PURPOSE: Due to their comorbidities, dialysis patients have many chances to undergo radiologic procedures using iodinated contrast media. We aimed to assess time-sequenced blood oxidative stress level after contrast exposure in hemodialysis (HD) patients compared to those in the non-dialysis population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 21 anuric HD patients [HD-coronary angiography (CAG) group] and 23 persons with normal renal function (nonHD-CAG group) scheduled for CAG, and assessed 4 oxidative stress markers [advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP); catalase; 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine; and malondialdehyde] before and after CAG, and subsequently up to 28 days. RESULTS: In the nonHD-CAG group, only AOPP increased immediately after CAG and returned to baseline within one day. However, in the HD-CAG group, all four oxidative stress markers were significantly increased starting one day after CAG, and remained elevated longer than those in the nonHD-CAG group. Especially, AOPP level remained elevated for a month after contrast exposure. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that iodinated contrast media induces severe and prolonged oxidative stress in HD patients.
Aged ; Contrast Media/*adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oxidative Stress/*drug effects ; Renal Dialysis/*adverse effects

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the changing pattern in the use of intravenous pyelogram (IVP), conventional computed tomography (CT), and non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography (NECT) for evaluation of patients with acute flank pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 2,180 patients with acute flank pain who had visited Bundang Jesaeng General Hospital between January 2008 and December 2012 and analyzed the use of IVP, conventional CT, and NECT for these patients. RESULTS: During the study period there was a significant increase in NECT use (p<0.001) and a significant decrease in IVP use (p<0.001). Conventional CT use was also increased significantly (p=0.001). During this time the proportion of patients with acute flank pain who were diagnosed with urinary calculi did not change significantly (p=0.971). CONCLUSIONS: There was a great shift in the use of imaging study from IVP to NECT between 2008 and 2012 for patients with acute flank pain.
Flank Pain ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Calculi*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was classified into 8 genotypes by a sequence divergence in the entire genome designated from A to H. HBV genotypes have distinct geographic distributions. Recently, HBV genotypes have been partially found as influencing the clinical manifestation of chronic liver disease in hosts. In Korea, the distribution of HBV genotypes remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the HBV genotype on Jeju Island. METHODS: Hepatitis B virus genotypes were evaluated among 107 hepatitis B carriers residing on Jeju Island. We used single PCR and multiplex-PCR assay with genotype-specific primer pairs for HBV genotypes A-F for the genotyping. RESULTS: 1. Fifty nine samples (55%) were positive for HBV DNA. The positivity was different according to the pattern of HBeAg/ anti-HBe expression, as -/-; 2/3 (66.7%), -/+; 30/73 (30%), +/-; 24/28 (85.7%) and +/+; 3/3 (100%). 2. In the single primer set of genotype-specific PCR, 59 samples (100%) were detected as genotype C and 2 (3%) were also detected as genotype A and B. 3. In multiplex-PCR, 58 samples (98%) were detected as genotype C and only one (2%) as a mixed pattern of genotype B and C. 4. When the PCR products were amplified with universal sense and genotype specific anti-sense from one genotype A, one B, and 2 C, all were included in genotype C. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that on Jeju Island, almost all HBV genotypes are C.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; English Abstract ; Female ; Hepatitis B virus/classification/*genetics ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Congenital anomalies of the external ear occurs rarely, and has negative effects on children due to its unaesthetic appearance and hearing impairment. Thus surgical management is needed to correct the deformity and to gain hearing. Authors report the incidence of congenital anomalies of the external ear because there is no available data in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a hospital based survey and analyzed data from 9 hospitals in Taegu city and Kyungpook Province for the year of 1996. RESULTS: 1) Of the total of 33,898 births, 63 new borns were affected, and the incidence of anomaly was 18.5 per 10,000 births. 2) Incidence of male and female was 43 (68%) and 20 (32%). 3) Incidence of abnormalities is as follows: preauricular sinus was 7.0 per 10,000 births, polyotia was 4.4 per 10,000 births, lop ear was 2.1 per 10,000 births, bifid lobule was 0.9 per 10,000 births, macrotia was 0.9 per 10,000 births, Satyr ear was 0.6 per 10,000 births, microtia was 9.2 per 10,000 births, aural atresia was 3.2 per 10,000 births. 4) According to Marx's classification of the microtia, Grade I was 20, Grade II was 4, and Grade III was 8 cases.
Child ; Classification ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Daegu* ; Ear ; Ear, External* ; Female ; Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Korea ; Male ; Parturition

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: For centuries, fragrance had beneficial psychological and physiological effects on humans. Aromatherapy, the use of concentrated essential oils extracted from herbs, flowers, and other parts of plants to treat various diseases, is becoming more commonly accepted within the health service. However, there are very few published articles, which provide a sound rationale for the use of aromatherapy as a medical intervention. The purpose of this study was to find a scientific explanation for the effect of aromatherapy by investigating 1. whether or not essential aroma oils caused increased brain activity and 2. which areas of the brain were activated by the essential aroma oils. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Olfactory fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), which is capable of monitoring and recording regional pathophysiological fluctuations in living brains, was performed on 11 healthy adult humans during exposure to essential aroma oils (lavender and lemon oils) and buthanol. The c-fos immunohistochemical staining was also performed on brain tissues of 24 Mongolian gerbils after exposure to the essential aroma oils. RESULTS: In the human fMRI study, the olfactory cortex was activated in all subjects by the essential aroma oils and buthanol. Additionally, lavender oil also activated the hearing and language-related regions of brain. In the animal study, similar results were observed: immunoreactive cells were detected in the hearing and language related regions of gerbil brains that had been exposed to lavender oil. CONCLUSION: The lavender oil activated not only the olfactory region but also the hearing and language-related regions of the brain. These results imply that the essential aroma oil introduced through the olfactory pathway has effects on other regions of the brain.
Adult ; Animals ; Aromatherapy ; Brain* ; Complementary Therapies ; Flowers ; Gerbillinae ; Health Services ; Hearing ; Humans ; Lavandula ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Oils* ; Oils, Volatile ; Olfactory Pathways ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Open cavity and closed cavity tympanomastoidectomy each has both advantages and disadvantages. In order to optimize advantages while reducing or eliminating disadvantages, intact bridge mastoidectomy was developed. The intact bridge mastoidectomy operation can similarly be thought of as a modified radical mastoidectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Intact bridge mastoidectomy was performed in 48 ears from 1987 to 1998. To evaluate the results of intact bridge mastoidectomy, 48 cases were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Among 48 patients, 24 (50%) were chronic otitis media and 12 (25%) were cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media. The methods of tympanoplasty were as follows : 11 cases of type I tympanoplasty (23%), two cases of type II tympanoplasty(4%), 21 cases of type III tympanoplasty (44%), and 14 cases of type IV tympanoplasty (29%). Postoperative air-bone gaps were improved by 12 dB in non-cholesteatoma group, and 0 dB in cholesteatoma group. The average healing period was 13.6 weeks, with 80% being healed within a period of 4 months. Postopertative complications were as follows : one case of cholesteatoma, two cases of tympanic membrane perforation, one case of wound infection, and two cases of pocket retraction. CONCLUSIONS: Although the hearing gain was not impressive, intact bridge mastoidectomy allowed adequate visualization for eradication of pathologic tissue, and desirable anatomic configurations for ossiculoplasty and tympanoplasty.
Cholesteatoma ; Ear ; Hearing ; Humans ; Mastoid ; Otitis Media ; Retrospective Studies ; Tympanic Membrane Perforation ; Tympanoplasty ; Wound Infection

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although the viral load is correlated with HBcAg, liver injury was not correlated to viral load in HBeAg positive patient. We aimed to study the inter-relationship of clinical parameters such as the level of HBV-DNA, the level of aminotransferase, intrahepatic expression of HBcAg and severity of histological liver damage in the young male chronic HBV carriers according to HBeAg status. METHODS: The study group included 85 young male patients (mean age: 19.8) with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis B (HBeAg-positive group: n=60, HBeAg-negative group: n=25). RESUTLS: Serum levels of HBV-DNA and the expression of intrahepatic HBcAg in the HBeAg-positive group were significantly higher than in the HBeAg-negative (p<0.001), but fibrosis score was lower (p<0.01). Serum levels of HBV-DNA positively correlated with lobular activity, portal/periportal activity, biochemical activities in the HBeAg-negative group but negatively correlated in the HBeAg-positive group. There were no significant differences in histological activity according to the pattern of expression of intrahepatic HBcAg in both groups. The lobular activity correlated positively with biochemical activity in both groups, and portal/periportal activity correlated with biochemical activity only in the HBeAg-positive group. CONCLUSIONS: There are close correlations among liver injury, intrahepatic expression of HBcAg, and detectable HBV-DNA in the young male chronic HBV carriers with HBeAg-negativity, but in the HBeAg-positive group, the correlations are diversified.
Adolescent ; Adult ; DNA, Viral/*analysis ; English Abstract ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens/*analysis ; Hepatitis B virus/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/pathology/*virology ; Humans ; Liver/*pathology/virology ; Male ; Viral Load

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopahty (CSC). METHODS: This was a retrospective multicenter study. We collected demographic and ophthalmic data for patients with chronic CSC who were treated with PDT from 16 institutions in Korea. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), ophthalmoscopic finding and optical coherence tomography at baseline and follow-up visits were compared longitudinally. RESULTS: Sixty-five eyes of 65 patients were recruited. Males (51 patients, 78.5%) outnumbered females (14 patients, 21.5%). The mean age was 46.4+/-10.0 years of age (28~69). By 1 month, mean BCVA improved from 0.47 to 0.37 (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) (P <0.01). This BCVA increased throughout 6 months. Subretinal fluid resolved partially or completely in 89.1% of the patients. Central macular thickness (CMT) decreased from 303.4 to 168.7 micrometer. The amount of change in CMT after PDT was correlated to the female sex and prePDT CMT. At 3 months after PDT, the amount of change in BCVA was significantly related to that of change of CMT (p <0.05). Adverse events were reported in 4 cases, however, most were mild. CONCLUSIONS: PDT was effective and safe for treating chronic CSC.
Eye ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Photochemotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Subretinal Fluid ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Triazenes ; Visual Acuity