Intramuscular myxoma is a rare benign myxoid tumor that is difficult to differentiate from other benign soft tissue tumors and sarcoma, and as a result, intramuscular myxoma is commonly misdiagnosed as another type of soft tissue tumor. Accordingly, awareness of the existence of this condition is a fundamental requirement for treatment decision-making. Furthermore, although intramuscular myxoma appears grossly to be well-circumscribed, it can infiltrate adjacent soft tissue microscopically. Tumor resection is the recommended treatment, but appropriate surgical margin sizes remain controversial. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first South Korean report to be issued on the treatment of intramuscular myxoma of the foot.

Intestinal microorganisms interact with various immune cells and are involved in gut homeostasis and immune regulation. Although many studies have discussed the roles of the microorganisms themselves, interest in the effector function of their metabolites is increasing. The metabolic processes of these molecules provide important clues to the existence and function of gut microbes. The interrelationship between metabolites and T lymphocytes in particular plays a significant role in adaptive immune functions. Our current review focuses on 3 groups of metabolites: short-chain fatty acids, bile acids metabolites, and polyamines. We collated the findings of several studies on the transformation and production of these metabolites by gut microbes and explained their immunological roles. Specifically, we summarized the reports on changes in mucosal immune homeostasis represented by the Tregs and Th17 cells balance. The relationship between specific metabolites and diseases was also analyzed through latest studies. Thus, this review highlights microbial metabolites as the hidden treasure having potential diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets through a comprehensive understanding of the gut-immune interaction.

Purpose: Despite the prevalent use of insulin pump therapy worldwide, few studies have been conducted among young patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Korea. We investigated the durability and effectiveness of insulin pump therapy among Korean pediatric and young adult patients with T1D. Methods: This study included 54 patients with T1D diagnosed at pediatric ages (range, 1.1–14.1 years) who initiated insulin pump therapy during 2016–2019 at Seoul National University Children's Hospital and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Clinical and biochemical data, including anthropometric measurements, insulin dose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were obtained from T1D diagnosis to last follow-up. Results: Forty-four patients (81.5%) continued insulin pump therapy with a median pump use duration of 2.9 years (range, 0.2–3.5 years); 10 discontinued the therapy within 12 months (<1 month, n=6; 1–6 months, n=1; and 6–12 months, n=3) due to physical interferences or financial problems. Older age (≥10 years of age) and longer diabetes duration (≥2 years) at the initiation of pump therapy were associated with discontinuation (P<0.05 for both). For patients continuing pump therapy, HbA1c levels significantly decreased after 1 year of therapy (from 8.9% to 8.1%, P<0.001) without changes in the body mass index z-scores or insulin dose. Although 4 patients experienced diabetic ketoacidosis, all recovered without complications. Conclusion Insulin pump therapy was effective in improving glycemic control in T1D patients during 12 months of treatment. Early initiation of insulin pump therapy after T1D diagnosis was helpful for continuing therapy.

PURPOSE: Vitamin D deficiency is reported to be more common in type 1 diabetes patients and might be associated with the increased urinary loss of vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) consequent to impaired 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) circulation. We aimed to evaluate the possible increased urinary loss of VDBP, a correlation between VDBP and circulating 25(OH)D level, and risk factors influencing low vitamin D level in pediatric type 1 diabetes patients without microalbuminuria. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of subjects who visited Seoul National University Children’s Hospital between January and March 2013. Forty-two type 1 diabetes patients and 29 healthy controls were included. Biochemical parameters including serum and urine VDBP concentrations were analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the frequency of vitamin D deficiency or serum 25(OH)D level between the 2 groups. The serum and urine VDBP concentrations did not show any difference between the 2 groups. Serum 25(OH) D level did not correlate with serum or urine VDBP. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that daylight outdoor hours (β=2.948, P=0.003) and vitamin D intake (β=2.865, P=0.003) affected the 25(OH)D level; the presence of type 1 diabetes or urinary VDBP excretion was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In pediatric type 1 diabetes patients, urinary VDBP excretion did not contribute to low serum 25(OH)D level in the setting of normoalbuminuria. The factors associated with 25(OH)D level during winter periods were daylight outdoor hours and vitamin D intake. Further studies including both micro- and macroalbuminuria patients with type 1 diabetes are warranted.
Albuminuria ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Ergocalciferols ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Vitamin D ; Vitamin D Deficiency ; Vitamin D-Binding Protein* ; Vitamins*

BACKGROUND: To identify adverse pulmonary health effects due to air pollution derived from a cement plant in Korea. The emphysema prevalence in residents around a cement plant was compared to that in the group who live far away from the plant by chest films (PA and lateral view) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) lung images. METHODS: From June to August in 2013 and from August to November in 2014, chest films and HRCT scan were conducted on residents over the age of 40 who lived around a cement plant. The residents were divided into two groups; a “more exposed group (MEG)” which consisted of 1,046 people who lived within a 1 km radius and a “less exposed group (LEG)” which consisted of 317 people who lived more than 5 km away from the same plant. We compared the emphysema prevalence and estimated the OR of this between the MEG and the LEG by using a chi-square and logistic regression on chest films and HRCT. RESULTS: The emphysema prevalence was 9.1 % in the LEG, 14.3 % in the MEG on chest films and 11.4 %, 17.8 % on the HRCT, respectively. The OR of the emphysema prevalence in MEG was 2.92 (95 % CI 1.77-4.83) on the chest films, 2.56 (95 % CI 1.64–3.99) on the HRCT after sex, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking history, residency period and firewood used history were adjusted. The OR in the less than 29 pack-years smoking history was 1.66 (95 % CI 0.92–3.06) and in the more than 30 pack-years was 3.05 (95 % CI 1.68–5.52) on the chest films, and was 1.68 (95 % CI 0.98–2.90), 2.93 (95 % CI 1.72–4.98) on the HRCT, respectively. CONCLUSION: The emphysema prevalence seems to be affected by the level of exposure to air pollution derived from the cement plant as well as sex, age, BMI, and smoking history in this study. Moreover, the OR of the case of the more exposed to the air pollution was similar to that of the case in smoking.
Air Pollution* ; Body Mass Index ; Emphysema* ; Internship and Residency ; Korea ; Leg ; Logistic Models ; Lung ; Plants* ; Prevalence* ; Radius ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thorax

Surgical procedures for parotidectomy had been developed to gain adequate approach, prevent morbidity of nerve, and give esthetic satisfaction. We performed two cases of parotidectomy through facelift incision. One case was reconstructed with superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS) flap and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle rotated flap at the parotid bed. In second case, same procedures were performed, but collagen membrane was additionally implanted for prevention of Frey's syndrome. After surgery, two cases showed esthetic results without neck scar and hollow defect on parotid bed area.
Cicatrix ; Collagen ; Membranes ; Neck ; Rhytidoplasty* ; Sweating, Gustatory

BACKGROUND: The posterior movement of mandible was known as the main cause of the changes in the pharyngeal airway space (PAS) and the postoperative obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The purpose of this study was to know the changes of PAS and position of hyoid bone. METHODS: Lateral cephalographies of 13 patients who had undergone sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) setback surgery were taken preoperatively (T1), postoperatively within 2 months (T2), and follow-up after 6 months or more (T3). On the basis of F-H plane, diameters of nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx were measured. The movements of the soft palate, tongue, and hyoid bone were also measured. RESULTS: The amount of mandible setback was 7.5 +/- 3.8 mm. In the measurements of PAS, there was a statistically significant decrease of 2.8 +/- 2.5 mm in nasopharynx (P < 0.01), and 1.7 +/- 2.4 mm in oropharynx (P < 0.01) were observed after surgery. The hypopharynx decreased 1.0 +/- 2.1 mm after surgery and continuously decreased 1.0 +/- 2.8 mm at follow-up. The changes in hyoid bone position showed the posterior movement only after surgery and posteroinferior movement at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The PAS such as nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx showed relatively high correlation with the amount of mandibular setback. The change of resistance in upper airway may be important for the prevention of OSA after mandibular setback surgery.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyoid Bone* ; Hypopharynx ; Mandible ; Nasopharynx ; Oropharynx ; Osteotomy, Sagittal Split Ramus ; Palate, Soft ; Retrospective Studies* ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Tongue

OBJECTIVE: Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) has been increasingly used to evaluate patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between qEEG data and symptom severity in patients with ADHD. METHODS: Fifteen patients with ADHD and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. Electroencephalography was assessed in the resting-state, and qEEG data were obtained in the eyes-closed state. The Korean version of the ADHD Rating Scale (K-ARS) and continuous performance tests (CPTs) were used to assess all participants. RESULTS: Theta-band (4-7 Hz) power across the brain was significantly positively correlated with inattention scores on the K-ARS, reaction times and commission errors on the CPTs in ADHD patients. Gamma-band (31-50 Hz) power was significantly positively correlated with the results of the auditory CPTs in ADHD patients. The theta/alpha (8-12 Hz) and theta/beta (13-30 Hz) ratios were significantly negatively correlated with commission and omission errors on auditory CPTs in ADHD patients. No significant correlations between qEEG relative power and K-ARS and CPT scores were observed in HCs. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that qEEG may be a useful adjunctive tool in patients with ADHD.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Brain ; Electroencephalography* ; Humans ; Male* ; Reaction Time*

OBJECTIVES: To identify adverse health effects due to air pollution derived from a cement plant in Korea. The ventilation impairment in residents around a cement plant was compared to another group through a pulmonary function test (PFT). METHODS: From June to August of 2013, both a pre and post-bronchodilator PFT was conducted on a "more exposed group (MEG)" which consisted of 318 people who lived within a 1 km radius of a cement plant and a "less exposed group (LEG)" which consisted of 129 people who lived more than 5 km away from the same plant. The largest forced expiratory volume in a one second (FEV1) reading and a functional residual capacity (FVC) reading were recorded after examining the data from all of the usable curves that were agreed upon as valid by PFT experts of committee of National Institute of Environmental Research. The global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) criteria for COPD, defined the FEV1/FVC ratio < 0.7 as the obstructive type, and the FEV1/FVC ratio >== 0.7 and FVC% predicted < 80% were as the restrictive type. The FVC% predicted value was estimated using Korean equation. We compared the proportion of lung function impairments between the MEG and the LEG by using a chi-square, and estimated the OR of obstructive and restrictive ventilation impairments by logistic regression. RESULTS: The obstructive type impairment proportion was 9.7% in the MEG, whereas it was 8.5% in the LEG. The restrictive type was 21.6% in the MEG which was more than the 12.4% of the LEG. The odds ratio (OR) of total ventilation impairment in the MEG was 2.63 (95% CI 1.50 ~ 4.61) compared to the LEG. The OR of obstructive type in the MEG was 1.60 (95% CI 0.70 ~ 3.65), the smoking history was 3.10 (CI 1.10 ~ 8.66) whereas OR of restrictive type in the MEG was 2.55 (95% CI 1.37 ~ 4.76), the smoking history was 0.75 (95% CI 0.35 ~ 1.60) after adjusting for sex and age. Level of exposure to particulate played a role in both types. However, it appeared to be a significant variable in restrictive type, while smoking history was also an important variable in obstructive type. CONCLUSION: Although this study is a limited cross-section study with a small number of subjects, ventilation impairment rate is higher in the MEG. There might be a possibility that it is due to long-term exposure to particulate dust generated by the cement plant.
Air Pollution ; Dust ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Functional Residual Capacity ; Korea ; Leg ; Logistic Models ; Lung ; Odds Ratio ; Plants* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Radius ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Ventilation*