• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.773-781
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• 2022

Anatomies of the vascular and lymphatic systems have been vital research topics in reconstructive surgery. Harvey was a pioneer who provided the earliest descriptions of the cutaneous vasculature in the 17th century. The concept of vascular territories of the skin was first described by Manchot. The radiographic injection method in cadavers was developed by Salman, who defined more than 80 vascular territories. The arterial system has been thoroughly investigated with the development of regional and free flaps. The concept of axial and random pattern flaps was introduced by McGregor and Morgan. Manchot's vascular territories were refined by Taylor and Palmer as the angiosome concept. Detailed information about the venous circulation is essential for reconstructive surgeries. The concept of intrinsic and extrinsic venocutaneous vascular systems was introduced by Nakajima and led to the development of the venoadipofascial flap. The importance of venous augmentation in flap survival was emphasized by Chang. The lymphatic system was discovered much later than the arterial and venous systems. Aselli was credited for discovering the lacteal vessels in the 17th century; mercury was popularly used as a contrast agent to distinguish lymphatic vessels for the next three centuries. A radiographic method in cadavers was developed by Suami. Lymphatic imaging devices are constantly upgrading, and photoacoustic imaging was recently introduced for three-dimensional visualization of architecture of superficial layers of the lymphatic and venous systems.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.115-126
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency and characteristics of occupational blood and body fluid exposure for operating room personnel during surgical procedures and identify risk factors. Methods: A self-report questionnaire was used to survey 519 operating room personnel who participated in 132 surgeries in an acute care hospital in Seoul between April 12 and 20, 2006. Results: The response rate was 82% (530/646) and analyzed total 519 except for improper 11 questionnaires. Exposure rate was 45.5% (60/132) during operations and 20.4% (106/519) for operating room personnel. By job categories, the exposure rate was as follows; anesthesiologists and nurses 31.2% (44/141), operators and assistants 22.1% (32/145), circulating nurses 12.0% (11/92), scrub nurses 11.4% (14/123). The mucous membrane-eye exposure with a high risk of transmitting infection was 6.6% (7/106) and the most frequent route of exposure was blood and body fluid touching unprotected skin. In multivariate analysis, the risk factors of exposure were services, duration of operation, a patient who had a peripheral arterial catheter line, and job category. Conclusion: Educational programs and appropriate use of personal protective equipment are necessary to prevent operating room personnel from being exposed to blood and body fluid.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

Objectives: To study symptom differentiation for yang deficiency and blood heat based on 117 psoriasis patients. Methods: Obtained frequency analysis (%), mean (%), and OR, CL(P-value) with prospective pre-post intervention design and multiple regression analysis. Results: There were no statistically significant differences as to sex, BMI, smoking and marital status, but there were statistically significant differences in variables of average age, family history, and alcohol consumption (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in psoriasis symptoms as to initial age of onset, morbidity span, area of the initial onset, and the progression of psoriasis during the last three months of each patient. However, the type of psoriasis showed a statistically significant difference (p=0.011). While there were no statistically significant differences as to common cold, condition of psoriasis after recovering from the cold, skin condition, exercise, and seasonality, irregular perspiration showed significant difference (p<0.00). When confounding factors have been controlled the blood heat patient group as the comparison group, multiple regression analysis showed OR, CI(95%) of 1.06(0.31-3.63) for men, 0.28(0.08-1.06) for aged 30 to 49,0 and 0.18(0.04-0.80) for aged 50 and older. it was 0.06(0.01-0.7) for family history, 1.06(0.29-3.88) for drink alcohol, 19.90(2.53-156.7) for seasonality, and 10.28 (3.19-33.11) for perspiration problems. In these variables, Sex, age, smoking, and alcohol consumption showed no statistically significant results, but family history(p=0.049), seasonality(p=0.005), and irregular perspiration (p=0.017) were statistically significant. Conclusion: Family history, seasonality and irregular perspiration are the determining factors for yang deficiency and blood heat in psoriasis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.574-581
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• 2023

Nocardiosis is an uncommon opportunistic bacterial infection which becomes a significant health problem due to its increasing incidence and high mortality rate. However, many nocardiosis patients are underdiagnosed by physicians. To summarize the clinical characteristics and management of nocardiosis would help with better diagnosis and prognosis of nocardiosis. This retrospective study was conducted based on the medical records of nocardiosis patients between January 2015 and December 2021 in a tertiary hospital in China. Overall, 44 nocardiosis patients with 54 specimens were included. The patients consisted of 26 males and 18 females with a mean age of 50.4 ± 13.2 years. Among 44 patients, 26 (59.1%) were previously given immunosuppressive therapy. Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) were the most common underlying disease (16/44). The most frequent infection sites were the lungs (17/44) and skin or soft tissues (8/44). Common symptoms included cough (23/44), expectoration (18/44), fever (15/44), and subcutaneous abscesses (15/44). Forty-five out of 54 specimens (83.3%) required over 48 hours of culture time for nocardiosis detection. Thirty-six patients were cured or improved, 5 patients were discharged from the hospital due to poor prognosis, and 1 patient died. The average diagnosis time of poor prognosis cases was 19.7 days, which was significantly longer than those of improved or cured patients (7.3 days). Immunosuppressed patients comprise a large part of nocardiosis cases, which is worth attention in clinical practice. Early diagnosis, specifically through prolonged cultivation time of specimen, could help achieve better prognosis of nocardiosis patients.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.668-679
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• 2023

Edwardsiella tarda is one of the most significant fish pathogens, causes edwardsiellosis in a variety of freshwater fish species, and its antibiotic resistance against multiple drugs has made it a health risk worldwide. In this study, we aimed to investigate the antibiotic resistance (ABR) genes of E. tarda and establish its antibiotic susceptibility. Thus, 540 fish (299 Oreochromis niloticus, 138 O. mossambicus, and 103 O. aureus) were collected randomly from twelve fish farms in three districts of Punjab in Pakistan. E. tarda was recovered from 147 fish showing symptoms of exophthalmia, hemorrhages, skin depigmentation, ascites, and bacteria-filled nodules in enlarged liver and kidney. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing proved chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and streptomycin effective, but amoxicillin, erythromycin, and flumequine ineffective in controlling edwardsiellosis. Maximum occurrence of qnrA, blaTEM, and sul3 genes of E. tarda was detected in 45% in the liver, 58%, and 42% respectively in the intestine; 46.5%, 67.2%, and 55.9% respectively in O. niloticus; 24%, 36%, and 23% respectively in summer with respect to fish organs, species, and season, respectively. Motility, H₂S, indole, methyl red, and glucose tests gave positive results. Overall, E. tarda infected 27.2% of fish, which ultimately caused 7.69% mortality. The Chi-squared test of independence showed a significant difference in the occurrence of ABR genes of E. tarda with respect to sampling sites. In conclusion, the misuse of antibacterial agents has led to the emergence of ABR genes in E. tarda, which in association with high temperatures cause multiple abnormalities in infected fish and ultimately resulting in massive mortality.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.85.1-85.13
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• 2023

Background: A recent increase in the occurrence of canine skin and soft tissue infections, including otitis externa and pyoderma, caused by antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and S. schleiferi has become a significant public and veterinary health issues. Objective: We investigated the virulence potentials associated with the occurrence of canine otitis externa in S. pseudintermedius and S. schleiferi. Methods: In this study, the prevalence of genes encoding leukocidins, exfoliative toxins, and staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) was investigated using previously characterized S. pseudintermedius (n = 26) and S. schleiferi (n = 19) isolates derived from canine otitis externa. Susceptibility to cathelicidins (K9CATH and PMAP-36) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was also examined in both staphylococcal species. Results: A high prevalence of genes encoding leukocidins (lukS/F-I, lukS1/F1-S, and lukS2/F2-S), exfoliative toxins (siet, expB, and sset), and SEs was identified in both S. pseudintermedius and S. schleiferi isolates. Notably, S. pseudintermedius isolates possessed higher number of SE genes, especially newer SE genes, than S. schleiferi isolates harboring egc clusters. Although no significant differences in susceptibility to K9CATH and H₂O₂ were observed between the two isolate groups, S. pseudintermedius isolates exhibited enhanced resistance to PMAP-36 compared to S. schleiferi isolates. Conclusions: These findings suggest that high a prevalence of various toxin genes together with enhanced resistance to cathelicidins may contribute to the pathogenicity of S. pseudintermedius and S. schleiferi in canine cutaneous infections.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.288-305
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• 2023

Background: The compression therapy, which is the standard treatment for lymphedema patients, may be difficult to implement and contraindicated to some patients depending on their health condition. Objects: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether kinesiology taping (KT) can be used effectively and safely in the management of lymphedema as an alternative treatment through systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: In February 2023, the literature was systematically collected through eight search engines with a combination of terms, 'lymphedema' and 'kinesiology taping.' We qualitatively analyzed the differences and safety of KT methods, and quantitatively meta-analyzed the effects of volume reduction in edema, range of motion (ROM), and pain improvement using Review Manager ver. 5. 4. To assess the risk of bias in the randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, Risk of Bias was used. Results: A total of 616 articles searched and 20 studies were selected, including 12 RCTs and eight case studies. KT intervention could not replace multilayer compression bandage (MLB), but it demonstrated similar or better results compared to compression garment (CG), with reduced pain and improved intervention comfort. Studies reported skin adverse events ranging from 2.5% to 20.68%, with a total adverse event incidence of 7.7%. There was no significant difference in the application method of KT. As a result of the meta-analysis from the 8 RCTs, the KT intervention showed a mean difference (MD) of -7.18 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) [-12.64 to -1.72] in the volume change of lymphedema, while the pain difference was MD 0.82 with CI 95% [0.50 to 1.15], in comparison to the MLB and CG intervention. Conclusion: KT therapy led to a reduction in edema size, volume, pain, and improved ROM and quality of life. KT may be a viable option for lymphedema patients who have trouble applying traditional compression therapies.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.100-107
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• 2024

Background: The purpose of this study was to detect signals of adverse events (AEs) of DPP-IV inhibitors using the KIDs-Korea Adverse Event Reporting System (KAERS) database. Methods: This study was conducted using AEs reported from January 2009 to December 2018 in the KIDs-KAERS database. For signal detection, disproportionality analysis was performed. Signals of DPP-IV inhibitor that satisfied the data-mining indices of reporting odds ratio (ROR) were detected. Results: Among the total number of 10,364 AEs to all oral hypoglycemic agents, the number of reported AEs related to DPP-IV inhibitors was 1,674. Analysis of reported AEs of DPP-IV inhibitors at the SOC levels showed that Respiratory system disorders were the highest at 4.31 (95% CI 3.01-6.17), followed by Skin and appendages disorders at 2.04 (95% CI 1.74-2.38). When analyzing AEs reported at the PT level, pharyngitis was the highest at 73.90 (95% CI 17.59-310.49), followed by arthralgia at 6.08 (95% CI 2.04-18.11), and coughing at 5.21 (95% CI 2.07-13.15). Conclusions: Based on the result of the study, deeper consideration is required according to the characteristics of the patients in prescribing DPP-IV inhibitors among oral hypoglycemic agents, and continuous monitoring of the occurrence of related Adverse Drug Reactions during administration is also required.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1467-1474
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• 2023

Due to the continuous increase in patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety, the demand for hair loss treatment and effective hair growth materials has increased. Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. (TBE) reportedly exerts anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and antidiabetic effects, among others, but its effects on testosterone (TS)-inhibited hair growth remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effects of TBE on TS-induced hair growth regression in human follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs) and C57BL/6 mice. Oral administration of TBE increased TS-induced hair growth retardation. Interestingly, effects were greater when compared with finasteride, a commercial hair loss treatment product. Histological analyses revealed that oral TBE administration increased hair follicles in the dorsal skin of C57BL/6 mice. Additionally, western blotting and immunofluorescence showed that oral TBE administration recovered the TS-induced inhibition of cyclin D1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and Ki67 expression in vivo. Using in vitro proliferation assays, TBE promoted HFDPC growth, which was suppressed by TS treatment. Thus, TBE may be a promising nutraceutical for hair health as it promoted hair growth in AGA-like in vitro and in vivo models.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.85-88
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• 2024

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a test that diagnoses epilepsy and measures brain function. During EEG, the space between the electrode and the skin is filled with a conductive paste to reduce the impedance between the electrode and the scalp, which helps measure the EEG signals. This study compared the artifacts of the two representative conductive pastes (Ten20 and Elefix). The artifacts, noise, and satisfaction were surveyed after using the two conductive pastes. The two conductive pastes had similar artifacts and noise, but the survey results showed that the Elefix conductive paste had better satisfaction and adhesion. This result may be explained by the imprinting effect according to the experience of using the Elefix conductive paste first in the EEG class. Hence, further research is needed.