• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.133-137
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with primary frozen shoulder in a Korean population. Methods: A total of 1,373 patients whose shoulders were diagnosed with primary frozen shoulder across 11 resident-training hospitals were reviewed retrospectively. Various demographic characteristics and clinical characteristics according to gender and presence of diabetes were evaluated. Results: The average age of patients was 55.4 years. Gender proportion was 58.3% females and 41.7% males. The frozen shoulder involved the non-dominant arm in 60.7% of patients and the bilateral arms in 17.6% of patients. The average duration of symptoms was 8.9 months, and 51.3% of patients had experienced nocturnal pain. Comorbidities associated with frozen shoulder in our sample of patients included diabetes (18.7%), cardiovascular diseases (17.7%), thyroid diseases (5.4%), and cerebrovascular diseases (3.6%). The diabetic group was correlated with the following demographic and clinical characteristics: old age, involvement of the dominant arm, nocturnal pain, long duration of symptoms, and no history of trauma. Further, we found that, in males, having a frozen shoulder was significantly correlated with a history of trauma; in females, having a frozen shoulder was significantly correlated with having thyroid diseases. Conclusions: These demographic data of primary frozen shoulder in the Korean population were consistent with those of previously reported epidemiologic studies. Primary frozen shoulder with diabetes was correlated with old age, bilateral involvement, long duration of symptoms, and nocturnal pain.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.193-202
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• 2001

Purpose: Hwabyung is a culture-bound syndrome in Korea, characterized by emotional stress such as anger, depression, and anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to explore the characteristics of Hwabyung patients, based on constitutional medicine, for their symptoms, duration, and coping styles. Method: Participants were 57 Hwabyung patients selected by Hwabyung criteria. They were also diagnosed for their constitution by doctors specialized in constitutional medicine. Each participant was asked to respond to a variety of items such as cause and duration of stress, symptoms of hwabyung, anger and depression, and coping styles. Eight patients were excluded from the total sample; two male patients and six patients unable to be diagnosed for any particular type of constitution. Thus, final sample was 49 female hwabyung patients, which will be reported in what follow. Result: To begin with, constitutional type revealed significant differences in such coping styles as 'perseverance,' 'positive interpretation,' 'positive comparison,' and 'emotional pacification.' More specifically, post-hoc comparison revealed that Taeeumin(person who have taeeum characteristics) was higher in 'perseverance' compared-to other two types of constitution. Taeumin also revealed higher score than Soeumin(person who have soeum characteristics) in 'positive comparison.' With respect to the marital status, the married compared to the unmarried showed higher score in 'anger-control,' and lower score in 'anger-in.' The married compared to the unmarried, regarding coping styles, also showed higher score in 'accommodation,' but lower score in 'emotional expression.' The duration of hwabyung revealed that the longer duration of hwabyung, the more frequent utilization of 'positive interpretation' and 'emotional pacification. Conclusion: The main purpose, the exploration of hwabyung based on four types of constitution, was not supported, as a whole in the present study. However, marital status and duration of hwabyung appear to influence on emotional stress (e.g., anger) as well as coping styles, suggesting that these variables should be dealt with in future studies on hwabyung.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.48-52
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• 2013

Background: Meralgia paresthetica (MP) is a mononeuropathy affecting the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. The disease is often diagnosed clinically, but electrophysiological tests play an important role. The aim of this study is to clarify clinical characteristics of MP as well as the role of sensory nerve conduction study (NCS) in the diagnosis of MP. Methods: Sixty-five consecutive patients with clinical diagnosis of MP between March 2001 and June 2012 were retrospectively reviewed at a single tertiary center. General demographics, clinical characteristics and sensory NCS findings were investigated. Measurements of sensory NCS included the baseline-to-peak amplitude, side-to-side amplitude ratio and the conduction velocity. To compare between the normal and abnormal NCS groups, independent t-tests and chisquare test were performed. Results: Sixty-five patients had male predominance (56.9%) with mean age of $48.4{\pm}13.4$ years (range: 16-75). Seven patients (13.5%) had undergone operation or procedure before the symptom onset. The sensory nerve action potentials were obtainable in 52 (80%) of 65 clinically diagnosed MP patients. Sensory NCS revealed abnormalities in 38 patients (73.1%), and others (n=14, 26.9%) showed normal findings. Between the normal and abnormal NCS groups, there is no statistically significant difference on demographics or clinical features. Conclusions: We clarify the clinical features and sensory NCS findings of MP patients. Due to several limitations of sensory NCS, the diagnosis of MP could be accomplished both clinically and electrophysiologically.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.117-126
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• 2023

Purpose: Odontomas represent a common clinical entity among odontogenic tumors, but are not well-addressed in the Vietnamese population. The present study aimed to determine the clinical and preclinical characteristics of odontomas and associated factors in the Vietnamese population. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study retrieved data from histopathological diagnoses from 2 central hospitals of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam during 2004-2017. The odontomas were classified as complex (CxOD) or compound (CpOD) subtypes. The epidemiological, clinical, and radiological characteristics of the odontomas, stratified by subtype and sex, were obtained and analyzed. Results: Ninety cases, consisting of 46 CxODs and 44 CpODs, were included. The average age of patients was 32.4 (±20.2) years. The patients with CxOD were older than those with CpOD (P<0.05). Clinically, 67% of patients showed an intraoral bone expansion. Approximately 60% of patients with CxOD exhibited a painful symptom, about 3-fold more than those with CpOD (P<0.05), whereas almost all patients with CpOD exhibited perturbations of dentition, unlike those with CxOD (P<0.05). Radiologically, CxOD was characterized by a larger dimension than CpOD in both sexes (P<0.05), and CpOD induced complications in adjacent teeth more often than CxOD (P<0.05). The development of odontoma with advancing age differed significantly in odontoma subtypes related to their pathological origins, and between the sexes, resulting from different physiological states. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the value of clinical and radiological features of odontomas and their associated factors for the early diagnosis and adequate treatment of younger patients.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.185-198
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to compare food habits and nutrient intakes with body mass index of hypertensive patients commuting to a Local Health Center. A total of 85 patients were divided into two groups according to BMI. The non-obese group comprised 43 subjects with BMI below 25㎏/$m^2$ , while the obese group comprised 42 subjects with BMI above 25㎏/$m^2$ . All Subjects were interviewed for general characteristics, food habits, clinical characteristics, effort for health maintenance and the knowledge of hypertension and nutrition. Anthropometric assessments such as weight, height, waist-hip ratio and biochemical measurement of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and fasting blood glucose(FBG) were obtained from subjects. In general characteristics, smoking, drinking, exercise, and hypertension status were not significantly different between the two groups. Food habits and the means of daily energy and nutrients were not significantly different between the two groups. An analysis of the percentage of RDA(Recommended Dietary Allowances of Korea, 2000) consumed by patients showed that but for ascorbic acid and phosphorus, all nutrients were below the RDA. And intakes of vitamin $B_1$(P<0.001), vitamin $B_2$(P<0.01), niacin(P<0.001) of the obese group were significantly lower than that of the non-obese group. Blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and fasting blood glucose were in the normal range and there was not a significant difference in the two groups. Therefore, more effective nutrition education programs about exercise, smoking, caloric intake, vitamins and minerals are required for hypertensive patients commuting to Local Health Center.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Oncology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2018

Purpose: Double primary colorectal cancer (CRC) and gastric cancer (GC) represent the most common multiple primary malignant tumors (MPMT) in Korea. The recognition and screening of hidden malignancies other than the primary cancer are critical. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics and survival rates in patients with synchronous or metachronous double primary CRC and GC. Methods: Between January 1994 and May 2018, 11,050 patients were diagnosed with CRC (n=5,454) or GC (n=5,596) at Gil Medical Center. MPMT and metastatic malignant tumors were excluded from this study. A total of 103 patients with double primary CRC and GC were divided into two groups: the synchronous group (n=40) and the metachronous group (n=63). The incidence, clinicopathologic characteristics, and survival rate of the two groups were analyzed. Results: The incidence of synchronous and metachronous double primary CRC and GC was 0.93%. Double primary CRC and GC commonly occurred in male patients aged over 60 years with low comorbidities and minimal previous cancer history. There were significant differences between the synchronous and metachronous groups in terms of age, morbidity, and overall survival. Metachronous group patients were 6 years younger on average (P=0.009), had low comorbidities (P=0.008), and showed a higher 5-year overall survival rate (94.8% and 61.3%, P<0.001) in contrast to synchronous group. Conclusion: When primary cancer (CRC or GC) is detected, it is important to be aware of the possibility of the second primary cancer (GC or CRC) development at that time or during follow-up to achieve early detection and better prognosis.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.128-134
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• 2019

Background: Patients with rotator cuff tears are usually afflicted with shoulder pain and disability. However, it is unclear which factors are related to shoulder pain in patients with rotator cuff tears. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the factors correlated with shoulder pain in patients with painful rotator cuff tears, but without any history of trauma. Methods: We evaluated a cohort of 745 patients with painful rotator cuff tears having no trauma history, and analyzed the relationship between pain and multiple factors including demographic data, tear characteristics, and passive range of motion. Pain was analyzed with a questionnaire concerning the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. Tear characteristics were determined by evaluating tear size, muscle atrophy, number of torn tendons, and presence of arthritis. Multivariate linear regression analysis and chi-squared test were applied to evaluate the relationship between the VAS for pain and variable factors. Results: Shoulder pain was associated with young age (p=0.01), male sex (p=0.01) and the presence of diabetes mellitus (p<0.001). Measurements of rotator cuff tear characteristics including tear size (p=0.53), muscle atrophy (p=0.16) and the number of torn tendons (p=0.34) did not correlate with shoulder pain. Symptom duration (p=0.60) and range of motion (p>0.05) also showed no correlation with VAS for pain. Conclusions: Young age, male sex and the presence of diabetes mellitus correlated positively with preoperative shoulder pain in patients with painful rotator cuff tears without a trauma history. Combined treatment of pain management and risk factor correction could be helpful to control preoperative shoulder pain.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.192-200
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• 2024

Purpose: Traumatic peripheral nerve injury (PNI), which occurs in up to 3% of trauma patients, is a devastating condition that often leads to permanent disability. However, knowledge of traumatic PNI is limited. We describe epidemiology and clinical characteristics of traumatic PNI in Korea and identify the predictors of traumatic complete PNI. Methods: A list of enlisted soldier patients who were discharged from military service due to PNI over a 10-year period (2012-2021) was obtained, and their medical records were reviewed. Patients were classified according to the causative events (traumatic vs. nontraumatic) and injury severity (complete vs. incomplete). Of traumatic PNIs, we compared the clinical variables between the incomplete and complete PNI groups and identified predictors of complete PNI. Results: Of the 119 young male patients who were discharged from military service due to PNI, 85 (71.4%) were injured by a traumatic event; among them, 22 (25.9%) were assessed as having a complete injury. The most common PNI mechanism (n=49, 57.6%), was adjacent fractures or dislocations. Several injury-related characteristics were significantly associated with complete PNI: laceration or gunshot wound, PNI involving the median nerve, PNI involving multiple individual nerves (multiple PNI), and concomitant muscular or vascular injuries. After adjusting for other possible predictors, multiple PNI was identified as a significant predictor of a complete PNI (odds ratio, 3.583; P=0.017). Conclusions: In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of enlisted Korean soldiers discharged due to traumatic PNI and found that the most common injury mechanism was adjacent fracture or dislocation (57.6%). Patients with multiple PNI had a significantly increased risk of complete injury. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of traumatic PNI, which directly leads to a decline in functioning in patients with trauma.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2011

Purpose: Most paraquat poisonings are easily diagnosed by history taking on physical examination, however, some are failed to be diagnosed initially if the poisoning was veiled. The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics of veiled paraquat poisoning. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients whose discharge diagnosis was paraquat poisoning in one university teaching hospital between 1 Jan, 2001 and 31 Dec, 2010. Veiled paraquat poisoning was determined when there was a positive urine paraquat kit in patients who did not mention paraquat poisoning in an initial physical examination or had unknown cause of pulmonary fibrosis, acute renal failure, or multi-organ failure. Results: Of the 117 patients with paraquat poisoning during the study period, 6 patients (5.1%) had veiled paraquat poisoning. The clinical characteristics were 1) proteinuria - 6 (100%), 2) increased creatinine - 4 (66.7%), 3) green skin stains - 2 (33.3%), 4) mucosal ulcer - 3 (50%). Blood chemistry results were variable. Conclusion: We should suspect veiled paraquat poisoning for patients who have proteinuria, increased creatinine, green skin stain, mucosal ulcer and vomiting, or if they have rapidly progressing acute renal failure or multi-organ failure with unknown cause, even if patients didn't mention about paraquat poisoning upon the initial physical examination. In cases with the above clinical conditions, a thorough repeated physical examination including history taking and use of urine paraquat kits should be performed.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.100-104
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• 2019

Purpose: Ureteral duplication is a relatively common congenital urinary tract abnormality that can be associated with various clinical problems such as vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), hydronephrosis, and ectopic ureters. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with recently diagnosed ureteral duplication and to identify any differences from those described in previous reports. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics and course of pediatric patients who were diagnosed with ureteral duplication between January 2008 and June 2017. Results: A total of 32 pediatric patients were diagnosed with ureteral duplication during the study period. The male to female ratio was 1:2.2. Twenty-seven patients (84.4%) were first diagnosed with ureteral duplication at less than 3 months of age, and 26 (81.3%) were first diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonography. Four of the 32 patients were diagnosed with bilateral ureteral duplication, for a total of 36 occurrences of ureteral duplication. In 17 occurrences of complete ureteral duplication (47.2%), other urinary tract anomalies were also found; namely, ureterocele (7), VUR (11), and ectopic ureter (5). However, none of the patients with incomplete ureteral duplication had ureterocele or VUR. Conclusions: With the advent of routine prenatal ultrasound, ureteral duplication is being diagnosed earlier than was previously possible, enabling timely treatment of the various accompanying urinary tract anomalies. Multicenter studies are needed to establish guidelines for standardized evaluation and treatment of ureteral duplication.