BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To study the incidence of nasal septal deformities (NSD) in neonates and to identify pregnancy conditions related with NSD occurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study of 131 women and their newborns. Incidences of neonatal NSD were looked for with a cotton wool test and through direct visual examination of the neonatal nasal cavity with an otoscope. Under study were arbitrary but possibly related factors of neonatal NSD : the mother's age, parity, medical history, the duration of total labor, the duration of second-stage labor, the delivery type, neonatal birth weight and gestational age. The contributions of these factors were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The incidence of neonatal NSD as identified through otoscopic examination was 11.5%. All studied factors indicated no statistically significant relationship with neonatal NSD. CONCLUSION: Probable nasal trauma during pregnancy and delivery is likely not a factor in the occurrence of NSD in neonates.
Birth Weight ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Infant, Newborn* ; Nasal Cavity ; Otoscopes ; Parity ; Pregnancy* ; Prospective Studies ; Wool

Aged ; Dyslipidemias ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Rosuvastatin Calcium ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

Anti-Xga is a rarely occurring antibody, and only two cases with this antibody have been reported in Koreans. We describe here another example of anti-Xga which was detected in a 47-year-old male. The patient suffered from burn injury on the 20% of body surface area, acute renal failure, and ulcer bleeding. Unexpected antibody identification test demonstrated anti-Xga, which was reactive only by antiglobulin phase, and the reaction disappeared after the treatment with bromelin. The red cell phenotype of this patient was Xg(a-). Fourteen units of packed red blood cell were transfused without any adverse reactions. It has an important clinical concern in safe transfusion practice to determine the specificity and the clinical significance of blood group alloantibodies.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Body Surface Area ; Bromelains ; Burns ; Erythrocytes ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Isoantibodies ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The surgical goals of laryngeal cancer should not only be to preserve life but also to preserve laryngeal functions such as airway, aspiration prevention, and voice production. Classic, standard conservation laryngectomy such as horizontal supraglottic laryngectomy and vertical hemilaryngectomy has served well to those purposes but has the limits of resection. And so extended conservation laryngeal surgery was developed to extend surgical resection margin if we carefully select surgical indication. Our study was to determine the best surgical method according to the extent of tumor and evaluate the surgical outcome oncologically and physiologically in extended conservation laryngectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients were treated with extended conservation surgery in laryngeal cancer at Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, at the Hallym university hospitals according to surgical algorithm invented by author (Young Min Kim, MD)from 1992 to 1998. They were reviewed retrospectively with respect to age, sex, endoscopic and radiologic evaluation, primary site, extended site, postoperative complications and results. RESULTS: Thirteen patients had glottic cancer, and were treated with extended vertical laryngectomy. Two patients showed recurrence at the primary site or neck nodes, one patient died due to other disease. Ten patients (76.9%)are alive without disease. Twenty-seven patients were supraglottic cancer. They treated with extended horizontal laryngectomy. Twenty patients (74.1%)are alive without disease. Three patients recurred at primary site or neck nodes. CONCLUSION: Extended conservation surgery was oncologically safe in both glottic and supraglottic cancer. Functional outcome was relatively satisfactory and so we could avoid total or near-total laryngectomy with careful evaluation of tumor extent.
Head ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms* ; Laryngectomy ; Neck ; Otolaryngology ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Voice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The odor identification tests use natural and synthetic odorants as stimuli. Synthetic odorants span a smaller qualitative range than natural ones, however, they eliminate the need for preparation, preservation and have improved familiarity owing to the improved development techniques. The aim of this study is whether we can use synthetic odorants in odor identification tests by comparing the results of tests using natural odorants and synthetic ones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two natural and 21 synthetic odorants familiar to Koreans were applied to 40 normals and 20 patients with decreased sense of smell without sinonasal diseases. Percent-correctness shown by the controls and patients smelling natural and synthetic odorants were compared with those patients showing over 95% identifiability and in 11 corresponding natural and synthetic odorants. RESULTS: Percent-correctness of odor identification test using synthetic odorants was highly correlated with that using natural ones and there was no problem in discriminating patients from the control. CONCLUSION: Synthetic odorants can be used in odor identification tests for Koreans in a clinical context.
Humans ; Odors* ; Olfaction Disorders ; Recognition (Psychology) ; Smell

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In recent years, much attention has been directed towards cell adhesion molecules. This study was designed to confirm the significance of E-cadhcrin as a marker for differentiation and invasiveness of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were used in this study. The specimens of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were investigated by immunohistochemical analysis using monoclonal anti-E-cadherin antibody. RESULTS: The results showed that here was a statistically significant correlation in the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma between the T and the N stage and the expression of E-cadherin (p=0.025, p=0.015). The cell differentiation was also correlated with the reduction of E-cadherin (p =0.005). CONCLUSION: E-cadherin may be linked to progression and differentiation of the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. E-cadherin immunostaining in the primary tumor appear to be a good marker for the invasiveness and the metastasis of tumors.
Cadherins* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; Cell Differentiation ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Head* ; Humans ; Neck* ; Neoplasm Metastasis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between depressive symptoms and health care costs in outpatients with chronic medical illnesses in Korea, we screened for depressive symptoms in 1,118 patients with a chronic medical illness and compared the severity of somatic symptoms and health care costs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were compared between outpatients with depressive symptoms and those without depressive symptoms. Depression and somatic symptoms were measured by Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-15, respectively. We also investigated additional data related to patients' health care costs (number of visited clinical departments, number of visits made per patients, and health care costs). A total of 468 patients (41.9%) met the criteria for depressive disorder. RESULTS: A high rate of severe depressive symptoms was found in elderly, female and less-educated patients. A positive association between the severity of somatic symptoms and depressive symptoms was also identified. The effects of depressive symptoms in patients with chronic illnesses on three measures of health services were assessed by controlling for the effects of demographic variables and the severity of somatic symptoms. We found that the effects of depressive symptoms on the number of visited departments and number of visits made per patients were mediated by the severity of somatic symptoms. However, for health care costs, depressive symptoms had a significant main effect. Furthermore, the effect of gender on health care costs is moderated by the degree of a patient's depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: In summary, there is clearly a need for increased recognition and treatment of depressive symptoms in outpatients with chronic medical illnesses.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chronic Disease/*economics ; Depression/*complications/diagnosis/*economics ; Female ; *Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Outpatients ; Regression Analysis ; Sex Factors

The importance of quality control for dramatically growing genetic tests continues to be emphasized with increasing clinical demands. Diagnostic genetics subcommitee of KSQACP performed two trials for cytogenetic study in 2003. Cytogenetic surveys were performed by 33 laboratories and answered correctly in most laboratories except some problems in nomenclature and analysis for FISH and complex cytogenetic abnormalities in neoplasia. The molecular genetic test surveys include M. tuberculosis, HBV, HPV, leukemia/lymphoma, ApoE genotyping, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, myoclonic epilepsy and ragged red muscle fibers, and spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy. HPV, myoclonic epilepsy and ragged red muscle fibers, and spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy were the first challenge of the genetic survey. Molecular genetic survey showed excellent results in most participants, however, HPV tests should be improved by quality control in a few laboratories. External quality assessment program for cytogenetic analysis could be helpful to give participants many chances of continuous education and of interesting case materials.
Apolipoproteins E ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Cytogenetic Analysis ; Cytogenetics ; Education ; Epilepsies, Myoclonic ; Genetics* ; Korea* ; Molecular Biology ; Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch ; Muscular Disorders, Atrophic ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne ; Quality Control ; Tuberculosis

On 16 April 2014, the Sewol ferry, carrying 476 people, sank in the ocean off the south coast of South Korea. Two hundred and ninety five are confirmed dead and 9 remain missing. The Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (KNPA) set up a Disaster Mental Health Committee (KDMHC) for out-reach services and to provide general strategies for promoting mental health and resilience. Mem bers of KDMHC and Volunteering Psychiatrists of the KNPA had participated in disaster mental health services organized by Gyeonggi-Ansan disaster mental health support team. Their activities were composed of psychoeducation, supportive individual and familial counseling and referring service to professional institutes. This report has described the outline of the initial and acute mental health care responses by KDMHC and volunteers among KNPA members.
Academies and Institutes ; Counseling ; Disasters* ; Korea ; Mental Health Services ; Mental Health* ; Psychiatry ; Volunteers*

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacteremia-causing pathogen in hemodialysis patients, frequently colonizing patient skin and mucosa. Active infection control is necessary to prevent methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection in hospitals; however, the spread of community-associated MRSA has recently become a concern for MRSA infection control. We evaluated the nasal colonization of MRSA among hemodialysis patients and the molecular characterization of the MRSA isolates. METHODS: Nasal swabs were obtained from 482 hemodialysis patients in 7 nationwide hospitals in November 2009, and cultured for MRSA colonization. Swabs were inoculated and cultured in 6.5% NaCl tryptic soy broth, then subcultured on MRSASelect medium (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA) for 20-24 h. Multiplex PCR was performed to analyze staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types of MRSA isolates. RESULTS: Of 482 hemodialysis patients, 57 (11.8%) carried MRSA, ranging from 6.7% to 19.0%. Among the 57 MRSA isolates, we identified 3 (5.3%) SCCmec II, 1 (1.8%) SCCmec IIA, 30 (52.6%) SCCmec IIB, 1 (1.8%) SCCmec III, 6 (10.5%) SCCmec IV, and 16 (28.1%) SCCmec IVA subtypes. CONCLUSION: The MRSA carriage rate (11.8%) of hemodialysis patients in this study was high. The SCCmec IIB subtype, a healthcare-associated strain, was the predominant strain, although SCCmec IV isolates, typically found in community-associated MRSA infections, were also frequently observed. To prevent healthcare-associated MRSA infections in hemodialysis patients, standardized infection control measures should be performed, and efforts to reduce MRSA carriage rates should be considered.
Colon* ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Mucous Membrane ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Renal Dialysis* ; Skin ; Staphylococcus aureus