The impacts of three-dimensional anatomical atlas on learning anatomy / 대한해부학회지

Gross anatomy has traditionally been the foundation of medical education. Medical students have learned the structure of the human body through dissection, lecture, and textbooks. As tablets and three-dimensional (3D) applications are developed, 3D atlas applications are utilized in learning anatomy by medical students. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impacts of 3D atlas applications on students' understanding of gross anatomy. This research was targeted at medical students taking the Anatomy and Embryology class in 2017 and 2018, at Ewha Womans University. The correlation between use of 3D atlas and student's results on the Anatomy and Embryology test was analyzed. An open-book anatomy quiz was also carried out to analyze the correlation between the type of atlas each student refers to and the results of the quiz. Independent t test between groups did not show statistically significant difference in the results of the Anatomy and Embryology test. However, the group referring to 3D atlas showed significantly higher results on the simple questions of the open-book anatomy quiz (P<0.05). In conclusion, 3D atlas is not very helpful in acquiring deep anatomical knowledge or memorizing the location of anatomical structures, but it can simply aid in the rapid identification of anatomical structures. Additionally, the 3D atlas will show good synergy with the two-dimensional atlas if used properly in anatomy education, because most students think it is useful to use the 3D atlas.

Growing Trend of Medical Students in Utilizing Electronic Devices for Studying / 이화의대지

OBJECTIVES: There is a growing trend of medical students using electronic devices for studying. This paper analyzes such trend and assesses if the utilization of devices is adequate to effectively help students to study. METHODS: Survey of total 155 medical students about the usage of the electronic devices for studying during the first year of medical school was done. The answers were matched with their exam scores in the first year. RESULTS: Most of students were using a device, as a learning tool and the most important purpose of it was its convenience, especially for taking notes during lectures. However, students who didn't use a device when they learned anatomy or who studied with the printouts showed a tendency of receiving better scores on exams. CONCLUSION: Utilizing electronic devices for studying tends to be more convenient, but not effective for studying anatomy.

Massive bleeding from a rectal Dieulafoy lesion in a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis / 영남의대학술지

Although Dieulafoy lesion can occur in any part of the gastrointestinal tract, its occurrence in the rectum is rare. Rectal Dieulafoy lesions have been associated with advanced age, renal failure, burns, liver transplantation and cirrhosis. Here, we report on a case of massive bleeding from a rectal Dieulafoy lesion after lung decortication surgery in a 57-year-old male patient with alcoholic cirrhosis. Although rare, a rectal Dieulafoy lesion should be included in the differential diagnosis of massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with cirrhosis.

The Impact of Patient Education with a Smartphone Application on the Quality of Bowel Preparation for Screening Colonoscopy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Few studies have evaluated the use of a smartphone application (app) for educating people undergoing colonoscopy and optimizing bowel preparation. Therefore, this study was designed to develop a smartphone app for people to use as a preparation guide and to evaluate the efficacy of this app when used prior to colonoscopy. METHODS: In total, 142 patients (male:female=84:58, mean age=43.5±9.3 years), who were scheduled to undergo a colonoscopy at Myongji Hospital, were enrolled in this study. Seventy-one patients were asked to use a smartphone app that we had recently developed to prepare for the colonoscopy, while the 71 patients of the sex and age-matched control group were educated via written and verbal instructions. RESULTS: The quality of bowel cleansing, evaluated using the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale, was significantly higher in the smartphone app group than in the control group (7.70±1.1 vs. 7.24±0.8, respectively, p=0.007 by t-test). No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding work-up time and the number of patients with polyps. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, targeting young adults (≤50 years), the bowel preparation achieved by patients using the smartphone app showed significantly better quality than that of the control group.

Massive bleeding from a rectal Dieulafoy lesion in a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis / 영남의대학술지

Although Dieulafoy lesion can occur in any part of the gastrointestinal tract, its occurrence in the rectum is rare. Rectal Dieulafoy lesions have been associated with advanced age, renal failure, burns, liver transplantation and cirrhosis. Here, we report on a case of massive bleeding from a rectal Dieulafoy lesion after lung decortication surgery in a 57-year-old male patient with alcoholic cirrhosis. Although rare, a rectal Dieulafoy lesion should be included in the differential diagnosis of massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with cirrhosis.

A Case of Metastatic Low-Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma Treated with Letrozole after Ovarian Ablation by Radiotherapy / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

A 50-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to multiple lung nodules detected incidentally on a chest X-ray. A video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy revealed low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LG-ESS). She had undergone a simple hysterectomy 1 year earlier owing to a diagnosis of adenomyosis. A review of her previous hysterectomy specimen showed not endometriosis but LG-ESS. According to the patient's levels of serum follicle stimulating hormone and estradiol, she was in the premenopausal state with retained and normally functioning ovaries. She then underwent ovarian ablation by radiotherapy, after which she was administered 2.5 mg of letrozole once per day. Three months later, the size of the metastatic nodules in both lungs had decreased. The patient was followed up for 24 months while continuing on letrozole, and maintained a partial remission. We report herein on a case of metastatic LG-ESS treated with letrozole after ovarian ablation by radiotherapy.

TonEBP and SMIT expression in human placenta / 대한해부학회지

Tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein (TonEBP) is a signal transcription factor of transporters such as sodium-myo-inositol cotransporter (SMIT), aldose reductase. TonEBP has a variety of functions such as control of intracellular osmolytes and immunomodulating. It is known that TonEBP is abundant in the placenta, but location and function aren't known. The aim of this study is to describe the localization of TonEBP in the placenta. We assayed the immunohistochemistry of TonEBP and performed in situ hybridization of SMIT in normal human full term placenta. In normal human full term placenta, TonEBP was in villous trophoblasts, extravillous trophoblasts and some endothelial cells. The result of the in situ hybridization of SMIT was similar to that of immunohistochemistry of TonEBP. Neither TonEBP nor SMIT was present in TonEBP knockout mouse placenta. This shows TonEBP is a key factor in SMIT transcription. TonEBP may play an important role in transporting of inositol to fetus in placenta.

The Effects of Hydroxyapatite-Chitosan Membrane on Bone Regeneration in Rat Calvarial Defects / 대한치주과학회지

PURPOSE: Recently, interest in chitosan has increased due to its excellent biological properties such as biocompatibility, antibacterial effect, and rapid healing capacity. On the other hand, hydroxyapatite is used as a bone substitute in the fields of orthopedics and dentistry. The hydroxyapatite-chitosan (HA-CS) complex containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticles was developed for synergy of both biomaterials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydroxyapatite (HA)-chitosan (CS) membrane on bone regeneration in the rat calvarial defect. METHODS: Eight-millimeter critical-sized calvarial defects were created in 70 male Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were divided into 7 groups of 10 animals and received either 1) chitosan (CS) 100% membrane, 2) hydroxyapatite (HA) 30%/ CS 70% membrane, 3) HA 30% / CS 70%, pressed membrane, 4) HA 40%/ CS 60% membrane, 5) HA 50%/ CS 50% membrane, 6) HA 50%/ CS 50%, pressed membrane, or 7) a sham - surgery control. The amount of newly formed bone from the surface of the rat calvarial defects was measured using histomorphometry, following 2- or 8- week healing intervals. RESULTS: Surgical implantation of the HA - CS membrane resulted in enhanced local bone formation at both 2 and 8 weeks compared to the control group. The HA - CS membrane would be significantly more effective than the chitosan membrane in early bone formation. CONCLUSIONS: Concerning the advantages of biomaterials, the HA-CS membrane would be an effective biomaterial for regeneration of periodontal bone. Further studies will be required to improve the mechanical properties to develop a more rigid scaffold for the HA-CS membrane.

Prognostic Factor Analysis of 200 Consecutive Hepatic Resections for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

PURPOSE: The long-term outcome after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is somewhat disappointing because of tumor recurrence. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the prognostic factors and to suggest the data to improve the long-term outcome of hepatic resection for HCC. METHODS: A retrospective survey was carried out in 200 patients undergoing hepatic resection for HCC from April 2001 to June 2004. The various clinicopathologic factors were analysed for the overall survival (OS) and the disease-free survival (DFS) rates by the univariate test (log rank test) and multivariate test (Cox regression model). RESULTS: There were one hospital mortality and 23% morbidity after partial hepatectomy. Intraoperative transfusion was given to 20 patients (10%). Mean follow-up period was 19 months (range, 2-43). The 1-, 2- and 3-year OS rates after hepatic resection for HCC were 90.5%, 86.8% and 76.2% and the 1-, 2- and 3-year DFS rates were 65.5%, 54.3% and 49.4%, respectively. By the univariate analysis for OS, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Child-Pugh classification, Edmondson-Steiner histologic grade, microvascular invasion, major vessel invasion, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), TNM stage, transfusion, surgical margin involvement and presence of complication were significant for survival. By the multivariate analysis, Child-Pugh classification, Edmondson-Steiner histologic grade, major vessel invasion and complication were independent risk factors for OS. Whereas viral marker, Child-Pugh classification, microvascular invasion, major vessel invasion, AFP, TNM stage, surgical margin involvement and presence of complication were the significant risk factors for DFS by the univariate analysis, viral marker, microvascular invasion, major vessel invasion, surgical margin involvement and presence of complication were the independent predictive factors of the DFS. CONCLUSION: Hepatic resection for HCC has become safe. To improve the long-term outcome of hepatic resection for HCC, the patients with poor liver function or major vessel invasion should be precluded in hepatic resection, if possible, and adequate surgical margin and avoidance of complication are mandatory.

A clinical consideration about clinical manifestations of the Bromate poisoning / 대한내과학회지

Bromate which is an oxidant exists as a form of potassium bromate (KBrO3) and sodium bromate (NaBrO3) and has been primarily used as a permanent neutralizer in a household. In 1985, that has been reported for clinical course of bromate poisoing. After 1985, many variable clinical manifestation of the bromate poisoning were reported in Korea. In 2003, three patients of the bromate poisoing admited in Sanggye Paik hospital,Inje university school of medicine, Korea. In this work, the bromate poisoning was investigated based on 3 cases experienced previously 8 cases reported in Korea and compared with the case report of foreign country.

The effect of LiF-maleic acid added calcium aluminate bone cement & CA-PMMA composite bone cement on the healing of calvarial defect6) / 대한치주과학회지

The purpose of this study was to evaluate histologically the effect of LiF-maleic acid added calcium aluminate(LM-CA) bone cement & CA-PMMA composite bone cement on the healing of calvarial defect in Sprague-Dawley rats. The critical size defects were surgically produced in the calvarial bone using the 8mm trephine bur. The rats were divided in three groups : In the control group, nothing was applied into the defect of each rat. LM-CA bone cement was implanted in the experimental group 1 and CA-PMMA composite bone cement was implanted in the experimental group 2. Rats were sacrificed at 2, 8 weeks after surgical procedure. The specimens were examined by histologic analysis, especially about the bone-cement interface and the response of surrounding tissue. The results are as follows; 1. In the control group, inflammatory infiltration was observed at 2 weeks. At 8 weeks, periosteum and dura mater were continuously joined together in the defect area. But the center of defect area was filled up with the loose connective tissue. 2. In the experimental group 1, the bonding between implanted bone cement and the existing bone was seen, which more increased in 8 weeks than 2 weeks. Inflammatory infiltration and the dispersion of implanted bone cement particles were seen in both 2 weeks and 8 weeks. 3. In the experimental group 2, implanted bone itself had a dimensional stability and no bonding between implanted bone cement and the existing bone was seen in both 2 weeks and 8 weeks. Implanted bone cement was encapsulated by fibrous connective tissue. In addition, inflammatory infiltration was seen around implanted bone cement. On the basis of these results, when LM-CA bone cement or CA-PMMA composite bone cement was implanted in rat calvarial defect, LM-CA bone cement can be used as a bioactive bone graft material due to ability of bonding to the existing bone and CA-PMMA can be used as a graft material for augmentation of bone-volume due to dimensional stability.

The effects of calcium aluminate cement according to particle sizes on calvarial bone defects in rats / 대한치주과학회지

This present study was carried out to find the effects of calcium aluminate cement(CaO, Al2O3, CAC), which has been developed with bio-compatibility and mechanical properties, in biological environments. Two different particle sizes of CAC - 3.5micrometer vs. 212~250micrometer which is recommended in periodontal bone grafting procedures- were filled in 8mm calvarial defect in Sprague-Dawley rat. The specimens were examined histologically, especially the bone-cement interface and the response of surrounding tissues. The results are as follows; 1. In the control group, inflammatory cells were observed at 2 weeks. At 8 weeks, periosteum and dura mater were continuously joined together in the defect areas. But in the center of defect area were filled up with the loose connective tissues. 2. In the experimental group 1(212micrometer~250micrometer particle), immature bone was formed and outermost layer was surrounded by osteoid layer at 2 weeks. Osteoblasts were arranged between immature bone and osteoid layer. And, osteoid layer was remained until 8 weeks after surgery. 3. In the experimental group 2, periosteum and dura mater lost its continuity at 2 weeks. Scattering of CAC particles and infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed, which this findings deepened at 8 weeks. The result of this study shows that when calvarial defects in white rats are filled with calcium aluminate cement of 212~250micrometer, the materials are to be bio-compatible in growth and healing on surrounding tissues. When further researches are fulfilled, such as direct bone adhesion and bone regeneration ability, it's possible that CAC could be applied to various periodontology fields in the future.