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

BACKGROUND: Hand eczema is one of the most common skin disorders and negatively affects quality of life. However, a large-scale multicenter study investigating the clinical features of patients with hand eczema has not yet been conducted in Korea. OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of various hand diseases, which is defined as all cutaneous disease occurring in hands, and to investigate the clinical features of patients with hand eczema and the awareness about hand eczema in the general population and to compare the prevalence of hand eczema between health care providers and non-health care providers. METHODS: To estimate the prevalence of hand diseases, we analyzed the medical records of patients from 24 medical centers. Patients were assessed by online and offline questionnaires. A 1,000 from general population and 913 hand eczema patients answered the questionnaire, for a total of 1,913 subjects. RESULTS: The most common hand disease was irritant contact dermatitis. In an online survey, the lifetime prevalence of hand eczema was 31.2%. Hand eczema was more likely to occur in females (66.0%) and younger (20~39 years, 53.9%). Health care providers and housewives were the occupations most frequently associated with hand eczema. Winter (33.6%) was the most common season which people experienced aggravation. The 63.0% and 67.0% answered that hand eczema hinders their personal relationship and negatively affects daily living activities, respectively. CONCLUSION: Hand eczema is a very common disease and hinders the quality of life. The appropriate identification of hand eczema is necessary to implement effective and efficient treatment.
Activities of Daily Living ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Eczema* ; Female ; Hand* ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Korea* ; Medical Records ; Occupations ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Seasons ; Skin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Mirocam(R) capsule endoscopy has been widely used in Korea; however, data with respect to Mirocam(R) capsule endoscopy is lacking. We have assessed the factors affecting complete small bowel studies and diagnostic yield in Mirocam(R) capsule endoscopic studies. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 103 cases that were assessed with Mirocam(R) capsule endoscopy between June 2007 and February 2010 at Guro Korea University Hospital. RESULTS: The mean age of the 103 cases was 55.47 years (range, 16-99 years) and 67 cases (65%) were male. The indications for capsule endoscopy were hematochezia/melena (77 cases, 74.8%), anemia (8 cases, 7.8%), abdominal pain (12 cases, 11.7%), and miscellaneous (weight loss and chronic diarrhea; 6 cases, 5.8%). The mean stomach transit time was 59.9+/-88.3 minutes (range, 1-630 minutes) and the mean small bowel transit time was 396.0+/-131.7 minutes (range, 117-708 minutes). The rate of successfully performing a complete small bowel study was 82.5% (85 cases), and the stomach transit time was a significant factor for a complete small bowel study (OR=0.991, 95% CI=0.984-0.998, P=0.012). The diagnostic yield was 51.5% (53 cases); visual quality was a significant factor in determining the diagnostic yield (OR=6.776, 95% CI=1.32-34.70, P=0.022). CONCLUSIONS: In a Mirocam(R) capsule endoscopic study, short stomach transit time was a significant factor affecting completion of the small bowel study. Achieving excellent visual quality by good bowel preparation was a significant factor for improving the diagnostic yield.
Abdominal Pain ; Anemia ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach

Despite its low incidence, stent thrombosis (ST) is one of the most dreaded complications of percutaneous coronary intervention. Endeavor (Medtronics Europe SA) is a new zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) with a favorable safety profile that was reported in early and ongoing trials. However, few lethal stent thromboses related to this new drug eluting stent (DES) have been reported. We experienced a case of simultaneous subacute ZES thromboses, 6 days after stent implantations in the proximal left anterior descending artery and the proximal right coronary artery (RCA).
Arteries ; Coronary Vessels ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Europe ; Incidence ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Sirolimus ; Stents ; Thrombosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recent studies have shown that serum interferon gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) concentration decreased after pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy, and was associated with a sustained virologic response (SVR). The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of the pretreatment IP-10 level and change in serum IP-10 level between 1 month before and after treatment and its association with various virologic responses in patients having chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with genotype 1 undergoing pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy. METHODS: Thirty-six patients having CHC with genotype I undergoing pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy who had available stored sera 1 month before and after treatment were enrolled retrospectively. Serum IP-10 levels were measured by ELISA. Serum HCV RNA was measured by RT-PCR (detection limit<50 IU/mL). RESULTS: The mean age of patients (n=36; 21 men) was 53.5 years, and the mean of pretreatment HCV RNA levels was 5.7 log10 IU/mL. The serum IP-10 level at 1 month after treatment significantly decreased from 432.2 to 306.5 pg/mL (p=0.033). The rate of rapid virologic response (RVR), early virologic response (EVR), end-of-treatment response (ETR), and SVR were 58%, 83%, 74%, and 57%, respectively. No significant difference in pretreatment IP-10 levels was observed between the patients with (RVR, EVR, ETR, and SVR) and without various virologic responses (p>0.05). The change in serum IP-10 between 1 month before and after treatment had no clinical meaning based on various virologic responses (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The level of pretreatment IP-10 and change in IP-10 level between 1 month before and after treatment were not predictive factors of a SVR. Additional large-scale studies to determine the SVR-predicting role of serum IP-10 levels in patients with CHC are needed.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Genotype ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Interferons ; Retrospective Studies ; Ribavirin ; RNA

Hot tub lung has been described as a pulmonary illness associated with exposure to nontuberculous mycobacteria, mainly hot bathtub water contaminated with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and hence the name. Although not entirely clear, its etiology has been thought to involve either an infection or a hypersensitivity pneumonitis secondary to MAC. Herein, we describe 2 female patients (60 and 53 years old) admitted to our hospital with hot tub lung, and both of whom worked in a public bath. Both women were initially admitted following several months of exertional dyspnea and cough. The patients had been working as body-scrubbers in a public bath for several years. Their chest CT scans showed bilateral diffuse ground-glass opacities with multifocal air-trappings and poorly defined centrilobular nodules in both lungs. Pathological findings from lung specimens revealed small non-necrotizing granuloma in the lung parenchyme with relatively normal-looking adjacent alveoli. Discontinuation of working in the public bath led to an improvement in symptoms and radiographic abnormalities, without antimycobacterial therapy.
Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic ; Baths ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Lung ; Mycobacterium avium Complex ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: DNA of epidermodysplasia verruciformis(EV)-associated human papillomaviruses (HPVs) has been detected in benign and malignant skin tumors and other proliferative diseases of epithelial origin. The objective of this study was to determine the association of EV-associated HPV DNA in nongenital seborrheic keratoses(SK) in Korean patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty biopsy specimens were collected from patients with nongenital SK and cutaneous SCC and controls. All tissue samples were examined by PCR. RESULTS: By polymerase chain reaction(PCR), EV-associated HPV DNA was detected in 15 of 40 nongenital SK(37.5%) compared with 1 of 40 cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas(SCC) samples and 3 of 40 healthy controls. Detected viruses in SK included HPV 20(n=6), HPV 23 (n=2). The rest tested positive for HPV 5, 16, 17, 22, 25, 37, and RTRX4. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that EV-associated HPV may be involved in the pathogenesis of nongenital SK of Asian skin.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biopsy ; DNA* ; Humans* ; Keratosis, Seborrheic* ; Papilloma* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Skin*

Biliary complication occurs in 6-34% of all liver transplant patients. Although bile leaks and strictures are relatively common, other biliary complications such as T-tube leak, choledocholithiasis, and biliary cast syndrome can also be observed. The biliary cast syndrome describes the presence of casts causing obstruction with its resultant sequelae of biliary infection, hepatocyte damage secondary to bile stasis and ductal damage, all contributing to cholangiopathy. Because the exact timing of cast formation after orthotopic liver transplantation is not consistent, it is difficult to define the true incidence of biliary cast syndrome without long-term follow-up data. Proposed etiological mechanisms include acute cellular rejection, prolongation of cold ischemic time, infection, biliary drainage tubes, and biliary obstruction. The diagnosis of biliary cast syndrome is usually confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. There have been few published articles about biliary casts in Korea. Herein, we report a case of biliary cast syndrome followed by orthotopic liver transplantation.
Adult ; Bile Duct Diseases/*complications/diagnosis/etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive/*etiology ; Liver Transplantation/*adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Acute vertebral burst fractures warrant extensive fixation and fusion on the spine. Osteoplasty (vertebroplasty with high density resin without vertebral expansion) has been used to treat osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. We report our experiences with osteoplasty in acute vertebral burst fractures. METHODS: Twenty-eight cases of acute vertebral burst fracture were operated with osteoplasty. Eighteen patients had osteoporosis concurrently. Preoperative MRI was performed in all cases to find fracture level and to evaluate the severity of injury. Preoperative CT revealed burst fracture in the series. The patients with severe ligament injury or spinal canal compromise were excluded from indication. Osteoplasty was performed under local anesthesia and high density polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) was injected carefully avoiding cement leakage into spinal canal. The procedure was performed unilaterally in 21 cases and bilaterally in 7 cases. The patients were allowed to ambulate right after surgery. Most patients discharged within 5 days and followed up at least 6 months. RESULTS: There were 12 men and 16 women with average age of 45.3(28-82). Five patients had 2 level fractures and 2 patients had 3 level fractures. The average injection volume was 5.6cc per level. Average VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) improved 26mm after surgery. The immediate postoperative X-ray showed 2 cases of filler spillage into spinal canal and 4 cases of leakage into the retroperitoneal space. One patient with intraspinal leakage was underwent the laminectomy to remove the resin. CONCLUSION: Osteoplasty is a safe and new treatment option in the burst fractures. Osteoplasty with minimally invasive technique reduced the hospital stay and recovery time in vertebral fracture patients.
Anesthesia, Local ; Female ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Length of Stay ; Ligaments ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Osteoporosis ; Retroperitoneal Space ; Spinal Canal ; Spine ; Vertebroplasty