Objective: This study aimed to validate the reliability and validity of the Diagnostic Interview for the Internet Addiction Scale (DIA) among Korean children and adolescents in the clinical setting. Methods: We collected the clinical data from university hospitals in South Korea and 194 children and adolescents (aged 7–18 years) completed the questionnaire. The content validity was conducted on 10 items of the DIA and an internal consistency test was performed for the verification of reliability. Results: Participants on average, aged 13.17 years (standard deviation=2.46), and 75.3% (n=146) were boys. The DIA was highly correlated with the scores of the Korean scale for Internet addiction for adolescents, Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Internet addiction proneness scale for children and adolescents. The overall sampling suitability of the 10-item scale was tested using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin, resulting in a high value of 0.861. The DIA revealed a two-factor structure and the Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient for the total scale was 0.806. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable model fit (root-mean square error of approximation=0.058, comparative fit index=0.950, and Tucker-Lewis Index=0.919). Conclusion The DIA may suggest in-depth-scale examinations of the factors that influence Internet addiction. We may expect that DIA would be used efficiently for the diagnosing of Internet addiction and further studies for the assessment.

Objective: This study aimed to validate the reliability and validity of the Diagnostic Interview for the Internet Addiction Scale (DIA) among Korean children and adolescents in the clinical setting. Methods: We collected the clinical data from university hospitals in South Korea and 194 children and adolescents (aged 7–18 years) completed the questionnaire. The content validity was conducted on 10 items of the DIA and an internal consistency test was performed for the verification of reliability. Results: Participants on average, aged 13.17 years (standard deviation=2.46), and 75.3% (n=146) were boys. The DIA was highly correlated with the scores of the Korean scale for Internet addiction for adolescents, Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Internet addiction proneness scale for children and adolescents. The overall sampling suitability of the 10-item scale was tested using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin, resulting in a high value of 0.861. The DIA revealed a two-factor structure and the Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient for the total scale was 0.806. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable model fit (root-mean square error of approximation=0.058, comparative fit index=0.950, and Tucker-Lewis Index=0.919). Conclusion The DIA may suggest in-depth-scale examinations of the factors that influence Internet addiction. We may expect that DIA would be used efficiently for the diagnosing of Internet addiction and further studies for the assessment.

Objective: This study aimed to validate the reliability and validity of the Diagnostic Interview for the Internet Addiction Scale (DIA) among Korean children and adolescents in the clinical setting. Methods: We collected the clinical data from university hospitals in South Korea and 194 children and adolescents (aged 7–18 years) completed the questionnaire. The content validity was conducted on 10 items of the DIA and an internal consistency test was performed for the verification of reliability. Results: Participants on average, aged 13.17 years (standard deviation=2.46), and 75.3% (n=146) were boys. The DIA was highly correlated with the scores of the Korean scale for Internet addiction for adolescents, Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Internet addiction proneness scale for children and adolescents. The overall sampling suitability of the 10-item scale was tested using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin, resulting in a high value of 0.861. The DIA revealed a two-factor structure and the Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient for the total scale was 0.806. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable model fit (root-mean square error of approximation=0.058, comparative fit index=0.950, and Tucker-Lewis Index=0.919). Conclusion The DIA may suggest in-depth-scale examinations of the factors that influence Internet addiction. We may expect that DIA would be used efficiently for the diagnosing of Internet addiction and further studies for the assessment.

Objective: This study aimed to validate the reliability and validity of the Diagnostic Interview for the Internet Addiction Scale (DIA) among Korean children and adolescents in the clinical setting. Methods: We collected the clinical data from university hospitals in South Korea and 194 children and adolescents (aged 7–18 years) completed the questionnaire. The content validity was conducted on 10 items of the DIA and an internal consistency test was performed for the verification of reliability. Results: Participants on average, aged 13.17 years (standard deviation=2.46), and 75.3% (n=146) were boys. The DIA was highly correlated with the scores of the Korean scale for Internet addiction for adolescents, Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Internet addiction proneness scale for children and adolescents. The overall sampling suitability of the 10-item scale was tested using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin, resulting in a high value of 0.861. The DIA revealed a two-factor structure and the Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient for the total scale was 0.806. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable model fit (root-mean square error of approximation=0.058, comparative fit index=0.950, and Tucker-Lewis Index=0.919). Conclusion The DIA may suggest in-depth-scale examinations of the factors that influence Internet addiction. We may expect that DIA would be used efficiently for the diagnosing of Internet addiction and further studies for the assessment.

Objective: This study aimed to validate the reliability and validity of the Diagnostic Interview for the Internet Addiction Scale (DIA) among Korean children and adolescents in the clinical setting. Methods: We collected the clinical data from university hospitals in South Korea and 194 children and adolescents (aged 7–18 years) completed the questionnaire. The content validity was conducted on 10 items of the DIA and an internal consistency test was performed for the verification of reliability. Results: Participants on average, aged 13.17 years (standard deviation=2.46), and 75.3% (n=146) were boys. The DIA was highly correlated with the scores of the Korean scale for Internet addiction for adolescents, Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Internet addiction proneness scale for children and adolescents. The overall sampling suitability of the 10-item scale was tested using the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin, resulting in a high value of 0.861. The DIA revealed a two-factor structure and the Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient for the total scale was 0.806. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable model fit (root-mean square error of approximation=0.058, comparative fit index=0.950, and Tucker-Lewis Index=0.919). Conclusion The DIA may suggest in-depth-scale examinations of the factors that influence Internet addiction. We may expect that DIA would be used efficiently for the diagnosing of Internet addiction and further studies for the assessment.

Background: This study investigated a safe and effective bolus dose and lockout time for patient-controlled sedation (PCS) with dexmedetomidine for dental treatments. The depth of sedation, vital signs, and patient satisfaction were investigated to demonstrate safety. Methods: Thirty patients requiring dental scaling were enrolled and randomly divided into three groups based on bolus doses and lockout times: group 1 (low dose group, bolus dose 0.05 µg/kg, 1-minute lockout time), group 2 (middle dose group, 0.1 µg/kg, 1-minute), and group 3 (high dose group, 0.2 µg/kg, 3-minute) (n = 10 each). ECG, pulse, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, end-tidal CO2 , respiratory rate, and bispectral index scores (BIS) were measured and recorded. The study was conducted in two stages: the first involved sedation without dental treatment and the second included sedation with dental scaling. Patients were instructed to press the drug demand button every 10 s, and the process of falling asleep and waking up was repeated 1-5 times.In the second stage, during dental scaling, patients were instructed to press the drug demand button. Loss of responsiveness (LOR) was defined as failure to respond to auditory stimuli six times, determining sleep onset. Patient and dentist satisfaction were assessed before and after experimentation. Results: Thirty patients (22 males) participated in the study. Scaling was performed in 29 patients after excluding one who experienced dizziness during the first stage. The average number of drug administrations until first LOR was significantly lower in group 3 (2.8 times) than groups 1 and 2 (8.0 and 6.5 times, respectively). The time taken to reach the LOR showed no difference between groups. During the second stage, the average time required to reach the LOR during scaling was 583.4 seconds. The effect site concentrations (Ce) was significantly lower in group 1 than groups 2 and 3. In the participant survey on PCS, 8/10 in group 3 reported partial memory loss, whereas 17/20 in groups 1 and 2 recalled the procedure fully or partially. Conclusion PCS with dexmedetomidine can provide a rapid onset of sedation, safe vital sign management, and minimal side effects, thus facilitating smooth dental sedation.

Purpose: Contrast sensitivity, the ability to distinguish the relative difference in luminance of an object from its surrounding or adjacent objects, is a useful measure of visual function. In granular corneal dystrophy type 2 (GCD2), opacity of the corneal stroma causes deterioration in visual function. We compared the contrast sensitivity of GCD2 patients before and after phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) to evaluate the perioperative visual function in these patients. Methods: This study included 22 eyes of heterozygote GCD2 patients. The visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were measured before and after PTK. The contrast sensitivity was measured in mesopic and photopic background luminances, with glare (G) levels of 0-2 (G0, G1, and G2, respectively) and spatial frequencies at 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 18 cycles per degree (cpd). Results: The contrast sensitivity increased after PTK at 1.5 and 3 cpd in mesopic and photopic conditions with G0-2 glare (p < 0.05). At 6 cpd, the contrast sensitivity increased in the mesopic condition with G1 glare, and in the photopic condition with G0-2 glare (p < 0.05). However, there was no change in contrast sensitivity at any glare level at 12 and 18 cpd after PTK. Conclusions In GCD2 patients, the contrast sensitivity increased significantly after PTK. The vision of GCD2 patients, which is decreased due to corneal opacity, is improved after PTK.

Background/Aims: Besifovir dipivoxil maleate (BSV), an acyclic nucleotide phosphonate, shows potent antiviral activity against hepatitis B virus. Our previous 48-week trial revealed that BSV has comparable antiviral efficacy to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and better safety profiles in terms of improved renal and bone safety. This extension study evaluated the prolonged efficacy and safety of BSV in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis B patients. Methods: Patients continued to participate in an open-label BSV study after an initial 48-week double-blind comparison of BSV and TDF treatment. The antiviral efficacy and drug safety was evaluated up to 192 weeks in two groups: patients continuing BSV treatment (BSV-BSV) and patients switching from TDF to BSV after 48 weeks (TDF-BSV). Results: Among 197 patients receiving randomized treatments, 170 (86%) entered the open-label phase and 152 (77%) entered the 192-week extension study. Virological response rates over 192 weeks were 92.50% and 93.06% in the BSV-BSV and TDF-BSV groups, respectively (P=0.90). Hepatitis B envelop antigen seroconversion and alanine aminotransferase normalization rates were similar between the groups (P=0.75 and P=0.36, respectively). There were no drug-resistant mutations to BSV. Bone mineral density and renal function were well preserved in the BSV-BSV group, whereas these initially worsened then recovered after switching therapy in the TDF-BSV group. Conclusions BSV maintained potent antiviral efficacy after 192 weeks and showed no evidence of drug resistance. BSV was safe, well tolerated, and effective in patients who switched from TDF to BSV. Trial Registration Number: NCT01937806 (date: 10 Sep 2013).

Background/Aims: Recent data indicate the presence of liver enzyme abnormalities in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to evaluate the clinical features and treatment outcomes of COVID-19 patients with abnormal liver enzymes. Methods: We performed a retrospective, multicenter study of 874 COVID-19 patients admitted to five tertiary hospitals from February 20 to April 14, 2020. Data on clinical features, laboratory parameters, medications, and treatment outcomes were collected until April 30, 2020, and compared between patients with normal and abnormal aminotransferases. Results: Abnormal aminotransferase levels were observed in 362 patients (41.1%), of which 94 out of 130 (72.3%) and 268 out of 744 (36.0%) belonged to the severe and non-severe COVID-19 categories, respectively. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for male patients, patients with a higher body mass index, patients with severe COVID-19 status, and patients with lower platelet counts were 1.500 (1.029 to 2.184, p=0.035), 1.097 (1.012 to 1.189, p=0.024), 2.377 (1.458 to 3.875, p=0.001), and 0.995 (0.993 to 0.998, p>0.001), respectively, indicating an independent association of these variables with elevated aminotransferase levels. Lopinavir/ ritonavir and antibiotic use increased the odds ratio of abnormal aminotransferase levels after admission (1.832 and 2.646, respectively, both p<0.05). The median time to release from quarantine was longer (22 days vs 26 days, p=0.001) and the mortality rate was higher (13.0% vs 2.9%, p<0.001) in patients with abnormal aminotransferase levels. Conclusions Abnormal aminotransferase levels are common in COVID-19 patients and are associated with poor clinical outcomes. Multivariate analysis of patients with normal aminotransferase levels on admission showed that the use of lopinavir/ritonavir and antibiotics was associated with abnormal aminotransferase levels; thus, careful monitoring is needed.

Background/Aims: Besifovir dipivoxil maleate (BSV), an acyclic nucleotide phosphonate, shows potent antiviral activity against hepatitis B virus. Our previous 48-week trial revealed that BSV has comparable antiviral efficacy to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and better safety profiles in terms of improved renal and bone safety. This extension study evaluated the prolonged efficacy and safety of BSV in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis B patients. Methods: Patients continued to participate in an open-label BSV study after an initial 48-week double-blind comparison of BSV and TDF treatment. The antiviral efficacy and drug safety was evaluated up to 192 weeks in two groups: patients continuing BSV treatment (BSV-BSV) and patients switching from TDF to BSV after 48 weeks (TDF-BSV). Results: Among 197 patients receiving randomized treatments, 170 (86%) entered the open-label phase and 152 (77%) entered the 192-week extension study. Virological response rates over 192 weeks were 92.50% and 93.06% in the BSV-BSV and TDF-BSV groups, respectively (P=0.90). Hepatitis B envelop antigen seroconversion and alanine aminotransferase normalization rates were similar between the groups (P=0.75 and P=0.36, respectively). There were no drug-resistant mutations to BSV. Bone mineral density and renal function were well preserved in the BSV-BSV group, whereas these initially worsened then recovered after switching therapy in the TDF-BSV group. Conclusions BSV maintained potent antiviral efficacy after 192 weeks and showed no evidence of drug resistance. BSV was safe, well tolerated, and effective in patients who switched from TDF to BSV. Trial Registration Number: NCT01937806 (date: 10 Sep 2013).