PURPOSE: To describe the characteristics of the disabled patients visiting the eye clinic in our institute. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of 35 cases in our clinic from April 2004 to June 2008 using the McBride disability evaluation. We investigated the clinical features and the causes of disorders through visual acuity, visual field and ocular motility. RESULTS: Thirty-three (94.3%) of the 35 patients had disabilities due to trauma; twelve (34.3%) of them were caused by traffic accidents, and 21 (60%) of them were due to blows or lacerations. Other causes of disability were glaucoma and retinal break (5.8%). Nine patients (25.7%) had abnormal findings in the visual field examination, and nine other patients (25.7%) had limitations in ocular motility. Twenty-eight patients (80%) had decreased visual acuity, and nine (25.7%) had multiple symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the contribution of disability estimation of visual field and ocular motility in McBride disability evaluations, we considered the importance of repetitive examinations and evaluations. When patients complained of unexplained decreased visual acuity with no anatomical abnormalities, multifocal ERG and multifocal VEP should be considered in order to distinguish it from malingering or functional visual loss.
Accidents, Traffic ; Disability Evaluation ; Eye ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Lacerations ; Malingering ; Retinal Perforations ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Fields

PURPOSE: To evaluate the mean macular volume in normal Korean eyes using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. METHODS: The present study consisted of 132 patients (212 eyes) with no ophthalmic evidence of retinopathy and who had a best corrected visual acuity of 1.0 or better. The total macular volume was measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and was analyzed according to age group, sex, degree of refractive error and presence of systemic disease such as diabetes and hypertension. RESULTS: The mean total macular volume of all subjects was 10.07 +/- 0.45 mm3, with means of 10.13 +/- 0.40 mm3, 10.05 +/- 0.43 mm3 and 9.97 +/- 0.58 mm3 measured for the respective A, B, and C age groups. There was a significant difference between male and female patients. In addition, there was a significant difference between diabetic patients in group C and normal subjects. However, there was no significant difference according to degree of refractive error. CONCLUSIONS: The measured value of mean macular volume in normal Korean eyes can be expected to provide a standard value for diagnosing retinal disease and the need for careful follow-up.
Eye ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Refractive Errors ; Retinal Diseases ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity

Background: Onychomycosis, a common fungal nail infection, particularly affects the elderly. The diagnostic accuracy of a potassium hydroxide (KOH) smear, a primary diagnostic method, can vary based on the examiner’s proficiency. Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of KOH smears in a real-world setting and the influence of clinical and practical factors on onychomycosis. Methods: This study included 381 patients who underwent KOH smear and histopathological staining for nail diseases at Seoul National University Hospital between March 2020 and February 2023. The study evaluated the diagnostic utility of the KOH smear, including its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic odds ratio. We investigated the influence of factors such as training duration of examiners, prior history of antifungal treatment, and lesion location on diagnostic utility. Results: Of the 381 patients, 139 were male (36.5%) and 242 were female (63.5%). Onychomycosis was the most common diagnosis (59.3%), with 34.1% of patients reporting prior antifungal therapy within the past 6 months. The sensitivity of the monthly KOH smear varied from 16.7% to 70.0% with an annual sensitivity of 48.1%. The specificity ranged from 83.3% to 100.0%, with an annual specificity of 90.3%. While prior antifungal therapy decreased the sensitivity and specificity, no statistical significance was observed. Examiner's experience, measured by training duration, was not associated with sensitivity or specificity. Among patients with a history of antifungal treatment, an increasing number of KOH smear tests showed reduced sensitivity. Conclusion Variations in the diagnostic utility of the KOH smear test, influenced by various factors, highlight the necessity for cautious interpretation in clinical settings.

No abstract available.
Colon, Ascending* ; Neurilemmoma*

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is transmitted through tick bites. Ticks are potential vectors for the bacterium Coxiella burnetii that causes Query fever. Here, we analyzed SFTSV and C. burnetii co-infection rates in ticks in rural areas of Jeju Island, South Korea. Methods: Free ticks were collected from the natural environment of the island between 2016 and 2019, and SFTSV RNA was extracted. Additionally, ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was used to identify Coxiella species. Results: Haemaphysalis longicornis was the most common tick species followed by H. flava. Tick number gradually increased from April, peaked in August, and was lowest in March. Of all the collected ticks, 82.6% (2,851/3,458) were nymphs, 17.9% (639/3,458) adults, and 0.1% (4/3,458) larvae. SFTSV-infected ticks comprised 12.6% of all ticks; their numbers were the lowest in November–December, increased from January, and were mostly identified in the adult stage during June–August. C. burnetii infections were detected in 4.4% of the SFTSVinfected H. longicornis ticks. C. burnetii co-infection was mainly observed in the nymph stage of H. longicornis, with the highest infection rate in January, followed by December and November. Conclusion Our findings suggest that Jeju Island has a high SFTSV and potential C. burnetii infection in ticks. This study provides important insights regarding SFTS and Q fever risk to humans in South Korea.

Objectives: This study aimed to comparatively analyze the demographic characteristics and various other factors influencing those attempting suicide from the younger and older generations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study included subjects who visited the emergency room of the Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon after attempting to cause self-harm or commit suicide. Of the total of 598 cases, the characteristics of 383 subjects belonging to the younger generation (39 years old or younger) and 215 to the older generation subject (40 years old or older) were retrospectively compared. Results: The younger generation subjects who attempted suicide had significantly higher rates of psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and histories of past suicide attempts compared to the older generation. Those attempting suicide among the younger generation were less planned in their attempts to commit suicide than the older generation, and the authenticity of their suicide attempts was significantly lower. Conclusion The younger generation subjects who attempted suicide were more affected by mental illnesses and more impulsive than those of the older generation, and the authenticity and medical lethality of their suicide attempts were low. An individual-centric intervention strategy for suicide prevention is needed in consideration of these generational characteristics.

BACKGROUND: The two most common skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The purpose of this study was to describe the detailed clinical behavior of BCC and SCC in the head and neck region over 19 years at a single institution. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for all patients with non-melanoma skin cancer who had undergone surgical resection over an 18-year period. Patient charts were reviewed for demographic information, tumor size, onset-to-diagnosis, anatomic location, clinical subtype, histologic differentiation, method of surgical treatment, and recurrence. RESULTS: The review identified 265 cases of either BCC or SCC in 226 patients. Of the 226 patients, 80 (35.4%) were men and 146 (64.6%) were women. BCC (n=138, 55.9%) was more frequent than SCC (109, 44.1%). The most frequent age group was 70-to-79 year olds (45 patients, 35.2%) for BCC and 80-to-89 year olds (41 patients, 41.8%) for SCC. By aesthetic units of the face, the most common location was the nasal unit (44 cases, 31.9%) for BCC and the buccal unit (23 cases, 21.1%) for SCC. The most common clinical subtype of BCC was the nodular type (80 cases, 58.0%). Local flaps were most commonly used to cover surgical defects (136 cases, 55.1%). Recurrent rates were 2.2% for BCC and 5.5% for SCC. CONCLUSION: In our study, many characteristics of BCC and SCC were compared to previously published reports were generally similar, except the ratio of BCC to SCC. Further study can help to establish the characteristics of BCC and SCC.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Epithelial Cells* ; Female ; Head* ; Humans ; Male ; Methods ; Neck* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies* ; Skin Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus(HCV) is well known major cause of posttransfusion hepatitis. There were a lot of studies about the prevalence of anti-HCV. But, most of these focused on healthy blood donors or patients with liver diseases in urban areas. So they may not represent the prevalence of anti-HCV in the entire Korean population. This study focused on people of a rural area which consisted of six towns near Reservoir Juam in the Chonnam province in Korea. METHODS: Nine hundred and sixty three persons were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method from January to February in 19%, Anti-HCV and HBsAg were examined by microparticle enzyme immunoassy(MELA; Abbott Co., USA). Alanine aminotransferase(ALT) was examined by enzyme kinetic method. RESULTS: 1) The positivity of anti-HCV in all subjects was 0.9%. 2) The positivity of anti-HCV in male(1.1%) was not significantly higher than in female(0.9%). 3) The positivity of anti-HCV was 0% below the 5th decade, 0.7% in the 6th decade, 1.4% in the 7th decade, 1.7% in 8th decade, 0% above the 9th decade. There was no significant relationship between the positivity of anti-HCV and age. 4) The positivity of anti-HCV was 0.8% in normal ALT(35U/L) subjects. There was no statistical relationship between the positivity of anti-HCV and ALT level. 5) HBsAg was serologically negative in all of nine anti-HCV positive subjects. CONCLUSION: The positivity of anti-HCV was 0.9% in rural area of Korea and was similar to the prevalence of anti-HCV in urban areas.
Alanine ; Blood Donors ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis C ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do* ; Korea ; Liver Diseases ; Prevalence

As prediction of rapidly aging society, bone health is considered increasingly important and received more attention than ever. Bone health is regulated by balancing between bone resorptive osteoclasts and bone formative osteoblasts. Disruption of balance between bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblasts results in bone disease. Natural products have recently received much attention as an alternative tool for the development of novel therapeutic strategy. Baicalein is reported it has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Baicalein also has been known that it has both promotive effect on MC3T3-E1 cell line and inhibitory effect on RAW 264.7 cell line. However, the inhibitory mechanism of baicalein using bone marrow derived macrophages (BMMs) on osteoclast differentiation remains not clear. In this study, the suppressive mechanism by baicalein on osteoblast differentiation was evaluated. Bicalein inhibited receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation in BMMs in a dose dependent manner without any toxicity. Baicalein suppressed phosphorylation of protein kinaseB (Akt), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and phosphoinositide-specific phospholipaseCgamma2 (PLCgamma2). Furthermore, Baicalein suppressed the induction of RANKL-induced c-Fos and Nuclear factor of activated T cell c1 (NFATc1), essential genes on osteoclastogenesis. In BMMs, Bicalein inhibited the mRNA expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), osteoclast-associated receptor (OSCAR), cathepsinK, dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP). Moreover, baicalein promoted differentiation of osteoblast on bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Taken together, these results suggest that baicalein has a potential for treating bone lytic diseases, such as osteoporosis, periodontitis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Acid Phosphatase ; Aging ; Antioxidants ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Biological Products ; Bone Diseases ; Bone Marrow* ; Cell Line ; Genes, Essential ; Macrophages* ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts* ; Osteoporosis ; Periodontitis ; Phospholipase C gamma ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; RANK Ligand ; RNA, Messenger

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the prevalence of depressive symptoms and co-variates among university students in Honam district, Korea. METHODS: One thousand seven hundred and thirty (792 male and 938 female) university students were randomly selected to participate in a survey. Subjects were administered self-report questionnaires : Beck Depression Inventory, Life Experience Survey, Satisfaction with Life Scale. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 14.9% overall, and 10.8% in males, 18.3% in females. In stepwise multiple regression analysis, satisfaction with life (β=-0.405, R²=0.257, p<0.001), stress (β=0.212, R²=0.312, p<0.001), suicidal attempt (β=0.133, R²=0.349, p<0.001) and female gender (β=-0.108, R²=0.358, p<0.001) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Among life stress factors, worry about employment, maladaptation of major field of study, appearance and body shape, lack of time and academic achievement were significantly associated, over r=0.25 with depression in sequence (r=0.256 to r=0.321). CONCLUSION: This study showed very high prevalence of depressive symptoms among university students in Honam district, Korea. Intensive mental health promotion programs to prevent depression and early detection of depressive symptoms appear needed to improve mental health status for university students.
Depression* ; Employment ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Life Change Events ; Male ; Mental Health ; Prevalence* ; Stress, Psychological