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The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the demographic characteristics of pediatric dental patients who underwent dental treatment under general anesthesia (DTGA) at the Seoul National University Dental Hospital from January 2011 through December 2020 and compare the patterns of repeated DTGA between dental patients with severe disabilities (DSD) and non-DSD (healthy or medically compromised patients without DSD). There were 1,857 DTGAs among 1,719 patients (mean age = 5.1 years; males = 59.3%; ASA 2 or above = 52.9%; DSD = 26.8%). Overall, 6.6% of patients underwent repeated DTGA, and the rate of repeated DTGA over a 10-year period was 7.4%. ASA 2 or above (p < 0.0001) and DSD (p < 0.0001) were more likely to undergo repeated DRGA compared to ASA 1 and non-DSD. At both GA1 and GA2, DSD received significantly more restorative treatment on permanent teeth than non-DSD (p = 0.002, p < 0.0001, respectively). There has been an increasing demand for DTGA in pediatric dentistry over the last 10 years. Regular check-ups and preventive oral health care are necessary for pediatric dental patients with severe disabilities to reduce the possibility of repeated DTGA.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of interceptive primary canine extraction in palatally and buccally displaced maxillary permanent canines, and to analyze the clinical and radiographic factors affecting the treatment outcome. 97 maxillary permanent canines from 86 patients whose maxillary permanent canine were in the mesio-occlusal directions and overlapped with the roots of the adjacent teeth were analyzed. In 64 of 97 (66.0%) maxillary permanent canines, the displaced crown was completely deviated from the adjacent lateral incisor root only by extraction of the primary canine. Not only the characteristics of maxillary permanent canines such as bucco-palatal displacement direction, horizontal and vertical position of the crown tip, and presence of apical closure, but also periapical rarefaction on the primary canine and peg-shaped adjacent lateral incisor significantly affected the treatment outcome.

This study aims to analyze the color distribution of maxillary permanent incisors in Korean pediatric patients and determine the effects of age and root developmental stage on tooth color. The L*a*b* values of 404 sound and fully erupted maxillary incisors without dental caries, restorations, trauma history or discoloration from 101 Korean patients between ages 7 and 15, with a mean age 10.0 ± 1.5, were analyzed with a spectrophotometer. CIE L*a*b* values were 84.01, 0.17, and 24.07 in maxillary central incisors, and 82.33, 0.31, and 25.99 in maxillary lateral incisors. L* values of maxillary central incisors were higher, and b* values of maxillary central incisors were lower than those of maxillary lateral incisors (p < 0.001). The color differences among the subregions exceeded the clinical perceptibility threshold in both of the maxillary central and lateral incisors. L* value for children at age 10 and younger was 84.13 in maxillary central incisors and 84.04 in maxillary lateral incisors, and those of older patients were 80.62 and 80.56, respectively. L* value of maxillary incisors of children at age 10 and younger was significantly higher than that of older patients. The root developmental stage did not affect tooth color. This study suggests that the color differences between maxillary central and lateral incisors and among the subregions of a tooth and the effects of age should be considered for aesthetic restorations of permanent incisors in pediatric patients.

This chapter presents a conceptual introduction to nonprofit and government partnerships in the context of three different but complementary theories and applies those theoretical perspectives to the case of the growing nonprofit sector in South Korea. South Korean legal frameworks that inform government policies have led to nonprofits’ growth and participation in public services in South Korea. Specifically, we examine the governance and financing structures of public and nonprofit partnerships for services for people with disabilities in Seoul Metropolitan Government. Findings from the case study indicate that the government’s collaborative approach to involving nonprofit organizations in publicly funded services has promoted a service delivery role for the nonprofit sector since the early 2000s in South Korea.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for diagnosis of interproximal caries in pediatric intraoral radiographs. A total of 500 intraoral radiographic images of first and second primary molars were used for the study. A CNN model (Resnet 50) was applied for the detection of proximal caries. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and area under ROC curve (AUC) were calculated on the test dataset. The diagnostic accuracy was 0.84, sensitivity was 0.74, and specificity was 0.94. The trained CNN algorithm achieved AUC of 0.86. The diagnostic CNN model for pediatric intraoral radiographs showed good performance with high accuracy. Deep learning can assist dentists in diagnosis of proximal caries lesions in pediatric intraoral radiographs.

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a heterogeneous collection of hereditary enamel defects. The affected enamel can be classified as hypoplastic, hypomaturation, or hypocalcified in form. A better understanding of normal amelogenesis and improvements in our ability to diagnose AI through genetic testing can be realized through more complete knowledge of the genes and disease-causing variants that cause AI. In this study, mutational analysis was performed with whole exome sequencing (WES) to identify genetic etiology underlying the hypomaturation AI condition in affected families. Mutational analyses identified biallelic WDR72 mutations in four hypomaturation AI families. Novel mutations include a homozygous deletion and insertion mutation (NM_182758.4: c.2680_2699delinsACTATAGTT, p.(Ser894Thrfs*15)), compound heterozygous mutations (paternal c.2332dupA, p.(Met778Asnfs*4)) and (maternal c.1287_1289del, p.(Ile430del)) and a homozygous 3694 bp deletion that includes exon 14 (NG_017034.2:g.96472_100165del). A homozygous recurrent mutation variant (c.1467_1468delAT, p.(Val491Aspfs*8)) was also identified. Current ideas on WDR72 structure and function are discussed. These cases expand the mutational spectrum of WDR72 mutations causing hypomaturation AI and improve the possibility of genetic testing to accurately diagnose AI caused by WDR72 defects.

The purpose of this study is to analyze morphological characteristics of maxillary primary molar’s root and root canal. 268 children aged 3 - 7 years (175 boys, 93 girls) who had CBCT (152 children) and 3D CT (116 children) taken in Seoul National University Dental Hospital from January 2006 to April 2020 were included. The number of roots and root canals were analyzed in 1002 teeth without any root resorption or periapical pathologies. Curvature, angulation, length of root and root canal, as well as cross-sectional shapes of the root canal were analyzed in 218 teeth. By using Mimics and 3-Matics software, volume, surface area, and volume ratio of root canal was analyzed in 48 teeth. More than half of maxillary primary molars have 3 roots and 3 root canals. The degree of symmetry of root canal type was about 0.63 (Cohen’s kappa coefficient). The most frequent shape of roots and canals was linear in 1st primary molars and curved in 2nd primary molars. Angulation, length of root and root canals was the largest on palatal roots. Most teeth showed ovoid or round shapes at apex. The largest root canal volume, surface area, volume ratio was found in the palatal roots.

The purpose of this in vivo study was to assess the clinical screening performance of a quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) device in detecting proximal caries in primary molars. Fluorescence loss, red autofluorescence and a simplified QLF score for proximal caries (QS-proximal) were evaluated for their validity in detecting proximal caries in primary molars compared to bitewing radiography. Three hundred and forty-four primary molar surfaces were included in the study. Carious lesions were scored according to lesion severity assessed by visual-tactile and radiographic examinations. The QLF images were analyzed for two quantitative parameters, fluorescence loss and red autofluorescence, as well as for QS-proximal. For both quantitative parameters and QS-proximal, the sensitivity, specificity and area under receiver operating curve (AUROC) were calculated as a function of the radiographic scoring index at enamel and dentin caries levels. Both quantitative parameters showed fair AUROC values for detecting dentine level caries (△F = 0.794, △R = 0.750). QS-proximal showed higher AUROC values (0.757 - 0.769) than that of visual-tactile scores (0.653) in detecting dentine level caries. The QLF device showed fair screening performance in detecting proximal caries in primary molars compared to bitewing radiography.

This study retrospectively analyzed the effect of clinical factors on the outcomes of REP(regenerative endodontic procedure). Patients who received the REP using triple antibiotic paste due to trauma or fracture of dens evaginatus from February, 2011 to January, 2020 were included in the study. Finally, 57 teeth in 54 patients were selected. Investigated clinical factors were as follows: intentional bleeding, etiology, and root development stage. Treatment outcomes evaluated were as follows: improvement of subjective symptoms, changes in the periapical lesion, and the amounts of root development after REP. To compensate for differences in angulation and position between repeated radiographic examinations, images were aligned by Turboreg plugin. To evaluate the amounts of root development, apical diameter, root area, and root length were measured by ImageJ software. Among the aforementioned factors, intentional bleeding had no significant effect on treatment results. Regarding the etiology, the increase in the root area and the root length was significantly less in trauma cases than in dens evaginatus fracture cases. Considering root development stage, more immature teeth presented more increase in the root area.

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a rare genetic condition affecting the quantity and/or quality of tooth enamel. Hypomaturation AI is characterized by brownish-yellow discoloration with increased opacity and poorly mineralized enamel prone to fracture and attrition. We recruited three families affected by hypomaturation AI and performed whole exome sequencing with selected individuals in each family. Bioinformatic analysis and Sanger sequencing identified and confirmed mutations and segregation in the families. Family 1 had a novel homozygous frameshift mutation in GPR68 gene (NM_003485.3:c.78_83delinsC, p.(Val27Cysfs*146)). Family 2 had a novel homozygous nonsense mutation in SLC24A4 gene (NM_153646.4:c.613C>T, NP_705932.2:p.(Arg205*)). Family 3 also had a homozygous missense mutation in SLC24A4 gene which was reported previously (c.437C>T, p.(Ala146Val)). This report not only expands the mutational spectrum of the AI-causing genes but also improves our understanding of normal and pathologic amelogenesis.

Background/aims Constipation is a common gastrointestinal problem in the elderly. Because of the limitations of life style modifications and the comorbidity, laxative use is also very common. Therefore, this study reviews the latest literature on the effect and safety of laxative in the elderly. Methods A systematic review of randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness and safety of laxatives for constipation in elderly patients over 65 years old were performed using the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. Results Twenty-three randomized controlled trials were included in this review. Among the selected studies, 9 studies compared laxative with placebo and 5 studies compared laxatives of the same type. Four studies compared different types of laxatives or compared combination agents. Five studies compared novel medications such as prucalopride, lubiprostone, and elobixibat with placebo. Psyllium, calcium polycarbophil, lactulose syrup, lactitol, polyethylene glycol, magnesium hydroxide, stimulant laxative with or without fiber, and other medications were more effective than placebo in elderly constipation patients in short-term. Generally, the frequency and severity of adverse effects of laxative were similar between the arms of studies. Conclusions Bulk laxative, osmotic laxative, stimulant laxative with or without fiber, and other medications can be used in elderly patients in short-term within 3 months with reasonable safety. However, the quality of included studies was not high and most of studies was conducted in a small number of patients. Among these laxatives, polyethylene glycol seems to be safe and effective in long-term use of about 6 months in elderly patients.

Non-syndromic inherited defects of tooth dentin are caused by two classes of dominant negative/gain-of-function mutations in dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP): 5′ mutations affecting an N-terminal targeting sequence and 3′ mutations that shift translation into the − 1 reading frame. DSPP defects cause an overlapping spectrum of phenotypes classified as dentin dysplasia type II and dentinogenesis imperfecta types II and III. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we generated a Dspp−1fs mouse model by introducing a FLAG-tag followed by a single nucleotide deletion that translated 493 extraneous amino acids before termination. Developing incisors and/or molars from this mouse and a DsppP19L mouse were characterized by morphological assessment, bSEM, nanohardness testing, histological analysis, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. DsppP19L dentin contained dentinal tubules but grew slowly and was softer and less mineralized than the wild-type. DsppP19L incisor enamel was softer than normal, while molar enamel showed reduced rod/interrod definition. Dspp−1fs dentin formation was analogous to reparative dentin: it lacked dentinal tubules, contained cellular debris, and was significantly softer and thinner than Dspp+/+ and DsppP19L dentin. The Dspp−1fs incisor enamel appeared normal and was comparable to the wild-type in hardness. We conclude that 5′ and 3′ Dspp mutations cause dental malformations through different pathological mechanisms and can be regarded as distinct disorders.

Oligodontia is the congenital absence of six or more teeth and comprises the more severe forms of tooth agenesis. Many genes have been implicated in the etiology of tooth agenesis, which is highly variable in its clinical presentation. The purpose of this study was to identify associations between genetic mutations and clinical features of oligodontia patients. An online systematic search of papers published from January 1992 to June 2021 identified 381 oligodontia cases meeting the eligibility criteria of causative gene mutation, phenotype description, and radiographic records. Additionally, ten families with oligodontia were recruited and their genetic etiologies were determined by whole-exome sequence analyses. We identified a novel mutation in WNT10A (c.99_105dup) and eight previously reported mutations in WNT10A (c.433 G > A; c.682 T > A; c.318 C > G; c.511.C > T; c.321 C > A), EDAR (c.581 C > T), and LRP6 (c.1003 C > T, c.2747 G > T). Collectively, 20 different causative genes were implicated among those 393 cases with oligodontia. For each causative gene, the mean number of missing teeth per case and the frequency of teeth missing at each position were calculated. Genotype–phenotype correlation analysis indicated that molars agenesis is more likely linked to PAX9 mutations, mandibular first premolar agenesis is least associated with PAX9 mutations. Mandibular incisors and maxillary lateral incisor agenesis are most closely linked to EDA mutations.

Although lactose-free dairy products for the clinical management of lactose intolerance (LI) are widely available, scientific evidence on their efficacy is still lacking. This study comparatively analyzed the efficacy of flavored lactose-free milk (LFM) and whole milk (WM) in reducing symptoms in South Korean adults with LI. This prospective study was conducted in adults suspected of LI. All screened participants underwent the hydrogen breath test (HBT) using 570 mL of chocolate-flavored WM (20 g of lactose) and responded to a symptom questionnaire. LI was confirmed when the

The process of tooth formation is a series of reciprocal interactions between the ectoderm and mesoderm, and it is believed that many genetic factors are involved in this complex process. More than a dozen genes have been identified in non-syndromic tooth agenesis; however, the genetic etiology underlying tooth agenesis is not fully understood yet. In this study, we identified two novel LRP6 mutations in two non-syndromic oligodontia families. Both probands had 16 and 17 missing teeth in their permanent dentition. Mutational analysis identified a de novo frameshift mutation by a 1-bp insertion in exon 9 (NM_002336.2: c.1870dupA, p.(Met624Asnfs*29)) and a splicing donor site mutation in intron 8 (c.1762+2T>C). An in vitro splicing assay confirmed the deletion of exon 8, and the deletion would result in a frameshift. Due to the premature termination codons introduced by the frameshift, both mutant transcripts would be degraded by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, resulting in haploinsufficiency.

The process of tooth formation is a series of reciprocal interactions between the ectoderm and mesoderm, and it is believed that many genetic factors are involved in this complex process. More than a dozen genes have been identified in non-syndromic tooth agenesis; however, the genetic etiology underlying tooth agenesis is not fully understood yet. In this study, we identified two novel

Background/Aim: Endoscopic retrograde choangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been established as an effective tool for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatobiliary diseases. However, after the evolution for more than 4 decades, nationwide data on current trends and characteristic is not well known. Therefore, we conducted an analysis of nationwide database to determine the number and status of ERCP performed in Korea. Methods: We used the nationwide claims database, Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment between 2012 and 2015. We investigated the frequencies and characteristics of ERCP procedure performed as well as demographics of the patients. Results: A total of 158,038 ERCP procedures were performed in 114,757 patients during study period. The number of total ERCPs increased every year, and especially the rate of therapeutic ERCPs is on the increased trend. About two-thirds of ERCPs (63.3%) were performed in high-scaled hospitals. In 2015, the proportion of elderly patients over 80 years old increased compared to that in 2011, from 14.3% to 17.2%. Conclusions: The annual number of ERCPs performed is increasing in Korea. With increasing ERCP for therapeutic purposes or for older patients, more attention should be paid to safety for patients.

A total of 580 patients, who visited and received an orthodontic diagnosis in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Seoul National University Dental Hospital from 2017 to 2019, were investigated in this study. The aim of this study was to evaluate skeletal patterns of pediatric orthodontic patients determined with lateral cephalometric analysis and to analyze the relationship between skeletal pattern and probable associated clinical features. Also, the modality of orthodontic treatment for each skeletal classification was investigated to aid in therapeutic decisions.Patients aged 7 year accounted for the largest age group; 54.2% of patients showed a skeletal class I pattern, 22.2% showed a skeletal class II pattern, and 23.6% showed a skeletal class III pattern. Bi-maxillary retrusion for skeletal class I, retruded mandible with normal positioning of the maxilla for skeletal class II, and retrusion of the maxilla with protrusion of the mandible for skeletal class III were the largest subgroups by skeletal pattern. Brachyfacial type accounted for 55.0% of patients, followed by 31.9% of mesofacial type and 13.1% of dolichofacial type. The prevalence of anterior crossbite in the study was 43.3%, higher than that in previous studies.

Frame-dragging effect manifests itself as polarization direction rotation when linearly polarized electromagnetic/gravitational wave scatters from a spinning point source through gravitational interactions, an effect also known as the gravitational Faraday rotation. Treating general relativity as an effective field theory, the Faraday rotation angle and its quantum corrections are computed using scattering amplitudes. While the classical rotation angle is universal as expected from the equivalence principle, the quantum corrections are found to be different between electromagnetic and gravitational waves, supporting earlier studies that some formulations of the equivalence principle may need reformulation in the quantum regime., accepted version for publication in Phys.Rev.D; discussion on the equivalence principle has been changed to a more conservative tone; 7 pages, 1 TikZ figure, 1 ancillary file

Hereditary dentin defects are conventionally classified into three types of dentinogenesis imperfecta (DGI) and two types of dentin dysplasia (DD). Mutations in the dentin sialophosphoprotein (

The eradication rate of clarithromycin-based standard triple therapy (STT) for Helicobacter pylori infection has decreased due to clarithromycin resistance (CR). We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of tailored therapy according to CR test results, and compared the results of STT with those of empirical bismuth quadruple therapy (BQT). The prospectively collected data of 490 H. pylori-positive patients with chronic gastritis or peptic ulcer disease were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 292 patients underwent CR testing using dual-priming oligonucleotide-based polymerase chain reaction. The tailored group (n = 292) consisted of patients treated with STT for 7 days and BQT for 10 days as per their CR test results. The remaining patients were assigned to the empirical group (n = 198) and received BQT for 10 days without a CR test. The eradication rate, adverse events and medical costs associated with H. pylori eradication therapy were investigated. In the tested patients (tailored group), the CR-positive rate was 32.2% (n = 94/292). The eradication rate according to an intention-to-treat analysis was 87.7% in the tailored group and 91.8% in the empirical group (P = 0.124); the respective rates were 94.4% and 97.9% by per-protocol analysis (P = 0.010). The frequency of adverse events was lower in the empirical group than the tailored group (35.1% vs. 52.7%, P

Microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II (MOPD II) is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder form of primordial dwarfism, caused by mutations in the pericentrin gene. The purpose of the study was to examine the clinical and radiological features, physicochemical properties and microstructures of the tooth affected with MOPD II. The mandibular 2nd molar was collected from the MOPD II patient. Micro-computerized tomography, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry and Vickers microhardness analysis were performed on the MOPD II and the normal control. The morphology of the MOPD II tooth appeared to have malformed pulp and root and showed a small size. The mineral density measurement showed that the MOPD II tooth had similar scores in the enamel, but lower scores in the root 1/2 and apical dentin compared to the normal control. The microhardness values were smaller in the cusp enamel, root 1/2 dentin and apical dentin of the MOPD II compared to the normal control. In this study, the dental characteristics and the physicochemical properties of a tooth affected with MOPD II were analyzed to improve understanding of the oral manifestations of the disease and to assist in proper dental treatment by identifying precautions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the three-dimensional characteristics of mesiodens using Cone-beam Computed Tomography(CBCT) and analyze the factors affecting complications and anesthetic methods of extraction. This study evaluated 602 mesiodens of 452 patients who underwent extraction of mesiodens at the department of Pediatric Dentistry in Seoul National University Dental Hospital between 2017 and 2019. The ratio of mesiodens patients over total patient per year was gradually increased over the past 20 years. Mesiodens with labio-palatally horizontal direction while root directing labial were the most common among the mesiodens with horizontal direction. Mesiodens were the most common at the cervical side of the adjacent teeth(37.0%) and mesiodens located in the near-palatal side were observed about 3.83 times higher than the far-palatal side. Most of the mesiodens(82.1%) were in contact with adjacent permanent teeth on all three sides of the CBCT and 46.2% of mesiodens had curved roots. The patient’s age, vertical position, presence of complications, and proximity showed a significant difference in the selection of general anesthesia among anesthetic methods. The direction and vertical position of mesiodens had a significant effect on complications. These results provide a better understanding of mesiodens for establishing an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

Background: Malignant biliary obstruction (MBO) is usually caused by biliary tract cancer or pancreatic cancer. This study was performed to summarize the current situation regarding palliative endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD) for MBO in Korea and to determine its clinical significance by analyzing representative nationwide data. Methods: Patients that underwent palliative ERBD for MBO between 2012 and 2015 were identified using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database, which covers the entire Korean population. We assessed clinical characteristics and complications and compared the clinical impacts of initial metal and plastic stenting in these patients. Results: A total of 9,728 subjects (mean age, 65 ± 11.4 years; male, 61.4%) were identified and analyzed. The most common diagnosis was malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts (32.1%) and this was followed by extrahepatic or Ampulla of Vater cancer and pancreatic cancer. Initial plastic stent(s) placement was performed in 52.9% of the study subjects, and metal stent(s) placement was performed in 23.3%. The number of sessions of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) was significantly higher in patients that underwent initial plastic stenting than in patients that underwent metal stenting (2.2 ± 1.7 vs 1.8 ± 1.4, P < 0.0001), but rates of post-ERCP pancreatitis, hospital days, and time to second ERCP or PTBD were not significantly different. Conclusion: This nationwide assessment study suggests that initial metal stenting is associated with fewer sessions of total ERCP or PTBD following the initial procedure, despite the preference for initial plastic stenting in Korea.

In this paper, we demonstrate that at leading order in post Minkowskian (PM) expansion, the stress-energy tensor of Kerr-Newman can be recovered to all orders in spin from three sets of minimal coupling: the electric and gravitational minimal coupling for higher-spin particles, and the "minimal coupling" for massive spin-2 decay. These couplings are uniquely defined from kinematic consideration alone. This is shown by extracting the classical piece of the one-loop stress-energy tensor form factor, which we provide a basis that is valid to all orders in spin. The 1 PM stress tensor, and the metric in the harmonic gauge, is then recovered from the classical spin limit of the form factor., Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is an effective and efficient agent for arresting dental caries. It can be useful in treating children with behavioral or medical limitations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of SDF by using salivary biofilm.Pellicle-like saliva coated structure was prepared by using unstimulated saliva. For developing cariogenic biofilm, Streptococcus mutans was added to the mixture of pooled saliva and inoculated into a saliva coated glass or chamber. SDF was applied to cariogenic biofilm to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of SDF. As time passed, total bacteria and S. mutans were reduced after application of SDF (p < 0.000). Confocal laser scanning microscope also showed the increment of the ratio of dead cell.As a result of experiment using enamel and dentin of primary teeth, it was confirmed that the growth of cariogenic biofilm was inhibited when the SDF was treated (p = 0.029 each).This study showed excellent anti-microbial effect of SDF. And anti-caries effect in clinical practice can be expected.

The purpose of this study was to calculate uncertainty of orthodontic measurement in skeletal class III malocclusion children using lateral cephalometry analysis software which obtained traceability in previous study. Using this data, standard reference of measurement value for skeletal class III malocclusion was obtained.Lateral cephalometric data was collected from 144 children who visited Pediatric Dentistry from 2017 to 2020 for orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic measurement was analyzed with software which obtained traceability. Type A evaluation of uncertainty and type B evaluation of uncertainty was calculated to obtain combined standard uncertainty and expanded uncertainty. Standard reference of skeletal class III children was compared to standard reference of skeletal class I children.Distribution range for skeletal class III malocclusion children aged 6 to 10 with 95% confidence interval was provided using calculated uncertainty of orthodontic measurement value.

Aims: Although chronic kidney disease is recognized as an independent risk factor for cerebrovascular disease, its association with hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke remains controversial. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, which is representative of the Korean population. A total of 195,772 Koreans who were not diagnosed with stroke before 2009 were included in this study from 2009 to 2013. The eGFR was divided into six categories (≥ 90, 75–89, 60–74, 45–59, 30–44, ＜30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ). The Kaplan–Meier plot was illustrated to compare the incidence of stroke. Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of eGFR for risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke by sex. Results: During an average of 4.36 years of follow-up period, 2,236 and 668 people were diagnosed with newly ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, respectively. Age-adjusted incidence rate for ischemic stroke among people with eGFR ＜45 mL/min/1.73 m 2 was higher than those with eGFR ≥ 90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , whereas that for hemorrhagic stroke among people with eGFR ≥ 90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 was higher than those with eGFR ＜45 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . After adjusting for multiple covariates, the adjusted HR for ischemic stroke increased with decreasing eGFR in men ( p for trend ＜0.001), but not in women ( p for trend=0.48). On the other hand, there was no significant relationship between eGFR and risk of hemorrhagic stroke in both men and women. Conclusions: Reduced glomerular filtration rate less than 45 mL/min/1.73 m 2 was associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, especially in men.

Intragastric balloon (IGB) is the only available endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapy in Korea. End-ball (Endalis) has the longest history of clinical use among the IGBs available in Korea. However, little clinical data on this system have been reported. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of End-ball in Korea.We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent IGB insertion (End-ball) from 2013 to 2019. Demographic and anthropometric data were collected. The efficacy and safety of IGB treatment were analyzed.In total, 80 patients were included. Mean age was 33.7 years and 83.8% were female. Initial body mass index was 34.48±4.69 kg/m2. Body mass index reduction was 3.72±2.63 (kg/m2) at the time of IGB removal. Percent of total body weight loss (%TBWL) was 10.76%±6.76%. Percentage excess body weight loss was 43.67%±27.59%. Most adverse events were minor, and 71.4% of participants showed nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.IGB treatment showed good efficacy and safety profile in Korean patients with obesity. In terms of %TBWL and percentage excess body weight loss, the efficacy was similar to that in the Western population.

In this paper we compute the spin-dependent terms of the gravitational potential for general spinning bodies at the leading Newton's constant $G$ and to all orders in spin. We utilize the on-shell approach, which extracts the classical potential directly from the scattering amplitude. For spinning particles, extra care is required due to the fact that the spin space of each particle is independent. Once the appropriate matching procedures are applied, taking the classical-spin limit we obtain the potential for general spinning bodies. When the Wilson coefficients are set to unity, we successfully reproduced the potential for the Kerr black hole. Interestingly, for finite spins, we find that the finite-spin deviations from Kerr Wilson coefficients cancel with that in the matching procedure, reproducing the Kerr potential without the need for taking the classical-spin limit. Finally, we find that when cast into the chiral basis, the spin-dependence of minimal coupling exhibits factorization, allowing us to take the classical-spin limit straight forwardly., published version

Background Regular clinic follow‐up is a prerequisite for optimal antiviral therapy and surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, adherence to regular follow‐up stays low in practice. This study investigated whether regular follow‐up is associated with decreased liver cancer mortality in CHB patients. Methods A nationwide population‐based historical cohort study was conducted using customized data from the National Health Insurance Service of Korea. The number of hospital visits every 3‐month interval was counted for 2 years from the date of CHB diagnosis. Patients were classified into three follow‐up groups: regular (four to eight visits), irregular (one to three visits), and no follow‐up. The risk of liver cancer mortality was compared among the groups using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Results Of the 414 074 CHB patients, 22.9% had regular follow‐up. In multivariable analysis, regular follow‐up was independently associated with decreased risk of liver cancer mortality compared to no follow‐up (hazard ratio [HR], 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50‐0.63, P 60 years, of low socioeconomic status, disabled, lived in a rural area, had a higher comorbidity rate, or did not have cirrhosis. Conclusions Regular follow‐up at least every 3‐6 months is significantly associated with reduced liver cancer mortality in patients with CHB., Of the 414 074 CHB patients, 22.9% had regular follow‐up. Regular follow‐up was independently associated with decreased risk of liver cancer mortality compared to no follow‐up (hazard ratio [HR], 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50‐0.63, P

BACKGROUND AND AIM This study investigated the usefulness of near-focus narrowband imaging (NF-NBI) for determining gastric tumor margins compared with indigo carmine chromoendoscopy (ICC) before endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). METHODS This prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted at seven teaching hospitals in Korea. Patients with gastric adenoma or differentiated adenocarcinoma undergoing ESD were enrolled and randomly assigned to the NF-NBI or ICC group. A marking dot was placed on the most proximal margin of the tumor before ESD. The primary endpoint was delineation accuracy, which was defined as presence of marking dots within 1 mm of the tumor margin under microscopic observation. RESULTS A total of 200 patients in the NF-NBI group and 195 patients in the ICC group were included. The delineation accuracy rate was 84.5% in the NF-NBI group and 81.0% in the ICC group (P = 0.44). However, the distance from the marking dot to the margin of the tumor was significantly shorter in the NF-NBI group than in the ICC group (0.8 ± 0.8 vs 1.2 ± 1.3 mm, P

The emergence of vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) threatens global health. The mechanism of vancomycin resistance of VRSA without vanA gene acquisition was not fully elucidated. Therefore, we aimed to determine the mechanism of vancomycin resistance of VRSA besides that by vanA gene acquisition. In this study, we obtained vancomycin-resistant strains (V036-V64; MIC = 64 µg /ml) from susceptible strain (V036; MIC = 0.5 µg /ml) by exposure of vancomycin in vitro and examined the phenotypic characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the resistant strain (V036-V64). To identify the genetic variations caused vancomycin resistance, we determined the complete genome sequences of V036 and V036-V64 and analyzed for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between two strains. Morphologically, V036-V64 had a twofold thicker cell wall compared with V036. Linezolid, rifampicin, and ceftaroline had similar MIC ranges against V036-V64 and V036, but V036-V64 showed lower susceptibilities to daptomycin and telavancin. We detected eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms differing between V036-V64 and V036: rimM (G16D), ssaA2 (G128A), rpsK (P60R), rpoB (R917C), walK (T492R), d-alanyl-d-alanine carboxypeptidase (L307I), vraT (A152V), and chromosome segregation ATPase (T440I). This study demonstrates that, under selective pressure, by the accumulation of mutations in genes related to cell wall synthesis, vancomycin-susceptible S. aureus can develop thicker cell walls and, hence, develop high vancomycin resistance. Thus, we highlight a novel vanA-negative mechanism for VRSA emergence.

Background/aims The eradication failure rate of standard triple therapy (proton pump inhibitor, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin) for Helicobacter pylori infection has increased owing to antibiotic resistance in Korea. We assessed whether Saccharomyces boulardii probiotic or broccoli sprout extract sulforaphane supplementation could increase the H. pylori eradication rate and/or reduce antibiotic-associated adverse events. Methods A total of 217 patients with H. pylori-positive chronic gastritis or peptic ulcer disease were recruited. Clarithromycin resistance was assessed in all patients by testing for A2142G and A2143G point mutations in H. pylori 23S rRNA using a dual-priming polymerase chain reaction (PCR) oligonucleotide. Thirty-four patients (17.3%) were clarithromycin-resistant and were excluded from the study. Finally, 183 patients with infections not resistant to clarithromycin were randomly assigned to triple therapy only (group A, n = 61), triple therapy plus probiotics (group B, n = 61), or triple therapy plus sulforaphane (group C, n = 61) groups. CYP2C19 polymorphisms were examined at position G681A of exon 5 and G636A of exon 4 by PCR with restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. H. pylori eradication was assessed by 13C-urea breath test 4 weeks after treatment completion. Results The eradication rates were similar among the groups both in the intention- to-treat (A = 85.2%, B = 89.6%, and C = 81.6%) and per-protocol (A = 89.2%, B = 86.8%, and C = 96.3%) analyses. The frequencies of overall adverse events in the groups also did not differ (A vs. B: p = 0.574; A vs. C: p = 1.000). Conclusion Probiotic or sulforaphane with triple therapy for H. pylori infection neither increased the eradication rate nor reduced the occurrence of adverse events.

Background The comparative efficacy of bariatric endoscopic procedures has not been completely elucidated. We aimed to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy of bariatric endoscopic procedures. Methods We searched for randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy of bariatric endoscopic procedures, including the use of an intragastric balloon, duodenal-jejunal bypass liner (DJBL), aspiration therapy, primary obesity surgery endoluminal (POSE) procedure, and botulinum toxin injection to the stomach. Network meta-analyses were performed to determine the percentage of weight loss (%weight loss) and percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL). Results 22 studies with 2141 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Most endoscopic procedures showed superior efficacy in terms of %weight loss compared with the control (mean difference [MD] [95 % confidence interval (CI)]: aspiration therapy 10.4 % [7.0 % to 13.7 %]; fluid-filled balloon 5.3 % [3.4 % to 7.2 %]; POSE 4.9 % [1.7 % to 8.2 %]; and DJBL 4.5 % [1.4 % to 7.7 %]). In terms of %EWL, aspiration therapy, fluid-filled balloon, POSE, and DJBL were superior to the control (MD [95 %CI]: 27.3 % [15.3 % to 39.3 %]; 22.4 % [15.4 % to 29.4 %]; 15.3 % [2.5 % to 28.0 %]; and 13.0 % [4.9 % to 21.2], respectively). The gas-filled balloon and botulinum toxin injection did not show a significant difference in %weight loss or %EWL compared with the control. For the fluid-filled balloon, the %EWL and %weight loss tended to decrease after balloon removal at 6 months after the procedure. Conclusion All bariatric endoscopic procedures, except for gas-filled balloon and botulinum toxin injection to the stomach, showed superior short-term efficacy in terms of %weight loss or %EWL compared with lifestyle modification.

Midazolam is a short-acting benzodiazepine that is widely used in pediatric dental sedation. However, its clinical effectiveness as an intravenous sedative agent in children has not been widely documented. A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous midazolam and nitrous oxide inhalation sedation in pediatric dental treatment.The subjects were 115 patients (118 cases) who received dental treatment under intravenous midazolam and nitrous oxide inhalation sedation. Demographic factors, general health status, sedation time, midazolam and nitrous oxide dosage, and success rate of sedation were evaluated from electronic medical records.Behavioral management was the main reason of choosing sedation. Mean duration of sedation was 56.7 minutes for surgical treatment, and 74.4 minutes for restorative treatment. The initial dosage of intravenous midazolam was 0.051 ± 0.019 mg/kg. In 34 cases (28.8%), additional midazolam of 0.036 ± 0.057 mg/kg was delivered during the treatment. The concentration of nitrous oxide was maintained between 40% and 50%. The success rate of sedation was 99% (n = 117). In 1 case, laryngospasm occurred and the patient was reversed with benzodiazepine antagonist, flumazenil.Intravenous midazolam sedation with nitrous oxide was shown to be clinically effective for the dental treatment in children, if administered by trained personnel and patients are carefully selected in accordance with guidelines.