Effects of Yangsaeng (Health Management) Therapy for Korean Older Adults in Nursing Home.

The number of older adults admitted to nursing homes is steadily increasing, and the health management for them is a very important issue in Korean society. This study aimed to examine the effects of Yangsaeng (health management) therapy on physical health status, depression, life satisfaction, and Yangsaeng (health management) of Korean older adults in nursing homes. A quasi-experimental study design using a pretest-posttest control group was employed. Study participants were a total of 80 older adults (intervention: n = 40, control: n = 40) in a nursing home in Seoul, South Korea. Yangsaeng therapy as an intervention consisted of the Meridian therapy and Qi-gong therapy. Yangsaeng therapy was conducted for 50 min per one time, twice a week, and for 10 weeks. Measures were general characteristics of study participants, Cornell Medical Index, Geriatric Depression Scale, life satisfaction scale, and Yangsaeng scale. Data were collected from April 2018 to March 2019. There were statistically significant differences on physical health status, depression, life satisfaction, and Yangsaeng between the two groups. Yangsaeng therapy was an effective intervention for improving physical health status, life satisfaction, and Yangsaeng, and for decreasing depression of older adults in nursing homes. Health care providers need to pay attention to Yangsaeng therapy as a Korean traditional intervention method for the health management of the older adults residing in nursing homes.

Cervical pessary for preterm twin pregnancy in women with a short cervix.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cervical pessary for extending twin pregnancy in women with a short cervix. METHODS: Between January 2014 and March 2019, the use of a cervical pessary for twin pregnancy in women with a cervical length of ≤15 mm was investigated between 16 and 28 weeks of gestation. We included women with a shortened cervix after a cerclage procedure and visible fetal membranes and cervical dilatation. Thirteen patients underwent pessary insertion and were matched with a control group of 15 patients. Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were compared between the groups. We excluded women with major fetal anomalies discovered before or after birth and known placenta previa. RESULTS: Women who underwent pessary insertion were diagnosed with a short cervix (0.65±0.47 vs. 0.66±0.51 cm in the pessary and control groups, respectively; P=0.957) at a gestational age similar to that of the controls (23.29 vs. 25.14 weeks, P=0.294). There was no significant difference in gestational age at delivery between them (33.29 vs. 27.29 weeks in the pessary and control groups, respectively, P=0.058). The pessary group had a longer interval between the diagnosis and delivery than the control group (60.7±28.3 vs. 22.6±24.5 days, P=0.001). The number of adverse neonatal outcomes was significantly lower in the pessary group (n=7; 28.0%) than in the control group (n=14; 58.3%; P=0.032). CONCLUSION: The use of a cervical pessary may prolong gestation in twin pregnancies in women with an extremely short cervix until viable gestational age.

Investigation of the association between orthodontic treatment and temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction in the South Korean population.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the relationship between orthodontic treatment and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in South Korean population. METHODS: This study obtained data from the 2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The final sample size was 5,567 participants who were ≥ 19 years of age. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between orthodontic treatment and TMD. RESULTS: Participants who underwent orthodontic treatment showed higher educational level, lower body mass index, reduced chewing difficulty, and reduced speaking difficulty. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for orthodontic treatment and TMD were 1.614 (1.189-2.190), 1.573 (1.162-2.129) and 1.612 (1.182-2.196) after adjusting for age, sex and psychosocial factors. Adjusted ORs and their 95% CIs for orthodontic treatment and clicking were 1.778 (1.289-2.454), 1.742 (1.265-2.400) and 1.770 (1.280-2.449) after adjusting for confounding factors. However, temporomandibular joint pain and functional impairment was not associated with orthodontic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction was not associated with orthodontic treatment.

Association between dental health and obstructive coronary artery disease: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: The association between dental health and coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a topic of debate. This study aimed to investigate the association between dental health and obstructive CAD using multiple dental indices. METHODS: Eighty-eight patients (mean age: 65 years, 86% male) were prospectively enrolled before undergoing coronary CT angiography (n = 52) or invasive coronary angiography (n = 36). Obstructive CAD was defined as luminal stenosis of ≥50% for the left main coronary artery or ≥ 70% for the other epicardial coronary arteries. All patients underwent thorough dental examinations to evaluate 7 dental health indices, including the sum of decayed and filled teeth, the ratio of no restoration, the community periodontal index of treatment needs, clinical attachment loss, the total dental index, the panoramic topography index, and number of lost teeth. RESULTS: Forty patients (45.4%) had obstructive CAD. Among the 7 dental health indices, only the number of lost teeth was significantly associated with obstructive CAD, with patients who had obstructive CAD having significantly more lost teeth than patients without obstructive CAD (13.08 ± 10.4 vs. 5.44 ± 5.74, p < 0.001). The number of lost teeth was correlated with the number of obstructed coronary arteries (p < 0.001). Multiple binary logistic regression analysis revealed that having ≥10 lost teeth was independently associated with the presence of obstructive CAD (odds ratio: 8.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.80-35.64; p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Tooth loss was associated with the presence of obstructive CAD in patients undergoing coronary evaluation. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether there is a causal relationship between tooth loss and CAD.

When do we need more than local compression to control intraoral haemorrhage?

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine the effectiveness of local compression in patients presenting to the emergency room with intraoral bleeding and to identify when complex haemostatic measures may be required. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five hundred forty patients who had experienced intraoral haemorrhage were retrospectively reviewed. The outcome variable was the haemostasis method used, i.e., simple (local compression with gauze) or complex (an alternative method after local compression has failed). Predictor variables were sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, hepatic cirrhosis, bleeding disorder, use of antithrombotic agents, and site/cause of haemorrhage. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 48.9±23.9 years, 53.5% were male, 42.8% were ASA class II or higher, and 23.7% were taking antithrombotic agents. Local compression was used most often (68.1%), followed by local haemostatic agents, sutures, systemic tranexamic acid or blood products, and electrocautery. The most common site of bleeding was the gingiva (91.7%), and the most common cause was tooth extraction (45.7%). Risk factors for needing a complex haemostasis method were use of antithrombotic agents (odds ratio 2.047, P=0.009) and minor oral surgery (excluding extraction and implant procedures; odds ratio 6.081, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: A haemostasis method other than local compression may be needed in patients taking antithrombotic agents or having undergone minor oral surgery.

Fracture patterns and causes in the craniofacial region: an 8-year review of 2076 patients.

BACKGROUND: For proper recovery from craniofacial fracture, it is necessary to establish guidelines based on trends. This study aimed to analyze the patterns and causes of craniofacial fractures. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed patients who underwent surgery for craniofacial fractures between 2010 and 2017 at a single center. Several parameters, including time of injury, region and cause of fracture, alcohol intoxication, time from injury to surgery, hospitalization period, and postoperative complications, were evaluated. RESULTS: This study analyzed 2708 fracture lesions of 2076 patients, among whom males aged 10 to 39 years were the most numerous. The number of patients was significantly higher in the middle of a month. The most common fractures were a nasal bone fracture. The most common causes of fracture were ground accidents and personal assault, which tended to frequently cause more nasal bone fracture than other fractures. Traffic accidents and high falls tended to cause zygomatic arch and maxillary wall fractures more frequently. Postoperative complications-observed in 126 patients-had a significant relationship with the end of a month, mandible or panfacial fracture, and traffic accidents. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings on long-term craniofacial fracture trends should be considered by clinicians dealing with fractures and could be useful for policy decisions.

Nonenzymatic flexible field-effect transistor based glucose sensor fabricated using NiO quantum dots modified ZnO nanorods.

Herein, we fabricated nonenzymatic flexible field-effect transistor (f-FET) based glucose sensor using nickel oxide quantum dots (NiO QDs) modified zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs). The ZnO NRs surfaces were coated with NiO QDs using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering to enhance the electrocatalytic feature and the surface area of ZnO NRs. Under physiological conditions (pH 7.4), the nonenzymatic f-FET glucose sensor shows two linear ranges of 0.001-10mM and 10-50mM with the high sensitivity of 13.14µAcm-2mM-1 and 7.31µAcm-2mM-1, respectively, along with good selectivity, stability and repeatability during glucose detection. The examination of human whole blood and serum samples reveal that the nonenzymatic f-FET based glucose sensor is capable of measuring glucose concentration efficiently in the presence of interfering species and thus can be offered as a promising device for further applications in clinical and non-clinical fields.

Risk factor analysis of additional administration of sedative agent and patient dissatisfaction in intravenous conscious sedation using midazolam for third molar extraction.

OBJECTIVES: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the factors related with additional administration of sedative agent during intravenous conscious sedation (IVS) using midazolam (MDZ). The secondary purpose was to analyze the factors affecting patient satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data for 124 patients who had undergone surgical extraction of mandibular third molar under IVS using MDZ were retrospectively investigated in this case-control study. The initial dose of MDZ was determined by body mass index (BMI) and weight. In the case of insufficient sedation at the beginning of surgery, additional doses were injected. During surgery, peripheral oxygen saturation, bispectral index score (BIS), heart rate, and blood pressure were monitored and recorded. The predictor variables were sex, age, BMI, sleeping time ratio, dental anxiety, Pederson scale, and initial dose of MDZ. The outcome variables were additional administration of MDZ, observer's assessment of alertness/sedation, intraoperative amnesia, and patient satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were computed, and the P-value was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Most patients had an adequate level of sedation with only the initial dose of MDZ and were satisfied with the treatment under sedation; however, 19 patients needed additional administration, and 13 patients were unsatisfied. In multivariable logistic analysis, lower age (odds ratio [OR], 0.825; P=0.005) and higher dental anxiety (OR, 5.744; P=0.003) were related to additional administration; lower intraoperative amnesia (OR, 0.228; P=0.002) and higher BIS right before MDZ administration (OR, 1.379; P=0.029) had relevance to patient dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION: The preoperative consideration of age and dental anxiety is necessary for appropriate dose determination of MDZ in the minor oral surgery under IVS. The amnesia about the procedure affects patient satisfaction positively.

Association between orthodontic treatment and periodontal diseases: Results from a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between orthodontic treatment and periodontitis in a nationally representative sample of South Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the Fifth and Sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V, VI-1, and VI-2), conducted from 2012 to 2014, were used in this study. The final sample size consisted of 14,693 adults aged ≥19 years. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between orthodontic treatment and periodontitis. RESULTS: The orthodontic treatment group exhibited a lower prevalence of periodontitis compared with the nonorthodontic treatment group. The adjusted odds ratios for periodontitis in subjects with a history of orthodontic treatment compared with those with no history of orthodontic treatment were 0.553, 0.614, and 0.624, when adjusted for various confounding variables (P < .0001). The subjects with periodontitis were of higher age, body mass index, waist circumference, and white blood cell counts compared with the subjects without periodontitis regardless of history of orthodontic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: History of orthodontic treatment was associated with a decreased rate of periodontitis.

Highly sensitive hydrazine chemical sensor based on ZnO nanorods field-effect transistor.

A highly sensitive hydrazine chemical sensor has been fabricated based on a field-effect transistor (FET) by growing vertically-aligned ZnO nanorods directly on silver electrodes. The FET sensor showed a high sensitivity and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 59.175 µA cm(-2)µM(-1) and ~3.86 nM, respectively. This demonstrates a cost effective and low power consuming FET strategy for the detection of hydrazine.

Evaluation of TMJ sound on the subject with TMJ disorder by Joint Vibration Analysis.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Qualitative and semi-quantitative methods have been developed for TMJ sound classification, but the criteria presented are completely inhomogeneous. Thus, to develop more objective criteria for defining TMJ sounds, electroacoustical systems have been developed. We used Joint vibration analysis in the BioPAK system (Bioresearch Inc., Milwaukee, USA) as the electrovibratography. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the TMJ sounds with repect to frequency spectra patterns and the integral > 300 Hz /< 300 Hz ratios via six-months follow-up. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was done before and after the six-months recordings with 20 dental school students showed anterior disk displacement with reduction. Joint vibrations were analyzed using a mathematical technique known as the Fast Fourier Transform. RESULTS: In this study Group I and Group II showed varied integral > 300 /< 300 ratios before and after the six-months recordings. Also, by the comparative study between the integral > 300 /< 300 ratios and the frequency spectrums, it was conceivable that the frequency spectrums showed similar patterns at the same location that the joint sound occurred before and after the six-months recordings. while the frequency spectrums showed varied patterns at the different locations that the joint sound occurred before and after six-month recordings, it would possibly be due to the differences in the degree of internal derangement and/or in the shape of the disc. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that clinicians consider the integral > 300 /< 300 ratios as well as the frequency spectrums to decide the starting-point of the treatment for TMJ sounds.

Osmium tetroxide-(QN)2PHAL in an ionic liquid: a highly efficient and recyclable catalyst system for asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins.

In Os-catalysed asymmetric dihydroxylation using NMO as a co-oxidant, the combination of an ionic liquid and the new bis-cinchona alkaloid 2 generated in situ from (QN)2PHAL during reaction provided a simple and practical approach to the recycling of both catalytic components (osmium tetraoxide and chiral ligand).