This study was designed to assess profile preferences among Korean youths in the year 1992. Facial esthetics was evaluated by means of silhouette profiles, eliminating the influence of a number of aspects that may affect judgment when normal lateral photographs are used. The main points of preference to be clarified here are as follows: First, on facial convexity, Second, on nasion depth, Third, on mentolabial sulcus depth, Fourth, on the position of upper and lower lips, Fifth, on facial type according to Angle's classification of malocclusion, Sixth, on Song's tangents. The 54 subjects printed in questionnaire as black and white silhouettes were selected from 300 tracings from cephalometric radiographs of people whose age ranging from 11 to 20 years. Photographs of six female subjects were retouched by computer graphic software and printed in color and black/white photographs which were used for adaptation of eyes of participants in selecting profiles in silhouette. They constitute 2 questions. The 54 subjects were grouped as 22 questions, each of them composed of 6 subjects, according to the aspects to be clarified. Twenty four questions in total were asked to assess profile preferences. For the assessment, the profile line, the facial esthetic triangle, Song's tangents, and Angle's classification of malocclusion were introduced. The profile line is composed of 11 component points which are Trichion, Glabella, Nasion, Pronasale, Subnasale, Labrale superius, Stomion, Labrale inferius, Supramentale, Pogonion, and Gnathion. The facial esthetic triangle is composed of 3 tangents: A-tangent which is the tangent of dorsum of nose, B-tangent which is the line passing through Sn and Ls, and C-tangent which is drawn on the turning point of the curve which lies between mentolabial sulcus (Sm) and pogonion (Pg). Angle's classification has 3 types of malocclusion which are Class I, Class II, and Class III. Class II malocclusion is subdivided into Division 1 and Division 2. The participants of the survey were composed of 861 college students (448 male students, 413 female students) whose majors grouped as Fine Arts Liberal Arts, and Natural Sciences, and whose mean age 21.8 years. The statistics program SPSS/PC + of SPSS Inc. was used to analyze answers of participants. Crosstabulation, Chi-square test, and Kendall test were done. The conclusions are as follows: First, Korean youths have a tendency to prefer the slightly convex face to the flat or concave face. Second, they prefer a moderately deep nasion. Third, they prefer a moderately deep mentolabial sulcus. Fourth, they prefer the position of lips which are near to Ricketts' E-line. The position of the upper lip which is slightly posterior to E-line is preferred. The upper lip which lies too far anterior or posterior to the lower lip is not perferred. Fifth, they prefer most, according to Angle's Classification of Malocclusion, Class I facial profile which has a slight inclination to Class II division 2. The order of preference is Class I, Class II division 2, Class III, and Class II division 1. Sixth, they prefer the type 2 and 3 of Song's tangents. The facial profile within which A-and B-tangent meet is preferred. The facial profile which has C-tangent that meets with A-tangent slightly posterior to the crossing point of A-and B-tangent or that parallels with B-tangent is preferred.
Adolescent* ; Computer Graphics ; Esthetics ; Female ; Humans ; Judgment ; Lip ; Male ; Malocclusion ; Natural Science Disciplines ; Nose ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Eclampsia* ; Female ; Humans ; Magnesium* ; Neuromuscular Blockade* ; Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association of platelet distribution width (PDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) with disease activity indices of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in patients whose laboratory results or medical conditions would not affect PDW and MPV levels. METHODS: We analysed demographic and laboratory data of 88 patients with AS. On the same day as the laboratory tests were done, we assessed AS disease activity using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients Global Score and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (ASDAS-ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (ASDAS-CRP). The association was analyzed by linear regression. RESULTS: The median age of 88 patients was 38.0 years and the median length of observation was 5.5 years. The median platelet count was 266,500.0/µL, the median PDW was 10.7 fL and the median MPV 9.6 fL. The median ESR was 19.0 mm/hr and CRP was 2.5 mg/L. Among acute reactants, only CRP was negatively correlated with MPV, but not PDW (r=−0.218, p<0.041). However, both PDW and MPV were not significantly correlated with any disease activity index of AS. On multivariate linear regression analysis, only the length of observation was significantly correlated with MPV (β=0.224, p<0.044). CONCLUSION: PDW and MPV were not potent surrogate markers to reflect AS activity, with potential confounding strictly controlled, to affect MPV and PDW levels.
Baths ; Biomarkers ; Blood Platelets* ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Mean Platelet Volume* ; Platelet Count ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*

Oral dantrolene causes a dose-dependent depression of skeletal muscle contractility. A 52-year-old man treated with oral dantrolene for spasticity after spinal cord injury was scheduled to undergo irrigation and drainage of a thigh abscess under general anesthesia. He had taken 50 mg oral dantrolene per day for 3 years. Under standard neuromuscular monitoring, anesthesia was performed with propofol, rocuronium, and sevoflurane. A bolus dose of ED95 (0.3 mg/kg) of rocuronium could not depress T1 up to 95%. An additional dose of rocuronium depressed T1 completely and decreased the train-of-four (TOF) count to zero. There was no apparent prolongation of the neuromuscular blocking action of rocuronium. The TOF ratio was recovered to more than 0.9 within 40 minutes after the last dose of rocuronium. A small dose of oral dantrolene does not prolong the duration of action and recovery of rocuronium.
Abscess ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Dantrolene* ; Depression ; Drainage ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Spasticity ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Neuromuscular Blockade ; Neuromuscular Monitoring ; Propofol ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Thigh

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and glycated albumin (GA) are well correlated with the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and ASDAS-C-reactive protein (CRP) in AS patients without medical conditions affecting the glycated protein levels. METHODS: The data of 76 patients with AS were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the variables associated with ASDAS-ESR and ASDAS-CRP were performed using a linear regression test. The patients were divided into active and inactive AS groups based on an ASDAS-CRP of 2.1, and the variables between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: ASDAS-ESR did not correlated with either HbA1c or GA. ASDAS-CRP was positively correlated with HbA1c (r=0.315, p=0.006) and the white blood cell (r=0.288, p=0.012), and inversely correlated with hemoglobin (r=−0.241, p=0.036) and serum albumin (r=−0.262, p=0.022), but not GA. Multivariate analysis revealed HbA1c and white blood cell to be significantly correlated with ASDAS-CRP (β=0.234, p=0.033 and β=0.265, p=0.017). The mean HbA1c, not GA, of the active group was significantly higher than that of the inactive group (p=0.020). In addition, the optimal cut-off value of HbA1c was set to 5.6, and the patients with HbA1c ≥5.6 were found to have a 3.3 times higher risk of active AS than those without. CONCLUSION: HbA1c was significantly correlated with ASDAS-CRP, and could be a useful marker to reflect ASDAS-CRP in AS patients without medical conditions affecting the glycated protein levels.
Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Linear Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Serum Albumin ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*

Background: Several parameters are useful for assessing disease severity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); however, the role of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( 18 F-FDG PET/CT) is not well-defined. We aimed to evaluate the value of 18 F-FDG PET/CT for assessing disease severity and prognosis in IPF patients. Methods: Clinical data of 89 IPF patients (mean age: 68.1 years, male: 94%) who underwent18 F-FDG PET/CT for evaluation of lung nodules or cancer staging were retrospectively reviewed. Mean and maximal standardized uptake values (SUV mean , SUV max , respectively) were measured in the fibrotic area. Adjusted SUV, including SUV ratio (SUVR, defined as SUV max -to-liver SUV mean ratio), tissue fraction-corrected SUV mean (SUV meanTF ), and SUVR (SUVRTF ), and tissue-to-blood ratio (SUV max /SUV mean venous; TBR blood ) were obtained. Death was defined as the primary outcome, and associations between other clinical parameters (lung function, exercise capacity, C-reactive protein [CRP] level) were also investigated. Results: All SUV parameters were inversely correlated with the forced vital capacity, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, and positively correlated with CRP level and the gender-agephysiology index. The SUV mean , SUV max , and SUV meanTF were associated with changes in lung function at six months. The SUVR (hazard ratio [HR], 1.738; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.011–2.991), SUVR TF (HR, 1.441; 95% CI, 1.000–2.098), and TBR blood (HR, 1.377; 95% CI, 1.038–1.827) were significant predictors for mortality in patients with IPF in the univariate analysis, but not in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion 18 F-FDG PET/CT may provide additional information on the disease severity and prognosis in IPF patients, and the SUVR may be superior to other SUV parameters.

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a challenging condition for pain management specialists. The prevention of herpes zoster (HZ) and subsequent PHN in individuals aged 50 years and older, via the development of new vaccines, is an ongoing research project. The live zoster vaccine (LZV, Zostavax®) was the first proof of concept that vaccination could prevent HZ, but LZV cannot be used in various immunecompromised patients. This led to the development of a new non-live recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV, Shingrix®). This RZV has shown promising results in many clinical trials, with high reactogenicity and similar systemic adverse effects compared to those of LZV. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended LZV as a standard vaccine for HZ prevention in adults ≥ 50 years of age, but no studies directly comparing the safety and efficacy of RZV and LZV vaccines have been conducted. This article reviews the brief history, efficacy, and safety of the two vaccines and discusses the advantage of RZV over LZV based on the available literature.

Cesarean Section ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Vacuum

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a qualitative study to explore the feasibility of mobile applications for self-monitoring of diet. METHODS: We conducted in-depth and focus group interviews with eight laymen who had used mobile dietary applications and eight experts. Interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed using an open coding method. RESULTS: The qualitative data of our study revealed two key themes: (1) perceptions, opinions and attitudes towards mobile applications of self-monitoring of diet and (2) future directions to improve mobile applications. CONCLUSIONS: Our qualitative study suggested the potential use of mobile applications as a food-tracking and dietary monitoring tool and the need for improved mobile applications for self-monitoring of diet. The results of our study may provide insights into how to technically improve mobile applications for self-monitoring of diet, how to utilize dietary data generated through mobile applications, and how to improve individual's health though mobile applications.
Clinical Coding ; Diet ; Focus Groups ; Methods ; Mobile Applications

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a qualitative study to explore the feasibility of mobile applications for self-monitoring of diet. METHODS: We conducted in-depth and focus group interviews with eight laymen who had used mobile dietary applications and eight experts. Interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed using an open coding method. RESULTS: The qualitative data of our study revealed two key themes: (1) perceptions, opinions and attitudes towards mobile applications of self-monitoring of diet and (2) future directions to improve mobile applications. CONCLUSIONS: Our qualitative study suggested the potential use of mobile applications as a food-tracking and dietary monitoring tool and the need for improved mobile applications for self-monitoring of diet. The results of our study may provide insights into how to technically improve mobile applications for self-monitoring of diet, how to utilize dietary data generated through mobile applications, and how to improve individual's health though mobile applications.
Clinical Coding ; Diet ; Focus Groups ; Methods ; Mobile Applications