Objectives: This study aimed to identify the relationship between mental health problems and oral health in older adults. Methods: The participants of this study were older adults aged 65 years or older. The study used the data of 16,489 people who responded to the 7th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of depression on the frequency of tooth brushing when confounding factors such as income quintile and smoking were considered. Statistical software, SAS 9.4 ver. (SAS Institute, Cary, NC) was used. Results: Depressed older adult participants were 1.3 times more likely to brush their teeth less than three times a day than non-depressed participants, which was statistically significant. In women with depression, the odds of brushing their teeth less than three times a day were 1.5 times higher than those without depression, which was statistically significant. Conclusions Depression in older adults is correlated with the number of tooth brushes per day. Moreover, depression in women affects their number of tooth brushes.

Hypersensitivity to mosquito bites is a disorder characterized by necrotic skin reactions and systemic generalized symptoms subsequent to mosquito bites. This disease has been reported mostly in Japanese patients in their first two decades of life. Recent studies have revealed that hypersensitivity to mosquito bites is frequently associated with chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection and natural killer cell leukemia/lymphoma. We describe here a Korean male adolescent who had hypersensitivity to mosquito bites accompanied by chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection and atypical lymphocytosis.
Adolescent ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Culicidae* ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lymphocytosis* ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Developing predictive markers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important, because many patients experience recurrence and metastasis. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a developmental process that plays an important role during embryogenesis and also during cancer metastasis. Paired-related homeobox protein 1 (Prrx-1) is an EMT inducer that has recently been introduced, and its prognostic significance in HCC is largely unknown. METHODS: Tissue microarray was constructed using surgically resected primary HCCs from 244 cases. Immunohistochemical staining of E-cadherin and Prrx-1 was performed. The correlation between E-cadherin loss and Prrx-1 expression, as well as other clinicopathologic factors, was evaluated. RESULTS: E-cadherin expression was decreased in 96 cases (39.4%). Loss of E-cadherin correlated with a higher recurrence rate (p < .001) but was not correlated with patient's survival. Thirty-two cases (13.3%) showed at least focal nuclear Prrx-1 immunoreactivity while all non-neoplastic livers (n = 22) were negative. Prrx-1 expression was not associated with E-cadherin loss, survival or recurrence rates, pathologic factors, or the Ki-67 labeling index. Twenty tumors that were positive for E-cadherin and Prrx-1 had significantly higher nuclear grades than the rest of the cohort (p = .037). In Cox proportional hazard models, E-cadherin loss and large vessel invasion were independent prognostic factors for shorter disease-free survival. Cirrhosis and high Ki-67 index (> 40%) were independent prognostic factors for shorter overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Prrx-1 was expressed in small portions of HCCs but not in normal livers. Additional studies with a large number of Prrx-1-positive cases are required to confirm the results of this study.
Cadherins* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cohort Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; Embryonic Development ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Genes, Homeobox ; Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pregnancy ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND: Xenotrasplantation is a possible alternative for organ shortage in clinical transplantation, but hyperacute xenograft rejection has been a big huddle. Pre-existing natural xenoreactive antibodies and consequent activation of the complement system are thought to play major roles in hyperacute rejection. To set a monitorig test for the hyperacute rejection in xenotransplantation, we optimised a complement hemolytic assay and evaluated its in-vitro precisions and clinical implications. METHODS: Complement hemolytic activities of normal human sera on rabbit or porcine red blood cells (RBCs) in each gelatin veronal buffer with or without dextrose were compared to retrieve optimal conditions for assay. The precision and activity range of normal human sera were evaluated at a given optimum condition. And we also assayed complement hemolytic activities of the sera obtained from various models of xenotransplantated animal, and assessed its association with other clinical parameters. RESULTS: The assay with rabbit RBCs in gelatin veronal buffer containing dextrose showed linear hemolytic reactions in the broadest range of serum dilutions with the least background hemolysis. Its intra- and inter-assay coefficient variation was 1.3% and 8.1%, respectively. The complement hemolytic activity was dependent on the serum levels of C3 and IgM. Severe hyperacute rejection in lung xenotransplantation was accompanied with a rapid decline of serum complement hemolytic activities compared to the basal level. CONCLUSIONS: The complement hemolytic assay using rabbit red cells has a clinically acceptable range of precision, and seems to be useful for the evaluation of hyperacute rejection in clinical xenotransplantation.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Barbital ; Complement System Proteins* ; Erythrocytes ; Gelatin ; Glucose ; Hemolysis ; Heterografts ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Lung ; Transplantation, Heterologous*

Background: Since the emergence of hypervirulent strains of Clostridioides difficile, the incidence of C. difficile infections (CDI) has increased significantly. Methods: To assess the incidence of CDI in Korea, we conducted a prospective multicentre observational study from October 2020 to October 2021. Additionally, we calculated the incidence of CDI from mass data obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) from 2008 to 2020. Results: In the prospective study with active surveillance, 30,212 patients had diarrhoea and 907 patients were diagnosed with CDI over 1,288,571 patient-days and 193,264 admissions in 18 participating hospitals during 3 months of study period; the CDI per 10,000 patientdays was 7.04 and the CDI per 1,000 admission was 4.69. The incidence of CDI was higher in general hospitals than in tertiary hospitals: 6.38 per 10,000 patient-days (range: 3.25–12.05) and 4.18 per 1,000 admissions (range: 1.92–8.59) in 11 tertiary hospitals, vs. 9.45 per 10,000 patient-days (range: 5.68–13.90) and 6.73 per 1,000 admissions (range: 3.18–15.85) in seven general hospitals. With regard to HIRA data, the incidence of CDI in all hospitals has been increasing over the 13-year-period: from 0.3 to 1.8 per 10,000 patient-days, 0.3 to 1.6 per 1,000 admissions, and 6.9 to 56.9 per 100,000 population, respectively. Conclusion The incidence of CDI in Korea has been gradually increasing, and its recent value is as high as that in the United State and Europe. CDI is underestimated, particularly in general hospitals in Korea.