BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of internal fixation with locking T-plates for osteoporotic fractures of the proximal humerus in patients aged 65 years and older. METHODS: From January 2007 through to December 2015, we recruited 47 patients aged 65 years and older with osteoporotic fractures of the proximal humerus. All fractures had been treated using open reduction and internal fixation with a locking T-plate. We classified the fractures in accordance to the Neer classification system; At the final follow-up, the indicators of clinical outcome-the range of motion of the shoulder (flexion, internal rotation, and external rotation) and the presence of postoperative complications-and the indicators of radiographic outcome-the time-to-union and the neck-shaft angle of the proximal humerus-were evaluated. The Paavolainen method was used to grade the level of radiological outcome in the patients. RESULTS: The mean flexion was 155.0° (range, 90°–180°), the mean internal rotation was T8 (range, T6–L2), and the mean external rotation was 66.8° (range, 30°–80°). Postoperative complications, such as plate impingement, screw loosening, and varus malunion were observed in five patient. We found that all patients achieved bone union, and the mean time-to-union was 13.5 weeks of the treatment. The mean neck-shaft angle was 131.4° at the 6-month follow-up. According to the Paavolainen method, “good” and “fair” radiographic results each accounted for 38 and 9 of the total patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that locking T-plate fixation leads to satisfactory clinical and radiological outcomes in elderly patients with proximal humeral fractures by providing a larger surface area of contact with the fracture and a more rigid fixation.
Aged ; Classification ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Humerus ; Methods ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; Postoperative Complications ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Fractures*

Anomalous development of the odonteid precess is an uncommon clinical occurence that can seriously impair the integrity af the atlantoaxial articulation. Absence of the odontoid process may be either congenital or acquired, but clinically the etiology is of little importance as the clinical signs and symptoms and the treatment are identical in both. We experienced a case of congenital absence of the odontoid process and good result was obtained from the posterior atlantoaxial fusion with hale-cast.
Odontoid Process

Congenital pericardial defect is relatively rare and two different types, partial and complete, of different clinical significance have been recognized. Most reported defects are complete type and left-sided lesion. Most patients are asymptomatic or complain of vague chest pain. Partial pericardial defect can be potentially fatal due to cardiac herniation and strangulation or coronary insufficiency. Plain chest reontgenography shows abnormal prominence along the cardiac border. 2-D echocardiography demonstrates a drop-off of pericardial echo and protruding cardiac chamber through the defect. Because of the potential fatality, surgical repair is recommended for the partial pericardial defect. We report a case of congenital partial left pericardial defect, which was diagnosed by plain chest reontgenography and 2-D echocardiography, with related literatures.
Chest Pain ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Thorax

Hemangiopericytoma was first described by Stout & Murray in 1942 and was an uncommon soft tissue tumor thought to be derived from vascular pericytes. Approximately 10-15% of the cases occur in children have a propensity to develop in the region of head, neck and lower extremities. We experienced a case of congenital hemangiopericytoma of small bowel in a male neonate who showed vomiting and abdorninal distension. We reported a case of congenital hemangiopericytoma of small bowel with brief review of related literature.
Child ; Head ; Hemangiopericytoma* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intestinal Obstruction* ; Intestine, Small ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Neck ; Pericytes ; Vomiting

Here we report a case of optic neuritis in the setting of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) in a child. A six-year-old girl presented with HZO in the right eye. During the hospitalization, her visual acuity decreased. Fluorescein angiography (FAG) and optical coherence tomography revealed optic neuritis in the affected eye. Visual acuity improved with one month of treatment with acyclovir and steroids. FAG analysis showed no evidence of leakage at the optic disc. At one year post treatment, the patient's fundus exam and vision were normal. Therapy with antivirals and steroids may be effective in patients with childhood HZO optic neuritis
Acyclovir/therapeutic use ; Child ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus/*complications/*drug therapy ; Humans ; Optic Neuritis/*drug therapy/*virology ; Steroids/therapeutic use ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVES: Oriental medicine has affected the way in which Koreans seek psychiatric help and how they understand psychiatric symptoms and mental illnesses. In this study, we investigated the concept of psychosis in traditional oriental medicine and compared it with how modern western medicine understands the same concept. METHODS: We searched for descriptions of psychotic symptoms or illnesses in traditional medical documents of various periods. Four psychiatrists then analyzed the contents of these descriptions in terms of DSM-IV. RESULTS: The concept of psychosis in oriental medicine has two symptom domains: positive and negative symptoms, which are similar to the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia in modern psychiatry. However, there were differences in the basic concepts of disease entities and in the approaches to the illness. CONCLUSION: This descriptive study showed that, in oriental medicine, psychopathology is based on oriental philosophy, and that this creates wide differences between oriental and western medicine.
Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Medicine, Traditional ; Philosophy ; Psychiatry ; Psychopathology ; Psychotic Disorders ; Schizophrenia

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R injury) is known not only to induce hypoxic and oxidative stress, but also to cause retinal degeneration in rats. Crystallins, known to inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species, reduce apoptotic cell death. Our goal was to clarify not only the role of I/R injury-mediated crystallins, but also to evaluate the correlation of these compounds to anti-inflammation in the vitreous body. METHODS: Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. We induced I/R injury by clamping the optic nerve for 30 minutes and then releasing it. The vitreous bodies were obtained from the experimental and control subjects 24, 48, and 72 hours after I/R injury. Two-dimensional electrophoresis was performed, and the targeted spots were further investigated using matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, spectrophotometry, Western blotting, and histological examination. RESULTS: After I/R injury, 23 spots were identified as crystallins. The betaB2 crystallins were transcriptionally and post-translationally regulated, whereas the alphaB crystallins were controlled by post-translational modifications in the vitreous bodies of the rats. The total amounts of alphaA and beta crystallins (including isotypes of beta crystalline) had increased 48 hours after injury. The phosphorylation of alphaB crystallin (at serine residues 19, 45, and 59) was significantly increased 48 hours later, whereas phosphorylation of ERK1/2 showed the greatest decrease. CONCLUSIONS: During hypoxic and oxidation stress, our results suggest that phosphorylated alphaB crystalline inhibits RAS, resulting in the inactivation of ERK1/2. The phosphorylation of alphaB crystallin may be associated with the inflammatory suppression in the vitreous body via the I/R injury model system.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Oxidative Stress ; Phosphorylation ; Protein Processing, Post-Translational ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury/*metabolism/pathology ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; Vitreous Body/*metabolism/pathology ; beta-Crystallins/*metabolism

Lovastatin, a competitive inhibitor of the rate limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis was administered to 34 patients with primary hypertlipidemia, 20 mg once daily with the evening meal. Patients experienced mean total and LDL cholesterol reductions of 30.9% and 34.0% respectively. HDL cholesterol level was significantly increased by 15.4% and plasma triglyceride level was decreased by 11.2%. maximal hypocholesterolemic effects were evident at 8 weeks, after which the effects were stable. Adverse effects were noted in 2 patients who had mild gastrointestinal symptoms, that subsided after discontinuing the drug. We concluded that lovastatin is a well tolerated and effective agent for the treatment of primary hyperlipidemia.
Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias* ; Lovastatin ; Meals ; Plasma* ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.