BACKGROUND: Gamma linoleic acid (GLA, Epogam) is considered a safe and effective modality in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) in which impaired function of the enzyme, delta-6-desaturase, has been reported to result in reduced levels of GLA, desaturated fatty acids. OBJECTIVE: We performed this study to observe the changes of skin surface conditions measured objectively by bioengineering methods in relation to clinical improvement after treatment with GLA (Epogam®) in children with AD. METHODS: Thirty-four children with AD were treated with GLA (Epogam®) and evaluated with clinical parameters.The changes of skin surface conditions were monitored by non-invasive experimental instruments. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and gradual improvements in clinical severity after 12 weeks of GLA (Epogam®) treatment. The change of skin surface pH was statistically significant on the antecubital fossa and abdomen except the popliteal fossa. The other parameters including skin surface hydration and skin surface lipid did not show consistent changes. CONCLUSION: Clinical improvement of AD with GLA (Epogam) seemed to be achieved by the reduction of TEWL.
Abdomen ; Bioengineering ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Fatty Acids ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Linoleic Acid* ; Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase ; Skin* ; Water

BACKGROUND: Phosphatase and tensin homolog on chromosome ten (PTEN) is one of the most frequently inactivated tumor suppressors in various tumor types. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) may affect tumor progression by post-transcriptional repression of expression of tumor suppressors, such as PTEN. This study was conducted to evaluate the significance of PTEN expression in pulmonary neuroendocrine (NE) tumors and to analyze the relationship between PTEN and miR-21 expressions. METHODS: Expressions of PTEN and miR-21 were investigated by immunohistochemistry and real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively, in 75 resected pulmonary NE tumors (23 typical carcinoids [TCs], nine atypical carcinoids [ACs], 22 large cell NE carcinomas [LCNECs], and 21 small cell lung carcinomas [SCLCs]). RESULTS: Loss of PTEN expression was observed in four of 23 TCs (17.4%), four of nine ACs (44.4%), 16 of 22 LCNECs (72.7%) and nine of 21 SCLCs (42.9%) (p=.025). The expression level of miR-21 was significantly higher in high-grade NE carcinomas than in carcinoid tumors (p<.001). PTEN expression was inversely correlated with miR-21 expression (p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that aberrant expression of PTEN in relation to miR-21 may represent an important step in the development and progression of pulmonary NE tumors.
Carcinoid Tumor ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; Neuroendocrine Tumors* ; Repression, Psychology ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Objective: The Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) has been used for screening owing to ease of use and brevity.In this study, we developed the Korean version of the PHQ-4 and tested its validity. Methods: One hundred sixteen new adult outpatients at the Department of Psychiatry of the Korea University Ansan Hospital participated in the study. We simultaneously administered other depression/anxiety scales: the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results: The mean PHQ-4 score was 6.52 (standard deviation = 3.45). Cronbach’s α was 0.792, and the intraclass correlation coefficient of test and 2-week interval retest was 0.827 (p ＜ 0.01). The Pearson correlation coefficients between the PHQ-4 total score and other depression/anxiety scales were all over 0.6. Confirmatory factorial analysis showed acceptable convergent validity and reliability but questionable discriminant validity for some model fit values. Conclusion The Korean version of the PHQ-4 has sufficient internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity, but its two-factor structure showed incompleteness. However, we suggest that it should be used as a brief screening measure for common psychiatric distress that warrants further detailed assessment, but not to separately assess the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms.

PURPOSE: This study was to evaluate the beam quality of intraoral X-ray equipments used at Yonsei University Dental Hospital(YUDH) using the half value layer(HVL) and the characteristic curve of intraoral standard X-ray film. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was done using the intraoral X-ray equipments used at each clinical department at YUDH. Aluminum filter was used to determine the HVL. Intraoral standard film was used to get the characteristic curve of each intraoral X-ray equipment. RESULTS: Most of the HVLs of intraoral X-ray equipments were higher than the least recommended thickness, but the REX 601 model used at the operative dentistry department and the X-707 model used at the pediatric dentistry department had HVLs lower than the recommended thickness. The slopes of the characteristic curves of films taken using the PANPAS 601 model and REX 601 model at operative dentistry department, the X-70S model of prosthodontic dentistry department, and the REX 601 model at the student clinic were relatively low. CONCLUSION: HVL and the characteristic curve of X-ray film can be used to evaluate the beam quality of intraoral X-ray equipment. In order to get the best X-ray films with the least radiation exposure to patients and best diagnostic information in clinical dentistry, X-ray equipment should be managed in the planned and organized fashion.
Aluminum ; Dentistry ; Dentistry, Operative ; Humans ; Pediatric Dentistry ; Prosthodontics ; X-Ray Film

Failure of fixed implant supported prosthesis is caused by biomechanical factors such as excessive occlusal stress and biological factors such as bacterial infections andinflammation. Implants with severe bone resorption that have worsened without being resolved due to implant complications should be removed and then new treatmentsshould be planned, taking into account remaining teeth, remaining implants, and residual alveolar. The patient of this case removed some of fixed implant prosthesis of mandible.The condition of the remaining alveolar bone was reassessed for further implant replacement and a few implants were placed. Then implant assisted removable partialdenture (IAPRD) treatment is performed using implant surveyed bridge as abutment. Through this treatment, the clinical results were satisfactory on aspect of masticatoryfunction recovery and oral hygiene management. (J Korean Acad Prosthodont 2020;58:161-8)

Mycosis fungoides(MF) is representative of cutaneous lymphoma and over many years progresses to plaques and tumors steadily. The extent and type of skin lesions at initial diagnosis and the presence of extracutaneous involvement are predictive indicators of survival in MF patients. Patients with limited plaque lesions are the least likely to have extracutaneous involvement and thus have the longest survival similar to the control population. We report a case of 45-year-old woman, who developed multiple subcutaneous nodules in normally appearing skin during photochemotherapy (PUVA). She had been treated with PUVA for the limited pre-mycotic skin lesions (T1 stage), which themselves showed good response to the treatment. She experienced the insidious course of early stage, but thereafter rapidly progressed to the tumor stage unusually during treatment.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; Middle Aged ; Mycosis Fungoides* ; Photochemotherapy ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Nail diseases are frequently encountered disorders to dermatologists comprising approximately 10% of entire dermatologic conditions. Despite tremendous development in dermatology, there are still difficulties in making a proper diagnosis of nail diseases. Furthermore, no methods have proven to be satisfactory in classifying nail diseases up to now. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify and classify the clinical characteristics of patients with nail diseases who visited 'Nail disease clinic' in Seoul National University Hospital, and in Seoul City Boramae Hospital from July, 1996 to December, 1998. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis was undertaken by reviewing the clinical records, photographs and results of mycological and histopathological studies. Patients were classified according to the cause of their nail diseases or to the main physical signs of nail apparatus. RESULTS: The total number of patients was 255(male 95, female 160). Specific cause of nail diseases was found in 135 patients(52.9%). The remaining 120 patients were classified according to the main physical signs such as trachyonychia, onycholysis, chronic paronychia and so on. CONCLUSION: Major disease groups classified according to their physical signs had its own characteristics besides age and sex distribution. So when the cause of nail disease can not be determined, classifying these nail diseases by physical signs could be useful in treating and managing these patients appropriately.
Classification* ; Dermatology ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Nail Diseases* ; Onycholysis ; Paronychia ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sex Distribution

Accessory breast tissue is a developmental anomaly defined as persistence of breast tissue along the embryonic mammary line in the mid-thoracic region. Rarely, an abnormally located remnant of the line persists and develops into completely formed mammary glands. A 61-year-old woman presented with a pedunculated mass on the mid-lower abdomen, below the umbilicus. She detected a pea-sized nodule a few decades ago and it gradually enlarged since 1 year ago. There was no pigmented prominence resembling a nipple. Histological finding revealed lobules of the breast forming islands of glandular tissue. We believe this is an unusual case of accessory breast tissue mimicking soft fibroma as a pedunculated mass.
Abdomen ; Breast* ; Female ; Fibroma* ; Humans ; Islands ; Mammary Glands, Human ; Middle Aged ; Nipples ; Umbilicus

BACKGROUND: Biochemical markers can provide objective evidence of heavy alcohol drinking. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic usefulness of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), a relatively new marker of alcohol consumption. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 81 participants aged between 28 and 69 years, consisting of 44 alcohol-dependent patients and 37 age-matched controls. Relative values (%) of CDT were determined in their sera with turbidimetric immunoassay (Bio-Rad %CDT assay, Axis-Shield ASA, Oslo, Norway), and were compared with two conventional markers of alcohol consumption, gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). RESULTS: The distribution patterns of %CDT among alcohol-dependent patients and controls were significantly different from each other (P=0.0000). Of the 44 alcohol-dependent patients, positive results of %CDT (> or =2.6%), GGT (>50 IU/L), and MCV (>98 fL) were observed in 43 (97.7%), 35 (79.5%), and 24 (54.5%) patients, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (95% confidence interval) for %CDT, GGT, and MCV were 0.995 (0.946-1.000), 0.894 (0.805-0.951), and 0.768 (0.661-0.855), respectively. Discrimination between alcohol-dependent patients and controls, as measured by the areas under the ROC curves, was significantly better for %CDT than for GGT and MCV (P=0.000 and P=0.006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: CDT seems to be the most reliable of the three markers tested for chronic alcohol consumption, and it may provide a useful information to for the objective detection of alcohol-dependent patients.
Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholism* ; Biomarkers ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Erythrocyte Indices ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; ROC Curve ; Transferases ; Transferrin*

PURPOSE: The optimal time between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and surgery for rectal cancer has been debated. This study evaluated the influence of this interval on oncological outcomes. METHODS: We compared postoperative complications, pathological downstaging, disease recurrence, and survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent surgical resection <8 weeks (group A, n = 105) to those who had surgery > or =8 weeks (group B, n = 48) after neoadjuvant CRT. RESULTS: Of 153 patients, 117 (76.5%) were male and 36 (23.5%) were female. Mean age was 57.8 years (range, 28 to 79 years). There was no difference in the rate of sphincter preserving surgery between the two groups (group A, 82.7% vs. group B, 77.6%; P = 0.509). The longer interval group had decreased postoperative complications, although statistical significance was not reached (group A, 28.8% vs. group B, 14.3%; P = 0.068). A total of 111 (group A, 75 [71.4%] and group B, 36 [75%]) patients were downstaged and 26 (group A, 17 [16.2%] and group B, 9 [18%]) achieved pathological complete response (pCR). There was no significant difference in the pCR rate (P = 0.817). The longer interval group experienced significant improvement in the nodal (N) downstaging rate (group A, 46.7% vs. group B, 66.7%; P = 0.024). The local recurrence (P = 0.279), distant recurrence (P = 0.427), disease-free survival (P = 0.967), and overall survival (P = 0.825) rates were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: It is worth delaying surgical resection for 8 weeks or more after completion of CRT as it is safe and is associated with higher nodal downstaging rates.
Chemoradiotherapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Postoperative Complications ; Preoperative Period ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Recurrence