Strategies for efficient osteogenic differentiation and bone formation from stem cells would have clinical applications in treating nonunion fracture healing. Many researchers have attempted to develop adjuvants as specific stimulators of bone formation for therapeutic use in patients with bone resorption. Therefore, development of specific stimulators of bone formation has therapeutic significance in the treatment of osteoporosis. To date, investigations of the mature forms of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have focused on regulation of bone generation. However, we previously identified new peptides from the immature precursor of BMP, and further analysis of these proteins should be performed. In this study, we identified a new peptide called bone-forming peptide-2 (BFP-2), which has stronger osteogenic differentiation-promoting activity than BMP-7. BFP-2 treatment of multipotent bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) induced expression of active alkaline phosphatase. In addition, BFP-2 enhanced CD44 and CD51 expression levels and increased Ca2+ content in BMSCs. Moreover, radiography at 8 weeks revealed that animals that had received transplants of BFP-2-treated BMSCs showed substantially increased bone formation compared with animals that had received BMSCs treated with BMP-7. Our findings indicate that BFP-2 may be useful in the development of adjuvant therapies for bone-related diseases.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7* ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; Bone Resorption ; Fracture Healing ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells* ; Osteoblasts* ; Osteogenesis* ; Osteoporosis ; Peptides ; Radiography ; Stem Cells

PURPOSE: To assess the association between decreased visual acuity (VA) and diagnosis of depressive disorder by a physician or experience of depressive mood using self-report questionnaires. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using nationally representative data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2008-2012). A total of 28,919 adults who had sociodemographic and health behavioral risk factors available were included. An association between decreased VA and depression was identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for possible confounders. Depression was defined as a depressive disorder with a diagnosis by a physician or depressive mood lasting more than 2 weeks using self-report questionnaires. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive disorder and depressive mood in Koreans was 1,160 (4.0%) and 4,063 (14.1%), respectively. In univariable logistic regression, there was significant association between VA and depressive disorder or depressive mood. However, in multivariable logistic regression analysis, this study found no statistically significant association between VA status and the prevalence of depressive disorder or depressive mood in Koreans. CONCLUSIONS: No association between decreased VA and a depressive disorder/depressive mood in Korean adults after adjusting for possible confounders was found. Therefore, further longitudinal cohort studies examining the causal relationship between decreased VA and depression in Korean adults are necessary.
Adult ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder* ; Diagnosis ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Vision, Low ; Visual Acuity*

BACKGROUND: We planned to compare the effect of intravenous oxycodone and fentanyl on post-operative pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy. METHODS: We examined 60 patients were randomized to postoperative pain treatment with either oxycodone (n = 30, Group O) or fentanyl (n = 30, Group F). The patients received 10 mg oxycodone/100 microg fentanyl with ketorolac 30 mg before the end of anesthesia and then continued with patient-controlled analgesia for 48 h postoperatively. RESULTS: The accumulated oxycodone consumption was less than fentanyl during 8, 24 and 48 h postoperatively. Numeric rating score of Group O showed significantly lower than that of Group F during 30 min, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h postoperatively. The incidences of adverse reactions were similar in the two groups, though the incidence of nausea was higher in the Group O during the 24 and 48 h postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: Oxycodone IV-PCA was more advantageous than fentanyl IV-PCA for laparoscopic hysterectomy in view of accumulated oxycodone consumption, pain control and cost beneficial effect. However, patient satisfaction was not good in the group O compared to group F.
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled* ; Anesthesia ; Fentanyl* ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Incidence ; Ketorolac ; Nausea ; Oxycodone* ; Pain, Postoperative ; Patient Satisfaction ; Postoperative Period

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of primary intravitreal bevacizumab injection in stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity with plus signs. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of 30 eyes of 16 patients diagnosed with stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity with plus signs treated with primary intravitreal bevacizumab injection between March 1, 2011 and February 28, 2013 and followed up for at least 9 months. RESULTS: Mean gestational age was 26 + 4 weeks +/- 11 days and mean birth weight was 822 +/- 251.4 g. The locations of disease were zone II in 24 eyes and zone III in 6 eyes. Intravitreal bevacizumab injection was performed after the mean 1.3 +/- 1 day after plus signs were detected. Mean postconceptional age at treatment was 38 + 2 weeks +/- 16 days. Mean follow-up period was 16.6 +/- 6.9 months. Plus signs started to regress after the mean 4.6 +/- 2.3 days after injection and completely regressed after the mean 24.3 +/- 12.4 days. Cataract extraction was performed in 1 eye due to a cataract that appeared not associated with the injection procedure, but was regarded as a treatment failure. There were no local or systemic complications. CONCLUSIONS: Primary intravitreal bevacizumab injection in stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity with plus signs demonstrated excellent short-term efficacy and safety.
Birth Weight ; Cataract ; Cataract Extraction ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Retinopathy of Prematurity* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Failure ; Bevacizumab

PURPOSE: To identify socio-demographic factors in cataract surgery in Korea and expect future effect of the bundle of service system. METHODS: We analyzed the number of people undergoing cataract surgery and associated factors such as surgery ratio, region, age, income, and insurance status of 28,980 patients older than 40 years using data from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2012 (KNHANES). RESULTS: Among total population in 2012, 47.5% of elderly aged 80 years and older have received cataract surgery. According to region in patients older than 40, Jeollanam-do showed the highest proportion of patients undergoing cataract surgery, at 12%, Daejeon showed the lowest proportion of 3.6%, and Seoul showed 6.8%. Regional analysis was also performed by analyzing the number of cataract patients per ophthalmologist. Jeollanam-do showed the highest with 40,115 patients per ophthalmologist, and Seoul showed the least with 1,094 patients per ophthalmologist. The sociodemographic factors such as education or income, were not associated with cataract surgery after adjusting for age and regional difference. On the other hand, subjects with medicaid were associated with 1.6-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.0) higher rate of cataract surgery than subjects with national health insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Regional disparity was found in the cataract surgery rate and surgery rate per an ophthalmologists, whereas sociodemographic factors were not significant in receiving benefits of cataract surgery. Before the amount of bundled payment is changing, down-leveling of quality of care and deepening of disparities among health care provider should be considered.
Aged ; Cataract* ; Education ; Hand ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Insurance Coverage ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Medicaid ; National Health Programs ; Nutrition Surveys ; Seoul

PURPOSE: To identify socio-demographic factors in cataract surgery in Korea and expect future effect of the bundle of service system. METHODS: We analyzed the number of people undergoing cataract surgery and associated factors such as surgery ratio, region, age, income, and insurance status of 28,980 patients older than 40 years using data from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2012 (KNHANES). RESULTS: Among total population in 2012, 47.5% of elderly aged 80 years and older have received cataract surgery. According to region in patients older than 40, Jeollanam-do showed the highest proportion of patients undergoing cataract surgery, at 12%, Daejeon showed the lowest proportion of 3.6%, and Seoul showed 6.8%. Regional analysis was also performed by analyzing the number of cataract patients per ophthalmologist. Jeollanam-do showed the highest with 40,115 patients per ophthalmologist, and Seoul showed the least with 1,094 patients per ophthalmologist. The sociodemographic factors such as education or income, were not associated with cataract surgery after adjusting for age and regional difference. On the other hand, subjects with medicaid were associated with 1.6-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.0) higher rate of cataract surgery than subjects with national health insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Regional disparity was found in the cataract surgery rate and surgery rate per an ophthalmologists, whereas sociodemographic factors were not significant in receiving benefits of cataract surgery. Before the amount of bundled payment is changing, down-leveling of quality of care and deepening of disparities among health care provider should be considered.
Aged ; Cataract* ; Education ; Hand ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Insurance Coverage ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Medicaid ; National Health Programs ; Nutrition Surveys ; Seoul

This cross-sectional study was done to identify and determine the socio-demographic and health-related factors associated with diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy screening in Korea. Participants included 2,660 adults, aged 40 or older, with diabetes. Of the 2,660 adults, 998 (37%) and 1,226 (46.1%) had received a diabetic retinopathy and a nephropathy screening within one year, respectively. Regarding retinopathy, subjects older than 65, living in urban areas, with high educational levels, and with self-reported "unhealthy" status were likely to receive annual screening. Subjects living in urban areas, with higher educational levels, with self-reported "fair" or "unhealthy" status, and with 1 to 2 co-morbidities were likely to receive annual nephropathy screening. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) continued to rise until 2007 when it started to decline over the subsequent years, following the same curve as the diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy screening rates during that time. Together with the financial matter, lack of patient education proved to be a hindrance to diabetes-related screening. The relatively low screening rates in Korea compared to the Western countries are likely to be due to the difference in the health system, economic situations and national demographics.
Adult ; Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Complications/pathology ; Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis ; Diabetic Nephropathies/diagnosis/*etiology ; Diabetic Retinopathy/diagnosis/*etiology ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Nutrition Surveys ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index

PURPOSE: To identify cataract awareness in the Korean population. METHODS: The present study included 3,662 subjects who were diagnosed with a cataract by ophthalmic examination out of 11,058 subjects in the fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV). Among the 3,662 participants, 944 were aware that they already had a cataract. The socio-demographic disparities in cataract awareness were identified using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 65.6 years (standard deviation, 0.2). The awareness calculated based on total weighted population was 24.6% in people over 19 years of age (95% confidence interval, 22.5-26.6%). In multivariate logistic analysis, subjects with higher income, living in a rural area, having a spouse, and binge alcohol use were less likely to be aware of their cataract. In multivariate linear regression analysis after adjusting for confounding factors, there were statistically significant differences of mean in age and monthly house income. Deajeon (11%), and Gwangju (16%) were the lower ranked regions for cataract awareness in Korea. CONCLUSIONS: The cataract awareness in Korea was lower than in other developed countries. Public education and strategies to improve cataract awareness in susceptible people are necessary. More effort is needed to improve cataract awareness based on the Korean society's acceptance of ophthalmologists as in other countries.
Cataract* ; Daejeon ; Developed Countries ; Education ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nutrition Surveys ; Spouses

PURPOSE: To evaluate the health-related quality of life (QOL) in Koreans according to visual acuity. METHODS: The fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV) is a nationwide survey. The present study included 11,022 Koreans who completed the KNHANES IV. The relation of visual acuity and QOL was verified, and EuroQoL 5D (EQ-5D) was identified using the adjusted mean based on linear regression analysis. RESULTS: As visual acuity decreased, QOL decreased. QOL in mobility, usual activities, and pain/discomfort were affected by the vision gradient, while self-care and anxiety/depression were less influenced by the vision gradient. In particular, QOL in usual activities was significantly affected by the visual gradient. Subjects with a visual acuity of 1.6-3.0 were less likely to have a low QOL in usual activities compared to subjects with a visual acuity of 0.0-0.5 as a reference group (adjusted Odds Ratio = 23.6, 95% CI, 4.8-115.5). QOL in usual activities was statistically low in subjects older than 65 years of age, with low household monthly income, low education, and living without a spouse. CONCLUSIONS: As visual acuity decreased, QOL in the aspect of mobility, usual activities, and pain/discomfort decreased severely, which resulted from activity limitation. Considering that the risk group with increasing age, low income, low education, and living without a spouse had lower QOL, the most important is to increase activity, which can induce the improvement of QOL in Koreans who have low visual acuity and related risk factors is.
Education ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Odds Ratio ; Quality of Life* ; Risk Factors ; Self Care ; Spouses ; Visual Acuity*

PURPOSE: To identify the disparities of socio-demographic factors between visually disabled people and other people with disabilities. METHODS: The fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES III) is a nationwide survey. The present study included 25,125 people who completed the KNHANES III. For analysis, the participants were divided into 3 groups: subjects without disabilities, subjects with disabilities but without visual disabilities, and subjects with visual disabilities. The gender, age, monthly house income, occupation, education, residential area, and health insurance were investigated. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the most differentiating factor. RESULTS: Visually disabled people were proportionally older (40 to 64 years), were male, living in a non-metropolitan area except Seoul/Pusan/Gyunggi compared to other disabled people and also had a higher proportion of the above factors, as well as lower education compared to non-disabled people. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-demographic factors showed disparities in visually disabled people and people with other disabilities. Ophthalmologists should understand these disparities and be involved in establishing policies to reduce the disparities. Ophthalmologists also need to provide holistic and comprehensive medical care using the Blindness is Preventable! Korea Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness, consultation with social work teams in hospitals and other institutions, as well as evaluating the visual impairment.
Blindness ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Occupations ; Social Work ; Vision Disorders