Background and Objectives: Virtual reality (VR) users have prevalently experienced motion sickness called cybersickness. Recently, it has been suggested that stimulating the mastoid by vibration relieves cybersickness. This study aimed to verify this proposition.Subjects and Method Fifty-four young male adults (aged 18 to 27 years) without any experience of severe motion sickness or cybersickness participated in this study. Participants were divided in half into two groups, the experimental group and control group. The experimental group used VR with mastoid vibration, and the control group experienced VR without mastoid vibration. Participants responded to the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) to quantify cybersickness. Results: The total severity scores of cybersickness in the experimental group ranged from 0 to 183.3 with the mean value of 46.7±49.0. The total severity scores of cybersickness in the control group ranged from 0 to 194.9 with the mean value of 44.9±45.1. There were no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion There was no improvement of cybersickness in the VR participants when the mastoid was stimulated by vibration. However, cybersickness might be relieved with changes in the VR condition or vibration settings.

Objective: : The percutaneous thread transection technique is a surgical dissecting method using a dissecting thread inserted through a needle under ultrasound guidance without skin incision. As the new dissecting threads were developed domestically, this cadaver study was conducted to compare the effectiveness and safety between the new threads (ultra V sswire and smartwire-01) and a pre-existing commercial dissecting thread (loop & shear) by demonstrating a modified looped thread cubital tunnel release. Methods: : The percutaneous cubital tunnel release procedure was performed on 29 fresh cadaveric upper extremities. The preexisting commercial thread was used in 5 upper extremities. The two newly developed threads were used in 24 upper extremities. Two practitioners performed the procedures separately. After the modified looped thread cubital release, anatomical and histological analyses were performed by a blinded anatomist. The presence of the dissected cubital tunnel and damaged adjacent soft tissue was assessed. Results: : Out of the 29 cadaveric upper extremities, 27 specimens showed complete dissection of the Osborne ligament and the proximal fascia of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle. One specimen was incompletely dissected in each of the ultra V sswire and smartwire-01 groups. There were no injuries of adjacent structures including the ulnar nerve, ulnar artery, medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve, or flexor tendon with either the commercial thread or the newly developed threads. The anatomical analysis revealed clear and sharp incisional margins of the cubital tunnel in the Smartwire-01 and loop & shear groups. All three kinds of threads maintained proper linear elasticity for easy handling during the procedure. The smartwire-01 provided higher visibility in ultrasound than the other threads. Conclusion : The newly developed threads were effective and safe for use in the thread cubital tunnel release procedure.

Objective: To examine the usefulness and feasibility of modified thread carpal tunnel release (TCTR) by comparing the results of using pre-existing commercial thread with those of a newly developed thread (Smartwire-01). Methods: A total of 17 cadaveric wrists were used in the study. The modified TCTR method was practiced by two different experts. Pre-existing commercial surgical dissecting thread (Loop&ShearTM) was used for five wrists and the newly developed Smartwire-01 was used for twelve wrists. The gross and microanatomy of the specimens were evaluated by a blinded anatomist. Results: Both types of thread were able to cut the TCL similarly. Gross anatomy and histologic findings showed that there was no significant difference between the two types of threads. However, the practitioners felt that it was easier to cut the TCL using the newly-developed thread. Conclusion TCTR using Smartwire-01 was as effective as pre-existing Loop&ShearTM, with better user experiences.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate ichroma™ IGRA-TB, a novel point-of-care platform for assaying IFN-γ release, and to compare it with QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 60 healthy subjects, and blood samples were obtained in QFT-GIT blood collection tubes. The blood collection tubes were incubated at 37℃, and culture supernatant was harvested after 18–24 hours. IFN-γ responses were assessed by the ichroma™ IGRA-TB cartridge and the QFT-GIT IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Three active TB patients were recruited as a positive control for M. tb infection. RESULTS: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the ichroma™ IGRA-TB test for differentiating between infected and non-infected individuals was 0.9706 (p < 0.001). Inconsistent positivity between the two tests was found in three participants who showed weak positive IFN-γ responses ( < 1.0 IU/mL) with QFT-GIT. However, the two tests had excellent agreement (95.2%, κ=0.91, p < 0.001), and a very strong positive correlation was observed between the IFN-γ values of both tests (r=0.91, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The diagnostic accuracy demonstrated in this study indicates that the ichroma™ IGRA-TB test could be used as a rapid diagnostic method for detecting latent TB infection. It may be particularly beneficial in resource-limited places that require cost-effective laboratory diagnostics.
Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Feasibility Studies ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Korea ; Latent Tuberculosis ; Methods ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Point-of-Care Systems ; ROC Curve ; Tuberculosis

PURPOSE: Differences in the utility of routine angiographic follow-up (RAF) and clinical follow-up (CF) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are not well understood. The present study aimed to compare the 3-year clinical outcomes of RAF and CF in AMI patients who underwent PCI with drug-eluting stents (DES). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 774 consecutive AMI patients who underwent PCI with DES were enrolled. RAF was performed at 6 to 9 months after index PCI (n=425). The remaining patients were medically managed and clinically followed (n=349); symptom-driven events were captured. To adjust for any potential confounders, a propensity score matched analysis was performed using a logistic regression model, and two propensity-matched groups (248 pairs, n=496, C-statistic=0.739) were generated. Cumulative clinical outcomes up to 3 years were compared between RAF and CF groups. RESULTS: During the 3-year follow-up period, the cumulative incidences of revascularization [target lesion revascularization: hazard ratio (HR), 2.40; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.18–4.85; p=0.015, target vessel revascularization (TVR): HR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.69–6.58; p=0.001, non-TVR: HR, 5.64; 95% CI, 1.90–16.6; p=0.002] and major adverse cardiac events (MACE; HR, 3.32; 95% CI, 1.92–5.73; p<0.001) were significantly higher in the RAF group than the CF group. However, the 3-year incidences of death and myocardial infarction were not different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: RAF following index PCI with DES in AMI patients was associated with increased incidences of revascularization and MACE. Therefore, CF seems warranted for asymptomatic patients after PCI for AMI.
Coronary Angiography ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Logistic Models ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention* ; Propensity Score