This study was conducted to evaluate the tensile bond strength of three commercially available glass ionomer cements as orthodontic bracket adhesives. 120 premolars extracted for orthodontic treatment were prepared for bonding and standard edgewise brackets were bonded with Shofu GlasIonomer Cement (Shofu Co., U.S.A.), GC Fuji I(GC Co., Japan), KETAC-CEM(ESPE Co., West Germany) with different P/L ratio. The tensile bond strength was tested by Instron testing device after 24hours and 3months from bonding. After debracketing, bracket bases were examined to determine the failure sites. The results of this study were as follows: 1. KETAC-CEM showed the highest bond strength other than measurement after 24 hours and at its original P/L ratio, and seemed to have clinically a proper bond strength. It seemed, however, that both Shofu GlasIonomer Cement and GC Fuji I had an inappropriate bond strength. 2. The incorporation of additional powder into the mixture improved the tensile bond strength. 3. Prolonged storage time improved the tensile bond strength. 4. Of the failure, failure occured at the tooth-adhesive interface(54.2%) was the most common type. The second type of failure(36.7%) was combination type, where part of the adhesive remained on the tooth and part on the bracket. And the last type of failure(9.1%) occured at the adhesive-bracket interface.
Adhesives ; Bicuspid ; Glass Ionomer Cements* ; Glass* ; Orthodontic Brackets ; Tooth

PURPOSE: We evaluated one patient with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS), using fundus fluorescein angiography (FAG), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) on acute phase of the disease, at 2 weeks after onset and at 10weeks. METHODS: Each diagnostic images were compared with patient's clinical course .OCT measurements of serial retinal thickness were done to assess the change in retinal thickness over the disease process. RESULTS: White dots on fundoscopic examination showed hypofluorescent on ICGA and imaged hyperreflective on OCT without presence of neither subretinal fluid nor neuroretinal increase in thickness. These ICGA and OCT findings suggest that lesions of perfusion defect on ICGA may be caused by interstitial precipitations of inflammatory cells in choriocapillaries and the underlying mechanism is not due to vasculitis with edema or serous exudation. CONCLUSIONS: ICGA and OCT allowed more precise anatomic evaluation than FAG in diagnosis and correlated well with clinical symptoms.
Angiography ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Perfusion ; Retinaldehyde ; Subretinal Fluid ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Vasculitis

BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss, and androgens and genetic predisposition are believed to be the major factors that influence the development of AGA. Although there have been previous reports about the relationship between family history, smoking and insulin resistance with AGA, no previous study has investigated lifestyle habits such as eating habits in AGA patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate family history, lifestyle including smoking and eating habits in AGA patients and to compare the results with data from Korea Health Statistics 2009: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANESIV-3). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated a total of 347 male patients with AGA who visited the Department of dermatology, Inha University School of medicine, from September 2010 to August 2012. RESULTS: AGA with paternal family history was the most common (49.9%), and both of maternal and paternal family history was the least (10.1%). Body mass index and smoking did not show significant differences but eating habits showed a statistically significant difference according to the duration of AGA. Patients with longer disease duration (> or =60 months) showed higher intake of meat but low intake of fish than those with shorter disease duration (<12 months). Also, AGA patients showed low intake of beef, bean and squid in comparison to the average Korean population. CONCLUSION: This was the first study which investigated lifestyle habits such as eating habits in AGA patients and compared the results with data from Korea Health Statistics. However, a further large scale Cohort study is needed to define the casual relationship between eating habits and the development of AGA. Also, a further study including the difference of serum and hair androgen levels in relation to different lifestyle habits should be done.
Alopecia* ; Androgens ; Body Mass Index ; Cohort Studies ; Decapodiformes ; Dermatology ; Eating ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Hair ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Korea ; Life Style* ; Male ; Meat ; Nutrition Surveys ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking

No abstract available.
Atrioventricular Block

PURPOSE: This study was performed in order to compare unenhanced CT with diffusion-weighted, T2-weight-ed,and fast FLAIR MR imaging in the detection of hyperacute cerebral ischema induced in a dog and to deter-mine whichmodality first detected cerebral ischemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental cerebral infarction was induced bythe occlusion of intracerebral arter-ies using embolic materials (polyvinyl-alcohol, 300 -6 00 micro) introducedthrough a microcatheter into the internal carotid artery of five dogs weighing 12 -20 kg. Serial CT and MR imageswere obtained at one hour intervals from one to five hours after occlusion, and were analyzed independently by tworadiologists. We assessed changes in attenuation, as seen on unenhanced CT and the signal intensity of the lesionon each MR image, and measured the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the lesions. RESULTS: Ischemic lesions weredetected on unenhanced CT 1 -3 hours after occlusion of cerebral arteries. In all dogs, the lesions were detectedearliest on diffusion-weighted images obtained at 1 hour. They were detect-ed on T2-weighted images at 3 -5 hoursand on fast FLAIR images of 2 -5 hours. The CNR of ischemic lesions increased gradually during the 5-hour period.It was highest on diffusion-weighted images, while on unen-hanced CT, T2-weighted, and fast FLAIR images it wassimilar. CONCLUSION: Hyperacute ischemic lesions were detected earliest on diffusion-weighted images, and earlieron unenhanced CT than on fast FLAIR or T2-weighted MR image.
Animals ; Brain Ischemia ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Cerebral Arteries ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Dogs* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging*

BACKGROUND: Paradoxical embolism through the patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a well-recognized mechanism for otherwise unexplained ischemic stroke. Although transthoracic contrast echocardiography (TCE) has been used frequently for noninvasive diagnosis of right to left shunt through PFO, its diagnostic accuracy appears limited, especially in patients with poor acoustic window. Since harmonic imaging (HI) can enhance the definition of contrast microbubbles, theoretical advantages of HI in the detection of right to left shunt through PFO using microbubbles can be considered. However, there are few data regarding the diagnostic efficacy of HI in the detection of right to left shunt through PFO. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of transthoracic HI in the detection of right to left shunt through PFO in patients with stroke with that of fundamental imaging (FI). Methods: One hundred thirty-six consecutive patients with stroke (82 male, mean age:9) underwent TCE in both HI and FI and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) during rest and Valsalva maneuver with intravenous administration of agitated saline. PFO was judged to be present if microbubbles appeared in the left atrium within 3 cardiac cycles of their appearance in the right atrium. TEE was regarded as the gold standard for assessing the diagnostic accuracy of TCE. Results: Right to left shunt through PFO was detected in 40 of 136 patients by TEE (29.4%). FI of TCE detected shunt through PFO in only 9 of 136 patients (6.6%). In contrast, HI detected shunt through PFO in 25 of 136 patients (18.4%). The overall sensitivity and specificity of FI and HI for detection of right to left shunt through PFO were 22.5%, 62.5% (p<0.05) and 100%, 100%, respectively. Valsalva maneuver during HI significantly increased the detection rate of shunt through PFO (during rest in 9 and during Valsalva maneuver in 25, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: HI with contrast microbubble injection significantly enhanced the detection of right to left shunt through PFO in patients with ischemic stroke compared with FI by transthoracic approach.
Acoustics ; Administration, Intravenous ; Diagnosis ; Dihydroergotamine ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Embolism, Paradoxical ; Foramen Ovale, Patent* ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Male ; Microbubbles ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stroke ; Valsalva Maneuver

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether we have to stop the antiplatelet agents prior to hemiarthroplasty surgery in patients with displaced femur neck fractures to reduce postoperative complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled forty-three patients with displaced femur neck fractures who were treated by bipolar hemiarthroplasty and were taking antiplatelet agents. Group I included 21 patients who discontinued antiplatelet agents and had delayed operations at an average 5.7 days and group II included 22 patients who had had early operations within 24 hours without stopping the antiplatelet agents. We compared the pre- and postoperative levels of hemoglobin, the volume of postoperative transfusion requirement and complications. Student's t-test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The average differences between preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin was 1.4+/-0.4 g/dL decrease in group I and 2.1+/-0.5 g/dL decrease in group II (P<0.001). Patients who received a blood transfusion were 11 in group I and 13 in group II (P=0.66). Total number of blood transfusion was 13 pints in group I and 18 pints in group II (P=0.23). Pneumonia occurred in one patient in each group. Four pressure sores and three diaper rashes were developed in group I. But there were no patients requiring massive transfusion, reoperation due to hematoma and infection in each group. CONCLUSION: Although continuous taking of antiplatelet agents in displaced femur neck fracture is associated with an increased risk of postoperative bleeding, taking an antiplatelet agent itself is not a contraindication of early surgery.
Blood Transfusion ; Diaper Rash ; Femoral Neck Fractures* ; Femur Neck* ; Femur* ; Hematoma ; Hemiarthroplasty ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; Pneumonia ; Postoperative Complications ; Pressure Ulcer ; Reoperation

Lipoid proteinosis is a rare autosomal recessively inherited disorder that is characterized by the deposition of hyaline-like material in the skin, oral cavity, and other organs. Microscopically, there is extensive deposition of amorphous eosinophilic material surrounding capillaries, sweat glands and in papillary dermis. Although the pathogenesis of this disease is not well understood, it is believed that it may result from the defect of collagen metabolism leading to abnormal accumulation of noncollagenous glycoprotein. We report a case of lipoid proteinosis in a 20-year-old female that demonstrates the characteristic clinical, histopathological, and ultramicroscopic features of this disease.
Capillaries ; Collagen ; Dermis ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Mouth ; Skin ; Sweat Glands ; Young Adult

Nowadays breast reconstruction with autologous tissues after radical mastectomy is commonly performed, and a natural inframammary fold in the reconstructed breast is considered to be an essential aspect of symmetrical breast shape and location. Total of 104 patients underwent breast reconstruction with free TRAM flap and formation of inframammary fold with free TRAM breast reconstruction was done in 79 patients. No suture fixation for inframammary fold were done in 19 patients. 27 patients(24.0%) were made of inframammary fold with absorbable suture, 52 patients (50.0%) underwent inframammary fold creation with nonabsorbable suture. There were 4 cases(16.0%) of displacement of reconstructed breast and 2 cases(8.0%) of partial disruption of inframammary fold in the group of no suture. There were 2 cases(7.4%) of displacement of reconstructed breast and 3 cases(11.1%) of partial disruption of inframmamary fold in the fixed group with absorbable suture. There was only 1 case(1.9%) of partial disruption of inframammary fold fixed with nonabsorbable suture group. Therefore, we could speculate that the reinforcement of ligamentous structure for making the definite inframammary fold is necessary, and the area of the inframammary fold should not be undermined in immediate breast reconstruction as much as possible in order to preserve the zone of adherence. If the fold is disrupted during the mastectomy, it should be re-created with the non-absorbable sutures. Nonabsorbable suture fixation seemed to be more stable than absorbable suture. Preoperative marking and design are very important to make the symmetrical shape and location of inframammary fold in both of immediate and delayed reconstruction of breasts.
Breast* ; Female ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Mammaplasty* ; Mastectomy ; Mastectomy, Radical ; Sutures

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*