Until recently, there was no formal regulation to cover the preparation of blood and blood components for transfusion in Korea; it was perceived as part of medical practice rather than the preparation of a biological therapeutic product. On the other hand, in accordance with the revision of the Korean Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, blood and blood components for transfusion have been under formal regulations enforced by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) since January 2019. The regulation requires that blood establishments be licensed and subjected to regular inspection for good manufacturing practices (GMP) compliance. The preparation of blood and blood components is different from plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs) manufacturing and pharmaceutical medicines in general. Therefore, to accelerate the implementation of a regulatory system and reach an acceptable compliance status, blood establishments should be engaged to address the specific attributes of blood and blood components for transfusion.

Blood components can be prepared from whole blood either using the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) method or buffy-coat (BC) method. The use of these two whole blood processing methods varies greatly between countries.The PRP method is used in Korea, while the BC method is used in Europe. On the other hand, the BC method with the automated device is being used more widely in many countries. Only a few countries still use the PRP method for whole blood processing, with Korea remaining among them. The choice of the use of a specific whole blood processing method should consider all aspects of safety, quality, and efficiency as well as process costs.This review summarizes the existing information on PRP and BC methods for whole blood processing, particularly comparing both methods.

Until recently, there was no formal regulation to cover the preparation of blood and blood components for transfusion in Korea; it was perceived as part of medical practice rather than the preparation of a biological therapeutic product. On the other hand, in accordance with the revision of the Korean Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, blood and blood components for transfusion have been under formal regulations enforced by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) since January 2019. The regulation requires that blood establishments be licensed and subjected to regular inspection for good manufacturing practices (GMP) compliance. The preparation of blood and blood components is different from plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs) manufacturing and pharmaceutical medicines in general. Therefore, to accelerate the implementation of a regulatory system and reach an acceptable compliance status, blood establishments should be engaged to address the specific attributes of blood and blood components for transfusion.

Blood components can be prepared from whole blood either using the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) method or buffy-coat (BC) method. The use of these two whole blood processing methods varies greatly between countries.The PRP method is used in Korea, while the BC method is used in Europe. On the other hand, the BC method with the automated device is being used more widely in many countries. Only a few countries still use the PRP method for whole blood processing, with Korea remaining among them. The choice of the use of a specific whole blood processing method should consider all aspects of safety, quality, and efficiency as well as process costs.This review summarizes the existing information on PRP and BC methods for whole blood processing, particularly comparing both methods.

OBJECTIVES: Dance therapy can be applied as one of various psychiatric rehabilitation programs in clinical situations. This study was aimed to investigate applicability of dance therapy to schizophrenic outpatients, in regard to improving social adjustment and quality of life for these patients. METHODS: Twenty one psychiatric outpatients enlist who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia were studied. We conducted dance therapy session once a week, totally 8 sessions. The assessments were done before and after dance therapy. Patients reported Self & Others Representation Inventory-Adjective Checklist (SORI), Self-esteem Scale, and Relationship Change Scale (RCS) and Doctors assessed Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), and Quality of Life Scale (QoLS) in interview. RESULTS: After 8 sessions of dance therapy, patients showed significant improvements in sociability in SORI, satisfaction, intimacy, sensitiveness, openness, comprehensiveness in RCS, and significant decrease of symptoms in BPRS, SANS. QoLS also was improved significantly. There was no significant change in Self-esteem Scale. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that dance therapy could be applied to schizophrenic outpatients in clinical situations, and it helped to improve self-representation, interpersonal relationship, and quality of life.
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Checklist ; Dance Therapy ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Schizophrenia ; Social Adjustment

Purpose: Data regarding cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) by body mass index (BMI) category in Korean youth are sparse. Methods: Among the participants of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2018, 9,984 youth aged 10–18 years were included in the study. Participants were classified into 4 groups based on BMI status: normal weight, overweight, class I, and class II/III obesity. CMRF prevalence, including total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and MetS, were determined using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and modified National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP) III criteria based on BMI category. Results: The prevalence of overweight, class I, class II, and class III obesity was 9.52%, 7.73%, 2.10%, and 0.32%, respectively. Mean CMRF values increased with BMI, except high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for prediction of CMRFs also increased with BMI. Adjusted ORs for MetS among overweight, class I, and class II/II obesity were 54.2, 283.3, and 950.3 for IDF criteria and 9.56, 37.9, and 126.8 for NCEP-ATP III criteria, respectively (all p<0.001). Conclusion Class II and III obesity in Korean children and adolescents was associated with significantly increased CMRF and MetS prevalence. Therefore, it can be useful to measure CMRFs in obese children and adolescents. Further studies are required to establish screening guidelines based on obesity severity.

Endocrine causes of pediatric hypertension are relatively rare but important because of their distinct treatment options. Adrenal diseases accompanied by an excess of mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, and catecholamines are major causes of endocrine hypertension. Typical causes of mineralocorticoidrelated hypertension include primary aldosteronism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (11β- and 17 α-hydroxylase deficiencies), and apparent mineralocorticoid excess. Cushing syndrome and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma are the primary causes of glucocorticoid- and catecholaminerelated hypertension, respectively. This review provides an overview of the diagnostic evaluations, including hormonal assays and imaging studies, used to identify the underlying causes of pediatric endocrine hypertension, focusing on adrenal disorders. It presents details regarding the major adrenal disorders and recommended therapeutic approaches, emphasizing the importance of early detection and disease-specific management to prevent cardiovascular and metabolic complications in affected children.

Background: This study aimed to demonstrate the importance to recognize subjective body image on their mental health on adolescents. Methods: We used the chi-square test and the multiple logistic regression model to analyze the data of the “Korean Youth Health Behavior Survey in 2018” (n=42,259) conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results: As a result of the analysis, suicide ideation increased when the subject body image is thin and fat. Especially, the suicide ideation who recognized the subjective body image as thin is higher (odds ratio [OR], 1.666; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.050– 1.295), and who recognized the subjective body image as fat is higher (OR, 1.134; 95% CI, 1.032–1.245) than the group who recognized the subjective body image as normal. Conclusion When preparing a health policy on adolescent suicide issues, we need to consider the association between subjective body image and suicide ideation.

OBJECTIVES: The binge eaters are increasing rapidly since 1990's in Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on improving the frequency of binging and purging, eating attitude, self-esteem, and depression. METHOD: The subjects were 27 women who showed over 17 on the EAT-26 among binge eaters visited at eating disorders clinic "M". 10 sessions of cognitive-behavioral group therapy were provided to each group composed of 8-10 binge eaters. All subjects completed the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI), Rosenberg Self-Eesteem Scale, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) pre- and post intervention, and recorded daily food records. Paired t-test was used for the comparison of EDI subscales before and after treatment. RESULTS: Frequency of binging and purging, self-esteem, depression, drive for thinness, bulimia, body dissatisfaction, ineffectiveness, interoceptive awareness subscales of EDI showed significant immprovement but perfectionism, interpersoual distrust, maturity fear subscales of EDI showed no improvement after the cognitive-behavioral group therapy. Frequency of binging and purging per week showed a general trend of decline from the beginning to the end of the treatment and a rapid decrease at the second week was noticed. CONCLUSION: The results of this preliminary study suggest that cognitive-behavioral group therapy may be an effective initial approach for the treatment of binge eating. Future research aimed at replicating these initial results and providing systematic long-term evaluation is needed.
Bulimia* ; Depression ; Eating ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Psychotherapy, Group* ; Thinness

In this study, expressions of aquaporin (AQP) 1, AQP4, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and vascular endothelial growth factor in blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier and blood-brain barrier (BBB) are examined in rat choroid plexus and peri-infarcted hippocampal formation (HF) following systemic hyponatremia (SH) and permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). These events are thought to cause the development of hydrocephalic and vasogenic edemas. The importance of CSF overproduction and intact blood-CSF barrier during hydrocephalic edema formation is demonstrated by the high expression of AQP1 (329.86+/-10.2%, n=4 , P<0.01) and trapped plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) in choroid plexus epithelium after 24 hours of SH. However, the increased eNOS expression in peri-infarcted HF (130+/-3%, n=4, P<0.01) and extravasation of plasma IgG into the extravascular compartment after 24 hours of pMCAO suggest that increased microvascular permeability, probably due to elevated levels of nitric oxide, leads to development of vasogenic brain edema via BBB breakdown. Based on these findings, the authors suggest that modulation of different protein expression, dependent on the type of brain edema, is required for primary (pMCAO) and secondary (SH) brain injuries to attenuate brain edema and neuronal degeneration.
Animals ; Aquaporin 1 ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain Edema ; Brain Injuries ; Capillary Permeability ; Choroid Plexus ; Edema ; Epithelium ; Hippocampus ; Hyponatremia ; Immunoglobulin G ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; Neurons ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; Plasma ; Proteins ; Rats ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A