PURPOSE: To compare the corneal power (K) measured by different methods in the patients who underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) or laser in situ keratomilieusis (LASIK) METHODS: Fifty-four patients who had undergone PRK or LASIK from December 1999 to December 2000 and followed for 3 months or longer were selected for this study. The corneal power was measured by five different methods in 35 eyes(18 patients) of PRK group and in 70 eyes (36 patients) of LASIK group: calculation method (C-K), hard contact lens method (H-K), autorefractokeratometer (A-K), manual keratometer (M-K) and topography (T-K). RESULTS: Preoperative mean corneal power was 43.41+/-1.06 D in PRK group and 43.75+/-1.03 D in LASIK group. Postoperative corneal power in PRK group showed following Results: C-K, 40.94+/-1.51 D; H-K, 41.04+/-1.23 D; A-K, 41.18+/-1.29 D; M-K, 41.38+/-1.33 D; T-K, 41.67+/-1.26 D. In LASIK group, the results were: C-K, 38.64+/-2.25 D; H-K, 39.29+/-1.66 D; A-K, 39.53+/-1.61 D; M-K, 39.85+/-1.54 D; T-K, 40.36+/-1.26 D. The corneal power of calculation method was lowest in both groups. Each corneal power was not different statistically from the others in PRK group(p=0.16). However, C-K was significantly lower than A-K (p=0.02), M-K (p=0.00) or T-K (p=0.00) in LASIK group. Also, H-K or AK was lower than T-K statistically in LASIK group (p=0.00, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The corneal power was lowest when measured by calculation method after refractive surgery. In LASIK group, there were statistical differences among the corneal powers by each method.
Humans ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ ; Photorefractive Keratectomy ; Refractive Surgical Procedures*

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic spurred an urgent need for vaccination and herd immunity. Recently, mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 have been used widely despite reports of several adverse events. Most adverse effects are mild, although a few are associated with neurological complications. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of information on peripheral nerve complications after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. We report the case of an immunocompetent young male patient who suffered from ipsilateral wrist drop with multiple lymphadenopathy in the cervical and axillary region after Pfizer–BioNTech vaccination.He experienced unilateral wrist drop, which significantly improved with corticosteroid treatment. Based on knowledge of this adverse effect, careful surveillance and increased awareness are needed for early diagnosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the English literature of radial neuropathy resulting in wrist drop in a recently vaccinated and young immunocompetent patient.

Fibrous dysplasia is an uncommon benign bone disorder in which normal medullary bone is replaced by fibrotic and osseous tissue. Limited involvement of the sphenoid sinus or the clivus is extremely unusual. Here, we present a case of fibrous dysplasia in a 46-year-old female that involved the sphenoid sinus and the clivus simultaneously. Imaging modalities demonstrated an expansile lesion filling the entire left sphenoid sinus, extending to the clivus. Biopsy specimen was obtained by endoscopic sphenoid sinusotomy, and it showed extensive spindle-shaped fibroblastic cells with irregularly shaped trabeculae of woven bone which was compatible with fibrous dysplasia. After 6-month follow-up, the patient displayed no evidence of recurrence.
Biopsy ; Cranial Fossa, Posterior ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Sphenoid Sinus

BACKGROUND: The isolation of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) has become increasingly common. Continuous surveillance for these organisms is essential because their infections are closely related to outbreaks of illness and are associated with high mortality rates. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate multiplex PCR as a means of detecting several important CPE genes simultaneously. METHODS: We aimed to develop a multiplex PCR that could detect seven CPE genes simultaneously. The multiplex PCR was composed of seven primer sets for the detection of KPC, IMP, VIM, NDM-1, GES, OXA-23, and OXA-48. We designed different PCR product sizes of at least 100 bp. We evaluated the performance of this new test using 69 CPE-positive clinical isolates. Also, we confirmed the specificity to rule out false-positive reactions by using 71 carbapenem-susceptible clinical strains. RESULTS: A total of 69 CPE clinical isolates showed positive results and were correctly identified as KPC (N=14), IMP (N=13), OXA-23 (N=12), OXA-48 (N=11), VIM (N=9), GES (N=5), and NDM (N=5) by the multiplex PCR. All 71 carbapenem-susceptible clinical isolates, including Enterococcus faecalis , Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, showed negative results. CONCLUSION: This multiplex PCR can detect seven CPE genes at a time and will be useful in clinical laboratories.
Acinetobacter baumannii ; Disease Outbreaks ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Enterococcus faecalis ; Escherichia coli ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Mortality ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Actinic keratosis (AK) is a common, sun-induced, pre-malignant lesion with a strong likelihood of progressing to a malignancy. The reported risk of AK progressing to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) varies from less than 1% to 20%. Clinically, induration, pain, large size, marked hyperkeratosis, ulceration, bleeding, rapid growth, and recurrence or persistence may be markers of AK progression into SCC. The risk of SCC metastasizing ranges between 0.5% and 3%. However, SCC of the lip arising from actinic cheilitis is more prone to metastasis than cutaneous SCC, with rates of the former varying between 3% and 20%. Here we report a typical case of SCC from actinic cheilitis with metastasis to the lymph nodes during a 4-year follow-up period. To exclude SCC, we emphasize the need for regular follow-up and prompt evaluation, including careful pathologic examination for actinic cheilitis.
Actins ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cheilitis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Keratosis, Actinic ; Lip ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Ulcer

Glomus tumor is composed of a benign neoplasm arising from the glomus body, which participates in thermal regulation. It usually presents as a circumscribed or solitary tumor characterized by paroxysmal pain. They are generally located in the distal extremities, and are most frequently present in the palms, soles, or nail beds. The author herein reports a case in which a glomus tumor was discovered in the nose. A glomus tumorin the nose is rare. In this case, a 66-year-old woman had a solitary, tender, bluish subcutaneous nodule with superficial telangiectasia on her nose for 20 years.
Aged ; Extremities ; Female ; Glomus Tumor ; Humans ; Nails ; Nose ; Telangiectasis

Angiokeratomas represent vascular lesions and are histologically characterized by superficial vascular ectasia and overlying acanthosis and/or hyperkeratosis. Angiokeratomas can be classified into five types, with angiokeratoma circumscriptum representing the least common of the five types. Angiokeratoma circumscriptum presents at birth and frequently occurs unilaterally on the leg. Herein, we report a rare case of long term angiokeratoma circumscriptum (twelve years) on the right chest, discovered following the excision of a lipoma from the same area.
Angiokeratoma ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Leg ; Lipoma ; Parturition ; Thorax

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of stretching exercise on the head speed of golf club and driving distance. METHOD: 58 male golfers (20 professionals, 22 amateurs, 16 beginners) were included in the study. They carried out stretching exercise programs related to muscles of trunk, upper and lower extremities for 5 and 30 minutes. The head speed of golf club and driving distance were measured before and after the stretching exercise. The effects of stretching exercise programs on the head speed and driving distance were assessed. RESULTS: The head speed increased significantly in amateur and beginner groups after 30 minutes' stretching. In professional group, the head speed increased significantly after 5 minutes' stretching, but no more increment was found after 30 minutes' stretching. Driving distance increased significantly in all groups after 5 minutes' stretching. After 30 minutes' stretching, much more increment was found compared to 5 minutes' stretching. CONCLUSION: Sufficient stretching exercise program before golf swing can increase the head speed of club and driving distance. We recommend stretching exercise to improve golf performance.
Golf* ; Head* ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Muscles

Background and Objectives: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have immense therapeutic potential for treating intractable and immune diseases. They also have applications in regenerative medicine in which distinct treatments do not exist. Thus, MSCs are gaining attention as important raw materials in the field of cell therapy. Importantly, the number of MSCs in the bone marrow is limited and they are present only in small quantities. Therefore, mass production of MSCs through long-term culture is necessary to use them in cell therapy. However, MSCs undergo cellular senescence through repeated passages during mass production. In this study, we explored methods to prolong the limited lifetime of MSCs by culturing them with different seeding densities. Methods: and Results: We observed that in long-term cultures, low-density (LD, 50 cells/cm2) MSCs showed higher population doubling level, leading to greater fold increase, than high-density (HD, 4,000 cells/cm2) MSCs. LD-MSCs suppressed the expression of aging-related genes. We also showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) were decreased in LD-MSCs compared to that in HD-MSCs. Further, proliferation potential increased when ROS were inhibited in HD-MSCs. Conclusions The results in this study suggest that MSC senescence can be delayed and that life span can be extended by controlling cell density in vitro. These results can be used as important data for the mass production of stem cell therapeutic products.