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An appropriate research design for hypotheses and purposes leads to a good quality of research results. In this review article, we summarized the types of research methods and described the characteristics of clinical trials. Research designs are categorized into observational studies and experimental ones, depending on data collecting methods. In an observational study, there are cross-sectional, cohort and case-control studies. Parallel groups design and crossover trial studies are representative designs in a randomized controlled trial study, a kind of experimental study. Clinical researchers should understand the characteristics of clinical research designs including advantages and disadvantages and choose the suitable design according to their study purposes and the nature of collected data or subjects.
Case-Control Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Research Design

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown the relationship between recognition of facial expressions and psychiatric symptoms. This study investigated how healthy young adults recognize neutral faces and which psychological distresses and symptoms relate to their recognition of neutral faces. METHODS: One hundred forty-three healthy volunteers participated in this study. We used neutral facial pictures, selected from the Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expressions of Emotion (JACFEE) photo set, to evaluate participants' facial expression recognition and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to measure and examine their psychological characteristics. RESULTS: There were significant positive correlations between the recognition rate of neutral expressions as contempt and trait-anxiety level (r=0.21 ; p=0.01) and depression (r=0.20 ; p=0.02). This contempt-recognition was significantly negatively correlated with resilience score (r=-0.22 ; p=0.01) and the TCI self-directedness subscale (r=-0.29 ; p=0.00). Also, the TCI's harm avoidance subscale score was significantly positively correlated with the contempt recognition rate (r=0.21 ; p=0.01). CONCLUSION: These finding suggests recognition of neutral faces as contempt may be related to psychological distress, including trait and temperament characteristics. This negative bias toward neutral emotion (expressions) may affect interpersonal relations and social functioning in a healthy population.
Affective Symptoms ; Anxiety ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Depression ; Facial Expression ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Polymethacrylic Acids ; Temperament ; Young Adult

We treated a 66 year-old-male patient with non-traumatic spontaneous E. coli meningitis, whose cerebrospinal fluid showed turbid, and from which E. coli was cultured, and who had urinary tract infection and fatty liver disease which were thought to be predisposing factors to the meningitis. Gram-negative bacillary meningitis is a very rare condition after the neonatal period, and may be complicated by penetrating cranial injuries, neurosurgical interventions or such debilitating diseases as diabetes, liver cirrhosis, urinary tract infection, malignancy and alcholism, etc. It has a high mortality rate in spite of using various antibiotics.
Adult* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Causality ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Fatty Liver ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Meningitis* ; Mortality ; Urinary Tract Infections

Hereditary progressive dystonia develope in the first decade of ?life and is characterized by marked diurnal fluctuation of symptoms(dystonic postures and movements), i.e.symptoms aggrevated towards evening and alleviated after sleep. These symptoms and signs responded dramatically to levodopa. With the high incidence of familial cases this disorder is considers to be hereditary, but inheritance is not clear yet. Segawa regarded this disorder as a dystonia different from Parkinson's disease and other types of dystonic movement disorders, thereafter it has been reported under name of hereditary progressive dystonia with marked diurnal fluctuation.
Dystonia* ; Incidence ; Levodopa ; Movement Disorders ; Parkinson Disease ; Posture ; Wills

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the results of quantitative and qualitative student evaluations of team-based learning (TBL) and student achievement evaluations during TBL. METHODS: Questionnaires that evaluated medical student perception and self-assessment of the TBL experience included 38 questions on the TBL process. Also, we used scores from the TBL session to investigate student academic achievement. RESULTS: Our results showed that the more proper the educational environments were, the more focused students were on team learning. According to the distribution period for preliminary assignments, there was a difference in self-directed learning. In addition, team members had the opportunity to learn new knowledge by interacting with each other, and when they had the experience of feedback, they understood the instruction topics through team learning better. With regard to peer evaluation, the students who recognized the importance of assessment studied more sincerely and honestly. By experiencing the TBL process, every team showed a high significance in the group readiness assurance test score compared with the individual readiness assurance test score, and student satisfaction with the TBL and expectation levels about capacity strengthening increased as well. CONCLUSION: TBL is an effective teaching and learning method and has positive impacts on student academic achievement. A study on student academic achievement and perception of TBL is expected to provide medical educators with suggestions on planning teaching strategies for effective TBL administration.
Achievement ; Education, Medical ; Educational Status ; Group Processes ; Humans ; Learning ; Peer Review ; Program Evaluation ; Self-Assessment ; Students, Medical ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Paroxysmal choreoathetosis(dyskinesia) is classified into two subtypes: paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis(PKC) and paroxysmal dystonic choreoathetosis(PDC). PDC consist of attacks of dystonia and /or choreoathetosis during which the patients are dysarthric or anarthric, have irregular clonic movement and dystonic posturing of extremities, and these not precipitated by sudden movement but rather by alocohol, coffee and stress. Attacks are longer (2ninute-4hours), but less frequently(3-4times/day) than PKC, they are not responsive to anticonvulsants(eg, phenytoin, carbamazepine) but controlled by clonazepam.This disease is rare, in the reported families, the transmission was clearly autosomal dominant with high penetrance.
Coffee ; Dystonia ; Extremities ; Humans ; Penetrance ; Phenytoin

PURPOSE: Recently, vitamin D insufficiency has increased and has been correlated to growth and puberty in children. This study was conducted to find the prevalence of subclinical vitamin D insufficiency and its influence on school-aged children in Korea. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 397 children aged 7 to 15 years who had been tested for 25-OH vitamin D3 among the outpatients of the Department of Pediatrics in Eulji General Hospital from March 2007 to February 2011. Data for age, sex, comorbidities, serum 25-OH vitamin D3, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and sunlight exposure time were collected before and after 3 months of vitamin D administration, retrospectively. RESULTS: Vitamin D insufficiency was present in 343 (86%) of the subjects. In the vitamin D insufficient group, chronological age was 8.96+/-1.72 years, mean height (z-score [z]) was 0.51+/-1.26, mean BMI (z) was 0.81+/-2.20, and bone age was 10.26+/-1.75 years. In the vitamin D sufficient group, chronological age was 9.61+/-1.77 years, mean height (z) was-0.66+/-0.98, mean BMI (z) was-0.01+/-1.16, and bone age was 9.44+/-2.12 years. A paired t-test showed that three months after vitamin D administration, the mean 25-OH vitamin D3 level in the insufficient group increased to 24.38 +/-10.03 ng/mL and mean BMI (z) decreased to 0.67+/-1.06. CONCLUSION: In Korean school-aged children, vitamin D insufficiency were relatively higher and may be closely related with higher BMI. Insufficient rise of the level of vitamin D after supplementation suggest the new supplementation guidelines, especially for Korean children.
Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Child* ; Cholecalciferol ; Comorbidity ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Pediatrics ; Prevalence ; Puberty ; Retrospective Studies ; Sunlight ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

PURPOSE: This study evaluated fracture resistance with regard to ferrule lengths and post reinforcement on endodontically treated mandibular premolars incorporating a prefabricated post and resin core. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred extracted mandibular premolars were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=20): intact teeth (NR); endodontically treated teeth (ETT) without post (NP); ETT restored with a prefabricated post with ferrule lengths of either 0 mm (F0), 1 mm (F1), or 2 mm (F2). Prepared teeth were restored with metal crowns. A thermal cycling test was performed for 1,000 cycles. Loading was applied at an angle of 135 degrees to the axis of the tooth using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 2.54 mm/min. Fracture loads were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD test using a statistical program (α=.05). RESULTS: There were statistical differences in fracture loads among groups (P<.001). The fracture load of F2 (237.7 ± 83.4) was significantly higher than those of NP (155.6 ± 74.3 N), F0 (98.8 ± 43.3 N), and F1 (152.8 ± 78.5 N) (P=.011, P<.001, and P=.008, respectively). CONCLUSION: Fracture resistance of ETT depends on the length of the ferrule, as shown by the significantly increased fracture resistance in the 2 mm ferrule group (F2) compared to the groups with shorter ferrule lengths (F0, F1) and without post (NP).
Bicuspid* ; Crowns ; Tooth

Traumatic thyroid hematoma is a rare problem in cases of blunt trauma, but it can be a life-threatening condition. We report here on a case of thyroid hematoma that was complicated with unexpected airway obstruction due to blunt trauma on the anterior neck. A 23-year-old man who developed neck painful swelling and dyspnea was admitted to the emergency room with a blunt neck injury after motor-bicycle accident, and he hit his anterior neck against the handle-bar. He had no previous thyroid pathology and other medical problems. On the initial examination, his vital signs were stable and the oxygen saturation was 97.8%. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the neck showed fragmentation and extensive hematoma within the right thyroid gland and dislocation of the trachea. No definite bleeding focus was identified on the angiography that was done through the carotid artery. Two hours later, the patient experienced sudden respiratory distress and the oxygen saturation dropped rapidly. The patient needed emerg encyendotracheal intubation and surgical intervention. He successfully underwent right lobectomy of the thyroid gland, and was discharged on the 6th hospital day without any complications. The thyroid function was normal after 3 months.
Airway Obstruction* ; Angiography ; Carotid Arteries ; Dislocations ; Dyspnea ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hematoma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intubation ; Neck ; Neck Injuries ; Neck Pain ; Oxygen ; Pathology ; Thyroid Gland* ; Trachea ; Vital Signs ; Young Adult