Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical results of minimal single palmar-incision carpal tunnel release without a tourniquet. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 75 patients (90 cases of carpal tunnel syndrome) who underwent minimal single-palmar incision carpal tunnel release without a tourniquet from June 2010 to January 2018. Ten patients had a bleeding tendency. We compared the preoperative and postoperative Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ) scores. We also analyzed outcomes and complications according to the presence of a bleeding tendency. Results: In all cases, there was a complete disappearance or marked improvement in symptoms within 6 months, with no recurrence. The postoperative BCTQ score showed a significant improvement compared to the preoperative score, and no statistically significant difference in BCTQ scores was detected according to the presence of a bleeding tendency. Conclusions Carpal tunnel release without a tourniquet using a minimal single palmar incision is effective and reliable. This technique prevents unnecessary pain associated with the tourniquet and is especially helpful in patients with a bleeding tendency or those treated with hemodialysis.

Lymphedema is a frequent complication after the treatment of various cancers, particularly breast cancer, gynecological cancers, melanomas, and other skin and urological cancers. Lymphedema patients have chronic swelling of the affected extremity, recurrent infections, limited mobility and decreased quality of life. Once lymphedema develops, it is usually progressive. Over time, lymphedema leads to fat deposition and subsequent fibrosis of the surrounding tissues. However, there is no cure for lymphedema. Recently, the development of microsurgery has led to introduction of new surgical techniques for lymphedema, such as vascularized lymph node transfer. We report here the latest trends in the surgical treatment of lymphedema, as well as diagnosis and conventional treatments of lymphedema.
Anastomosis, Surgical ; Breast Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Extremities ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphedema* ; Melanoma ; Microsurgery ; Quality of Life ; Skin ; Urologic Neoplasms

Angelica gigas has been used as a Korean traditional medicine for pain relief and gynecological health. Although the extracts are reported to have an anti-inflammatory property, the bioactive compounds of the herbal plant and the effect on T cell responses are unclear. In this study, we identified decursinol angelate (DA) as an immunomodulatory ingredient of A. gigas and demonstrated its suppressive effect on type 17 helper T (Th17) cell responses. Helper T cell culture experiments revealed that DA impeded the differentiation of Th17 cells and IL-17 production without affecting the survival and proliferation of CD4 T cells. By using a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis model, we determined the therapeutic potential of DA for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. DA treatment attenuated the severity of colitis including a reduction in weight loss, colon shortening, and protection from colonic tissue damage induced by DSS administration. Intriguingly, Th17 cells concurrently with neutrophils in the colitis tissues were significantly decreased by the DA treatment. Overall, our experimental evidence reveals for the first time that DA is an anti-inflammatory compound to modulate inflammatory T cells, and suggests DA as a potential therapeutic agent to manage inflammatory conditions associated with Th17 cell responses.
Angelica ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Colitis ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Colon ; Dextrans ; Interleukin-17 ; Medicine, Korean Traditional ; Neutrophils ; Plants ; Sodium ; T-Lymphocytes ; Th17 Cells ; Weight Loss

A retrospective observational study is one of the most widely used research methods in medicine. However, evidence postulated from a single data source likely contains biases such as selection bias, information bias, and confounding bias. Acquiring enough data from multiple institutions is one of the most effective methods to overcome the limitations.However, acquiring data from multiple institutions from many countries requires enormous effort because of financial, technical, ethical, and legal issues as well as standardization of data structure and semantics. The Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) research network standardized 928 million unique records or 12% of the world’s population into a common structure and meaning and established a research network of 453 data partners from 41 countries around the world. OHDSI is a distributed research network wherein researchers do not own or directly share data but only analyzed results. However, sharing evidence without sharing data is difficult to understand. In this review, we will look at the basic principles of OHDSI, common data model, distributed research networks, and some representative studies in the cardiovascular field using the network. This paper also briefly introduces a Korean distributed research network named FeederNet.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It takes considerable time and effort to make decisions about management and follow up for the thyroid cancer. Also there are risks of incorrectness or confusion on the part of thyroid specialists. We developed a thyroid cancer calculator that does automatic thyroid cancer staging, prognosis predicting and suggesting follow-up strategies in order to reduce the burden of thyroid specialists who have to memorize a lot of guidelines and statistics, and to give consistency to the treatment plan. MATERIALS AND METHOD: An automatic thyroid cancer calculator was developed by using a computer program called 'Qt 5.2 version', based on patient demographics, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up status. This partly cited the history of prior thyroid cancer or other cancer registration, and focused on the specification of differentiated thyroid cancer. RESULTS: The program consisted of survival, recurrence and, dynamic re-stratification with follow-up. The patient registration form consisted of identification number, name and operation date, and patients needed to enter their thyroid cancer status, including clinical and pathologic information after registration. The entered information could be easily accessed in a few seconds. The program helped to update patient's current status, promptly collect data for clinical studies of thyroid cancers and provide better patient care. This program was simple, convenient and time-saving for users as it specifically contained important thyroid cancer items. CONCLUSION: Although this program is still in its primitive stage, the Kosin thyroid calculator reduces the workload of thyroid specialists and prevents the loss of clinical data. Furthermore, it could be a useful tool for the management and research of thyroid cancer.
Demography ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Neoplasm Staging ; Patient Care ; Prognosis* ; Recurrence ; Specialization ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND: Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is a rare disorder characterized by alveolar hypoventilation and autonomic dysregulation. Patients with CCHS have adequate ventilation while awake but exhibit hypoventilation while asleep. More severely affected patients exhibit hypoventilation both when awake and when asleep. CASE: Here, we report a case of successful spinal anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia in a patient with CCHS who underwent orthostatic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CCHS, anesthesia is used with the goal of minimizing respiratory depression to avoid prolonged mechanical ventilation. Regional anesthesia should be considered where appropriate. Continuous oxygen saturation and end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring must be available.
Analgesia, Epidural ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Conduction ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Anoxia ; Carbon Dioxide ; Humans ; Hypoventilation ; Oxygen ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is a rare disorder characterized by alveolar hypoventilation and autonomic dysregulation. Patients with CCHS have adequate ventilation while awake but exhibit hypoventilation while asleep. More severely affected patients exhibit hypoventilation both when awake and when asleep.CASE: Here, we report a case of successful spinal anesthesia and postoperative epidural analgesia in a patient with CCHS who underwent orthostatic surgery. CONCLUSIONS In patients with CCHS, anesthesia is used with the goal of minimizing respiratory depression to avoid prolonged mechanical ventilation. Regional anesthesia should be considered where appropriate. Continuous oxygen saturation and end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring must be available.

Objective: The development of individual subtypes based on biomarkers offers a cost-effective and timely avenue to comprehending individual differences pertaining to mental health, independent from individuals’ subjective insights. Incorporating 2-channel electroencephalography (EEG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG), we sought to establish a subtype classification system with clinical relevance. Methods: One hundred healthy participants and 99 patients with psychiatric disorders were recruited. Classification thresholds were determined using the EEG and PPG data from 2,278 individuals without mental disorders, serving to classify subtypes in our sample of 199 participants. Multivariate analysis of variance was applied to examine psychological distinctions among these subtypes. K-means clustering was employed to verify the classification system. Results: The distribution of subtypes differed between healthy participants and those with psychiatric disorders. Cognitive abilities were contingent upon brain subtypes, while mind subtypes exhibited significant differences in symptom severity, overall health, and cognitive stress. K-means clustering revealed that the results of our theory-based classification and data-driven classification are comparable. The synergistic assessment of both brain and mind subtypes was also explored. Conclusion Our subtype classification system offers a concise means to access individuals’ mental health. The utilization of EEG and PPG signals for subtype classification offers potential for the future of digital mental healthcare.