PURPOSE: There has been little research regarding the effectiveness of oseltamivir for influenza B infections. We sought to identify the different clinical manifestations between patients treated with and without oseltamivir. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the medical records of 72 inpatients or outpatients from two medical centers diagnosed with influenza B infections by either a rapid antigen test or multiplex reverse transcriptase PCR between January 2012 and July 2012. We compared gender, age, past medical history, admission period, total fever duration, fever duration after hospitalization, post-oseltamivir medication peak temperature, laboratory test, chest X-ray, antibiotic medication, and the presence of concomitant viral or bacterial infections. RESULTS: The number of subjects in our study was 72 who were diagnosed with influenza B pneumonia, acute bronchitis, acute bronchiolitis, croup, and mean age was 3.6+/-2.8 year old. The demographic characteristics and clinical manifestations of oseltamivir and the non-oseltamivir groups, including hospitalization period (4.18+/-2.10 vs 4.79+/-1.49 days, P=.17) and total fever duration (5.32+/-2.07 vs 6.41+/-3.25 days, P=.09), demonstrated no significant differences. Notably, the oseltamivir group did have significantly reduced usage of antibiotic treatment than the non-oseltamivir group (P=.04). When we limited our patient group to patients under the age of three, similar results were seen. The group prescribed oseltamivir within 48 hours of fever onset had less antibiotic usage, in addition to a shorter fever duration. CONCLUSION: Oseltamivir appeared to have no benefit in improving the clinical course. However, if it is prescribed within the first 48 hours of symptoms, it may be more effective.
Bacterial Infections ; Bronchiolitis ; Bronchitis ; Child* ; Croup ; Fever ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, University* ; Humans ; Influenza B virus* ; Influenza, Human ; Inpatients ; Medical Records ; Oseltamivir* ; Outpatients ; Pneumonia ; Retrospective Studies ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Thorax

OBJECTIVE: Teeth discoloration is a rare orthodontic complication. The aim of this study was to report the clinical progression of discoloration during orthodontic treatment. METHODS: Discolored teeth, detected during orthodontic treatment between January 2003 and December 2012 by a single dentist using similar techniques and appliances, were analyzed. RESULTS: The total number of teeth that showed discoloration was 28. Progression of discoloration was evaluated in only 24 teeth that were observed without any treatment. During the observation period, the discoloration “improved” in 8 of the 24 teeth (33.3%) and was “maintained” in 16 (66.6%). The electric pulp test performed at the time of initial detection of discoloration showed 14.3% positivity, which improved to 21.4% at the final follow-up. None of the initial and final follow-up radiographic findings showed any abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: When teeth discoloration is detected during orthodontic treatment, observation as an initial management is recommended over immediate treatments.
Dentists ; Esthetics ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Tooth*

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of menopause on the quality of life (QoL) of middle-aged and older women, including their general well-being, voiding-related symptoms, and sexual distress. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess QoL, we administered a questionnaire that included questions about voiding-related symptoms and female sexual distress and part of the Women's Health Questionnaire. The self-administered questionnaires were completed by 1,679 women in the Korea. Data for 1,262 women were available for analysis, including premenopausal (n=307), perimenopausal (n=240), and postmenopausal (n=715) groups. RESULTS: Voiding-related discomfort increased significantly in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women compared with premenopausal women (p<0.001). General well-being worsened as menopause progressed (p<0.001). Menopausal women who were older (p=0.014), had a hysterectomy (p=0.005), or had urinary incontinence (p=0.001) had more voiding-related symptoms. Hypertension (p=0.026), cardiac disease (p=0.013), and arthritis (p=0.001) resulted in significantly decreased general well-being. Women with a hysterectomy (p=0.017) and those with arthritis (p=0.004) had high sexual distress. In the menopausal group, employed women had better general well-being than did unemployed women. CONCLUSIONS: Menopause negatively affected the QoL of middle-aged and older women because of decreased general well-being and increased voiding-related symptoms. General health, even in menopausal women, was important to maintain a better QoL. To preserve the QoL of women undergoing menopause, control of menopause and underlying disease should be considered.
Arthritis ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hysterectomy ; Korea ; Menopause ; Postmenopause ; Quality of Life ; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological ; Urinary Incontinence ; Urination Disorders ; Women's Health

PURPOSE: To determine the baseline clinical characteristics associated with dose escalation of solifenacin in patients with overactive bladder (OAB). METHODS: We analyzed the data of patients with OAB (micturition frequency > or =8/day and urgency > or =1/day) who were treated with solifenacin and followed up for 24 weeks. According to our department protocol, all the patients kept voiding diaries, and OAB symptom scores (OABSS) were monitored at baseline and after 4, 12, and 24 weeks of solifenacin treatment. RESULTS: In total, 68 patients (mean age, 60.8+/-10.0 years) were recruited. The dose escalation rate by the end of the study was 41.2%, from 23.5% at 4 weeks and 17.6% at 12 weeks. At baseline, the dose escalator group had significantly more OAB wet patients (53.6% vs. 20.0%) and higher total OABSS (10.2+/-2.4 vs. 7.9+/-3.5, P=0.032) than the nonescalator group. OAB wet (odds ratio [OR], 4.615; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.578-13.499; P<0.05) and total OABSS (OR, 1.398; 95% CI, 1.046-1.869; P<0.05) were found to be independently associated with dose escalation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who have urgency urinary incontinence and high total OABSS have a tendency for dose escalation of solifenacin.
Elevators and Escalators ; Humans ; Muscarinic Antagonists ; Solifenacin Succinate ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive* ; Urinary Incontinence

Ovarian tumors are rare in children. Their incidence is estimated to be about 2.6 cases per 100,000 girls per year. About 1/3 of all childhood ovarian tumors are reported to be malignant. Germ cell tumors are more frequent than epithelial and sex cord stromal tumors in children and teratoma is the most common germ cell tumor occurring in children. In most cases, the presenting symptoms in childhood included abdominal pain, an abdominal mass, abdominal distention and so on. These non-specific symptoms and low incidence lead to suspicions of more common diseases, so the diagnosis of ovarian masses in childhood is difficult. We experienced a rare case of mature cystic teratoma in a 5-year-old girl with urinary frequency without abdominal discomfort despite the large size. The pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging finding showed unusual characteristics, rising suspicion of malignancy. So, we present this case with a brief review of literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Child ; Humans ; Incidence ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Preschool Child ; Sex Cord-Gonadal Stromal Tumors ; Teratoma

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the precision of three-dimensional (3D) images acquired using iTero(R) (Align Technology Inc., San Jose, CA, USA) and Trios(R) (3Shape Dental Systems, Copenhagen, Denmark) digital intraoral scanners, and to evaluate the effects of the severity of tooth irregularities and scanning sequence on precision. METHODS: Dental arch models were fabricated with differing degrees of tooth irregularity and divided into 2 groups based on scanning sequence. To assess their precision, images were superimposed and an optimized superimposition algorithm was employed to measure any 3D deviation. The t-test, paired t-test, and one-way ANOVA were performed (p < 0.05) for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The iTero(R) and Trios(R) systems showed no statistically significant difference in precision among models with differing degrees of tooth irregularity. However, there were statistically significant differences in the precision of the 2 scanners when the starting points of scanning were different. The iTero(R) scanner (mean deviation, 29.84 +/- 12.08 microm) proved to be less precise than the Trios(R) scanner (22.17 +/- 4.47 microm). CONCLUSIONS: The precision of 3D images differed according to the degree of tooth irregularity, scanning sequence, and scanner type. However, from a clinical standpoint, both scanners were highly accurate regardless of the degree of tooth irregularity.
Dental Arch ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional* ; Tooth*

BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet(UV) light is one of the injurious environmental agents which is known to lead to apoptosis of cells. However, studies on UVB-induced apoptosis of melanocytes are still lacking and there are some discrepancies between researchers. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the characteristics of UVB-induced apoptosis of melanocytes and G361 cells. METHODS: Cultured normal human melanocytes and malignant melanoma cell lines (G361 cells) were analyzed by several detection methods including morphological examination of propidium iodide(PI) stained cells under fluorescence microscopy, quantitation of fragmented DNA, and flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS: Both melanocytes and G361 cells showed similar rate of apoptosis with gradual increment of UVB doses by the quantitation of fragmented DNA. However, flow cytometric analysis using scatter properties and PI stainability revealed that the melanocytes were more resistant to UVB than G361 cells. CONCLUSION: We suggest that melanocytes seem to be more resistant to UVB-induced injury than G361 cells. In addition, various methods for the detection of apoptosis might be necessary for its study. (Ann Dermatol 10:(3) 147152, 1998).
Apoptosis* ; Cell Line ; DNA ; Humans* ; Melanocytes* ; Melanoma ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Propidium

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, immune- mediated skin disease. Recently, several psoriasis-linked genetic loci have been reported; PSORS4 contains S100A8 (calgranulin A), and PSOR6 (19p13) locus harbors JunB (19p13.2). S100A8 is considered to be a marker of inflammation in a variety of diseases. The expression of JunB and c-Jun have been reported to be reduced in psoriatic lesions. OBJECTIVE: We attempted to assess the role and correlation of S100A8, JunB, and c-Jun in the pathogenesis of guttate psoriasis and psoriasis vulgaris by studying whether any difference of immunohistochemical expression existed. METHODS: Skin biopsy specimens from patients with psoriasis vulgaris (n=37) and guttate psoriasis (n=17), and a normal skin controls (n=9) were utilized in the study. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections were prepared and JunB, c-Jun, and calgranulin A were immunohistochemically stained in order to compare the expression of those three proteins in each group. RESULTS: Reduced JunB expression was observed in patients with psoriasis vulgaris and guttate psoriasis, as compared to patients in the control group; however, c-Jun expression was reduced only in the psoriasis vulgaris group. The expression of S100A8 increased in the psoriasis groups as compared to the control group. In addition, the expression of S100A8 was different between the psoriasis vulgaris and guttate psoriasis groups; S100A8 was expressed more profoundly in the guttate psoriasis group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that S100A8 contributes to the pathogenesis of guttate psoriasis, and it may be a good target for therapy for guttate psoriasis provoked by microorganisms.
Biopsy ; Calgranulin A ; Genetic Loci ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Proteins ; Psoriasis ; Skin ; Skin Diseases

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome of fulguration of Hunner's ulcers (HUs) in painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC) that is refractory to conservative treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with refractory PBS/IC and treated with fulguration between 2011 and 2013 were identified through screening of medical records. To evaluate treatment outcomes, voiding diaries, the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, and two IC symptom questionnaires (pelvic pain and urgency/frequency scale [PUF] and O'Leary-Sant IC symptom index and IC problem index [OS]) were used. Fulguration was deemed to be successful if the VAS score was <2 or less than half of the preoperative VAS score. RESULTS: In total, 27 patients with PBS/IC in whom conservative treatments had failed were enrolled. Two months after fulguration, decreases were observed in the mean 24-hour urinary frequency (from 16.0 to 10.2), 24-hour urgency episodes (8.0 to 1.8), and the VAS (5.8 to 1.2), PUF symptom (15.1 to 7.0), PUF bother (8.4 to 2.7), OS symptom (15.1 to 7.2), and OS problem (13.8 to 6.0) scores. At 5 and 10 months, all variables had worsened. At 2, 5, and 10 months, the success rates were 94.1%, 70.0%, and 33.3%, respectively. Four patients underwent one repeat fulguration on average 11.3 months after the first fulguration. Repeat fulguration was not significantly associated with any clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: In PBS/IC that was refractory to medication or other conservative treatments, HU elimination by fulguration effectively improved symptoms. However, this effect decreased gradually over time.
Cystitis ; Cystitis, Interstitial* ; Electrocoagulation ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Medical Records ; Ulcer* ; Urinary Bladder

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in occlusal force after loss of the lower first molar depending on the inclination and extrusion of the adjacent and opposing teeth by using a strain gauge. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anatomic teeth were used to reconstruct the normal dental arch with loss of the lower right first molar. A uniformly thick layer of silicone was applied to the root to mimic the periodontal ligament. Four stages of dies with varying degrees of inclination and extrusion of the adjacent and opposing teeth were constructed and attached to master model interchangeably by using a CAD/CAM fabricated customized die system. The strain gauges were attached to teeth and a universal testing machine was used to determine the changes in occlusal force. An independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were performed (α = .05). RESULTS: While simulating chewing food, the upper first, second premolar and lower second molar showed greater occlusal force than before extraction. When the change of adjacent teeth's occlusal force with their progressive movement after molar loss was evaluated, the difference among four die models was significant and was in the decreasing aspect (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: When the lower first molar was lost and the adjacent teeth did not move yet, the occlusal force in adjacent teeth was higher than that when the lower first molar still existed. In addition, the occlusal force in the upper premolars and lower second molar decreased significantly with the progressive movement of adjacent teeth.
Bicuspid ; Bite Force* ; Dental Arch ; Mastication ; Molar* ; Periodontal Ligament ; Silicon ; Silicones ; Tooth*