BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between yoga and autonomic nervous system in women with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: A randomized controlled study was performed in participants recruited from a public center for managing chronic diseases located in Gyeong-gi Province. The 39 women participants diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to the 12-week yoga exercise group (n=22) or the wait-listed control group (n=17). Biochemical laboratory tests and heart rate variability were measured before and after the 12-week program. RESULTS: In post-menopausal women, the low frequency power of frequency domain significantly decreased in the yoga exercise group compared to the control group (P=0.07). On the time domain of heart rate variability and metabolic syndrome components, there were no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Sympathetic activity was decreased in post-menopausal women with metabolic syndrome who practiced yoga. Our results suggest that yoga might be beneficial in improving the autonomic nervous system in post-menopausal women with metabolic syndrome.
Autonomic Nervous System ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Heart Rate* ; Humans ; Yoga*

No abstract available.

Corneal endothelial damages following Nd: YAG laser application were evaluated rabbits. The first group underwent anterior capsulotomy, while the second group received laser applications at the corneal center and anterior capsule. The rabbits were evaluated with the intraocular pressure, the corneal endothelial cell number, the thickness of the corneal center, and the morphologic change of the cornea, before laser application and at postaplication 1 day, 7 day, and 14 day. But the endothelium was damaged when laser shots were applied at the cornea center and anterior caps ulotomy. In ophthalmologic procedure with Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, the minimal effective poser should be selected, the laser beam should be applicated on extremely fine focus and contact lens should be used to minimize the corneal endothelial injury.
Cornea ; Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss* ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Intraocular Pressure ; Lasers, Solid-State ; Rabbits

Objectives: This study aimed to compare social decision-making between healthy controls and methamphetamine users using ultimatum game (UG) and dictator game (DG). In addition, the purpose of this study was to identify the effect of personality factors on social decision-making. Methods: The study included 39 methamphetamine users from a drug abuse center and a probation office, as well as 46 individuals in the control group. The UG and DG were conducted, where participants played the roles of proposers and responders. Also The Korean version of the Personality Factor Scale was used to assess personality factors among methamphetamine users. Results: The results showed that methamphetamine users had significantly lower acceptance rates compared to the control group in all proposed ratios in the UG. Additionally, the proposed amount of money (South Korean Won, KRW) in the DG were higher for methamphetamine users when the proposer had a happy facial expression and lower when the proposer had an angry facial expression. In addition, methamphtetamine users, who are more neurotic, had lower acceptance rates, but offeres more money when acting as the proposer. Conclusions The findings suggest that methamphetamine users exhibit lower acceptance rates in social decision-making tasks, indicating a conflict between self-interest and rejecting unfair offers. The study highlights the importance of considering social decision-making in the treatment and rehabilitation of methamphetamine users to address social maladjustment factors.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare social decision-making between healthy controls and methamphetamine users using ultimatum game (UG) and dictator game (DG). In addition, the purpose of this study was to identify the effect of personality factors on social decision-making. Methods: The study included 39 methamphetamine users from a drug abuse center and a probation office, as well as 46 individuals in the control group. The UG and DG were conducted, where participants played the roles of proposers and responders. Also The Korean version of the Personality Factor Scale was used to assess personality factors among methamphetamine users. Results: The results showed that methamphetamine users had significantly lower acceptance rates compared to the control group in all proposed ratios in the UG. Additionally, the proposed amount of money (South Korean Won, KRW) in the DG were higher for methamphetamine users when the proposer had a happy facial expression and lower when the proposer had an angry facial expression. In addition, methamphtetamine users, who are more neurotic, had lower acceptance rates, but offeres more money when acting as the proposer. Conclusions The findings suggest that methamphetamine users exhibit lower acceptance rates in social decision-making tasks, indicating a conflict between self-interest and rejecting unfair offers. The study highlights the importance of considering social decision-making in the treatment and rehabilitation of methamphetamine users to address social maladjustment factors.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare social decision-making between healthy controls and methamphetamine users using ultimatum game (UG) and dictator game (DG). In addition, the purpose of this study was to identify the effect of personality factors on social decision-making. Methods: The study included 39 methamphetamine users from a drug abuse center and a probation office, as well as 46 individuals in the control group. The UG and DG were conducted, where participants played the roles of proposers and responders. Also The Korean version of the Personality Factor Scale was used to assess personality factors among methamphetamine users. Results: The results showed that methamphetamine users had significantly lower acceptance rates compared to the control group in all proposed ratios in the UG. Additionally, the proposed amount of money (South Korean Won, KRW) in the DG were higher for methamphetamine users when the proposer had a happy facial expression and lower when the proposer had an angry facial expression. In addition, methamphtetamine users, who are more neurotic, had lower acceptance rates, but offeres more money when acting as the proposer. Conclusions The findings suggest that methamphetamine users exhibit lower acceptance rates in social decision-making tasks, indicating a conflict between self-interest and rejecting unfair offers. The study highlights the importance of considering social decision-making in the treatment and rehabilitation of methamphetamine users to address social maladjustment factors.

Recurrent deformity following hallux valgus surgery can be technically challenging to treat. In cases of revision surgery, a surgical technique with greater corrective power is often chosen compared to the primary surgery. Therefore, minimally invasive surgery is not commonly performed. On the other hand, minimally invasive surgery minimizes soft tissue damage and allows for greater correction of deformity compared to traditional open approaches. This paper reports four cases of recurrent hallux valgus treated with a minimally invasive distal transverse metatarsal osteotomy – Akin osteotomy (MITA), resulting in significant improvements in the clinical and radiographic outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Several differences in basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) were found, according to the ethnic group; for example, pigmented BCCs was more common in Asian or Hispanic patients. However, there are few reports on the subclinical extension of the BCC in Asian patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the subclinical infiltration of the basal cell carcinoma in Asian patients. METHODS: All patients with BCC who visited the department of dermatology at Korea University Ansan Hospital were treated with Mohs micrographic surgery. In 81 patients, 83 tumors of BCC were completely eradicated by Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) from April 2001 to August 2008, and were reviewed in this study. Information recorded included the total margin and the number of stages of Mohs micrographic surgery, anatomic location, tumor size, presence of pigmentation, clinical type, and pathological subtype. We divided the clinical types into nodular, ulcerated, and pigmented, and the pathological types into nodular, micronodular, morpheaform, and adenoid. The BCC was of pigmented type if pigmentation covered more than 25% of the tumor, regardless of whether pigmentation was distinct, or if there was apparent pigmentation that covered more than 10% of the tumor. RESULTS: The nose and cheek were the most common sites requiring more than one stage of surgery. In tumors smaller than 1 cm, 91.7% required only one stage of excision, compared with 60.6% in tumors larger than 1 cm. More than two Mohs stages were required in 25% of non-ulcerated BCCs and in 46.2% of ulcerated BCCs. Sixty eight percent of pigmented BCCs required only one stage of Mohs micrographic surgery. In cases of non-pigmented BCCs, only 45% required one Mohs stage. More than one Mohs stage was required in 19.2% of non-aggressive BCCs and in 42.9% of aggressive BCCs. CONCLUSION: Subclinical infiltration differed between the two groups according to the size of the BCC (1 cm threshold) and most of the BCCs were located in the head and neck area. Considering this result, indication for MMS can be extended for BCCs larger than 1 cm in Asian patients. Ulcerated BCCs required more Mohs stages than non-ulcerated BCCs. Pigmented BCCs might show lesser subclinical infiltration than non-pigmented BCCs. Aggressive pathological subtypes showed more subclinical infiltration than the non-aggressive types; however, after evaluation of the border that was excised with MMS, mixed histologic types were found to be more frequent than generally accepted. Therefore, we consider that, when planning surgery, dermatologists should not place too much confidence in the pathologic subtypes identified by biopsy.
Adenoids ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Cheek ; Dermatology ; Head ; Hispanic Americans ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Korea ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Mohs Surgery ; Neck ; Nose ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Pigmentation ; Ulcer

Following diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occulusion is probably the most common retinal vascular disorder. Author studied 47 cases of occlusion of the retinal vein in aspects of sex, age, laterality, change of visual acity, associated diseases and location of the affected vein. The results were as follows; 1. There was no significant difference in mobidity rate of retinal vein occlusion between male and female or right and left. 2.73% of BRVO affected superior temporal branch of retinal vein. 3. The incidence of BRVO is 2.2 times of that of CRVO. 4. The visual acuities of initial visit were below 0.1 in 73% of CRVO and 46% of BRVO. 5. 40% of CRVO retained or regained vision of 0.1 or better. 6. The most common associated disease was systemic hypertension.
Diabetic Retinopathy ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Male ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Veins ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVES: We have previous reported that thawed testicular sperm and sperm extracted from seminiferous tubule could achieved optimal fertilization and pregnancy in azoospermic patients. However, thawed testicular sperm did not show motility in many cases. Therefore we studied viability of immotile sperm extracted from frozen-thawed seminiferous tubule using hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test and eosin-Y test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After sperm extraction using for ICSI, the remained sections of seminiferous tubules were frozen with computerized freezer. For thawing and preparation of testicular sperm, the seminiferous tubules were thawed by removing from LN2 and letting them at room temperature for 10 min followed by 37degrees C water bath for 10 min. The prepared samples were washed for free of preservation medium and sperm preparation method described previous. Sperm was suspended in 0.1 ml hypoosmotic solution. After 30 minutes, the type of distally coiled sperm were assessed. RESULTS: In 44 cases of cryopreservation of seminiferous tubules in obstructive azoospermic patients, the fertilization rates with 2PN were 71.4% and pregnancy rates were 34.1%. The presence of motile spermatozoa on subsequent post-thaw testicular sperm remarked 15.1% and were increased to 77.3% just before ICSI. After sperm extracted from frozen-thawed seminiferous tubule, 3 hrs later in in vitro culture, the cases of presence of motile sperm, reaction of hypo-osmotic swelling test and viable sperm were 63.6% (28/44), 93.2% (41/44), and 77.3% (34/44), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Just after post-thawed testicular sperm did not showed motility. Although motility was gained after in vitro culture, many cases showed non-motile sperm until optimal insemination time. However, HOS test showed positive reaction in non-motile sperm. Therefore, HOS test is an alternative method for the selection of viable sperm for ICSI.
Baths ; Cryopreservation ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Insemination ; Linear Energy Transfer ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Seminiferous Tubules ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Spermatozoa* ; Water