This study was design to evaluate the efficacy of cataract surgery with simultaneous intravitreal bevacizumab injection for wet age-related macular degeneration. Of the patients who underwent anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections, cataract surgery was performed in 24 eyes (control group), and simultaneous intravitreal bevacizumab injection was performed in 27 eyes (bevacizumab group). Best corrected visual acuity, ocular tonometry, anterior chamber inflammation, and central subfield macular thickness were measured at baseline and 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery. The mean central subfield macular thickness increased 1 month postoperatively in the control group (p = 0.02), whereas there was no significant change in the bevacizumab group. When the preoperative and postoperative differences between the two groups were compared at each time point, the mean best corrected visual acuity improved in the bevacizumab group at 3 months after surgery (p = 0.045), and the mean central subfield macular thickness was more decreased in the bevacizumab group at 1 month after surgery compared to that of the control group (p = 0.032). Additional anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection was performed after surgery at 1.56 ± 2.05 months and 2.52 ± 2.01 months, in the control and bevacizumab groups, respectively (p = 0.047). Simultaneous cataract surgery and intravitreal bevacizumab injection is considered an effective treatment since it reduces central subfield macular thickness in the short term, and it can delay the timing of additional anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections after surgery.

No abstract available.
Fatty Liver* ; Ultrasonography*

PURPOSE: . This study evaluated the reliability of the chair-side CAD-CAM surgical guide (CSG) in the anterior maxilla by comparing its accuracy with the laboratory 3D-printed surgical guide (3DSG) and manual surgical guide (MSG) concerning different levels of dentists' surgical experience. MATERIALS AND METHODS: . Ten surgical guides of each type (MSG, 3DSG, and CSG) were fabricated on a control study model with missing right and left central incisors. Sixty implants were placed in 30 study models by two dentists (one inexperienced and one experienced) using three different types of surgical guides. Horizontal deviations at shoulder and at apex, vertical, and angular deviations were measured after superimposing the planned and placed implant positions in the software. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the accuracy of three types of surgical guides in each dentist group and the accuracy of each surgical guide between two dentists (α = .05). RESULTS: . There were no significant differences in any deviations between CSG and 3DSG, apart from angular deviation, for both dentists’ groups. Moreover, both CSG and 3DSG showed no significant differences in accuracy between the two dentists (P > .05). In contrast, MSG demonstrated significant differences from CSG and 3DSG and a significant difference in accuracy between the two dentists (P < .05). CONCLUSION . CSG provides superior accuracy to MSG in implant placement in the maxillary anterior region and is comparable to 3DSG at different levels of surgical experience, while offering the benefits of shorter manufacturing time and reduced patient visits.

Methylmercury is a hazardous substance that is of interest with regard to environmental health, as inorganic mercury circulating in the general environment is dissolved into freshwater and seawater, condensed through the food chain, ingested by humans, and consequently affects human health. Recently, there has been much interest and discussion regarding the toxicity of methylmercury, the correlation with fish and shellfish intake, and methods of long-term management of the human health effects of methylmercury. What effects chronic exposure to a low concentration of methylmercury has on human health remains controversial. Although the possibility of methylmercury poisoning the heart and blood vessel system, the reproductive system, and the immune system is continuously raised and discussed, and the carcinogenicity of methylmercury is also under discussion, a clear conclusion regarding the human health effects according to exposure level has not yet been drawn. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives proposed to prepare additional fish and shellfish intake recommendations for consumers based on the quantified evaluation of the hazardousness of methylmercury contained in fish and shellfish, methylmercury management in the Korea has not yet caught up with this international trend. Currently, the methylmercury exposure level of Koreans is known to be very high. The starting point of methylmercury exposure management is inorganic mercury in the general environment, but food intake through methylation is the main exposure source. Along with efforts to reduce mercury in the general environment, food intake management should be undertaken to reduce the human exposure to methylmercury in Korea.
Animals ; *Environmental Exposure ; Fishes/metabolism ; Food Chain ; Humans ; Mercury Poisoning, Nervous System/etiology ; Methylmercury Compounds/chemistry/*metabolism/toxicity ; Neurons/drug effects ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects ; Public Health ; Reproduction/drug effects ; Thymocytes/cytology/drug effects

The taxonomy of Acanthamoeba spp., an amphizoic amoeba which causes granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and chronic amoebic keratitis, has been revised many times. The taxonomic validity of some species has yet to be assessed. In this paper, we analyzed the morphological characteristics, nuclear 18s rDNA and mitochondrial 16s rDNA sequences and the Mt DNA RFLP of the type strains of four Acanthamoeba species, which had been previously designated as A. divionensis, A. parasidionensis, A. mauritaniensis, and A. rhysodes. The four isolates revealed characteristic group II morphology. They exhibited 18S rDNA sequence differences of 0.2-1.1% with each other, but more than 2% difference from the other compared reference strains. Four isolates formed a different clade from that of A. castellanii Castellani and the other strains in morphological group II on the phylogenetic tree. In light of these results, A. paradivionensis, A. divionensis, and A. mauritaniensis should be regarded as synonyms for A. rhysodes.
Acanthamoeba/*classification/*genetics ; Animals ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S/genetics

Dehumidifying agents are commonly used to remove moisture and odors and are not meant for oral ingestion. The hazards of accidental oral ingestion of dehumidifying agents are not well known. A 31-year-old man with autism drank the liquid desiccant contained in the barrel of a dehumidifier while sleepwalking. The desiccant mainly consisted of calcium chloride. He was taken to the emergency center with persistent vomiting and underwent gastric lavage. The patient was treated for hypercalcemia due to calcium chloride poisoning. He eventually died of multiple organ failure. Autopsy findings were as follows: acute suppurative pneumonia, intra-abdominal inflammation, liver necrosis, acute pancreatitis, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Calcium chloride has relatively low toxicity; however, when ingested orally, it can cause severe internal damage, and even death. We suggest active preventive measures to ensure the safe use of dehumidifying agents.
Adult ; Autistic Disorder ; Autopsy ; Calcium Chloride ; Eating ; Emergencies ; Gastric Lavage ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Inflammation ; Liver ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Necrosis ; Odors ; Pancreatitis ; Pneumonia ; Poisoning ; Silica Gel ; Somnambulism ; Vomiting

We had performed six times (4 in right lung, 2 in left lung) bronchoalveolar lavages in a patient who has hypertension and suffered cerebral vascular accident previously. The diagnosis of PAP was confirmed by an open lung biopsy and multiple bronchoalveolar lavages were done for two and a half months. Even though she showed slight improvement in chest radiographs, she showed minimal improvement in her clinical course until the third lavage was done. She had to receive tracheostomy and prolonged ventilatory care because her PAP was progressed rapidly and complicated with superinfection. In addition, she sustained pneumothorax as a complication of the prolonged ventilatory care and the lavages. She was discharged one month after the last lavage and her clinical course has been uneventful 10 months thereafter.
Biopsy ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Lung ; Pneumothorax ; Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Superinfection ; Therapeutic Irrigation ; Tracheostomy

Purpose: This study to identify valuated the competency in nursing leadership among new nurses through the perception of nursing managers. Methods: This a total of 136 nursing managers from two general hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area were included in this study. Nursing leadership competencies in new nurses were measured using the Student Leadership Practices Inventory developed by Kouzes and Posner. We identified priorities in the development of nursing leadership competencies for new nurses. Results: The overall importance and performance of nursing leadership competencies for new nurses were assessed by nursing managers at an average of 3.92±0.37 and, 2.84±0.50, respectively. Of the 30 nursing leadership competencies, 11 would need to be maintained and strengthened, seven would need to focus on improvement efforts, and 11 would have low priority. The last one was overdone. Conclusion Of the 18 items of high importance based on the nursing leadership competencies among new nurses identified, for seven items indicating low performance, the performance of nurses should be improved by introducing nursing leadership development programs after they enter the work environment. Eleven low-priority nursing leadership competencies require a long-term strategic approach and need to spread the understanding of nursing leadership throughout the nursing organization.

Carcinomas are malignant neoplasms composed of epithelial cells and epithelial cancers are rare in the young. When it comes to colorectal carcinoma, the incidence of the large bowel has been noted with increasing frequency in the younger population, but this disease has remained very rare in children. Only 1% of all malignant growths of the large intestine arise in persons under 20 years of age. Inspite of these facts, the colon is the most common site of gastrointestinal carcinoma in children. While the prognosis is relatively acceptable in adults, it is very gloomy in children. Of all the histologic categories of colorectal cancer, the mucinous variety, which accounts for approximately 15% of adult colorectal carcinoma, is the predominant histologic variety in patients younger than 20 years of age at the time of diagnosis. Now, only two cases of carcinoma of the colon in children under 15 years of age have been reported in Korea. We report a case of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the colon in a 14-year-old boy with a brief review of the cases on record.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous* ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Child* ; Colon* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intestine, Large ; Korea ; Male ; Mucins* ; Prognosis

Purpose: To investigate the oxidative damage and changes of retinas by blue light through zebrafish and to confirm the protective effect of polyphenol on retina cells using grape seed-derived polyphenols. Methods: To induce oxidative damage and changes of the retina by blue light, blue light LED (10,000 Lux, 480 nm) was added to the zebrafish grown in the dark room after pretreating polyphenols derived from grape seed at various concentrations (0, 0.1, 1, 10 μg/mL, respectively) for 4 days. Changes in retinal thickness and numbers of outer nuclear layer nuclei through hematoxylin & eosin staining were evaluated. Results: Photoreceptor layer thickness of blue light exposed group was significantly thinner than the group without blue light (108.1 ± 27.7 μm vs 41.1 ± 17.0 μm). As pretreated polyphenol concentration increased, photoreceptor layer thickness was increased (41.1 ± 17.0, 56.3 ± 18.6, 90.7 ± 23.7, 99.1 ± 23.1 μm, p < 0.05), and damage to outer nuclear layer nuclei was also decreased. Conclusions Exposure to blue light is an important factor for increasing oxidative stress in the retina. Grape seed-derived polyphenols have been shown to protect photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells from oxidative stress. This suggests that the antioxidant effect of polyphenol compounds may help suppress the progression of retinal diseases associated with oxidative stress such as age-related macular degeneration.