A study on the estimation of area of origin of swing cast-off pattern.

In bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA), a field of forensic science, there has been active discussion on the estimation of the area of origin of impact spatter. However, there is no established methodology to quantitatively analyze the area of origin of a swing cast-off pattern. To quantitatively analyze the methodology of previous research on estimation of area of origin, a device for generating uniform swing cast-off patterns was produced.

Diagnostic Value of Anti-Nuclear Antibodies: Results From Korean University-Affiliated Hospitals.

Background: Unnecessary and inappropriate laboratory testing accounts for a significant portion of waste in health care utilization. The aim of this study was to examine the diagnostic value of the anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) test by examining the rate of ANA associated rheumatic disease (AARD) diagnosis among ANA tested and ANA positive subjects and positive predictive value (PPV) of ANA test leading to AARD diagnosis in different ANA titers and different subsets of patients in 5 hospitals affiliated with a university.

Methods: We retrospectively extracted data from all subjects who were tested for ANA from year 2010 to 2019.

Study on development of forensic blood substitute: Focusing on bloodstain pattern analysis.

Bloodstain pattern analysis, one of the areas of forensic science, is performed to analyze the physical characteristics of bloodstains, including their size, shape, and distribution, to reconstruct a crime scene. A bloodstain pattern analyst should obtain through experiments and education the capabilities to both understand the generation mechanisms of bloodstains and identify the characteristics of the bloodstains. Experiments and education about bloodstain pattern analysis are carried out by using human blood taken from subjects, animal blood (porcine or bovine) supplied from butcheries, and blood substitute products developed in other countries.

Association of body composition with disease activity and disability in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background/aims: To explore the associations between body composition and pain, disease activity, and disability in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: The study enrolled 335 patients with RA and underwent body composition measurement with an InBody analyzer. The associations of body mass index (BMI), body fat mass, and skeletal muscle mass with disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28), an index derived to measure the subjective component of DAS28 (DAS28-P), a pain visual analogue scale (VAS), and disability measured with the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) were explored.

Adiposis Dolorosa Pain Management.

While current approaches to treatment focus on surgery, opiates, and other medications, health care providers may also consider ketamine infusion, electrostimulation, and perineural injections.

A modified von Bertalanffy growth model dependent on temperature and body size.

Fish growth models are widely used in fisheries as well in aquacultures and ecology. Water temperature is one of the most important factors determining the growth of fish. In the present study, we propose a growth model that includes the effect of water temperature on the growth in the von Bertalanffy growth model.

Contribution of subjective Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) components to the response to treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

We investigated the contributions made by the subjective components of the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) to the treatment response of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, factors associated with poor response to treatment at 6 months, despite normalization of objective measures, were examined. A total of 426 newly diagnosed RA patients were included.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Lumbar Spondylosis and Its Association with Low Back Pain among Rural Korean Residents.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and the relevant risk factors for lumbar spondylosis (LS) among middle-aged and elderly rural Korean residents and to explore the association between radiographic LS and lower back pain (LBP) in relation to age and gender.

Methods: This community-based, cross-sectional study evaluated 1512 subjects with available radiograph. The prevalence of LBP was obtained using a questionnaire and disability resulting from LBP was measured using a validated Korean version of the Oswestry disability index (ODI).

Detection of Anti-Type II Collagen Antibodies in Patients With Chronic Gouty Arthritis: Findings From a Pilot Study.

Objective: We hypothesized that chronic gouty arthritis patients would develop an immune response to type II collagen that would be revealed by the presence of anti-type II collagen (CII) antibodies in serum, which may in turn be involved in progression to non-remitting arthritis.

Methods: Chronic gouty arthritis was defined as crystal-confirmed gout in patients with no pain-free intercritical period, with or without the presence of tophi, who did not have clinical features of other forms of chronic arthritis. Age-matched gout patients suffering acute gouty attacks who had definite intercritical periods were selected as a control group.

The prevalence of periarticular lesions detected on magnetic resonance imaging in middle-aged and elderly persons: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Previous studies showed that among persons with radiographic knee OA, periarticular lesions were significantly more common among participants with knee pain than those without. However, data were derived mostly from persons with knee OA, and there were few normal participants without knee OA in the data analyses. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of periarticular lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to examine their prevalence according to the presence of knee pain and radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) in community residents in Korea.

Comparison of Four Saliva Detection Methods to Identify Expectorated Blood Spatter.

Blood spatter analysis is an important step for crime scene reconstruction. The presence of saliva in blood spatter could indicate expectorated blood which is difficult to distinguish from impact spatter. In this study, four saliva test methods (SALIgAE(®) , Phadebas(®) sheet, RSID(™) -Saliva kit, and starch gel diffusion) were compared to identify the best method for detecting expectorated blood spatter.

Comparison of the disease activity score using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels in Koreans with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: The Disease Activity Score based on 28 joints (DAS28) has been widely used in clinical practice and research studies of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of this study was to evaluate the discordance in the DAS28 based on the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) versus C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in Korean patients with RA.

Methods: From August to December 2011, 540 patients with RA who visited two rheumatology clinics affiliated with Hallym University (Korea) and had at least one DAS28 evaluation were examined.

Four-week effects of allopurinol and febuxostat treatments on blood pressure and serum creatinine level in gouty men.

The aim of this study was to observe the effects of uric acid lowering therapy (UALT), febuxostat and allopurinol, on blood pressure (BP) and serum creatinine level. Post-hoc data were derived from a phase-III, randomised, double-blind, 4-week trial of male gouty patients that compared the safety and efficacy of febuxostat and allopurinol in adults with gout. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of five groups, 35-37 in each group (febuxostat: 40, 80, 120 mg/d; allopurinol: 300 mg/d; control group: placebo).

Genetic analysis of the purplish Washington clam (Saxidomus purpuratus Sowerby) of Korean coastal waters.

To investigate the genetic structure of the purplish Washington clam population, Saxidomus purpuratus Sowerby, in Korea. A portion of mitochondrial COI gene sequences (605 bp) for phylogenetic comparison was determined. Sequence analysis of 62 individuals collected from six regions revealed 13 haplotypes.

Four cDNAs encoding lipoprotein receptors from shrimp (Pandalopsis japonica): structural characterization and expression analysis during maturation.

As in all other oviparous animals, lipoprotein receptors play a critical role in lipid metabolism and reproduction in decapod crustaceans. Four full-length cDNAs encoding lipoprotein receptors (Paj-VgR, Paj-LpR1, Paj-LpR2A, and Paj-LpR2B) were identified from Pandalopsis japonica through a combination of EST screening and PCR-based cloning. Paj-LpR1 appears to be the first crustacean ortholog of insect lipophorin receptors, and its two paralogs, Paj-LpR2A and Paj-LpR2B, exhibited similar structural characteristics.

A case of bilateral hemarthrosis due to pseudoaneurysms in a patient on anticoagulation therapy.

Hemarthrosis can occur in patients with a predisposition to hemorrhage, such as hemophiliacs or patients on anticoagulation therapy. If hemarthrosis recurs after supportive treatment, however, other etiologies such as anatomical abnormalities should be considered. Spontaneous articular pseudoaneurysm associated with anticoagulation treatment has not been reported previously.

Pulmonary hypertension associated with rheumatic diseases: baseline characteristics from the Korean registry.

Objectives: The REgistry of Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Rheumatic Disease (REOPARD) was established in Korea. The baseline data are described from the second year of the registry's operation.

Methods: Patients with a connective tissue disease (CTD) who met the modified definition of the WHO group I pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were enrolled.

Characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission: the many aspects of DAS28 remission.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to observe the clinical characteristics, including the extent of foot and ankle involvement, of Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission, defined as Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) <2.6.

Methods: Data from a registry of RA patients who visited a rheumatology clinic of a university-affiliated hospital and who were regularly evaluated with DAS28, including the ankle and foot metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints were enrolled.

Prevalence of knee pain and its influence on quality of life and physical function in the Korean elderly population: a community based cross-sectional study.

To investigate the prevalence of knee pain and its influence on physical function and quality of life (QOL), we examined 504 community residents of Chuncheon, aged ≥ 50 yr. Demographic information was obtained by questionnaire, and radiographic evaluations consisted of weight-bearing semi-flexed knee anteroposterior radiographs. Self-reported QOL and function were assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) Index and Short Form 12 (SF-12).

Tibiofemoral osteoarthritis affects quality of life and function in elderly Koreans, with women more adversely affected than men.

Background: The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis(OA) in East Asia is as common for men and even higher for women than that reported in the Caucasian population. Since both population aging and economic growth have taken place at a much faster pace in Asian countries, such as South Korea, one would expect knee OA to become a major public health problem. However, few studies have examined the influence of knee OA on the quality of life (QoL) and physical function in Asia.

Clinical and radiographic features of adult-onset ankylosing spondylitis in Korean patients: comparisons between males and females.

The objective of this study was to investigate clinical and radiographic features and gender differences in Korean patients with adult-onset ankylosing spondylitis. Multicenter cross-sectional studies were conducted in the rheumatology clinics of 13 Korean tertiary referral hospitals. All patients had a confirmed diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis according to the modified New York criteria.

The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in elderly community residents in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of radiographic and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) among community residents and to elucidate the relevant risk factors. This prospective, population-based study was conducted on residents over 50 yr of age in Chuncheon. Subjects completed an interview based on a standardized questionnaire and clinical evaluation including standardized weight bearing semiflexed knee A-P radiographs.