A mathematical model for estimating the intraoperative lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV) tilt angle using preoperative supine left side-bending (LSB) radiographs in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients with lenke type 1 and 2 non-AR curves.

Purpose: To devise a mathematical model for estimating the intraoperative lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV) tilt angle using preoperative supine left side-bending (LSB) radiographs in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients with Lenke type 1 and 2 (non-AR curves), and to review its clinical and radiological outcomes.

Methods: The mathematical model for the adjusted LSB LIV tilt angle (α) measured preoperatively, was expressed as the sum of preoperative LSB LIV tilt angle (x) and LIV displacement angle (y) (α = x + y). This model was validated through inter-rater and intra-rater analysis in Part I of the study.

Screening for STIs among criminal legal system involved youth of color in community settings.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections are a significant, and growing, public health problem in this country - particularly among youth. Innovative strategies are needed to reduce the community burden of infection. Preliminary studies indicate that individuals involved in the criminal legal system have high rates of infection.

Optimising operating theatre (OT) efficiency while maintaining the standardised patient care in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) surgery with the dedicated spine team approach: a specialised spine unit experience.

Purpose: To report the efficiency of OT utilisation and perioperative outcomes with a dedicated spine team approach in AIS patients who underwent posterior spinal fusion (PSF) surgeries in a consecutive case operation list.

Methods: Three AIS patients operated in a day (8:00 AM-8:00 PM) by a dedicated spine team were recruited between 2021 and 2022. The dedicated team comprised of three senior spine consultants who operated using a dual attending surgeon strategy, an anaesthetic consultant, dedicated surgical scrub nurses, anaesthesiology nurses, radiographers, and neuromonitoring technicians.

Discrepancies in dengue burden estimates: a comparative analysis of reported cases and global burden of disease study, 2010-2019.

Background: Dengue is a significant mosquito-borne disease. Several studies have utilized estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study to assess the global, regional or national burden of dengue over time. However, our recent investigation suggests that GBD's estimates for dengue cases in Taiwan are unrealistically high.

Phenotypic Insights Into Anti-IgLON5 Disease in IgLON5-Deficient Mice.

Background And Objectives: Anti-IgLON5 disease is an autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder characterized by various phenotypes, notably sleep and movement disorders and tau pathology. Although the disease is known to be associated with the neuronal cell adhesion protein IgLON5, the physiologic function of IgLON5 remains elusive. There are conflicting views on whether autoantibodies cause loss of function, activation of IgLON5, or inflammation-associated neuronal damage, ultimately leading to the disease.

Urolithiasis in Kidney Transplant Patients: A Multicenter KSER Research Series.

: Urolithiasis occurrence is uncommon in kidney transplantation patients, though it has serious implications, including acute kidney injury in the transplanted kidney. This study investigates the leading causes of urolithiasis in kidney transplantation patients, the diagnostic process, and the outcomes of multimodal management. : Data collection spanned from January 1997 to December 2021, involving kidney transplantation patients with urolithiasis from the database of the Korean Society of Endourology and Robotics (KSER) research committee.

Substantial discrepancies in dengue case estimates between the Global Burden of Disease Study and Taiwan Centers for Disease Control.

Taiwan’s dengue cases vary annually, peaking in infrequent epidemics, which differ substantially from the Global Burden of Disease Study’s (GBD’s) projections. Although the GBD study provides invaluable insights into global health trends, its modelling approach fails to capture the dynamic change of dengue transmission.

Synthesis and Aggregation Behavior of Hexameric Quaternary Ammonium Salt Surfactant Tz-6CQC.

A hexameric quaternary ammonium salt surfactant Tz-6CQC featuring a rigid triazine spacer and six ammonium groups was synthesized. The molecular structure and aggregation behavior of Tz-6CQC were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, surface tension, conductivity, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy, etc. Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation was employed to investigate the self-assembly behavior of Tz-6CQC at different concentrations.

Subacute Thyroiditis Causing Fever of Unknown Origin: A Reminder of the Uncommon Cause.

Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a transient inflammation of the thyroid gland that often occurs following a viral infection. It is an infrequent cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO). We present a 46-year-old gentleman who presented with two weeks of fever and some non-specific left-sided neck pain.

Protection of Skin Fibroblasts from Infrared-A-Induced Photo-Damage Using Ginsenoside Rg3(S)-Incorporated Soybean Lecithin Liposomes.

Protection of skin cells from chronic infrared-A (IRA) irradiation is crucial for anti-photoaging of the skin. In this study, we investigated the protective activity of Rg3(S) and Rg3(S)-incorporated anionic soybean lecithin liposomes (Rg3/Lipo) with a size of approximately 150 nm against IRA-induced photodamage in human fibroblasts. The formulated Rg3/Lipo showed increased solubility in aqueous solution up to a concentration of 200 μg/ml, compared to free Rg3(S).

Study of Thermal Effect on the Mechanical Properties of Nylon 610 Nanocomposites with Graphite Flakes That Have Undergone Supercritical Water Treatment at Different Temperatures.

This study investigates the thermal effect of supercritical water treatment at different temperatures (150, 175, 200 °C) and semi-vacuum state (-0.08 MPa) on graphite flakes which are then incorporated into nylon 610. The treatment is deemed to increase the surface activity of nanofillers through the formation of oxygen-containing functional groups.

Effect of drying methods on yield, physicochemical properties, and total polyphenol content of chamomile extract powder.

Chamomile ( L.) is a traditional medicinal plant used to treat hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic pain, and hemorrhoids. Dried chamomile flowers have a longer shelf life and the dried extract in form of powder offers much flexibility for new therapeutic formulations as it could be used as a replacement for liquid extract and serve as a shelf-stable ingredient in new applications.

Fabrication and Conductivity of Graphite Nanosheet/Nylon 610 Nanocomposites Using Graphite Nanosheets Treated with Supercritical Water at Different Temperatures.

In this study, water at high temperatures (150, 175, 200 °C) and in a vacuum state (-0.1 MPa) was applied to graphite nanosheets to enhance surface activity to promote the formation of oxygen-containing functional groups through supercritical water treatment. Nylon 610 nanocomposites (with treated or untreated nanosheets as nanofillers) were then synthesized using interfacial polymerization.

Readiness to change among justice-involved young adults in an alternative sentencing program who screened positive for alcohol or drug risk.

Introduction: Readiness to change is a key component of substance use behavioral change; yet little is known about readiness to change among justice-involved young adults. This study 1) describes readiness to change alcohol and drug use and 2) examines predictors of readiness to change alcohol and drug use among justice-involved young adults.

Method: Justice-involved young adults (18-24 years; n = 137) who were positive on a validated alcohol and/or drug screening tool completed an interview assessing substance use, readiness to change, and reasons to quit.

Chordoma at the skull base, spine, and sacrum: A pictorial essay.

Chordomas are rare tumors believed to be arising from the notochord remnant in the axial skeleton. Diagnosis is often difficult since they show overlapping imaging features with other more common disease including metastases. Since individualized papers are only discussing the imaging features at different locations, the aim of this pictorial review is to have a comprehensive review on the common imaging findings of chordomas along the entire neuroaxis with a series of pathological proven cases in a local tertiary hospital in Hong Kong.

Outcomes of Retzius-sparing versus conventional robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: A KSER update series systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy(RARP) is widely used to surgically treat of localized prostate cancer. Among RARP, retzius-sparing techniques(RS-RARP) are implemented through douglas pouch, not the existing conventional approach(C-RARP). We conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis including recent published papers.

Investigation of Calcination of Cuttlefish Bone for Reinforcement of Polyvinyl Alcohol Added Nano-Size Montmorillonite.

This study aims to investigate the effects on calcination of cuttlefish bone (cuttlebone) to enhance reinforcement of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) added with nano-size montmorillonite (MMT) blends as potential bio-compatible materials. The polyvinyl alcohol-cuttlebone-montmorillonite nanocomposites were prepared using the solution casting method. Calcined cuttlebone particles were added to the PVOH matrix at different amount of 2 and 5 parts per hundred resin (phr) along with MMT ranging from 1 to 3 phr.

Comparison of Ultra-Mini Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy and Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery for Renal Stones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis from the KSER Update Series.

Miniaturized percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for renal stones have been developed to overcome the invasive disadvantages of PCNL. We aimed to compare the therapeutic effect and safety of ultra-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (UMPCNL) and RIRS for renal stones using an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched clinical trials comparing UMPCNL and RIRS for renal stones using the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases up to October 2021.

Superior Interaction of Electron Beam Irradiation with Carbon Nanotubes Added Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite System.

This work was conducted to investigate the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) on the mechanical-physico properties of the electron beam irradiated polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) blends. The increasing of CNT amount up to 1.5 part per hundred resin (phr) has gradually improved tensile strength and Young's modulus of PVOH/CNT nanocomposites due to effective interlocking effect of CNT particles in PVOH matrix, as evident in SEM observation.

A Routine Sanger Sequencing Target Specific Mutation Assay for SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern and Interest.

As SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread among human populations, genetic changes occur and accumulate in the circulating virus. Some of these genetic changes have caused amino acid mutations, including deletions, which may have a potential impact on critical SARS-CoV-2 countermeasures, including vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. Considerable efforts have been made to categorize the amino acid mutations of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein, along with certain mutations in other regions within the S protein as specific variants, in an attempt to study the relationship between these mutations and the biological behavior of the virus.

Single sequence phase shifting spectrally resolved interferometry for an in-line thin film thickness measurement using spectral reflectance and phase.

A novel, to the best of our knowledge, thickness measurement scheme based on a phase shifting spectrally resolved interferometry is proposed for a thin film measurement from spectral reflectance and phase in a single sequence. This purpose is realized by introducing a spectral reflectance phase surface (SRPS). The spectral phase, originally existing in the form of an imaginary term, is revealed as a real term with the spectral reflectance due to the proposition of SRPS.

Single-sequence stable spectroscopic reflectometry using simultaneous measurement of incident light and reflected light: publisher's note.

This publisher's note contains corrections to Appl. Opt.60, 8915 (2021).

Single-sequence stable spectroscopic reflectometry using simultaneous measurement of incident light and reflected light.

We proposed a new scheme of spectroscopic reflectometry (SR) that improves the stability with respect to the intensity variations of the incident light and simplifies the measurement procedure. The proposed method enables this by simultaneously measuring the incident light and the reflected light. Using the multi-order retarder, we modulate the incident light intensity into a high-frequency signal at the spectral domain.

Relationship between erectile dysfunction and moderate to severe prostatitis-like symptoms in middle-aged men: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Purpose: We assessed the relationship between chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) using propensity score matching.

Methods: Data from 8727 middle-aged men who had undergone health checkups were analyzed. The National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index (NIH-CPSI), the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF), the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), testosterone measurement, basic blood chemistry, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) assessment were performed in this study.