Purpose: For liposarcoma (LPS), clinical course and proper treatment strategies have not been well-established. Recently, immune-checkpoint inhibitors have shown potential efficacy in LPS. We aimed to describe the clinical course of LPS and evaluate the clinical impact of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Materials and Methods: We reviewed all consecutive patients (n=332) who underwent curative-intent surgery for localized LPS at Asan Medical Center between 1989 and 2017. PD-L1 testing was performed in well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPS. Results: The median age was 56 years with males comprising 60.8%. Abdomen-pelvis (47.6%) and well-differentiated (37.7%) were the most frequent primary site and histologic subtype, respectively. During a median follow-up of 81.2 months, recurrence was observed in 135 (40.7%), and 86.7% (117/135) were loco-regional. Well-differentiated subtype (hazard ratio [HR], 0.38), abdomen-pelvis origin (HR, 2.43), tumor size larger than 5 cm (HR, 1.83), positive resection margin (HR, 2.58), and postoperative radiotherapy (HR, 0.36) were significantly related with recurrence-free survival as well as visceral involvement (HR, 1.84) and multifocality (HR, 3.79) in abdomen-pelvis LPS. PD-L1 was positive in 31.5% (23/73) and 51.3% (39/76) of well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPS, respectively, but had no impact on survival outcomes. Conclusion Clinical course of LPS was heterogeneous according to histology and anatomic location. Clear resection margin was important to lower recurrence and postoperative radiotherapy might have additional benefit. A decent portion of well-differentiated and dedifferentiated LPS were positive for PD-L1, but its prognostic role was unclear. Further research is needed to determine clinical implications of PD-L1, especially for advanced-stage LPS with unmet needs for effective systemic treatment.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and report the antibacterial efficacy in relation to oral disease-causing bacteria using a mouthwash containing 0.05% CPC in an in vitro test. Methods: The sterilization test and susceptibility assay of mouthwash containing 0.05% CPC were investigated against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus;Streptococcus sanguinis as oral bacteria related to dental caries; Enterococcus faecalis as apical periodontitis-related bacteria; and Actinomyces israelii, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescence, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, and Filifactor alocis as periodontal disease-related bacteria. Results: In the sterilization test, most of the bacteria had more than 99.99% sterilizing power for all samples but compared to other bacteria, the sterilizing power of these samples was not successful for L. acidophilus and E. faecalis bacteria. When comparing the sterilization power between the samples, sample 3 (0.05% CPC+20% ethanol) was the strongest. Conclusions In the antimicrobial activity test, sample 3 inhibited growth at the lowest concentration overall.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and report the antibacterial efficacy in relation to oral disease-causing bacteria using a mouthwash containing 0.05% CPC in an in vitro test. Methods: The sterilization test and susceptibility assay of mouthwash containing 0.05% CPC were investigated against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus;Streptococcus sanguinis as oral bacteria related to dental caries; Enterococcus faecalis as apical periodontitis-related bacteria; and Actinomyces israelii, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescence, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, and Filifactor alocis as periodontal disease-related bacteria. Results: In the sterilization test, most of the bacteria had more than 99.99% sterilizing power for all samples but compared to other bacteria, the sterilizing power of these samples was not successful for L. acidophilus and E. faecalis bacteria. When comparing the sterilization power between the samples, sample 3 (0.05% CPC+20% ethanol) was the strongest. Conclusions In the antimicrobial activity test, sample 3 inhibited growth at the lowest concentration overall.

Background/Aims: To investigate epidemiologic characteristics, clinical and economic burdens, and factors associated with mortality in complicated skin and skin structure infection (cSSSI) patients in Korea. Methods: A retrospective, observational, nationwide study was conducted between April to July 2012 at 14 tertiary-hospitals in Korea. Eligible patients were hospitalized adults with community acquired cSSSI, who underwent surgical intervention and completed treatment between November 2009 and October 2011. Data on demography, clinical characteristics, outcomes and medical resource utilization were collected through medical record review. Direct medical costs were calculated by multiplying quantities of resources utilized by each unit price in Korea. Results: Of 473 patients enrolled, 449 patients (except 24 patients with no record on surgical intervention) were eligible for analysis. Microbiological testing was performed on 66.1% of patients and 8.2% had multiple pathogens. Among culture confirmed pathogens (n = 297 patients, 340 episodes), 76.2% were gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus; 41.2%) and 23.8% were gram-negative. The median duration of hospital stay was 16 days. Among treated patients, 3.3% experienced recurrence and 4.2% died in-hospital. The mean direct medical costs amounted to $4,195/ person, with the greatest expenses for hospitalization and antibiotics. The in-hospital mortality and total medical costs were higher in combined antibiotics therapy than monotherapy (p < 0.05). Charlson’s comorbidity index ≥ 3, standardized early warning scoring ≥ 4, sub-fascia infections and combined initial therapy, were all found to be associated with higher mortality. Conclusions Korean patients with community-onset cSSSI suffer from considerable clinical and economic burden. Efforts should be made to reduce this burden through appropriate initial treatment.

BACKGROUND: Research into the Baumann skin type (BST) has recently expanded, with growing interest in the development of an efficient and effective skin type classification system for better understanding of this skin condition. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify male-specific skin type characteristics with investigation into the distribution of BST by age and region in the Korean male population and to determine the intrinsic and extrinsic factors related to skin type. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to collect information about age, region, working behavior, drinking behavior, smoking behavior, usual habit of sun protection, medical history, and the BST which consisted of four parameters; oily (O) or dry (D), sensitive (S) or resistant (R), pigmented (P) or non-pigmented (N), and wrinkled (W) or tight (T). RESULTS: We surveyed 1,000 Korean males aged between 20 and 60 years who were divided equally by age and region. Of the total respondents, OSNW type accounted for the largest percentage and ORPW type the lowest. In terms of Baumann parameters, O type was 53.5%, S type was 56.1%, N type was 84.4% and W type was 57.5%. Several behavioral factors were found to have various relationships with the skin type. CONCLUSION: The predominant skin type in the Korean male respondents was OSNW type, and the distribution of skin types with regards to age and region was reported to be distinct. Therefore, skin care should be customized based on detailed skin types considering the various environmental factors.
Classification ; Drinking Behavior ; Humans ; Male ; Skin Care ; Skin ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Solar System ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: To meet the need for a subspecialized skin type system, the Baumann skin type (BST) system was proposed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the distribution of BST types and influencing factors among Korean women. METHODS: BST questionnaires were administered to 1,000 Korean women. The possible responses were as follows: oily (O) or dry (D), sensitive (S) or resistant (R), pigmented (P) or non-pigmented (N), and wrinkled (W) or tight (T). The correlations of the BST with the subjects' age, location, ultraviolet (UV) ray exposure, drinking and smoking habits, and blood type were assessed. RESULTS: The OSNT, DSNT, DRNT, and OSNW skin types were the most common skin types (55.3%). The O, S, P, and W types accounted for 46.6%, 68.8%, 23.2%, and 31.9%, respectively. The proportion of the O and S type was the highest in Gyeongsangbuk-do (55.0%) and Seoul (77.2%). The proportion of the P and W type was the highest in Gyeongsangbuk-do (33.0%) and Chungcheong-do (39.0%). The O type decreased in the higher age group, whereas the P and W type showed a reversed tendency. In smokers, the proportion of W type was significantly higher than in the non-smokers (66.3% vs. 24.1%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The 4 most common BST types were OSNT, DSNT, DRNT, and OSNW. In the comparison across the 4 BST parameters according to the age, region, smoking and drinking habits, occupation, blood type, and UV exposure, significant differences were observed. Individualized and customized skin care is required according to the personal skin type.
Drinking ; Female* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Occupations ; Seoul ; Skin Care ; Skin* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an extremely rare clinical manifestation of ischemic heart disease. A 43-year-old female was admitted to our hospital for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. She had no cardiac risk factors except smoking. Coronary angiography showed moderate stenosis of the proximal left circumflex artery (LCX) with intraluminal haziness and a spastic appearance from the culprit lesion in the left main coronary artery (LM). Subsequent analysis by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) revealed a clear dissection flap from the LCX to the LM. Generally, SCAD of the LM or multivessel involvement requires primary surgical management. The present case was treated percutaneously using the culotte stent technique.
Adult ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Female ; Humans ; Muscle Spasticity ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stents

The purpose of this study was to examine profile of bacteria contaminated in a dry sauna. Bacteria sampled from the floor of the dry sauna (75~80degrees C) were separated and identified by using a thermal gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) technique, and were cultivated using a defined medium at 50degrees C. Bacteria grown in the defined medium were identified based on 16S-rDNA sequence homology. The band number of DNA separated by TGGE was 15, indicating the species diversity of bacteria contaminating the dry sauna. Seven species of bacteria were successfully cultured on agar plate medium at 50degrees C, which represented a combination of thermophilic and thermoduric bacteria contaminating the dry sauna. The highest limit temperature for growth of the bacterial isolates was generally 50degrees C when cultivated in a defined medium, but was raised to 60degrees C when cultivated in a complex medium. Consequently, the bacteria grown at 50~60degrees C are thermoduric or thermophilic, but others may not be.
Agar ; Bacteria ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; Floors and Floorcoverings ; Sequence Homology ; Steam Bath

BACKGROUND: Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) correlates well with arterial distensibility and stiffness and is a useful approach for evaluating the severity of systemic arteriosclerosis in adults. In addition, measurement of brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) has been commonly reported as a simple, noninvasive, and practicable method. Arterial stiffness assessed by PWV could predict cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In this study, we investigated the association between the changes of baPWV and cardiovascular risk factors in Korean women using data from follow-up evaluations. METHODS: The subjects were 626 women (age, 47.2 +/- 8.2) in whom we measured baPWV and cardiovascular risk factors at baseline and about one year later. Arterial stiffness was evaluated by baPWV and biological parameters were evaluated on the same day. We retrospectively analyzed the relationships between changes of baPWV and those other factors. All analyses were performed with SPSS ver. 20.0 and p-values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: In correlation analysis, changes of baPWV were affected by changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Multiple regression analysis of relationship between changes of baPWV and other associated variables shows that improvement of baPWV was significantly positively associated with changes of SBP and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and worsening of baPWV was significantly negatively associated with changes of DBP, age, and SBP in sequence. CONCLUSIONS: In improvement of baPWV, decreases of SBP and HbA1c and in worsening of baPWV, increases of DBP, age, and SBP were significant factors in Korean women.
Adult ; Animals ; Ankle ; Arteriosclerosis ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Vascular Stiffness

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity of physical examinations by assessment of correlation between physical examinations and CT measurements in children with intoeing gait and the causes of intoeing gait by age using CT measurements. METHOD: Twenty-six children with intoeing gait participated in this study. The internal and external hip rotation, thigh-foot angle and transmalleolar angle were measured. In addition, femoral anteversion and tibial torsion of the subjects were assessed using a CT scan. The measurements of torsional angles were performed twice by two raters. The correlation coefficients between physical examinations and CT measurements were calculated using Pearson correlation. The data was analyzed statistically using SPSS v12.0. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients between physical examinations and CT measurements were not high. Before 5 years of age, intoeing gait was caused by femoral anteversion in 17.86%, tibial torsion in 32.29% and the combination of causes in 35.71% of cases. After 6 years of age, the contributions changed to 29.17%, 8.33% and 45.83%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Before 5 years of age, the common cause of an intoeing gait was tibial torsion, whereas after 6 years of age it was femoral anteversion. Regardless of age, the most common cause of intoeing gait was a combination of causes. This study shows poor correlation between physical examinations and CT. Therefore, it is limiting to use physical examination only for evaluating the cause of intoeing gait in clinical practice.
Child ; Gait ; Hip ; Humans ; Physical Examination