Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease, affecting approximately 0.5% to 2% of the global population. OLP can lead to long-term oral pain, reduced quality of life, with the potential for malignant transformation. Current treatment strategies focus on symptom management and reducing the risk of malignancy. Treatment of OLP is challenging and varies from patient to patient, especially in those who do not respond to corticosteroids. The effectiveness and safety of second-line and third-line treatment options in such cases are continually compared and evaluated, and recently, the application of Janus kinase inhibitors, micro ribonucleic acids, and mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies is being assessed. As a result, the ability of clinicians to select the most appropriate treatment modalities for each patient remains crucial. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of recent treatment modalities and key considerations to assist clinicians in selecting effective and safe treatment strategies for OLP.

Halitosis is defined as a nasty odor emanating through the mouth and is primarily related to the enhanced concentration of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs). VSC measurements have been commonly used for experimental comparison and clinical diagnosis. As quantitative methods for comparative analyses of oral malodor, gas chromatography devices have been most commonly used to quickly and easily determine the concentration of several gas components of VSCs, which are agents primarily responsible for halitosis. The concentrations of VSCs fluctuate dynamically depending on contributing factors, including various oral/systemic conditions, intake of medicine and food/drink, oral hygiene, and even routine daily activities. Therefore, the exact analysis of VSCs requires the appropriate standardization of not only exact measurement techniques but also participant conditioning with scientific considerations. Thus, this paper describes the experimental standardizations commonly recommended in previous literature and their scientific background.

Background/Aims: Although statins are widely used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including stroke and myocardial infarction (MI), it is reported that statin use increases the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) that is associated with increased risk of CVD. So, we evaluated the mediation effect of HZ caused by statin use on CVD. Methods: We analyzed a prospective cohort from the National Health Insurance Service-database of South Korea. All individuals received a medical check-up and were followed-up from 2002 to 2013. Results: A total of 275,382 individuals > 40 years old were followed up for 11 years from 2003. Of these, 11,415 people (4%) were classified as statin users and 263,967 (96%) as non-statin users. Those who used statins had significantly lower risks of cardiovascular events, stroke, and MI compared with non-statin users; the adjusted hazard ratios in the multivariate analysis were 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82 to 0.98), 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80 to 0.98), and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.79 to 1.07), respectively. When we calculated the mediating effect of cardiovascular events by statin use through HZ, 11.6% of the total beneficial effect of cardiovascular events by statin use was mitigated through the occurrence of HZ caused by statin use. This mediating effect was higher in the younger age group (< 60 years). Conclusions This study showed that statin use reduced CVD by 10%, but the protective effect of statin use against CVD was mitigated by approximately 10% through the development of HZ caused by statin use.

BACKGROUND: A leukoreduction filter was recently developed in Korea to reduce various kinds of adverse transfusion reactions. The objective of this study was to propose a domestic evaluation system for leukoreduction filters and to apply this evaluation system to assess the newly developed leukoreduction filter. METHODS: We prepared packed red blood cells from 60 units of whole blood (400 mL) collected from 60 normal individuals and evaluated the efficacy of the newly developed filter (FINECELL, KOLON INDUSTRIES, Gumi, Korea) and a control filter (RCM1, Haemonetics, MA, USA). To verify the evaluation system, we assessed the filtration time, residual leukocyte count, RBC recovery, RBC hemolysis, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit using a control filter RCM1 and compared the results with those of an evaluation performed by the American Red Cross (ARC) in 2013. We then evaluated the efficacy of the test filter FINECELL using the methods established in this study and compared the results with those of the control filter RCM1. RESULTS: The results of the current study were similar to those of the ARC with the control filters. The test filters developed in Korea were not inferior to commonly used control filters regarding residual leukocyte count, RBC recovery, and RBC hemolysis at 35 days after filtration. All of the results in the evaluation satisfied the international standards. CONCLUSION: These results of this study showed that the efficacy of the newly developed domestic leukoreduction filter were satisfactory and will contribute to improvement of quality of blood components in Korea.
Erythrocytes ; Filtration ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Hematocrit ; Hemolysis ; Korea ; Leukocyte Count ; Methods* ; Red Cross ; Transfusion Reaction

Gangliocytic paraganglioma is an uncommon tumor of digestive system that is usually found in the second portion of duodenum. It is generally considered benign tumor, although few reports of local recurrences and regional lymph node metastases have been made. Gangliocytic paraganglioma is characterized by its histologic pattern including ganglion cells, spindle cells and epithelioid cells. Heterotopic pancreas, also known as ectopic pancreas, is a pancreatic tissue appeared outside of its normal location lacking anatomic or vascular connection with the pancreas. In duodenum, it is a relatively unusual lesion that may be found incidentally during surgery or endoscopy. We present a case of 39-year-old woman with gangliocytic paraganglioma combined with heterotopic pancreas in the ampulla of Vater successfully treated by endoscopic resection.
Adult ; Ampulla of Vater* ; Digestive System ; Duodenum ; Endoscopy ; Epithelioid Cells ; Female ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreas* ; Paraganglioma* ; Recurrence

Gangliocytic paraganglioma is an uncommon tumor of digestive system that is usually found in the second portion of duodenum. It is generally considered benign tumor, although few reports of local recurrences and regional lymph node metastases have been made. Gangliocytic paraganglioma is characterized by its histologic pattern including ganglion cells, spindle cells and epithelioid cells. Heterotopic pancreas, also known as ectopic pancreas, is a pancreatic tissue appeared outside of its normal location lacking anatomic or vascular connection with the pancreas. In duodenum, it is a relatively unusual lesion that may be found incidentally during surgery or endoscopy. We present a case of 39-year-old woman with gangliocytic paraganglioma combined with heterotopic pancreas in the ampulla of Vater successfully treated by endoscopic resection.
Adult ; Ampulla of Vater* ; Digestive System ; Duodenum ; Endoscopy ; Epithelioid Cells ; Female ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreas* ; Paraganglioma* ; Recurrence

The Korea Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorders Subgroup Study Team (Korea COPD Subgroup Study team, KOCOSS) is a multicenter observational study that includes 956 patients (mean age 69.9 ± 7.8 years) who were enrolled from 45 tertiary and university-affiliated hospitals from December 2011 to October 2014. The initial evaluation for all patients included pulmonary function tests (PFT), 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), COPD Assessment Test (CAT), modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, and the COPD-specific version of St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ-C). Here, we report the comparison of baseline characteristics between patients with early- (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD] stage I and II/groups A and B) and late-stage COPD (GOLD stage III and IV/groups C and D). Among all patients, the mean post-bronchodilator FEV1 was 55.8% ± 16.7% of the predicted value, and most of the patients were in GOLD stage II (520, 56.9%) and group B (399, 42.0%). The number of exacerbations during one year prior to the first visit was significantly lower in patients with early COPD (0.4 vs. 0.9/0.1 vs. 1.2), as were the CAT score (13.9 vs. 18.3/13.5 vs. 18.1), mMRC (1.4 vs. 2.0/1.3 vs.1.9), and SGRQ-C total score (30.4 vs. 42.9/29.1 vs. 42.6) compared to late-stage COPD (all P < 0.001). Common comorbidities among all patients were hypertension (323, 37.7%), diabetes mellitus (139, 14.8%), and depression (207, 23.6%). The data from patients with early COPD will provide important information towards early detection, proper initial management, and design of future studies.
Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Depression/epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology ; Dyspnea/complications ; Female ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypertension/epidemiology ; Lung/physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/complications/*diagnosis/physiopathology ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Severity of Illness Index ; Societies, Medical ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Walk Test

This prospective cohort study was performed to estimate the morbidity and mortality with 790 patients over 50-yr of age that sustained a femoral neck or intertrochanteric fracture from 2002 to 2006, followed-up for a mean of 6 yr (range, 4 to 9 yr). Crude and annual standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated; and mortalities in the cohort and the age and sex matched general population were compared. The risk factors on mortality and activities pre- and post-injury were assessed. Accumulated mortality was 16.7% (132 patients) at 1 yr, 45.8% (337 patients) at 5 yr, and 60% (372 patients) at 8 yr. SMR at 5 yr post-injury was 1.3 times that of the general population. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age (OR, 1.074; 95% CI, 1.050-1.097; P<0.001), woman (OR, 1.893; 95% CI, 1.207-2.968; P=0.005), and medical comorbidity (OR, 1.334; 95% CI, 1.167-1.524 P<0.001) were independently associated with mortality after hip fracture. Only 59 of the 150 patients (39.3%) who were able to ambulate normally outdoors at preinjury retained this ability at final follow-up. Patients with a hip fracture exhibits higher mortality at up to 5 yr than general population. Age and a preinjury comorbidity are associated with mortality.
Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Hip Fractures/*epidemiology/mortality ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors

The aim of this project was to use 3D scanning data collected at incident scenes and various evidence to 1) develop surveying methods based on 3D data consisting of overall and detailed scene evidence, captured by long-range and micros-canner, which can be shared by personnel working in different fields such as forensic medicine, video analysis, physical analysis, traffic engineering, and fire investigation; 2) create digital storage for human skeletons and set the foundation for virtual anthropology; and 3) improve the credibility of 3D evidence by virtual remodeling and simulation of incident scenes and evidence to provide a basis for advanced and high-tech scientific investigation. Two complete skeletons of male and female were scanned using 3D micro-scanner. Each bone was successfully reproduced and assembled in virtual space. In addition, recreating evidence scheduled for invasive examination by creating RP (rapid prototype) was possible. These outcomes could play an important role in setting up the new field of virtual anthropology. Case-specific surveying methods were developed through analysis of 3D scanning data collected by long-range surface scanners at the scenes of vehicular accidents, falls, shootings, and violent crimes. A technique and recording method was also developed for detecting forged seals by micro-scanning the pressure exerted on the seal. Appraisal methods developed in this project could be utilized to secure 3D data of human skeletal remains and incident scenes, create a standard for application, and increase objectivity, reproducibility, and accuracy of scanning methods. We plan to develop case-specific 3D data analysis techniques to improve the credibility of analysis at the NFS and to establish a 3D data collection and analysis team.
Crime ; Data Collection ; Female ; Fires ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans ; Male ; Skeleton ; Statistics as Topic

BACKGROUND: Measurement of peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in a follow-up examination for a chronic airway disease is useful because it has the advantages of being a simple measurement and can be repeated during examination. The aim of this study was to examine the annual decrease of PEFR in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and to confirm the factors which influence this decrease. METHODS: From May, 2003 to September, 2010, the annual decrease of PEFR was obtained from asthma and COPD patients attending an outpatient pulmonary clinic. PEFR was measured using a Mini-Wright peak flow meter (Clement Clarke International Ltd. UK), and we conducted an analysis of factors that influence the change of PEFR and its average values. RESULTS: The results showed an annual decrease of 1.70+/-12.86 L/min the asthmatic patients and an annual decrease of 10.3+/-7.32 L/min in the COPD patients. Age and FEV1 were the predictive factors influencing change in asthma, and FEV1 and smoking were the predictive factors influencing change in COPD. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the annual decreasing PEFR in patients with chronic airway disease and identified factors that work in conjunction with FEV1 to influence the change.
Asthma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Smoke ; Smoking