BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The outcome of asthma treatment has traditionally been assessed by measuring the conventional clinical parameters such as symptoms, expiratory flow rates and needs for medications. But none of them tells us whether the patients are actually able to function properly in their lives. Only assessment of the quality of life (QOL) can reflect the parts of patients lives affected by the disease. However, there is no measure to assess the quality of life of patients with any chronic diseases in Korea yet. We developed the QOL Questionnaire for Korean Asthmatics and evaluated its measurement properties. METHOD: The questionnaire was composed of 18 items in four domains : i.e. activity limitation (6 items), symptoms (5 items), emotional function (3 items) and environmental stimuli (4 items). At our out-patient clinic, 32 adults with moderate to severe persistent bronchial asthma were enrolled. The study design consisted of 4 week unblinded single cohort with visits at 0 and 4 weeks, and the patients were asked to answer the questionnaire by self administration method at the two separate visits. Forced expiratory volume for 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were recorded at each visit. According to the patients and physicians global assessment, the patients were divided into two groups, i.e. stable and changed (improved). The responsiveness, reproducibility and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated. RESULTS: The total QOL scores at the second visit in the changed group were significantly higher than those at the first visit. The score differences between the two visits in the changed group were higher than in the stable group. In the stable group, the responses to the questionnaire were reproducible. The QOL scores showed good longitudinal correlation with the expiratory flow rates, whereas FEV1 did not correlate with the QOL in cross-sectional analysis. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire proved to be reproducible, responsive and valid in the subjects. It could be recommended for the outcome evaluation of Korean asthmatics.
Adult ; Asthma ; Chronic Disease ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Quality of Life* ; Self Administration ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the changed parenting experiences of mothers of elementary school kids living in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea. Methods: From July to August in 2020, 10 mothers parenting elementary school students under the COVID-19 were interviewed in depth. For data analysis, a phenomenological research methodology suggested by Colaizzi was used. Results: According to the analysis, the experiences of mothers consisted of four categories: the ‘pain from the uncontrollable COVID-19’, ‘the problem of family relations due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation’, ‘standing firm against the drastic changes’, and ‘accepting the world changed by the COVID-19’. Conclusion The findings in this study vividly represent the parenting experiences of mothers of elementary school students after the outbreak of COVID-19. As the pandemic persists, mothers parenting elementary school students feel complex emotions and experience exhaustion, but in the process, they found family members growing positively and trying to adjust to each other to overcome the crisis. To support positive adaptation to catastrophic situations, an institutional and political foundation is needed to develop a systematic crisis management program customized for mothers and families of elementary school students. The results of this study can be used as basic data when establishing national policies and support systems so that mothers parenting elementary school students can better adapt to and overcome crisis situations.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of arthroscopic management of osteochondritis dissecans(OD) of the elbow. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven patients rangeing from 13 to 20 years of age, and average age 15.7 years were evaluated in this study. All patients underwent arthroscopic removal of loose bodies followed by multiple drilling into the defect of the capitellum. The average follow-up period was 19.7 months (range, 16 to 28 months). Results were analyzed clinically using the elbow scoring system of Broberg and Morrey. RESULTS: There were five good and two excellent results. Three cases, however, showed slight medial instability while performing the valgus stress test. All patients had no or slight pain, and regained a full range of motion. Although four amateur athletes showed good results, they were unable to recover their pre-injury sports activity level. CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic removal of loose fragments for late stage OD enabled the evaluation of lesions of the anterior and posterior aspects of the joints, and minimized morbidity.
Adolescent* ; Arthroscopy ; Athletes ; Elbow* ; Exercise Test ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Joints ; Osteochondritis Dissecans* ; Osteochondritis* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Sports

The hippocampus is a central area of the memory-related neural system. Combined immunohistochemistry against choline acetyl transferase and retrograde transneuronal labelling of the pseudorabies virus were used to identify cholinergic neurons in the central nervous system projecting to the hippocampal formation of the rat. Five to ten microL of Bartha strain of pseudorabies virus were injected into the dentate gyrus, CA1 and CA3 of the hippocampus of 20 Sprague Dawley rats using stereotaxic instrument. Forty eight to 96 hr after the injection, the brains were removed and the tissue sections were processed for double immunofluorescence procedure using polyclonal antibodies against pseudorabies virus or choline acetyl transferase. The double labelled neurons were distributed at several different nuclei and the labelling patterns of three different areas of the hippocampus were similar. These data suggests that the cholinergic innervation to the hippocampus were distributed in a transsynaptic manner throughout the whole brain area.
Animal ; Antibodies ; Choline O-Acetyltransferase/*analysis/immunology ; Cholinergic Fibers/*enzymology ; Herpesvirus 1, Suid/immunology ; Hippocampus/*cytology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microinjections ; Neural Pathways ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVES: We retrospectively evaluated the impact of mandibular third molars on the occurrence of angle and condyle fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective investigation using patient records and radiographs. The sample set consisted of 440 patients with mandibular fractures. Eruption space, depth and angulation of the third molar were measured. RESULTS: Of the 144 angle fracture patients, 130 patients had third molars and 14 patients did not. The ratio of angle fractures when a third molar was present (1.26 : 1) was greater than when no third molar was present (0.19 : 1; odds ratio, 6.58; P<0.001). Of the 141 condyle fractures patients, the third molar was present in 84 patients and absent in 57 patients. The ratio of condyle fractures when a third molar was present (0.56 : 1) was lower than when no third molar was present (1.90 : 1; odds ratio, 0.30; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The increased ratio of angle fractures with third molars and the ratio of condyle fractures without a third molar were statistically significant. The occurrence of angle and condyle fractures was more affected by the continuity of the cortical bone at the angle than by the depth of a third molar. These results demonstrate that a third molar can be a determining factor in angle and condyle fractures.
Fractures, Bone ; Humans ; Mandibular Condyle* ; Mandibular Fractures ; Molar, Third* ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Tooth

PURPOSE: Gastrin, a peptide hormone produced by the G cells of the gastric antrum, plays a major role in regulating acid secretion in the stomach, and acts as a trophic factor in the gastrointestinal tract. The relationship between gastrin and the development of colorectal cancer remains controversial. To study its possible role in development or proliferation of colorectal cancer, we evaluated the expression of gastrin and gastrin/CCK-B receptor mRNA in cancer and normal tissue from colorectal cancer patients. We also reviewed clinical records to evaluate the correlations between gastrin receptor expression and clinical characteristics of colorectal cancer. METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to evaluate mRNA expression for gastrin and gastrin/CCK-B receptor in 26 surgical specimens of colorectal cancer. RESULTS: The mRNA expression of gastrin was detected in 24 out of 26 cancer specimens and 9 out of 26 normal colon specimens (p<0.05). The mRNA expression of gastrin/ CCK-B receptor was detected in 18 out of 26 cancer specimens and 17 out of 26 normal colon specimens (p>0.05). There was no significant correlation between gastrin receptor expression and clinical characteristics of colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The gastrin gene products might be more important than gastrin/CCK-B receptor in development or proliferation of colorectal cancer, which supports the hypothesis that gastrin gene products play a role in proliferation of colorectal cancer as an autocrine factor.
Colon ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Gastrin-Secreting Cells ; Gastrins* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Intestine, Large* ; Pyloric Antrum ; Receptor, Cholecystokinin B* ; RNA, Messenger* ; Stomach

PURPOSE: To report the results of switching treatment to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) Trap-Eye (aflibercept) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) refractory to anti-VEGF (ranibizumab and bevacizumab). METHODS: This is a retrospective study involving 32 eyes from 29 patients; 18 were cases of neovascular AMD and 14 were cases of PCV. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography were evaluated. RESULTS: BCVA and CMT improved from 0.58 to 0.55 (p = 0.005) and from 404 to 321 microm (p < 0.001), respectively, after switching to aflibercept. The 14 eyes that received 6 or more aflibercept injections remained stable at 0.81 to 0.81 and 321 to 327 microm (p = 1.0, 0.29), respectively, after 3 aflibercept injections. The 10 eyes that received 3 or more bevacizumab injections after 3 or more aflibercept injections worsened, from 0.44 to 0.47 and from 332 to 346 microm (p = 0.06, 0.05), respectively. The results showed similar improvement of BCVA and CMT in neovascular AMD and PCV. CONCLUSIONS: Aflibercept seems to be effective for improvement and maintenance of BCVA and CMT for neovascular AMD and PCV refractory to anti-VEGF. Switching from aflibercept back to bevacizumab treatment may not be a proper strategy.
Angiogenesis Inhibitors/administration & dosage ; Bevacizumab/administration & dosage ; Choroid/*blood supply ; Choroid Diseases/complications/diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Male ; Ranibizumab/administration & dosage ; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor/*administration & dosage ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins/*administration & dosage ; Retinal Neovascularization/complications/diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Treatment Outcome ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/*antagonists & inhibitors ; *Visual Acuity ; Wet Macular Degeneration/diagnosis/*drug therapy/etiology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: For decades, thiopurines have been the mainstay of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment and will play an important role in the future. However, complex metabolism and various side effects limit the use of these potent drugs in clinical practice. The Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases developed a set of consensus statements with the aim of guiding clinicians on the appropriate use of thiopurines in the management of IBD. METHODS: Sixteen statements were initially drafted by five committee members. The quality of evidence and classification of recommendation were assessed according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. The statements were then circulated to IBD experts in Korea for review, feedback, and then finalized and accepted by voting at the consensus meeting. RESULTS: The consensus statements comprised four parts: (1) pre-treatment evaluation and management strategy, including value of thiopurine S-methyltransferase screening, dosing schedule, and novel biomarkers for predicting thiopurine-induced leukopenia; (2) treatment with thiopurines with regards to optimal duration of thiopurine treatment and long-term outcomes of combination therapy with anti-tumor necrosis factors; (3) safety of thiopurines, especially during pregnancy and lactation; and (4) monitoring side effects or efficacy of therapy using biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: Thiopurines are an effective treatment option for patients with IBD. Management decisions should be individualized according to the risk of relapse and adverse events.
Appointments and Schedules ; Biomarkers ; Classification ; Committee Membership ; Consensus* ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases* ; Intestinal Diseases* ; Korea ; Lactation ; Leukopenia ; Mass Screening ; Metabolism ; Necrosis ; Politics ; Pregnancy ; Recurrence

The posttraumatic complications of jaw fractures related to jaw function and facial deformity include nonunion, malunion, malocclusion, temporomandibular joint dysfunction and facial asymmetry. This report presents cases referred to our department for revision of malunion and malocclusion following inadequate reduction of jaw fractures. Three patients with posttraumatic malocclusions caused by malunion were treated with a LeFort I osteotomy in one case and re-fracture in two cases. All of the patients exhibited stable results without further complications (e.g., malunion or malocclusion). Accurate preoperative diagnosis and proper anatomical reduction of the fracture segments are essential to preventing post-surgical malunion and malocclusion.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Diagnosis ; Facial Asymmetry ; Humans ; Jaw ; Jaw Fractures ; Malocclusion* ; Osteotomy ; Temporomandibular Joint

Multiplex Ligation dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) to detect large deletions or duplications has been widely used as a diagnostic tool for various disease clinically. As this method requires only a small amount of template DNA and is very simple and high throughput, it has numerous advantages for the analysis of the human specimen obtained from archaeological sites. In this study we therefore tried to perform MLPA analysis for detecting any of duplications or deletions in mummy samples (n=4) from medieval Joseon tombs of Korea. Of them, we could not get any authentic data from 3 samples by MLPA method while only one case (HD2) showed the possible presence of duplications or deletions during her lifetime. Although the current report reveal that MLPA is a promising tool for anthropological study in South Korea, more studies are still needed to make up for the validity problem of commercial MLPA kit used in this study.
DNA ; Humans ; Korea* ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Mummies