Background: Recent studies have successfully implemented next-generation sequencing (NGS) in HLA typing. We performed HLA NGS in a Korean population to estimate HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 allele and haplotype frequencies up to an 8-digit resolution, which might be useful for an extended application of HLA results. Methods: A total of 128 samples collected from healthy unrelated Korean adults, previously subjected to Sanger sequencing for 6-digit HLA analysis, were used. NGS was performed for HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 using the AllType NGS kit (One Lambda, West Hills, CA, USA), Ion Torrent S5 platform (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA), and Type Steam Visual NGS analysis software (One Lambda). Results: Eight HLA alleles showed frequencies of ≥ 10% in the Korean population, namely, A*24:02:01:01 (19.5%), A*33:03:01 (15.6%), A*02:01:01:01 (14.5%), A*11:01:01:01 (13.3%), B*15:01:01:01 (10.2%), C*01:02:01 (19.9%), C*03:04:01:02 (11.3%), and DRB1*09:01:02 (10.2%). Nine previous 6-digit HLA alleles were further identified as two or more 8-digit HLA alleles. Of these, eight alleles (A*24:02:01, B*35:01:01, B*40:01:02, B*55:02:01, B*58:01:01, C*03:02:02, C*07:02:01, and DRB1*07:01:01) were identified as two 8-digit HLA alleles, and one allele (B*51:01:01) was identified as three 8-digit HLA alleles. The most frequent four-loci haplotype was HLA-A*33:03:01-B*44:03:01:01-C*14:03-DRB1*13:02:01. Conclusions We identified 8-digit HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 allele and haplotype frequencies in a healthy Korean population using NGS. These new data can be used as a representative Korean data for further disease-related HLA type analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of customized vestibular exercise through literature review. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We searched several literature database such as Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-EMBASE, and Cochrane Library etc., with the following inclusion criteria: 1) studies of patients with dizziness and balance disorders, 2) studies in which a customized vestibular exercise was performed, and 3) studies in which one or more of the appropriate medical outcomes have been reported. At the same time, we excluded the following: 1) non-human studies and pre-clinical studies, 2) non-original articles, for example, non-systematic reviews, editorial, letter and opinion pieces, 3) research not published in Korean and English, 4) grey literature (thesis, congress or conference materials, abstract etc.), and 5) case studies. Finally, 10 studies were selected and analyzed. RESULTS: The safety of customized vestibular exercise was reported in three documents which reported no side effects related to the procedure. The effectiveness of customized vestibular exercise was proven by the assessment of symptom change, functional change, and other physiological measures based on a total of 10 randomized clinical trial studies. CONCLUSION: For patients with vestibular dysfunction, a customized vestibular exercise can be a safe and effective technique for improving dizziness and balance function.
Dizziness ; Humans ; Methods

No abstract available.
Amphotericin B/therapeutic use ; Antifungal Agents/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Cryptococcosis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology ; Cryptococcus/classification/drug effects/*isolation & purification ; DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry/metabolism ; Fluconazole/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Peritonitis/*diagnosis/etiology ; Phylogeny ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/drug effects/isolation & purification ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

Phytobezoars are the most common bezoars composed of non-digestible food materials, such as fiber, seeds, skin of fruits. The predisposing factors of bezoars are altered gastrointestinal motility and anatomy. It is uncommon for bezoars occurring in patient with normal gastric anatomy to cause impaction on the duodenal bulb. We experienced a phytobezoar at the duodenal bulb causing gastric outlet obstruction in a patient who had no predisposing factors. The patient was treated by endoscopic removal.
Bezoars ; Duodenum ; Fruit ; Gastric Outlet Obstruction ; Gastrointestinal Motility ; Humans ; Seeds ; Skin

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are many possible causes of sudden deafness such as viral infection, vascular occlusion, immune-mediated mechanism and abnormal cellular stress response in the cochlea. Viral hypothesis is one of the potential mechanisms for explaining sudden deafness. The aims of this study were to investigate the usefulness of viral IgM antibodies to evaluate the clinical findings and prognosis in sudden sensorineural hearing loss and to identify the more useful viral IgM antibodies. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective study was carried out for 283 patients with sudden deafness. The results of serologic tests performed for the following were studied: Ebstein barr virus (EBV), Measles, Mumps, Toxoplasma, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Varicella zoster virus, Herpes simplex virus, and human immunodeficiency virus. Results of blood tests and audiologic tests taken initially and 2 months after the onset of sudden deaf were studied as well. RESULTS: Positive ratio of Viral IgM antibodies was 4.9% (13/283). Clincial findings and prognosis of viral IgM positive patients were not different from other sudden deafness patients except for the age factor. EBV Viral capsid antigen, EBV Early antigen-diffuse and restrict complex were common positive viral markers in sudden hearing loss patients. One third of the patients (4/13) had viral markers for Measles, Mumps and Toxoplasma. CONCLUSION: In sudden deafness, the positive ratio of serologic tests for viral IgM antibodies was less than 5% and viral IgM positive patients had similar clinical findings and prognosis to viral IgM negative patients. However, viral origins of Measles, toxoplasam and Mumps as well as EBV should be considered in sudden deafness patients with the symptoms and signs of viral infection.
Age Factors ; Antibodies ; Biomarkers ; Capsid ; Cochlea ; Cytomegalovirus ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Hematologic Tests ; Herpesvirus 3, Human ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; HIV ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Measles ; Methylmethacrylates ; Mumps ; Polystyrenes ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rubella ; Serologic Tests ; Simplexvirus ; Toxoplasma ; Viruses

Gastrointestinal angiodysplasia is one of the causes of acute and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, and gastrointestinal angiodysplasia makes up 2~6% of all the cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Bleeding from the ampulla of Vater is very rare. We report here on an unusual case of bleeding from angiodysplasia at the ampulla of Vater in a 58-aged woman with end stage renal failure. This lesion was successfully treated with endoscopic argon plasma coagulation.
Ampulla of Vater ; Angiodysplasia ; Argon Plasma Coagulation ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Renal Insufficiency

PURPOSE: Iodine has been used for the prevention or management of wound infection as a topical agent. Although iodine was widely used mainly by Betadine(R) and cadexomer iodine, there was no comparative study on the efficacies of dressing methods of iodine. And also it's wound healing effect was not yet clear. The purpose of this study is to compare antibacterial effects and wound healing effects associated with various dressing methods of iodine on infected full thickness skin defect in the mouse. METHODS: One full thickness skin defects in the mice (n=60) were developed on the back and left open for twenty-four hours. Sixty mice were divided into four groups : group S(dressing with Betadine(R) soaking, n=15), group T (dressing with Betadine(R) topping, n=15), group I(dressing with Iodosorb(R), n=15), group G(control group, dressing with dry gauze, n=15). The size of the wound defects and the grades of wound healing were evaluated in 4, 7, 10 days, and antibacterial effect was evaluated with restricted zone in Mueller Hinton agar by disk diffusion method. RESULTS: After the wound was left open for twenty-four hours, many Staphylococcus aureus were cultured. The wound defect size was decreased in order of Betadine(R) soaking, Iodosorb(R), Betadine(R) topping and gauze dressing group in all days, but difference among experimental groups was not statistically significant. The grade score of wound healing was increased in order of Betadine(R) soaking, Iodosorb(R), Betadine(R) topping and gauze dressing group, and the difference was statistically significant. Antibacterial effect for S. aureus was increased in order of Iodosorb(R), Betadine(R) soaking, Betadine(R) topping and gauze dressing group, and the difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Selection of the effective dressing method of iodine for infected wounds remains a controversial decision. According to this study, Iodosorb(R) may be most effective method for antibacterial effect and Betadine(R) soaking may be most effective method for infected wound healing. However, further study is necessary to evaluate the clinical efficacy of dressing methods of iodine and to search for the mechanisms that explain their effects.
Agar ; Animals ; Bandages ; Diffusion ; Iodine ; Iodophors ; Mice ; Skin ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Wound Healing ; Wound Infection

Ochrobactrum anthropi is a ubiquitous gram-negative bacillus and currently thought to be an opportunistic pathogen. We experienced a 66-year-old male patient with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)-related peritonitis caused by O. anthropi. Susceptible antibiotic therapy including amikacin and ciprofloxacin improved the patient's clinical status. However, peritoneal effluent showed sustained leukocytosis, thus CAPD catheter was removed. After 2 weeks of temporary hemodialysis, CAPD was successfully restarted with reinsertion of catheter. This is, to our knowledge, the first case of CAPD-related peritonitis caused by O. anthropi in Korea.
Aged ; Amikacin ; Bacillus ; Catheters ; Ciprofloxacin ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukocytosis ; Male ; Ochrobactrum ; Ochrobactrum anthropi ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Peritonitis ; Renal Dialysis

PURPOSE: Many topical agents had been used for contaminated wound treatment. Although antimicrobial ointments were widely used as topical agents, their comparative antibacterial and wound healing effects were largely unreported. The purpose of this study was to compare antibacterial effects and wound healing effects of common topical ointments on infected full thickness skin defect in the mouse. METHODS: One full thickness skin defects in the mice(n=60) were developed on the back and left open for twenty-four hours. Sixty mice were divided into four groups: group B(dressing with Bactroban(R), n=15), group I (dressing with Iodosorb(R), n=15), group T(dressing with Terramycin(R), n=15), group G(control group, dressing with dry gauze, n=15). The size of wound defects and the grades of wound healing were evaluated at 4, 7, 10 days, and antibacterial effect was evaluated with restricted zone in Mueller Hinton agar by disk diffusion method. RESULTS: After the wound was left open for twenty-four hours, many Staphylococcus aureus was cultured. The wound defect size was decreased in order of Bactroban(R)(B), Iodosorb(R)(I), Terramycin(R) and gauze dressing group in all days, but difference among experimental groups was not statistically significant. The grade score of wound healing was increased in order of Bactroban(R), Iodosorb(R), Terramycin(R) and gauze dressing group, and the difference was statistically significant. Antibacterial effect for was increased in order of Bactroban(R), Iodosorb(R), Terramycin(R) and gauze dressing group, and the difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Topical antimicrobial ointments application was effective against wound infections by S. aureus. Bactroban(R) may be an optimal topical treatment for infected wounds according to this study. However, further study is necessary to evaluate the clinical efficacy of antimicrobial ointments and to search for the mechanisms that explain their effects.
Agar ; Animals ; Bandages ; Diffusion ; Mice ; Ointments ; Skin ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Wound Healing ; Wound Infection

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Functional and anatomical abnormalities of mitochondria play an important role in developing steatohepatitis. Carnitine is essential for enhanced mitochondrial beta oxidation through the transfer of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria. We examined the impact of carnitine complex on liver function and peripheral blood mitochondria copy number in NAFLD patients. METHODS: Forty-five NAFLD patients were enrolled. Patients were categorized into the carnitine complex-administered group and control group. Before and 3 months after drug administration, a liver function test and peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA and 8-oxo-dG quantitive analysis were conducted. RESULTS: In carnitine treatment group, ALT, AST, and total bilirubin were reduced after medication. There was no difference in AST, ALT, and total bilirubin between before and after treatment in control group. In carnitine group, peripheral mitochondrial DNA copy number was significantly increased from 158.8+/-69.5 copy to 241.6+/-180.6 copy (p=0.025). While in control group the mitochondrial copy number was slightly reduced from 205.5+/-142.3 to 150.0+/-109.7. 8-oxo-dG level was also tended to decrease in carnitine group (p=0.23) and tended to increase in control group (p=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: In NAFLD, the carnitine improved liver profile and peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA copy number. This results suggest that carnitine activate the mitochondria, thereby contributing to the improvement of NAFLD.
Adult ; Aged ; Alanine Transaminase/blood ; Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood ; Bilirubin/blood ; Carnitine/*therapeutic use ; DNA Copy Number Variations/*drug effects ; DNA, Mitochondrial/*blood ; Deoxyguanosine/analogs &derivatives/analysis ; Fatty Liver/diagnosis/*drug therapy/genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Middle Aged