OBJECTIVE: To investigate employment status after spinal cord injury (SCI) and identify personal, family, and injury characteristics those affect their employment in South Korea. METHODS: Participants were 334 community-dwelling persons 20-64 years of age who had sustained SCI for more than one year. Investigators visited each participant's home to carry out the survey. Bivariate and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify personal, family, and injury characteristics that influenced employment after SCI. RESULTS: Employment rate decreased significantly from 82.5% to 27.5% after SCI. Logistic regression showed that the probability of employment was higher in men than women, and in individuals older than 45 years at the time of injury than those aged 31-45 years of age. Moreover, employment was higher in individuals injured for longer than 20 years than those injured for 1-5 years and in individuals with incomplete tetraplegia than those with complete paraplegia. Employment was lower in individuals with SCI caused by industrial accidents than those injured in non-industrial accidents. CONCLUSION: Injury characteristics are the most important predictors of employment in persons with SCI. For persons with lower employment rate, individualized vocational rehabilitation and employment-support systems are required.
Accidents, Occupational ; Employment* ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Paraplegia ; Quadriplegia ; Rehabilitation, Vocational ; Republic of Korea* ; Research Personnel ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of anti-inflammatory agents, specifically bromfenac, loteprednol, and prednisolone, on the permeability of cultured human trabecular meshwork cell (HTMC) monolayers. METHODS: HTMCs were cultured until confluency in the inner chamber of Transwell, then exposed to 1/1,000 or 1/500 diluted commercial 0.1% bromfenac, 0.5% loteprednol, and 1% prednisolone for 24 hours. The permeabilities of carboxyfluorescein through the HTMC monolayer were measured with a spectrofluorometer after 2 hours in the outer chamber. Cellular viabilities were assessed with an 3-[4,5–dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. RESULTS: Bromfenac and loteprednol diluted at 1/1,000 or 1/500 did not significantly affect the cellular survival (p > 0.05). Bromfenac did not affect the permeability via the HTMC monolayer (p > 0.05) and loteprednol decreased the permeability (p < 0.05). In addition, 1/2,000 prednisolone also decreased the permeability (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among the anti-inflammatory agents, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent bromfenac did not affect the permeability, while loteprednol and prednisolone decreased the permeability through the HTMC monolayer. Thus, loteprednol and prednisolone may decrease the trabecular outflow.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents* ; Humans ; Loteprednol Etabonate ; Permeability* ; Prednisolone ; Trabecular Meshwork*

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of anti-inflammatory agents, specifically bromfenac, loteprednol, and prednisolone, on the permeability of cultured human trabecular meshwork cell (HTMC) monolayers. METHODS: HTMCs were cultured until confluency in the inner chamber of Transwell, then exposed to 1/1,000 or 1/500 diluted commercial 0.1% bromfenac, 0.5% loteprednol, and 1% prednisolone for 24 hours. The permeabilities of carboxyfluorescein through the HTMC monolayer were measured with a spectrofluorometer after 2 hours in the outer chamber. Cellular viabilities were assessed with an 3-[4,5–dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. RESULTS: Bromfenac and loteprednol diluted at 1/1,000 or 1/500 did not significantly affect the cellular survival (p > 0.05). Bromfenac did not affect the permeability via the HTMC monolayer (p > 0.05) and loteprednol decreased the permeability (p < 0.05). In addition, 1/2,000 prednisolone also decreased the permeability (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among the anti-inflammatory agents, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent bromfenac did not affect the permeability, while loteprednol and prednisolone decreased the permeability through the HTMC monolayer. Thus, loteprednol and prednisolone may decrease the trabecular outflow.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents* ; Humans ; Loteprednol Etabonate ; Permeability* ; Prednisolone ; Trabecular Meshwork*

No abstract available.
Keratitis*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of trypan blue (TB) on the survival of cultured human trabecular meshwork cells (HTMCs). METHODS: Primarily cultured HTMCs were exposed to 0.05, 0.10 or 0.50% TB for 1, 5 or 30 min. Cellular survival was assessed using the MTT assay and degree of apoptosis was analyzed with flow cytometry using annexin-V/propidium iodide double staining. RESULTS: Long-term exposure or high concentration of TB decreased the survival of HTMCs (p < 0.05). In flow cytometric analysis, exposure to 0.50% TB for 30 min increased the degree of apoptosis (p < 0.05). Commercial TB decreased cell survival after exposure for 5 min and increased the degree of apoptosis after exposure for 30 min (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TB may cause cellular damage of cultured HTMCs and apoptosis could be the underlying mechanism. In TB-assisted cataract surgery, TB should be used for the shortest time possible and removed completely.
Apoptosis ; Cataract ; Cell Survival ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Trabecular Meshwork* ; Trypan Blue*

OBJECTIVES: When a patient who attempts suicide visits the emergency room, it is important that the departments of emergency medicine, internal medicine, and psychiatry communicate with each other and prioritize treatment. This study was conducted to verify the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary emergency consultation system (ECS) for drug intoxicated patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data from medical records prior to the ECS, from July 2017 to May 2018, and after the ECS, from July 2018 to May 2019, to verify the effectiveness of the system. RESULTS: After the ECS, admission to open wards was significantly higher than to the intensive care units (χ²=8.567, p=0.014). In addition, the proportion of consultations to the department of psychiatry among patients admitted to other departments tended to increase (χ²=4.202, p=0.053), and the time required for consultation response decreased (Z=−2.031, p=0.042). As a result of the consultation, the proportion of the patients who had been transferred to the department of psychiatry was increased (χ²=4.692, p=0.043), and the time spent to transfer tended to decrease (Z=−1.941, p=0.052). CONCLUSIONS After implementing the ECS for drug intoxicated patients, unnecessary intensive care unit admissions, consultation response time, and the time spent to transfer were reduced, and the rate of consultation referrals and transfer rates increased. This means that the multidisciplinary consultation system rapidly provided essential medical services to patients at lower medical costs.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of hand massage with nail art on depression, self-esteem and vital signs of elderly women. METHODS: The research design was one group pre and post test experimental design. Data were collected from December 7 to December 14, 2015. All participants had hand massage with nail art for 10 minutes. Depression, self-esteem and vital signs were measured before, immediately after the hand massage with nail art and one week later. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS/Win 12.0 Program. RESULTS: Depression (F=30.80, p<.001), self-esteem (F=60.02, p<.000), diastolic pressure (F=29.56, p<.001) and body temperature (F=13.87, p<.001) were significantly different compared to pre-study values. Systolic pressure (F=3.85, p=.059) and pulse rate (F=0.32, p=.576) had no significant difference compared to pre-study values. CONCLUSION: The findings of this research show that hand massage with nail art has positive effects on decreasing depression and improving self-esteem for senior women who chose nail polish colour by themselves.
Aged* ; Blood Pressure ; Body Temperature ; Depression* ; Female ; Hand* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Massage* ; Nursing Homes* ; Nursing* ; Research Design ; Vital Signs*

BACKGROUND: Cushing syndrome is characterized by glucose intolerance, cardiovascular disease, and an enhanced systemic inflammatory response caused by chronic exposure to excess cortisol. Eosinopenia is frequently observed in patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome, but the relationship between the eosinophil count in peripheral blood and indicators of glucose level in patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome has not been determined. METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken of the clinical and laboratory findings of 40 patients diagnosed with adrenal Cushing syndrome at Chungnam National University Hospital from January 2006 to December 2016. Clinical characteristics, complete blood cell counts with white blood cell differential, measures of their endocrine function, description of imaging studies, and pathologic findings were obtained from their medical records. RESULTS: Eosinophil composition and count were restored by surgical treatment of all of the patients with adrenal Cushing disease. The eosinophil count was inversely correlated with serum and urine cortisol, glycated hemoglobin, and inflammatory markers in the patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome. CONCLUSION: Smaller eosinophil populations in patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome tend to be correlated with higher levels of blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin. This study suggests that peripheral blood eosinophil composition or count may be associated with serum glucose levels in patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome.
Blood Cell Count ; Blood Glucose* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Eosinophils* ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Leukocytes ; Medical Records ; Pituitary ACTH Hypersecretion ; Retrospective Studies

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Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease in children characterized by intra-alveolar accumulation of surfactant proteins, which severely reduces gaseous exchange. Whole lung lavage (WLL) is the preferred technique for the treatment of severe PAP. Herein, we present a pediatric case of PAP treated with WLL. An 11-year-old boy was admitted with the chief complaint of a dry cough lasting 6 months. He developed symptoms of dyspnea on exertion and had difficulty in climbing stairs. He was ultimately diagnosed with PAP through video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy. As first-line of treatment for PAP, he underwent therapeutic WLL for each of his lungs on separate days. After a brief recovery, his symptoms gradually worsened; therefore, he underwent a second WLL. This is the first pediatric case of PAP relapse despite successful WLL in Korea.
Biopsy ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage* ; Child ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung* ; Male ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis* ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Therapeutic Irrigation ; Video-Assisted Surgery