BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA quantification is necessary for predicting the therapeutic response and assessing treatment results in patients with chronic HCV infection. Recently, real-time PCR technology for HCV RNA quantification displayed good linearity within the dynamic range. Thus, it is gradually replacing branched-DNA (bDNA) and PCR- hybridization assays. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the Real-QTM HCV quantification kit (biosewoom. Inc., Seoul, Korea) developed in Korea. METHODS: We evaluated the HCV quantification kit for detection limit, specificity, linearity, accuracy, and recovery rate of HCV RNA standard material. The results were analyzed for a correlation with those of Cobas Amplicor HCV Monitor 2.0. RESULTS: The HCV quantification kit showed a high recovery rate of HCV RNA standard material of various concentrations and amplication of HCV RNA equally in all genotypes. Hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus showed no cross-reactivity with HCV. Within-run and between-run coefficients of variation (CV) were 9.52~15.84% and 9.40~17.53%, respectively. Between-day coefficients of variation were 11.62~18.04%, and detection limit was 44 IU/mL. It showed a good correlation with Cobas Amplicor HCV Monitor 2.0 (R2=0.8954). CONCLUSION: The Real-Q HCV quantification kit showed a good specificity, sensitivity, linearity, and accuracy; therefore, we propose that it is fully adequate for monitoring antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HCV infection.
Chimera ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis B virus ; HIV ; Humans ; Limit of Detection ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: It is well known that patients with atopic dermatitis are prone to cutaneous infections, and especially superficial fungal infection. However, a study on the relationship of superficial fungal infection in atopic dermatitis patients has not yet been performed in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship of atopic dermatitis to superficial fungal infection in Koreans. METHODS: We examined for evidence of superficial fungal disease in 2,153 atopic dermatitis patients and we compared the findings to those of 126,777 non-atopic dermatitis patients who visited the Department of Dermatology of Chung-Ang University from January 2003 to December 2007. RESULTS: Superficial fungal infections were more common in the atopic dermatitis patients (6%) than in the controls (2.5%) (p<0.05) and especially in the age group of the 1st and 2nd decades (p<0.05). The seasonal prevalence of superficial fungal infection was high during summer for both groups (38% vs 44%, respectively). The most common site of fungal distribution was feet (Tinea pedis) for both groups (42.5% vs 28.1%, respectively). The prevalence of coexisting superficial fungal infection was not significantly different in both groups (38.3% vs 39.9%, respectively). The most common isolated organism was Trichophyton rubrum in both groups (52.7% vs 38%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The study shows that the prevalence of superficial fungal infection in atopic dermatitis patients is higher than that in controls. Therefore, we should consider the presence of combined superficial fungal infection in recalcitrant atopic dermatitis patients and use antifungal agents for treatment.
Antifungal Agents ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatology ; Foot ; Humans ; Korea ; Prevalence ; Seasons ; Trichophyton

Foreign body granuloma is a chronic, proliferative, inflammatory reaction caused by persistent poorly biodegradable tissue irritants. Currently, many injectable materials are being used extensively for soft tissue augmentation. Although considered biologically inert, these materials can evoke adverse reactions such as foreign body granuloma. Mainly these complications are a result of the use of unproven products injected by unlicensed or unqualified practitioners. Here we report a case of foreign body granuloma in the left lower eyelid secondary to injection of extracts from safflower seeds.
Carthamus tinctorius ; Eyelids ; Foreign Bodies ; Granuloma, Foreign-Body ; Irritants ; Seeds

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA quantification is important for the management of HBV infection and identification of the development of resistance. The susceptibility to contamination and more variable reproducibility of results with the conventional HBV DNA quantification method have raised the need of a more simple and accurate method for HBV DNA quantification. Real-time quantitative PCR assays recently introduced in the laboratory can meet these needs. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the Real-Q HBV Quantification kit developed in Korea. METHODS: We evaluated the recovery of DNA extraction, the interference of internal control, an analytical sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility, a clinical specificity, and a reportable range of the Real-Q HBV Quantification kit. The quantification result was also compared to that obtained by the Digene Hybrid-Capture II. RESULTS: The mean percent recovery was 108.6% and there was no interference with the internal control on DNA extraction. None of HIV, hepatitis C virus, or cytomegalovirus showed a cross-reactivity with HBV. This assay detected HBV DNA in a linear range from 10(2) to 10(10) copies/mL, with the detection limit of 56 copies/mL. The assay exhibited a low within-run CV (coefficient of variation) (8.7-11.9%), between-run CV (10.5-14.7%), and between-day CV (13.2-21.4%). No HBV DNA was detected in any of 100 samples without HBV, resulting in a clinical specificity of 100%. The levels of HBV DNA showed a good correlation with those determined with Digene Hybrid-Capture II (R2=0.9827). CONCLUSIONS: The Real-Q HBV Quantification kit showed a good analytical sensitivity, specificity, and high reliability with a broad reportable range. This assay should be clinically useful in managing patients with HBV infection.
Cytomegalovirus ; DNA* ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis B virus ; HIV ; Humans ; Korea ; Limit of Detection ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The phosphorylation of JNK is known to induce insulin resistance in insulin target tissues. The inhibition of JNK-JIP1 interaction, which interferes JNK phosphorylation, becomes a potential target for drug development of type 2 diabetes. To discover the inhibitors of JNK-JIP1 interaction, we screened out 30 candidates from 4320 compound library with In Cell Interaction Trap method. The candidates were further confirmed and narrowed down to five compounds using the FRET method in a model cell. Among those five compounds, Acebutolol showed notable inhibition of JNK phosphorylation and elevation of glucose uptake in diabetic models of adipocyte and liver cell. Structural computation showed that the binding affinity of Acebutolol on the JNK-JIP1 interaction site was comparable to the known inhibitor, BI-78D3. Our results suggest that Acebutolol, an FDA-approved beta blocker for hypertension therapy, could have a new repurposed effect on type 2 diabetes elevating glucose uptake process by inhibiting JNK-JIP1 interaction.
Acebutolol* ; Adipocytes ; Cell Communication ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Glucose* ; Hypertension ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Liver ; Methods ; Phosphorylation

Background: In Korea, the health gap widens due to the number of medical resources and access to medical services between metropolitan and rural. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of residential migration on medical utilization and accessibility. Methods: This study extracted 528,516 claimed cases in the National Health Insurance Service-Cohort Sample Database from 2006 to 2015. Subjects were classified into two groups by the magnitude of the region, the metropolitan and the rural. The inversed probability weights were calculated for each group. And coefficients of the two-part model were estimated by generalized estimation equation. Results: Those who moved region from metropolitan to rural tend to increase the length of stay and inpatients with ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) disease. Contrariwise, those who moved areas from rural to metropolitan tend to decrease the total medical cost, the adjusted patient days, the number of outpatients and the number of outpatients and inpatients with ACSC disease. Conclusion This study identified that between the residents who continued to reside in the region and the migrants, there were significant differences in the medical accessibility, quality of primary care, and unmet medical need.

Background: In Korea, the health gap widens due to the number of medical resources and access to medical services between metropolitan and rural. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of residential migration on medical utilization and accessibility. Methods: This study extracted 528,516 claimed cases in the National Health Insurance Service-Cohort Sample Database from 2006 to 2015. Subjects were classified into two groups by the magnitude of the region, the metropolitan and the rural. The inversed probability weights were calculated for each group. And coefficients of the two-part model were estimated by generalized estimation equation. Results: Those who moved region from metropolitan to rural tend to increase the length of stay and inpatients with ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) disease. Contrariwise, those who moved areas from rural to metropolitan tend to decrease the total medical cost, the adjusted patient days, the number of outpatients and the number of outpatients and inpatients with ACSC disease. Conclusion This study identified that between the residents who continued to reside in the region and the migrants, there were significant differences in the medical accessibility, quality of primary care, and unmet medical need.

BACKGROUND: STI571, a potent and specific inhibitor of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, causes arrest of growth or apoptosis in leukemic cells that express BCR-ABL. We evaluated the therapeutic effects and clinical events after the STI571 treatment in advanced chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). METHODS: STI571 was administered orally to 24 patients with CML in accelerated phase (AP) (N=17) or blast crisis (BC) (N=7) with a daily dose of 600mg. Adverse events were observed, and hemotologic, cytogenetic, and molecular responses were evaluated on 1 month of STI571 treatment. RESULTS: Hematologic responses were observed in 20 of 24 patients with higher complete hematologic responses in AP (35.3%) compared to BC (14.3%). Partial cytogenetic responses were observed in 2 cases. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed significant decrease in the percentage of BCR-ABL positive cells, but all still remained above the upper limit of normal range at the time of analysis. No significant changes were observed in BCR-ABL transcripts after treatment by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time quantitative PCR. Non- hematologic adverse events after STI571 treatment were minimal, whilst hematologic ones were significant with higher frequency in BC rather than AP. CONCLUSION: STI571 induced rapid and significant hematologic responses in patients with advanced CML and adverse events were tolerable. The fact that no responses were achieved in some of these advanced cases underlies the importance of earlier treatment with STI571 to prolong the survival.
Apoptosis ; Blast Crisis ; Cytogenetics ; Fluorescence ; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reference Values ; Reverse Transcription ; Imatinib Mesylate

BACKGROUND: Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by the local and gradual transformation of terminal scalp hair into vellus hair, which has a shorter and thinner shaft. It is the most common form of hair loss in people with a genetic predisposition for baldness. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, AGA type, family history, co-morbidity diseases, stress factors and endocrine factors of AGA patients. METHODS: We examined a total of 432 male and female AGA patients who visited for two years at the Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Chung-Ang University. RESULTS: There were 2.06 times more men (291 patients) than women (141 patients) among the study subjects. Most of the men were in their twenties (108, 37.1%), however, most of the women were in their forties (42, 29.7%). In the 291 male patients, Norwood class IIIv was dominant (120 patients, 41.2%). In the 141 female patients, Ludwig class I was dominant (87 patients, 61.7%). 219 (75.2%) of the 291 male patients and 81 (73.6%) of the 141 female patients had a family history of AGA. 224 (76.9%) of the 291 male patients and 101 (53.4%) of the 141 female patients had a co-morbidity disorder. The most common among these disorders in both the male and female patients was seborrheic dermatitis. Stress factors were observed in 162 (55.6%) of the 291 male patients and in 78 (55.3%) of the 141 female patients. The most common stress factor in both the male and female patients was work tasks. The serum testosterone levels was increased in 51 (17.5%) of the 291 male patients and in 20 (14.1%) of the 141 female patients. CONCLUSION: Most of the study results are compatible with those of our previous study. Yet the following results were different: (1) the number of female AGA patients in their forties is increasing; and (2) stress was found to be associated with AGA in both the male and female patients.
Alopecia ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Dermatology ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Hair ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Scalp ; Testosterone

BACKGROUND: Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by the local and gradual transformation of terminal scalp hair into vellus hair, which has a shorter and thinner shaft. It is the most common form of hair loss in people with a genetic predisposition for baldness. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, AGA type, family history, co-morbidity diseases, stress factors and endocrine factors of AGA patients. METHODS: We examined a total of 432 male and female AGA patients who visited for two years at the Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Chung-Ang University. RESULTS: There were 2.06 times more men (291 patients) than women (141 patients) among the study subjects. Most of the men were in their twenties (108, 37.1%), however, most of the women were in their forties (42, 29.7%). In the 291 male patients, Norwood class IIIv was dominant (120 patients, 41.2%). In the 141 female patients, Ludwig class I was dominant (87 patients, 61.7%). 219 (75.2%) of the 291 male patients and 81 (73.6%) of the 141 female patients had a family history of AGA. 224 (76.9%) of the 291 male patients and 101 (53.4%) of the 141 female patients had a co-morbidity disorder. The most common among these disorders in both the male and female patients was seborrheic dermatitis. Stress factors were observed in 162 (55.6%) of the 291 male patients and in 78 (55.3%) of the 141 female patients. The most common stress factor in both the male and female patients was work tasks. The serum testosterone levels was increased in 51 (17.5%) of the 291 male patients and in 20 (14.1%) of the 141 female patients. CONCLUSION: Most of the study results are compatible with those of our previous study. Yet the following results were different: (1) the number of female AGA patients in their forties is increasing; and (2) stress was found to be associated with AGA in both the male and female patients.
Alopecia ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Dermatology ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Hair ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Scalp ; Testosterone