Melorheostosis is a rare type of sclerosing bone dysplasia with an incidence of approximately 0.9 per million individuals. This disease predominantly affects the appendicular skeleton, with rare involvement of the axial skeleton. Patients with spinal melorheostosis may present with symptoms such as scoliosis, stiffness, back pain, progressive myelopathy, radiculopathy, and vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Surgical management for spinal melorheostosis has been reported, but it remains exceedingly rare. Here, we present the case of a 67-year-old woman with incidental findings on thoracic vertebral imaging from a preoperative chest computed tomography scan performed for shoulder surgery. The patient had experienced gait disturbances and mild, motion-related back pain for approximately 2 to 3 years, along with a recent symptom of mild tingling sensations in both feet. A diagnosis of spinal melorheostosis was considered based on the characteristic imaging findings. In this case, rather than prioritizing the severity of the current symptoms, we focused on the location and extent of osteosclerotic lesions, which are directly associated with the potential development of neurological complications. Therefore, we opted for surgical treatment involving decompression and screw fixation. The patient’s symptoms were relieved without significant surgical complications over a 1-year follow-up period.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to find out the relationship between the airborne toluene concentrations and the daily urinary metabolites such as hippuric acid and o-cresol for a sequential 5 days and to provide the appropriate sampling time for a special physical examination in the workers exposed to toluene. METHODS: The volunteers of 36 workers in the shoe making company were selected to measure the concentrations of airborne toluene exposure and to sample the daily urines in pre and end-shift for sequential 5 days form Monday to Friday and to get self-administered questionnaire including the items such as job records, disease records, smoking, alcohol drinking, eating some foods containing benzoic acid before work. RESULTS: The geometric means of toluene concentrations showed 46.40 ppm as the lowest value on Monday and 62.31 ppm as the highest one on Thursday. But there is no significant difference between both of those. The concentrations of hippuric acid and o-cresol in urine sampled on end-shift were higher than that of the others and showed statistically significant differences on each day. The metabolites of toluene were not related with taking alcohol and some foods containing benzoic acid as a result of logistic regression. CONCLUSION: From the above results, it is suggested that the hippuric acid and o-cresol in urine be very useful for biological monitoring in the workers exposed to toluene. Moreover, the daily hippuric acid and o-cresol concentrations in urine are also important for toluene exposure assessment and the further study has to be conducted to find out the tendency of biological exposure indices for continuous toluene exposure.
Alcohol Drinking ; Benzoic Acid ; Eating ; Environmental Monitoring ; Logistic Models ; Physical Examination ; Shoes ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Toluene* ; Volunteers ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Gross anatomy and sectional anatomy of a monkey should be known by students and researchers of veterinary medicine and medical research. However, materials to learn the anatomy of a monkey are scarce. Thus, the objective of this study was to produce a Visible Monkey data set containing cross sectional images, computed tomographs (CTs), and magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of a monkey whole body. METHODS: Before and after sacrifice, a female rhesus monkey was used for 3 Tesla MRI and CT scanning. The monkey was frozen and sectioned at 0.05 mm intervals for the head region and at 0.5 mm intervals for the rest of the body using a cryomacrotome. Each sectioned surface was photographed using a digital camera to obtain horizontal sectioned images. Segmentation of sectioned images was performed to elaborate three-dimensional (3D) models of the skin and brain. RESULTS: A total of 1,612 horizontal sectioned images of the head and 1,355 images of the remaining region were obtained. The small pixel size (0.024 mm × 0.024 mm) and real color (48 bits color) of these images enabled observations of minute structures. CONCLUSION: Due to small intervals of these images, continuous structures could be traced completely. Moreover, 3D models of the skin and brain could be used for virtual dissections. Sectioned images of this study will enhance the understanding of monkey anatomy and foster further studies. These images will be provided to any requesting researcher free of charge.
Anatomy, Cross-Sectional ; Brain ; Dataset ; Female ; Haplorhini ; Head ; Humans ; Macaca mulatta ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Primates ; Skin ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Veterinary Medicine

This report describes the first clinical case of a transfusion-associated Mycoplasma haemocanis infection in a dog in Korea. A 6-year-old male Maltese underwent a red blood cell transfusion for idiopathic immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. Eighteen days after the blood transfusion, the recipient’s packed cell volume decreased and basophilic organisms were found on erythrocytes. A polymerase chain reaction and sequential analysis showed that both the donor dog and recipient dog had M. haemocanis. Six weeks after doxycycline administration, no organisms were detected and the recipient’s anemia had improved.

A new blood bank system was established in our trauma bay, which allowed immediate utilization of uncross-matched type O packed red blood cells (UORBCs). We investigated the efficacy of UORBC compared to that of the ABO type-specific packed red blood cells (ABO RBCs) from before the bank was installed. From March 2016 to February 2017, data from trauma patients who received UORBCs in the trauma bay were compared with those of trauma patients who received ABO RBCs from January 2013 to December 2015. Propensity matching was used to overcome retrospective bias. The primary outcome was 24-hour mortality, while the secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS). Data from 252 patients were reviewed and UORBCs were administered to 64 patients. The time to transfusion from emergency room admission was shorter in the UORBC group (11 [7–16] minutes vs. 44 [29–72] minutes, P < 0.001). After propensity matching, 47 patients were included in each group. The 24-hour mortality (4 [8.5%] vs. 9 [13.8%], P = 0.135), in-hospital mortality (14 [29.8%] vs. 18 [38.3%], P = 0.384), and ICU LOS (9 [4–19] days vs. 5 [0–19] days, P = 0.155) did not differ significantly between groups. The utilization of UORBCs resulted in a faster transfusion but did not significantly improve the clinical outcomes in traumatic shock patients in this study. However, the tendency for lower mortality in the UORBC group suggested the need for a large study.
Bays ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Blood Banks ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Erythrocyte Transfusion* ; Erythrocytes* ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Mortality ; Propensity Score* ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock* ; Shock, Traumatic ; Trauma Centers ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Aluminum* ; Parkinsonian Disorders*

A variety of toxins cause parkinsonism and the lesions are primarily in the pallidostriatum. It usually does not respond to levodopa. We experienced a patient whose parkinsonian features developed after accidental acetone ingestion. She had rigidity, bradykinesia, gait disturbance and her speech was sluggish. Brain MRI showed bilateral basal ganglionic lesions. She was treated with levodopa and her neurological symptoms improved. To our knowledge, there has not been any previous reports of acetone causing parkinsonism. Acetone may cause parkinsonism by damaging the basal ganglia.
Acetone* ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Eating ; Gait ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Levodopa ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Parkinsonian Disorders*

Sixteen genomic DNA simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers of Lentinula edodes were developed from 205 SSR motifs present in 46.1-Mb long L. edodes genome sequences. The number of alleles ranged from 3–14 and the major allele frequency was distributed from 0.17–0.96. The values of observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.00–0.76 and 0.07–0.90, respectively. The polymorphic information content value ranged from 0.07–0.89. A dendrogram, based on 16 SSR markers clustered by the paired hierarchical clustering' method, showed that 33 shiitake cultivars could be divided into three major groups and successfully identified. These SSR markers will contribute to the efficient breeding of this species by providing diversity in shiitake varieties. Furthermore, the genomic information covered by the markers can provide a valuable resource for genetic linkage map construction, molecular mapping, and marker-assisted selection in the shiitake mushroom.
Alleles ; Breeding ; DNA* ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Linkage ; Genetic Variation ; Genome ; Lentinula* ; Methods ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Shiitake Mushrooms*

Purpose: We investigated the clinical features, current negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) management strategies, and outcomes of pelvic-perineal soft tissue infection after open pelvic fractures. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the data of patients admitted to our trauma center with pelvic-perineal soft tissue after open pelvic fractures over a 7-year period. We investigated the injury severity score (ISS), medical costs, number of NPWTs, time required to reach definite wound coverage, complications, fracture classifications, transfusion requirements, interventions, length of stay (LOS) in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU), and prognosis. Results: Twenty patients with open pelvic fractures were treated with NPWT, and one patient who underwent NPWT died of pelvic sepsis during ICU treatment. The median LOS in hospital and medical costs were 98 [56–164] days and 106400 [65600–171100] USD, respectively. Patients treated with instillation NPWT (iNPWT, n=10) had a shorter NPWT duration (24 [13–39] vs. 46 [42–91] days, p=0.023), time to definite wound coverage (30 [21–43] vs. 49 [42–93] days, p=0.026), and hospital LOS (56 [43–72] vs. 158 [101–192] days, p=0.001), as well as lower medical costs (67800 [42500–102500] vs. 144200 [110400–236000] USD, p=0.009) compared to those treated with conventional NPWT. Conclusion NPWT is a feasible method for treating pelvic soft tissue infections in patients with open pelvic fractures. iNPWT can reduce the duration of NPWT, hospital LOS, and medical costs.

Purpose: We investigated the clinical features, current negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) management strategies, and outcomes of pelvic-perineal soft tissue infection after open pelvic fractures. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the data of patients admitted to our trauma center with pelvic-perineal soft tissue after open pelvic fractures over a 7-year period. We investigated the injury severity score (ISS), medical costs, number of NPWTs, time required to reach definite wound coverage, complications, fracture classifications, transfusion requirements, interventions, length of stay (LOS) in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU), and prognosis. Results: Twenty patients with open pelvic fractures were treated with NPWT, and one patient who underwent NPWT died of pelvic sepsis during ICU treatment. The median LOS in hospital and medical costs were 98 [56–164] days and 106400 [65600–171100] USD, respectively. Patients treated with instillation NPWT (iNPWT, n=10) had a shorter NPWT duration (24 [13–39] vs. 46 [42–91] days, p=0.023), time to definite wound coverage (30 [21–43] vs. 49 [42–93] days, p=0.026), and hospital LOS (56 [43–72] vs. 158 [101–192] days, p=0.001), as well as lower medical costs (67800 [42500–102500] vs. 144200 [110400–236000] USD, p=0.009) compared to those treated with conventional NPWT. Conclusion NPWT is a feasible method for treating pelvic soft tissue infections in patients with open pelvic fractures. iNPWT can reduce the duration of NPWT, hospital LOS, and medical costs.