Background and Objectives: The sense of taste has a crucial role in maintaining good health, and this is why taste disturbance can negatively impact one’s quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the etiologies, clinical characteristics, and effects of treatment in patients with taste disturbances.Subjects and Method A total of 160 patients with taste disorders, who visited our Smell and Taste Clinic from January 2021 to December 2022, were enrolled. All patients underwent chemical and electrical taste threshold tests, olfactory function tests, questionnaires including medical and dental history, and blood tests. The etiologies and clinical features of taste disorders were assessed and treatment was directed toward causative abnormalities. Factors affecting the improvement rates after treatment were evaluated. Results: Taste disorder due to olfactory disorder was the most frequent etiology, followed by laryngopharyngeal reflux, head trauma, and drug-induced. In many cases, there was a discrepancy in the severity of taste between the complaints reported by patients and the results of taste threshold tests. After treatment, 115 patients showed improvement in their taste function, and the improvement rates were significantly correlated with the age and etiologies of the taste disorders. Conclusion Careful history taking and accurate chemosensory testing were essential to establish the etiologies, nature, degree, and veracity of a patient’s complaint of taste disturbance. Appropriate treatments according to the etiologies allowed recovery of taste function in 71.9% of patients.

Background and Objectives: The sense of taste has a crucial role in maintaining good health, and this is why taste disturbance can negatively impact one’s quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the etiologies, clinical characteristics, and effects of treatment in patients with taste disturbances.Subjects and Method A total of 160 patients with taste disorders, who visited our Smell and Taste Clinic from January 2021 to December 2022, were enrolled. All patients underwent chemical and electrical taste threshold tests, olfactory function tests, questionnaires including medical and dental history, and blood tests. The etiologies and clinical features of taste disorders were assessed and treatment was directed toward causative abnormalities. Factors affecting the improvement rates after treatment were evaluated. Results: Taste disorder due to olfactory disorder was the most frequent etiology, followed by laryngopharyngeal reflux, head trauma, and drug-induced. In many cases, there was a discrepancy in the severity of taste between the complaints reported by patients and the results of taste threshold tests. After treatment, 115 patients showed improvement in their taste function, and the improvement rates were significantly correlated with the age and etiologies of the taste disorders. Conclusion Careful history taking and accurate chemosensory testing were essential to establish the etiologies, nature, degree, and veracity of a patient’s complaint of taste disturbance. Appropriate treatments according to the etiologies allowed recovery of taste function in 71.9% of patients.

Background and Objectives: The sense of taste has a crucial role in maintaining good health, and this is why taste disturbance can negatively impact one’s quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the etiologies, clinical characteristics, and effects of treatment in patients with taste disturbances.Subjects and Method A total of 160 patients with taste disorders, who visited our Smell and Taste Clinic from January 2021 to December 2022, were enrolled. All patients underwent chemical and electrical taste threshold tests, olfactory function tests, questionnaires including medical and dental history, and blood tests. The etiologies and clinical features of taste disorders were assessed and treatment was directed toward causative abnormalities. Factors affecting the improvement rates after treatment were evaluated. Results: Taste disorder due to olfactory disorder was the most frequent etiology, followed by laryngopharyngeal reflux, head trauma, and drug-induced. In many cases, there was a discrepancy in the severity of taste between the complaints reported by patients and the results of taste threshold tests. After treatment, 115 patients showed improvement in their taste function, and the improvement rates were significantly correlated with the age and etiologies of the taste disorders. Conclusion Careful history taking and accurate chemosensory testing were essential to establish the etiologies, nature, degree, and veracity of a patient’s complaint of taste disturbance. Appropriate treatments according to the etiologies allowed recovery of taste function in 71.9% of patients.

Background and Objectives: The sense of taste has a crucial role in maintaining good health, and this is why taste disturbance can negatively impact one’s quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the etiologies, clinical characteristics, and effects of treatment in patients with taste disturbances.Subjects and Method A total of 160 patients with taste disorders, who visited our Smell and Taste Clinic from January 2021 to December 2022, were enrolled. All patients underwent chemical and electrical taste threshold tests, olfactory function tests, questionnaires including medical and dental history, and blood tests. The etiologies and clinical features of taste disorders were assessed and treatment was directed toward causative abnormalities. Factors affecting the improvement rates after treatment were evaluated. Results: Taste disorder due to olfactory disorder was the most frequent etiology, followed by laryngopharyngeal reflux, head trauma, and drug-induced. In many cases, there was a discrepancy in the severity of taste between the complaints reported by patients and the results of taste threshold tests. After treatment, 115 patients showed improvement in their taste function, and the improvement rates were significantly correlated with the age and etiologies of the taste disorders. Conclusion Careful history taking and accurate chemosensory testing were essential to establish the etiologies, nature, degree, and veracity of a patient’s complaint of taste disturbance. Appropriate treatments according to the etiologies allowed recovery of taste function in 71.9% of patients.

Background and Objectives: The sense of taste has a crucial role in maintaining good health, and this is why taste disturbance can negatively impact one’s quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the etiologies, clinical characteristics, and effects of treatment in patients with taste disturbances.Subjects and Method A total of 160 patients with taste disorders, who visited our Smell and Taste Clinic from January 2021 to December 2022, were enrolled. All patients underwent chemical and electrical taste threshold tests, olfactory function tests, questionnaires including medical and dental history, and blood tests. The etiologies and clinical features of taste disorders were assessed and treatment was directed toward causative abnormalities. Factors affecting the improvement rates after treatment were evaluated. Results: Taste disorder due to olfactory disorder was the most frequent etiology, followed by laryngopharyngeal reflux, head trauma, and drug-induced. In many cases, there was a discrepancy in the severity of taste between the complaints reported by patients and the results of taste threshold tests. After treatment, 115 patients showed improvement in their taste function, and the improvement rates were significantly correlated with the age and etiologies of the taste disorders. Conclusion Careful history taking and accurate chemosensory testing were essential to establish the etiologies, nature, degree, and veracity of a patient’s complaint of taste disturbance. Appropriate treatments according to the etiologies allowed recovery of taste function in 71.9% of patients.

Background: Chromosomal alterations serve as diagnostic and prognostic markers in acute leukemia. Given the evolving landscape of chromosomal abnormalities in acute leukemia, we previously studied these over two periods. In this study, we investigated the frequency of these abnormalities and clinical trends in acute leukemia in Korea across three time periods. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 1,787 patients with acute leukemia (319 children and 1,468 adults) diagnosed between 2006 and 2020. Conventional cytogenetics, FISH, and multiplex quantitative PCR were used for analysis. The patient groups were divided according to the following three study periods: 2006–2009 (I), 2010–2015 (II), and 2016–2020 (III). Results: Chromosomal aberrations were detected in 92% of patients. The PML::RARA translocation was the most frequent. Over the 15-yr period, chromosomal aberrations showed minimal changes, with specific fusion transcripts being common among patients.ALL was more prevalent in children than in adults and correlated significantly with the ETV6::RUNX1 and RUNX1::RUNX1T1 aberrations. The incidence of ALL increased during the three periods, with PML::RARA remaining common. Conclusions The frequency of chromosomal abnormalities in acute leukemia has changed subtly over time. Notably, the age of onset of adult AML has continuously increased. Our results may help in establishing diagnoses and clinical treatment strategies and developing various molecular diagnostic platforms.

Background: and Purpose We delineated the association between otolithic dysfunction and blood pressure (BP) variability. Methods: We prospectively recruited 145 consecutive patients (age=71 [59–79] years, median [interquartile range]; 76 females) with orthostatic intolerance between December 2021 and December 2023 at a tertiary hospital in South Korea. Each patient underwent evaluations of cervical and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs), 24-h noninvasive ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), and a head-up tilt-table test using the Finometer device. As measures of BP variability, the standard deviations (SDs) of the systolic BP (SBP SD) and the diastolic BP were calculated based on serial ABPM recordings. Patients were divided into those with orthostatic hypotension (OH, n=68) and those with a normal head-up tilt-table test despite orthostatic intolerance (NOI, n=77) groups. Results: A multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that OH was associated with bilateral oVEMP abnormalities (p=0.021), SBP SD (p=0.012), and female sex (p=0.004). SBP SD was higher in patients with OH than in those with NOI (p<0.001), and was not correlated with n1–p1 amplitude (p=0.491) or normalized p13–n23 amplitude (p=0.193) in patients with OH.The sensitivity and specificity for differentiating OH from NOI were 72.1% and 67.5%, respectively, at a cutoff value of 12.7 mm Hg for SBP SD, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.73. Conclusions Bilaterally deficient oVEMP responses may be associated with OH regardless of 24-h BP variability, reflecting the integrity of the otolith-autonomic reflex during orthostasis. Alternatively, 24-h BP variability is predominantly regulated by the baroreflex, which also participates in securing orthostatic tolerance complementary to the vestibulo-autonomic reflex.

Background: and Purpose We delineated the association between otolithic dysfunction and blood pressure (BP) variability. Methods: We prospectively recruited 145 consecutive patients (age=71 [59–79] years, median [interquartile range]; 76 females) with orthostatic intolerance between December 2021 and December 2023 at a tertiary hospital in South Korea. Each patient underwent evaluations of cervical and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs), 24-h noninvasive ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), and a head-up tilt-table test using the Finometer device. As measures of BP variability, the standard deviations (SDs) of the systolic BP (SBP SD) and the diastolic BP were calculated based on serial ABPM recordings. Patients were divided into those with orthostatic hypotension (OH, n=68) and those with a normal head-up tilt-table test despite orthostatic intolerance (NOI, n=77) groups. Results: A multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that OH was associated with bilateral oVEMP abnormalities (p=0.021), SBP SD (p=0.012), and female sex (p=0.004). SBP SD was higher in patients with OH than in those with NOI (p<0.001), and was not correlated with n1–p1 amplitude (p=0.491) or normalized p13–n23 amplitude (p=0.193) in patients with OH.The sensitivity and specificity for differentiating OH from NOI were 72.1% and 67.5%, respectively, at a cutoff value of 12.7 mm Hg for SBP SD, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.73. Conclusions Bilaterally deficient oVEMP responses may be associated with OH regardless of 24-h BP variability, reflecting the integrity of the otolith-autonomic reflex during orthostasis. Alternatively, 24-h BP variability is predominantly regulated by the baroreflex, which also participates in securing orthostatic tolerance complementary to the vestibulo-autonomic reflex.

Background: and Purpose We delineated the association between otolithic dysfunction and blood pressure (BP) variability. Methods: We prospectively recruited 145 consecutive patients (age=71 [59–79] years, median [interquartile range]; 76 females) with orthostatic intolerance between December 2021 and December 2023 at a tertiary hospital in South Korea. Each patient underwent evaluations of cervical and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs), 24-h noninvasive ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), and a head-up tilt-table test using the Finometer device. As measures of BP variability, the standard deviations (SDs) of the systolic BP (SBP SD) and the diastolic BP were calculated based on serial ABPM recordings. Patients were divided into those with orthostatic hypotension (OH, n=68) and those with a normal head-up tilt-table test despite orthostatic intolerance (NOI, n=77) groups. Results: A multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that OH was associated with bilateral oVEMP abnormalities (p=0.021), SBP SD (p=0.012), and female sex (p=0.004). SBP SD was higher in patients with OH than in those with NOI (p<0.001), and was not correlated with n1–p1 amplitude (p=0.491) or normalized p13–n23 amplitude (p=0.193) in patients with OH.The sensitivity and specificity for differentiating OH from NOI were 72.1% and 67.5%, respectively, at a cutoff value of 12.7 mm Hg for SBP SD, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.73. Conclusions Bilaterally deficient oVEMP responses may be associated with OH regardless of 24-h BP variability, reflecting the integrity of the otolith-autonomic reflex during orthostasis. Alternatively, 24-h BP variability is predominantly regulated by the baroreflex, which also participates in securing orthostatic tolerance complementary to the vestibulo-autonomic reflex.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of applying the hot spring water exercise for 8 weeks to middle-aged females with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: To investigate this, body composition, isokinetic muscle function, and the knee flexion angle K-WOMAC were evaluated before and after the 8-week hot spring water exercise program and analyzed using a mixed-design two-way ANOVA. After analysis, if a significant difference was observed, the Bonferroni method was used as a post hoc method, and the following results were obtained. Results: First, among the body composition parameters, the body fat percentage showed a statistically significant reduction after the 8-week hot spring water exercise program in the exercise group (EG) (p = .031).However, there was no significant difference in body weight, muscle mass, body fat mass, and body mass index. Among the isokinetic muscle functions, the peak torque (p = .003, p = .001) and total work (p = .003, p = .003) of the flexion and extension movements, and the average power (p = .007) of the flexion movement significantly increased in the EG, while the average power of the extension movement did not change. The range of joint motion significantly increased after the exercise. The K-WOMAC index significantly decreased after the exercise. Conclusion Thus, the 8-week aquatic exercise program utilizing hot springs improved knee extension and flexion muscle strength. Hence, it is believed that it can be used as an interventional therapy for low back pain in the elderly and for obese people who have difficulty with land-based exercises.