Cyclopia is rare congenital craniofacial anomaly, in which the eyes are fused together and located in a single orbit. It is consistently associated with severe holoprosencephaly, which is the failure of cleavage of the prosencephalon with a deficit in the midline facial development. chromosomal study revealed 47, X( ), +13 (Patau syndrome).
Holoprosencephaly ; Orbit ; Prosencephalon ; Trisomy*

Transient tachypnea of the newborn(TTN) is a benign self-limited disease characterized by early onset and rapid recovery of tachypnea although it may occasionally have a more prolonged and protracted course. A retrospective clinical study was mad on 29 neonates with TTN admitted to NICU of Pohang St. Mary's Hospital from January 1992 to June 1993. The results were as follows: 1) TTN(36.2%) was the most common cause of respiratory distress in the neonate followed by idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome(23.8%), pneumonia(18.8%), meconium aspiration syndrome(6.2%), perinatal asphyxia(6.2%), polycythemia(3.8%), anemia(1.2%), persistent fetal circulation(1.2%), paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia(1.2%) and tracheoesophageal fistula(1.2%) 2) TTN was more frequent in the male term infants but can occur in premature(41.4%) and low birth weight infants(34.5%). 3) The associated perinatal conditions were oxytocin-induction(8 cases, 27.6%), Cesarean delivery(10 cases, 34.5%) and asphyxia(7 cases, 24.2%) 4) Arterial blood gas analysis showed respiratory acidosis in 3 cases and metabolic acidosis in 3 cases but none of TTN showed hypoxia unresponsive to oxygen 5) Chest X-ray showed hyperaeration in 10 cases(34.5%), increased pulmonary vascularity in 8 cases(27.6%), hyperaeration and increased pulmonary vascularity in 6 cases(20.6%) and cardiomegaly in 12 cases(53%). 6) Tachypnea usually appeared within 6hours and abated by 48-72hours but sustained more than 73hours in 7 cases(24.1%) 7) In majority of cases, maximal respiratory rates were below 100 rates/min and administered oxygen concentrations were 20-40%, and their mean values were 81 rates/min, 37.6% respectively. 8) TTN with more prolonged course(> or=48hours) was associated with low birth weight infants, prematurity and higher respiratory rates(> or=100 breaths a minute)(p<0.05).
Acidosis ; Acidosis, Respiratory ; Anoxia ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Cardiomegaly ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome ; Oxygen ; Respiratory Rate ; Retrospective Studies ; Tachypnea ; Thorax ; Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn*

Transient tachypnea of the newborn(TTN) is a benign self-limited disease characterized by early onset and rapid recovery of tachypnea although it may occasionally have a more prolonged and protracted course. A retrospective clinical study was mad on 29 neonates with TTN admitted to NICU of Pohang St. Mary's Hospital from January 1992 to June 1993. The results were as follows: 1) TTN(36.2%) was the most common cause of respiratory distress in the neonate followed by idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome(23.8%), pneumonia(18.8%), meconium aspiration syndrome(6.2%), perinatal asphyxia(6.2%), polycythemia(3.8%), anemia(1.2%), persistent fetal circulation(1.2%), paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia(1.2%) and tracheoesophageal fistula(1.2%) 2) TTN was more frequent in the male term infants but can occur in premature(41.4%) and low birth weight infants(34.5%). 3) The associated perinatal conditions were oxytocin-induction(8 cases, 27.6%), Cesarean delivery(10 cases, 34.5%) and asphyxia(7 cases, 24.2%) 4) Arterial blood gas analysis showed respiratory acidosis in 3 cases and metabolic acidosis in 3 cases but none of TTN showed hypoxia unresponsive to oxygen 5) Chest X-ray showed hyperaeration in 10 cases(34.5%), increased pulmonary vascularity in 8 cases(27.6%), hyperaeration and increased pulmonary vascularity in 6 cases(20.6%) and cardiomegaly in 12 cases(53%). 6) Tachypnea usually appeared within 6hours and abated by 48-72hours but sustained more than 73hours in 7 cases(24.1%) 7) In majority of cases, maximal respiratory rates were below 100 rates/min and administered oxygen concentrations were 20-40%, and their mean values were 81 rates/min, 37.6% respectively. 8) TTN with more prolonged course(> or=48hours) was associated with low birth weight infants, prematurity and higher respiratory rates(> or=100 breaths a minute)(p<0.05).
Acidosis ; Acidosis, Respiratory ; Anoxia ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Cardiomegaly ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome ; Oxygen ; Respiratory Rate ; Retrospective Studies ; Tachypnea ; Thorax ; Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn*

Airway management for patients who have suffered multiple facial fractures and skull base fractures is complicated. Nasal intubation can interfere with centralization and stabilization of nasal fractures and may lead to cranial intubation. Restoring the dental occlusion by means of intraoperative maxillo- mandibular fixation is a prerequisite to the corrrect anatomical reduction of multiple facial fractures. This fixation precludes oral endotracheal intubation. In the past, it has been overcome by a tracheostomy. Complications of a tracheostomy include infection, hemorrhage, subcutaneous emphysema, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, recurrent laryngeal nerve damage, tracheal stenosis, and tracheoesophageal fistula. The technique of submental intubation was originally described by Altemir. This technique provide secure airway, an unobstructed intraoral airway field. and allows maxillomandibular fixation while avoiding the drawbacks and complications of naso-endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy. With this technique, the multiple facial fractures were corrected successfully.
Airway Management ; Dental Occlusion ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Jaw Fixation Techniques ; Mediastinal Emphysema ; Pneumothorax ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve ; Skull Base ; Subcutaneous Emphysema ; Surgery, Oral* ; Tracheal Stenosis ; Tracheoesophageal Fistula ; Tracheostomy

Objectives: This study examined the results of the restandardization of the Korean Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). The Korean PAI was first standardized in 2001 and then restandardized in 2019 to establish new normative data. On the other hand, differences may exist in the results of the restandardized version considering the time interval, which may include cultural and social differences. Thus, differences between the results of the Korean PAI administered in 2001 and 2019 must be examined to confirm its new normative data followed by restandardization. Methods: Data from 2212 adults who administered the original Korean PAI in 2001 and 1263 adults who administered the Korean PAI in 2019 were collected. The study compared the reliability and mean scores. In addition, the mean scores of the Korean PAI administered in 2019 were converted to T-scores adapted to the normative data of 2001. The collected data was analyzed using a t-test and comparing the T-scores. Results: The internal consistency reliability showed a similar pattern in both versions, but the differences among the mean scores and T-scores appeared to be significant. Conclusion The significant differences between the scores of the Korean PAI administered in 2001 and 2019 reflect the result of the restandardization. Therefore, the restandardized version of the Korean PAI may bring more precise information that can be adapted to the contemporary era.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic idiopathic urticaria refers to recurrent hives of more than six weeks duration and in approximately 80% of cases, the etiology is unknown. Recently, involvement of an autoimmune mechanism in the pathogenesis of chronic idiopathic urticaria has been suggested. Thyroid autoimmunity has been reported in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria and treatment with thyroxine in selected cases induced clinical remission. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 99 patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria to evaluate the clinical significance of anti-thyroid auto-antibodies including anti-thyroglobulin and antimicrosomal antibodies. Thirty-four normal volunteers were selected as controls. The prevalence of these two auto-antibodies as well as laboratory findings and clinical features between these two groups were compared. RESULTS: Thyroid auto-antibodies were positive in 24% of patients compared to 8.7% of control patients and the duration of the disease was significantly longer in the patients with thyroid auto-antibodies than in those without thyroid auto-antibodies, respectively (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in age, positive rate of ANA and total eosinophil count. Administration of thyroxine to five patients with refractory urticaria resulted in improvement in three patients. CONCLUSION: Thyroid autoimmunity is associated with chronic idiopathic urticaria in some patients. Administration of thyroxine resulted in improvement of symptoms in some of these patients. Therefore, we recommend routine testing of thyroid auto-antibodies in patients with retractable chronic idiopathic urticaria.
Antibodies ; Autoimmunity ; Eosinophils ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroxine ; Urticaria*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Chronic hepatitis C patients with advanced fibrosis have unsatisfactory sustained virological response (SVR) rates. Few data demonstrating the efficacy of combination therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients with advanced fibrosis in South Korea are available. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the stage of fibrosis impacts the efficacy of combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data for a total of 109 patients with chronic hepatitis C, treated with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin. SVR according to the stage of liver fibrosis assessed by pretreatment liver biopsy and genotype results were analyzed. RESULTS: Data from 66 genotype 1 patients (60.6%) and 43 genotype 2 or 3 patients (39.4%) among the 109 patients were analyzed. SVR rates for the genotype 1 patients were significantly lower for the stage 3-4 group (32.1%) than the stage 0-2 group (78.9%; P<0.001). SVR rates (92.0% for stage 0-2, 77.8% for stage 3-4, P=0.184) of genotype 2 or 3 patients were not significantly different according to fibrosis stage. Likewise, the frequency of adverse events was not significantly different according to fibrosis stage. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to patients without advanced fibrosis, we can anticipate good SVR rates for genotype 2 or 3 patients with advanced fibrosis and they did not show an inferior tolerability for peginterferon and ribavirin combination therpy. Our results suggest that active treatment is needed for genotype 2 or 3 patients with advanced fibrosis.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Blood Platelets/cytology ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus/genetics ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/complications/*drug therapy/genetics ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha/therapeutic use ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications/*pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Polyethylene Glycols/therapeutic use ; RNA, Viral/analysis ; Recombinant Proteins/therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Ribavirin/therapeutic use ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has recently recommended the HbA1c assay as one of four options for making the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, with a cut-point of > or =6.5%. We compared the HbA1c assay and the fasting plasma glucose level for making the diagnosis of diabetes among Korean adults. METHODS: We analyzed 8710 adults (age 45-74 years), who were not diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus, from the Namwon study population. A fasting plasma glucose level of > or =126 mg/dL and an A1c of > or =6.5% were used for the diagnosis of diabetes. The kappa index of agreement was calculated to measure the agreement between the diagnosis based on the fasting plasma glucose level and the HbA1c. RESULTS: The kappa index of agreement between the fasting plasma glucose level and HbA1c was 0.50. CONCLUSIONS: The agreement between the fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c for the diagnosis of diabetes was moderate for Korean adults.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anemia, Aplastic/*diagnosis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Platelet Count/*standards ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/*diagnosis ; Reference Values ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sex Factors

Previous studies have suggested that the Gly460Trp polymorphism of the alpha-adducin gene (ADD-1) is associated with salt sensitivity and primary hypertension. The results of linkage or association studies of ADD-1 of different populations are controversial. This study investigated the relationship between the Gly460Trp poly-morphism of ADD-1 and essential hypertension in a Korean population. The subjects (n=903) were participants in a population-based study in Jangseong County, Korea. The Gly460Trp polymorphism of ADD-1 was determined using a polymerase chain reaction method. The frequency of the 460Trp allele was 59.4% in normotensives and 61.1% in hypertensives (p=0.523). The frequencies of the genotypes did not differ significantly between the hypertensive and normotensive groups (16.3% Gly/Gly, 45.8% Gly/Trp, and 38.0% Trp/Trp in normotensives; 16.2% Gly/Gly, 45.8% Gly/Trp, and 38.0% Trp/Trp in hypertensives; p=0.928). After adjusting for other risk factors, Gly/Trp and Trp/Trp were not associated with hypertension (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.65-1.53, Gly/Trp vs. Gly/Gly; OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.79-1.90, Trp/Trp vs. Gly/Gly). These findings suggest that the Gly460Trp polymorphism of ADD-1 is not associated with hypertension.
Calmodulin-Binding Proteins/*genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis/methods ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease/*epidemiology ; Genetic Screening/methods ; Humans ; Hypertension/*epidemiology/genetics/*metabolism ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/*genetics ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Risk Assessment/*methods ; Risk Factors

The aim of this study was to establish reference data for the quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the calcaneus and for the bone mineral densities (BMD) of the calcaneus and distal forearm, and to evaluate the correlation between QUS parameters and BMD in a Korean population. We performed a cross-sectional study involving 3,053 subjects (1,225 men and 1,828 women). QUS was conducted on the calcaneus and was quantified as speed of sound (SOS, m/sec), broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA, dB/MHz), and stiffness index. The BMD of the calcaneus and distal forearm were measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry. The peak mean values for the QUS parameters occurred in the 20 to 29-yr-old subjects of both sexes, with the exception of the BUA, which reached the highest values in women of 30-39 yr. For both sexes, the mean BMD of the calcaneus was highest in those 20-29 yr old and that of the distal forearm was highest in those 40-49 yr old. The correlations between the QUS and BMD results were found to be 0.41 to 0.73 in men and 0.51 to 0.76 in women. Theses data can serve as a reference values for both sexes in Korea.
Adult ; Aged ; *Bone Density ; Calcaneus/*metabolism/*ultrasonography ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Densitometry, X-Ray ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis/etiology/metabolism/ultrasonography ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors