Purpose: To compare electroretinogram (ERG) waveforms acquired using a portable flash/flicker ERG with skin electrodes (RETevalTM; LKC Technologies, Gaithersburg, MD, USA), a portable flash/flicker ERG with ERG-jet contact lens electrodes (Fabrinal SA, La Chaux-De-Fonds, Swiss), and a conventional full-field (Ganzfeld) ERG. Methods: The left eyes of 30 volunteers with no general or ocular history were measured with a portable RETeval ERG, a portable ERG-jet system, and a conventional full-field ERG. Amplitudes and implicit times were compared among the measurements obtained using the three systems. Results: The RETeval ERG generally showed a lower amplitude than that obtained using a conventional full-field ERG (all, p < 0.001). Amplitude readings from the ERG-jet showed no differences with those acquired using the conventional full-field ERG (all p > 0.1). Conclusions Given the differences in the readings from those obtained using a conventional full-field ERG, data from the portable ERG-RETeval type should be analyzed with caution. Notably, the portable ERG-jet showed no differences in its readings compared to those obtained using a conventional full-field ERG.

Purpose: To compare electroretinogram (ERG) waveforms acquired using a portable flash/flicker ERG with skin electrodes (RETevalTM; LKC Technologies, Gaithersburg, MD, USA), a portable flash/flicker ERG with ERG-jet contact lens electrodes (Fabrinal SA, La Chaux-De-Fonds, Swiss), and a conventional full-field (Ganzfeld) ERG. Methods: The left eyes of 30 volunteers with no general or ocular history were measured with a portable RETeval ERG, a portable ERG-jet system, and a conventional full-field ERG. Amplitudes and implicit times were compared among the measurements obtained using the three systems. Results: The RETeval ERG generally showed a lower amplitude than that obtained using a conventional full-field ERG (all, p < 0.001). Amplitude readings from the ERG-jet showed no differences with those acquired using the conventional full-field ERG (all p > 0.1). Conclusions Given the differences in the readings from those obtained using a conventional full-field ERG, data from the portable ERG-RETeval type should be analyzed with caution. Notably, the portable ERG-jet showed no differences in its readings compared to those obtained using a conventional full-field ERG.

BACKGROUND: The use of aroma oils dates back to at least 3000 B.C., where it was applied to mummify corpses and treat the wounds of soldiers. Since the 1920s, the term “aromatherapy” has been used for fragrance therapy with essential oils. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the essential oil of Eucalyptus (EOE) affects pain pathways in various pain conditions and motor coordination. METHODS: Mice were subjected to inhalation or intraperitoneal injection of EOE, and its analgesic effects were assessed by conducting formalin, thermal plantar, and acetic acid tests; the effects of EOE on motor coordination were evaluated using a rotarod test. To determine the analgesic mechanism, 5′-guanidinonaltrindole (κ-opioid antagonist, 0.3 mg/kg), naltrindole (δ-opioid antagonist, 5 mg/kg), glibenclamide (δ-opioid antagonist, 2 mg/kg), and naloxone (μ-opioid antagonist, 4, 8, 12 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally. RESULTS: EOE showed an analgesic effect against visceral pain caused by acetic acid (EOE, 45 mg/kg); however, no analgesic effect was observed against thermal nociceptive pain. Moreover, it was demonstrated that EOE did not have an effect on motor coordination. In addition, an anti-inflammatory effect was observed during the formalin test. CONCLUSIONS: EOE, which is associated with the μ-opioid pain pathway, showed potential effects against somatic, inflammatory, and visceral pain and could be a potential therapeutic agent for pain.
Acetic Acid ; Analgesics ; Animals ; Aromatherapy ; Cadaver ; Eucalyptus ; Formaldehyde ; Glyburide ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Mice ; Military Personnel ; Naloxone ; Narcotic Antagonists ; Nociceptive Pain ; Oils ; Oils, Volatile ; Pain Measurement ; Rotarod Performance Test ; Visceral Pain ; Wounds and Injuries

PURPOSE: Recent studies have reported the association of obesity and advanced stage prostate cancer. We researched the association between body mass index(BMI), which is widely used to diagnose obesity, and the prostate-specific antigen(PSA) screening test for prostate cancer. METERIALS AND METHODS: The authors examined the association between BMI and PSA for 26,193 men who visited the health promotion center at our medical center from July 1998 to June 2004. The BMI(weight in kg/height in m2) was calculated from the measured height and weight and this was categorized as follows: BMI<18.5(underweight), BMI 18.5-23.0(normal weight), BMI 23.0-27.5(overweight), BMI>27.5(obesity). We measured the mean PSA value of each BMI category. After adjust for age, we evaluated the PSA according to BMI by using error bars and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The patients' age distribution was from 20 to 90 years old and their mean age was 46.1. The mean PSA value increased in a linear fashion with an increase in the age category(p<0.001), while it decreased in a linear fashion with an increase in the BMI category(p<0.001). After adjusting for age, the mean PSA value also decreased in a linear fashion with an increase in the BMI category(p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Men with an elevated BMI tend to have a lower value of PSA and to be misdiagnosed with prostate cancer. The PSA value should considered in relation to age and the BMI for the early detection of prostate cancer.
Age Distribution ; Aged, 80 and over ; Body Mass Index* ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Obesity ; Prostate-Specific Antigen* ; Prostatic Neoplasms

The aims of this study were to develop strategies and algorithms of calculating food commodity intake suitable for exposure assessment of residual chemicals by using the food intake database of Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). In this study, apples and their processed food products were chosen as a model food for accurate calculation of food commodity intakes uthrough the recently developed Korea food commodity intake calculation (KFCIC) software. The average daily intakes of total apples in Korea Health Statistics were 29.60 g in 2008, 32.40 g in 2009, 34.30 g in 2010, 28.10 g in 2011, and 24.60 g in 2012. The average daily intakes of apples by KFCIC software was 2.65 g higher than that by Korea Health Statistics. The food intake data in Korea Health Statistics might have less reflected the intake of apples from mixed and processed foods than KFCIC software has. These results can affect outcome of risk assessment for residual chemicals in foods. Therefore, the accurate estimation of the average daily intake of food commodities is very important, and more data for food intakes and recipes have to be applied to improve the quality of data. Nevertheless, this study can contribute to the predictive estimation of exposure to possible residual chemicals and subsequent analysis for their potential risks.
Eating ; Korea* ; Malus ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Risk Assessment

PURPOSE: In present study, we evaluated the relationship between prostate stone and lower urinary tract symptoms(LUTS) and the effect of medications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between July 2005 and June 2007, 328 male patients who underwent transrectal ultrasonography(TRUS) were included in this study. 237 patients who had prostate stone with or without LUTS were divided into 3 groups by the prostate stone size(3-5mm, 6-10mm and larger than 11mm). These patients were also divided into 3 groups according to the prostate stone location(the periurethral group, the peripheral group and the multiple site group). The change of the maximum flow rate(Qmax) and the International Prostate Symptom Score(IPSS) were measured 6 months after treatment with alpha-blocker and 5-alpha reductase inhibitor(5-ARI). RESULTS: 275 of the 328 patients who underwent TRUS complained of LUTS and 200(72.7%) of these 275 patients had prostate stone; 37(69.8%) of the 53 patients who did not have LUTS had prostrate stone. No statistical significance was found between LUTS and the presence of prostate stone (p=0.664). We found that the patients with LUTS showed a trend to have larger stone, but this was not statistically significant(p=0.792). The location of prostate stone tended to be periurethral for the patients with LUTS (p=0.047). The patient group with resistant to pharmacological manage of their LUTS had stones larger than 11mm, but this had no statistical significance(p=0.615). A lesser therapeutic result was related with periurethral stones(p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There is no statistical relation for the presence of prostate stone with LUTS. The patients with prostate stone that was located in the periurethral area had more LUTS and less medical benefit.
Male ; Humans

Vascular malformations are the most common congenital and neonatal vascular anomalies in the head and neck region. The demand for simple and esthetic vascular malformation treatments have increased more recently. In this study, two patients that were diagnosed with venous malformations were treated with sodium tetradecyl sulfate as a sclerosing agent. Recurrence was not found one year after the surgery. This article gives a brief case report of sclerotherapy as an effective approach to treat vascular malformations in the oral cavity.
Head ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Mouth ; Neck ; Recurrence ; Sclerotherapy* ; Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate* ; Sodium* ; Vascular Diseases ; Vascular Malformations*

OBJECTIVE: In 2007, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended that all pregnant women be offered screening or diagnostic tests for chromosomal abnormalities regardless of their age. Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for common chromosomal aneuploidies was introduced as a screening test in case of high-risk pregnancies. We assessed the rates of prenatal tests in women aged 35 years and older. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to compare the rates of amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), serum screening, and NIPT from January 2005 through March 2017 in women aged 35 years and older. We divided the initial 12 months after NIPT introduction into 4-month intervals, beginning in April 2016 through March 2017. RESULTS: The rates of amniocentesis were 56% before the ACOG statement, 38% between the ACOG statement and NIPT introduction, and 10% after NIPT introduction (P=0.001). The rates of CVS during the same periods were 0.5%, 2.1%, and 4.3% (P=0.016), respectively. The rates of serum screening were 44.2%, 61.3%, and 55.1% (P=0.049), respectively. During the 3 quarters after NIPT introduction, the rates of amniocentesis were 16.2%, 12.3%, and 7.3% (P=0.002), respectively; the rates of serum screening were 62%, 54%, and 46% (P=0.03), respectively; and the rates of NIPT were 19.9%, 30.3%, and 39.5% (P=0.007), respectively. The rates of CVS over the same periods were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: The ACOG statement and NIPT introduction significantly decreased the rate of amniocentesis in women of advanced maternal age. NIPT also reduced the rate of serum screening.
Amniocentesis ; Aneuploidy ; Chorionic Villi Sampling ; Chromosome Aberrations* ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Maternal Age* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, High-Risk ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) models must be validated against a reference method in a representative population sample before they can be accepted as accurate and applicable. The purpose of this study was to compare the eight-electrode BIA method with DEXA as a reference method in the assessment of body composition in Korean adults and to investigate the predictive accuracy and applicability of the eight-electrode BIA model. A total of 174 apparently healthy adults participated. The study was designed as a cross-sectional study. FM, %fat, and FFM were estimated by an eight-electrode BIA model and were measured by DEXA. Correlations between BIA_%fat and DEXA_%fat were 0.956 for men and 0.960 for women with a total error of 2.1%fat in men and 2.3%fat in women. The mean difference between BIA_%fat and DEXA_%fat was small but significant (P < 0.05), which resulted in an overestimation of 1.2 +/- 2.2%fat (95% CI: -3.2-6.2%fat) in men and an underestimation of -2.0 +/- 2.4%fat (95% CI: -2.3-7.1%fat) in women. In the Bland-Altman analysis, the %fat of 86.3% of men was accurately estimated and the %fat of 66.0% of women was accurately estimated to within 3.5%fat. The BIA had good agreement for prediction of %fat in Korean adults. However, the eight-electrode BIA had small, but systemic, errors of %fat in the predictive accuracy for individual estimation. The total errors led to an overestimation of %fat in lean men and an underestimation of %fat in obese women.
Adult ; Body Composition ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Electric Impedance ; Female ; Humans ; Male

Keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT) is a benign cystic intraosseous tumor of odontogenic origin. An infection of a KCOT is not common because KCOT is a benign developmental neoplasm. Moreover, a severe deep neck space infection with compromised airway caused by infected KCOT is rare. This report presents a 60-year-old male patient with a severe deep neck space infection related to an infected KCOT due to cortical bone perforation and rupture of the exudate. Treatment of the deep neck space infection and KCOT are reported.
Abscess ; Exudates and Transudates ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neck* ; Odontogenic Cysts* ; Odontogenic Tumors* ; Rupture