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*

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

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

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

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

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.

OBJECTIVE: Invasive cancer cells penetrate the extracellular matrix(ECM), including basement membrane during the metastatic cascades. Matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs) play a critical role in tumor invasion and metastasis and their activities are regulated by specific tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase(TIMPs). Aberrant ECM degradation in tumor biology is attributed to an imbalance in local MMP and TIMP activity, resulting in the overexpression or enhanced activation of MMPs or reduced TIMP expression. The aim of this study was to compare the MMP-2 & -9, TIMP-1 & -2 mRNA expression in cervical cancer with those in normal cervix and to investigate that their expression is related to cancer stages and other prognostic factors. METHODS: The normal cervix and cervical cancer tissues were obtained from healthy women(n=14), and the patients with cervical cancer(n=31), respectively. Total RNA was extracted and reverse transcribed into cDNA. The expression of MMP-2 & -9, TIMP-1 & -2 mRNA was examined by quantative competitive PCR(QC PCR) and each results were analyzed by t-test and univariate analysis. RESULTS: The expression of MMP-2, TIMP-1 mRNA in cervical cancer was higher than that in nomal cervix(p<0.05). The TIMP-2 mRNA expression was elevated in cervical cancer while that was not shown in normal cervix. The MMP-9 mRNA expression was not statistically different between normal cervix and cervical cancer(p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that increased MMP-2, TIMP-1 & -2 mRNA expression is an early event during malignant transformation of cervical cancer.
Basement Membrane ; Biology ; Cervix Uteri ; DNA, Complementary ; Female ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2* ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger* ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1* ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) are associated with schizophrenia in Korean population. METHODS: Four SNPs (rs4648317, rs7131056, rs4936270, and rs1076562) of DRD2 were selected and genotyped by direct sequencing in 197 schizophrenia patients and 370 control subjects. SNPAnalyzer, SNPStats, and Haploview version 4.2 programs were performed to analyze the genetic data. Multiple logistic regression models (codominant1, codominant2, dominant, recessive, overdominant, and log-additive) were used to evaluate the odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and p values. For multiple testing, p values (pc) were re-evaluated by Bonferroni's correction. RESULTS: The genotype frequency of DRD2 rs4936270 SNP was associated with the development of schizophrenia (p=0.0007, OR=1.71, 95% CI=1.16-2.52 in the codominant1 model; p=0.011, OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.12-2.37 in the dominant model; p=0.035, OR=1.41, 95% CI=1.03-1.95 in the log-additive model). The allele frequency of rs4936270 was also associated with the development of schizophrenia (p=0.024, OR=1.45, 95% CI=1.05-1.98). After Bonferroni's correction, the genotype distribution of rs4936270 was still related to the development of schizophrenia (pc=0.0028 in the codominant1 model; pc=0.044 in the dominant model). A linkage disequilibrium block consisted of rs4648317, rs7131056, and rs4936270. The CAT haplotype frequency was different between schizophrenia and controls (p=0.039). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that DRD2 SNPs may be associated with the development of schizophrenia in Korean population.
Animals ; Cats ; Dopamine ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Logistic Models ; Odds Ratio ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Receptors, Dopamine ; Schizophrenia