No abstract available.
Immunoglobulins*

Purpose: In 2018, the Act to Improve Training Conditions and the Status of Medical Residents (AITR) was fully implemented in South Korea. This study aimed to investigate the effects of AITR implementation on the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent emergency abdominal surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 2571 patients who underwent emergency abdominal surgery after visiting the emergency room (ER) between 2015 and 2019 was included. Electronic medical records were retrospectively reviewed. In addition, a comparative analysis was performed for patient groups treated before and after AITR implementation. Results: The median patient age was 48.0 years, and 49.2% of them were male. Appendicitis was the most common diagnosis (82.6%), followed by major abdominal emergencies (9.9%) and cholecystitis (7.5%). The median time from arrival to surgery was 439 min, and 52 (2.0%) patients died. A comparison of patients who underwent surgery before (pre-AITR; 1453, 56.5%) and after (post-AITR; 1118, 43.5%) AITR implementation revealed a significant difference in age, number of residents on a 24-h shift, and diagnosis. The time from ER arrival to surgery was not significantly longer after AITR implementation than before AITR implementation (434 min vs. 443 min, p=0.230). AITR was not a significant risk factor for mortality (p=0.225). Conclusion The time from ER arrival to emergency surgery did not increase significantly after AITR implementation, and there was no difference in the patients’ clinical outcomes.

Hyalinizing Spitz nevus was first introduced in 1994 by Suster. It is considered a rare variant in the spectrum of Spitz nevus, with only a dozen cases having been reported to date. Herein we report a case of a 28-year-old Korean woman who had a brown papular lesion on the left palm, which was diagnosed as hyalinizing Spitz nevus. Upon histopathological investigation, discohesive growth patterns of nevus cells in a hyalinized stroma were noted. Immunohistochemical stains showed positive reactivity of nevus cells with S-100 protein and vimentin, but negative stains with HMB-45 and CD68. This case demonstrates a rare variant of Spitz nevus located on an unusual site, and calls for awareness in the diagnosis of cutaneous lesions that histologically exhibit a prominent hyalinized stroma.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Coloring Agents ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Hyalin* ; Nevus ; Nevus, Epithelioid and Spindle Cell* ; S100 Proteins ; Vimentin

Purpose: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has long been recognized as an effective treatment for depression and suicidality.Virtual reality (VR) technology is widely used for cognitive training for conditions such as anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, but little research has considered VR-based CBT for depressive symptoms and suicidality. We tested the effectiveness and safety of a VR-based CBT program for depressive disorders. Materials and Methods: We recruited 57 participants from May 2022 through February 2023 using online advertisements. This multi-center, assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled exploratory trial used two groups: VR treatment group and treat as usual (TAU) group. VR treatment group received a VR mental health training/education program. TAU group received standard pharmacotherapy. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately after the 6-week treatment period, and 4 weeks after the end of the treatment period in each group. Results: Depression scores decreased significantly over time in both VR treatment and TAU groups, with no differences between the two groups. The suicidality score decreased significantly only in VR group. No group differences were found in the remission or response rate for depression, perceived stress, or clinical severity. No adverse events or motion sickness occurred during the VR treatment program. Conclusion VR CBT treatment for major depressive disorder has the potential to be equivalent to the gold-standard pharmacotherapy in reducing depressive symptoms, suicidality, and related clinical symptoms, with no difference in improvement found in this study. Thus, VR-based CBT might be an effective alternative to pharmacotherapy for depressive disorders.

Purpose: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has long been recognized as an effective treatment for depression and suicidality.Virtual reality (VR) technology is widely used for cognitive training for conditions such as anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, but little research has considered VR-based CBT for depressive symptoms and suicidality. We tested the effectiveness and safety of a VR-based CBT program for depressive disorders. Materials and Methods: We recruited 57 participants from May 2022 through February 2023 using online advertisements. This multi-center, assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled exploratory trial used two groups: VR treatment group and treat as usual (TAU) group. VR treatment group received a VR mental health training/education program. TAU group received standard pharmacotherapy. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately after the 6-week treatment period, and 4 weeks after the end of the treatment period in each group. Results: Depression scores decreased significantly over time in both VR treatment and TAU groups, with no differences between the two groups. The suicidality score decreased significantly only in VR group. No group differences were found in the remission or response rate for depression, perceived stress, or clinical severity. No adverse events or motion sickness occurred during the VR treatment program. Conclusion VR CBT treatment for major depressive disorder has the potential to be equivalent to the gold-standard pharmacotherapy in reducing depressive symptoms, suicidality, and related clinical symptoms, with no difference in improvement found in this study. Thus, VR-based CBT might be an effective alternative to pharmacotherapy for depressive disorders.

Purpose: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has long been recognized as an effective treatment for depression and suicidality.Virtual reality (VR) technology is widely used for cognitive training for conditions such as anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, but little research has considered VR-based CBT for depressive symptoms and suicidality. We tested the effectiveness and safety of a VR-based CBT program for depressive disorders. Materials and Methods: We recruited 57 participants from May 2022 through February 2023 using online advertisements. This multi-center, assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled exploratory trial used two groups: VR treatment group and treat as usual (TAU) group. VR treatment group received a VR mental health training/education program. TAU group received standard pharmacotherapy. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately after the 6-week treatment period, and 4 weeks after the end of the treatment period in each group. Results: Depression scores decreased significantly over time in both VR treatment and TAU groups, with no differences between the two groups. The suicidality score decreased significantly only in VR group. No group differences were found in the remission or response rate for depression, perceived stress, or clinical severity. No adverse events or motion sickness occurred during the VR treatment program. Conclusion VR CBT treatment for major depressive disorder has the potential to be equivalent to the gold-standard pharmacotherapy in reducing depressive symptoms, suicidality, and related clinical symptoms, with no difference in improvement found in this study. Thus, VR-based CBT might be an effective alternative to pharmacotherapy for depressive disorders.

Purpose: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has long been recognized as an effective treatment for depression and suicidality.Virtual reality (VR) technology is widely used for cognitive training for conditions such as anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, but little research has considered VR-based CBT for depressive symptoms and suicidality. We tested the effectiveness and safety of a VR-based CBT program for depressive disorders. Materials and Methods: We recruited 57 participants from May 2022 through February 2023 using online advertisements. This multi-center, assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled exploratory trial used two groups: VR treatment group and treat as usual (TAU) group. VR treatment group received a VR mental health training/education program. TAU group received standard pharmacotherapy. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately after the 6-week treatment period, and 4 weeks after the end of the treatment period in each group. Results: Depression scores decreased significantly over time in both VR treatment and TAU groups, with no differences between the two groups. The suicidality score decreased significantly only in VR group. No group differences were found in the remission or response rate for depression, perceived stress, or clinical severity. No adverse events or motion sickness occurred during the VR treatment program. Conclusion VR CBT treatment for major depressive disorder has the potential to be equivalent to the gold-standard pharmacotherapy in reducing depressive symptoms, suicidality, and related clinical symptoms, with no difference in improvement found in this study. Thus, VR-based CBT might be an effective alternative to pharmacotherapy for depressive disorders.

Purpose: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has long been recognized as an effective treatment for depression and suicidality.Virtual reality (VR) technology is widely used for cognitive training for conditions such as anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, but little research has considered VR-based CBT for depressive symptoms and suicidality. We tested the effectiveness and safety of a VR-based CBT program for depressive disorders. Materials and Methods: We recruited 57 participants from May 2022 through February 2023 using online advertisements. This multi-center, assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled exploratory trial used two groups: VR treatment group and treat as usual (TAU) group. VR treatment group received a VR mental health training/education program. TAU group received standard pharmacotherapy. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately after the 6-week treatment period, and 4 weeks after the end of the treatment period in each group. Results: Depression scores decreased significantly over time in both VR treatment and TAU groups, with no differences between the two groups. The suicidality score decreased significantly only in VR group. No group differences were found in the remission or response rate for depression, perceived stress, or clinical severity. No adverse events or motion sickness occurred during the VR treatment program. Conclusion VR CBT treatment for major depressive disorder has the potential to be equivalent to the gold-standard pharmacotherapy in reducing depressive symptoms, suicidality, and related clinical symptoms, with no difference in improvement found in this study. Thus, VR-based CBT might be an effective alternative to pharmacotherapy for depressive disorders.

BACKGROUND: Malignant fibrous/fibrohistiocytic tumors are uncommon soft tissue tumors which gives dermatologists special attention on differential diagnosis. However, there has not yet been a multicenter study on these tumors in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology and clinical features of malignant fibrous/ fiborhistiocytic tumors. METHODS: A total of 62 patients from 11 training hospitals who had been confirmed with malignant fibrous/ fibrohistiocytic tumor were studied. A retrospective analysis of hospital records served as the data source for this study. RESULTS: Among patients with malignant fibrous/fibrohistiocytic tumors, the most common tumor type was dermatofibrosarcoma protuberance followed by malignant fibrohistiocytic. The male to female ratio among subjects was 1.38 to 1 and the mean age was 44 years old. Of the common complaints recorded, asymptomatic mass was the most frequent. The mean size of the subjects' tumors was 2.9 cm in the long axis and 2.3 cm in the short axis with a mean tumor thickness of 2.1 mm. The most common site for tumors was the back followed by the thigh. The recurrence rate after primary treatment was 14.5% and metastasis developed in 5 of 62 patients. CONCLUSION: This study is expected to be helpful for understanding the clinical and pathological characteristics of malignant fibrous/fibrohistiocytic tumors.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; Dermatofibrosarcoma ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Thigh