• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.3-8
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• 2020

Genital lymphedema (GL) is an uncommon and disabling disease that manifests as enlargement of the genital region resulting from the disturbance of lymphatic drainage. Although conservative treatment such as decompression is typically the first-line approach, surgical intervention has been shown to be effective in certain cases. This study aimed to systematically review studies evaluating available surgical alternatives for the treatment of male GL. A systematic search strategy using keyword and subject headings was applied to PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library in May 2019. Studies investigating various surgical techniques to treat penile and scrotal lymphedema were included. The potential risk of bias of included trials was evaluated using the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS). In total, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, nine of which were determined to be high-quality. The average MINORS score was 12.45 for studies involving excision and 14 for studies involving lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA). The most common reason for a low score was a failure to describe the inclusion criteria. Recurrence of lymphedema during follow-up was reported in four studies involving excision and in no studies involving LVA. In general, the quality of the included literature was considered to be fair. Although surgical intervention might not always prevent the recurrence of lymphedema, all of the studies reported improved quality of life after the procedure. This study could be used as the basis for evidence-based guidelines to be applied in clinical practice for managing male GL.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.653-663
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• 2006

Objective : Graves' disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, is an autoimmune disorder associated with autoantibodies to the TSH receptor. The clinical features of Graves' disease are goiter and hypermetabolic symptoms induced by excessive hormones. Antithyroid drug therapy is the first-line treatment for Graves' disease in Korea, Japan and European countries. Yet in spite of a long period and high-dose of treatment, it is hard to achieve remission because of adverse effects, frequent recurrence and resistance to antithyroid drugs. Recently, it has been reported that the abnormal thyroid hormone and clinical symptoms of Graves' disease were reduced by Ahnjeonbaekho-tang (AJBHT). Methods : To investigate the effectiveness and action mechanism of AJBHT, we studied the influence of AJBHT on FRTL-5 thyroid cell proliferation, DNA synthesis and expression of T4, TSH, cAMP, Tg and TPO mRNA. Results : AJBHT significantly inhibited the FRTL-5 cell proliferation, DNA synthesis, T4 synthesis, cAMP production and the expression of Tg mRNA in comparison with control and MMI. Conclusions : These results suggest that AJBHT may inhibit the cell proliferation and DNA synthesis by regulating the cAMP, and suppress the T4 synthesis by modulating Tg mRNA expression and cAMP synthesis, and that it may be useful agent for treating the goiter and hormone abnormality of Graves' disease.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.35-38
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• 2020

Spasmodic dysphonia is a disease presumed to be a form of focal laryngeal dystonia. The widely used first-line treatment is botulinum toxin injection to the thyroarytenoid muscles. In spite of the effectiveness and safety of this method, it has a temporary effect that lasts only several months, resulting the patients' symptom fluctuating, called 'Botox rollercoaster.' Some surgical techniques had tried, but they had shown several limitations including high rate of recurrence. We tried thyroarytenoid myectomy with selective recurrent laryngeal nerve section in a patient with intractable spasmodic dysphonia. This procedure is an alternative treatment of spasmodic dysphonia to prevent recurrence and improve symptoms. During five years of follow-up, she has shown steady quality voice without any complication. To the best of our knowledgement, this is the longest follow-up case of this operation in South Korea.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.350-354
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• 2009

Objective : The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical outcome of 75 consecutive patients with cervical carotid artery stenosis and who were treated by carotid artery stenting (CAS) only. Methods : From February 2003 to June 2008, there were 78 stents placed in 75 symptomatic patients (mean age : 67.3 years); 69 patients had carotid stenosis ${\geq}70%$, and 6 patients had asymptomatic stenosis ${\geq}80%$. No carotid endarterectomy (CEA) was performed during the same period. The patients were clinically followed-up for a mean of 20.1 months. Results : The procedures were technically successful in all cases. Three (3.8%) patients had procedure-related complications. During the 30-day postprocedural period, there were no restenosis or major stroke. Minor stroke was noticed in 3 (3.8%) patients and 1 (1.3%) of the 75 patients suddenly expired 2 days after discharge. There were no new neurological symptoms that developed during the clinical follow-up period. The results of our series were not inferior to those the previously published in CAS studies, and in fact they were better. Conclusion : Our results suggest that CAS may be safe and useful for the treatment of cervical carotid artery stenosis when it is used as the first line treatment in those institutions that lack enough experience with CEA.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.72-79
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• 2019

Purpose: The efficacy of exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) with a polymeric diet has not been confirmed in Korean pediatric patients with Crohn's disease (CD). This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of EEN with a specific polymeric diet ($Encover^{(R)}$) and corticosteroids (CSs) for the induction of remission in Korean pediatric CD patients. Methods: We retrospectively compared data from 51 pediatric CD patients who underwent induction therapy with EEN (n=19) or CSs (n=32) at Severance Children's Hospital or Incheon St. Mary's Hospital in Korea. The primary endpoint of this study was the rate of clinical remission, defined as a Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) score <10, after 8 weeks of induction treatment. Clinical, laboratory, and growth data at post-induction as well as their changes from baseline were also compared between groups. Results: After 8 weeks of induction therapy, clinical remission rates were 78.9% (15/19) and 65.6% (21/32) in the EEN and CS groups, respectively (p=0.313). No significant differences in PCDAI scores, laboratory variables, and growth parameters were noted between the two groups at post-induction. However, significant changes in albumin levels at post-induction were observed in the EEN group compared to the CS group (p=0.038). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the effectiveness of EEN with a polymeric diet and CSs for induction therapy did not differ in Korean pediatric CD patients. EEN with a polymeric diet is a good first-line treatment option for the induction of remission in these patients.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.122-128
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• 2019

Background The masseter nerve is a useful donor nerve for reconstruction in patients with established facial palsy, with numerous advantages including low morbidity, a strong motor impulse, high reliability, and fast reinnervation. In this study, we assessed the results of masseter nerve-innervated free gracilis muscle transfer in established facial palsy patients. Methods Ten patients with facial palsy who received treatment from January 2015 to January 2017 were enrolled in this study. Three patients received masseter nerve-only free gracilis transfer, and seven received double-innervated free gracilis transfer (masseter nerve and a cross-face nerve graft). Patients were evaluated using the Facial Assessment by Computer Evaluation software (FACEgram) to quantify oral commissure excursion and symmetry at rest and when smiling after muscle transfer. Results The mean time between surgery and initial movement was roughly 167.7 days. A statistically significant increase in excursion at rest and when smiling was seen after muscle transfer. There was a significant increase in the distance of oral commissure excursion at rest and when smiling. A statistically significant increase was observed in symmetry when smiling. Terzis' functional and aesthetic grading scores showed significant improvements postoperatively. Conclusions Masseter nerve innervation is a good option with many uses in in established facial palsy patients. For some conditions, it is the first-line treatment. Free gracilis muscle transfer using the masseter nerve has excellent results with good symmetry and an effective degree of recovery.

• Smart Media Journal
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.45-54
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• 2021

The skin is the body's first line of defense against external infection. When a skin disease strikes, the skin's protective role is compromised, necessitating quick diagnosis and treatment. Recently, as artificial intelligence has advanced, research for technical applications has been done in a variety of sectors, including dermatology, to reduce the rate of misdiagnosis and obtain quick treatment using artificial intelligence. Although previous studies have diagnosed skin diseases with low incidence, this paper proposes a method to classify common illnesses such as warts and corns using a convolutional neural network. The data set used consists of 3 classes and 2,515 images, but there is a problem of lack of training data and class imbalance. We analyzed the performance using a deep metric loss function and a cross-entropy loss function to train the model. When comparing that in terms of accuracy, recall, F1 score, and accuracy, the former performed better.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Dental Administration
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2017

The purpose of this article is to cope with the abuse of antibiotics in the clinic, to determine the necessity of antibiotic administration, to share information on the selection and proper use of appropriate antibiotics, and to increase the appropriateness of antibiotic prescription through continuous monitoring. In line with the latest research and guidelines trends of various agencies, we will supplement the antibiotic prescription guidelines and use them for the treatment in Apple Tree Dental Hospital. Specially, by history taking and the penicillin allergy test, amoxicillin is prescribed as a primary selective antibiotic for 1 day. The complaints and treatment effects of the first antibiotic should be evaluated at the next visit. If the primary antibiotic was ineffective, we replaced it with a broad-spectrum antibiotic. If there was no improvement in symptoms, the patient would be referred to upper grade hospital. The staff of the Apple Tree Dental Hospital regularly monitored and educated antibiotic prescriptions. The current guidelines should be supplemented continually and positively affect the abuse of antibiotics and the habit of dental practice.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2000

Soft tissue defects of the dorsum of foot and ankle can be covered from skin graft to free tissue transfer. The extent of injury which may be complex including the exposure of paratenons or bones requires free flap reconstruction. Some of the precautions for reconstruction are providing minimal bulkiness and well conforming to irregular contour thus making normal footwear possible. Though the muscle flap having its advantages and versatility, the fascial flap such as temporoparietal fascial flap has been considered the choice for reconstruction of the dorsum of foot and ankle. The purpose of our study is to utilize the advantages and versatility of the muscle flap as a first choice for reconstruction for the defects involving the dorsum of foot and ankle. The gracilis muscle with its anatomic and donor characteristics, it can be utilized to maximal effect by expanding its slim muscle width removing the epimysium and reducing its bulk by muscle atrophy through denervation. We present our experience with ten cases of reconstruction for the dorsum of foot and ankle using the gracilis muscle free flap. Results were satisfactory without flap loss, skin loss and infection. The contour and aesthetic aspect of the foot was satisfactory. Gait analysis showed near normal gait without limitations from everyday activities. Normal footwear was tolerable in all the cases. The keys to consider in the reconstruction of the dorsum of foot and ankle are appropriate bulkiness, conforming to its contour and able to apply normal footwear. With minimal donor morbidity and satisfying results, the extended gracilis muscle should be considered as the first line for reconstruction of the ankle and dorsum of foot.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.537-542
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• 1999

In patient with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, it is difficult to localize gastrinoma because the tumor is frequently small and multiple. However, accurate localization of the tumor is important for the treatment Among various imaging modalities, somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) has been recognized to be the most sensitive tool for the detection of neuroendocrine tumors such as gastrinomas based on the presence of high-affinity binding sites for somatostatin. Recently, we experienced a case of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome caused by gastrinomas which was localized by SRS. This is the first case report of gastrinoma detected by SRS in Korea. SRS can facilitate tumor detection in patient with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and should be considered as the first-line diagnostic method in the early course of the disease.