNA expression and iNOS protein synthesis were examined under different glucose concentrations. Rat mesangial cells cultured in high glucose concen- tration(30mM D-glucose) increased significantly nitrit#e/ nitrate production and intracellular cGMP levels upon stimulation with lipopolysaccharide(LPS) plus interfer-on-r (IFN-r ) compared with control glucose concen- tration(5.6mM D-glucose). Mesangial iNOS mRNA expression and protein synthesis also increased signifi- cantly in response to high glucose. This enhanced iNOS mRNA expression induced by high glucose concentration was significantly suppressed by protein kinase C(PKC) inhibitor, calphostin C, and the aldose reductase inhibitor, 6-bromo-l, 3-dioxo-1H- benz[d, elisoquinoline-2(3H)-acetic acid. These results indicate that high glucose in combination with stimulation by LPS plus IFN- r enhances NO production from mesangial cells by the iNOS pathway, and that the activation of PKC and the polyol pathway may play a role in this enhancement.
Aldehyde Reductase ; Animals ; Capillary Permeability ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Endothelial Cells ; Glucose* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Mesangial Cells* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Protein Kinases ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger

We describe a 48-year-old man with family history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affected by chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) with severe peripheral eosinophilia. CEP might develop as a complication of longstanding active RA. The patient with 5 months history of seropositive RA and chronic respiratory symptoms, alveolar and blood eosinophilia, peripheral pulmonary infiltrates and pleural effusion on chest imaging. The lung may be involved as an extraarticular manifestation of RA. However, CEP is not recognized as a typical lung manifestation of RA, and the two diseases rarely coexist. The effusion was an eosinophil predominant exudates and was characterized by low pH, and glucose level and high lactic dehydrogenase. The patient responded rapidly to combination of steroids and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.
Antirheumatic Agents ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils* ; Exudates and Transudates ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Oxidoreductases ; Pleural Effusion* ; Pulmonary Eosinophilia* ; Steroids ; Thorax

PURPOSE: This study investigated an outbreak of mumps affecting students in a high school (S high school) in Seoul, with an evaluation of the diagnostic utility of the mumps polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. METHODS: S high school students that presented to health care providers with mumps symptoms between April 2013 and July 2013 were surveyed for the monthly distribution of symptom onset and their grade level. Mumps PCR assays were performed using buccal swabs from some of these students. RESULTS: During the survey period, 77 students presented with suspected cases of mumps. The monthly distribution of symptom onset was as follows: one in April, 17 in May, 54 in June, and five in July. With regard to grade level, 26 students were in their first year, 28 were in their second year, and 23 were in their third year. Of the 18 students tested with PCR assays, five had positive results. Samples were collected within 3 days of symptom onset in 15 of the 18 students, and positive PCR results were obtained in five of these 15 students. The PCR results of the remaining three students from whom samples were collected more than 3 days after the onset of symptoms were negative (P=0.24). CONCLUSIONS: We evaluated the epidemiological aspects of an outbreak of mumps in a high school. Mumps PCR might be epidemiologically useful if performed within 3 days of the onset of symptoms in suspected cases.
Adolescent ; Disease Outbreaks ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Mumps* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Seoul