• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 2024

Purpose: Open pelvic bone fractures are relatively rare and are considered more severe than closed fractures. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of open and closed severe pelvic bone fractures. Methods: Patients with severe pelvic bone fractures (pelvic Abbreviated Injury Scale score, ≥4) admitted at a single level I trauma center between 2016 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients aged <16 years and those with incomplete medical records were excluded from the study. The patients were divided into open and closed fracture groups, and their demographics, treatment, and clinical outcomes were compared before and after 1:2 propensity score matching. Results: Of the 321 patients, 24 were in the open fracture group and 297 were in the closed fracture group. The open fracture group had more infections (37.5% vs. 5.7%, P<0.001) and longer stays in the intensive care unit (median 11 days, interquartile range [IQR] 6-30 days vs. median 5 days, IQR 2-13 days; P=0.005), but mortality did not show a statistically significant difference (20.8% vs. 15.5%, P=0.559) before matching. After 1:2 propensity score matching, the infection rate was significantly higher in the open fracture group (37.5% vs. 6.3%, P=0.002), whereas the length of intensive care unit stay (median 11 days, IQR 6-30 days vs. median 8 days, IQR 4-19 days; P=0.312) and mortality (20.8% vs. 27.1%, P=0.564) were not significantly different. Conclusions: The open pelvic fracture group had more infections than the closed pelvic fracture group, but mortality was not significantly different. Aggressive treatment of pelvic bone fractures is important regardless of the fracture type, and efforts to reduce infection are important in open pelvic bone fractures.

• Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.93-102
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• 2022

Background and Purpose: The effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) interventions on functional brain changes in older adults remain unclear. This preliminary study aimed to explore the effect of physical exercise intervention (PEI), including HIIT, on cognitive function, physical performance, and electroencephalogram patterns in Korean elderly people. Methods: We enrolled six non-dementia participants aged >65 years from a community health center. PEI was conducted at the community health center for 4 weeks, three times/week, and 50 min/day. PEI, including HIIT, involved aerobic exercise, resistance training (muscle strength), flexibility, and balance. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for data analysis. Results: After the PEI, there was improvement in the 30-second sit-to-stand test result (16.2±7.0 times vs. 24.8±5.5 times, p=0.027), 2-minute stationary march result (98.3±27.2 times vs. 143.7±36.9 times, p=0.027), T-wall response time (104.2±55.8 seconds vs.71.0±19.4 seconds, p=0.028), memory score (89.6±21.6 vs. 111.0±19.1, p=0.028), executive function score (33.3±5.3 vs. 37.0±5.1, p=0.046), and total Literacy Independent Cognitive Assessment score (214.6±30.6 vs. 241.6±22.8, p=0.028). Electroencephalography demonstrated that the beta power in the frontal region was increased, while the theta power in the temporal region was decreased (all p<0.05). Conclusions: Our HIIT PEI program effectively improved cognitive function, physical fitness, and electroencephalographic markers in elderly individuals; thus, it could be beneficial for improving functional brain activity in this population.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.143-153
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• 2008

Objective: To investigate the effects of aromatase inhibitor on reproductive hormone profiles and evaluate it's ovulation inducing capability in anovulatory infertile women. Methods: We quantified the blood levels of reproductive hormones from 30 healthy normal cycling women in natural cycle (control) and letrozole medicated cycle (study). LH, FSH, estradiol, testosterone, DHEA-S were quantified on third, 11th, 21th day in both cycles, and on 21th day, progesterone was added. Sixth anovulatory infertile women received either letrozole or clomiphene citrate for ovulation induction (n=30 in each groups). We compared the clinical parameters such as ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, the day of LH surge, number of follicles and endometrial thickness, cervical mucus amount, spinnbarkeit, mean diameter of follicles on the day of LH surge. Results: Letrozole had no effect on the LH, FSH, estradiol, DHEA-S secretion but there were significant increase in testosterone level on day 11 and progesterone level on day 21 in letrozole medicated cycle compared than control cycle ($0.40{\pm}0.16$ vs $0.28{\pm}0.11\;ng/ml$, p=0.002, $18.18{\pm}13.07$ vs $8.38{\pm}7.64\;ng/ml$, p=0.001, respectively). In comparison between letrozole and clomiphene groups, there were no significant difference in ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, number of mature follicle, mean diameter of follicles, but showed earlier LH surge, thicker endometrium, more cervical mucus, and higher spinnbarkeit in letrozole group ($12.12{\pm}2.46$ vs $14.52{\pm}3.18$ days, p=0.006, $10.48{\pm}1.23$ vs $8.52{\pm}0.93\;mm$, p=0.000, $2.04{\pm}0.61$ vs $1.57{\pm}0.59$, p=0.012, $6.00{\pm}1.12$ vs $4.95{\pm}1.61\;cm$, p=0.003, respectively). Conclusion: Letrozole may augment folliculogenesis and improve the endometrial condition for implantation in normal cycling women. Ovulation efficacy of letrozole in anovulatory women was comparable to clomiphene citrate and letrozole may be more physiological in ovulation induction.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.158-170
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• 2020

Purpose: We evaluated the incidence and characteristics of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in Korean children. Methods: Medical records of patients aged 2-18 years and diagnosed with CDI at a tertiary hospital between 2009 and 2018 were analyzed. The patients were classified into three CDI groups: community-acquired (CA), community onset-health care facility-associated (CO-HCFA), and healthcare facility onset (HO). Results: The incidence of CDI increased from 1.00 to 10.01 cases per 10,000 admissions from 2009 to 2018 (P<0.001). As compared to the CA group, the HO group had a higher frequency of operation and malignancy as predisposing factors (40.4% vs. 0.0%, P=0.001; and 27.7% vs. 0.0%, P=0.027, respectively), frequency and number of previous antibiotic use (97.9% vs. 31.3%, P<0.001; and 2 vs. 0, P<0.001, respectively), and median postdiagnosis hospital stay (13 vs. 5 days, P=0.008). The CO-HCFA group had a lower median age and higher frequency of malignancy than the CA group (5 vs. 13 years, P=0.012; and 30.8% vs. 0.0%, P=0.030, respectively). As compared to the HO group, the CA group had a higher frequency of abdominal pain and hematochezia (56.3% vs. 10.6%, P=0.001; and 50.0% vs. 10.6%, P=0.002, respectively), inflammatory bowel disease (68.8% vs. 2.1%, P=0.001), and intravenous metronidazole treatment (37.5% vs. 2.1%, P=0.001). Conclusions: With the increasing incidence of pediatric CDI, awareness regarding its epidemiology and clinical characteristics is important to manage nosocomial infections.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.214-219
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• 2017

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are characterized as chronic inflammation of the lung in miners exposed to coal mine dust. The aim of the present study was to compare the levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LD) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as the inflammatory indices between subjects with CWP and those with CWP and COPD (CWP+COPD), among a total of 97 subjects (27 control, 40 CWP, and 30 CWP+COPD patients). The mean levels of serum LD (165.7 vs 184.6 U/L, p=0.016) and CRP (0.08 vs 0.15 mg/dL, p=0.002) in subjects with CWP were higher than those of in subjects without CWP. The mean level of serum CRP (0.10 vs 0.19 mg/dL, p=0.008) in subjects with COPD was higher than that in subjects without COPD. In an analysis of covariance adjusted by age, the mean level of serum CRP showed statistical significance among the study groups, control, CWP, and CWP+COPD (0.07 vs 0.13 vs 0.19 mg/dL, p=0.005); the mean level of serum CRP in the CWP+COPD group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p=0.001). The results suggest that a high level of CRP in the serum may be associated with CWP and COPD in retired coal miners.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1149-1156
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• 2017

We investigated the quality characteristics and the antioxidant efficacy of roasted maize tea according to different moisture contents (9% to 14%) using the puffing system (PS) and the roasting system (RS). Compared with the RS, the PS caused higher turbidity (0.017 vs. 0.003 in PS-14% vs. RS-14%), brown color intensity (0.170 vs. 0.059 in PS-14% vs. RS-14%), a-values (0.20 vs. -0.44 in PS-14% vs. RS-14%), b-values (7.90 vs. 5.57 in PS-14% vs. RS-14%), and a lower L-value (19.67 vs. 21.03 in PS-14% vs. RS-14%). Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of roasted maize tea were increased along with the moisture content and they were higher with the PS (polyphenol; 5.95 mg GAE/g, flavonoids; 1.27 CE/g in PS-14%) than with the RS (polyphenol; 5.39 mg GAE/g, flavonoids; 1.12 mg CE/g in RS-14%). The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging effects of roasted maize tea were also increased along with the moisture content, and the scavenging efficacy was significantly higher with the PS (DPPH; 160 mg TE/100g, ABTS; 507 mg TE/100g in PS-14%) compared with the RS (DPPH; 120 mg TE/100g, ABTS; 362 mg TE/100g in RS-14%). The polyphenol levels were significantly correlated with turbidity, brown color intensity, and L, a, and b-values of the roasted maize tea. In addition, an increase of the total polyphenol content in roasted maize tea induced antioxidant activities. As a result, an increase in polyphenols during the roasting process induced antioxidant activities which could prevent damage from free radicals.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.505-508
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• 2009

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.234-239
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• 2011

Purpose: Ibuprofen is used for prevention and treatment of patent ductus arteriosus as an alternative drug of indomethacin in very premature infants. We aimed to determine the effect of prophylactic ibuprofen on patent ductus arteriosus and clinical outcomes in preterm infants less than 1,250 g. Methods: A retrospective review of 39 preterm infants who were admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit from November 2009 to July 2010 was performed. Patients were divided into a prophylactic group (n=13) and a matched historical control group (n=26), where prophylactic ibuprofen were administrated within 24 hours after birth. The rate of ductal closure, side-effects of drug treatment and clinical outcomes were compared between two groups. Results: Comparison of the prophylactic and control groups revealed no significant differences in the rate of ductal closure (69.2% vs 77.7%, P=0.825) and surgical ligation (23.1% vs 30.8%, P=0.719). Occurrence of bowel perforation was more frequent in the prophylactic group than the control group, but was not significant (30.8% vs 11.5%, P=0.194). The frequency of intraventricular hemorrhage (grade${\geq}$3) and other outcomes did not differ between the groups. Conclusion: Ibuprofen prophylaxis in preterm infants did not decrease the rate of ductal closure, the need for surgical ligation and the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage. Further studies are needed to investigate the beneficial effect and associated adverse events attributed to ibuprofen prophylaxis.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.146-155
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• 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical outcomes of coronary artery bypass surgery for ischemic heart disease according to use of a cardiopulmonary bypass machine. The subjects were 10,981 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting for ischemic heart disease from July 2008 to June 2012. Analysis data were retrospectively collected using health insurance claims data. The results of the study showed that mean time to surgery (280 min vs 357 min, p<0.0001) and intubation time (about 24 hours vs 40 hours, p<0.0001) were significantly shorter in the Off-Pump CABG (OPCAB) group than in the On-Pump CABG (ONCAB) group. The rate of reoperation because of postoperative bleeding and hematoma was lower in the OPCAB group (2.7% vs 8.3%, p<.0001). The odds ratio of risk adjusted 30 days mortality rate was 0.339 (0.266-0.434) and the postoperative length of stay was decreased in the OPCAB (p<0.0001). Overall, the 30 days mortality and reoperation rates were lower in the OPCAB, as was the resources use.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.237-242
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• 2004

The radioprotective effects of Melatonin and Ge-132 on acute hematopoietic injury was investigated in mice exposed to an acute whole-body radiation dose of 8 Gy. Melatonin was administered intraperitoneally 1 hour before irradiation at a dose of 200 mg/kg, and Ge-132 was administered orally from days 5 to 20 after irradiation at a dose 130 - 150 mg/kg/d. The radioprotective effects were evaluated for spleen using TUNEL assay, and in peripheral blood by counting lymphocyte & WBC. The 4 experimental groups (irradiation-only, melatonin pretreatment, Ge-132 posttreatment, and melatonin pretreatment plus Ge-132 posttreatment) were observed for survival analysis up to 30 days following irradiation. The apoptotic index (47.8% vs 45.9%, p=0.385), and the number of lymphocytes ($97/{\mu}{\ell}\;vs\;101/{\mu}{\ell}$, p=0.898) were not significantly different between the irradiation-only and the melatonin pretreatment group, But the number of WBCs ($147/{\mu}{\ell}\;vs\;306/{\mu}{\ell}$, p=0.010) was higher in the melatonin pretreatment group. The irradiation-only, melatonin, Ge-132, and melatonin plus Ge-132 treatments resulted in survival rate at 30 days of 21.4%, 100%, 35.7%, and 85.7%, respectively. The melatonin pretreatment group in survival analysis between groups was showed significantly higher survival than the irradiation-only(p=0.000), or Ge-132 posttreatment group(p=0.0003). These results indicate that the melatonin may have a potential as an effective radioprotector on acute hematopoietic syndrome following radiation exposure.