OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the knee extension force of healthy Korean adults by using a hand-held dynamometer and evaulate the relationship of knee extension force between each decade. METHOD: One hundred and twenty healthy subjects (60 males, 60 females) between the ages of 20 and 79 years were tested for knee extension force by using Nicholas Manual Muscle Tester (MMT). Data were analyzed for means, standard deviations, test-retest reliability and correlation with variables by using the SPSS(R) software package. RESULTS: The mean value of the knee extension force was 25.9 +/- 5.8 kg in the males and 16.5 +/- 4.1 kg in the females. Significant difference between each decade was found in the males but not in the females. The knee extension force of the males was stastically correlated with all of variables, i.e., age, weight and height, but the knee extension force of the females, was correlated only with weight. Intratester correlation coefficients were high for the Nicholas MMT to measure the knee extension force for healthy adults. Also the difference between the dominant and nondominant side for the knee extensor force was not significant, stastically. CONCLUSION: This MMT may be useful to quickly and objectively evaluate force in the clinical setting.
Adult* ; Female ; Humans ; Knee* ; Male

URP primers of 20 mer derived from repetitive sequence of rice were used to assess genetic variation of oyster mushroom consisting of 10 cultivars of Pleurotus ostreatus, two cultivars of P. florida and two cultivars of P. sajor-caju which were registered in Korea. URP2F and URP38F primers produced cultivar-specific PCR polymorphic bands in the Pleurotus species. UPGMA cluster analysis using the URP-PCR data showed that 14 Pleurotus cultivars are genetically clustered into large three groups. The URP-PCR data provided important information for more efficient breeding strategies of Pleurotus cultivars.
Breeding ; Dermatoglyphics* ; Florida ; Genetic Variation ; Korea* ; Ostreidae* ; Pleurotus* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid

OBJECTIVE: To examine the validity of the fuctional reach test (FRT) for evaluation of standing balance in hemiplegic patients. METHOD: Twenty three hemiplegic patients who were capable of standing without assistive devices were assessed on the FRT only with intact upper limb, the one-legged stance, the timed up and go test (TUG), the 10 meter walking time (10 mWT), the 'Hauser' ambulation index (AI), and the standing balance of Bohannon. RESULTS: The forward reach of FRT demonstrated significant correlation with the TUG and the 10 mWT (p<0.01), but no significant relationship with the one-legged stance, standing balance of Bohannon and AI. CONCLUSION: The forward reach of FRT may be simple and useful tool for assessing the clinical balance function and reflecting gait ability and fall-down risk in hemiplegic patients.
Gait ; Gait Disorders, Neurologic ; Humans ; Self-Help Devices ; Upper Extremity ; Walking

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Mortality* ; Rhinoplasty* ; Sepsis* ; Transplants*

BACKGROUND: Zygoma is a major buttress of the midfacial skeleton, which is frequently injured because of its prominent location. Zygoma fractures are classified according to Knight and North based on the direction of anatomic displacement and the pattern created by the fracture. In zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fracture many incisions (lateral eyebrow, lateral upper blepharoplasty, transconjunctival, subciliary, subtarsal, intraoral, direct percutaneous approach) are useful. We reviewed various approaches for the treatment of ZMC fractures and discussed about incisions and fixation methods. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of patients with ZMC fracture at a single institution from January 2005 to December 2014. Patients with single zygomatic arch fracture were excluded. RESULTS: The identified 694 patients who were admitted for zygomatic fractures from which 192 patients with simple arch fractures were excluded. The remaining 502 patients consisted of 439 males and 63 females, and total 532 zygomatic bone was operated. Orbital fracture was the most common associated fracture. According to the Knight and North classification the most frequent fracture was Group IV. Most fractures were fixated at two points (73%). CONCLUSION: We reviewed our cases over 10 years according to fracture type and fixation methods. In conclusion, minimal incision, familiar approach and fixation methods of the surgeon are recommended.
Blepharoplasty ; Classification ; Eyebrows ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Maxillary Fractures ; Maxillofacial Injuries ; Methods* ; Orbital Fractures ; Retrospective Studies ; Skeleton ; Zygoma ; Zygomatic Fractures

Major maxillofacial bone injury itself can be life threatening from both cardiovascular point of view, as well as airway obstruction. Significant hemorrhage from facial fracture is an uncommon occurrence, and there is little in the literature to guide the management of these patients. We report a 73-year-old male driver who was transported to our hospital after a motor vehicle collision. The patient was hypotensive and tachycardic at presentation and required active fluid resuscitation and transfusion. The patient was intubated to protect the airway. All external attempts to control the bleeding, from packing to fracture reduction, were unsuccessful. Emergency angiogram revealed the bleeding to originate from terminal branches of the sphenopalatine artery, which were embolized. This was associated with cessation of bleeding and stabilization of vital signs. Despite the age and severity of injury, the patient recovered well and was discharged home at 3 months with full employment. In facial trauma patients with intractable bleeding, transcatheter arterial embolization should be considered early in the course of management to decrease mortality rate.
Aged ; Airway Obstruction ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Emergencies ; Employment ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Male ; Maxillary Artery ; Maxillary Fractures ; Mortality ; Motor Vehicles ; Resuscitation ; Vital Signs

Purpose: Circulating cell-free single-stranded DNA (ccf-ssDNA) is extracellular DNA and it is a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of tumors and predicting the prognosis of tumors. However, the clinical usefulness of ccf-ssDNA in colorectal cancer (CRC) is not well known. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of ccf-ssDNA in CRC. Methods: The study was conducted on 44 patients who had undergone surgery for CRC, and ccf-ssDNA level was measured before surgery and statistical analysis was performed on clinical factors. Results: The association between ccf-ssDNA level and clinicopathological factors was analyzed and compared, and these factors included age, sex, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9), tumor location, size, stage (TNM), recurrence, and death. The group with a ccf-ssDNA level of ≥ 7.5 ng/μL had a lower age (P = 0.010), and was associated with diabetes mellitus (P = 0.037) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.049). Multivariate analysis of disease-free survival showed that lymph node metastasis and ccf-ssDNA level (hazard ratio, 10.011; 95% confidence interval, 2.269–44.175; P = 0.002) were independent prognostic factors for recurrence. In terms of overall survival, there were no statistically significant results except for vascular invasion. Conclusion This study showed that ccf-ssDNA level in plasma in CRC patients was an independent prognostic factor that could predict recurrence non-invasively. In this regard, further evaluation with a prospective, large sample size study will be needed to obtain additional results.

Auditory neuropathy is a recently described hearing disorder in which patients demonstrate hearing loss for pure tones, impaired word discrimination out of proportion to pure tone loss, absent or abnormal auditory brainstem responses (ABR), but normal outer hair cell function as measured by otoacoustic emissions and cochlear microphonics. Auditory neuropathy affects the normal synchronous activity in the auditory nerve, without affecting the amplification function in the inner ear. There is impairment in their temporal processing in the auditory nerve. So patients can hear sounds, but can not understand speech. Auditory neuropathy occurs either in isolation or as a part of a generalized neuropathy. We have identified one pediatric patient who demonstrated hearing defects and developed signs for peripheral neuropathy. We report it with a review of literatures.
Cochlear Nerve ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Ear, Inner ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Hair ; Hearing ; Hearing Disorders ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases

Based on the rDNA ITS sequences data, specific primer set for PCR detection of wood-decaying fungus Phellinus linteus was designed. The length of PCR products using designed primer set(SHF and SHR) was about 540 bp. Among 11 species, 17 isolates of Phellinus spp. including Phellinus linteus, P. pomaceus, P. spiculosus, P. baumi, P. pini, P. igniarius, P. gilvus, P. biscuspidatus, P. weirii, P. johnsonianus, P. robutus, and P. igniarius, seven isolates of Phellinus linteus showed about 540 bp-sized single band. This molecular technique could offer a useful tool for detecting and identifying Phellinus linteus.
DNA, Ribosomal* ; Fungi* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction