• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2003

Purpose : $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura(HSP) is a systemic vasculitis that involves multiple organs, especially the kidney, which is the most important organ in determining the prognosis of the disease. The morbidity of HSP nephritis in adults is low and there have been little research done on its clinical course so far. Therefore, we have compared the clinical course of HSP nephritis in children and adults in Korea. Methods : We retrospectively analyzed 81 cases of HSP nephritis in children younger than 15 years of age, and 25 cases of adults older than 15 years of age who were admitted to Yonsei University Medical College Severance Hospital from Jan. 1986 to May 2003. Results : The male to female ratio was 1.5 : 1 in children and 1.3 : 1 in adults. The incidence of HSP nephritis for both age groups was found to be increased during the autumn and winter. Infection was the predisposing factor in 39 cases(48.1%) of children, 16 cases(64.0%) of adults, and drugs were the predisposing factor in 8 cases(9.9%) of children and 4 cases (16.0%) of adults. All patients initially presented with microscopic hematuria. Thirteen cases (16.0%) of children and 7 cases(28.0%) of adults initially showed proteinuria of nephrotic range. Thirty four cases(42.0%) of children and 4 cases(16.0%) of adults showed normal urinalysis after treatment. Asymptomatic urinary abnormalities were found in 41 cases(50.6%) of children and 18 cases(72.0%) of adults. Complications such as nephrotic syndrome and hypertension were found in 3 cases(3.7%) of children and 2 cases(8.0%) of adults. Three children(3.7%) and 1(4.0%) adult required dialysis or renal transplantation. Follow-up renal biopsies were performed on 21 children, of whom 10 cases(47.6%) did not show any histologic change, 9 cases(42.9%) showed low grade changes, and 2 cases(9.5%) showed high grade changes. Prognosis was gloomy when proteinuria of nephrotic range and high grade of abnormal histology were present at diagnosis, and there was no significant difference between the two groups(P<0.05) Conclusion : This study showed that there was no difference in terms of the clinical features and courses between the children and adults with HSP nephritis. Proteinuria of nephrotic range and the severity of abnormal histologic changes at diagnosis were found to be associated with a bad prognosis, therefore we recommend that patients with these features require long term follow-up and management.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.314-322
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• 2008

Purpose: It is widely recognized that good quality control (QC) program is essential for adequate imaging diagnosis using gamma camera. The purpose of this study is to survey the current status of QC of gamma cameras in Republic of Korea for implementing appropriate nationwide quality control guidelines and programs. Methods: A collection of data is done for personnel, equipment and appropriateness of each nuclear medicine imaging laboratory's quality control practice. This survey is done by collection of formatted questionnaire by mails, emails or interviews. We also reviewed the current recommendations concerning quality assurance by international societies. Results: This survey revealed that practice of quality control is irregular and not satisfactory. The irregularity of the QC practice seems due partly to the lack of trained personnel, equipment, budget, time and hand-on guidelines. Conclusion: The implementation of QC program may cause additional burden to the hospitals, patients and nuclear medicine laboratories. However, the benefit of a good QC program is obvious that the hospitals can provide good quality nuclear medicine imaging studies to the patients. It is important to use least cumbersome QC protocol, to educate the nuclear medicine and hospital administrative personnel concerning QC, and to establish national QC guidelines to help each individual nuclear medicine laboratory.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.4234-4243
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• 2010

Dementia such as poor concentration, anxiety and tension makes it hard to continue exercise in reality. For this, intermediate exercise is suggested in this study. And the study investigates the effects on senior fitness, cognitive function(MMSE-K) and daily living activity(ADL) by continuous exercise and intermittent exercise, which helps to provide proper exercise treatment to them. For this, female elderly patients at A dementia hospital in B Metropolitan city are selected and they have been diagnosed with possible Alzheimer's disease according to DSM-IV. Among them, six(6) are grouped for continuous exercise and five(5) for intermediate exercise, total 11 people are finally tested. They are given hand&foot exercise, Korean folk dance and band exercise three times a week for the total 12 weeks. The continuous exercise group does their exercise one time of 30 minutes a day while the intermediate exercise group for three times of each 10 minute a day. For the result, SPSS Ver. 18.0 is used to get mean value(M) and standard deviation(SD) and in order to verify the interaction effect between exercise group and time, two-way repeated ANOVA is applied and statistical significance level is set at .05. The result shows that there is significant difference in time between senior fitness and cognitive function. But there is no significant difference in group and time${\times}$group. And there is no significant difference in time, group and time${\times}$group for daily living activity. Continuous exercise group and intermediate exercise group both have the similar effects. That does not mean that intermediate exercise is the best for all people with dementia, but in terms of exercise time, intermittent exercise may be effective for patients of light dementia.

• Journal of The Korean Ophthalmological Society
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• v.59 no.11
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• pp.1039-1048
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• 2018

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment on the healthcare-related finances of patients with age-related macular degeneration. Methods: Changes in health care financing due to newly introduced benefit standards were predicted over the coming 5-year period (2018-2022). We also analyzed the financial impact of scenarios in which agents similar to anti-VEGF, such as the over-licensed drug bevacizumab, were introduced. For this purpose, the future number of patients receiving anti-VEGF treatments was estimated for various scenarios based on National Health Insurance Corporation claims data followed by an estimate of the financial burden. Results: In the case of age-related macular degeneration, the current standard of care (14 times in a lifetime) was maintained in scenario 1. In 2018, the insurance budget for the coming 5-year period was estimated at approximately 440.3 billion won. The insurance cost for that period was estimated at approximately 560.1 billion won under the revised standard of December 2017 (scenario 2). For scenarios wherein, after 2020, similar treatments (scenario 3) and bevacizumab (scenario 4) were introduced, the estimated health insurance costs were 521 billion won and 419.7 billion won, respectively. Conclusions: Health insurance costs are projected to increase substantially due to the elimination of the 14 time pay standard; however, the actual budget will only moderately increase, due to new limitations of visual acuity ${\leq}0.1$ or in case of scarring/atrophic lesions. Clinically similar agents and bevacizumab could be considered as alternatives to anti-VEGF treatment for age-related macular degeneration.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.342-349
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively investigate the survival and success rate of implant-supported fixed prosthesis according to the materials in the posterior area. Other purposes were to observe the complications and evaluate the factors affecting failure. Materials and methods: Patients who had been restored implant prosthesis in the posterior area by the same prosthodontist in the department of prosthodontics, dental hospital, Chonbuk National University, in the period from January 2011 to June 2018 were selected for the study. The patient's sex, age, material, location, type of prosthesis and complications were examined using medical records. The KaplanMeier method was used to analyze the survival and success rate. The Log-rank test was conducted to compare the differences between the groups. Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the association between potential risk factors and success rate. Results: A total of 364 implants were observed in 245 patients, with an average follow-up of 17.1 months. A total of 5 implant prostheses failed and were removed, and the 3 and 5 year cumulative survival rate of all implant prostheses were 97.5 and 91.0, respectively. The 3 and 5 year cumulative success rate of all implant prostheses were 61.1% and 32.9%, respectively. Material, sex, age, location and type of prosthesis did not affect success rate (P>.05). Complications occurred in the order of proximal contact loss (53 cases), retention loss (17 cases), peri-implant mucositis (12 cases), infraocclusion (4 cases) and so on. Conclusion: Considering a high cumulative survival rate of implant-supported fixed prostheses, regardless of the materials, implant restored in posterior area can be considered as a reliable treatment to tooth replacement. However, regular inspections and, if necessary, repairs and adjustments are very important because of the frequent occurrence of complications.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.77-94
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the three-dimensional characteristics of mesiodens using Cone-beam Computed Tomography(CBCT) and analyze the factors affecting complications and anesthetic methods of extraction. This study evaluated 602 mesiodens of 452 patients who underwent extraction of mesiodens at the department of Pediatric Dentistry in Seoul National University Dental Hospital between 2017 and 2019. The ratio of mesiodens patients over total patient per year was gradually increased over the past 20 years. Mesiodens with labio-palatally horizontal direction while root directing labial were the most common among the mesiodens with horizontal direction. Mesiodens were the most common at the cervical side of the adjacent teeth(37.0%) and mesiodens located in the near-palatal side were observed about 3.83 times higher than the far-palatal side. Most of the mesiodens(82.1%) were in contact with adjacent permanent teeth on all three sides of the CBCT and 46.2% of mesiodens had curved roots. The patient's age, vertical position, presence of complications, and proximity showed a significant difference in the selection of general anesthesia among anesthetic methods. The direction and vertical position of mesiodens had a significant effect on complications. These results provide a better understanding of mesiodens for establishing an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.359-369
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• 2019

To evaluate the effect of simultaneous use of platelet glycoprotein IIb / IIIa receptor blocker and catheter assisted thrombus aspiration in the treatment of coronary stent thrombosis. 267 patients ($64.6{\pm}12.1years$, 187 men) with stent thrombosis on coronary angiography at Chonnam National University Hospital from July 2008 to July 2017 were enrolled. We devided two groups based on treatment modalities: Group I (N=32, platelet glycoprotein IIb / IIIa receptor blocker and thrombo-aspiration), Group II (N =235, either platelet glycoprotein IIb /IIIa receptor blocker or thrombo-aspiration, or none of both), and the major cardiac events including death, revascularization and stent thrombosis were followed up for 1 year. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups including age (Group I: $60.8{\pm}12.9$ vs. Group II: $65.1{\pm}11.9$, p= 0.603), male (Group I: 75.0% vs. Group II: 69.4%, p=0.681), and left ventricular ejection fraction (Group I: $58.1{\pm}9.0%$ vs. Group II: $59.5{\pm}11.9%$, p= 0.127). The major cardiac events did not differ between the two groups (Group I: 12.5% vs. Group II: 23.8%, p=0.180). The secondary endopoints were as followings: The mortality rate (Group I: 0% vs. 13.2%, Group II: p=0.034), target lesion revascularization (Group I: 9.4% vs Group II: 6.4%, p=0.461) and stent thrombosis (Group I: 3.1% vs. Group II: 4.7%, p=1.000). In conclusion, in the treatment of coronary artery stent thrombosis, simultaneous use of platelet glycoprotein IIb / IIIa receptor blocker and thrombus aspiration was associated with better clinical outcomes regarding 1 year mortality.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2020

Purpose: Soft tissue defects of the distal lower extremity are commonly accompanied by a fracture of the lower extremities. Theses defects are caused by the injury itself or by complications associated with surgical treatment of the fracture, which poses challenging problem. The reverse superficial sural artery flap (RSSAF) is a popular option for these difficult wounds. This paper reviews these cases and reports the clinical results. Materials and Methods: Between August 2003 and April 2018, patients who were treated with RSSAF for soft tissue defects of the lower third of the leg and ankle related to a fracture were reviewed. A total of 16 patients were involved and the mean follow-up period was 18 months. Eight cases (50.0%) of the defects were due to an open fracture, whereas the other eight cases (50.0%) were postoperative complication after closed fracture. The largest flap measured 10×15 cm² and the mean size of the donor sites was 51.9 cm². The flap survival and postoperative complications were evaluated. Results: All flaps survived without complete necrosis or failure. One case with partial necrosis of the flap was encountered, but the wound healed after debridement and repair. One case had a hematoma with a pseudoaneurysmal rupture of the distal tibial artery. On the other hand, the flap was intact and the wound healed after arterial ligation and flap advancement. A debulking operation was performed on three cases for cosmetic reasons and implant removal through the flap was performed in three cases. No flap necrosis was encountered after these additional operations. Conclusion: RSSAF is a relatively simple and safe procedure for reconstructing soft tissue defects following a fracture of the lower extremity that does not require microsurgical anastomosis. This can be a useful treatment option for soft tissue defects on the distal leg, ankle, and foot.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.111-138
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• 2021

'Unlicensed medical practice by a non-medical practitioner' often represented by surrogate surgery or so-called 'ghost surgery,' causes irreparable damage to life or body, and therefore calls for very strict and effective controls. The 'bill on installment of CCTVs in an operating room' to prevent unlicensed surrogate surgery has been discussed for a long time, but due to numerous issues and heated confrontations, it has been pending in the National Assembly. Nevertheless, it is expected that the bill will be discussed again in earnest in the National Assembly because surrogate surgery and factory-type cosmetic surgery, which has been performed mainly in the field of cosmetic surgery, has also been occurring in the field of therapeutic surgery. In general, an operating room is considered as being locked or closed, as well as disallowing implicit complicity among insiders. Hence, if the insiders conspire to commit or cover up an illegal act, or if a surgeon performs rapid cosmetic surgery and then leaves the recipient (or medical institution) so as to perform more operations for profit - even if it is legitimate practice - it may result in serious consequences in terms of the recovery of a patient. In this case, installation of CCTVs can be of great help in identifying an illegal act and assessing any occurrence of negligence. On the other hand, while the fundamental purpose of therapeutic surgery is to restore a patient's life or body - that is, lifesaving - installation of CCTVs may base the relationship between a surgeon and a patient on distrust and surveillance, so it may increase the number of requests for CCTV footage or lead to more disputes, as well as placing a burden on the surgeon when best results are not achieved for a patient. As a result, the surgeon may choose non-invasive treatment contrary to conscience instead of risky but necessary surgery, or he/she may have significant difficulty in determining the timing of surgery, which may limit the provision of effective surgical medical care. Then, in terms of the relationship between a surgeon and patient, and in the long run, there could be significant disadvantages for the public and patients if CCTV footage is allowed. In this paper, we review domestic and overseas cases and issues regarding installation of CCTVs in an operating room, and present various viewpoints and suggestions to promote legislation with minimized legal problems and side effects, thereby contributing to protection of the lives and health of the public, patients, and recipients of surgery.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.84-90
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• 2023

Purpose: Infants aged ≤90 days with fever are susceptible to severe infections. This study aimed to analyze the clinical features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in this particular age group. Methods: Infants aged ≤90 days who were diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and hospitalized between March 1, 2020, and May 1, 2022 were included. Medical records of patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 105 infants with COVID-19 were included; 27 (25.7%) neonates aged <28 days, and 48 (45.7%) and 30 (28.6%) infants aged 28-59 days and 60-90 days, respectively. Five (4.7%) patients remained asymptomatic and 68 (62.8%) were febrile, with a median fever duration of 2 days. The most common symptoms were respiratory including cough (66.6%), nasal stuffiness (51.4%), and rhinorrhea (40.9%). Blood cultures were performed in 10 infants but no organisms were detected. Cultures of bag-collected urine specimens from 8 infants were grown, resulting in positive growth for 2 without pyuria. Nine (8.6%) infants were treated with empirical antibiotics for a median duration of 2.3 days (range, 1-7 days). All 105 infants showed improvement without any complications, and there were no fatal cases. Conclusions: In this study, most infants aged ≤90 days with COVID-19 presented with mild symptoms and none of those evaluated had documented bacterial co-infection. The favorable prognosis among young infants with SARS-CoV-2 may aid clinicians in tailoring their approach to evaluation and management during outbreaks.