In an extensive oral rehabilitation, determining a proper occlusal vertical dimension is a critical step and the starting point for successful treatment. Since changing the occlusal vertical dimension could be time-consuming, financially challenging, and physically demanding for both clinicians and patients, multi-faceted analysis and careful consideration are essential in the diagnosis and further treatment process. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the occlusal vertical dimension and its current issues, and to summarize previous methods of evaluating occlusal vertical dimension to propose clinical guidance for determining a viable occlusal vertical dimension for full-mouth rehabilitation.

When the patient with class III malocclusion needs extensive oral rehabilitation due to multiple missing teeth, accurate diagnosis, and careful analysis, such as the patient’s occlusal relationship, facial changes, and evaluation of the temporomandibular joint are essential. Orthognathic surgery is often performed for aesthetic improvement, depending on the patient’s chief complaint. If it is not possible due to certain circumstances, partial aesthetic improvement can be achieved through minimal elevation of the vertical dimension. As this patient may have unexpected issues, such as temporomandibular joint disorder, oral habits like bruxism, and masticatory muscle tension, it was determined whether the patient could adjust to a reversible temporary removable partial denture. After this, the maxillary implant-supported fixed prostheses and the mandibular fixed prostheses were used to achieve stable posterior support and to partially improve the maxillary anterior esthetics. The patient was satisfied with the results both aesthetically and functionally. The prognosis is expected to be good if regular check-ups are conducted.

PURPOSE: There are inconsistencies in the results reported in a small number of previous studies into growth hormone (GH) treatment in Korean children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) and idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (IGHD). Thus, the authors retrospectively compared the effects of GH in ISS and IGHD. METHODS: From the medical records of 26 ISS and 30 IGHD children, auxological and biochemical changes including chronologic age (CA), bone age (BA), height standard deviation score (HT-SDS), predicted adult height (PAH), midparental height (MPH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were compared. RESULTS: Before treatment, IGHD group had younger BA, lower BA/CA ratio, and lower IGF-1 level than those in the ISS group. During GH treatment, the levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were not different. Although annual BA increment was higher in IGHD group, and annual PAH-SDS increment was higher in ISS group, annual HT-SDS increments were not different. Both HT-SDS and PAH-SDS in the ISS group increased significantly until the end of the second year, and then those were not significantly different from MPH-SDS. In the IGHD group, the HT-SDS showed a significant increase till the end of the second year, and the PAH-SDS was not significantly changed at each year, but both HT-SDS and PAH-SDS were not significantly different from MPH-SDS at the end of the third year. CONCLUSION: During GH treatment, both HT-SDS and PAH-SDS approached the genetic target range of MPH-SDS after 2 years in ISS children and 3 years in IGHD children.
Adult ; Child* ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: The prevalence rates of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and percentile distribution of insulin resistance (IR) among Korean children and adolescents were investigated. The cutoff values of IR were calculated to identify high-risk MetS groups. METHODS: Data from 3,313 Korean subjects (1,756 boys and 1,557 girls, aged 10–18 years) were included from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted during 2007–2010. Three different sets of criteria for MetS were used. Indirect measures of IR were homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index. The cutoff values of the HOMA-IR and TyG index were obtained from the receiver operation characteristic curves. RESULTS: According to the MetS criteria of de Ferranti el al., Cook et al., and the International Diabetes Federation, the prevalence rates in males and females were 13.9% and 12.3%, 4.6% and 3.6%, and 1.4% and 1.8%, respectively. Uses these 3 criteria, the cutoff values of the HOMA-IR and TyG index were 2.94 and 8.41, 3.29 and 8.38, and 3.54 and 8.66, respectively. The cutoff values using each of the 3 criteria approximately corresponds to the 50th–75th, 75th, and 75th–90th percentiles of normal HOMA-IR and TyG index levels. CONCLUSION: This study describes the prevalence rates of MetS in Korean children and adolescents, an index of IR, and the cutoff values for MetS with the aim of detecting high-risk groups. The usefulness of these criteria needs to be verified by further evaluation.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Female ; Glucose ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Korea ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Triglycerides

PURPOSE: The prevalence rates of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and percentile distribution of insulin resistance (IR) among Korean children and adolescents were investigated. The cutoff values of IR were calculated to identify high-risk MetS groups. METHODS: Data from 3,313 Korean subjects (1,756 boys and 1,557 girls, aged 10–18 years) were included from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted during 2007–2010. Three different sets of criteria for MetS were used. Indirect measures of IR were homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index. The cutoff values of the HOMA-IR and TyG index were obtained from the receiver operation characteristic curves. RESULTS: According to the MetS criteria of de Ferranti el al., Cook et al., and the International Diabetes Federation, the prevalence rates in males and females were 13.9% and 12.3%, 4.6% and 3.6%, and 1.4% and 1.8%, respectively. Uses these 3 criteria, the cutoff values of the HOMA-IR and TyG index were 2.94 and 8.41, 3.29 and 8.38, and 3.54 and 8.66, respectively. The cutoff values using each of the 3 criteria approximately corresponds to the 50th–75th, 75th, and 75th–90th percentiles of normal HOMA-IR and TyG index levels. CONCLUSION: This study describes the prevalence rates of MetS in Korean children and adolescents, an index of IR, and the cutoff values for MetS with the aim of detecting high-risk groups. The usefulness of these criteria needs to be verified by further evaluation.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Female ; Glucose ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Korea ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Triglycerides

PURPOSE: To compare the arterial and venous detection sites of triggering methods in contrast-enhanced-MR-venography (CE-MRV) for the evaluation of intracranial venous system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 41 healthy patients underwent CE-MRV with autotriggering at either the cavernous segment of internal carotid artery with an inserted time-delay of 6 seconds (n = 20) or the superior sagittal sinus without any time-delay (n = 21). 0.1 mmol/kg gadolinium-based contrast material (Magnevist(R), Schering, Germany) was intravenously injected by hand injection. A sagittal fast-spoiled-gradient-echo-sequence ranging from one ear to the other was performed (TR/TE5.2/1.5, Matrix 310x310, 124 sections in the 15-cm-thick volume). 17 predefined venous structures were evaluated on all venograms by two neuroradiologists and defined as completely visible, partially visible, or none visible. RESULTS: The rate of completely visible structures were 272 out of 323 (84%) in the arterial triggering CE-MRV and 310 out of 340 (91%) in the venous triggering CE-MRV. The venous triggering CE-MRV demonstrated an overall superior visualization of the cerebral veins than the arterial triggering CE-MRV (Fisher exact test, p < 0.006). CONCLUSION: CE-MRV using venous autotriggering method provides higher-quality images of the intracranial venous structures compared to that of arterial.
Carotid Artery, Internal ; Caves ; Cerebral Veins ; Ear ; Hand ; Humans ; Superior Sagittal Sinus

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the mediation effect of stress between the experience of discrimination and life satisfaction among North Korean refugees who resettled in South Korea. The findings of the current study provide empirical evidence for the need of social interventions to mitigate adverse effects of stress on North Korean refugees who are subject to social discrimination on a daily basis. METHODS: In this study, we included 500 subjects among 2,138 North Korean refugees who took refuge in South Korea in 2007. The interview started from April 6th 2009 and finished on May 25th 2009. We conducted moderator effect analysis with Path analysis was conducted because we confirm the experience of discrimination was affected by life satisfaction and stress can affected life satisfaction as a moderator. RESULTS: The experience of discrimination significantly affects stress and stress significantly affects life satisfaction. However, the experience of discrimination was not directly related to life satisfaction. The more stress the study respondents experienced, the lower the life satisfaction they reported. CONCLUSION: The present finding suggests that the effects of discriminating experiences on the life satisfaction of North Korean refugees in South Korea were mediated by their own perceived stress.
Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Korea ; Negotiating ; Refugees ; Social Discrimination ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Background: Long term quality of life is becoming increasingly crucial as survival following partial pancreatectomy rises. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in glucose dysregulation after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) or distal pancreatectomy (DP). Methods: In this prospective observational study from 2015 to 2018, 224 patients who underwent partial pancreatectomy were selected: 152 (67.9%) received PD and 72 (32.1%) received DP. Comprehensive assessment for glucose regulation, including a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was conducted preoperatively, and 1, 12, and 52 weeks after surgery. Patients were further monitored up to 3 years to investigate development of new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) in patients without diabetes mellitus (DM) at baseline or worsening of glucose regulation (≥1% increase in glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c]) in those with preexisting DM. Results: The disposition index, an integrated measure of β-cell function, decreased 1 week after surgery in both groups, but it increased more than baseline level in the PD group while its decreased level was maintained in the DP group, resulting in a between-group difference at the 1-year examination (P<0.001). During follow-up, the DP group showed higher incidence of NODM and worsening of glucose regulation than the PD group with hazard ratio (HR) 4.29 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.49 to 12.3) and HR 2.15 (95% CI, 1.09 to 4.24), respectively, in the multivariate analysis including dynamic glycemic excursion profile. In the DP procedure, distal DP and spleen preservation were associated with better glucose regulation. DP had a stronger association with glucose dysregulation than PD. Conclusion Proactive surveillance of glucose dysregulation is advised, particularly for patients who receive DP.

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between the visceral fat area (VFA) and clinico-pathological outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: This retrospective study included 204 patients who underwent anthropometric measurement by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) before surgical treatment for CRC between January 2016 and June 2020. Results: According to the average value of the visceral fat area, 119 (58.3%) patients had a low visceral fat area, and 85 (59.1%) patients had a high visceral fat area. Patients with visceral obesity showed a higher BMI compared to patients without visceral obesity, (21.8±1.9 vs. 25.7±2.5, P＜0.001). There was no significant difference in the overall perioperative outcomes including total operation time, time to gas out, sips of water, soft diet, hospital stay, and morbidity between patients in the low and high VFA groups. We divided patients into two subgroups according to the degree of cancer progression and more advanced cases with low VFA showed significantly more total and positive retrieved lymph nodes (LNs) (20.9±10.3 vs. 16.1±7.1, P=0.021 and 3.3±2.9 vs. 2.2±2.3, P=0.019, respectively) and a higher proportion of more than 12 retrieved LNs compared to patients with a high VFA (95.1% vs. 90.0%, P=0.047). Body composition analysis showed that phase angle, muscle composition, and body fluid composition were not statistically different between the two groups. However, body fat mass was statistically higher in the high VFA group (22.0±4.6 vs. 12.8±3.1, P＜0.001). Conclusion Visceral obesity measured by BIA showed lower total and positive retrieved LNs and was not associated with adverse peri-operative outcomes, inflammatory and nutritional, and pathologic outcomes for CRC.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in internal globus pallidus is considered to be a good option for controlling generalized dystonia in patients with this condition. In this relation, it is known that DBS has already been shown to have significant effects on primary dystonia, but is seen as controversial in secondary dystonia including cerebral palsy (CP). On the other hand, intrathecal baclofen (ITB) has been known to reduce spasticity and dystonia in patients who did not respond to oral medications or botulinum toxin treatment. Here, we report a patient with dystonic CP, who received the ITB pump implantation long after the DBS and who noted remarkable improvement in the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Dystonia Rating Scale, Modified Barthel Index, and visual analog scale scores for pain after an ITB pump implantation was used as compared with DBS. To our knowledge, the present case report is the first to demonstrate the effects of an ITB pump on reducing pain and dystonia and improving quality of life and satisfaction, compared with DBS in a patient with CP.
Baclofen ; Botulinum Toxins ; Cerebral Palsy ; Deep Brain Stimulation ; Dystonia ; Dystonic Disorders ; Globus Pallidus ; Hand ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Muscle Spasticity ; Quality of Life ; Visual Analog Scale