A multicenter post-marketing surveilance study has been conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of levocabastine eye drops(0.5mg/ml). Total 340 patients suffering from allergic conjunctivitis(96%) or other similar ophthalmic disorders were participated. Clinical symptoms(itching, hyperemia, tearing and chemosis) were assessed according to a four point scale before treatment and at every visit. Total symptom severity score before therapy, 6.67(N=340), was remarkably decreased to 3.28(N=252) at 1 week, and to 2.39(N=197) at 2 weeks. The physicians rated the application as `very effective` 1.5% of patients. Adverse reactions(10.3%) were limited to ocular irritation like stinging and burning sensation. These events were even lower in children(age< OR =14 yrs) and elderly(age> OR =65 yrs) showing 7.0% and 9.5% respectively. Patients with gepatic, renal impairment and hypertension did not experience any special adverse effects. The overall assessment by physicians showed that the application in 80.9% of the patients was evaluated above `useful`(i.e, `very useful`; 17.1%, `useful`; 63.8%, `slighty useful`; `7.1%). therefore, it was conclued that levocabastine eye drops is a a safe and effective treatment for allergic conjnctivitis and other similar ophthalmic disorders.
Bites and Stings ; Burns ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Hypertension ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Sensation

This study is to find out changes in medical practice at a university hospital before and after covering intraocular lens (IOL) from the health insurance benefit. The coverage started on March 1, 1993 and a total of 596 cases who were discharged from July 1 to December 31, 1992 and 580 cases who were discharged from July 1 to December 31, 1993 were analyzed. Since the standard reimbursement scheme was changed from March 1, 1993, the charges for 1992 were transformed into 1993 scheme. Major findings are as follows: Average length of stay was statistically significantly decreased from 8.24 days in 1992 to 6 86 days in 1993. Charges except IOL has been statistically significantly decreased from 501,000 won in 1992 to 444,000 won in 1993. Charges for drugs and injection have been reduced. However, charge per day for them was not much different. This is due to decrease in length of stay. Charges for laboratory tests and radiologic examination were quite the same. charges which are not covered by the insurance remained the same. The revenue of the hospital was reduced as expected. However, the hospital reduced the length of stay and increase the turnover rate in order to compensate the potential loss of revenue due to the difference of reimbursement between the out-of-pocket expense and the insurance coverage. By introducing the IOL benefit in the insurance, the insured pays less, hospital generates more revenue through shortening the hospital stay, and the total medical care cost becomes less nationwidely.
Health Care Costs ; Insurance ; Insurance Coverage ; Insurance, Health* ; Length of Stay ; Lenses, Intraocular*

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between myopic progression and exodrift after surgery in patients with intermittent exotropia (X[T]). METHODS: Eighty-five patients who underwent bilateral lateral rectus recession for X(T) and had a follow-up of more than 1 year were recruited for the present study. Progression of myopia was determined by measuring the difference in spherical equivalent of both eyes between the initial and final refraction divided by the total follow-up time per patient. Postoperative exodrift was calculated by subtracting the deviation at postoperative 6 weeks from the deviation at the last follow-up, and the deviation at postoperative day 1 from the deviation at postoperative 6 weeks. Linear regression was conducted to determine the relationship between postoperative exodrift and myopic progression. The risk factors for recurrence, defined as exodeviation of 10 prism diopters or more at the final examination, were also analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-eight (80.0%) subjects showed myopic progression of -0.50 diopters or more, and 47 (55.3%) had recurrence of exotropia during the mean follow-up period of 37.9 months. Patients with myopic progression showed more exotropic drift after postoperative 6 weeks than the patients without myopic progression (p < 0.01). Immediate postoperative overcorrection, oblique dysfunction, and a short follow-up period were associated with a low recurrence, whereas preoperative angle of exodeviation, sensory status, and age at the time of surgery were not. CONCLUSIONS: In patients who underwent bilateral lateral rectus recession for X(T), a greater myopic progression was related with greater postoperative exodrift. As the development of myopia was observed to be axial in nature, the results from the present study raises the possibility that ocular elongation may reduce the effect of recession.
Exotropia ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Myopia ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors

No abstract available.
Erythrocyte Membrane* ; Erythrocytes* ; Hydroxyl Radical* ; Lipid Peroxidation* ; Macrophages, Alveolar* ; Mineral Fibers*

PURPOSE: To investigate accommodation and progress of patients who showed myopia on manifest refraction in the early postoperative period after LASEK. METHODS: Forty-one eyes were included in the present study which had undergone LASEK surgery from February to March 2012. Seven eyes showed myopia over -0.25 D on manifest refraction at 1 month postoperatively, but showed decreased amount of myopia at 2 months postoperatively and were classified as group 1. The other 34 eyes were classified as group 2. The differences between cycloplegic and manifest refraction (CRSE-MRSE) were defined as the amount of latent accommodation and compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Amount of latent accommodation was 0.179 +/- 0.426 D in group 1 (7 eyes), 0.265 +/- 0.303 D in group 2 (34 eyes) preoperatively, 1.286 +/- 0.664 D in group 1, 0.368 +/- 0.536 D in group 2 at 1 month postoperatively, and 0.500 +/- 0.520 D in group 1, and 0.489 +/- 0.546 D in group 2 at 2 months postoperatively. The amount of latent accommodation in group 1 was significantly greater than that of group 2 one month postoperatively. As the amount of latent accommodation decreased, the amount of myopic shift decreased gradually over 2 months in group 1 after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Transient myopic shift due to increased latent accommodation was observed in several patients one month postoperatively and the amount of myopic shift decreased with time without treatment. Thus, surgeons should consider cycloplegic refraction when planning treatment for patients with myopic regression.
Humans ; Keratectomy, Subepithelial, Laser-Assisted* ; Myopia ; Postoperative Period

All the faculties at the prosthodontic department in Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital at Gangdong, have been implementing the Top-Down concept of treatment approach since 2006 in which the outcomes of the last prosthetic treatment are predicted in advance during the treatment planning stage of patients with dental tissue defects. Based on the Top-Down concept, this report is also an example of how the final prosthetic treatment was performed in advance before going into implant surgery for the missing teeth. Among the various methods of connecting implant fixture and restoration, the cement-retained method is relatively simple to manufacture restoration without being constrained by the angle of the implants placed, but difficult to remove remaining subgingival excess cement completely, and to detach it being when necessary. In the report, SB-locking method will be introduced which enables an aesthetic implant restoration without either a screw hole or residual excess cement.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the clinical and imaging factors associated with hemorrhagic complications and patient discomfort following ultrasound (US)-guided breast biopsy. Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 94 patients who were referred to our hospital between June 2022 and December 2022 for US-guided breast biopsy. After obtaining informed consent, two breast radiologists independently performed US-guided breast biopsy and evaluated the imaging findings. A hemorrhagic complication was defined as the presence of bleeding or hematoma on US. The patients rated symptoms of pain, febrile sensation, swelling at the biopsy site, and dyspnea immediately, 20 minutes, and 2 weeks after the procedure on a visual analog scale, with 0 for none and 10 for the most severe symptoms. Additional details recorded included those of nausea, vomiting, bleeding, bruising, and overall satisfaction score. We compared the clinical symptoms, imaging characteristics, and procedural features between patients with and those without hemorrhagic complications. Results: Of 94 patients, 7 (7%) developed hemorrhagic complications, while 87 (93%) did not. The complication resolved with 20 minutes of manual compression, and no further intervention was required. Vascularity on Doppler examination (P = 0.008), needle type (P = 0.043), and lesion location (P < 0.001) were significantly different between the groups. Patients with hemorrhagic complications reported more frequent nausea or vomiting than those without hemorrhagic complications (29% [2/7] vs. 2% [2/87], respectively; P= 0.027). The overall satisfaction scores did not differ between the two groups (P= 0.396). After 2 weeks, all symptoms subsided, except bruising (50% 2/4 in the complication group and 25% [16/65] in the no-complication group). Conclusion US-guided breast biopsy is a safe procedure with a low complication rate. Radiologists should be aware of hemorrhagic complications, patient discomfort, and overall satisfaction related to this procedure.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study are to estimate the frequency of thyrotoxicosis associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (TAIT) and to investigate the characteristics of TAIT in children and adolescents. METHODS: 220 subjects who had shown thyroid autoimmunity before the age of 18 were included. All the subjects were divided as autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), Graves' disease and unspecified group. In addition, AIT was subdivided as TAIT and euthyroid or hypothyroid AIT. Clinical data were review and the variation of thyroid hormone status was investigated among the subjects with TAIT. RESULTS: Of 220 subjects who showed thyroid autoimmunity, 147 subjects were diagnosed as AIT and 47 were as Graves' disease. Among 147 subjects with AIT, 14 subjects (9.5%) had presented TAIT. Among 65 subjects who had initially presented with thyrotoxicosis, 8 subjects (12.3%) were compatible with TAIT. Whereas presenting symptoms of TAIT were similar to those of Graves' disease, Technetium-99m scan had showed thyroid with decreased uptake. The durations of thyrotoxicosis were several weeks. 6 of 14 TAIT subjects showed recurrent thyrotoxicosis, and 4 of 8 patients who had initially presented with thyrotoxicosis showed subclinical or overt hypothyroidism during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Possibility of TAIT should not be overlooked when a patient presents thyrotoxicosis, because this condition is not so rare in children and adolescents. Long term follow-up after resolution of thyrotoxicosis is necessary because of a diverse clinical course.
Adolescent ; Autoimmunity ; Child ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune ; Thyrotoxicosis

PURPOSE: Oral cancer is the fifth most common form of cancer in the world and comprises 6.5% of all cancer deaths. Since one of the major risk factors for oral cancer is tobacco use, we hypothesized that polymorphic genes coding for tobacco carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes may play a role in oral cancer susceptibility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To investigate the association between polymorphisms of the CYP1A1 and GSTM1 genes and risks for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in the Korean population, the prevalence of the CYP1A1 Mspl and GSTM1 null polymorphisms were examined in 72 patients with histologically confirmed primary OSCC, as well as in 221 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: A significant risk increase for oral cancer was observed among subjects with the homozygous CYP1A1 (m2/m2) genotype (OR=3.8, 95% CI=1.9-7.7), but not the GSTM1 null genotype (OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.4-1.3). Risk for oral cancer was significantly increased in subjects with the homozygous CYP1A1 (m2/m2)genotype, regardless of smoking history (smokers; OR=4.4; 95% CI=1.2-16.3; non- smokers OR=4.9; 95% CI=1.9-12.5). Using the potentially most protective genotype GSTM1 (+)/CYP1A1 [(m1/m1)+ (m1/m2)]as the reference group, an increased risk for oral cancer was observed among subjects with the GSTM1 (+)/ CYP1A1 (m2/m2) (OR= 2.0, 95% CI=0.8-5.2), and GSTM1 (-)/ CYP1A1 (m2/m2) (OR=4.9, 95% CI=1.5-15.5) genotypes (p < 0.009, (chi-square trend test). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that individuals with a genotype of CYP1A1 (m2/m2) and GSTM1(-) are highly susceptible for OSCC and that the CYP1A1 (m2/m2) genotype is closely associated with increased risk of OSCC in Koreans.
Smoking/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Mouth Neoplasms/epidemiology/*genetics ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Homozygote ; Glutathione Transferase/*genetics ; Genotype ; *Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Gene Deletion ; Female ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1/*genetics ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; Adult