Decreased blood pressure associated with in-vehicle exposure to carbon monoxide in Korean volunteers.

Background: Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the primary components of emissions from light-duty vehicles, and reportedly comprises 77% of all pollutants emitted in terms of concentration. Exposure to CO aggravates cardiovascular disease and causes other health disorders. The study was aimed to assess the negative effects by injecting different amounts of CO concentration directly to human volunteers boarding in the car.

Types of household humidifier disinfectant and associated risk of lung injury (HDLI) in South Korea.

From 2002 through 2015, hundreds of people died of fatal lung injuries associated with the use of humidifier disinfectants (HDs) in Korea. Several chemical disinfectants used for household humidifiers were later clinically confirmed to cause HD-associated lung injury (HDLI). The aim of this study is to evaluate the registered lung disease cases and to compare the distribution of HDLI patients, including deaths, by HD use characteristics including types of HD and HD brands categorized by age group.

Subsidence of polyetheretherketone cage after minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.

Study Design: A retrospective case series.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the rate of cage subsidence after minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MITLIF) conducted using a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage, and to identify associated risk factors.

Summary Of Background Data: Although various rates of cage subsidence after lumbar interbody fusion have been reported, few studies have addressed subsidence rate after MITLIF using PEEK cage.

Anterior operation for unstable thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures: tricortical autogenous iliac bone versus titanium mesh cage.

Study Design: We retrospectively compared 25 cases that used the autogenous iliac bone grafting with 18 cases that used a titanium mesh cage for reconstruction of the vertebral body.

Objective: To analyze clinical and radiographic results of the autogenous iliac bone and a titanium mesh cage used to reconstruct the vertebral body.

Summary Of Background Data: Grafting of the autogenous iliac bone as a strut bone has been traditionally applied for reconstruction of the spine using anterior approach.

Chronic pure radiculopathy in patient with organizing epidural hematoma around C8 nerve root.

Spontaneously occurring spinal epidural hematomas are uncommon clinical findings, and the chronic form is the rarest and its most frequent location is the lumbar spine. Pure radicular involvement is far less frequent than myelopathy. We report a case of progressive radiculopathy in a 52-year-old man with spontaneously occurring cervical epidural hematoma (SCEH).

Factors affecting the accurate placement of percutaneous pedicle screws during minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.

We retrospectively evaluated 488 percutaneous pedicle screws in 110 consecutive patients that had undergone minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MITLIF) to determine the incidence of pedicle screw misplacement and its relevant risk factors. Screw placements were classified based on postoperative computed tomographic findings as "correct", "cortical encroachment" or as "frank penetration". Age, gender, body mass index, bone mineral density, diagnosis, operation time, estimated blood loss (EBL), level of fusion, surgeon's position, spinal alignment, quality/quantity of multifidus muscle, and depth to screw entry point were considered to be demographic and anatomical variables capable of affecting pedicle screw placement.

Surgical correction of fixed kyphosis.

Study Design: A retrospective review was carried out on 23 patients with rigid fixed kyphosis who underwent surgical correction for their deformity.

Purpose: To report the results of surgical correction of fixed kyphosis according to the surgical approaches or methods.

Overview Of Literature: Surgical correction of fixed kyphosis is more dangerous than the correction of any other spinal deformity because of the high incidence of paraplegia.