PURPOSE: Chemical lights, also called Luminous Sticks, consist of a solution of diphenyl oxalate (C14H10O4) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Human tissue can be damaged when the mixed solution contacts the human body. The authors report a single case of chemical injury of keratoconjunctiva by exposure to chemical lights. CASE SUMMARY: A 47-year-old man's right eye accidentally contacted the fluorescent material when breaking a Luminous Stick 7 days before being referred to our clinic. He had pain in the right eye and experienced visual loss. The patient's best corrected visual acuity in the right eye was 20/50. An ulcerative lesion with edema at the inferior bulbar and palpebral conjunctiva and coneal epithelial defect was observed upon biomicroscopic examination. The patient was hospitalized and antibiotics, steroids, mydriatic and artificial tear eye drops were applied for treatment. After 9 days of treatment, the best corrected visual acuity of the patient recovered to 20/20, and the conjunctiva and cornea were mostly healed. No complication was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Chemical lights are commonly used in concerts and festivals. If the contents contact the eyes when breaking he chemical lights, various chemical burns can occur and cause ophthalmologic complications. Since no regulations have been passed regarding chemical lights, safety education and supervision are considered to be necessary for children.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biphenyl Compounds ; Burns, Chemical ; Child ; Conjunctiva ; Cornea ; Edema ; Eye ; Holidays ; Human Body ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Light ; Middle Aged ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Organization and Administration ; Social Control, Formal ; Steroids ; Tears ; Ulcer ; Visual Acuity

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is defined as rapidly progressive necrosis of subcutaneous fat and fascia. Although NF of the face is rare, its mortality rate is nearly 30%. It usually originates from dental infection and can lead to involvement of the neck, mediastinum, and chest wall. Complications resulting from pre-existing systemic diseases can increase the mortality rate. Known complication factors for NF include diabetes, malnutrition, advanced age, peripheral vascular disease, renal failure, and obesity. Here, we report a case of NF originating from dental infection in an 88-year-old woman already diagnosed with hypertension, thoracic aortic aneurysm, and renal diseases. Such conditions limited adequate surgical and antibiotic treatment. However, interdisciplinary treatment involving multiple departments was implemented with good results.
Aged, 80 and over ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic ; Fascia ; Fasciitis, Necrotizing* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Malnutrition ; Mediastinum ; Mortality ; Neck ; Necrosis ; Obesity ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; Renal Insufficiency ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Thoracic Wall

Cystic dilatation of the biliary tree, so called choledochal cyst, is an uncommon disease and is not uncommonly associated with carcinoma. The most symptoms on. presentation are abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice, and palpable mass. The prognosis of these lesions is dismal. Recently we experienced a case of carcinoma arising in a choledochal cyst in 27-year-old male complaining jaundice and fever. ERCP revealed marked dilated the CBD and obstruction of the proximal portion of the CHD. A computerized tomographic scan and percutaneous cholangiogram showed cystic dilatation of both intrahepatic ducts and solid mass in the left hepatic duct. The patient was treated with surgical resection. Pathologic studies disclosed an adenosquamous carcinoma.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Biliary Tract ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Choledochal Cyst* ; Dilatation ; Fever ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Male ; Prognosis ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of Proton Resonance Frequency (PRF) shift based magnetic resonance (MR) temperature mapping utilizing the selfdeveloped center array-sequencing phase unwrapping (PU) method for non-invasive temperature monitoring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The computer simulation was done on the PU algorithm for performance evaluation before further application to MR thermometry. The MR experiments were conducted in two approaches namely PU experiment, and temperature mapping experiment based on the PU technique with all the image postprocessing implemented in MATLAB. A 1.5T MR scanner employing a knee coil with T2* GRE (Gradient Recalled Echo) pulse sequence were used throughout the experiments. Various subjects such as water phantom, orange, and agarose gel phantom were used for the assessment of the self-developed PU algorithm. The MR temperature mapping experiment was initially attempted on the agarose gel phantom only with the application of a custom-made thermoregulating water pump as the heating source. Heat was generated to the phantom via hot water circulation whilst temperature variation was observed with T-type thermocouple. The PU program was implemented on the reconstructed wrapped phase images prior to map the temperature distribution of subjects. As the temperature change is directly proportional to the phase difference map, the absolute temperature could be estimated from the summation of the computed temperature difference with the measured ambient temperature of subjects. RESULTS: The PU technique successfully recovered and removed the phase wrapping artifacts on MR phase images with various subjects by producing a smooth and continuous phase map thus producing a more reliable temperature map. CONCLUSION: This work presented a rapid, and robust self-developed center arraysequencing PU algorithm feasible for the application of MR temperature mapping according to the PRF phase shift property.
Artifacts ; Citrus sinensis ; Computer Simulation ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Knee ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Protons ; Sepharose ; Thermography ; Thermometry ; Water

PURPOSE: This study proposes the keyhole method in order to improve the time resolution of the proton resonance frequency(PRF) MR temperature monitoring technique. The values of Root Mean Square (RMS) error of measured temperature value and Signal-to-Noise Ratio(SNR) obtained from the keyhole and full phase encoded temperature images were compared. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PRF method combined with GRE sequence was used to get MR temperature images using a clinical 1.5T MR scanner. It was conducted on the tissue-mimic 2% agarose gel phantom and swine's hock tissue. A MR compatible coaxial slot antenna driven by microwave power generator at 2.45GHz was used to heat the object in the magnetic bore for 5 minutes followed by a sequential acquisition of MR raw data during 10 minutes of cooling period. The acquired raw data were transferred to PC after then the keyhole images were reconstructed by taking the central part of K-space data with 128, 64, 32 and 16 phase encoding lines while the remaining peripheral parts were taken from the 1st reference raw data. The RMS errors were compared with the 256 full encoded self-reference temperature image while the SNR values were compared with the zero filling images. RESULTS: As phase encoding number at the center part on the keyhole temperature images decreased to 128, 64, 32 and 16, the RMS errors of the measured temperature increased to 0.538, 0.712, 0.768 and 0.845degrees C, meanwhile SNR values were maintained as the phase encoding number of keyhole part is reduced. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the keyhole technique is successfully applied to temperature monitoring procedure to increases the temporal resolution by standardizing the matrix size, thus maintained the SNR values. In future, it is expected to implement the MR real time thermal imaging using keyhole method which is able to reduce the scan time with minimal thermal variations.
Hot Temperature ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Microwaves ; Protons ; Sepharose ; Tarsus, Animal ; Thermography

Tendon and ligament (T/L) have been known to be obviously different from each other in tissue level. However, due to the overlapping gene markers, distinction in cellular level has not been clearly verified yet. Recently, the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has shown the potential to detect biological markers in cellular level. Therefore, in this study we applied a non-invasive technique based on NMR spectroscopy to establish biomarkers to distinguish between T/L fibroblasts. In addition the cellular morphologies and gene expression patterns were also investigated for comparison through optical microscopy and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). No difference was observed from morphology and real-time PCR results, either as expected. However, we found clear differences in their metabolomic spectra using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The calculated integral values of fatty acids (with chemical shifts at ~0.9, 1.26, 1.59, 2.05, 2.25, and 2.81 ppm), lactate (~1.33 ppm), and leucine (~2.72 ppm) were significantly different between the two types of fibroblasts. To be specific tendon group exhibited higher level of the metabolite than ligament group. In conclusion, in-cell metabolomic evaluation by NMR technique used in this study is believed to provide a promising tool in distinguishing cell types, especially T/L cells, which cannot be classified by conventional biological assays.
Biological Assay ; Biomarkers ; Fatty Acids ; Fibroblasts* ; Gene Expression ; Genes, Overlapping ; Lactic Acid ; Leucine ; Ligaments* ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy* ; Metabolomics ; Microscopy ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spectrum Analysis* ; Tendons*

Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Airway Obstruction ; Angioedema ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Diagnosis ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Larynx ; Lip ; Middle Aged ; Radiography, Panoramic ; Tongue

Objective: This study aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of the RKP00156 vaginal tablet, a CDK9 inhibitor, in healthy women and patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2). Methods: We conducted a phase 1/2a clinical trial of RKP00156. In step 1, RKP00156 at a dose of 10, 25, or 50 mg or a placebo tablet was administered transvaginally to 24 healthy women.In step 2, RKP00156 at a dose of 10, 25, or 50 mg or a placebo tablet was administered once daily for 4 weeks in 62 patients with CIN2. The primary endpoints of this trial were the safety of RKP00156 and the change in the human papillomavirus (HPV) viral load. Results: A total of 86 patients were enrolled and randomized. RKP00156 administration did not cause serious drug-associated adverse events (AEs). Although no significant difference in the HPV viral load was found between the experimental and placebo groups, a reduction in the HPV viral load was observed in the 25 mg-dose group (−98.61%; 95% confidence interval=−99.83%, 4.52%; p=0.046) after treatment completion in patients with a high HPV viral load, despite a lack of statistical power. No differences in histologic regression and HPV clearance were observed. Conclusion The safety of RKP00156 was proved with no serious AEs. Although the study did not show any significance in histologic regression and HPV clearance, our findings indicate that RKP00156 may have a possibility of short-term inhibitory effect on HPV replication in patients with higher viral loads.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of the RKP00156 vaginal tablet, a CDK9 inhibitor, in healthy women and patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2). Methods: We conducted a phase 1/2a clinical trial of RKP00156. In step 1, RKP00156 at a dose of 10, 25, or 50 mg or a placebo tablet was administered transvaginally to 24 healthy women.In step 2, RKP00156 at a dose of 10, 25, or 50 mg or a placebo tablet was administered once daily for 4 weeks in 62 patients with CIN2. The primary endpoints of this trial were the safety of RKP00156 and the change in the human papillomavirus (HPV) viral load. Results: A total of 86 patients were enrolled and randomized. RKP00156 administration did not cause serious drug-associated adverse events (AEs). Although no significant difference in the HPV viral load was found between the experimental and placebo groups, a reduction in the HPV viral load was observed in the 25 mg-dose group (−98.61%; 95% confidence interval=−99.83%, 4.52%; p=0.046) after treatment completion in patients with a high HPV viral load, despite a lack of statistical power. No differences in histologic regression and HPV clearance were observed. Conclusion The safety of RKP00156 was proved with no serious AEs. Although the study did not show any significance in histologic regression and HPV clearance, our findings indicate that RKP00156 may have a possibility of short-term inhibitory effect on HPV replication in patients with higher viral loads.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of the RKP00156 vaginal tablet, a CDK9 inhibitor, in healthy women and patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2). Methods: We conducted a phase 1/2a clinical trial of RKP00156. In step 1, RKP00156 at a dose of 10, 25, or 50 mg or a placebo tablet was administered transvaginally to 24 healthy women.In step 2, RKP00156 at a dose of 10, 25, or 50 mg or a placebo tablet was administered once daily for 4 weeks in 62 patients with CIN2. The primary endpoints of this trial were the safety of RKP00156 and the change in the human papillomavirus (HPV) viral load. Results: A total of 86 patients were enrolled and randomized. RKP00156 administration did not cause serious drug-associated adverse events (AEs). Although no significant difference in the HPV viral load was found between the experimental and placebo groups, a reduction in the HPV viral load was observed in the 25 mg-dose group (−98.61%; 95% confidence interval=−99.83%, 4.52%; p=0.046) after treatment completion in patients with a high HPV viral load, despite a lack of statistical power. No differences in histologic regression and HPV clearance were observed. Conclusion The safety of RKP00156 was proved with no serious AEs. Although the study did not show any significance in histologic regression and HPV clearance, our findings indicate that RKP00156 may have a possibility of short-term inhibitory effect on HPV replication in patients with higher viral loads.