BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate the knowledge, anxiety and compliance with preventive behavior of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in liver transplant patients. METHODS: The participants in the study were 100 liver transplant patients at an outpatient clinic. The data were collected from May 20, 2016, to June 20, 2016. RESULTS: The knowledge score was 6.37±1.73 (range; 1~10) and the correct answer rate was 63.7%. The state anxiety score was 41.35±10.08 (range; 20~68) and the trait anxiety score was 39.60±8.85 (range; 22~59). The compliance with preventive behavior score was 35.70±5.23 (range; 21~45). Anxiety differed significantly according to education level (P=0.040) and occupation status (P=0.047). Compliance with preventive behavior differed significantly according to period after surgery (P=0.035). Compliance with preventive behavior and state anxiety (P=0.007) and trait anxiety (P<0.001) were negatively related. The factor that had the greatest effect on compliance with preventive behavior was trait anxiety (P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The epidemic of the MERS has already been completed and none of the subjects of this study has been infected with the MERS; however, patients with liver transplantation always have a risk of various opportunistic infections. If new infectious diseases such as MERS occur in the future, increased anxiety may decrease the practice of prevention. Therefore, anxiety experienced by liver transplant patients should be managed.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Anxiety* ; Communicable Diseases ; Compliance* ; Coronavirus Infections* ; Education ; Humans ; Liver Transplantation ; Liver* ; Middle East* ; Occupations ; Opportunistic Infections

Both idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pulmonary involvement of collagen vascular disease(CVD) are well known cause of diffuse interstitial lung disease which lead to fibrosis and honeycombing. We analyzed HRCT findings of 33 patients with IPF and 14 patients with CVD in terms of predominant pattern, site of involvement, mediastinal lymph node enlargement, pleural change and pulmonary volume loss. Criteria of mediastinal lymph node enlargement and pleural thickening were 15mm in long diameter and 3mm, respectively. Volume loss of the lung was measured by using hilar height ratio (apex to hilum/hilum to diaphragmatic dome). Mean age was 61 years for IPF and 46 years for CVD and male: female ratio was 27:6, 4:10, respectively. Predominant HRCT pattern was honeycombing for IPF (63%), and ground-glass opacity for CVD (66%) (p=0.001). Predominantly, subpleural involvement was seen in 90% for IPF and 74% for CVD. Mediastinal lymph node enlargement was seen in 47% of the patient with IPF and 14% with CVD (p=0.004). pleural thickening was seen in 97% of the patients with IPF and 42% with CVD (P=0.002), Pleural effusion was seen in 10% of the patients with IPF and 36% with CVD (P=0.009). Hilar height ratio of more than 1.5 was seen in 84% of the patients with IPF and 29% with CVD. In conclusion, our study shows that patients with IPF are prone to have more progressed stage of pulmonary fibrosis than the patients with CVD on HRCT.
Collagen* ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis* ; Lung ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Pleural Effusion ; Pulmonary Fibrosis

Bortezomib (Velcade(R)) is proteasome inhibitor that is used as a first-line therapy for multiple myeloma. It can cause gastrointestinal, hematologic, and neuromuscular side effects, and a cutaneous reaction is one of its common adverse reactions. To date, several bortezomib-induced cutaneous adverse reactions have been reported, including folliculitis-like rash, pruriginous rash, purpuric rash, mouth swelling, stomatitis-mucositis, edema in the lower limbs, telogen effluvium, and vasculitis. In the Korean literature, only one case of vasculitis has been reported earlier. Two patients have presented with multiple plaques on the trunk at our clinic. The lesions developed several days after bortezomib chemotherapy, and disappeared spontaneously in about 1 week. Herein, we report bortezomib-induced drug eruption presenting as multiple plaques on the trunk with a review of the relevant literature.
Drug Eruptions* ; Drug Therapy ; Edema ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Mouth ; Multiple Myeloma ; Proteasome Inhibitors ; Vasculitis ; Bortezomib

OBJECTIVE: The patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) suffered by a lot of complications that influence the quality of life both physically and mentally. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of patients with spinal cord injury in incidence of the complication according to the injury level and period. METHOD: Retrospective study was done in 554 patients with SCI who discharged from Yonsei University Medical Center from January, 1987 to December, 1996. We investigated the incidence of each complication such as respiratory, cardiovascular, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, and dermatologic complications according to the neurologic level and each period (1987~1991, 1992~1996). RESULTS: Among the 554 cases, urologic complication (40.3%) was the most common complication followed by dermatologic (39.0%), musculoskeletal (33.6%), cardiovascular (27.1%) and so on. The most common complications of each system were autonomic dysreflexia (13.2%) in cardiovascular, pneumonia (9.6%) in respiratory, contracture (27.8%) in musculoskeletal, urinary tract infection (34.3%) in urologic, hemorrhoid in gastrointestinal, and central pain (24.0%) in neurogenic complications. The most common site of pressure sore was sacral area (58.9%). There was no significant difference in each complication according to the injury period. CONCLUSION: Urologic complication was the most prevalent in patients with SCI followed by dermatologic, musculoskeletal and so on. These basic results would be helpful for prevention and management of the complication of SCI.
Academic Medical Centers ; Autonomic Dysreflexia ; Contracture ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Epidemiology ; Hemorrhoids ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pneumonia ; Pressure Ulcer ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Urinary Tract Infections

OBJECTIVE: Purpose of our study was to examine the expression level of 14-3-3 proteins and Bcl-2 family and to estimate the interaction between 14-3-3 proteins and Bcl-2 family in normal and preeclamptic placenta. METHODS: Placental tissues were sampled from preeclampsia with caesarean delivery (n=5) and normal pregnant women with caesarean delivery (n=5). Western blot and immunoprecipitation related Western blotting were performed on all placental samples. Unpaired Student t-test was used to determine the statistical significance. RESULTS: Western blot analysis revealed that the expression of Bax and 14-3-3 zeta was significantly greater in the preeclamptic placenta than in the normal placenta. Immunoprecipitation related Western blotting revealed that the interaction between 14-3-3 zeta and Bax was significantly less in the preeclamptic placenta than in the normal placenta. CONCLUSION: Increased expression of Bax and reduced interaction (between) 14-3-3 zeta and Bax in preeclamptic placenta might influence pathogenesis or sequelae of preeclampsia. Further study is needed to identify the trigger that induces dissociation of Bax from 14-3-3 proteins.
14-3-3 Proteins* ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; Blotting, Western ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoprecipitation ; Placenta* ; Pre-Eclampsia* ; Pregnant Women

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of selecting commercially available blending teas and applying them to bovine teeth on color change over time. Methods: After selecting healthy bovine teeth, using a cutting-disc, 105 specimens with a dimension of 5×5×3 mm were prepared, and 15 specimens were distributed to each group. Black tea was used as a positive control, water was used as a negative control, and blended tea of five types was used as an experimental group. First, pH and buffering capacity were measured with a pH meter, and tooth color was determined using a spectrophotometer before immersion in the blending tea solution and 1, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days after immersion. Thereafter, the shape change of the enamel surface was observed using a scanning electron microscope, and SPSS ver.26 was used to analyze the color change. Results: The average pH of the five blending teas in the experimental group was 3.78, and the pH of group 3 (strawberry rhubarb) was the lowest at 3.22. The pH levels of black tea and water were 5.19 and 7.30, respectively. The buffering capacity was the highest in group 3 at both pH levels of 5.5 and 7.0. The L*a*b* color change according to immersion time was the largest in group 4 (rooibos yellow flower), and the amount of color change was large in black tea and group 4. As a result of observing the enamel surface of bovine teeth, changes in the surface shape were noted in all groups immersed in the experimental solution for 21 days, except for water. Conclusion There was a significant difference between the experimental groups in terms of color change according to the immersion time, and color and enamel surface changes were observed in black tea and all experimental groups, except for water.

Abnormal offsprings from balanced translocation carriers usually inherit only one of the translocated products and are therefore partially trisomic for one chromosome and partially monosomic for another. Partial trisomy 3q usually demonstrates characteristic facial appearance, developmental delay, brain and ocular anomalies, severe growth retardation, congenital heart disease, renal and genitourinary malformations, omphalocele, and skeletal and limb anomalies with a wide range of characteristics and severities. It has been reported in a few individuals in the world and this is the first report of partial trisomy 3q in Korea. We present the case of partial trisomy 3q with omphalocele from maternal balanced translocation, which was prenatally diagnosed by chorionic villi sampling based on abnormal ultrasonographic findings.
Brain ; Chorionic Villi Sampling ; Extremities ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Hernia, Umbilical* ; Humans ; Korea ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First* ; Pregnancy* ; Prenatal Diagnosis* ; Trisomy*

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the worldwide procedure performed for patients with various stage hepatoceullar carcinoma (HCC), but is not yet considered as curative treatment because of relatively high local recurrence rate. Moreover, many clinicians frequently experience treatment failure (incomplete necrosis or stage progression etc.) after repeated TACE, but no clear guidelines have been recommended about salvage treatment modalities for this situation. Recently, studies for combination of radiation therapy and TACE for HCC with TACE refractoriness have been tried and reported better therapeutic efficacy. Based on above suggestions, we herein offer our experience of a patient with macrovascular invasion developed after repeated TACE that achieve complete remission by stereotactic body radiation therapy. Further study, maybe regarding a combination of locoregional and systemic therapy, is necessary on how to manage HCC patients with TACE refractoriness.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Recurrence ; Salvage Therapy ; Treatment Failure

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a relatively common cause of anemia in children and adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although AIHA responds to steroids, in case of refractory or steroid-dependent AIHA, immunosuppressants and intravenous immunoglobulin have been used as second line agents. Rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, is emerging in the treatment of SLE refractory to conventional therapy. Herein, we report a case of delayed and sustained remission of refractory hemolytic anemia in a child with SLE, post rituximab treatment. A 12-year-old female child with dizziness was referred to our department and was diagnosed with SLE combined with hemolytic anemia and renal tubular acidosis. Since frequent relapse of hemolytic anemia had occurred during the steroid tapering course, even though she had been treated with additional immunosuppressants (azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil), the patient received 2 doses of rituximab 500 mg at 2 weeks interval at 18 months post diagnosis. After 15 months of rituximab administration, her anemia and renal tubular acidosis were fully recovered, enough to stop all medications. She remained well without recurrence for up to 3 years and 4 months after rituximab treatment.
Acidosis, Renal Tubular ; Adult ; Anemia ; Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Dizziness ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Recurrence ; Steroids ; Rituximab

The gastrointestinal tract is commonly involved in patients with systemic sclerosis. The manifestations include motility disorder, pseudo-obstruction, malabsorption, bacterial overgrowth, diverticuli, and, less commonly, pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI). PCI is characterized by the presence of air in the submucosal or subserosal layer of the bowel wall and is often accompanied by pneumoperitoneum. Although PCI is a benign condition that often responds to conservative management, it is a poor prognostic factor of systemic sclerosis. We report a case of PCI in a patient with systemic sclerosis. The chest and abdominal radiographic findings comprised pneumoperitoneum, marked dilation of the bowels, and intramural air, compatible with PCI. The patient's symptoms improved spontaneously. It is important to recognize PCI as a gastrointestinal manifestation of systemic sclerosis, and physicians should differentiate it from serious complications-such as intestinal perforation-based on clinical manifestations.
Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis ; Pneumoperitoneum ; Scleroderma, Systemic ; Thorax