OBJECTIVE: Patients with low acuity who need hospitalization may be at risk if they do not receive proper treatment in overcrowded emergency rooms. This study was conducted to investigate factors affecting the hospitalization of patients with low acuity of Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS). METHODS: This study was a retrospective chart review analysis of patients aged 15 years or older who had triaged as KTAS 4 and 5 grades when visiting a local emergency medical center from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to analyze the effects of age, sex, reasons for visiting, visiting route, ambulance utilization, KTAS grade and major category on patient admission. RESULTS: A total of 10,540 patients were enrolled and the odds ratio (OR) increased with age from those aged over 34 years (P < 0.001). Patients that triaged as KTAS grade 5 (adjusted OR, 1.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36–1.82), had a condition caused by disease (adjusted OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 2.00–2.68), and visited by using an ambulance (public: adjusted OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.91–1.22; private: adjusted OR, 4.60; 95% CI, 3.85–5.49) were more likely to be hospitalized. Individuals in the “general” major category were more likely to be hospitalized than those falling into other major categories (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The factors influencing the hospitalization of patients with low acuity were age, reasons for visiting, visiting route, ambulance utilization, KTAS grade and major category on patient admission.
Accidental Falls ; Ambulances ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Odds Ratio ; Patient Admission ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Triage

The aim of this study was to investigate antimicrobial effect of oleanolic acid (OA), ursolic acid (UA), and sophoraflavanone G against Enterococcus faecalis and Propionibacterium acnes, which are the major causative bacteria of endodontic infections. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The data showed that the OA, UA, and sophoraflavanone G had antimicrobial effect on all the strains use in the study with 16-64 microg/ml, 8-64 microg/ml, and 1-8 microg/ml of MIC values, respectively. These results indicate that OA, UA, and sophoraflavanone G could be useful in the development of antiseptic solution for washing the root canal in endodontic treatments.
Bacteria ; Dental Pulp Cavity ; Enterococcus faecalis* ; Oleanolic Acid* ; Propionibacterium acnes*

We would like to correct the article.

Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a high-intensity polychromatic incoherent light of a determined wavelength spectrum, fluence, and pulse duration. Clinicians can combine these variable factors of IPL for the purpose of selective destruction of target chromophores. Due to these properties, IPL has been widely used for numerous indications including hair removal and treatment of vascular or pigmented lesions. For skilled and experienced clinicians, IPL is a great treatment modality; however it can be a source of serious adverse effects when performed by untrained clinicians. Thus, to promote the proper and safe use of IPL, we summarized the origin, history, basic principles, and clinical application of IPL and discussed qualification factors needed for clinicians who use IPL.
Hair Removal

PURPOSE: Single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SPLC) is a new advanced technique in laparoscopic surgery. Many laparoscopic surgeons seek to gain skill in this new technique. However, little data has been accumulated and published formally yet. This article reports the achievement of 100 cases of SPLC with the hopes it will encourage laparoscopic surgery centers in the early adoption of SPLC. METHODS: A retrospective review of 100 prospectively selected cases of SPLC was carried out. All patients had received elective SPLC by a single surgeon in our center from May 2009 to December 2010. Our review suggests patients' character, perioperative data and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: Forty-two men and 58 women with an average age of 45.8 years had received SPLC. Their mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.85 kg/m2. The mean operating time took 76.75 minutes. However, operating time was decreased according to the increase of experience of SPLC cases. Twenty-one cases were converted to multi-port surgery. BMI, age, previous low abdominal surgical history did not seem to affect conversion to multi-port surgery. No cases were converted to open surgery. Mean duration of hospital stay was 2.18 days. Six patients had experienced complications from which they had recovered after conservative treatment. CONCLUSION: SPLC is a safe and practicable technique. The operating time is moderate and can be reduced with the surgeon's experience. At first, strict criteria was indicated for SPLC, however, with surgical experience, the criteria and area of SPLC can be broadened. SPLC is occupying a greater domain of conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Achievement ; Adoption ; Body Mass Index ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies

The influence of spinal cord injury (SCI) on protein expression in the rat urinary bladder was assessed by proteomic analysis at different time intervals post-injury. After contusion SCI between T9 and T10, bladder tissues were processed by 2-DE and MALDI-TOF/MS at 6 hr to 28 days after SCI to identify proteins involved in the healing process of SCI-induced neurogenic bladder. Approximately 1,000 spots from the bladder of SCI and sham groups were visualized and identified. At one day after SCI, the expression levels of three protein were increased, and seven spots were down-regulated, including heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) and heat shock protein 20 (Hsp20). Fifteen spots such as S100-A11 were differentially expressed seven days post-injury, and seven proteins including transgelin had altered expression patterns 28 days after injury. Of the proteins with altered expression levels, transgelin, S100-A11, Hsp27 and Hsp20 were continuously and variably expressed throughout the entire post-SCI recovery of the bladder. The identified proteins at each time point belong to eight functional categories. The altered expression patterns identified by 2-DE of transgelin and S100-A11 were verified by Western blot. Transgelin and protein S100-A11 may be candidates for protein biomarkers in the bladder healing process after SCI.
Animals ; Biological Markers/metabolism ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Female ; HSP20 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism ; HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism ; Microfilament Proteins/metabolism ; Muscle Proteins/metabolism ; Proteome/*biosynthesis ; Proteomics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; S100 Proteins/metabolism ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; Spinal Cord Injuries/*metabolism/pathology ; Urinary Bladder/*metabolism ; *Wound Healing

PURPOSE: Single-port laparoscopic surgery is a rapidly advancing technique in laparoscopic surgery. However, there is currently limited evidence on the learning curve for this procedure. The aim of this study was to estimate the number of single port laparoscopic cholecystectomies required until improvement in the performance of the technique ceases. METHODS: This is a descriptive, single-center study using routinely collected clinical data from 70 patients who underwent single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy between May 2009 and June 2010 at Dong-A University Medical Center in Busan, Korea. The review includes the mean operating time, conversion cases, intra-operative GB perforation, post-operative wound infection and mean hospital stay. RESULTS: The mean operating time of the first 30 cases (the learning period) was 91.83 minutes. After 30 operations (the experience period), it plateaued to an average of 75.25 minutes, which remained steady in the next 40 operations - a reduction of more than 16%. Reduction in the operating time was significant (P<0.001) between the learning period and the experience period. Other factors including additional ports, intraoperative gall bladder perforation, mean hospital stay, post-operative wound infection were not significantly different between the two periods. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the learning curve for single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be around thirty cases for a surgeon with prior conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy experience and for self-taught single port technique.
Academic Medical Centers ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholecystitis ; Humans ; Korea ; Laparoscopy ; Learning ; Learning Curve ; Length of Stay ; Urinary Bladder ; Wound Infection

BACKGROUND: Most lung cancer patients receive systemic chemotherapy at an advanced stage disease. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the main regimen for treating advanced lung cancer. Recently, autophagy has become an important mechanism of cellular adaptation under starvation or cell oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not autophagy can occurred in cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells. METHODS: H460 cells were incubated with RPMI 1640 and treated in 5 micrometer or 20 micrometer cisplatin concentrations at specific time intervals. Cells surviving cisplatin treatment were measured and compared using an MTT cell viability assay to cells that underwent apoptosis with autophagy by nuclear staining, apoptotic or autophagic related proteins, and autophagic vacuoles. The development of acidic vascular organelles was using acridine orange staining and fluorescent expression of GFP-LC3 protein in its transfected cells was observed to evaluate autophagy. RESULTS: Lung cancer cells treated with 5 micrometer cisplatin-treated were less sensitive to cell death than 20 micrometer cisplatin-treated cells in a time-dependent manner. Nuclear fragmentation at 5 micrometer was not detected, even though it was discovered at 20 micrometer. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavages were not detected in 5 micrometer within 24 hours. Massive vacuolization in the cytoplasm of 5 micrometer treated cells were observed. Acridine orange stain-positive cells was increased according in time-dependence manner. The autophagosome-incorporated LC3 II protein expression was increased in 5 micrometer treated cells, but was not detected in 20 micrometer treated cells. The expression of GFP-LC3 were increased in 5 micrometer treated cells in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: The induction of autophagy occurred in 5 micrometer dose of cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells.
Acridine Orange ; Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cisplatin ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Organelles ; Oxidative Stress ; Proteins ; Starvation ; Vacuoles

BACKGROUND: Most lung cancer patients receive systemic chemotherapy at an advanced stage disease. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the main regimen for treating advanced lung cancer. Recently, autophagy has become an important mechanism of cellular adaptation under starvation or cell oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not autophagy can occurred in cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells. METHODS: H460 cells were incubated with RPMI 1640 and treated in 5 micrometer or 20 micrometer cisplatin concentrations at specific time intervals. Cells surviving cisplatin treatment were measured and compared using an MTT cell viability assay to cells that underwent apoptosis with autophagy by nuclear staining, apoptotic or autophagic related proteins, and autophagic vacuoles. The development of acidic vascular organelles was using acridine orange staining and fluorescent expression of GFP-LC3 protein in its transfected cells was observed to evaluate autophagy. RESULTS: Lung cancer cells treated with 5 micrometer cisplatin-treated were less sensitive to cell death than 20 micrometer cisplatin-treated cells in a time-dependent manner. Nuclear fragmentation at 5 micrometer was not detected, even though it was discovered at 20 micrometer. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavages were not detected in 5 micrometer within 24 hours. Massive vacuolization in the cytoplasm of 5 micrometer treated cells were observed. Acridine orange stain-positive cells was increased according in time-dependence manner. The autophagosome-incorporated LC3 II protein expression was increased in 5 micrometer treated cells, but was not detected in 20 micrometer treated cells. The expression of GFP-LC3 were increased in 5 micrometer treated cells in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: The induction of autophagy occurred in 5 micrometer dose of cisplatin-treated lung cancer cells.
Acridine Orange ; Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cisplatin ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Organelles ; Oxidative Stress ; Proteins ; Starvation ; Vacuoles

BACKGROUND: Autophagy is an important adaptive mechanism in normal development and in response to changing environmental stimuli in cancer. Previous papers have reported that different types of cancer underwent autophagy to obtain amino acids as energy source of dying cells in nutrient-deprived conditions. However, whether or not autophagy in the process of lung cancer causes death or survival is controversial. Therefore in this study, we investigated whether nutrient deprivation induces autophagy in human H460 lung cancer cells. METHODS: H460, lung cancer cells were incubated in RPMI 1640 medium, and the starved media, which are BME and RPMI media without serum, including 2-deoxyl-D-glucose according to time dependence. To evaluate the viability and find out the mechanism of cell death under nutrient-deprived conditions, the MTT assay and flow cytometry were done and analyzed the apoptotic and autophagic related proteins. It is also measured the development of acidic vascular organelles by acridine orange. RESULTS: The nutrient-deprived cancer cell is relatively sensitive to cell death rather than normal nutrition. Massive cytoplasmic vacuolization was seen under nutrient-deprived conditions. Autophagic vacuoles were visible at approximately 12 h and as time ran out, vacuoles became larger and denser with the increasing number of vacuoles. In addition, the proportion of acridine orange stain-positive cells increased according to time dependence. Localization of GFP-LC3 in cytoplasm and expression of LC-3II and Beclin 1 were increased according to time dependence on nutrient-deprived cells. CONCLUSION: Nutrient deprivation induces cell death through autophagy in H460 lung cancer cells.
Acridine Orange ; Amino Acids ; Autophagy ; Cell Death ; Cytoplasm ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Malnutrition ; Organelles ; Proteins ; Vacuoles