PURPOSE: We estimated the incidence of retinal lesions at preoperative evaluation of retina for LASIK and investigate its clinical importance. METHODS: We estimated retrospectively the incidence of retinal lesions of the patients who visited our hospital with the purpose of correction of refractive error. The examination of retina upto periphery was done preoperatively. RESULTS: The mean spherical value and axial length were -6.5 +/- 3.4 diopters (range -26.0 ~ +17.0) and 25.4 +/- 2.0mm (range 15.7 ~ 34.5), respectively. The retinal lesions were found in 189 eyes of 139 persons (12.4%). Among them degenerative changes were found in 48 eyes of 34 persons, chorioretinal scars in 7 eyes of 7 persons, pigmented lesions in 28 eyes of 24 persons, and miscellaneous lesions in 106 eyes of 74 persons. There was a significant increase of spherical value and axial length in the group with retinal lesions -7.9 +/- 4.5 diopters (range -26.00 ~ -2.25), 26.5 +/- 2.3mm (range 23.1 ~ 34.5) compared to that without retinal lesions -6.1 +/- 3.4 diopters (range -25.00 ~ 17.00), 25.4 +/- 2.1mm (range 15.7 ~ 35.4). And the incidence of degenerative change and retinal tear was significantly increased in moderate myopes more than -4 diopters. CONCLUSIONS: LASIK is relatively a kind of safe refractive surgery, but to prevent the unexpected postoperative retinal complications, it is essential to thoroughly examine the retina upto periphery before surgery.
Cicatrix ; Humans ; Incidence ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ* ; Refractive Errors ; Refractive Surgical Procedures ; Retina ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Perforations ; Retinaldehyde* ; Retrospective Studies

Authors examined 40,000 minifilms(boys and girls each 10,000 in junior and senior high schools) which were taken for survey of pulmonary tuberculosis for junior and senior high school students and checked the prevalence of scoliosis. It was considered lateral curvature of spine more than 10 degrees as nonpostural scoliosis, which were analyzed prevalence rate, degree of curvature, distribution of size of curvature, pattern of curve and direction of curvature. Following results were obtained. 1. The overall prevalence rate was 1.56; male 1.38. and female 1.70%(Junior high school 1.06%, Senior high school 2.05%). 2. Scoliosis secondary due to bony abnormality was found in 5 cases. 3. The most common pattern of curvature was the thoracic curve. 4. In sihgle curve, right to left ratio was 1.7, especially senior high school girls had more right curve and junior high school boys had more left curve. 5. The prevalence of senior high school students was greater than that of junior high school students and the degree of curvature was also severe in senior high school students than in junior high school students.
Busan ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Scoliosis ; Spine ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

In order to observe the changes in left ventricular function during coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion, left anterior descending (LAD) coronary arteries in the anesthetized dogs were occluded for 1 hour and then reperfused for 4 hours. Hemodynamic indexes of global systolic and diastolic function and regional wall thickness changes as a regional contractile index were measured during occlusion and reperfusion. The results were as follows; 1) Indexes of global systolic function (left ventricular peak systolic pressure, peak positive dP/dt) and global diastolic function (peak negative dP/dt, time constant, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure) showed deterioration in early occlusion period (10-30 minutes) but gradually improved even if coronary occlusion persisted. Reperfusion did not induce significant changes except that peak positive dP/dt transiently deteriorated 30 minutes after reperfusion and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure decreased 1.5-2 hours after reperfusion. 2) Indexed of regional function (i.e, end-diastolic thickness and % systolic thickening of anterior left ventricular wall) deteriorated by 10 minutes' occlusion which persisted during the entire occlusion period. Reperfusion induced no significant improvement in regional contractile function compared with occlusion 60 minutes' data, which suggested reperfusion for 4 hours after 1 hour's LAD occlusion may be insufficient for the ischemic region to recover its contractility. 3) Reperfusion arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia) was noted in most (6/9) of the dogs, one of which deteriorated into ventricular fibrillation and the others spontaneously converted to normal sinus rhythm.
Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Blood Pressure ; Coronary Occlusion ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dogs ; Hemodynamics ; Reperfusion* ; Ventricular Fibrillation ; Ventricular Function, Left*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify a transcriptomic signature that could be used to classify subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to controls on the basis of blood gene expression profiles. The gene expression profiles could ultimately be used as diagnostic biomarkers for ASD. METHODS: We used the published microarray data (GSE26415) from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, which included 21 young adults with ASD and 21 age- and sex-matched unaffected controls. Nineteen differentially expressed probes were identified from a training dataset (n=26, 13 ASD cases and 13 controls) using the limma package in R language (adjusted p value <0.05) and were further analyzed in a test dataset (n=16, 8 ASD cases and 8 controls) using machine learning algorithms. RESULTS: Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that subjects with ASD were relatively well-discriminated from controls. Based on the support vector machine and K-nearest neighbors analysis, validation of 19-DE probes with a test dataset resulted in an overall class prediction accuracy of 93.8% as well as a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 87.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of our exploratory study suggest that the gene expression profiles identified from the peripheral blood samples of young adults with ASD can be used to identify a biological signature for ASD. Further study using a larger cohort and more homogeneous datasets is required to improve the diagnostic accuracy.
Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Autistic Disorder* ; Biomarkers ; Cohort Studies ; Dataset ; Decision Support Techniques ; Gene Expression* ; Humans ; Machine Learning* ; Microarray Analysis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Support Vector Machine ; Transcriptome* ; Young Adult

In 1971 inclusion body myositis was reported by Yunis and Samaha. This disease is similar with chronic multiple myositis clinically. Pathologically, inclusion body myositis is characterized by intracytoplasmic vacuole with degenerating fibers and accompanied with inclusion body in internal nucleus and cytoplasm. Since then 240 cases of inclusion body myositis have been reported in the world including 3 cases in Korea. A 27 years-old lady had inclusion body myositis, which show slowly progressive muscular weakness. We confirmed this with clinical symptom, muscle biopsy, and electrophysiologic study. We report the typical manifestation of inclusion body myositis in a 27 years-old lady with the brief review of literature.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Inclusion Bodies* ; Korea ; Muscle Weakness ; Myositis, Inclusion Body* ; Polymyositis ; Vacuoles

The physical activity has an important physiological and psychological benefit for all people, and the exercise program has a key role in the management of diabetes. This article presents exercise recommendations for people with diabetes. Though the patients with diabetes may give many benefits from regular physical exercise, there may be several hazards from exercise as well. We assessed 30 patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and 15 normal control subjects with sedentary life-style for their workload, heart rate on maximal performance and maximal oxygen uptake, change of blood glucose level after exercise using bicycle ergometer and Astrand nomogram. The workload, heart rate on maximal performance and maximal oxygen uptake were lower in diabetic patient than control subjects. Blood glucose decreased in diabetic patient than control subjects, after exercise and the lowered value was maintained until 60 minutes after exercise. The maximal oxygen uptake was lower in diabetic patients than control subjects. The blood glucose decreased in both diabetic patients and normal control after exercise.
Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Exercise ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Motor Activity ; Nomograms ; Oxygen

PUROPSE: The liver is a major site for the metastatic spread of primary colorectal cancers.. Among the various modalities of treatment for hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer, hepatic resection has been proven to be the most effective treatment. This analysis was intended to review our experience with hepatic resection for colorectal cancer liver metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1989 to 2006, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical experience of 31 patients who were underwent hepatic resection for 20 synchronous and 11 metachronous hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer. The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log rank test. The mean follow up period was 26.7 months. RESULTS: The mean survival length of the patients was 65.08 5.00 months. Resection mortality was not observed. Age, sex, the preoperative CEA level, location, differentiation, and the surgical method for the primary tumor did not influence the survival (p>0.05). The number, largest size, sum of the largest size, and surgical method (wedge resection, segmental resection, lobectomy) for the hepatic metastasis did not influence the survival (p>0.05).Considering the time from diagnosis of the primary tumor to detection of the metastatic lesion, patients that had metachronous lesions survived longer than patients that had synchronous lesions (p=0.05). Patients that had a longer disease free interval after hepatic resection had a longer survival period (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that hepatic resection for colorectal cancer liver metastasis is a safe procedure with a survival benefit for the patients. We especially believe that hepatic resection for metachronous hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer may offer a chance of longer survival to these patients.
Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver* ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVES: Serum uric acid levels have been reported to be associated with a variety of cardiovascular conditions. However, the direct association between uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome remains controversial. Thus, we evaluated the association of serum uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome in a community-based cohort study in Korea. METHODS: We performed cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of 889 males and 1491 females (aged 38 to 87) who participated in baseline examinations of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study: Kanghwa study. Blood samples were collected after at least an 8 hour fast. Uric acid quartiles were defined as follows: <4.8, 4.8-<5.6, 5.6-<6.5, > or =6.5 mg/dL in males; and <3.8, 3.8-<4.3, 4.3-<5.1, > or =5.1 mg/dL in females. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Criteria with adjusted waist circumference cutoffs (90 cm for males; 80 cm for females). The association between serum uric acid quartiles and metabolic syndrome was assessed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The odds ratio for having metabolic syndrome in the highest versus lowest quartiles of serum uric acid levels was 2.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.60 to 4.46) in males and 2.14 (95% CI, 1.50 to 3.05) in females after adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, total cholesterol, HbA1c, albumin, gamma-glutamyltransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and log C-reactive protein. The number of metabolic abnormalities also increased gradually with increasing serum uric acid levels (adjusted p for trend < 0.001 in both sexes). CONCLUSIONS: Higher serum uric acid levels are positively associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome in Korean males and females.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biological Markers/blood ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperuricemia/*blood ; Inflammation ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*blood ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Assessment ; Rural Health

PURPOSE: Although inconsistent, reports have shown fibrinogen levels to be associated with atherosclerosis. Accordingly, since cigarette smoking is associated with increased levels of fibrinogen and atherosclerosis, it may also affect the association between fibrinogen and atherosclerosis. We investigated the associations between fibrinogen and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) according to smoking status in a Korean male population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plasma fibrinogen levels were measured in 277 men aged 40-87 years without a history of myocardial infarction or stroke. High-resolution B-mode ultrasonography was used to examine the common carotid arteries. IMT level was analyzed both as a continuous (IMT-max, maximum value; IMT-tpm, 3-point mean value) and categorical variable (higher IMT; presence of plaque). Serial linear and logistic regression models were employed to examine the association between fibrinogen and IMT according to smoking status. RESULTS: Fibrinogen levels were positively associated with IMT-max (standardized beta=0.25, p=0.021) and IMT-tpm (standardized beta=0.21, p=0.038), even after adjusting for age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio in current smokers (n=75). No significant association between fibrinogen and IMT, however, was noted in former smokers (n=80) or nonsmokers (n=122). Adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for having plaque per one standard deviation higher fibrinogen level were 2.06 (1.09-3.89) for current smokers, 0.68 (0.43-1.10) for former smokers, and 1.06 (0.60-1.87) for nonsmokers. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that cigarette smoking may modify the association between fibrinogen and carotid atherosclerosis. Further studies are required to confirm this finding in different populations.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*statistics & numerical data ; Atherosclerosis/*ultrasonography ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Carotid Artery Diseases/*blood/epidemiology/ultrasonography ; Carotid Artery, Common ; *Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Cholesterol/blood ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Fibrinogen/*analysis ; Humans ; Lipoproteins, HDL/blood ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Smoking/*adverse effects/blood/epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: The effect of meat consumption on cardiometabolic risk has been continuously studied, but their associations are not conclusive. The aim of this study is to examine the association between the consumption of meat or red meat and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in healthy Korean adults. METHODS: This study evaluated 2374 community-dwelling adults (933 men and 1441 women) who were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer, living in a rural area in Korea. Total meat and red meat intakes were assessed with a validated 103 item-food frequency questionnaire. Carotid IMT was evaluated ultrasonographically, IMTmax was defined as the highest value among IMT of bilateral common carotid arteries. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the mean IMTmax tended to increase in higher meat consumption groups in both men and women with metabolic syndrome (p for trend= 0.027 and 0.049, respectively), but not in participants without metabolic syndrome. Frequent meat consumption (> or =5 servings/week) was significantly associated with higher IMTmax in men with metabolic syndrome (by 0.08 mm, p=0.015). Whereas, the association was not significant in women (by 0.05 mm, p=0.115). Similar but attenuated findings were shown with red meat intake. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a higher meat consumption may be associated with a higher carotid IMT in Korean adults with metabolic syndrome. The frequent meat consumption (> or =5 servings/week), compared with the others, was associated with a higher carotid IMTmax only in men with metabolic syndrome. Further research is required to explore optimal meat consumption in people with specific medical conditions.
Adult ; Aged ; Atherosclerosis/etiology/*pathology ; Carotid Arteries/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meat/*adverse effects ; Metabolic Syndrome X/complications/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Tunica Intima/pathology/ultrasonography ; Tunica Media/*pathology/ultrasonography