Background:The aim was to evaluate changes in choroidal thickness, intraocular pressure (IOP) and other parameters of optical coherence tomography, such as central foveal thickness (CFT), macular volume, peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness after haemodialysis (HD). Methods: Thirty-four eyes of 34 chronic renal failure patients (9 eyes with diabetic patients) who underwent haemodialysis in the Dialysis Unit of Gangneung Asan Hospital were included. CFT, macular volume, peripapillary RNFL and choroidal thickness were measured before and after haemodialysis by optical coherence tomography (OCT, Spectralis; Heidelberg Engineering). Changes in the IOP were evaluated with Goldmann applanation tonometry before and after haemodialysis. Results: The average choroidal thickness decreased significantly, from 233.1 Ϯ 77.5 mm to 219.1 Ϯ 76.8 mm (paired t-test, p < 0.001). This change correlated with the amount of body weight lost (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.348, p = 0.044). The mean IOP decreased from 15.1 Ϯ 2.6 mmHg to 13.9 Ϯ 2.2 mmHg after haemodialysis (paired t-test, p = 0.03). The change in macular volume and the small decrease in CFT (214.0 Ϯ 21.0 mm to 213.8 Ϯ 21.8 mm) were not significant. The measured overall change in RNFL thickness from 93.6 Ϯ 15.5 mm to 94.7 Ϯ 14.6 mm was not significant. Conclusions: Haemodialysis can affect various ocular parameters, particularly choroidal thickness and IOP.

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Many learners in Korean EFL contexts find it challenging to speak English fluently due to the lack of practice and exposure. Some recent studies have attempted to rectify this through the incorporation of various tools and methods. Of these, a popularly emerging concept is the use of mobile or personal learning devices. However, their potential is far from being recognized in actual classes due to its challenges relating to scheduling and developing an appropriate model in teaching and learning speaking skills. This study offers a blended learning model that incorporates mobile devices and social networking to overcome the contextual limitations of Korean or Asian EFL learners and examines the impact of the model in English speaking. The study uses an experiment involving 125 participants to investigate the effects of mobile-assisted blended learning (MABL) implementation on the students' level of speaking proficiency and its factors. The results showed that the MABL implementation positively affected the students' speaking proficiency and its aspects, such as intelligibility and comprehensibility. Further studies implementing large-scale experiments with students of different proficiency levels and exploring their affective factors and behaviors in MABL environments based on the model used in this study are suggested.