Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal deposition disease is characterized by chondrocalcinosis, which mainly affects the knees, wrists, pelvis, and rarely, the spine. According to previous reports, CPPD crystal deposits display heterogeneous enhancement on MRI. When combined with inflammation of the surrounding soft tissue, strong enhancement by CPPD crystal deposition may appear similar to imaging features of other conditions such as infectious spondylitis. In these conditions, CT plays an important role in differential diagnosis. Here, we present a case of CPPD crystal deposition disease in the ligamentum flavum of the cervical spine that showed intense enhancement on MRI.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has revolutionized various fields, including stem cell research, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine. The evolution of iPSC-based models has transitioned from conventional two-dimensional systems to more physiologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) models such as spheroids and organoids.Nonetheless, there still remain challenges including limitations in creating complex 3D tissue geometry and structures, the emergence of necrotic core in existing 3D models, and limited scalability and reproducibility. 3D bioprinting has emerged as a revolutionary technology that can facilitate the development of complex 3D tissues and organs with high scalability and reproducibility. This innovative approach has the potential to effectively bridge the gap between conventional iPSC models and complex 3D tissues in vivo. This review focuses on current trends and advancements in the bioprinting of iPSCs. Specifically, it covers the fundamental concepts and techniques of bioprinting and bioink design, reviews recent progress in iPSC bioprinting research with a specific focus on bioprinting undifferentiated iPSCs, and concludes by discussing existing limitations and future prospects.

Purpose: This study examines the weight control behavior depending on university students’ motives of using social media. Methods: The participants were 447 university students in the Jeonbuk area. Collected data were analyzed using factor analysis, cluster analysis, analysis of variance, and χ 2 tests with SPSS v. 26.0. Considering the motives of using social media, we investigated the usage of social media, dietary behavior related to social media, and weight control behavior. Results: Using the K-clustering method, the motives to use social media were categorized into three clusters: cluster 1 was the interest-centered group, cluster 2 was the multipurpose information-seeking group, and cluster 3 was the relationship-centered group. Among the various social media sites, YouTube (86.8%), Instagram (76.1%), and Facebook (61.1%) were the most visited by the subjects. The dietary behavior related to social media in cluster 2 was significantly higher than clusters 1 and 3 (p < 0.001). Clusters 1 and 2 showed a significantly higher dissatisfaction with one’s weight (p < 0.05) and consequent interest in weight control than cluster 3 (p < 0.001). Cluster 2 used weight control-related information from social media significantly more than other clusters (p < 0.05). Weight control experiences in cluster 1 and 2 were significantly higher than in cluster 3 (p < 0.001). Conclusion Differences in dietary behavior related to social media and weight control behavior were observed between cluster types of motivation to use social media. Based on the usage motives of university students and their behaviors, we propose that educational programs should be conducted for weight control using social media.

Background: Agent Orange, an herbicide sprayed during the Vietnam War, is a known carcinogen. However, there have been no studies on its association with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or the nature of BCC in defoliant-exposed patients. Objective: To determine the clinical and histological characteristics of BCC in patients exposed to defoliants. Methods: Chart analysis was performed on patients diagnosed with BCC at Veterans Health Service Medical Center from January 2011 to December 2020. The clinical data were compared between the defoliant-exposed and non-exposed groups. Histopathological characteristics were compared according to histological subtype and presence of pigmentation. Results: Of 227 patients with BCC, 117 were defoliant-exposed and 110 were unexposed. The mean age at diagnosis of skin cancer was 73.9 years. The age at diagnosis was significantly lower in the defoliant-exposed group than in the unexposed group (71.3 years vs. 76.7 years, p＜0.001). In most cases, BCC was identified as pigmented papules and nodules on the face. Nonpigmented lesions were observed more frequently in the defoliant-exposed group than in the unexposed group; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Histologically, the nodular type was the most common subtype in both groups. Additionally, 33.3% of the defoliant group and 25.9% of the control group showed melanin pigmentation, and no statistically significant difference was observed in tumor depth between the two groups. Conclusion As veterans of the Vietnam War advance in age, dermatologists should continuously pay attention to BCC in defoliant-exposed patients, and early diagnosis and proper management should be ensured.

Atorvastatin is one of the most widely prescribed medications for dyslipidemia treatment. In Korea, post combined therapy with ezetimibe, a 73-year-old woman was reported by a community pharmacy to have experienced visual field defect, which recovered after drug discontinuation. She had never experienced this symptom before, and several studies have reported an association between use of statins and visual disorders such as blurred vision, diplopia, and cataract. Blockage of cholesterol accumulation, oxidative stress, or myopathy is expected to be a cause of this symptom. Naranjo scale, Korean causality assessment algorithm (Ver.2), and World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Center (WHO-UMC) criteria were the three tools used to determine causality between the visual disorder and atorvastatin. The results represent ‘probable’, ‘certain’, and ‘probable/likely’ causality, respectively. Our results, in combination with a review of literature, indicate that ocular adverse effects are highly likely related to atorvastatin.
Aged ; Atorvastatin Calcium ; Cataract ; Cholesterol ; Diplopia ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Dyslipidemias ; Ezetimibe ; Female ; Global Health ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Korea ; Muscular Diseases ; Oxidative Stress ; Pharmacies ; Vision Disorders ; Visual Fields

BACKGROUND: Atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) is a category that encompasses a heterogeneous group of thyroid aspiration cytology. It has been reclassified into two subgroups based on the cytomorphologic features: AUS with cytologic atypia and AUS with architectural atypia. The nuclear characteristics of AUS with cytologic atypia need to be clarified by comparing to those observed in Hashimoto thyroiditis and benign follicular lesions. METHODS: We selected 84 cases of AUS with histologic follow-up, 24 cases of Hashimoto thyroiditis, and 26 cases of benign follicular lesions. We also subcategorized the AUS group according to the follow-up biopsy results into a papillary carcinoma group and a nodular hyperplasia group. The differences in morphometric parameters, including the nuclear areas and perimeters, were compared between these groups. RESULTS: The AUS group had significantly smaller nuclear areas than the Hashimoto thyroiditis group, but the nuclear perimeters were not statistically different. The AUS group also had significantly smaller nuclear areas than the benign follicular lesion group; however, the AUS group had significantly longer nuclear perimeters. The nuclear areas in the papillary carcinoma group were significantly smaller than those in the nodular hyperplasia group; however, the nuclear perimeters were not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS: We found the AUS group to be a heterogeneous entity, including histologic follow-up diagnoses of papillary carcinoma and nodular hyperplasia. The AUS group showed significantly greater nuclear irregularities than the other two groups. Utilizing these features, nuclear morphometry could lead to improvements in the accuracy of the subjective diagnoses made with thyroid aspiration cytology.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hashimoto Disease ; Hyperplasia ; Thyroid Gland*

Purpose: This study investigated whether shear wave elastography (SWE) could be used to estimate the chronicity of supraspinatus tendon (SST) tears. Methods: A retrospective study was performed. From November 2015 to July 2016, 113 patients (52 men, 61 women; age range, 21 to 79 years) with persistent shoulder pain underwent 119 rotator cuff tendon examinations by routine B-mode ultrasonography, while SST elasticity was measured using SWE. Following the exclusion of eight suboptimal examinations, four examinations with missing SST measurements, and 27 examinations of patients with other conditions, 80 examinations were analyzed. A torn SST was found in 54 examinations (27 with a partial-thickness tear and 27 with a full-thickness tear). Elasticity values were compared in multiple ways. The results were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: No statistically significant difference in elasticity values (in kPa) was found between normal (median, 94.65; interquartile range [IQR], 87.43 to 105.47) and torn SSTs (median, 96.79; IQR, 86.71 to 108.56) or between full-thickness tears (median, 93.80; IQR, 82.50 to 108.33) and partial-thickness tears (median, 96.83; IQR, 90.60 to 112.20). However, there was a statistically significant difference in elasticity according to whether the duration of symptoms was 1 year or less (median, 92.20; IQR, 84.01 to 104.38) or longer than 1 year (median, 105.10; IQR, 100.41 to 116.03; P=0.032). Conclusion Elasticity values were significantly higher in torn SSTs in patients with chronic shoulder pain that had persisted for more than 1 year. Further studies with larger samples seem warranted to determine whether elasticity values measured by SWE can be used preoperatively as a surrogate marker of the chronicity of a rotator cuff tendon tear.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of dementia as an underlying disease in elderly patients with hip fracture, to investigate the effect of dementia on postoperative mortality after surgery of hip fracture, and to analyze the differences in postoperative mortalities according to the severity of dementia through subgroup analysis. Methods: This study selected 2,346 elderly patients who were diagnosed with unilateral intertrochanteric or femoral neck fractures who underwent surgery between January 2004 and December 2018. The patients were classified into the non-dementia group (2,196 patients) and dementia group (150 patients; no-medication [66 patients] and medication [84 patients] subgroups). The cumulative crude mortality rate was calculated, and 30-day, 60-day, 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year mortality rates were compared between the groups. A univariate regression test was performed using age, sex, diagnosis, surgery type, and Charlson's comorbidity index (CCI), as these variables had P values of < 0.10. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors associated with mortality. Results: The 30-day, 60-day, 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year postoperative cumulative mortality rates were 1.8%, 3.8%, 5.6%, 8.9%, and 13.6%, respectively, in the non-dementia group, and 2%, 7.3%, 14%, 19.3%, and 24%, respectively, in the dementia group (P = 0.748, P = 0.048, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.001). The factors that affected the 1-year mortality were age (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.08; P < 0.001), sex (OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 2.07–3.47; P < 0.001), CCI (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.23–1.47; P < 0.001), and dementia (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.46–1.08; P = 0.016). In subgroup analysis, severity of dementia influenced the 6-month mortality (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.70–2.01; P = 0.018), and 1-year mortality (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.17–1.90; P = 0.027). Conclusion In elderly hip fracture patients, the comparison between patients with and without dementia revealed that dementia was an independent risk factor for mortality at a minimum of 1 year of follow-up, and the severity of dementia in hip fracture patients was a risk factor for mortality within 6 months and 1 year, postoperatively.