Purpose: Interest in the quality of life (QoL) of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has recently increased. Although measurement tools have been devised for IBD in general, there is no specific tool for measuring the QoL of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, we developed a QoL questionnaire specifically for patients with UC. Materials and Methods: The Korean Ulcerative Colitis-Specific Questionnaire (K-UCSQ) was developed through item generation, raw-scale construction, focus group meetings, and multi-center field tests. Two hundred patients with UC were recruited for a field test of the K-UCSQ, and subsequent responses to the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) were also obtained. After performing factor analyses to ensure construct validity, the K-UCSQ was finalized as a four-domain, 28-item questionnaire. Subsequent analyses evaluated the reliability of the K-UCSQ in terms of Cronbach’s alpha, concurrent validity in comparison with the pre-established IBDQ, and predictive validity of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for clinically relevant QoL outcomes. Results: A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.94 showed excellent reliability. Furthermore, correlation analyses demonstrated the concurrent validity of the K-UCSQ in comparison with the IBDQ. The K-UCSQ also showed high validity in predicting the perceived overall health (AUC of 0.812 vs. 0.797 using the IBDQ) and past 2-week QoL (AUC of 0.864 vs. 0.859 using the IBDQ). Conclusion The newly developed K-UCSQ is concise, bathroom problem-emphasizing, and UC-specific, suggesting that it could be a valid and reliable UC-specific instrument for QoL measurement.

Purpose: Interest in the quality of life (QoL) of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has recently increased. Although measurement tools have been devised for IBD in general, there is no specific tool for measuring the QoL of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, we developed a QoL questionnaire specifically for patients with UC. Materials and Methods: The Korean Ulcerative Colitis-Specific Questionnaire (K-UCSQ) was developed through item generation, raw-scale construction, focus group meetings, and multi-center field tests. Two hundred patients with UC were recruited for a field test of the K-UCSQ, and subsequent responses to the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) were also obtained. After performing factor analyses to ensure construct validity, the K-UCSQ was finalized as a four-domain, 28-item questionnaire. Subsequent analyses evaluated the reliability of the K-UCSQ in terms of Cronbach’s alpha, concurrent validity in comparison with the pre-established IBDQ, and predictive validity of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for clinically relevant QoL outcomes. Results: A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.94 showed excellent reliability. Furthermore, correlation analyses demonstrated the concurrent validity of the K-UCSQ in comparison with the IBDQ. The K-UCSQ also showed high validity in predicting the perceived overall health (AUC of 0.812 vs. 0.797 using the IBDQ) and past 2-week QoL (AUC of 0.864 vs. 0.859 using the IBDQ). Conclusion The newly developed K-UCSQ is concise, bathroom problem-emphasizing, and UC-specific, suggesting that it could be a valid and reliable UC-specific instrument for QoL measurement.

Purpose: Interest in the quality of life (QoL) of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has recently increased. Although measurement tools have been devised for IBD in general, there is no specific tool for measuring the QoL of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, we developed a QoL questionnaire specifically for patients with UC. Materials and Methods: The Korean Ulcerative Colitis-Specific Questionnaire (K-UCSQ) was developed through item generation, raw-scale construction, focus group meetings, and multi-center field tests. Two hundred patients with UC were recruited for a field test of the K-UCSQ, and subsequent responses to the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) were also obtained. After performing factor analyses to ensure construct validity, the K-UCSQ was finalized as a four-domain, 28-item questionnaire. Subsequent analyses evaluated the reliability of the K-UCSQ in terms of Cronbach’s alpha, concurrent validity in comparison with the pre-established IBDQ, and predictive validity of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for clinically relevant QoL outcomes. Results: A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.94 showed excellent reliability. Furthermore, correlation analyses demonstrated the concurrent validity of the K-UCSQ in comparison with the IBDQ. The K-UCSQ also showed high validity in predicting the perceived overall health (AUC of 0.812 vs. 0.797 using the IBDQ) and past 2-week QoL (AUC of 0.864 vs. 0.859 using the IBDQ). Conclusion The newly developed K-UCSQ is concise, bathroom problem-emphasizing, and UC-specific, suggesting that it could be a valid and reliable UC-specific instrument for QoL measurement.

Purpose: Interest in the quality of life (QoL) of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has recently increased. Although measurement tools have been devised for IBD in general, there is no specific tool for measuring the QoL of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, we developed a QoL questionnaire specifically for patients with UC. Materials and Methods: The Korean Ulcerative Colitis-Specific Questionnaire (K-UCSQ) was developed through item generation, raw-scale construction, focus group meetings, and multi-center field tests. Two hundred patients with UC were recruited for a field test of the K-UCSQ, and subsequent responses to the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) were also obtained. After performing factor analyses to ensure construct validity, the K-UCSQ was finalized as a four-domain, 28-item questionnaire. Subsequent analyses evaluated the reliability of the K-UCSQ in terms of Cronbach’s alpha, concurrent validity in comparison with the pre-established IBDQ, and predictive validity of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for clinically relevant QoL outcomes. Results: A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.94 showed excellent reliability. Furthermore, correlation analyses demonstrated the concurrent validity of the K-UCSQ in comparison with the IBDQ. The K-UCSQ also showed high validity in predicting the perceived overall health (AUC of 0.812 vs. 0.797 using the IBDQ) and past 2-week QoL (AUC of 0.864 vs. 0.859 using the IBDQ). Conclusion The newly developed K-UCSQ is concise, bathroom problem-emphasizing, and UC-specific, suggesting that it could be a valid and reliable UC-specific instrument for QoL measurement.

Purpose: Interest in the quality of life (QoL) of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has recently increased. Although measurement tools have been devised for IBD in general, there is no specific tool for measuring the QoL of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, we developed a QoL questionnaire specifically for patients with UC. Materials and Methods: The Korean Ulcerative Colitis-Specific Questionnaire (K-UCSQ) was developed through item generation, raw-scale construction, focus group meetings, and multi-center field tests. Two hundred patients with UC were recruited for a field test of the K-UCSQ, and subsequent responses to the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) were also obtained. After performing factor analyses to ensure construct validity, the K-UCSQ was finalized as a four-domain, 28-item questionnaire. Subsequent analyses evaluated the reliability of the K-UCSQ in terms of Cronbach’s alpha, concurrent validity in comparison with the pre-established IBDQ, and predictive validity of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for clinically relevant QoL outcomes. Results: A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.94 showed excellent reliability. Furthermore, correlation analyses demonstrated the concurrent validity of the K-UCSQ in comparison with the IBDQ. The K-UCSQ also showed high validity in predicting the perceived overall health (AUC of 0.812 vs. 0.797 using the IBDQ) and past 2-week QoL (AUC of 0.864 vs. 0.859 using the IBDQ). Conclusion The newly developed K-UCSQ is concise, bathroom problem-emphasizing, and UC-specific, suggesting that it could be a valid and reliable UC-specific instrument for QoL measurement.

Background: Auricle reconstruction is among the most challenging procedures in plastic and reconstructive surgery, and the choice of framework material is a critical decision for both surgeons and patients. This meta-analysis compared the outcomes of autologous auricle reconstruction using costal cartilage with those of alloplastic reconstruction using porous polyethylene implants. Methods: A literature review was conducted using the PubMed and Embase databases to retrieve articles published between January 2000 and June 2024. The outcomes analyzed included postoperative complications such as framework exposure, infection, skin necrosis, hematoma, and hypertrophic scars, as well as patient satisfaction. The proportions of reconstructive outcomes from each selected study were statistically analyzed using the “metaprop” function in R software. Results: Fourteen articles met our inclusion criteria. The group undergoing polyethylene implant reconstruction exhibited higher rates of framework exposure, infection, and skin necrosis, whereas the autologous reconstruction group experienced higher rates of hematoma and hypertrophic scars. Of all the complications, framework exposure was the only one to show a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.0001). In terms of patient satisfaction, those who underwent autologous cartilage reconstruction reported a higher rate of satisfaction, although this difference did not reach statistical significance in the meta-analysis (p = 0.076). Conclusion There is no statistically significant difference in postoperative complications such as infection, hematoma, skin necrosis, and hypertrophic scars between auricle reconstructions using autologous costal cartilage and those using polyethylene implants. However, reconstructions with polyethylene implants show a significantly higher rate of framework exposure.

Background: and Purpose Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). Results: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P<0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P<0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. Conclusions During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between practice and infectious diseases in elementary, middle and high school students. METHODS: In 16 metropolitan cities and province of the Korea, the students who from fourth grade of elementary school to third grade of high school were surveyed by personal interviews and an web-based online survey from 5 to 25 September, 2014. We analyzed data with chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Common cold, diarrhea, and eye infections were more prevalent among students in higher grade than lower grade. In particular, common cold was more prevalent among girls than boys, using hand sanitizer than washing with soaps, and students who wash the dorsal side of hand than not wash the dorsal side of hand. CONCLUSIONS: Higher-grade students showed low status of hand washing practice. Hand washing was determined as the fact which influences to increase the prevention of communicable disease such as common cold. Considering the fact that youth groups have higher risk of being infected due to their group life, schools are recommended to provide adequate educations regarding proper hand washing practice with soap.
Adolescent ; Common Cold ; Communicable Diseases* ; Diarrhea ; Eye Infections ; Female ; Hand ; Hand Disinfection* ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Soaps

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to confirm the predictive cut-off values for P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) and aspirin reaction units (ARU) and to evaluate the clinical impact of VerifyNow(R) assays. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From November 2007 to October 2009, 186 eligible patients were prospectively recruited. Post-treatment platelet reactivity was measured by VerifyNow(R) assays within 12 to 24 hours after intervention, followed by standard dual maintenance dose therapy for 1 year. All patients had scheduled clinical follow-ups at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: The rate of low responders to clopidogrel, aspirin, and both drugs were 41.4%, 10.2%, and 3.8%, respectively. The predictive factors for low responsiveness to clopidogrel (PRU > or =240) were female sex, age, and non-use of cilostazol medication in our univariate analysis and age > or =65 years and non-use cilostazol in the multivariate analysis. The predictors of low responsiveness to aspirin (ARU > or =550) were male sex and age in both univariate and multivariate analyses. There was no significant difference in the clinical event rate with a cut-off value of PRU > or =240 or ARU > or =550 for 30 days and 1-year (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Hyporesponsiveness to antiplatelet agents (namely aspirin and clopidogrel) was identified in about half of the patients. The cut-off point of PRU > or =240 or ARU > or =550 did not confer predictive value for 30-day or 1-year clinical event rates in patients who had undergone coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents.
Aspirin ; Blood Platelets ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; Platelet Function Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Stents ; Tetrazoles ; Ticlopidine

Mast cells are activated by specific allergens and also by various nonspecific stimuli, which might induce physical urticaria. This study investigated the functional expression of temperature sensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) subfamily in the human mast cell line (HMC-1) using whole-cell patch clamp techniques. The temperature of perfusate was raised from room temperature (RT, 23~25degrees C to a moderately high temperature (MHT, 37~39degrees C to activate TRPV3/4, a high temperature (HT, 44~46degrees C to activate TRPV1, or a very high temperature (VHT, 53~55degrees C to activate TRPV2. The membrane conductance of HMC-1 was increased by MHT and HT in about 50% (21 of 40) of the tested cells, and the I/V curves showed weak outward rectification. VHT-induced current was 10-fold larger than those induced by MHT and HT. The application of the TRPV4 activator 4alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4alphaPDD, 1microM) induced weakly outward rectifying currents similar to those induced by MHT. However, the TRPV3 agonist camphor or TRPV1 agonist capsaicin had no effect. RT-PCR analysis of HMC-1 demonstrated the expression of TRPV4 as well as potent expression of TRPV2. The [Ca2+]c of HMC-1 cells was also increased by MHT or by 4alphaPDD. In summary, our present study indicates that HMC-1 cells express Ca2+-permeable TRPV4 channels in addition to the previously reported expression of TRPV2 with a higher threshold of activating temperature.
Allergens ; Camphor ; Capsaicin ; Humans ; Mast Cells ; Membranes ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Phorbols ; TRPV Cation Channels ; Urticaria