The incidence of adult eosinophillic esophagitis has been on the increase greatly in recent years, but the disease has been rarely reported in Korea. Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammatory disease causing dysphagia and food impaction. A round ring, longitudinal furrows and mucosal friability are the major findings seen by endoscopy. Eosionophilc esophagitis is confirmed by pathology when more than 20 eosinophils are found on microscopy with use of a high power field. We experienced three cases of eosinophilic esophagitis with complaints of dysphagia.
Adult ; Deglutition Disorders ; Endoscopy ; Eosinophilic Esophagitis ; Eosinophils ; Esophagitis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Microscopy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) on the isokinetic strength, body pain, and the quality of life in male high school baseball players of Korea. METHODS: Fifty-six male high school baseball players were divided into either group A (GIRD> or =20degrees, n=12) or group B (GIRD<20degrees, n=44). The range of motion in the shoulder and the isokinetic strength were measured. Questionnaires were administered regarding the body pain location by using the visual analogue scale, and the quality of life was measured by using the SF-36 Form. RESULTS: All subjects had increased external rotation range of motion and decreased internal rotation in the throwing shoulder. The incidence of GIRD (> or =20degrees) was 21.43% in the present study. In the isokinetic strength test, a significantly weaker muscular state at an angular velocity of 180degrees/s was observed in group A, compared to group B. For the comparison of the pain, the frequency of shoulder pain was higher (33.93%) than other body pain, among the study subjects. CONCLUSION: GIRD is one of the main risk factors of glenohumeral joint damage, and it is correlated with reduced isokinetic strength and quality of life. High school baseball players will need appropriate shoulder rehabilitation programs for the improvement in their quality of life and performance.
Baseball* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Quality of Life* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Rehabilitation ; Risk Factors ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Joint ; Shoulder Pain ; Surveys and Questionnaires

This study was conducted to clarify the prevalence of common skin diseases and their associated factors among military personnel in Korea. Four dermatologists visited adjacent military units and examined soldiers. A structured questionnaire that included questions about known skin diseases, demographic information, and questions for the Perceived Stress Index was completed for each participant. The soldiers that had been diagnosed with a skin disease answered one additional questionnaire (Skindex-29) which assess the influence of an individual's skin disease on daily life. Of 1,321 soldiers examined, 798 (60.4%) had one or more skin diseases. The three most common skin problems were acne (35.6%), tinea pedis (15.2%) and atopic dermatitis (5.1%). The diseases closely related to the period of military service were acne, tinea pedis, viral warts and corns. The diseases related to the amount of stress were atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and acne. The most troublesome skin diseases were atopic dermatitis, tinea cruris, and seborrheic dermatitis. These results demonstrated that the prevalence of skin disease among military personnel in Korea is very high, and that some of the skin disorders may have a significant influence on their daily lives.
Acne Vulgaris/epidemiology ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dermatitis, Atopic/epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Skin Diseases/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Stress, Psychological ; Tinea Pedis/epidemiology ; Young Adult

The identification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is clinically important for diagnosing cancer. We have previously developed a size-based filtration platform followed by epithelial cell adhesion molecule immunofluorescence staining for detecting CTCs. To characterize CTCs independently of cell surface protein expression, we incorporated a chromosomal fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay to detect abnormal copy numbers of chromosomes in cells collected from peripheral blood samples by the size-based filtration platform. Aneuploid cells were detected in the peripheral blood of patients with lung cancer. Unexpectedly, aneuploid cells were also detected in the control group, which consisted of peripheral blood samples from patients with benign lung diseases, such as empyema necessitatis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease. These findings suggest that chromosomal abnormalities are observed not only in tumor cells, but also in benign infectious diseases. Thus, our findings present new considerations and bring into light the possibility of false positives when using FISH for cancer diagnosis.
Aneuploidy* ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Communicable Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Empyema ; Epithelial Cells ; Filtration ; Fluorescence ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Lung Diseases* ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating

There was an error in the article. Chung-Hee Sonn (Ph.D.) should have been listed as a co-corresponding author but Jhingook Kim was listed as the sole corresponding author of the article. Therefore, we ask to correct that both Chung-Hee Sonn and Jhingook Kim are co-corresponding authors.