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Objective@#We aimed to assess the level of public awareness regarding dyslipidemia and its management among the Korean population. @*Methods@#We conducted a web- or mobile-based survey study targeting the general population, using various recruitment methods, between July 25, 2022 and August 26, 2022.The questionnaire consisted of 12 questions designed to collect demographic information and evaluate participants’ awareness and knowledge about dyslipidemia. @*Results@#In total, 2,882 participants who completed the survey were included in the analysis.Among the participants, a substantial majority (89.1%) were familiar with the concepts of “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol,” while a comparatively lower percentage (just 46.7%) were acquainted with the term “dyslipidemia.” Noticeable variations in understanding were observed when examining specific aspects of dyslipidemia management, including diet, exercise, and pharmacotherapy. @*Conclusion@#The results of this survey underscore the significance of enhancing public awareness about dyslipidemia within the context of health literacy, demonstrating the necessity for a more comprehensive approach that includes education and policymaking to effectively manage dyslipidemia.
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Neonatal tension pneumothorax is life-threatening. A tension pneumothorax on the right side was detected on a newborn boy weighing 2,380 g, who was born at 35 weeks of gestation. Given the unavailability of an on-duty thoracic surgeon and appropriately sized chest tubes in the neonatal intensive care unit, an emergency physician performed closed thoracostomy using two 7-French latex catheters. Immediately after the re-expansion of the right lung, left tension pneumothorax was newly detected. Two more 7-French latex catheters were inserted, relieving the left lesion. We consider that the right pneumothorax occurred due to the mixture of spontaneous rupture of the subpleural blebs and barotrauma during the initial positive pressure ventilation, while the left lesion did due to the high-flow oscillatory ventilation. Despite the limited availability of devices in the present case, a favorable outcome was achieved by the use of alternative catheters, which were chosen by the emergency physician.
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Purpose@#Recently, oxytocin has been introduced experimentally as a pharmacological treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study attempted to investigate the possibility of oxytocin as a treatment option for patients with PTSD by examining its dose, interval, and effectiveness in patients with PTSD. @*Methods@#A systematic review was done on articles published from 1967 to 2020 using the PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases. Our inclusion criteria were 1) subjects 18 years of age or older diagnosed with PTSD or exposed to a traumatic event that met criterion A of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for PTSD, 2) oxytocin was administered at least once, 3) clinical trials, and 4) studies published in Korean or English. Two independent researchers reviewed 22 articles and recorded the contents. The risk of bias was evaluated to determine the quality of the reviewed article. @*Results@#The parameters for evaluating the effectiveness of oxytocin were identified as socio-behavioral measures in 11 articles, neuronal imaging in 9, and biomarkers in 4. In 5 papers, oxytocin was administered multiple times. Socio-behavioral measures were improved in 3 out of 5 studies in which oxytocin was administered multiple times. In 2 studies in which prolonged exposure treatment and nasal oxytocin administration were combined for 10 weeks, patient symptoms were decreased compared to the control group. @*Conclusion@#The possibility of oxytocin as an adjuvant treatment for PTSD psychotherapy was confirmed. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the long term effectiveness of administering oxytocin multiple times combined with psychotherapy.
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Background and Objectives@#The prognostic value of left atrial (LA) function in terms of long-term clinical outcomes after mitral regurgitation (MR) surgery remains unclear.Therefore, we investigated the impact of preoperative LA global longitudinal strain (LAGLS) on the long-term postoperative clinical outcomes in chronic severe MR patients who underwent mitral valve (MV) repair surgery. @*Methods@#From January 2012 to December 2017, we analyzed 338 patients (mean age, 51.9±12.5 years; 218 males [64.5%]) treated with MV repair surgery for severe MR. The primary outcome was cardiovascular events, defined as the composite of all-cause death, newly developed atrial fibrillation (AF), and re-hospitalization for cardiovascular causes. @*Results@#During a median follow-up of 45 months (interquartile range, 26–65), 30 (8.9%) cardiovascular events, 5 (1.5%) all-cause death, 8 (2.4%) newly developed AF, and 26 (7.7%) re-hospitalizations occurred. On multivariable analysis, baseline LAGLS was an independent predictor of cardiovascular events (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.91; 95% confidential interval [CI], 0.85–0.97; p=0.004) and re-hospitalization (adjusted HR, 0.93; 95% CI,0.86–1.00; p=0.037). According to the optimal cutoff value of LAGLS, patients with low LAGLS (<23.6%) had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events (adjusted HR, 2.70;95% CI, 1.04–7.00; p=0.041) than those with high LAGLS (≥23.6%). In a subgroup analysis, patients with high LAGLS had better clinical outcomes regardless of whether the patient had a LA volume index <60 mL/m2 . @*Conclusions@#In patients with chronic severe MR who received successful MV repair surgery, preoperative LAGLS is an independent predictor of long-term postoperative outcomes.
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Background@#The need for regulatory science development to evaluate advanced regulatory products is gradually increasing without hindering the technological development. Creating a research environment and fostering experts through the establishment of regulatory agency-led policies are essential for the development of regulatory science. Method: This is a comparative study of the United States, Japan, Singapore, and Korea. The literature and websites of each regulatory agency were reviewed, and the focus was on advantages and comparing advantages based on definition, development trends, and expert training projects. @*Results@#The United States is striving to develop regulatory science in response to changes in the new pharmaceutical industry through the regulatory science report, and to foster expert both inside and outside the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Japan is promoting regulatory science centered on regulatory science centers, and is focusing on researching work-related regulatory science within the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and improving employees’ ability to make regulatory decisions. Singapore was aiming to improve Southeast Asia’s regulatory capabilities under the leadership of Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE) within Duke-NUS University. In 2021, Korea is in its early stages, starting to run a university's degree program related to regulatory science this year. @*Conclusion@#Regulatory science should be developed with the aim of improving the regulatory ability of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety with Korea’s independent concept of regulatory science.
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Background@#Cyclosporine (CsA), an immunosuppressant that specifically regulates T-lymphocytes, has long been used in dermatology practice. However, nephrotoxicity, a well-known adverse effect associated with high-dose (≥5 mg/kg/d) and long-term administration (≥2 years) has limited the use of CsA. @*Objective@#We investigated the association between the cumulative dose of CsA and renal dysfunction, as well as the long-term effects of low-dose CsA on renal function in patients who presented with dermatological conditions. @*Methods@#The study included 697 patients who received CsA at an outpatient dermatology clinic between January 2015 and May 2019. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between the cumulative dose of CsA and renal dysfunction. @*Results@#Compared with patients who received the lowest cumulative dose (˂7,000 mg), those who received the highest cumulative dose of CsA (≥30,600 mg) showed a 64% higher risk of renal dysfunction; however, the difference was not statistically significant (odds ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval 0.39∼6.84). @*Conclusion@#Among patients who receive a low-dose CsA regimen, those who are treated with cumulative doses higher than the critical value may be predisposed to renal dysfunction, whereas those treated with a cumulative dose lower than the critical value are unlikely to develop nephrotoxicity.
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Purpose@#To investigate the reliability of CT and MRI for quantitative and qualitative analyses of lumbar paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration (PSFI) and correlation of PSFI with intervertebral disc pathology. @*Materials and Methods@#Lumbar spine CT and MRI of 36 subjects were reviewed retrospectively. Two observers independently outlined lumbar paraspinal muscles at each mid-intervertebral disc level. Paraspinal muscles on CT and MRI were graded according to the Goutallier grading system (GGS). The area, mean value, and standard deviation (SD) of the Hounsfield unit (HU) were obtained. Intervertebral discs were assessed on axial image of T2WI at each level. Correlations between qualitative and quantitative data and intervertebral disc pathology, age, and sex were evaluated. @*Results@#Inter- and intra-observer agreements for results of GGS on MRI were substantial (κ = 0.79) and moderate (κ = 0.59), respectively. Inter- and intra-observer agreements for results of GGS on CT were almost perfect (κ = 0.88) and substantial (κ = 0.66), respectively. Quantitative measurements of HU showed almost perfect inter- and intra-observer reliabilities (κ = 0.82 and κ = 0.99, respectively). There were statistically significant correlations between intervertebral disc pathology and PSFI at L1-2, L2-3, and L4-5 levels on MRI and at L1-2 and L3-4 levels on CT. Age showed significant correlation with results of GGS at all levels on CT and MRI. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that GGS results and HU measurements could be useful for evaluating PSFI because they showed correlations with intervertebral disc pathology results at certain levels.
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Paraneoplastic pemphigus is a rare, life-threatening disorder associated with an underlying neoplasm, which presents with painful stomatitis and polymorphous skin lesions. Successful diagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus can lead to the diagnosis and treatment of the underlying malignancy.However, involvement of the respiratory system is typically unresponsive to treatment. Herein, we report the case of a 44-year-old female diagnosed with paraneoplastic pemphigus with underlying follicular lymphoma treated with a chemotherapy regimen including rituximab. Her skin lesions and underlying lymphoma responded to treatment, but bronchiolitis obliterans continued to progress and resulted in fatal respiratory failure.
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Background@#Cyclosporine (CsA), an immunosuppressant that specifically regulates T-lymphocytes, has long been used in dermatology practice. However, nephrotoxicity, a well-known adverse effect associated with high-dose (≥5 mg/kg/d) and long-term administration (≥2 years) has limited the use of CsA. @*Objective@#We investigated the association between the cumulative dose of CsA and renal dysfunction, as well as the long-term effects of low-dose CsA on renal function in patients who presented with dermatological conditions. @*Methods@#The study included 697 patients who received CsA at an outpatient dermatology clinic between January 2015 and May 2019. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between the cumulative dose of CsA and renal dysfunction. @*Results@#Compared with patients who received the lowest cumulative dose (˂7,000 mg), those who received the highest cumulative dose of CsA (≥30,600 mg) showed a 64% higher risk of renal dysfunction; however, the difference was not statistically significant (odds ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval 0.39∼6.84). @*Conclusion@#Among patients who receive a low-dose CsA regimen, those who are treated with cumulative doses higher than the critical value may be predisposed to renal dysfunction, whereas those treated with a cumulative dose lower than the critical value are unlikely to develop nephrotoxicity.
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Purpose@#To investigate the reliability of CT and MRI for quantitative and qualitative analyses of lumbar paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration (PSFI) and correlation of PSFI with intervertebral disc pathology. @*Materials and Methods@#Lumbar spine CT and MRI of 36 subjects were reviewed retrospectively. Two observers independently outlined lumbar paraspinal muscles at each mid-intervertebral disc level. Paraspinal muscles on CT and MRI were graded according to the Goutallier grading system (GGS). The area, mean value, and standard deviation (SD) of the Hounsfield unit (HU) were obtained. Intervertebral discs were assessed on axial image of T2WI at each level. Correlations between qualitative and quantitative data and intervertebral disc pathology, age, and sex were evaluated. @*Results@#Inter- and intra-observer agreements for results of GGS on MRI were substantial (κ = 0.79) and moderate (κ = 0.59), respectively. Inter- and intra-observer agreements for results of GGS on CT were almost perfect (κ = 0.88) and substantial (κ = 0.66), respectively. Quantitative measurements of HU showed almost perfect inter- and intra-observer reliabilities (κ = 0.82 and κ = 0.99, respectively). There were statistically significant correlations between intervertebral disc pathology and PSFI at L1-2, L2-3, and L4-5 levels on MRI and at L1-2 and L3-4 levels on CT. Age showed significant correlation with results of GGS at all levels on CT and MRI. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that GGS results and HU measurements could be useful for evaluating PSFI because they showed correlations with intervertebral disc pathology results at certain levels.
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Background@#Understanding the age-related morphological changes of facial soft tissue is fundamental in achieving improved outcomes of rejuvenating procedures. Three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry is a reliable and convenient anthropometric tool to assess facial soft tissue. @*Objective@#The aim of this study was to establish age-related facial soft tissue morphology in Korean adult females using non-invasive 3D photogrammetry. @*Methods@#One hundred and ninety-two female participants were divided into three groups based on age: the younger group (aged 20∼39 years), middle group (40∼59 years), and older group (60∼79 years). Thirty-six landmarks were identified via 3D photogrammetric scanning (Morpheus 3D, Morpheus Co., Ltd., Seongnam, Korea). Fortyone facial dimensions were analyzed using the imaging software to find significance between the age groups. @*Results@#Smaller upper-facial volume (p=0.019) and shorter upperfacial height (p=0.034) were observed in the older group than in the younger group. In the mid-face, narrowed palpebral fissure (p＜0.001) with elongated upper eyelid height (p＜0.001) and widened nose (p＜0.001) were observed in the older group compared with the younger group. Longer lower-facial height (p＜0.001) with longer and wider philtrum (p＜0.001, p=0.004, respectively), shorter lower vermilion height (p＜0.001), wider mouth width (p＜0.001), and smaller lower vermilion angle (p＜0.001) were seen in the older group when compared with the younger group. Moreover, greater angles of nasofrontal, nasomental, and labiomental angle (p=0.015, p=0.015, p=0.080, respectively), and smaller nasofacial angle (p=0.034) were observed in the older group than in the younger group. @*Conclusion@#Our results provide clues of aging-related facial morphological characteristics in Korean female population.
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Background@#Nail psoriasis is a common clinically significant symptom of psoriasis. However, few studies have focused on the characteristics and course of toenail psoriasis. @*Objective@#To investigate the treatment response of toenail psoriasis during a 52-week period of ustekinumab use. @*Methods@#Patients were evaluated using the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) at every injection visit. NAPSI score changes throughout the treatment were analyzed. The treatment response in each toenail and each NAPSI characteristic was also analyzed. @*Results@#A total of 22 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis with concomitant toenail psoriasis were examined. Several characteristics such as ridging or onychomycosis that mimic psoriasis or hinder the evaluation were identified. NAPSI significantly improved during the treatment (p＜0.05). The big and second toes were significantly improved after 52 weeks of ustekinumab treatment (p＜0.05). Pitting and oil-drop discoloration were the only two characteristics that showed significant changes post-treatment (p＜0.05). @*Conclusion@#Ustekinumab proved to be efficacious in treating toenail psoriasis.Because of the factors that hinder the NAPSI scoring, only NAPSI scores of the first and second toes can be used.
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Paraneoplastic pemphigus is a rare, life-threatening disorder associated with an underlying neoplasm, which presents with painful stomatitis and polymorphous skin lesions. Successful diagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus can lead to the diagnosis and treatment of the underlying malignancy.However, involvement of the respiratory system is typically unresponsive to treatment. Herein, we report the case of a 44-year-old female diagnosed with paraneoplastic pemphigus with underlying follicular lymphoma treated with a chemotherapy regimen including rituximab. Her skin lesions and underlying lymphoma responded to treatment, but bronchiolitis obliterans continued to progress and resulted in fatal respiratory failure.
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Background and Objectives@#Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an excessiveaccumulation of fat into the liver as a result of increased inflammation and insulin resistance.Although there can be common pathogenic mechanisms for NAFLD and hypertensionassociated with the development of cardiovascular diseases, little data are showing theassociation between NAFLD and hypertension in a large-scale cohort study. Thus, weevaluated the ability of the fatty liver index (FLI), a surrogate marker of NAFLD, to predict thedevelopment of hypertension in healthy individuals. @*Methods@#We included 334,280 healthy individuals without known comorbidities whounderwent the National Health check-ups in South Korea from 2009 to 2014. Theassociation between the FLI and hypertension was analyzed using multivariate Coxproportional-hazards models. @*Results@#During a median of 5.2 years' follow-up, 24,678 subjects (7.4%) had new-onsethypertension. We categorized total subjects into quartile groups according to FLI (range: Q1,0–4.9; Q2, 5.0–12.5; Q3, 12.6–31.0; and Q4, >31.0). The incidence of hypertension was higherin subjects with the highest FLI than in those with the lowest FLI (Q4, 9,968 [11.9%] vs. Q1,2,277 [2.7%]; p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between the highest FLI and anincreased risk of new-onset hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio between Q4 and Q1, 2.330;95% confidence interval, 2.218–2.448; p<0.001). FLI was significantly associated with anincreased risk of new-onset hypertension regardless of baseline characteristics. @*Conclusions@#Higher FLI was independently associated with increased risk of hypertension ina healthy Korean population.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES@#There is insufficient evidence regarding the optimal treatment for asymptomatic carotid stenosis.@*METHODS@#Bayesian cross-design and network meta-analyses were performed to compare the safety and efficacy among carotid artery stenting (CAS), carotid endarterectomy (CEA), and medical treatment (MT). We identified 18 studies (4 randomized controlled trials [RCTs] and 14 nonrandomized, comparative studies [NRCSs]) comparing CAS with CEA, and 4 RCTs comparing CEA with MT from MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases.@*RESULTS@#The risk for periprocedural stroke tended to increase in CAS, compared to CEA (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% credible interval [CrI], 0.62–4.54). However, estimates for periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI) were quite heterogeneous in RCTs and NRCSs. Despite a trend of decreased risk with CAS in RCTs (OR, 0.70; 95% CrI, 0.27–1.24), the risk was similar in NRCSs (OR, 1.02; 95% CrI, 0.87–1.18). In indirect comparisons of MT and CAS, MT showed a tendency to have a higher risk for the composite of periprocedural death, stroke, MI, or nonperiprocedural ipsilateral stroke (OR, 1.30; 95% CrI, 0.74–2.73). Analyses of study characteristics showed that CEA-versus-MT studies took place about 10-year earlier than CEA-versus-CAS studies.@*CONCLUSIONS@#A similar risk for periprocedural MI between CEA and CAS in NRCSs suggested that concerns about periprocedural MI accompanied by CEA might not matter in real-world practice when preoperative evaluation and management are working. Maybe the benefits of CAS over MT have been overestimated considering advances in medical therapy within10-year gap between CEA-versus-MT and CEA-versus-CAS studies.
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Background@#The clinical features of inflammatory papulardermatoses of the face are very similar. Their clinical manifestationshave been described on the basis of a small numberof case reports and are not specific. @*Objective@#This studyaimed to use computer-aided image analysis (CAIA) to comparethe clinical features and parameters of inflammatorypapular dermatoses of the face and to develop a formalizeddiagnostic algorithm based on the significant findings. @*Methods@#The study included clinicopathologically confirmedinflammatory papular dermatoses of the face: 8 casesof eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF), 13 of granulomatousperiorificial dermatitis-lupus miliaris disseminatusfaciei (GPD-LMDF) complex, 41 of granulomatous rosacea-papulopustular rosacea complex (GR-PPR) complex,and 4 of folliculitis. Clinical features were evaluated, andarea density of papular lesions was quantitatively measuredwith CAIA. Based on these variables, we developed a predictivemodel for differential diagnosis using classificationand regression tree analysis. @*Results@#The EPF group showedlesion asymmetry and annular clusters of papules in all cases.The GPD-LMDF complex group had significantly higher perioculardensity. The GR-PPR complex group showed a higherarea density of unilateral cheek papules and the highest total area density. According to the predictive model, 3 variableswere used for differential diagnosis of the 4 diseasegroups, and each group was diagnosed with a predictedprobability of 67%∼100%. @*Conclusion@#We statisticallyconfirmed the distinct clinical features of inflammatory papulardermatoses of the face and proposed a diagnostic algorithmfor clinical diagnosis.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is insufficient evidence regarding the optimal treatment for asymptomatic carotid stenosis.METHODS: Bayesian cross-design and network meta-analyses were performed to compare the safety and efficacy among carotid artery stenting (CAS), carotid endarterectomy (CEA), and medical treatment (MT). We identified 18 studies (4 randomized controlled trials [RCTs] and 14 nonrandomized, comparative studies [NRCSs]) comparing CAS with CEA, and 4 RCTs comparing CEA with MT from MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases.RESULTS: The risk for periprocedural stroke tended to increase in CAS, compared to CEA (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% credible interval [CrI], 0.62–4.54). However, estimates for periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI) were quite heterogeneous in RCTs and NRCSs. Despite a trend of decreased risk with CAS in RCTs (OR, 0.70; 95% CrI, 0.27–1.24), the risk was similar in NRCSs (OR, 1.02; 95% CrI, 0.87–1.18). In indirect comparisons of MT and CAS, MT showed a tendency to have a higher risk for the composite of periprocedural death, stroke, MI, or nonperiprocedural ipsilateral stroke (OR, 1.30; 95% CrI, 0.74–2.73). Analyses of study characteristics showed that CEA-versus-MT studies took place about 10-year earlier than CEA-versus-CAS studies.CONCLUSIONS: A similar risk for periprocedural MI between CEA and CAS in NRCSs suggested that concerns about periprocedural MI accompanied by CEA might not matter in real-world practice when preoperative evaluation and management are working. Maybe the benefits of CAS over MT have been overestimated considering advances in medical therapy within10-year gap between CEA-versus-MT and CEA-versus-CAS studies.
Subject(s)
Carotid Arteries , Carotid Stenosis , Endarterectomy, Carotid , Myocardial Infarction , Stents , StrokeABSTRACT
Pulmonary adenofibroma is a rare tumor, with a few reported cases in the literature. Radiologically, the lesion appears as a solitary pulmonary nodule in most cases, and the multiplicity of this disease entity is extremely rare. We present an unusual case of pulmonary adenofibroma in a 71-year-old woman manifested as two nodules in different lobes of the lung on CT. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations are needed to establish the definitive diagnosis of pulmonary adenofibroma.
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Pulmonary adenofibroma is a rare tumor, with a few reported cases in the literature. Radiologically, the lesion appears as a solitary pulmonary nodule in most cases, and the multiplicity of this disease entity is extremely rare. We present an unusual case of pulmonary adenofibroma in a 71-year-old woman manifested as two nodules in different lobes of the lung on CT. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations are needed to establish the definitive diagnosis of pulmonary adenofibroma.
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BACKGROUND: Scalp psoriasis severely affects patients' quality of life, and patients may occasionally be refractory to topical steroid application. Although systemic therapy combined with topical steroid application is recommended for treatment-resistant scalp psoriasis, previous research has not reported whether such combination treatment improves patients' quality of life.OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether combination therapy using oral cyclosporine and topical steroid reduces the severity of scalp psoriasis and improves patients' quality of life compared with the use of topical steroid alone.METHODS: The study included 23 patients with scalp psoriasis who were categorized as patients who received topical steroid therapy alone vs. those who received combination therapy with topical steroid and oral cyclosporine for 12 weeks. The severity of psoriasis and quality of life were evaluated at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment.RESULTS: No significant improvement was observed in the severity of psoriasis or in patients' quality of life during the treatment period in patients receiving topical steroid alone. Patients treated with a combination of topical steroid and oral cyclosporine showed a reduction in the severity of psoriasis from the 4th week of treatment and their quality of life improved from the 12th week of treatment.CONCLUSION: Combination therapy with oral cyclosporine and topical steroid may reduce the severity of scalp psoriasis and improve patients' quality of life.