BACKGROUND: Recently, the prevalence of obesity and socioeconomic costs stemming from obesity are increasing steeply. Obesity, in particular, has a highly polarization caused by income levels. Obesity in low-income patients is expected to become a serious social problem in the future. This study aims to observe the effects of consistent consultation and drug therapy during a six months period, and to develop the treatment process of obesity for low-income people. METHODS: The body weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) was measured every 2 weeks, and laboratory blood tests with a survey including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and eating behavior index was checked at 0, 3, and 6 months. Paired t-test and linear mixed model was done to evaluate the difference between pre-treatment data and post-treatment data. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (2 males, median age [interquartile range] of 39 years [29-46]) were analyzed. There were statistically significant reductions of body weight (P<0.01), BMI (P<0.01), waist circumference (P<0.01), low-density lipoprotein (P=0.01), BDI-I (P<0.01), eating behavior index (P<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference of safety outcome of the BP and blood tests. CONCLUSIONS: Proper obesity treatment of obese patients of low socioeconomic status was meaningful enough to affect depression and eating patterns as well as reducing body weight and decreased waist circumference.
Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Depression ; Drug Therapy ; Eating ; Feeding Behavior ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Korea* ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies* ; Social Class* ; Social Problems ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Waist Circumference

PURPOSE: The methods for vasovasostomy are varied, and many authors have reported various success rates. This study aimed to assess a new method for vasovasostomy with a Prolene stent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 85 patients who underwent vasovasostomy with a Prolene stent, 69 patients were retrospectively reviewed at our hospital between October 2004 and December 2007. The average age at the time of vasovasostomy was 42.2 years (range: 24.0-52.0 years). The obstructive interval was 6.25 years (range: 0.7-20.0 years). The cases were divided into 2 groups according to obstructive interval: group A (above 8 years) and group B (8 years and less), with 18 (26.1%) and 51 (73.9%) cases, respectively. Patency was defined as a sperm concentration of more than 10x106/ml on semen analysis. RESULTS: The overall patency and pregnancy rates were 76.8% and 43.4%, respectively. The patency and pregnancy rates of group A were 61.1% and 33.3%. Those of group B were 82.3% and 47.0%. The mean duration to pregnancy was 10.9 months (range: 4-31 months). The mean operation time was 90.2 minutes (range: 50.0-165.0 minutes). CONCLUSIONS: The new method of vasovasostomy with the Prolene stent has good efficacy and safety. Its benefits are the maintenance of good patency, a good pregnancy rate, and a diminished operating time.
Humans ; Polypropylenes ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Retrospective Studies ; Semen Analysis ; Spermatozoa ; Stents ; Vasovasostomy

Urachal xanthogranuloma is an extremely rare disease. A 23-year-old man presented with severe lower abdominal pain and voiding frequency. Computed tomography revealed a urachal mass with bladder invasion, which was suspected to be a urachal carcinoma or abscess. Laparoscopic urachal resection was performed with a minimal incision. Histopathologic examination identified the mass as a urachal xanthogranuloma.
Abdominal Pain ; Abscess ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Pyelonephritis, Xanthogranulomatous ; Rare Diseases ; Urachal Cyst ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of the videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) timing after the nasogastric tube (NGT) removal on swallowing function of the patients with dysphagia. METHODS: This study was conducted on 40 NGT-fed patients with dysphagia. To assess the patients' swallowing function, VFSS was performed twice using a 5-mL 35% diluted barium solution. For the initial examination, VFSS was performed immediately after the NGT removal (VFSS 1). For the second examination, VFSS was performed five hours after the NGT removal (VFSS 2). We used the functional dysphagia scale (FDS) to assess swallowing function. In the FDS, a significant difference in the four items in the oral phase, seven items in the pharyngeal phase, and total scores were assessed (p<0.05). We also used modified penetration-aspiration scale (mPAS) to compare the two examinations (p<0.05). RESULTS: A paired t-test was performed to confirm the statistical significance of the two examinations (p<0.05). The overall swallowing function was assessed as better in VFSS 2 than in VFSS 1. In the FDS, significant differences in the residue in valleculae (p=0.002), the residue in pyriform sinuses (p=0.001), the coating of pharyngeal wall after swallow (p=0.001), and the total scores (p<0.001) were found between the two examinations. Also, in the mPAS that assessed the degree of penetration-aspiration, a significant difference was found between the two examinations (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirmed that the timing of the VFSS after the NGT removal affects the swallowing function. Thus, to accurately assess the swallowing function, VFSS must be performed in NGT-fed patients after they have rested for a certain period following the removal of their NGT.
Barium ; Deglutition Disorders* ; Deglutition* ; Enteral Nutrition ; Humans ; Pyriform Sinus

OBJECTIVE: To determine which factors affect the rehabilitation duration in patients with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) and to predict the duration of rehabilitation and prognosis. METHODS: One hundred and eighteen patients (79 males and 39 females) who were diagnosed with CMT and received physical therapy were enrolled in this study. We retrospectively reviewed the information in terms of sex, gestational age, birth weight, methods of delivery, fetal presentation, age at diagnosis, the affected sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle site, SCM muscle thickness, ratio of muscle thickness on the affected side to that on the unaffected side (called the 'abnormal/normal [A/N] ratio'), and range of motion for cervical rotation and side bending. RESULTS: The SCM muscle thickness and A/N ratio had a positive linear relationship with the rehabilitation duration. Patients who were in the breech position needed longer rehabilitation. The birth weight and age at diagnosis were negatively correlated with the rehabilitation duration. However, the cervical range of motion, mass site, sex, gestational age, and methods of delivery were not correlated with the rehabilitation duration. CONCLUSION: Patients with a thicker SCM, lower birth weight, and history of breech delivery had a longer rehabilitation duration.
Birth Weight ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Labor Presentation ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Rehabilitation* ; Retrospective Studies ; Torticollis*

BACKGROUND: Trap-door deformity is a biophysical phenomenon in which U-, C-, or V-shaped linear scars tend to become depressed and the tissue circumscribed by them tends to bulge. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide (TCA) injection and subcision as a first-line treatment for post-traumatic acute trap-door deformity. METHODS: In trap-door deformity patients, a subcision was made by cutting the fibrotic band along the scar line in the depression using a 22-gauge needle. TCA was administered. An intralesional injection was made along areas of scarring that were difficult to penetrate with the needle. Scar quality parameters were assessed at each follow-up by a single observer and the patient, using the patient and observer scar assessment scale (POSAS) with an additional question about bulging. RESULTS: The average POSAS score per question on the observer scale improved from 6.6±1.31 to 3.6±1.08, and the average POSAS score per question on the patient scale improved from 5.5±1.57 to 2.5±1.26. The average bulging score on the observer scale decreased from 6.0±0.98 to 3.0±0.83, and that on the patient scale decreased from 5.0±1.67 to 2.0±1.30. The average general opinion score on the observer scale decreased from 5.5±1.12 to 3.5±0.91, and that on the patient scale decreased from 6.0±1.84 to 2.0±0.79. CONCLUSIONS: Better outcomes can be obtained by using both TCA and subcision as the first-line therapy for post-traumatic acute trap-door deformity.
Biophysical Phenomena ; Cicatrix ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Contracture ; Depression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Needles ; Triamcinolone Acetonide ; Triamcinolone*

BACKGROUND: The number of surgical risks recalled by a patient after surgery can be used as a parameter for assessing how well the patient has understood the informed consent process. No study has investigated the usefulness of a self-developed mobile application in the traditional informed consent process in patients with a nasal bone fracture. This study aimed to investigate whether delivery of information, such as surgical risks, through a mobile application is more effective than delivery of information through only verbal means and a paper. METHODS: This prospective, randomized study included 60 patients with a nasal bone fracture. The experimental group (n=30) received preoperative explanation with the traditional informed consent process in addition to a mobile application, while the control group (n=30) received preoperative explanation with only the traditional informed consent process. Four weeks after surgery, the number of recalled surgical risks was compared for analysis. The following six surgical risks were explained: pain, bleeding, nasal deformity, numbness, nasal obstruction, and nasal cartilage necrosis. RESULTS: The mean number of recalled surgical risks among all patients was 1.58±0.56. The most frequently recalled surgical risk was nasal deformity in both groups. The mean number of recalled surgical risks was 1.72±0.52 in the experimental group and 1.49±0.57 in the control group. There was a significant association between mobile application use and the mean number of recalled surgical risks (p=0.047). Age, sex, and the level of education were not significantly associated with the mean number of recalled surgical risks. CONCLUSION: This study found that a mobile application could contribute to the efficient delivery of information during the informed consent process. With further improvement, it could be used in other plastic surgeries and other surgeries, and such an application can potentially be used for explaining risks as well as delivering other types of information.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Education ; Epistaxis ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Informed Consent ; Mobile Applications* ; Nasal Bone* ; Nasal Cartilages ; Nasal Obstruction ; Necrosis ; Plastics ; Prospective Studies

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between prostate volume and the increased risk for being diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) in men with slowly increasing prostate specific antigen (PSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cohort of 1035 men who visited our hospital's health promotion center and were checked for serum PSA levels more than two times between January 2001 and November 2011 were included. Among them, 116 patients had a change in PSA levels from less than 4 ng/mL to more than 4 ng/mL and underwent transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy. Median age was 55.9 years and 26 (22.4%) had PCa. We compared the initial PSA level, the last PSA level, age, prostate volume, PSA density (PSAD), PSA velocity, and follow-up period between men with and without PCa. The mean follow-up period was 83.7 months. RESULTS: Significant predictive factors for the detection of prostate cancer identified by univariate analysis were prostate volume, follow-up period and PSAD. In the multivariate analysis, prostate volume (p<0.001, odds ratio: 0.890) was the most significant factor for the detection of prostate cancer. In the receiver operator characteristic curve of prostate volume, area under curve was 0.724. At the cut-off value of 28.8 mL for prostate volume, the sensitivity and specificity were 61.1% and 73.1% respectively. CONCLUSION: In men with PSA values more than 4 ng/mL during the follow-up period, a small prostate volume was the most important factor in early detection of prostate cancer.
Biopsy ; Cohort Studies ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Organ Size ; Prostate/pathology/ultrasonography ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/*blood ; Prostatic Neoplasms/*pathology ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare duloxetine monotherapy to combination therapy with other antidepressants in patients with major depressive disorder in a clinical, real world setting. METHODS: An eight-week, retrospective, multi-center study of outpatients with major depressive disorder was undertaken. After screening 415 patients, enrolled in this study from July 2009 to June 2014 were 82 patients from among three centers who had been taking duloxetine with or without other antidepressant and not administered with atypical antipsychotics. We compared the mean changes of the Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (CGI-S) as a primary measure and the discontinuation rate as a secondary measure between the duloxetine monotherapy group (n=36, 43.9%) and the combination therapy with other antidepressants group (n=46, 56.1%) at baseline, one, two, four and eight weeks. RESULTS: There were no significant differences across the demographic characteristics between two groups. There was, however, a statistically greater improvement on the CGI-S at weeks 2, 4 and 8 in the combination group compared with the monotherapy group. There were no significant differences in discontinuation rate and adverse events between two groups. No serious adverse events were reported in both groups during the study period. CONCLUSION: This result suggests that the duloxetine combination therapy with other antidepressants could improve effectiveness and have comparable tolerability with the monotherapy in the treatment of outpatients with major depressive disorders in a naturalistic setting. Adequately powered, well-controlled clinical trials are strongly warranted to confirm our findings due to methodological shortcomings.
Antidepressive Agents* ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Depressive Disorder, Major* ; Duloxetine Hydrochloride* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Outpatients ; Retrospective Studies*

BACKGROUND: Use of universal leukoreduction for prevention of leukocyte associated transfusion reactions is common practice in many countries. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the performance of a newly developed leukoreduction filter for red blood cells (RBCs), the RF300 (Kolon Industries, Inc, Gumi, Korea). METHODS: Filtration time, RBC recovery, residual leukocyte count, and leukocyte removal rate were evaluated. To assess the quality of RBCs after filtration, percent hemolysis was monitored for a period of 21 days. Performance of the RF300 (N=78) was compared with that of the Bio-R O2 plus (Fresenius, Hamburg, Germany), the Pall Purecell RC (Pall Co., Washington, USA), and the Sepacell R-500N (Asahi, Tokyo, Japan). RESULTS: The shortest filtration time was observed using the RF300 (P<0.05). Using the RF300, recovery of RBC was 96.5%, which was higher than that of two filters (P<0.05). Mean residual leukocyte count was 0.26x10(6)/unit, with a leukocyte removal rate of 3 log. Using the RF300, mean percent hemolysis was 0.32% at day 21, which was comparable with that of two filters, but lower than that of one filter (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The RF300 meets all established quality requirements for conduct of safe and effective leukoreduction of RBCs.
Blood Group Incompatibility ; Collodion ; Erythrocytes ; Filtration ; Hemolysis ; Leukocyte Count ; Leukocytes ; Tokyo ; Washington