Pathological laughing and crying(PLC) is a condition that is characterized by episodic, brief, contextually inappropriate, uncontrollable outbursts of laughing and/or crying. It can be observed in patients with various neurological disorders. PLC often causes distress in interpersonal functioning and activities for patients and their families. PLC can be recognized easily with proper understanding of the condition and its nature. Also it generally shows good response to various pharmacological treatments. This review aims to encourage the diagnosis and treatment of PLC by providing definition and clinical presentation of PLC, analysis of its pathophysiology and various current treatment options.
Crying* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Nervous System Diseases

Background: Onychomycosis, a common fungal nail infection, particularly affects the elderly. The diagnostic accuracy of a potassium hydroxide (KOH) smear, a primary diagnostic method, can vary based on the examiner’s proficiency. Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of KOH smears in a real-world setting and the influence of clinical and practical factors on onychomycosis. Methods: This study included 381 patients who underwent KOH smear and histopathological staining for nail diseases at Seoul National University Hospital between March 2020 and February 2023. The study evaluated the diagnostic utility of the KOH smear, including its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic odds ratio. We investigated the influence of factors such as training duration of examiners, prior history of antifungal treatment, and lesion location on diagnostic utility. Results: Of the 381 patients, 139 were male (36.5%) and 242 were female (63.5%). Onychomycosis was the most common diagnosis (59.3%), with 34.1% of patients reporting prior antifungal therapy within the past 6 months. The sensitivity of the monthly KOH smear varied from 16.7% to 70.0% with an annual sensitivity of 48.1%. The specificity ranged from 83.3% to 100.0%, with an annual specificity of 90.3%. While prior antifungal therapy decreased the sensitivity and specificity, no statistical significance was observed. Examiner's experience, measured by training duration, was not associated with sensitivity or specificity. Among patients with a history of antifungal treatment, an increasing number of KOH smear tests showed reduced sensitivity. Conclusion Variations in the diagnostic utility of the KOH smear test, influenced by various factors, highlight the necessity for cautious interpretation in clinical settings.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide a basis for non-humidified low flow oxygen by nasal cannula and to provide a guide for consistent care in nursing practice. METHODS: A methodological study on the development of guidelines with experts' opinions on collected items, framing PICO questions, evaluating and synthesizing texts which were searched with the key words (low flow oxygen, nasal cannula, humidification of oxygen, guideline) from web search engines. RESULTS: Of the 45 researched texts on the web, 9 texts relevant to the theme were synthesized and evaluated. All patients with humidified or non-humidified oxygen therapy reported that they had no discomfort. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that there are no tangible grounds for patients' perceived differences between the humidified and non-humidified oxygen under 4L/min supplied by nasal cannula. with oxygen. Therefore, non-humidification oxygen therapy is strongly advised when suppling under 4L/min oxygen by nasal cannula (recommended grade A).
Catheters ; Humans ; Oxygen

PURPOSE: To understand the relationship between tibial bone defect and extent of medial release in total knee arthroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 32 knees in 22 patients with variable degrees of tibial bone defect on medial plateau has undergone total knee arthroplasty. In this study, 31 cases had been diagnosed as degenerative osteoarthritis and 1 case was osteonecrosis. We excluded cases with infection, traumatic arthritis, or neuropathic joints. With regard to gender, 29 cases were female and 3 cases were male. The following relationships were analyzed: preoperative degrees of tibial bone defect and varus deformity; the femorotibial angle of both weight-bearing whole extremity radiogram, distractive stress radiogram, and the extent of medial release. RESULTS: Average tibial bone defect was 9.8+/-4.1 mm. Average femorotibial angle on weight-bearing whole extremity radiograph was varus 10.0degrees+/-6.2degrees. Average femorotibial angle on distractive stress radiograph was varus 0.7degrees+/-4.6degrees. Statistically the extent of medial release showed no significant relationship with the degree of tibial bone defect and femoro-tibial angle of whole extremity radiogram. However, it revealed a statistically significant relationship with the femorotibial angle on distractive radiogram (r=0.465, p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative distractive stress radiograph might be a useful method to predict the extent of intraoperative medial release during total knee arthroplasty.
Arthritis ; Arthroplasty ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Male ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteonecrosis ; Weight-Bearing

Osseointegration, the histological direct bone-to-implant contact, is the ultimate goal of implant healing and the first prerequisite for long-term success of endosseous implants. It is well-known that metal implants with rough surfaces achieve better osseointegration than those with smooth surfaces in vivo. The implantation of metal materials into bone is always accompanied by bleeding. The implant surface is initially coated with blood and these initial events could determine subsequent osseointegration. However, there is little concordance between in vitro results and in vivo findings regarding the effect of surface roughness on osseointegration. Here, we show that the osteoblast response to metal surfaces pre-treated with platelets and plasma proteins elucidates the superior osseointegration of rough surfaced implants in vivo. We found that osteoblast attachment, proliferation, and osteoblastic differentiation were significantly higher on a rough titanium surface pre-treated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) than on the same surface without pretreatment. Furthermore, we found that the three-dimensional fibrillar network formed on the rough surface of the titanium by PRP pre-treatment might enhance osteoblast responses. Our results demonstrate why osseointegration is found to be most active on metal implants with a rough surface in vivo. We anticipate that our assay would be a useful tool for mimicking the in vivo model of osseointegration. Because cellular responses to the titanium implant that are pre-treated with platelet and plasma proteins on their surfaces after the biomimetic process in vitro, may be more similar to the events that occur in vivo.
Alloys* ; Biomimetics ; Blood Platelets ; Blood Proteins ; Hemorrhage ; Humans* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Osseointegration ; Osteoblasts* ; Platelet-Rich Plasma* ; Titanium*

BACKGROUND: It is well known that ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, inhibits smooth muscle contractions induced by high KCl and receptor agonists such as carbachol, histamine and endothelin. It has been reported that the inhibitory effect is mediated by a decrease in Ca2+ influx through the plasma membrane in smooth muscle. However, the mechanism of action for ketamine is not fully understood. In the present study, the effect of ketamine on Ca2+ -dependent and -independent carbachol and epidermal growth factor (EGF) contractions was investigated in rat tracheal smooth muscle. METHODS: Tracheal smooth muscle strips from Sprague-Dawley rats were mounted in an organ bath with physiological salt solution (PSS, pH 7.4, 37oC). When high KCl and carbachol (1, 10 micrometer) induced contraction and verapamil and ketamine attenuated contraction, and when EGF or carbachol alone and EGF plus carbachol in Ca2+ free media induced contration and verapamil and ketamine inhibited contration, the changes in tention of the muscle strips were measured. RESULTS: 1) Ketamine inhibited the contractions stimulated by high KCl (70 mM) and carbachol (1, 10 micrometer) in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect was more marked in the 1 micrometer carbachol preparation than in the 10 micrometer carbachol preparation. 2) Although the contraction induced by carbachol (1 micrometer) was attenuated by verapamil (10 micrometer), a voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel blocker, the degree of inhibition was not complete, but only partial. The verapamil-insensitive portion of the contraction induced by carbachol was completely inhibited by the cumulative application of ketamine. 3) EGF (1 mg/ml), a tyrosine kinase-associated growth factor, or carbachol alone did not induce contraction in Ca2+ -free PSS (1 mM EGTA). However EGF plus carbachol contracted tracheal smooth muscle in the Ca2+ -free media and it was completely inhibited by ketamine but not by verapamil. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ketamine inhibits the smooth muscle contraction including both verapamil-sensitive and -insensitive Ca2+ increments and by Ca2+ -independent contraction mechanisms.
Animals ; Baths ; Carbachol* ; Cell Membrane ; Endothelins ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Histamine ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Ketamine* ; Muscle, Smooth ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Trachea* ; Tyrosine ; Verapamil

Whiplash injury in low-speed traffic accidents are not objectively verified by medical equipment, thereby creating scope for misuse, which has resulted in huge social losses worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of low-speed vehicular rear-impact collisions on middle-aged men, and to analyze the head and neck injury criteria for the symptomatic human volunteers. Data was examined from the results of 50 dynamic sled tests, originally performed by Hong et al. (2012). In the previous tests, 50 men aged 30~50 years were exposed to an impulse equivalent to a bumper-to-bumper rear collision under medical supervision, and no resulting whiplash injury was identified. In this study, for 6 subjects who experienced dull aches over their bodies, head injury criteria (HIC15) and neck injury criteria (N(km)) were calculated according to the accelerations, forces, and moments at the occipital condyle measured by motion capture system. Although there were no changes in magnetic resonance imaging findings in all subjects at the pre-/post-test orthopedic examination, 6 subjects revealed mild aches around the shoulder, back, or lumbar area, and their symptoms disappeared within 2 days. The head and neck injury criteria, HIC15 (3.086 +/- 2.942) and N(km) (0.077 +/- 0.064) were obtained, and the maximum HIC15 and N(km) were found to be significantly lower than the critical injury assessment reference values (HIC15: 700, N(km): 0.3). Moreover, even though 2 subjects were exposed to the same level of change of velocity (7.9 km/h), each N(km) was significantly different (0.179, 0.057). One can therefore conclude that N(km) can vary according to voluntary movements in the human subject.
Acceleration ; Accidents, Traffic ; Aged ; Automobiles ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Head ; Human Experimentation ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neck ; Neck Injuries ; Organization and Administration ; Orthopedics ; Reference Values ; Shoulder ; Whiplash Injuries

To evaluate the refractive error and glasses wering state, we performed screening eye examination on elementary school children living in rural area. Among 1254 shcool children(male : 542, female : 712), 352(28.1%) children were emmetropia and 902(71.9%) children ametropia. Three hundred ninety two(72.3%) of 542 male students and 510(71.6%) of 712 female students were not emmetropia. There was no statistical significance in sexual difference of refractive errors. As refractive errors, 38.3%(481) were myopia, 27.8%(348) hyperopia, and 5.8%(73( mixed astigmatism respectively. In diopteric distribution of refractive errors, refractive error under +/-2.0D was 72.0%(650/902). Among children with refractive errors, 333(36.9%) children did not require glasses, but rest of childfen needed glasses. Three hundred nine(34.3%) children did not wear glasses inspite of refractive errors, 33(3.7%) children were wearing incorrect glasses and 2 children were wearing glasses unnecessarily. In children, early eye examination is essential for their eye health. Therefore attention to early eye examination and correct glasses wearing seem to be very important especially for child living in rural area.
Astigmatism ; Child* ; Emmetropia ; Eyeglasses ; Female ; Glass ; Humans ; Hyperopia ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Myopia ; Refractive Errors

No abstract available.
Antioxidants/*metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*blood

Factitious fever has been a rare cause of fever of unknown origin. We herein report a case of a young soldier, who presented with persistent fever of unusual pattern and bullae on both palms. After numerous investigations had excluded organic diseases, factitious fever was diagnosed with measurement of the freshly voided urine temperatures and body temperatures while directly observed. Biopsy of skin lesions revealed friction blister. Early recognition of this cause of fever is needed to avoid the unnecessary investigation and prolonged hospitalization.
Biopsy ; Blister ; Body Temperature ; Factitious Disorders ; Fever of Unknown Origin ; Fever* ; Friction ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Military Personnel ; Skin