Cerebellar White Matter Abnormalities in Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease: A Combined Volumetry and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Analysis.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a genetically heterogeneous hereditary peripheral neuropathy. Brain volumetry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were performed in 47 controls and 47 CMT patients with duplication ( = 10), ( = 15), ( = 11), or mutations ( = 11) to investigate for structural changes in the cerebellum. Volume of cerebellar white matter (WM) was significantly reduced in CMT patients with mutations.

Multidetector CT Findings of Acquired Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis after Posterior Lumbar Laminectomy.

Purpose: We aimed to analyze postoperative multidetector CT (MDCT) of acquired spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis after posterior lumbar laminectomy.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 74 patients, from 2003 to 2017, who underwent posterior lumbar laminectomy with both pre and postoperative MDCT. The patients were categorized into the following two groups: group 1 without fusion and group 2 with fusion.

Gastroprotective Effects of Fermented Lotus Root against Ethanol/HCl-Induced Gastric Mucosal Acute Toxicity in Rats.

Gastric ulcers are a common gastrointestinal disease across the globe. Alcohol consumption is the primary cause of gastric carcinogenesis and progression. We investigated the gastroprotective effects of fermented lotus root (FL) against ethanol (EtOH)/HCl-induced gastric ulcers in a rat model and the conceivable underlying mechanisms involved.

Ameliorative effects of black ginseng on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in free fatty acid-induced HepG2 cells and high-fat/high-fructose diet-fed mice.

Background: Black ginseng (BG) is a type of Korean ginseng prepared by steaming and drying raw ginseng to improve the saponin content. This study examined the effects of BG on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in HepG2 cells and diet-induced obese mice.

Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with free fatty acids to induce lipid accumulation before supplementation with BG.

Phellinus baumii enhances the immune response in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice.

Phellinus species is a mushroom used as traditional medicine in Eastern Asia. Research on Phellinus baumii (PB) is relatively limited; however, it has been reported to have antioxidant, DNA damage-protecting, immunostimulating, and antidiabetic activities. In our previous study on anti-inflammatory properties in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.

Optimal Screw Fixation of Syndesmosis Using a Targeting Drill Guide: A Technical Note.

Optimal screw fixation of the syndesmosis is difficult. We introduce a novel technique using a targeting drill guide for centroidal screw fixation of a syndesmosis to ensure a reproducible and optimal screw trajectory for syndesmosis fixation. By using a drill guide for anterior cruciate ligament surgery and intraoperative fluoroscopy, syndesmosis fixation enables reproducible fixation along an individual centroidal axis.

Comparing effectiveness of polydeoxyribonucleotide injection and corticosteroid injection in plantar fasciitis treatment: A prospective randomized clinical study.

Background: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) injection and corticosteroid injection for plantar fasciitis.

Methods: This study included 44 patients with plantar fasciitis, randomly allocated to the PDRN and corticosteroid groups. Evaluation using the visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score and Manchester-Oxford foot questionnaire (MOXFQ) was conducted at baseline, 1, 2, 6weeks and 6months.

Extract Attenuates Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Free Fatty Acid-Induced HepG2 Hepatocytes and in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice.

Honeyberry () has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Its predominant anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), possesses antioxidant and many other potent biological activities. We aimed to investigate the effects of honeyberry extract (HBE) supplementation on HepG2 cellular steatosis induced by free fatty acids (FFA) and in diet-induced obese mice.

Is the Bohler angle reliable for operative reduction of calcaneus fracture?

Backgroud: To evaluate reliability of Bohler angle in doing operative reduction of fractured calcaneus, and compare its value over other image lines of hindfoot when surgeons determine whether the injured calcaneus is reduced close to pre-injured state.

Methods: Eighteen of postoperative lateral radiographs were obtained and edited with two versions; one of which anterior of calcaneus erased not to check Bohler angle, the other of which peri-calcaneus structure such as talus erased only to check Bohler angle. Four orthopaedic surgeons were asked to determine the two sets of images whether the injured calcaneus is reduced close to pre-injured state in independent two sessions.

Role of Language-Related Functional Connectivity in Patients with Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes.

Background And Purpose: Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) does not always have a benign cognitive outcome. We investigated the relationship between cognitive performance and altered functional connectivity (FC) in the resting-state brain networks of BECTS patients.

Methods: We studied 42 subjects, comprising 19 BECTS patients and 23 healthy controls.

Protective effect of bovine milk against HCl and ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in mice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gastroprotective effects of bovine milk on an acidified ethanol (HCl-ethanol) mixture that induced gastric ulcers in a mouse model. Mice received different doses of commercial fresh bovine milk (5, 10, and 20 mL/kg of body weight) by oral gavage once a day for 14 d. One hour after the last oral administration of bovine milk, the HCl-ethanol mixture was orally intubated to provoke severe gastric damage.

Interactive effects of seizure frequency and lateralization on intratemporal effective connectivity in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Objective: Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) show brain connectivity changes in association with cognitive impairment. Seizure frequency and lateralization are 2 important clinical factors that characterize epileptic seizures. In this study, we sought to examine an interactive effect of the 2 seizure factors on intratemporal effective connectivity based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) in patients with TLE.

Is osteoporosis a risk factor for ankle fracture?: Comparison of bone mineral density between ankle fracture and control groups.

Objectives: There remains controversy over osteoporotic feature of the ankle. Therefore, we investigated the possibility of the existence of a relationship between axial bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with ankle fracture group with that of the normal population in Korea under control of other confounding factors such as body mass index (BMI).

Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who were treated in our institution from 2005 to 2015.

Risk factors and clinical outcomes of delirium in osteoporotic hip fractures.

Purpose: This study is performed to identify risk factors for delirium in osteoporotic hip fractures and to evaluate the hospitalization cost and clinical outcomes of delirium in osteoporotic hip.

Methods: A total of 221 patients with osteoporotic hip fractures were assessed for eligibility between 2010 and 2014. Among them, 37 patients with delirium were allocated into the delirium group (group D) and 37 patients without delirium were allocated into the non-delirium group (group ND) by matching demographic factors.

Seizure Control and Memory Impairment Are Related to Disrupted Brain Functional Integration in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Brain functional integration can be disrupted in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), but the clinical relevance of this disruption is not completely understood. The authors hypothesized that disrupted functional integration over brain regions remote from, as well as adjacent to, the seizure focus could be related to clinical severity in terms of seizure control and memory impairment. Using resting-state functional MRI data acquired from 48 TLE patients and 45 healthy controls, the authors mapped functional brain networks and assessed changes in a network parameter of brain functional integration, efficiency, to examine the distribution of disrupted functional integration within and between brain regions.

Cerebral white matter abnormalities in patients with charcot-marie-tooth disease.

Here, we report the structural evidence of cerebral white matter abnormalities in Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) patients and the relationship between these abnormalities and clinical disability. Brain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed in CMT patients with demyelinating (CMT1A/CMT1E), axonal (CMT2A/CMT2E), or intermediate (CMTX1/DI-CMT) peripheral neuropathy. Although all patients had normal brain magnetic resonance imaging, all genetic subgroups except CMT1A had abnormal DTI findings indicative of significant cerebral white matter abnormalities: decreased fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity, and increased radial diffusivity.

Laryngeal myofascial pain syndrome as a new diagnostic entity of dysphonia.

Objective: To consider the feasibility of diagnosing intrinsic laryngeal muscle myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) in dysphonic patients who demonstrated immediate symptom and stroboscopic finding improvement after laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) without further treatment.

Methods: A chart review of patients who showed subtle vocal fold movement abnormalities on a stroboscopic examination and underwent ultrasonography (US)-guided LEMG was performed. Patients with vocal fold paralysis, mucosal lesions, spasmodic dysphonia, and vocal tremor on stroboscopic examination were excluded.

The Effect of Distal Location of the Volar Short Arm Splint on the Metacarpophalangeal Joint Motion.

Background: The goals of this study were to compare maximal metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ) flexion angles after application of a volar short arm splint at 3 different locations and verify the relations between the three different physical and radiological locations.

Methods: Forty dominant hands of healthy subjects were analyzed in the study. We defined a transverse skin folding line as a line drawn from the radial aspect of the thenar crease to the ulnar aspect of the distal transverse palmar crease.

Hawthorn Fruit Extract Elevates Expression of Nrf2/HO-1 and Improves Lipid Profiles in Ovariectomized Rats.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) extract on the lipid profiles and antioxidant properties in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. After ovariectomy, the rats were randomly divided into four groups: the non-OVX control (Sham), the OVX-control (OVX), the OVX + 100 mg/kg b.w.

Pop-up messages in order communication systems can increase awareness of osteoporosis among physicians and improve osteoporosis treatment.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of pop-up messages (regarding a history of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA]) on the identification and management of osteoporosis after osteoporotic hip or spine fractures. We hypothesized that these pop-up messages would increase the awareness and management of osteoporosis among clinicians and patients.

Methods: We introduced pop-up messages regarding a history of DXA in our Order Communication System (March 2012) and evaluated the records of 404 patients who were treated between January 2011 and December 2012.

Recessive optic atrophy, sensorimotor neuropathy and cataract associated with novel compound heterozygous mutations in OPA1.

Mutations in the optic atrophy 1 gene (OPA1) are associated with autosomal dominant optic atrophy and 20% of patients demonstrate extra-ocular manifestations. In addition to these autosomal dominant cases, only a few syndromic cases have been reported thus far with compound heterozygous OPA1 mutations, suggestive of either recessive or semi‑dominant patterns of inheritance. The majority of these patients were diagnosed with Behr syndrome, characterized by optic atrophy, ataxia and peripheral neuropathy.

Normal Mastoid Air Cell System Geometry: Has Surface Area Been Overestimated?

Objectives: The aim of this study was to emphasize the necessity of a standard in segmentation threshold and algorithm for measuring volume and surface area of mastoid air cell system (MACS).

Methods: First, we obtained axial computed tomography scans of 54 normal temporal bones from 27 subjects. Then, we manipulated Hounsfield units (HU) image data in DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) files directly using our program.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Small Patella Syndrome.

Small patella syndrome (SPS) is characterized by aplasia or hypoplasia of the patella and pelvic girdle abnormalities, including bilateral absence or delayed ossification of the ischiopubic junction and infra-acetabular axe-cut notches. Here, we report a case of SPS in a 26-year-old female. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed a small patella with thick eccentric non-ossified patellar cartilage and femoral trochlear dysplasia with hypoplastic patellar undersurface.

A Mutation in PMP2 Causes Dominant Demyelinating Charcot-Marie-Tooth Neuropathy.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a heterogeneous group of peripheral neuropathies with diverse genetic causes. In this study, we identified p.I43N mutation in PMP2 from a family exhibiting autosomal dominant demyelinating CMT neuropathy by whole exome sequencing and characterized the clinical features.