OBJECTIVE: Rising from a sitting position is a very common, yet essential activity in daily life. The activity to perform the sit-to-stand (STS) transfer is a prerequisite for upright mobility. This study aims to provide fundamental data concerning the execution of the STS, and in particularly the followings: 1) how do the angles of the lower limbs change throughout the process of rising from a chair; 2) how much motion torque and power in each joint are required per kilogram of body weight to complete the STS transfer? METHOD: Twenty-one children who have developed normally and could understand the command requested are involved as subjects. Their age ranged from 3 to 5 years old. Motion analysis of STS transfer were assessed with the Vicon 370 M.A (Oxford Metrics Limited, United Kingdom). The changes in joint angle, maximal moment and power in lower limb were calculated throughout the STS transfer. RESULTS: A series of transition points was observed in the angles of the hip, knee and ankle joints throughout the sit-to-stand movements, which was classified into five stages. The first stage is trunk and hip flexion phase; second stage, buttock take-off; third stage, ankle dorsiflexion and knee extension; forth stage, just-standing; fifth stage, stabilizing phase. The extension moment of each joint is 0.65 Nm/kg on right, 0.71 Nm/kg on left in hip, 0.41 Nm/kg on right, 0.38 Nm/kg on left in knee and 0.21 Nm/kg on right, 0.22 Nm/kg on left in ankle joint. The extension power is 0.60 watt/kg on right, 0.68 watt/kg on left in hip, 0.59 watt/kg on right, 0.50 watt/kg on left in knee and 0.15 watt/kg on right, 0.15 watt/kg on left in ankle joint. CONCLUSION: A consistent pattern was observed throughout the sit-to-stand transfer and six transition points were observed in the angles of the hip, knee and ankle joints throughout the STS transfer. By these 6 points, the movement of the STS transfer was classified into 5 stages. Major changes in angle, moment, and power of each joint were observed in sagittal plane. There were no side to side difference during the STS transfer.
Ankle ; Ankle Joint ; Body Weight ; Buttocks ; Child* ; Child, Preschool ; Hip ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Lower Extremity ; Torque

The diagnosis of drowning is one of the most difficult in forensic pathology. One of the most common autopsy findings in drowning cases is a heavy, edematous lung as the result of water that is aspirated into the lungs before death. There are several controversial findings and arguments about the lung weight as a marker of drowning. The aim of the present study is to examine the difference in the lungs to the spleen weight ratio between seawater and freshwater drowning, compared with asphyxiation and acute cardiac death. This study compared the weight ratio of the lungs to the spleen for 29 cases of drowning (24 males, 5 females), 30 cases of mechanical asphyxiation (16 males, 14 females), and 37 cases of acute cardiac death (30 males, 7 females). This study presented significant differences in the lungs to the spleen weight ratio between drowning and the other causes of death . Therefore, these findings suggest that the ratio may be a useful index for accurate diagnosis of death by drowning.
Autopsy ; Cause of Death ; Death ; Diagnosis ; Drowning* ; Forensic Pathology ; Fresh Water ; Humans ; Lung* ; Male ; Seawater ; Spleen* ; Water

Behcet's disease is an inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology with multi-organ involvement. Although it rarely involves the heart, once the heart is involved the results can be devastating. However, since cardiac involvement has various manifestations, diagnosis is challenging. The clinical features and echocardiographic findings of cardiac Behcet's may mimic culture-negative infective endocarditis. A correct diagnosis is usually made postoperatively. Here, we report the case of a 55-year-old male who was initially diagnosed with infective endocarditis that caused metastatic vertebral osteomyelitis. He underwent immediate cardiac surgery and received empirical antibiotics, but all culture findings were negative; however, he had a sustained fever and elevated inflammatory marker levels. After reviewing the results of pathologic and imaging studies, a final diagnosis of cardiac Behcet's disease was made. He was successfully treated with a high dose of corticosteroids. This report demonstrates a rare case of cardiac Behcet's disease mimicking culture-negative infective endocarditis.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Behcet Syndrome ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis* ; Fever ; Heart ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteomyelitis ; Spondylitis ; Thoracic Surgery

Orbital and paranasal actinomycosis have not been commonly reported. We report a case of this uncommon infection, which was improved after endonasal endoscopic drainage and antibiotics. A 53-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus complained of inability to lift her right upper eyelid and painful swelling over the preceding two days. Broad-spectrum antibiotics did not resolve her lesion. In ophthalmic examination, decreased visual acuity, upper and medial gaze limitation, and a relative afferent pupillary defect of her right eye were observed. Computed tomography of the orbit showed aggravated orbital cellulitis, preseptal cellulitis, subperiosteal abscess, and maxillary and ethmoid sinusitis. After endonasal endoscopic drainage and systemic antibiotics, her clinical symptoms dramatically improved. Microbiological analysis of the maxillary excisional biopsy showed Actinomycosis. This case is of interest due to the rare orbital presentation of actinomycosis infection and the importance of appropriate surgical drainage and long-term antibiotics treatment in such cases. Because delayed diagnosis and treatment of rhino-orbital actinomycosis can cause permanent vision loss or intracranial abscess, it requires careful clinical attention.
Abscess* ; Actinomycosis* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Cellulitis ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Drainage ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Ethmoid Sinusitis ; Eyelids ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Orbit* ; Orbital Cellulitis ; Pupil Disorders ; Visual Acuity