As gastroduodenoscopy performed more frequently, case reports of human echinostomiasis are increasing in Korea. A Korean woman presented at a local clinic with complaints of abdominal pain and discomfort that had persisted for 2 weeks. Under gastroduodenoscopy, two motile flukes were found attached on the duodenal bulb, and retrieved with endoscopic forceps. She had history of eating raw frog meat. The two flukes were identified as Echinostoma hortense by egg morphology, 27 collar spines with 4 end-group spines, and surface ultrastructural characters. This report may prove frogs to be a source of human echinostome infections.
Animals ; Duodenal Diseases/*parasitology ; Duodenum/*parasitology ; Echinostoma/*isolation & purification ; Echinostomiasis/*diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to identify the relations between the old's participation in voluntary service activities and health-related quality of life. METHODS: The subjects of the study were 318 elderly people aged over 65 years. They were interviewed with the use of a questionnaire from May 1 to June 30, 2012 to collect data. To verify the data collected, this study carried out a linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The health-related quality of life of the elderly who were participating in voluntary service activities was statistically significantly higher than that of those who were not. CONCLUSIONS: This study has meaning in that it discovered that the elderly people's participation in voluntary service activities had a positive effect on their health-related quality of life.
Aged* ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Quality of Life*

Cutaneous papillomas or acrochorda usually appear after the 4th decade of life in areas with skin folds. Conventional methods of removal are associated with bleeding problems, pain and prolonged sequelae. Thus, acrochorda removal with lasers has gained attention. In this study, we compared the efficacy of two popular laser types with different wavelengths and pulse widths for removal of skin tags. A 60-year-old Korean male noticed skin tags on his neck bilaterally. All tags were treated in a single session, on one side with a picosecond (ps)-domain 532 nm Nd:YAG laser and on the contralateral side with a long-pulsed (LP) 755 nm alexandrite laser. The endpoint for the ps-532 laser was immediate whitening, while that for the LP and quasi-LP (QLP) 755 lasers were visible changes on the surface of the lesion. Antibiotic ointment was applied, dressing was done and clinical photographs were taken. Both lasers effectively removed the skin tags at all settings in a single session without bleeding and with minimal discomfort. Crust formation occurred on both sides with natural shedding within 1 to 2 weeks. Transient erythema lasted longer in the tags treated with the ps-532 laser. At the 5th month of follow-up, residual lesions were detected on the field treated with the ps-532 laser. No persistent side effects such as scarring or postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) were observed. In conclusion, both the ps-532 nm Nd:YAG and the 755 nm alexandrite lasers ensured safe and effective removal of skin tags in a single session without adverse sequelae.

Background: The number of general cosmetic practitioners impersonating dermatologists in Korea has increased, leading to serious harm that is significant enough to attract the attention of health authorities, which dermatologists are deeply concerned about. Objective: We conducted a survey targeting dermatologists to gather their opinions on the behavior, problems, and countermeasures of general cosmetic practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Methods: A total of 280 dermatologists completed the survey between January and February 2024. The questions covered demographic characteristics, experiences of cosmetic general practitioners falsely introduced themselves as dermatologists, complications experienced by patients who received treatment after being mistaken for a dermatologist, the seriousness of the problem for cosmetic general practitioners impersonating dermatologists, and the relationship between the shortage of essential medical personnel and the phenomenon of cosmetic general practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Results: Despite cases in which cosmetic general practitioners impersonate dermatologists, most dermatologists have not responded appropriately in many instances. Dermatologists have reported many cases of complications after receiving dermatological treatment from such cosmetic general practitioners. Most dermatologists are concerned about the serious problems of general cosmetic practitioners, disguising themselves as dermatologists and anticipating many adverse effects. Conclusion We believe that we need to pool our wisdom to solve these problems and expect that this study will provide valuable basic data for solving these problems in the dermatology and medical environments of Korea.

Background: The number of general cosmetic practitioners impersonating dermatologists in Korea has increased, leading to serious harm that is significant enough to attract the attention of health authorities, which dermatologists are deeply concerned about. Objective: We conducted a survey targeting dermatologists to gather their opinions on the behavior, problems, and countermeasures of general cosmetic practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Methods: A total of 280 dermatologists completed the survey between January and February 2024. The questions covered demographic characteristics, experiences of cosmetic general practitioners falsely introduced themselves as dermatologists, complications experienced by patients who received treatment after being mistaken for a dermatologist, the seriousness of the problem for cosmetic general practitioners impersonating dermatologists, and the relationship between the shortage of essential medical personnel and the phenomenon of cosmetic general practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Results: Despite cases in which cosmetic general practitioners impersonate dermatologists, most dermatologists have not responded appropriately in many instances. Dermatologists have reported many cases of complications after receiving dermatological treatment from such cosmetic general practitioners. Most dermatologists are concerned about the serious problems of general cosmetic practitioners, disguising themselves as dermatologists and anticipating many adverse effects. Conclusion We believe that we need to pool our wisdom to solve these problems and expect that this study will provide valuable basic data for solving these problems in the dermatology and medical environments of Korea.

Background: The number of general cosmetic practitioners impersonating dermatologists in Korea has increased, leading to serious harm that is significant enough to attract the attention of health authorities, which dermatologists are deeply concerned about. Objective: We conducted a survey targeting dermatologists to gather their opinions on the behavior, problems, and countermeasures of general cosmetic practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Methods: A total of 280 dermatologists completed the survey between January and February 2024. The questions covered demographic characteristics, experiences of cosmetic general practitioners falsely introduced themselves as dermatologists, complications experienced by patients who received treatment after being mistaken for a dermatologist, the seriousness of the problem for cosmetic general practitioners impersonating dermatologists, and the relationship between the shortage of essential medical personnel and the phenomenon of cosmetic general practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Results: Despite cases in which cosmetic general practitioners impersonate dermatologists, most dermatologists have not responded appropriately in many instances. Dermatologists have reported many cases of complications after receiving dermatological treatment from such cosmetic general practitioners. Most dermatologists are concerned about the serious problems of general cosmetic practitioners, disguising themselves as dermatologists and anticipating many adverse effects. Conclusion We believe that we need to pool our wisdom to solve these problems and expect that this study will provide valuable basic data for solving these problems in the dermatology and medical environments of Korea.

Background: The number of general cosmetic practitioners impersonating dermatologists in Korea has increased, leading to serious harm that is significant enough to attract the attention of health authorities, which dermatologists are deeply concerned about. Objective: We conducted a survey targeting dermatologists to gather their opinions on the behavior, problems, and countermeasures of general cosmetic practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Methods: A total of 280 dermatologists completed the survey between January and February 2024. The questions covered demographic characteristics, experiences of cosmetic general practitioners falsely introduced themselves as dermatologists, complications experienced by patients who received treatment after being mistaken for a dermatologist, the seriousness of the problem for cosmetic general practitioners impersonating dermatologists, and the relationship between the shortage of essential medical personnel and the phenomenon of cosmetic general practitioners disguising themselves as dermatologists. Results: Despite cases in which cosmetic general practitioners impersonate dermatologists, most dermatologists have not responded appropriately in many instances. Dermatologists have reported many cases of complications after receiving dermatological treatment from such cosmetic general practitioners. Most dermatologists are concerned about the serious problems of general cosmetic practitioners, disguising themselves as dermatologists and anticipating many adverse effects. Conclusion We believe that we need to pool our wisdom to solve these problems and expect that this study will provide valuable basic data for solving these problems in the dermatology and medical environments of Korea.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal platelet activation has been identified in several disorders characterizedby vascular patholo-gy including coronary artery disease, Alzheimer disease, myeloproliferative disorders, diabetes, preeclampsia, inflam-matory bowel disease and glomerular disease. Antiplatelet therapy has been valuable in the management of some of these conditions. The aim of this study is to verify usefulness of mean platelet component (MPC) concentration as a marker of thrombotic process in patients with cerebral infarction. Our hypothesis is that MPC as measured by the ADVIA(R) 120 hematology system is used to detect and monitor platelet activation associated with thrombotic process of ischemic stroke. METHODS: To study the existence of platelet activation at the onset of cerebral infarction, mean platelet concentration of platelets were measured daily during post-stroke 10 days. Thirty-four acute thrombotic cerebral infarction and seventeen age-matched healthy persons were selected for this study. To investigate the time course of the platelet MPC changes observed in stroke patients, the blood samplings for MPC measuring were done and analyzed on the ADVIA 120(R) system. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant decrease in MPC concentration of the platelets at post-stroke 3rd to 7th day compared to the control group ( p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a reduction of MPC as measured by the ADVIA 120(R) hematology system may be used to detect and monitor thrombotic process associated with platelet activation in ischemic stroke.
Alzheimer Disease ; Blood Platelets* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Hematology ; Humans ; Myeloproliferative Disorders ; Platelet Activation* ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Stroke*

Primary closure of bladder exstrophy in a one-day-old-girl was performed with paraexstrophy skin flap and pubic bone approximation without osteotomy.
Bladder Exstrophy ; Female* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Osteotomy ; Pubic Bone ; Skin

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the amino acids composition, safety and efficacy of formulas recently developed by Korean dairy companies for children with inherited metabolic disorder. METHODS: The determination of amino acids concentration was performed on eight Korean formula samples. The samples were hydrolyzed with 6N HCL or performic acid and analyzed by amino acid analyzer. RESULTS: No phenylalanine, methionine or leucine was observed in PKU-1 and PKU-2 Formulas, Methionine-Free and Leucine-Free Formula, respectively. BCAA-Free Formula was free from leucine, isoleucine, and valine and MPA Formula did not contain methionine and valine. Protein-Free formula did not include any amino acids. UCD Formula contained arginine but was free of alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, proline and serine. Methionine-Free Formula contained higher amounts of cystine and tyrosine was higher in PKU-1 and 2 Formulas. The amounts of isoleucine and threonine were minimal in MPA Formula. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that the eight special formulas, developed for the first time by a Korean dairy company for children with inherited metabolic disorder contain appropriate amino acids with proper contents. Both the total amino acid amounts and specific amino acid concentrations of the formulas were appropriate for related diseases, which could be used safely by the patients with inherited metabolic disorder. For UCD Formula that contains arginine, we suggest that arginine be removed from the formula in order to use for any urea cycle defect patients before the specific diagnosis is made.
Alanine ; Amino Acids ; Arginine ; Aspartic Acid ; Child* ; Cystine ; Diagnosis ; Glutamic Acid ; Glycine ; Histidine ; Humans ; Isoleucine ; Leucine ; Methionine ; Phenylalanine ; Proline ; Serine ; Threonine ; Tyrosine ; Urea ; Valine