Purpose: To report a case of angle-closure glaucoma caused by pupillary block in a patient with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR).Case summary: A 20-year-old man with FEVR presented with sudden-onset pain in his left eye. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.04, and the intraocular pressure (IOP) was 76 mmHg. The central anterior chamber depth was reduced to twice the corneal thickness. Gonioscopy revealed 360° angle closure. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy demonstrated a closed angle and anteriorly convex peripheral iris due to forward displacement of the lens–iris diaphragm and contact between the iris and lens. Trabeculectomy and cataract surgery were performed because the IOP was not controlled despite maximal medical therapy. At 9 months postoperatively, the IOP was 13 mmHg without the use of glaucoma medications, and the BCVA was 0.1. Conclusions In patients with FEVR, angle-closure glaucoma due to pupillary block can occur even at a young age. FEVR should be considered in young patients with acute angle-closure glaucoma.

Purpose: To report a case of angle-closure glaucoma caused by pupillary block in a patient with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR).Case summary: A 20-year-old man with FEVR presented with sudden-onset pain in his left eye. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.04, and the intraocular pressure (IOP) was 76 mmHg. The central anterior chamber depth was reduced to twice the corneal thickness. Gonioscopy revealed 360° angle closure. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy demonstrated a closed angle and anteriorly convex peripheral iris due to forward displacement of the lens–iris diaphragm and contact between the iris and lens. Trabeculectomy and cataract surgery were performed because the IOP was not controlled despite maximal medical therapy. At 9 months postoperatively, the IOP was 13 mmHg without the use of glaucoma medications, and the BCVA was 0.1. Conclusions In patients with FEVR, angle-closure glaucoma due to pupillary block can occur even at a young age. FEVR should be considered in young patients with acute angle-closure glaucoma.

Purpose: To report a case of angle-closure glaucoma caused by pupillary block in a patient with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR).Case summary: A 20-year-old man with FEVR presented with sudden-onset pain in his left eye. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.04, and the intraocular pressure (IOP) was 76 mmHg. The central anterior chamber depth was reduced to twice the corneal thickness. Gonioscopy revealed 360° angle closure. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy demonstrated a closed angle and anteriorly convex peripheral iris due to forward displacement of the lens–iris diaphragm and contact between the iris and lens. Trabeculectomy and cataract surgery were performed because the IOP was not controlled despite maximal medical therapy. At 9 months postoperatively, the IOP was 13 mmHg without the use of glaucoma medications, and the BCVA was 0.1. Conclusions In patients with FEVR, angle-closure glaucoma due to pupillary block can occur even at a young age. FEVR should be considered in young patients with acute angle-closure glaucoma.

Background: To evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of a neurofeedback wearable device for stress reduction. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, controlled study was designed. Participants had psychological stress with depression or sleep disturbances. They practiced either neurofeedback-assisted meditation (n = 20; female, 15 [75.0%]; age, 49.40 ± 11.76 years) or neurofeedback non-assisted meditation (n = 18; female, 11 [61.1%]; age, 48.67 ± 12.90 years) for 12 minutes twice a day for two weeks. Outcome variables were self-reported questionnaires, including the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and State Trait Anxiety Index, quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), and blood tests. Satisfaction with device use was measured at the final visit. Results: The experimental group had a significant change in PSS score after two weeks of intervention compared with the control group (6.45 ± 0.95 vs. 3.00 ± 5.54, P = 0.037). State anxiety tended to have a greater effect in the experimental group than in the control group (P = 0.078). Depressive mood and sleep also improved in each group, with no significant difference between the two groups. There were no significant differences in stress-related physiological parameters, such as stress hormones or qEEG, between the two groups.Subjective device satisfaction was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P = 0.008). Conclusion Neurofeedback-assisted meditation using a wearable device can help improve subjective stress reduction compared with non-assisted meditation. These results support neurofeedback as an effective adjunct to meditation for relieving stress.

BACKGROUND: Long term patency of arterial graft has been better than venous graft and redo coronary artery bypass grafting has been increasing, therefore, there has been an increasing need for alternative arterial grafts except internal thoracic artery(ITA). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Right gastroepiploic arteries(RGEA) were harvested from 100 patients who had received gastrectomy for gastric cancer or ulcer. ITAs were obtained from 10 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. The length of RGEA was measured from the pyloric ring. Items of the morphometric and histologic study at the pyloric ring and sites of the 10cm and 20cm RGEA from the pyloric ring were luminal diameter, intimal thickness, medial thickness, wall thickness, degree of intimal hyperplasia, intimal thickness, medial thickness, wall thickness, degree of intimal hyperplasia, intimal thickness index, medial thickness index, and the number of discontinuities of the internal elastic lamina. Similar items were applied to the proximal site of ITAs. RESULT: The length of RGEA was 23+/-2.7cm(range 17~31cm). Comparing the 20cm RGEA with ITA, intimal thickness, medial thickness, wall thickness, and degree of intimal hyperplasia did not show any difference(p>0.05). However, 20cm RGEA was greater than ITA at the luminal diameter, intimal thickness index, and the number thickness and wall thickness in each site of the RGEA(pyloric ring, 10cm, 20cm) decreased from the pyloric ring to the distal sites(p<0.05). The degree of intimal hyperplasia and the number of discontinuities of the internal elastic lamina did not show any difference between the pyloric ring and 10cm, however, those of 20cm were smaller than these sites(p<0.05). RGEA had more number of discontinuities of the internal elastic lamina and rich smooth muscle cells in the media than ITA. CONCLUSION: The length and diameter of RGEA is good enough to reach most of the coronary arteries. Moreover, long term patency of RGEA may be improved, if anastomosed in the distal site.
Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Gastrectomy ; Gastroepiploic Artery* ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Phenobarbital ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Transplants ; Ulcer

Objective: Insomnia disorder is a common condition with considerable harmful effects on health. We investigated the therapeutic efficacy and safety of low-frequency transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (LF-TENS) as an alternative treatment option for insomnia disorder. Methods: A 4-week, multi-center, randomized controlled study was conducted. A total of 160 individuals aged 40 to 80 years with insomnia disorder were included and randomized to the experimental group receiving active device (n=81) or control group receiving sham device (n=79). Both groups used the device for four weeks, more than five days a week. The participants also completed pre- and post-intervention assessment with questionnaires, sleep diaries, wrist actigraphy, and blood tests. Results: There was no significant between-group difference in the changes of mood and sleep parameters and blood test results among the two study groups. Meanwhile, in the exploratory sub-group analysis of patients aged over 60 years, the experimental group showed better improvement after intervention in the change of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score (-2.63±3.25 vs. -1.20±2.28, p=0.039; Cohen’s d=0.99 vs. 0.45) and blood cortisol level (-1.65±3.37 μg/dL vs. -0.16±3.49 μg/dL, p=0.007; Cohen’s d=0.56 vs. 0.05). In addition, no serious adverse reaction occurred during the study period in both groups. Conclusion The effect of LF-TENS was limited to older patients aged over 60 years, which might be related to the modulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.

Background: Hematocrit is usually measured from venous blood collected by invasive venipuncture. This study was performed to determine hematocrit accurately and precisely using minimally invasive volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) technique.Such technique is to be applied to determining hematocrit in various clinical settings for the care, including therapeutic drug monitoring, of neonatal or epileptic patients, or patients with high risk of infection or bleeding. Methods: The study was performed using 31 VAMS samples obtained from 21 pancreatic cancer patients. Hematocrit was determined using the values of potassium concentrations obtained from blood in VAMS tips (HctVAMS ). HctVAMS was compared with hematocrit measured from blood collected by venipuncture (HctVP ). The accuracy and precision of HctVAMS in comparison to HctVP were evaluated using BlandAltman plot, Deming regression and mountain plot. Results: Bland-Altman plot displayed a random scattering pattern of the differences between HctVAMS and HctVP with the mean bias of −0.010 and the 95% limit of agreement ranging from −0.063 to 0.044.Deming regression for HctVAMS and HctVP line demonstrated very small proportional and constant biases of 1.04 and −0.003, respectively. Mountain plot exhibited a narrow and symmetrical distribution of the differences with their median of −0.011 and central 95% range from −0.049 to 0.033. Conclusion Hematocrit was accurately and precisely determined using less invasive VAMS technique. Such technique appears to be applicable to determining hematocrit in situations that venipuncture is not favorable or possible.

Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula can occur in a variety of clinical situations including liver diseases, infections, metastatic carcinomas, systemic disorders, and after the palliation of congenital heart diseases. A 72-day-old male infant with Tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia underwent surgical correction without difficulty. However, ventilator weaning in the ICU failed initially because of an unexplained postoperative hypoxemia(FiO2: 0.8, PaO2: 40 mmHg, SaO2: 80~90%). Postoperative follow-up lung perfusin scan at postoperative 15 days showed right-to-left shunt(33.6%) and ventilator weaning was performed on the 20th day after the operation (FiO2: 0.4, PaO2, 50mmHg, SaO2: 86.9%). Arterial oxygen saturation under room air was 80~85% at 7 months postoperatively. One and half year follow-up lung perfusion scan showed decreased amount of right-to-left shunt (11.2%). We report a case with a review of the literatures.
Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Infant ; Liver Diseases ; Lung ; Male ; Oxygen ; Perfusion ; Pulmonary Atresia ; Tetralogy of Fallot* ; Ventilator Weaning

Primary malignant lymphomas of the lung are rare neoplasms representing 3.6% of all extranodal lymphomas and less than 1% of pulmonary malignancies, with its distinct clinicopathological features. A 60-year-old symptomatic man, who was a former non-smoker, had a cough and sputum. Chest roentgenogram and computed tomographic scan showed the presence of a posterior mass in the basal segment of the right lung. Transthoracic needle aspiration cytology was inadequate for the diagnosis of cancer. A subsequent right thoracotomy was carried out, which showed a primary pulmonary lymphoma of the bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue.
Cough ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lymphoid Tissue* ; Lymphoma* ; Middle Aged ; Needles ; Sputum ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax