Applying the N-isopropylacrylamide gel dosimeter to quantify dynamic dose effects: A feasibility study.

Background: The gel dosimeter is a chemical as well as a relative dosimeter.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) gel dosimeter to observe the dynamic dose effects and quantification of the respiration, and to help determine the safety margins.

Methods: The NIPAM gel dosimeter combined with the dynamic phantom was used to simulate radiotherapy of lung or upper abdominal tumor.

Using NIPAM gel dosimeter and concentric swing machine to simulate the dose distribu- tion during breathing: A feasibility study.

Background: Radiotherapy plays an important role in cancer treatment today. Successful radiotherapy includes precise positioning and accurate dosimetry.

Objective: To use NIPAM gel dosimeter and concentric swing machine to simulate and evaluate the feasibility of lung or upper abdominal tumor dose distribution during breathing.

Biomechanical risk factors associated with distal upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in endoscopists performing colonoscopy.

Background And Aims: Endoscopists experience upper extremity musculoskeletal injuries. The primary aim of this study was to compare distal upper extremity biomechanical risk factors during colonoscopy with established risk thresholds. Secondary aims were to determine which subtasks during colonoscopy are associated with the greatest risk and to evaluate an intervention to reduce risks.

Errors in femoral anteversion, femoral offset, and vertical offset following robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty.

The objectives were to determine errors in femoral anteversion (FA), femoral offset (FO), and vertical offset (VO) with robot-assisted total hip arthroplasty (THA) and how consistently these errors are within clinically desirable limits of ±5° and ±5 mm. After preoperative planning, robot-assisted THAs were performed on twelve cadaveric specimens. The error between achieved and planned component placements was used to determine bias (mean error) and precision (SD of error).

Macrophage expression of E3 ubiquitin ligase Grail protects mice from lipopolysaccharide-induced hyperinflammation and organ injury.

Multiple organ dysfunction caused by hyperinflammation remains the major cause of mortality during sepsis. Excessive M1-macrophage activation leads to systemic inflammatory responses. Gene related to anergy in lymphocytes (Grail) is regarded as an important regulator of T cells that functions by diminishing cytokine production.

What are the six degree-of-freedom errors of a robotically-machined femoral cavity in total hip arthroplasty and are they clinically important? An in-vitro study.

Errors during a robot-assisted THA may result in a femoral cavity with position and orientation different than planned. This can lead to a femoral component placement that inaccurately sets a patient's femoral anteversion (FA), femoral offset (FO), and vertical offset (VO). The objectives of this study were to determine the position and orientation errors of robotically-machined femoral cavities in six degrees of freedom and to determine how position and orientation errors translate into errors in the setting of FA, FO, and VO.

The effect of keyboard key spacing on typing speed, error, usability, and biomechanics, Part 2: Vertical spacing.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effects of vertical key spacing on a conventional computer keyboard on typing speed, percentage error, usability, forearm muscle activity, and wrist posture for both females with small fingers and males with large fingers.

Background: Part I evaluated primarily horizontal key spacing and found that for male typists with large fingers, productivity and usability were similar for spacings of 17, 18, and 19 mm but were reduced for spacings of 16 mm. Few other key spacing studies are available, and the international standards that specify the spacing between keys on a keyboard have been mainly guided by design convention.

Pulmonary metastatic gastric cancer mimicking a giant mediastinal cyst.

Cysts and cavities are common radiologic abnormalities. Pulmonary metastasis comprises a rare entity of thoracic cystic diseases. We reported a case of giant cyst at the left anterior mediastinum that was pathologically confirmed as a lung metastasis from previously resected gastric cancer.

Treatment of empyema and bronchopleural fistula by bovine pericardium and latissimus flap.

Management of empyema with bronchopleural fistula remains a challenge. A 38-year-old man who had bullous emphysema was hospitalized on account of a right-sided necrotizing pneumonia complicated by empyema that mandated a tube drainage. Persistent air leak from the chest tube was noted, and chest computed tomography confirmed an empyema cavity with a suspicious bronchopleural fistula.

Standard uptake value of positron emission tomography in clinical stage I lung cancer: clinical application and pathological correlation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the standard uptake value in clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its correlation with pathological status and prognosis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 674 patients diagnosed with NSCLC between January 2002 and June 2005. Patients with clinical stage I diseases undergone a preoperative positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan followed by anatomic resection.

A special method of dilating tracheal stenosis following tracheostomy.

Several methods can be used to manage tracheal stenosis. For patients unfit for surgery, frequent dilatation with stent placement is the most common treatment. We here describe a simple and effective method using Bakes common bile duct dilators to dilate a tracheal stenosis in a patient with a tracheostomy.

Cystic seminoma with elevated value of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in tumor fluid mimicking cystic teratoma.

The incidence of cystic lesions of anterior mediastinum is low, which is responsible for approximately 10% of anterior mediastinal tumors. We presented a special case of primary anterior mediastinal tumor with both prominent cystic change and extreme high carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level of cystic fluid here. From the finding of this case report, we suggested that the diagnosis of cystic anterior mediastinal tumors should include both cystic seminoma and mature cystic teratoma.