Background: Multiple Allergo-Sorbent Test (MAST) allows simultaneous detection of specific IgE antibodies using multiple allergens, and it is commonly used for allergy screening. Phadiatop assay (Phadia AB, Sweden), including Phadiatop test and Phadiatop Infant test, is a variant of specific IgE test that covers a mixture of common allergens. We compared the clinical utility of Phadiatop assay with that of the MAST AlloScreen (LG Life Science, Korea). Methods: A total of 218 samples classified by AlloScreen results were collected. Phadiatop test was performed on sera from 61 and 103 aeroallergen-positive and -negative subjects. Phadiatop Infant test was performed on sera from 54 and 103 food and aeroallergen-positive and -negative subjects. When the results of AlloScreen and Phadiatop assay were not identical, we confirmed them using ImmunoCAP (Phadia AB). Results: The concordance rate between AlloScreen and Phadiatop test was 93.2% (κ=0.86, P<0.001). Eleven (6.7%) of 164 specimens showed discrepant results. The results of AlloScreen did not agree with those of ImmunoCAP. The concordance rate between AlloScreen and Phadiatop Infant test was 97.4% (κ=0.945, P <0.001). Four (2.5%) specimens showed negative results in AlloScreen and positive results in Phadiatop Infant test. Three cases were confirmed as positive and one case was not confirmed through ImmunoCAP. Conclusions There was excellent agreement between AlloScreen and Phadiatop assay. Phadiatop assay accurately detected sensitization to common food and aeroallergen mixes. Therefore, Phadiatop assay is recommended as a screening test for allergic diseases.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is affiliated with the β-coronavirus subgroup, which includes SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but is far more infectious than the 2. Because it is potentially life-threatening to infants and pregnant women with weak immune systems, clinical manifestations and vertical transmission of COVID-19 are matters of interest. Staff of the obstetrics department of university hospitals in Daegu and of the Daegu metropolitan government designated Daegu Fatima Hospital for the delivery of pregnant women with suspected and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thirteen pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were identified. Among them was a 28-year-old pregnant woman who had recovered from COVID-19 and had given birth to a healthy girl at 38 weeks of gestational age. We present our uncommon experience with a brief review of literatures.

Background: Multiple Allergo-Sorbent Test (MAST) allows simultaneous detection of specific IgE antibodies using multiple allergens, and it is commonly used for allergy screening. Phadiatop assay (Phadia AB, Sweden), including Phadiatop test and Phadiatop Infant test, is a variant of specific IgE test that covers a mixture of common allergens. We compared the clinical utility of Phadiatop assay with that of the MAST AlloScreen (LG Life Science, Korea). Methods: A total of 218 samples classified by AlloScreen results were collected. Phadiatop test was performed on sera from 61 and 103 aeroallergen-positive and -negative subjects. Phadiatop Infant test was performed on sera from 54 and 103 food and aeroallergen-positive and -negative subjects. When the results of AlloScreen and Phadiatop assay were not identical, we confirmed them using ImmunoCAP (Phadia AB). Results: The concordance rate between AlloScreen and Phadiatop test was 93.2% (κ=0.86, P<0.001). Eleven (6.7%) of 164 specimens showed discrepant results. The results of AlloScreen did not agree with those of ImmunoCAP. The concordance rate between AlloScreen and Phadiatop Infant test was 97.4% (κ=0.945, P <0.001). Four (2.5%) specimens showed negative results in AlloScreen and positive results in Phadiatop Infant test. Three cases were confirmed as positive and one case was not confirmed through ImmunoCAP. Conclusions There was excellent agreement between AlloScreen and Phadiatop assay. Phadiatop assay accurately detected sensitization to common food and aeroallergen mixes. Therefore, Phadiatop assay is recommended as a screening test for allergic diseases.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is affiliated with the β-coronavirus subgroup, which includes SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but is far more infectious than the 2. Because it is potentially life-threatening to infants and pregnant women with weak immune systems, clinical manifestations and vertical transmission of COVID-19 are matters of interest. Staff of the obstetrics department of university hospitals in Daegu and of the Daegu metropolitan government designated Daegu Fatima Hospital for the delivery of pregnant women with suspected and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thirteen pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were identified. Among them was a 28-year-old pregnant woman who had recovered from COVID-19 and had given birth to a healthy girl at 38 weeks of gestational age. We present our uncommon experience with a brief review of literatures.

The foreign bodies in vagina cause intense inflammation. Genital complaints in patients could indicate the presence of a vaginal foreign object. Vaginal bleeding and blood-stained, foul-smelling discharge are considered to be the main clinical manifestations of vaginal foreign bodies, and toilet tissue reported as the most commonly found foreign body. The insertion of foreign bodies into the vagina is not uncommon but presentation as lower abdominal pain in an gynaecological clinic is rare. The causes of insertion are sexual stimulation, sexual abuse, accident of post-surgery and most cases find a solution after vaginal speculum examination. We describe a case of foreign body in the vagina of a patient presenting with chronic lower abdominal pain but undetectable and unrecognized in general examination.
Abdominal Pain ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Sex Offenses ; Surgical Instruments ; Uterine Hemorrhage ; Vagina ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The present study was performed to compare the treatment outcomes of non-surgical periodontal treatment according to the distribution of attachment loss of a given patient. METHODS: Forty-five patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were divided in two subgroups; Group I patients with teeth manifesting attachment loss of > or =6 mm at one or more sites on the buccal/labial aspect while maintaining an attachment level < or =5 mm at the lingual/palatal aspect, Group II patients with teeth manifesting an attachment level > or =6 mm at more than one site on the lingual/palatal aspect while maintaining an attachment level < or =5 mm at the buccal/labial aspect. The probing pocket depth, probing attachment level, tooth mobility, and chewing discomfort were recorded at baseline and 6 months examinations following non-surgical periodontal therapy. RESULTS: The buccal/labial surfaces of teeth with moderate to severe periodontitis in Group I patients demonstrated a greater amount of pocket reduction, gain of attachment level, and tooth mobility reduction than the lingual/palatal aspects of teeth examined in Group II patients. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limits of the present study, the patients demonstrating attachment loss > or =6 mm at buccal/labial surfaces responded better to the nonsurgical periodontal therapy than those demonstrating comparable attachment loss at lingual/palatal surfaces.
Humans ; Mastication ; Periodontal Pocket ; Periodontitis ; Prognosis ; Tooth ; Tooth Mobility

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma is an uncommon malignancy of the exocrine pancreas. Because of a higher recurrence rate and frequent metastases, this tumor, generally, has a poor prognosis. We report a case of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma in a 60-year-old man. His chief complaint was jaundice. Abdominal CT revealed a heterogeneous enhancing mass in the pancreatic head measuring 8.2x7.5cm. After receiving the Whipple procedure, acinar cell carcinoma was diagnosed by pathological examination. Liver metastasis was found at one year after the curative resection.
Acinar Cells ; Carcinoma, Acinar Cell ; Head ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Liver ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreas ; Pancreas, Exocrine ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), characterized by a diffuse mucosal inflammation limited to the colon. Complications of UC include stricture, colorectal cancer, and toxic colitis. UC patients rarely present with a stenosis or fistula, and strictures develop in less than 5% of patients with UC. We present a patient with UC, accompanied by unusual complications that involved not only a stricture but also a fistula and abscess. A 49-year-old female was presented with a left flank pain and fever that had begun two weeks before admission. She had received a diagnosis of UC 20 years ago and had it treated for 2 years in a local hospital. However, she arbitrarily stopped visiting the hospital and relied on home remedies. An abdominopelvic CT scan revealed luminal narrowing and extra-peritoneal fistula formation in the descending colon. Fistula was connected with a subcutaneous abscess in the left flank. She had undergone total colectomy and ileo-anal anastomosis. On the pathologic exam, the long standing UC with severe stenosis was observed without malignant change. It cannot be emphasized enough that a correct therapeutic approach and an appropriate follow-up schedule are very important for patients with UC.
Abscess ; Appointments and Schedules ; Colectomy ; Colitis ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Colon ; Colon, Descending ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Female ; Fever ; Fistula ; Flank Pain ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Intestinal Fistula ; Medicine, Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Phenobarbital ; Ulcer

Extramedullary plasmacytoma involves organs outside the bone marrow; however, involvement of the pancreas is rare. We recently experienced a case of extramedullary plasmacytoma of the pancreas that was diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). EUS-FNA, which has a high diagnostic accuracy and an excellent safety profile, is the modality of choice for establishing tissue diagnosis. We report a case of extramedullary plasmacytoma of the pancreas diagnosed using EUS-FNA.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Bone Marrow ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration ; Endosonography ; Pancreas* ; Plasmacytoma*

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual utilization of clinical practice guidelines developed by Hospital Nurses Association. Methods: The subjects were 70 nurses who were in charge of guideline distributions in 70 advanced general hospital and general hospitals with 500 beds or more nationwide.Data were collected between June and August, 2020 by mail (return rate: 88.6%). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA with SPSS/WIN 24.0. Results: Among the clinical practice guidelines developed by Hospital Nurses Association, 72.9~90.1% were placed with book and electronic file in nursing department and 24.3~35.8% were placed with book and electronic file in each nursing unit at hospital. The average number of utilized clinical practice guidelines were 3.96±3.88, and average score of guideline utilization was score 2.85±0.79 which means ‘use sometimes’. Conclusion To improve the distribution and utilization of the clinical practice guidelines, it is necessary to enhance the recognition of values of evidence based nursing practice targeting head of nursing department and to stimulate the distribution and utilization of the clinical practice guidelines using diverse education programs for staff nurses.