Neuropathic shoulder arthropathy or Charcot's shoulder is an extremely rare disease, and sometimes it is associated with cervical syringomyelia. Clinical symptoms of the disease include edema of the shoulder and restriction in range of motion. Radiological diagnosis can be made through plain radiography through a characteristic, atrophic destruction of the joint. We experienced a Charcot's joint of the shoulder wherein destruction of the joint progressed extremely quickly and reviewed the literature concerning this condition.
Arthropathy, Neurogenic ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Joints ; Radiography ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Rare Diseases ; Shoulder* ; Syringomyelia*

PURPOSE: The prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) among community-dwelling older women in Korea is not well known. This study examined the prevalence of UI and UI-related knowledge among community-dwelling Korean women aged 55 and over. METHOD: A cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study was conducted. Data were collected from 276 women aged 55 and over in a metropolitan city using a structured questionnaire. RESULT: Of 276 respondents, 28.3% (n = 78) reported experiencing UI. More than 50% of respondents incorrectly agreed with the statement that UI is the result of normal aging, with only 20.9% realizing that there is an exercise that can control urine leaks when one coughs, sneezes, or laughs. Older women who had sought treatment had higher mean score for UI-related knowledge. CONCLUSION: This study revealed substantial misconception about UI among community dwelling older women, demonstrating that comprehensive educational programs need to be developed to increase knowledge of UI.
Age Distribution ; *Aged/psychology/statistics & numerical data ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; Attitude to Health ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Educational Status ; Exercise Therapy ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Needs Assessment ; Patient Education as Topic/*standards ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires ; Residence Characteristics ; Risk Factors ; Self Care ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data ; *Urinary Incontinence/epidemiology/etiology/prevention & control ; Women/*education/psychology

Neuropathic shoulder arthropathy or Charcot's shoulder is an extremely rare disease, and sometimes it is associated with cervical syringomyelia. Clinical symptoms of the disease include edema of the shoulder and restriction in range of motion. Radiological diagnosis can be made through plain radiography through a characteristic, atrophic destruction of the joint. We experienced a Charcot's joint of the shoulder wherein destruction of the joint progressed extremely quickly and reviewed the literature concerning this condition.
Arthropathy, Neurogenic ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Joints ; Radiography ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Rare Diseases ; Shoulder ; Syringomyelia

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of foot reflexology on fatigue, sleep and pain. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Electronic database and manual searches were conducted on all published studies reporting the effects of foot reflexology on fatigue, sleep, and pain. Forty four studies were eligible including 15 studies associated with fatigue, 18 with sleep, and 11 with pain. The effects of foot reflexology were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2.0. The homogeneity and the fail-safe N were calculated. Moreover, a funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. RESULTS: The effects on fatigue, sleep, and pain were not homogeneous and ranged from 0.63 to 5.29, 0.01 to 3.22, and 0.43 to 2.67, respectively. The weighted averages for fatigue, sleep, and pain were 1.43, 1.19, and 1.35, respectively. No publication bias was detected as evaluated by fail-safe N. Foot reflexology had a larger effect on fatigue and sleep and a smaller effect on pain. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis indicates that foot reflexology is a useful nursing intervention to relieve fatigue and to promote sleep. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of foot reflexology on outcome variables other than fatigue, sleep and pain.
Databases, Factual ; Fatigue/*therapy ; Female ; *Foot ; Humans ; Male ; *Massage ; Pain Management/*nursing ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/*therapy

PURPOSE: Despite the high prevalence of back pain and its subsequent effects in post-partum women, intervention programs are scarce. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of a back-pain-reducing program on post-partum women who experienced low-back pain during pregnancy. METHODS: A non-equivalent control-group pretest-posttest design was used. Pregnant women who attended a hospital for prenatal check-ups and experienced back pain participated in an intervention program (n=27), and the results were compared with women in a control group from another hospital (n=25). RESULTS: At 8 weeks post-partum, the pain intensity, functional limitations were lower in the intervention group than in the control group. However, differences in mean change of the pain intensity and functional limitations between 36 and 39 weeks of gestation and at 8 weeks post-partum were not statistically significant between the groups. Moreover, the flexibility, post-partum functional status, and post-partum depression did not differ significantly between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: A back-pain-relief program in this study was not effective to reduce the back-pain intensity in post-partum women and to decrease the associated functional limitations. The implications for nursing practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Activities of Daily Living ; Adult ; Back Pain/psychology/*therapy ; Depression, Postpartum/etiology ; Exercise ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Patient Education as Topic ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications/*therapy ; *Prenatal Care ; Puerperal Disorders/*prevention & control

Background: The predictive factors for lateral neck lymph node metastasis (LLNM) in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) remain undetermined. This study investigated the clinicopathological characteristics, transcriptomes, and tumor microenvironment in PTMC according to the LLNM status. We aimed to identify the biomarkers associated with LLNM development. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with PTMC from two independent institutions between 2018 and 2022 (n=597 and n=467). We compared clinicopathological features between patients without lymph node metastasis (N0) and those with LLNM (N1b). Additionally, laser capture microdissection and RNA sequencing were performed on primary tumors from both groups, including metastatic lymph nodes from the N1b group (n=30; 20 primary tumors and 10 paired LLNMs). We corroborated the findings using RNA sequencing data from 16 BRAF-like PTMCs from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Transcriptomic analyses were validated by immunohistochemical staining. Results: Clinicopathological characteristics, such as male sex, multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, lymphatic invasion, and central node metastasis showed associations with LLNM in PTMCs. Transcriptomic profiles between the N0 and N1b PTMC groups were similar. However, tumor microenvironment deconvolution from RNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry revealed an increased abundance of tumor-associated macrophages, particularly M2 macrophages, in the N1b group. Conclusion Patients with PTMC who have a male sex, multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, lymphatic invasion, and central node metastasis exhibited an elevated risk for LLNM. Furthermore, infiltration of M2 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment potentially supports tumor progression and LLNM in PTMCs.

PURPOSE: To investigate the perception of 3-dimensional (3D) image after successful exotropia surgery and compare with Titmus stereo test. METHODS: A total of 23 children who underwent surgery for intermittent exotropia and 28 normal children were evaluated with a 3D laptop computer and Titmus stereo test. RESULTS: The mean minimal 3D scene depth level was 38.26 +/- 19.69 in the exotropia group and 33.21 +/- 16.11 in the normal group with no significant difference (p = 0.319). The mean stereoacuity was 60.97 +/- 34.23 arc sec in the exotropia group and 76.69 +/- 93.81 arc sec in the normal group with no significant difference (p = 0.444). The mean minimal 3D scene depth and mean stereoacuity showed statistically significant positive correlation in both the exotropia group (p = 0.024) and normal group (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: After a successful exotropia surgery, patients can normally perceive 3D images. Better 3D image perception can be predicted if a previously established stereo test shows good results.
Child ; Depth Perception ; Exotropia ; Humans

An 87-year-old woman visited our clinic for a scheduled cataract surgery. At the time of preoperative evaluation, slit lamp examination showed lattice-shaped and granular deposits with asymmetrical patterns in the stroma of both corneas. Genomic DNA samples of the patient, amplified by polymerase chain reaction, showed a single nucleotide substitution, c. 1580T>G (p.L527R), in the transforming growth factor-beta-induced TGFBI gene. We also found two additional SNP mutations, c.1620T>C (p.F540F) and c.1678+23G>A, along with the well-known L527R mutation. This is the first report of lattice corneal dystrophy type IV with an L527R mutation outside of Japan, and could challenge the idea that L527R is caused by a mutation from a single Japanese ancestor.
Aged, 80 and over ; Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary/diagnosis/*genetics/metabolism ; DNA/*genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; *Mutation ; Pedigree ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/*genetics/metabolism

An 87-year-old woman visited our clinic for a scheduled cataract surgery. At the time of preoperative evaluation, slit lamp examination showed lattice-shaped and granular deposits with asymmetrical patterns in the stroma of both corneas. Genomic DNA samples of the patient, amplified by polymerase chain reaction, showed a single nucleotide substitution, c. 1580T>G (p.L527R), in the transforming growth factor-beta-induced TGFBI gene. We also found two additional SNP mutations, c.1620T>C (p.F540F) and c.1678+23G>A, along with the well-known L527R mutation. This is the first report of lattice corneal dystrophy type IV with an L527R mutation outside of Japan, and could challenge the idea that L527R is caused by a mutation from a single Japanese ancestor.
Aged, 80 and over ; Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary/diagnosis/*genetics/metabolism ; DNA/*genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; *Mutation ; Pedigree ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/*genetics/metabolism

PURPOSE: Paroxysmal non-epileptic event (PNE) is a common seizure-like symptom in children. With regard to therapy, a decrease in iron levels was reported in breath-holding spells, but not in other PNEs. The effects of iron supplementation were investigated on various PNEs. METHODS: Medical records of patients who visited our clinic with seizure-like symptoms were retrospectively reviewed at Chungnam National University Hospital, from March 2013 to March 2016. RESULTS: A total of 29 patients (65.9%) were boys and 15 (34.1%) were girls. The mean gestational age and birth weight were 39.3 weeks and 3,200 g, respectively. The mean age at the time of visit was 23.5 months. Of the 11 patients who underwent brain imaging, 10 (90.9%) had normal findings and 1 (9.1%) had subdural hemorrhage. An electroencephalogram was performed in 29 patients; 26 of them had normal findings (89.7%), 2 (6.9%) had slow background, and 1 (3.4%) had epileptiform discharges. A total of 31 patients (70.5%) had iron levels lower than 80 µg/dL. Iron supplementation was administered in 4 of the 13 patients with normal iron status and in 21 of the 31 patients with low iron status. A significant improvement in the frequency and severity of symptom was observed in 91.7% of patients who received iron supplementation (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms improved in 80% of patients with PNE, and a higher rate of symptom improvement could be expected with iron supplementation.
Birth Weight ; Child* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Behavior ; Infant, Newborn ; Iron* ; Medical Records ; Neuroimaging ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures