Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) is different with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) possesses an intrinsic nervous plexus that allows the LES to have a considerable degree of independent neural control. Sympathetic control of the LES and stomach stems from cholinergic preganglionic neurons in the intermediolateral column of the thoracic spinal cord (T6 through T9 divisions), which impinge on postganglionic neurons in the celiac ganglion, of which the catecholaminergic neurons provide the LES and stomach with most of its sympathetic supply. Sympathetic regulation of motility primarily involves inhibitory presynaptic modulation of vagal cholinergic input to postganglionic neurons in the enteric plexus. The magnitude of sympathetic inhibition of motility is directly proportional to the level of background vagal efferent input. Recognizing that the LES is under the dual control of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, we refer the reader to other comprehensive reviews on the role of the sympathetic and parasympatetic control of LES and gastric function. The present review focuses on the functionally dominant parasympathetic control of the LES and stomach via the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus.
Brain Stem* ; Esophageal Sphincter, Lower ; Ganglia, Sympathetic ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Laryngopharyngeal Reflux* ; Neurons ; Neurophysiology* ; Parasympathetic Nervous System ; Reflex* ; Spinal Cord ; Stomach

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) such as anxiety, depression, and delusions affect up to 90% of all patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). NPS is associated with significant caregiver burden and patient distress. Given the severe burden of NPS in AD, it is critical to know potential modifiable risk factors of NPS in AD. This study explores the association between hypertension and NPS in patients with drug-naïve AD. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 149 patients with AD with (n=80) and without (n=69) hypertension. NPS were assessed using the Korean version of Neuropsychiatric Inventory (K-NPI). Affective, psychotic, and behavior symptom clusters were assessed separately. RESULTS: The total score of K-NPI was not significantly different between patients with AD with and without hypertension. Among K-NPI domains, scores of depression/dysphoria (p=0.045), anxiety (p=0.022), and apathy/indifference (p=0.037) were significantly higher in patients with AD with hypertension. Systolic blood pressure (BP) was associated with higher total K-NPI and affective symptom cluster scores. Diastolic BP was associated with affective symptom cluster scores. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that hypertension increases risk of specific NPS in patients with AD. Among NPS, hypertension was associated with affective symptom cluster.
Affective Symptoms ; Alzheimer Disease* ; Anxiety ; Blood Pressure ; Caregivers ; Delusions ; Depression ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Medical Records ; Risk Factors

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has been widely used for postoperative pain control in medical surgery parts. Conventional intramuscular analgesia (IMA) is also effective in postoperative pain control, but it has some disadvantages that depend on patients'perception of pain and the anxiety that they endure caused by the delay of the injection time. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and postoperative outcomes of intravenous PCA compared to IMA injections in 36 patients (BSSRO). Three factors were compared: amount of pain in PCA and IMA group ; amount of pain according to the sex in PCA and IMA group and the amount of pain according to the analgesia use. Results of this study did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in any of these, using a p value of 0.05. The results of this study were as follows: 1. There was no statistically significant difference in VAS pain score between IMA group and PCA group. 2. There was no statistically significant difference according to the sex. 3. There was no statistically significant difference according to the amount of PCA. The history of PCA is about 30 years and many literatures have reported about its effects, complications, methods, advantages and disadvantages. So, this study has some limitations of small sample size to conclude the effects of PCA. But when the decision about the method for postoperative pain control has to be made, it should be made based on patient or physician preference and cost factors rather than on the trend.
Analgesia* ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled* ; Anxiety ; Humans ; Orthognathic Surgery* ; Pain, Postoperative ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Sample Size

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The main purpose of this study is to clarify perceptual and acoustic analysis for the patients with hypothyroidism after thyroidectomy especially focused on the characteristics of speech articulation with special reference to the consonant production. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects of the research were 40 male and female adults (males : 5, females : 35). They were all received radioactive iodine treatment which after total thyroidectomy. Voice samples were collected during the three stages of after surgery, pre-radioisotope treatment (RIT), and post-RIT. The acoustic analysis was conducted by using Pratt (ver.5.2.21) after measuring voice onset time (VOT). The subjective evaluation of the voices used CAPE-V. RESULTS: A significant decrease in overall severity was displayed in the CAPE-V following RIT. It may be conjectured that this is connected to the change in voice following RIT. The loudness of the sound displayed a significant decrease in the CAPE-V following RIT. It is conjectured that this is connected to the decrease in vocal intensity following RIT. No statistically significant results were revealed for the comparative analysis on the voice onset time (VOT) in all plosives during the three periods. CONCLUSION: Perceptually, the overall severity of the voice with hypothyroidism was changed significantly before and after RIT. Eventhough VOT were not significantly changed, it tended to decrease VOT in patients with hypothyroidism.
Acoustics ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism* ; Iodine ; Male ; Thyroidectomy ; Voice*

OBJECTIVE: During early pregnancy, CD71 and glycophorin A positive cells in peripheral blood of pregnant women were studied, to assess the relationship between increased numbers of nucleated RBC (NRBC) in maternal blood and pregnant outcomes. METHODS: Peripheral venous blood samples were obtained from 47 primigravidas of 14~16 weeks gestation. Triple screening tests were routinely performed. Blood samples were incubated with monoclonal anti-CD71 and monoclonal anti-glycophorin antibodies, and analyzed by flow cytometry using FACSort (Becton Dickinson, USA) for checking the NRBC count. RESULTS: A total of 47 pregnant women were enrolled at 14-16 weeks gestation; one pregnancy had anemia and was excluded from the test, the outcome was unknown for 2 other pregnancies, and twelve pregnancies had 1-4% of NRBC in the maternal blood. In the remaining 32 pregnant women, grouped according to their percentage of NRBC, the group with more than 4% of NRBC was termed the study group, and less than 1% of NRBC was termed the control group.The results were as follows: 1) The study group showed lower fetal birth weight than the control group, which was statistically negatively significant (y=-62.219x + 3,401.6, R2=0.2146, p<0.05).2) There was no significant correlation between the percentage of NRBC of maternal blood and maternal serum AFP level in the study and the control groups (y=-0.0206x + 1.2763, R2 =0.0096, p>0.05).3) There were two complications in the study group: one was a preterm delivery at 35 weeks of gestational age with birth weight of 2,300 gm and the other was a case of pregnancy-induced hypertension. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that increased NRBC count in maternal blood during the early second trimester has a significant correlation with fetal birth weight but can't predict high risk pregnancies such as preeclampsia, preterm labor or intrauterine fetal growth restriction.In order to obtain a higher predictive value, further studies with more participants and with high risk pregnancies of known risk factors are needed.
Anemia ; Antibodies ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Flow Cytometry ; Gestational Age ; Glycophorin ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Mass Screening ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnancy, High-Risk ; Pregnant Women ; Risk Factors

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is rare in children who receive anticancer chemotherapy and have no history of stem cell transplantation (SCT). We report a case of CMV retinitis that developed during maintenance chemotherapy for acute leukemia. A 7-year-old boy developed decreased visual acuity and persistent pancytopenia during maintenance chemotherapy.Laboratory investigations initially showed significant CMV antigenemia (51 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes); however, antiviral therapy was not deemed necessary in this patient who had no history of SCT. CMV antigenemia worsened to 170 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes over 3 weeks. Ophthalmological examination revealed multiple bilateral retinal infiltrates and granular lesions. He was diagnosed with CMV retinitis and was treated with a 4-week course of intravenous ganciclovir and intravitreal injection of ganciclovir 6 times, followed by a 1-month course of orally administered valganciclovir. A CMV antigenemia assay showed negative results, and follow-up fundoscopy revealed lesser retinal infiltration after the sixth intravitreal ganciclovir injection. Future studies should focus on the development of standardized screening methods and preemptive therapeutic strategies for CMV disease in high-risk children.

Purpose: This study morphologically compared and analyzed various measurements from initial radiograph and computed tomography scans of posterior malleolar fractures (PMFs) in tibial spiral fractures and ankle fractures. Materials and Methods: The measurements of PMFs in 31 TSFs and 53 AFs were analyzed. PMFs were classified using Bartoníček’s classification. The initial displacement (ID), cross angle (CA), fragment length ratio (FLR), fragment width ratio (FWR), fragment height ratio (FHR), fragment height (FH), sagittal angle (SA), articular step-off (AS), and inter-fragment distance (IFD) were measured. The presence of intercalary fragments and articular incongruity were identified. Results: Bartoníček types 2 and 3 in the AF group, type 3 in the supination-external rotation (SER) group, type 2 in the pronation-external rotation (PER) group, and type 4 in the TSF group accounted for the largest proportion. In the TSF group, the mean ID, FWR, SA, AS, and IFD were significantly smaller than in the AF group (p<0.001, p=0.003, p<0.001, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). The CA, FLR, FH, and FHR were significantly larger than the AF group (p<0.001, p=0.019, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion In TSFs, posterior malleolar fragments tend to have longer anteroposterior lengths and heights, but shorter horizontal lengths than AFs. Most have minimal displacement, congruous joint, and no intercalary fragments. Understanding these morphological differences is necessary for the clinical approach to PMFs in TSFs and AFs.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is rare in children who receive anticancer chemotherapy and have no history of stem cell transplantation (SCT). We report a case of CMV retinitis that developed during maintenance chemotherapy for acute leukemia. A 7-year-old boy developed decreased visual acuity and persistent pancytopenia during maintenance chemotherapy.Laboratory investigations initially showed significant CMV antigenemia (51 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes); however, antiviral therapy was not deemed necessary in this patient who had no history of SCT. CMV antigenemia worsened to 170 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes over 3 weeks. Ophthalmological examination revealed multiple bilateral retinal infiltrates and granular lesions. He was diagnosed with CMV retinitis and was treated with a 4-week course of intravenous ganciclovir and intravitreal injection of ganciclovir 6 times, followed by a 1-month course of orally administered valganciclovir. A CMV antigenemia assay showed negative results, and follow-up fundoscopy revealed lesser retinal infiltration after the sixth intravitreal ganciclovir injection. Future studies should focus on the development of standardized screening methods and preemptive therapeutic strategies for CMV disease in high-risk children.

Purpose: This study examined the outcomes of additional medial locking plate fixation and autogenous bone grafting in the treatment of nonunions that occurred after initial fixation for distal femoral fractures using lateral locking plates. Materials and Methods: The study involved eleven patients who initially underwent minimally invasive lateral locking plate fixation for distal femoral fractures between January 2008 and December 2020. The initial procedure was followed by additional medial locking plate fixation and autogenous bone grafting for clinically and radiographically confirmed nonunions, while leaving the stable lateral locking plate in situ. A clinical evaluation of the bone union time, knee joint range of motion, visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, presence of postoperative complications, and functional evaluations using the lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) were performed. Results: In all cases, bone union was achieved in an average of 6.1 months after the secondary surgery. The range of knee joint motion, weight-bearing ability, and VAS and LEFS scores improved at the final follow-up compared to the preoperative conditions. All patients could walk without walking assistive devices and did not experience pain at the fracture site. On the other hand, three patients complained of pain in the lateral knee joint caused by irritation by the lateral locking plate; hence, lateral hardware removal was performed. One patient complained of mild paresthesia at the anteromedial incision site.Severe complications, such as deep infection or metal failure, were not observed. Conclusion For nonunion with stable lateral locking plates after minimally invasive lateral locking plate fixation of distal femur fractures, additional medial locking plate fixation and autogenous bone grafting, while leaving the lateral locking plate intact, can achieve successful bone union.

OBJECTIVE: Selecting an appropriate guiding catheter to provide both sufficient supportability for working devices and sufficient distal navigability is essential for ensuring the success of a procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using the ENVOY 6F distal access (DA) guiding catheter in coil embolization of anterior circulation cerebral aneurysms.METHODS: We included 98 patients (72 [73.5%] women, median age: 63 [range: 25–84] years) who underwent endovascular coiling with the ENVOY 6F DA guiding catheter from May to November 2016. We analyzed data on patient demographics and the number of co-axial techniques to position the guiding catheter, initial and final location of the catheter, and complications related to the catheter.RESULTS: The co-axial technique was used to position the ENVOY 6F DA guiding catheter in the internal carotid artery (ICA) in 20 cases (20.41%). The initial position of the ENVOY 6F DA guiding catheter involved the cervical ICA (79.6%), horizontal petrous ICA (17.3%), and vertical petrous ICA (3.1%). Final control angiograms after endovascular coiling showed proximal change in the final, compared to the initial, position of the ENVOY 6F DA guiding catheter in 25 cases (25.51%). Procedure-related complications were observed in nine patients (9.18%), involving vasospasm in all cases; however, there was no symptomatic case.CONCLUSION: The ENVOY 6F DA guiding catheter had relatively sufficient distal navigability without symptomatic procedural complications. However, the change in the catheter position after endovascular coiling denoted insufficient supportability.
Aneurysm ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Demography ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Female ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm