BACKGROUND: Because of a lack of substances for platelet (PLT) metabolism and preservation, normal saline (NS) washed PLTs can only be stored for short lengths of time. However, the use of platelet additive solutions (PAS) could help solve this problem. In this study, the in vitro quality of NS washed platelets (wPLTs) stored in two types of PAS were compared with those of wPLTs stored in NS. METHODS: Five units of NS washed apheresis platelets were pooled aseptically and separated into five aliquots for storage in NS only as well as T-PAS+ (Terumo BCT, Lakewood, CO, USA) and CompoSol PS (Fenwal, Lake Zurich, IL, USA) with or without 15 mM glucose. The parameters of wPLTs quality were assessed up to 48 hrs after washing and the whole experiment was repeated 10 times independently. RESULTS: wPLTs in two kinds of PAS had better quality than wPLTs in NS, and wPLTs in T-PAS+ showed better quality than those in CompoSol PS. PAS-stored wPLTs with added glucose maintained stable CD62P and Annexin V expression during storage, but exhibited increased lactate accumulation. Evaluation of in vitro quality revealed that all wPLTs had a rating of 4 immediately after washing. However, only T-PAS+-stored wPLTs with glucose maintained a rating of 4 up to 48 hrs of post-washing. CONCLUSION: Using PAS storage for wPLTs may be beneficial compared to NS. The results presented herein suggest that T-PAS+ containing glucose has the potential to extend storage time by up to 48-hours.
Annexin A5 ; Blood Component Removal ; Blood Platelets* ; Blood Preservation ; Glucose ; In Vitro Techniques ; Lactic Acid ; Lakes ; Metabolism

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) are rare fibroblastic mesenchymal neoplasms which are originally described as neoplasms of the pleura originating from the spindle cells. Although it can originate from extrapleural sites including the head and neck, it is exceedingly rare in the sinonasal tract. There has been no reported cases of SFT involving the paranasal sinuses in Korea; however, there was case of a 34-year-old man who presented with persistent left nasal obstruction and watering of the left eye. Imaging by CT and MRI revealed a large, highly vascular tumor occupying the maxilloethmoidal sinus cavities associated with bony wall destruction, masquerading as maxillary sinus cancer. The tumor mass occupying sinus cavities was removed through endoscopic and Caldwell-Luc approach. Histopathological examination of the tumor was consistent with SFT. We report this case to further insights regarding the diagnosis and management of this rare tumor.

Purpose: Here, we report a case of acute noninfectious endophthalmitis after removal of silicone oil (SO) and posterior capsulectomy in a patient with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.Case summary: SO removal and posterior capsulectomy were performed in a 61-year-old man who had undergone vitrectomy with combined cataract surgery, membrane peeling, laser photocoagulation, and SO injection to treat vitreous hemorrhage and tractional retinal detachment three months previously. The patient’s best-corrected visual acuity on the day after surgery was 20/50; it decreased to hand motion at five days after SO removal. Exudative membrane with hypopyon, anterior chamber cell (trace), and mild conjunctival injection were observed. The patient did not complain of ocular pain. Topical steroid was applied following a diagnosis of postoperative noninfectious endophthalmitis. The exudative membrane and hypopyon decreased after three days of treatment and had resolved completely after one month of treatment. The patient’s visual acuity improved to 20/50. Conclusions Noninfectious endophthalmitis can develop after removal of SO and posterior capsulectomy. Topical steroid treatment is effective in such cases.

BACKGROUND: While plateletpheresis donation results in less red blood cell loss and therefore less depletion of storage iron, repeated plateletpheresis can also lead to iron depletion. To determine the safety of regular plateletpheresis donations, this study estimated donor's iron status according to age, gender, number of donations, and donation interval. METHODS: The study population included 5,109 plateletpheresis donors (4,824 males, 285 females), who passed the hemoglobin (Hb) criteria for plateletpheresis donation of 12.0 g/dL or more in an inclusion period (September 2013~November 2013). During donor screening, serum ferritin levels were measured for assessment of iron status of plateletpheresis donors. RESULTS: Mean age of donors was 30.4 years (range: 17~59). Donors with a history of donation of more than 3 years accounted for 89.3% and 74.0% in males and females, respectively. Mean donation interval and annual donation number in male (female) donors was 11.9 (7.2) weeks and 4.2 (8.7) times, respectively. Approximately 37.8% of male donors and 64.2% of female donors had a serum ferritin level of less than 15 ng/mL. Serum ferritin levels showed correlation with donation interval, as the percentage of donors with a low ferritin level decreased with increase in donation interval (rho: 0.191~0.438, P<0.001). Serum ferritin levels also showed correlation with annual plateletpheresis number (rho: -0.261~-0.411, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Depleted iron store was observed in nearly 40% of donors who had acceptable Hb levels for plateletpheresis donation. Hb pre-donation screening is not sufficient to reduce the risk of iron deficiency in regular plateletpheresis donors.
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Blood Donors ; Donor Selection ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Ferritins* ; Humans ; Iron ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Plateletpheresis* ; Tissue Donors*

BACKGROUND: Determination of the hemoglobin (Hb) levels of prospective blood donors has been performed on capillary blood obtained by finger prick using a gravimetric CuSO4 method. Noninvasive Hb testing devices based on pulse oximetry technology have recently been developed. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of two noninvasive Hb testing devices, NBM 200 and Pronto-7 as a predonation Hb screening test. METHODS: Hb levels of 993 blood donors (727 males, 266 females) were measured using five methods: two noninvasive methods, CuSO4 method, HemoCue, and hematology analyzer (Sysmex KX-21N). The hematology analyzer was considered as the reference method. RESULTS: Compared with Hb levels of the hematology analyzer, the bias was 0.7 g/dL for NBM 200, 0.1 g/dL for Prtonto-7, and 0.4 g/dL for HemoCue. The intraclass correlation coefficients of Hb measurements compared to the hematology analyzer were 0.57 (95% CI: 0.25~0.73) for NBM 200, 0.73 (95% CI: 0.69~0.75) for Pronto-7, and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.69~0.93) for HemoCue. The ability to detect Hb <12.5 g/dL and > or =12.5 g/dL was 16.4% and 99.2% for NBM 200, 55.8% and 95.9% for Pronto-7, 60.0% and 98.6% for HemoCue and 81.8% and 95.2% for the CuSO4 method, respectively. CONCLUSION: Unsatisfactory results were obtained using the noninvasive Hb testing devices for a predonation Hb screening test, although they have the apparent advantage of reducing pain and stress in donors thereby increasing donor satisfaction. However, for application in the blood donation setting, performance of these devices should be improved.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Blood Donors ; Capillaries ; Fingers ; Hematology ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Oximetry ; Prospective Studies ; Tissue Donors

Dot-like hippocampal hyperintensities on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been reported as an interesting imaging finding of transient global amnesia (TGA). We report three patients with such dot-like hippocampal hyperintensities who did not present with anterograde amnesia. Episodes associated with the Valsalva maneuver such as nausea or vomiting might have produced the dot-like hippocampal hyperintensities in these patients. However, depending on the individual susceptibility to hippocampal lesions, clinical symptoms of TGA might not be present even when hippocampal lesions are present.
Amnesia, Anterograde ; Amnesia, Transient Global* ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Nausea ; Valsalva Maneuver ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVES: To identify the effects of supplemental private health insurance on health care utilization and expenditure under the mandatory National Health Insurance(NHI) system in Korea. METHODS: The data were collected by the National Cancer Center in Korea. Cancer patients who were newly diagnosed with stomach (ICD code, C16), lung(C33-C34), liver (C22), colorectal cancer(C18-C20) or breast(C50) cancer were included as study subjects. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire from face-to-face interviews, the hospital Order Communication System (OCS) and medical records. Clinical, socio-demographic and private health insurance related factors were also gathered. The differences of health care utilization and expenditure were compared between those who have private health insurance and those who do not using t-test and multivariable regression analysis. RESULTS: Individuals with private health insurance spent larger inpatient costs than those without, but no differences were found in utilization in other service such as hospital admissions, hospital days and physician visits. CONCLUSIONS: We found that private health insurance exerts a significant effect on the health care expenditure in inpatient service. These study results can provide a rational basis to plan a national health policy regarding private health insurance. Further studies are needed to investigate the impacts of private health insurance on cancer patients' outcomes and survival rates.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Health Expenditures ; Health Services/economics/*utilization ; Humans ; Insurance, Health/*statistics & numerical data ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/economics/*therapy ; *Private Sector ; Socioeconomic Factors

OBJECT: This study was devised to examine the demographic characteristics, psychopathology and associated psychiatric disorder of the Kleptomania offenders. METHODS: Kleptomania offenders who was referred to the National Forensic Psychiatric Hospital was concerned. RESULTS: Most of the Kleptomania offenders were women(92.6%, N=25) and lived alone(71.4%, N=20). In their first stealing, 25(92.6%) reported stressful situation just before stealing behavior but at admission 14(51.9%) is reported. Kleptomania experienced physical and sexual abuse during childhood; 9(33.3%) in case of physical abuse and 12(44.4%) in case of sexual abuse. At admission, Most of them complains of depressive mood(88.9%, N=24) and anxiety(88.9%, M=24), and any disorders like delusion was rare(7.4%, M=2). Most of Kleptomania offenders were comorbid psychiatric disorder; mood disorder(48.1%, N=13), personality disorder(40.7%, N=11), psychotic disorder(25.9%, N=7), anxiety disorder(14.8%, N=4) and alcohol dependence(14.8%, N=4). 24(88.9%) responded to the psychiatric treatment and 16(59.2%) of them had good prognosis. CONCLUSION: Most of Kleptomania offenders were single women and were abused physically or sexually during childhood. They had comorbid psychiatric disorder that responded to the psychiatric treatment and had good prognosis.
Anxiety ; Criminals* ; Delusions ; Female ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders* ; Prognosis ; Psychopathology* ; Sex Offenses ; Theft

BACKGROUND: The use of a functionally closed system for the glycerolization and deglycerolization of red blood cells (RBCs) allows for prolonged post-thaw storage for more than 24 hours. The aim of this study was to assess glycerolization and deglycerolization processing for RBCs using a high glycerol method in the automated, closed system provided by Haemonetics ACP 215. METHODS: Thirty-five packed RBCs were glycerolized using the ACP 215 to a final concentration of 40% (wt/vol). The units were either frozen as such (n=30) or excess glycerol was removed (n=5) before freezing. After storage at −80℃, the units were thawed, deglycerolized and resuspended in SAG-M. The frozen-thawed RBCs were stored at 4℃, and analyzed for their stability and in vitro quality. RESULTS: No prefreeze excess glycerol removal units showed significantly less potassium leakage during post-thaw storage compared to the prefreeze excess glycerol removal units. All measurements of the stability and in vitro quality of thawed RBCs prepared from frozen RBCs without the prefreeze removal of excess glycerol during post-thaw storage at 4℃ for 7 days were acceptable to the American Blood Bank Association's standards and European standards. CONCLUSION: RBCs frozen without prefreeze removal of excess glycerol and the ACP 215 simplifies cryopreservation procedure and increases the stability of frozen-thawed RBCs. This increases the practical applicability of cryopreserved RBCs in blood transfusion practice.
Blood Banks ; Blood Transfusion ; Cryopreservation ; Erythrocytes* ; Freezing* ; Glycerol ; In Vitro Techniques ; Methods ; Potassium

The blood supply can become disrupted in situations of increased demand during unexpected national catastrophes and when a patient needs a rare blood transfusion, which depends on the blood inventory in peacetime. Cryopreservation of blood, which can be stored up to 10 years, represents a possible solution to this problem by avoiding storage lesions. This review describes frozen red cell technologies, quality control issues related to post-thaw red blood cells, and preconditions and practical considerations for implementation of a frozen blood banking system in Korea.
Blood Banks ; Blood Transfusion ; Cryopreservation ; Erythrocytes ; Humans ; Korea ; Quality Control ; Strategic Stockpile*