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Purpose@#This study aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of corticosteroid irrigations and normal saline irrigations in the early inflammatory state of the salivary gland. @*Materials and Methods@#Adult male Wistar rats were divided into experimental (n=6) and control (n=3) groups. Inflammation was induced in the experimental subjects on both sides of the submandibular gland with ligation. After 14 days, both sides of the glands were de-ligated and retroductal irrigation using saline (n=3) and a corticosteroid (n=3) was performed on the left sides only. The controls (n=3) were used to normalize the gland state for the effects of diet and aging. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to confirm inflammation and post-irrigation gland recovery by measuring relative signal intensity (SI). The glands were excised for histological examination. @*Results@#All experimental animals showed inflamed glands with increased SI and subsequent recovery of the gland with decreased SI to varying degrees. The SI of the controls showed no significant changes during the overall period. The mean SI change of the irrigated gland was higher than that of the non-irrigated side, without a significant difference. The corticosteroid-irrigated glands showed a greater change in SI than that of the saline-irrigated glands. Histology revealed that inflammation was not observed in most of the irrigated glands, while mild to moderate quantities inflammatory cells were found in non-irrigated glands. @*Conclusion@#Corticosteroid irrigation mitigated the early stages of salivary gland inflammation more effectively than normal saline.
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Purpose@#This study used raw data from the fifth (2010-2012) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) to assess the relationship between vitamin D level and glycemic control of diabetes, and to provide basic data about the use of vitamin D for preparation of a treatment plan for diabetes in South Korea. @*Methods@#For this study, data of 1,713 diabetes from KNHANES (2010-2012) were used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program, and complex sample frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, complex sample cross analysis, complex sample general linear regression, and complex sample logistic regression analysis were performed. @*Results@#It was found that the poor glycemic control group among the diabetes subjects had significantly lower level of blood vitamin D than the good glycemic control group. Factors affecting glycemic control included drinking, vitamin D levels, hypertriglyceridemia, duration of diabetes, and treatment of diabetes. Also, diabetics with vitamin D deficiency or shortage showed 3.55- and 2.61-times higher odds ratios, respectively, to be diagnosed as the poor glycemic control group than diabetics without vitamin D deficiency or shortage. @*Conclusion@#This study is significant because it provides rationale and basic data about the use of vitamin D for preparation of a treatment plan for diabetes in South Korea by assessing the dependence of glycemic control on the vitamin D level of diabetics. Additionally, future studies are necessary to determine the appropriate concentration of vitamin D for diabetes prevention and treatment to prevent the side effects of excessive supplementation.
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Background@#The fear of falling (FOF) has been reported in a high percentage of elderly people. An excessive FOF is a major concern among the elderly because it can lead to permanent disability. However, the impact of FOF on mortality has been insufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of FOF on mortality among the elderly in Korea. @*Methods@#This was a prospective study carried out using the database of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, a nationwide study of community-dwelling adults in Korea. Study participants included 3,421 adults, aged 65 years or older, without either severe cognitive impairment (Korean version of Mini-Mental Status Examination ≥10), or previous history of cancer. We used Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the association between FOF and all-cause mortality. @*Results@#This study included 1,474 men and 1,947 women. Cox regression showed that participants with FOF had an increased risk of mortality (mild: hazard ratio [HR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01−1.54; moderate: HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.23−2.05) after adjusting for confounding variables. In a subgroup analysis, FOF was still a significant risk factor of mortality for patients with no previous history of falling after adjusting for other risk factors, as in the full model, except for history of falling (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.27−2.13). @*Conclusion@#We found that FOF was a significant risk factor for mortality in the elderly in Korea. Further studies on the effects and mechanism of FOF on mortality are needed.
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PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the available alveolar bone height between the maxillary molars and the sinus floor according to their anatomical relationship using cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images.METHODS: A total of 752 maxillary first (M1) and second molars (M2) on CBCT scans of 188 patients were selected. First, each maxillary molar was categorized as type 1, 2, 3, or 4 according to the relationship of the molar root with the maxillary sinus floor. The frequency distribution of each type was analyzed. Second, the shortest vertical distance (VD) of each molar was measured from the furcation midpoints of the roots to the lowest point of the sinus floor by 2 observers. Intraclass correlation coefficients and the t-test were calculated for the VD measurements.RESULTS: For M1, type 3 was the most frequent, followed by type 2. For M2, type 3 was the most common, followed by type 1. The VD measurements of type 1 were 9.51±3.68 mm and 8.07±2.73 mm for M1 and M2, and those of type 3 were 3.70±1.52 mm and 4.03±1.53 mm for M1 and M2, respectively. The VD measurements of M2 were significantly higher in female patients than in male patients.CONCLUSIONS: Type 3 was the most frequent anatomical relationship in the maxillary molars, and showed the lowest alveolar bone height. This information will help clinicians to prevent complications related to the maxillary sinus during maxillary molar treatment and to predict the available bone height for immediate implant planning.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Cone-Beam Computed Tomography , Dental Implants , Maxillary Sinus , MolarABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of otolaryngologic diseases in Korea. METHODS: We obtained data from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES), which were cross-sectional surveys of the civilian, non-institutionalized population of South Korea (n=4,930). A field survey team that included an otolaryngologist, nurses, and interviewers moved with a mobile examination unit and performed otolaryngologic interviews and physical examinations. RESULTS: The prevalence of subjective hearing loss, tinnitus, preauricular fistua, tympanic membrane perforation, and cholesteatoma were 11.97%, 20.27%, 2.08%, 1.60%, and 1.18%, respectively. Dizziness and vestibular dysfunction were common among Korean adults, since 23.33% of the participants reported symptoms of dizziness or imbalance, and the prevalence of vestibular dysfunction was 3.86%. The prevalence of nasal diseases was relatively high, as the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, and a deviated nasal septum were 28.01%, 7.12%, and 42.94%, respectively. Subjective dysphonia was found in 6.60% of the participants, and the prevalence of subjective dysphonia increased with age. CONCLUSION: This is the first nation-wide epidemiologic study to assess the prevalence of otolaryngologic diseases by both the Korean Otolaryngologic Society and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Considering the high prevalence of otolaryngologic diseases in Korea, the results call for additional studies to better prevent and manage otolaryngologic diseases.