Background: Longitudinal melanonychia (LM) can be caused by a variety of benign and malignant conditions. Nail matrix biopsy is necessary for the diagnosis of LM; however, physicians hesitate to perform the nail matrix biopsy due to the risk of postoperative complications like permanent matrix damage. Therefore, biopsy methods that minimize the risk of postoperative complications are necessary. Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of the nail matrix shave biopsy using a razor blade. Methods: We reviewed the medical records, clinical photographs, and histopathologic slides of patients who underwent shave biopsy for the diagnosis of LM from January 2018 to March 2020 at Wonkwang University Hospital. Results: The entire pigmented lesion was removed completely by shaving only a partial thickness of the superficial matrix in all patients. The histopathologic diagnosis was melanocyte activation with no atypia in all cases. Eight patients were followed up for 7∼19 months. Resting pain after the shave biopsy improved in most cases (75%) within 1 week. One patient experienced numbness lasting for 3 months. Abnormal sensations, such as tingling and itching, were temporarily reported by two patients. One patient (12.5%) had temporary postoperative nail plate dystrophy, and three patients (37.5%) had recurrence of pigmentation. Conclusion Our protocol of shave biopsy showed a lower rate of postoperative nail dystrophy than the conventional shave biopsy. We suggest that the shave biopsy using a flexible stainless steel razor blade is a favorable alternative to the conventional shave biopsy.

Tumoral calcinosis is an ectopic calcification syndrome characterized by an irregular soft tissue mass. It has been reported mainly in large joints such as the hip, shoulder, knee, and elbow, but rarely in the hands. When it occurs on the dorsal side of the wrist, there are no specific symptoms except for localized tenderness. Therefore, it is difficult to differentiate the calcification from other common hand tumors, especially ganglions. We report a case of tumoral calcinosis that occurred on the dorsal side of the wrist with magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Tumoral calcinosis is an ectopic calcification syndrome characterized by an irregular soft tissue mass. It has been reported mainly in large joints such as the hip, shoulder, knee, and elbow, but rarely in the hands. When it occurs on the dorsal side of the wrist, there are no specific symptoms except for localized tenderness. Therefore, it is difficult to differentiate the calcification from other common hand tumors, especially ganglions. We report a case of tumoral calcinosis that occurred on the dorsal side of the wrist with magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Background: Epidermoid cysts are benign tumors derived from the infundibular portion of hair follicles and thus have a flattened surface epithelium and keratohyaline granules. They can occur at any age but are most frequently reported in adults, and more often occur in men than women. Most epidermoid cyst operations are performed for cosmetic purposes, or to relieve inflammation. The definitive treatment is complete excision or destruction of the cyst. The aim of this study was to improve understanding of epidermoid cysts. Methods: We analyzed 432 cases of epidermoid cyst in 398 patients that underwent complete excision and biopsy between April 2001 and March 2020, according to patient age, patient gender, and lesion location. Results: From all epidermoid cyst excisions performed, 17.6% were for patients in their 40s and 50s, 16.8% for those in their 20s, 16.1% for those in their 30s, 14.6% for those aged 60 or older, 5.0% for teenagers, and 0.5% for those under 10 years. Cases of epidermoid cysts occurred at a men-to-women ratio of about 3:2, with 59.5% of cases in men and 40.5% in women. By lesion location, 65.0% of cases were on the face, 10.9% on the trunk, 7.9% on the scalp, 7.9% on the neck, 4.3% on lower extremities, 3.9% on upper extremities, and 0.2% on genitalia. On the face, 20.8% of cases were on the cheek, 12.7% on the periauricular area, 10.9% on the periorbital area, 6.0% on the frontal area, 5.6% on the mental area, 3.7% on the perioral area, 2.8% on the nasal area, and 2.5% on the temporal area. Conclusion The proportion of women with epidermoid cysts was higher in our study than in previous studies. Moreover, the results showed that surgery has been on the rise in recent years, with facial surgery being the most common.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to heavy metals from environmental and industrial sources remains a concern of serious public health risk. This study was conducted to analysis the relationship between heavy metal concentrations and bone density. METHODS: This study used data from a nation-based sample of Koreans (n=2,429) from 2008 to 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We were obtained heavy metals (lead, mercury and cadmium), socioeconomic and demographic factors and bone mineral density (BMD) measured by T-score. RESULTS: Menopausal women, current smoker or the frequent alcohol drinking, low educational level and low family income were greater in the osteopenia or osteoporosis groups than normal group, and were associated with an increased blood heavy metal concentration levels. The highest quartile group in blood lead had a 1.47 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-1.87) risk of osteopenia or osteoporosis. In case of blood cadmium, the risk for osteopenia or osteoporosis increased 2.1 times (95% CI 1.64-2.68). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a significant association between blood heavy metals (lead and cadmium) levels and low BMD. Our findings suggest that heavy metal exposure may be a risk factor for osteoporosis.
Adult* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Bone Density* ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Cadmium ; Demography ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Metals, Heavy ; Nutrition Surveys ; Osteoporosis ; Public Health ; Risk Factors

We describe a very rare case of 6.9-year-old boy with Down syndrome (DS) and a prior history of transient myeloproliferative disorder. He was diagnosed with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia and found to have a novel GATA1 gene mutation, as well as a complex karyotype without recurrent acute myeloid leukemia (AML) aberrations. The patient achieved an early bone marrow response to chemotherapy. However, relapse occurred during treatment, 9 months after the initial diagnosis. Although GATA1 mutations are closely associated with DS-AML, we speculate that factors other than the presence of the GATA1 mutation can affect the overall outcome in older pediatric patients.
Bone Marrow ; Down Syndrome ; Humans ; Karyotype ; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Myeloproliferative Disorders ; Recurrence

OBJECTIVES: Recently, Interest has been increase on the cognitive and emotional effects of bilateral eye movement. However, there is little research related to the subject in Korea. In this study, we evaluated the effects of bilateral eye movement to memory. METHODS: There were a total of 24 subjects between the ages of 18 and 45. All were right-handed. The subjects first studied words, and then performed recognition memory task about the words after bilateral eye movement and eye fixation. The results (recognition accuracy, response bias, mean response to hits) were compared and analyzed. In addition, We evaluated whether the results differ according to the type of word. Repeated measure analysis of variance was performed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The main effects on condition [F(1, 23)=9.39, p<0.05] and word type [F(1, 23)=33.727, p<0.05] in recognition accuracy were statistically significant. Also main effect of mean response time to hits was observed [F(1, 23)=66.482, p<0.05]. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that bilateral eye movement enhance recognition accuracy than eye fixation. In this study, bilateral eye movement that affects cognition were investigated.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Cognition ; Eye ; Eye Movements ; Korea ; Memory ; Reaction Time ; Task Performance and Analysis

BACKGROUND: Food exchange lists are one of the main methods of nutritional education. However, Korean food exchange lists have not been revised since 1994. Therefore, we surveyed the opinions of diabetes educators and patients with diabetes regarding the need for revision of the current food exchange lists. METHODS: For two weeks beginning on 10 March 2008, a 12-item questionnaire regarding the opinion and need for revision of the current food exchange lists was e-mailed to diabetes educators nationwide. Another 15-question survey was administered to patients with diabetes in 13 hospitals located in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions of Korea. RESULTS: We obtained survey responses from 101 diabetes educators and 209 patients; 65 (64.3%) of the educators answered that the current food exchange lists should be revised. The items that needed revision were the glycemic index, addition of new foods and reaffirmation of exchange standard amounts. The patients demanded specific education about choosing appropriate foods, a balanced meal plan, proper snacks, and dining intake. CONCLUSION: Our survey results demonstrate the need to revise the Korean food exchange lists. This process should focus on glycemic index, the addition of new foods and reconfirmation of one exchange reference unit.
Electronic Mail ; Glycemic Index ; Humans ; Meals ; Snacks ; Surveys and Questionnaires