The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into medical imaging has notably expanded its significance within urology. AI applications offer a broad spectrum of utilities in this domain, ranging from precise diagnosis achieved through image segmentation and anomaly detection to improved procedural assistance in biopsies and surgical interventions. Although challenges persist concerning data security, transparency, and integration into existing clinical workflows, extensive research has been conducted on AI-assisted imaging technologies while recognizing their potential to reshape urological practices. This review paper outlines current AI techniques employed for image analysis to offer an overview of the latest technological trends and applications in the field of urology.

Morgellons disease is a rare disease with unknown etiology. Herein, we report the first case of Morgellons disease in Korea. A 30-year-old woman presented with a 2-month history of pruritic erythematous patches and erosions on the arms, hands, and chin. She insisted that she had fiber-like materials under her skin, which she had observed through a magnifying device. We performed skin biopsy, and observed a fiber extruding from the dermal side of the specimen. Histopathological examination showed only mild lymphocytic infiltration, and failed to reveal evidence of any microorganism. The polymerase chain reaction for Borrelia burgdorferi was negative in her serum.
Adult ; Arm ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biopsy ; Borrelia burgdorferi ; Chin ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Morgellons Disease* ; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rare Diseases ; Skin

No abstract available.
Doxycycline*

Sleep is essential to brain function and mental health. Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are the two most common sleep disorders, and are major public health concerns. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is a non-invasive method of quantifying neurometabolite concentrations. Therefore, 1H-MRS studies on individuals with sleep disorders may enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of these disorders. In this article, we reviewed 1H-MRS studies in insomnia and OSA that reported changes in neurometabolite concentrations. Previous studies have consistently reported insomnia-related reductions in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the frontal and occipital regions, which suggest that changes in GABA are important to the etiology of insomnia. These results may support the hyperarousal theory that insomnia is associated with increased cognitive and physiological arousal. In addition, the severity of insomnia was associated with low glutamate and glutamine levels. Previous studies of OSA have consistently reported reduced N-acetylaspartate (NAA) levels in the frontal, parietooccipital, and temporal regions. In addition, OSA was associated with increased myo-inositol levels. These results may provide evidence that intermittent hypoxia induced by OSA may result in neuronal damage in the brain, which can be related to neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with OSA. The current review summarizes findings related to neurochemical changes in insomnia and OSA. Future well-designed studies using 1H-MRS have the potential to enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of sleep disorders including insomnia and OSA.

Sleep is essential to brain function and mental health. Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are the two most common sleep disorders, and are major public health concerns. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is a non-invasive method of quantifying neurometabolite concentrations. Therefore, 1H-MRS studies on individuals with sleep disorders may enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of these disorders. In this article, we reviewed 1H-MRS studies in insomnia and OSA that reported changes in neurometabolite concentrations. Previous studies have consistently reported insomnia-related reductions in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the frontal and occipital regions, which suggest that changes in GABA are important to the etiology of insomnia. These results may support the hyperarousal theory that insomnia is associated with increased cognitive and physiological arousal. In addition, the severity of insomnia was associated with low glutamate and glutamine levels. Previous studies of OSA have consistently reported reduced N-acetylaspartate (NAA) levels in the frontal, parietooccipital, and temporal regions. In addition, OSA was associated with increased myo-inositol levels. These results may provide evidence that intermittent hypoxia induced by OSA may result in neuronal damage in the brain, which can be related to neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with OSA. The current review summarizes findings related to neurochemical changes in insomnia and OSA. Future well-designed studies using 1H-MRS have the potential to enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of sleep disorders including insomnia and OSA.

It is well known that sex hormones are potential modulators of brain functions and women experience dynamic hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. Previous animal studies have reported that the variations in sex hormones over the menstrual cycle may affect cognitive function, emotion, and behavior by altering structures and functional connectivity of the brain. Considering the prevalence of certain neuropsychiatric disorders such as mood and anxiety disorders is relatively high in women, as compared with men, fluctuations of sex hormones over the menstrual cycle may influence the human brain and potentially underlie sex differences in clinical features of several neuropsychiatric disorders. There is, however, little evidence regarding the exact mechanisms underlying the effects of sex hormones on the human brain. In this review, we focused on studies to examine structural and functional changes over the menstrual cycles in women and aimed to provide an up-to-date overview of neuroimaging studies regarding the effects of sex hormonal fluctuations on the brain and behaviors.

Fear conditioning and extinction, which are adaptive processes to learn and avoid potential threats, have essential roles in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders. Experimental fear conditioning and extinction have been used to identify the mechanism of fear and anxiety in humans. However, the brain-based mechanisms of fear conditioning and extinction are yet to be established. In the current review, we summarized the results of neuroimaging studies that examined the brain changes—functional activity and structures—regarding fear conditioning or extinction in healthy individuals. The functional activity of the amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate gyrus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus changed dynamically with both fear conditioning and extinction. This review may provide an up-to-date summary that may broaden our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms of anxiety disorder. In addition, the brain regions that are involved in the fear conditioning and extinction may be considered as potential treatment targets in the future studies.

It is well known that sex hormones are potential modulators of brain functions and women experience dynamic hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. Previous animal studies have reported that the variations in sex hormones over the menstrual cycle may affect cognitive function, emotion, and behavior by altering structures and functional connectivity of the brain. Considering the prevalence of certain neuropsychiatric disorders such as mood and anxiety disorders is relatively high in women, as compared with men, fluctuations of sex hormones over the menstrual cycle may influence the human brain and potentially underlie sex differences in clinical features of several neuropsychiatric disorders. There is, however, little evidence regarding the exact mechanisms underlying the effects of sex hormones on the human brain. In this review, we focused on studies to examine structural and functional changes over the menstrual cycles in women and aimed to provide an up-to-date overview of neuroimaging studies regarding the effects of sex hormonal fluctuations on the brain and behaviors.

Purpose: The objective of the study was to explore how urology-related news, one of the medical specialties profoundly linked to human health and life, is communicated to the public through media outlets that serves as primary sources of medical information for the public. Methods: In this study, articles were retrieved using the keyword ‘Urology’ from the Bigkinds spanning from January 1, 1990 to August 17, 2023. The Beautifulsoup library in Python was utilized for parsing the text to collect both titles and bodies of the articles. The gathered data was then analyzed using the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) algorithm from the scikit-learn library. Additionally, tools such as Wordcloud and Networkx were employed to visualize the relationships and patterns within the data. Results: The keyword analysis led to the identification of various themes in the articles, with a clear distinction between those providing medical information and those promoting healthcare services, technologies, and products. Notably, the content frequently intertwined informational aspects with promotional ones. Articles on men’s health and pet diseases, for example, often combined educational material with product or procedure promotions. This overlap highlights the complexity of categorizing media content into distinct themes. Furthermore, the coverage of health insurance and treatment methods including recent advancements like robotic surgery reflected the evolving nature of healthcare discussions to emphasize the interplay between policy changes, medical advancements, and media portrayal. Conclusions By identifying 10 distinct topics mentioned in the news, the analysis determined which topics are common in urology-related news coverage. The findings revealed a substantial volume of medical information on urology in the media with a wide range of topics including treatment and prevention of urologic conditions, insurance information, new treatments, and news stories promoting new products or hospitals.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is widely recognized as an effective and noninvasive neuromodulation for treating depression, and has been applied in a wide range of clinical settings. However, previous studies often reported inconsistent antidepressant effects that may be due to differences in the rTMS protocols such as coil placement. The typical simulation site for rTMS depression protocol is the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Targeting the exact site of the left DLPFC while considering individual brain structure has been challenging due to the non-invasive nature of rTMS. Several researchers have applied various targeting methods to overcome the abovementioned issue. Most of the previous studies have applied the “5-cm rule” or the “international 10-20 system,” which is easily applicable. Recently, researchers started to apply a neuronavigation system that targets the stimulation site based on neuroimaging of each individual. Pros and cons of targeting methods have been discussed in terms of validity and reliability of targeting stimulation sites, differences in treatment responses, as well as considerations of individual characteristics. Therefore, the current review focuses on the targeting methods of stimulation site and the treatment effects of depression in previous studies. For discussion, we divided neuronavigation methods into using fixed coordinates and using individualized targets. Furthermore, the limitations of each targeting method are discussed that may potentially contribute to the development of the optimal rTMS protocol for depression treatment.