We present an unexpected fatal case of pulmonary embolism due to venous thrombosis after vaccination for coronavirus disease 2019 (ChAdOx1 nCov-19). The deceased was a 64-year-old woman with Alzheimer disease. The deceased had fever shortly after vaccination, and presented sudden dyspnea and died 8 days after vaccination. On postmortem examination, pulmonary embolism and venous thrombosis were noted in deep veins of both lower legs. Even though the psychomotor function of the deceased became fragile due to Alzheimer disease, the deceased was not bed-ridden, and major known risk factors related to venous thrombosis were not explicit in this case. Because there are not enough data related to vaccination and thrombosis, we hope that this case would be helpful in unraveling pathogenesis of venous thrombosis after vaccination and in determining whether there is any association between thrombosis and vaccination.

BACKGROUND: In a rapidly aging population, the importance of the quality of life of the elderly has been emphasized. The need for special care services according to an individual's physical, emotional, and social functions changes with aging. This study was conducted to analyze the needs of home dwellers in terms of health-care services for active aging. METHODS: The study subjects were 869 adults older than 40 years who lived in houses. They responded to a survey that inquired about the importance of each health-care item for active aging at home. The important items for active aging at home were graded by using a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Among the items, "affection" topped the list, with 4.68 points, followed by cognitive function (4.67 points) and "social relations" (4.59 points). The top 3 items had no significant differences between the age groups. However, some items related to activities of daily living (ADL; including bathing, eating, and ambulating.) and instrumental ADL (IADL; including taking medicines and preparing meals) had significant differences between the age groups. Compared with the subjects in the older age groups, the subjects in the forties age group placed less importance on ADL and IADL. CONCLUSION: For the subjects who lived in houses, affection, cognitive function, and social relation are highly important for as active aging, regardless of age. ADL and IADL are regarded as more important in ≥50 years age groups.
Activities of Daily Living ; Adult ; Aged ; Aging* ; Baths ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Eating ; Humans ; Quality of Life

BACKGROUND: We established a bloodless center at Soonchunhyang University Hospital (SCH) in 1996 and have provided medical and surgical care for Jehovah's Witness patients. In this study, we evaluated their outcomes to provide the basis of bloodless medicine and surgery in Korea. METHODS: A retropective review of the medical records of 757 Jehovah's Witness patients admitted in the SCH Bloodless Center from December 1996 to July 2003 was performed. RESULTS: Among 757 patients, 19 (2.5%) expired during treatment and 4 of them died of cardiopul-monary dysfunction secondary to anemia. As alternatives to blood transfusion, 85 (11.2%) patients were treated with iron, 81 (10.7%) with erythropoietin, 49 (6.5%) with aprotinin, 31 (4.1%) with hemodilution and 28 (3.7%) with cell saver. Four hundreds fifteen (54.8%) of 757 patients underwent surgery. The most frequently involved cinical department was Obstetric/Gynecology (23.8%). The ratio of female and the percentage of cases treated with alternatives to blood transfusion were higher in surgery group than non-surgery group patients.(Chi-square test, P<0.01) CONCLUSIONS: Most Jehovah's Witness patients were treated successfully in our bloodless center with various alternatives to blood transfusion, such as erythropoietin, intraoperative autotransfusion, acute normovolemic hemodilution etc. Collaboration and good communication among surgeons, anesthesiologists, hematologists and blood bank physicians are very important to provide qualified medical or surgical treatment to the patients who have a religious objection to receiving blood or blood-related products.
Anemia ; Aprotinin ; Blood Banks ; Blood Transfusion ; Blood Transfusion, Autologous ; Cooperative Behavior ; Erythropoietin ; Female ; Hemodilution ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea ; Medical Records

Here we present an autopsy case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a 36-year-old man. He had a history of febrile seizures at the age of four and was severely demented at age 10 when he was admitted to a mental hospital. He had suffered repetitive self-harm, such as frequent banging of the head on the wall in his hospital record, but he had no clear history between the ages of four and ten. Autopsy revealed global cerebral atrophy, including the basal ganglia, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, mammilary bodies and lateral geniculate bodies. This case showed typical pathological features of CTE. Phosphorylated tau (p-tau)-positive neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuropil threads (NT) we are widely distributed in the brain, especially in the depth of the cerebral sulci. NFT and NT were also found in the basal ganglia, thalamus, amygdala and brainstem. Scanty β-amyloid deposits were found in the motor and sensory cortices, but α-synuclein was completely negative in the brain. This example showed that CTE can occur in young ages and that even children can experience CTE dementia.
Adult ; Amygdala ; Atrophy ; Autopsy* ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Brain Injury, Chronic* ; Brain Stem ; Child* ; Dementia ; Geniculate Bodies ; Head ; Hippocampus ; Hospital Records ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Neurofibrillary Tangles ; Neuropil Threads ; Pathology ; Seizures, Febrile ; Thalamus

PURPOSE: The rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap is currently the most commonly used donor site of immediate and delayed breast reconstruction surgery, for its versatility and ease of handling, as well as sufficient blood supply. Despite many advantages of rectus abdominis flap, morbidity of donor site is considered as inevitable shortcoming. The authors recently faced a devastating complication, small bowel obstruction that led to strangulation, after delayed breast reconstruction with free transverses rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap. And we would like to report it, because abdominal pain after TRAM flap is a common symptom and can be overlooked easily. METHODS: A 56-year-old female patient who had history of receiving total abdominal hysterectomy 20 years ago underwent delayed breast reconstruction with TRAM flap transfer. She complained abdominal discomfort and pain from third postoperative day, postoperative small bowel obstruction that arose from strangulated bowel and prompt emergency operation was done. RESULTS: After resection of the strangulated bowel and reanastomosis, quickly her symptoms were relieved, and there were no further problems during her hospital stay. 7 days after her emergency operation she was discharged. CONCLUSION: In patients with previous abdominal surgical history, prolonged ileus can lead to bowel strangulation, so surgeons should always consider the possibility, and must be aware of abdominal symptoms in patients who receive free TRAM flap operations.
Abdominal Pain ; Breast ; Emergencies ; Female ; Handling (Psychology) ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Ileus ; Length of Stay ; Mammaplasty ; Middle Aged ; Rectus Abdominis ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: Mixed gliomas, such as oligoastrocytomas (OA), anaplastic oligoastrocytomas, and glioblastomas (GBMs) with an oligodendroglial component (GBMO) are defined as tumors composed of a mixture of two distinct neoplastic cell types, astrocytic and oligodendroglial. Recently, mutations ATRX and TP53, and codeletion of 1p/19q are shown to be genetic hallmarks of astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors, respectively. Subsequent molecular analyses of mixed gliomas preferred the reclassification to either oligodendroglioma or astrocytoma. This study was designed to apply genetically integrated diagnostic criteria to mixed gliomas and determine usefulness and prognostic value of new classification in Korean patients. METHODS: Fifty-eight cases of mixed OAs and GBMOs were retrieved from the pathology archives of Seoul National University Hospital from 2004 to 2015. Reclassification was performed according to genetic and immunohistochemical properties. Clinicopathological characteristics of each subgroup were evaluated. Overall survival was assessed and compared between subgroups. RESULTS: We could reclassify all mixed OAs and GBMOs into either astrocytic or oligodendroglial tumors. Notably, 29 GBMOs could be reclassified into 11 cases of GBM, IDH-mutant, 16 cases of GBM, IDH-wildtype, and two cases of anaplastic oligodendroglioma, IDH mutant. Overall survival was significantly different among these new groups (p<.001). Overall survival and progression-free survival were statistically better in gliomas with IDH mutation, ATRX mutation, no microscopic necrosis, and young patient age (cut off, 45 years old). CONCLUSIONS: Our results strongly suggest that a genetically integrated diagnosis of glioma better reflects prognosis than former morphology-based methods.
Astrocytoma ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Genetics ; Glioblastoma ; Glioma ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Oligodendroglioma ; Pathology ; Prognosis ; Seoul

In order to produce a stable denture for severe alveolar bone loss area, it is not only important that .0a suitable occlusion is established but also to consider compatibility with the surrounding muscle to form a suitable polished surfaces. Neutral zone is defined as a potential area where the neuromuscular system of the tongue, cheeks and lips is balanced can be determined through the neutral zone impression technique. And if artificial teeth are aligned within the neutral zone and the polished surface follows the anatomical form of the dynamic muscle, higher stability and retention of the denture may be obtained through coordination with the surrounding muscle tissue. This case is being reported since the concept of the neutral zone was applied to a patient with severely atrophic residual alveolar ridge and the result was clinically satisfactory in both function and aesthetics.
Alveolar Bone Loss ; Alveolar Process ; Cheek ; Denture, Complete ; Dentures ; Esthetics ; Humans ; Lip ; Rehabilitation ; Tongue ; Tooth, Artificial

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD), also known as non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis, is a multi-systemic disease with unclear pathogenesis. Based on a small number of case studies, pegylated interferon-α (PEG-IFN-α) has been used as the front-line treatment option. However, there are limited data regarding administration of ropegylated-interferon α-2b (ROPEG-IFN-α 2b) for ECD patients. Herein, we report two cases of severe ECD treated with two types of PEG-IFN-α. One patient with heart and skeleton involvement and BRAF V600E mutation was treated with weekly PEG-IFN-α 2a. Another patient with bone involvement and no BRAF V600E mutation was administered monthly ROPEG-IFN-α 2b. The two types of PEG-IFN-α showed excellent disease control, excellent survival outcomes, and manageable toxicities in ECD patients. These results suggest that ROPEG-IFN-α 2b could be used equivalently to PEG-IFN-α 2a for management of advanced ECD.

Clinical course of depression is variable. The serotonin transporter gene is one of the most studied genes for depression. We examined the association of serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms with chronicity and recurrent tendency of depression in Korean subjects. This cross-sectional study involved 252 patients with major depression. Patients were genotyped for s/l polymorphisms in 5-HTT promoter region (5-HTTLPR), s/l variation in second intron of the 5-HTT gene (5-HTT VNTR intron2). Chronicity was associated with 5-HTTLPR. Patients with l/l had higher rate of chronicity than the other patients (l/l vs s/l or s/s; odds ratio, 4.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.59-12.46; P=0.005; logistic regression analysis). Recurrent tendency was not associated with 5-HTTLPR. Chronicity and recurrent tendency were not associated with 5-HTT VNTR intron2. These results suggest that chronic depression is associated with 5-HTTLPR.
Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression/*genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Introns ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Recurrence ; Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/*genetics