• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.132-141
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• 2019

Foreign body (FB) ingestion of children is a common pediatric emergency requiring medical attention. Pediatric emergency physicians and gastroenterologists often encounter nervous and distressed situations, because of children presenting with this condition in the common clinical practice. When determining the appropriate timing and indications for intervention, physicians should consider multiple patient- and FB-related factors. The utilization of a flexible endoscopy is considered safe and effective to use in these cases, with a high success rate, for the effective extraction of FBs from the gastrointestinal tract of a child. Additionally, a Foley catheter and a magnet-attached Levin tube have been used for decades in the case of FB removal. Although their use has decreased significantly in recent times, these instruments continue to be used for several indications. Using a Foley catheter for this purpose does not require special training and does not necessarily require sedation of the patient or fluoroscopy, which serve as advantages of utilizing this method for foreign object retrieval. An ingested magnet or iron-containing FB can be retrieved using a magnet-attached tube, and can be effective to retrieve an object from any section of the upper gastrointestinal tract that can be reached. Simple and inexpensive devices such as Foley catheters and magnetattached tubes can be used in emergencies such as with the esophageal impaction of disk batteries if endoscopy cannot be performed immediately (e.g., in rural areas and/or in patients presenting at midnight in a facility, especially in those without access to endoscopes or emergency services, or in any situation that warrants urgent removal of a foreign object).

• Archives of Hand and Microsurgery
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.313-318
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• 2018

Although nerve injury is the most common complication of pneumatic tourniquets, it is said to be rare, with few case reports. We describe two cases of paralysis after upper extremity surgery to highlight this risk. Ulnar, median and radial neuropathies were diagnosed after surgery was performed on a man for left hand reconstruction, presumably due to a prolonged total inflation time of 14 hours despite conventional break times. A woman who received surgery for a crushed hand presented with radial neuropathy, the most probable cause being malfunction and automatic inflation of the tourniquet. These cases illustrate the diversity of tourniquet paralysis, with symptomatic progress not necessarily following electromyography results. The considerable discomfort to patients warrants careful use of tourniquets for neuropathy prevention.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1391-1400
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• 2019

Canine parvoviral enteritis (PVE) is an important intestinal disease of the puppies; however, the potential impact of the canine parvovirus (CPV) on the gut microbiota has not been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the gut microbial shifts in puppies naturally infected with CPV. Fecal samples were collected from healthy dogs and those diagnosed with PVE at 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks of age. The distal gut microbiota of dogs was characterized using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes. The sequence data were analyzed using QIIME with an Operational Taxonomic Unit definition at a similarity cutoff of 97%. Our results showed that the CPV was associated with significant microbial dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota. Alpha diversity and species richness and evenness in dogs with PVE decreased compared to those of healthy dogs. At the phylum level, the proportion of Proteobacteria was significantly enriched in dogs with PVE while Bacteroidetes was significantly more abundant in healthy dogs (p < 0.05). In dogs with PVE, Enterobacteriaceae was the most abundant bacterial family accounting for 36.44% of the total bacterial population compared to only 0.21% in healthy puppies. The two most abundant genera in healthy dogs were Prevotella and Lactobacillus and their abundance was significantly higher compared to that of dogs with PVE (p < 0.05). These observations suggest that disturbances of gut microbial communities were associated with PVE in young dogs. Evaluation of the roles of these bacterial groups in the pathophysiology of PVE warrants further studies.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2022

Objective : Nontraumatic subdural hematoma (SDH) is a common disease, and spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is a possible etiology of unknown significance, which is commonly investigated by several invasive studies. This study demonstrates that heavily T2-weighted magnetic resonance myelography (HT2W-MRM) is a safe and clinically effective imaging modality for detecting CSF leakage in patients with nontraumatic SDH. Methods : All patients who underwent HT2W-MRM for nontraumatic SDH workup at our institution were searched and enrolled in this study. Several parameters were measured and analyzed, including patient demographic data, initial modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score upon presentation, SDH bilaterality, hematoma thickness upon presentation, CSF leakage sites, treatment modalities, follow-up hematoma thickness, and follow-up mRS score. Results : Forty patients were identified, of which 22 (55.0%) had CSF leakage at various spinal locations. Five patients (12.5%) showed no change in mRS score, whereas the remaining (87.5%) showed decreases in follow-up mRS scores. In terms of the overall hematoma thickness, four patients (10.0%) showed increased thickness, two (5.0%) showed no change, 32 (80.0%) showed decreased thickness, and two (5.0%) did not undergo follow-up imaging for hematoma thickness measurement. Conclusion : HT2W-MRM is not only safe but also clinically effective as a primary diagnostic imaging modality to investigate CSF leakage in patients with nontraumatic SDH. Moreover, this study suggests that CSF leakage is a common etiology for nontraumatic SDH, which warrants changes in the diagnosis and treatment strategies.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.572-584
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• 2022

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of trinucleotide CAG repeat in the Huntingtin (Htt) gene. The major pathogenic pathways underlying HD involve the impairment of cellular energy homeostasis and DNA damage in the brain. The protein kinase ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is an important regulator of the DNA damage response. ATM is involved in the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), suggesting that AMPK plays a critical role in response to DNA damage. Herein, we demonstrated that expression of polyQ-expanded mutant Htt (mHtt) enhanced the phosphorylation of ATM. Ginsenoside is the main and most effective component of Panax ginseng. However, the protective effect of a ginsenoside (compound K, CK) in HD remains unclear and warrants further investigation. Methods: This study used the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD and performed behavioral tests, survival rate, histological analyses, and immunoblot assays. Results: The systematic administration of CK into R6/2 mice suppressed the activation of ATM/AMPK and reduced neuronal toxicity and mHTT aggregation. Most importantly, CK increased neuronal density and lifespan and improved motor dysfunction in R6/2 mice. Conversely, CK enhanced the expression of Bcl2 protected striatal cells from the toxicity induced by the overactivation of mHtt and AMPK. Conclusions: Thus, the oral administration of CK reduced the disease progression and markedly enhanced lifespan in the transgenic mouse model (R6/2) of HD.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.90-97
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• 2021

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a major diagnostic marker for bone health. A 44-year-old male had BMD of 0.81 g/cm² (Z-score: -3.1) in lumbar spine scan and 0.54 g/cm² (Z-score: -2.7) for femoral neck from regular medical checkup in Apr 2020. He had no other specific medical conditions except hyperlipidemia and alcohol was a single risk factor for fracture according to Fracture Risk Assessment Tool. After he was diagnosed with liver-kidney deficiency and treated for 20 weeks with Jeopgol-tang originally patented for promoting fracture recovery, lumbar spine BMD increased by 13.6 % (0.92 g/cm², Z-score: -2.1) and femoral neck BMD by 22.2% (0.66 g/cm², Z-score: -1.8) compared with those of Mar 2020. Herbal medicine treatment for tonifying liver and kidney to improve BMD warrants further investigation.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.1245-1254
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigated the clinical characteristics and symptoms of patients with reflux esophagitis (RE) visiting a Korean medicine hospital. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with an RE diagnosis who visited a Korean medicine hospital from June 15, 2020, to April 15, 2021. We analyzed the clinical characteristics and the results of a symptoms questionnaire. Results: Our sample included 1,151 patients (711 females). The median age was 58 years; the most common age bracket was 60-69 years. A total of 837 patients (72.7%) presented with symptoms lasting more than one year, and 1,035 (89.9%) had been prescribed medications for more than three months before visiting a Korean medicine hospital. Belching (77.6%) and acid regurgitation (70.9%) were the most frequent symptoms, followed by epigastric pain (61.6%) and throat globus (58.5%). Throat globus was the most bothersome symptom, and 72.4% of the patients experienced the symptom on more than five days in the preceding two weeks. Patients with a longer symptom duration were older (p<0.01) and more likely to be overweight (p=0.03). Patients experiencing symptoms for more than five years were more likely to report throat globus (p=0.02), hoarseness (p<0.01), and coughing (p<0.01). Conclusions: Most RE patients visiting a Korean medicine hospital were females in their sixties with chronic and refractory RE. Atypical symptoms (belching, epigastric pain, and throat globus) were common. Throat globus was highly prevalent in severe cases, suggesting that it warrants attention when treating RE patients.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.61-68
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of noninvasive electrical stimulation combined with trunk stabilization exercise on balance and fall risk in patients with stroke. Methods: Twenty-two patients with stroke were enrolled in the study and randomly divided into experimental and control groups, each with 11 patients. noninvasive electrical stimulation combined with trunk stabilization training was applied to the experimental group, and sham noninvasive electrical stimulation combined with trunk stabilization training, to the control group. Both groups were treated for 6 weeks, five times a week for 30 min each time; the balance and fall risk of patients with stroke were measured before and after treatment, and the changes in the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results: The experimental group's left and right weight-bearing indices (affect and non-affect sides) and the front and rear weight-bearing indices, were significantly improved (p<.05, p<.001). when the changes in balance ability between groups were compared before and after treatment. The total fall efficacy score in the experimental group was substantially lower than that in the control group when the changes in fall efficacy score were compared between groups following treatment (p<.001). Conclusion: The improvement in balance and fall risk in patients with stroke can be attributed to using noninvasive electrical stimulation in combination with trunk stabilization training. This clinically helpful treatment method for patients with stroke warrants further promotion and implementation in the clinic.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.16-22
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• 2021

[Purpose] Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) is a well-known condition among endurance athletes at low altitudes. The incidence of EAH during ultramarathons at high altitudes warrants further investigation. This prospective observational study was conducted on the participants of the Leadville Trail 100 run, a 161-km race held at a high altitude (2,800 m-3,840 m). [Methods] Venous blood samples were collected before and immediately after the race. The participants completed an electronic survey after the race. Our main outcome measure was the post-race serum sodium ([Na⁺]) level. [Results] Of the 672 athletes who started the race, 351 (52%) successfully completed the event within the 30-hour cut-off. Post-race blood samples were collected from 84 runners (66 finishers). Both pre- and post-race blood samples were collected from 37 participants. Twenty percent of the post-race participants had EAH. Only one post-race participant had a [Na⁺] level of <130 mmol/L. All participants with EAH were asymptomatic. One participant had an abnormal pre-race [Na⁺] level (134 mmol/L). Female participants had a significantly higher rate of EAH than male participants (40% vs. 16%; p=0.039). Age, body mass index, weight changes, race completion status, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, and urine specific gravity were not associated with the development of EAH. Lower postrace [Na⁺] levels were associated with higher serum creatine kinase values (R²=0.1, p<0.005). [Conclusion] High altitude (3,840 m peak) does not appear to enhance the incidence of EAH after an ultramarathon footrace. This suggests that ambient temperature (low temperatures reduce risk), sex (female predilection), endurance running, and overhydration are more prominent risk factors for EAH than high altitude.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.173-184
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• 2022

Purpose : The purpose of this study was two-fold: to identify the effect of dental hygienist's self-determination motivation on their job engagement and to analyze the moderating effect of compensation satisfaction that affect the relevance. Methods : Data were collected using a structured self-report questionnaire administered to 260 dental hygienists working in dental hospitals and clinics in Busan, South Korea. These were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0 and SPSS Process Macro 3.5. A frequency analysis, including the respondents' general characteristics, frequency, percentages, and standard deviations, was performed. A regression analysis was also performed using SPSS Process Macro to verify the moderating effect of compensation satisfaction in the effect of self-determination motivation on job engagement. Results : The self-determination motivation of the dental hygienists had a statistically significant positive effect on their job engagement, which was the dependent variable. Higher intangible compensation satisfaction levels led to a stronger effect of intrinsic motivation but a weaker effect of extrinsic motivation on job engagement. Moreover, higher tangible compensation satisfaction levels strengthened the effect of intrinsic motivation on job engagement. Conclusion : Recently, the demand for oral health care has been increasing, Competition in the dental medical service market warrants, high-quality dental services based on accurate diagnosis and treatment. In this context, dental hygienists' job engagement must be improved. For this purpose, increasing the satisfaction of dental hygienists with self-determination motivation and appropriate compensation is effective. In addition, attention must be paid to the moderating effect of compensation satisfaction on the relationship between intrinsic motivation and job engagement. On the basis of the implications of this study, the results can be used as basic data for improving dental hygienists' welfare system and manpower management.