Objective: To investigate the relationship between the torque onset angle (TOA) of the isokinetic test for knee extensors in the paretic side and walking related balance in subacute stroke patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with first-ever strokes who have had at least two isokinetic tests within 6 months of onset. 102 patients satisfied the inclusion criteria. The characteristics of walking related balance were measured with the Berg Balance Scale sub-score (sBBS), Timed Up and Go test (TUG), 10-m Walk Test (10MWT) and Functional Independence Measure sub-score (sFIM). The second isokinetic test values of the knee extensor such as peak torque, peak torque to weight ratio, hamstring/quadriceps ratio, TOA, torque stop angle, torque at 30 degrees, and peak torque asymmetry ratio between paretic and non-paretic limb were also taken into account. Pearson’s correlation, simple regression and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the correlation between TOA and walking related balance. Results: TOA of the knee extensor of the paretic limb showed significant correlations with BBS, sBBS, TUG, 10MWT, and sFIM according to Pearson’s correlation analysis. TOA also had moderate to good correlations with walking related balance parameters in partial correlation analysis. In multiple regression analysis, TOA of the paretic knee extensor was significantly associated with walking related balance parameters. Conclusion This study demonstrated that TOA of the paretic knee extensor is a predictable parameter of walking related balance. Moreover, we suggest that the ability to recruit muscle quickly is important in walking related balance.

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from goldenthread, Coptidis Rhizoma and shown to have many biological and pharmacological effects. We previously reported that berberine promotes cell survival and differentiation of neural stem cells. To examine whether berberine has survival promoting effect on damaged neuronal cells, we generated a cellular model under oxidative stress and an neonatal animal model of degenerating brain disease by injecting MK-801. MK801, a noncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, acts as a neurotoxin in developing rats by inhibiting NMDA receptors and induce neuronal cell death. We found that the survival rate of the SH-SY5Y cells under oxidative stress was increased by 287% and 344%, when treated with 1.5 and 3.0microg/ml berberine, respectively. In the developing rats injected by MK801, we observed that TUNEL positive apoptotic cells were outspread in entire brain. The cell death was decreased more than 3 fold in the brains of the MK-801-induced neurodegenerative animal model when berberine was treated to the model animals. This suggests that berberine promotes activity dependent cell survival mediated by NMDA receptor because berberine is known to activate neurons by blocking K+ current or lowering the threshold of the action potential. Taken together, berberine has neuroprotective effect on damaged neurons and neurodegenerating brains of neonatal animal model induced by MK-801 administration.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Berberine ; Brain ; Brain Diseases ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Dizocilpine Maleate ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Isoquinolines ; Models, Animal ; N-Methylaspartate ; Neural Stem Cells ; Neurons ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: To evaluate the technical feasibility and safety of vascular plug assisted retrograde transvenous obliteration (PARTO) for bleeding gastric varix performed in the emergent clinical setting and describe the mid-term clinical results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2012 to January 2015, emergent PARTO was tried in total 9 patients presented with active gastric varix bleeding. After initial insufficient or failure of endoscopic approach, they underwent PARTO in the emergent clinical setting. Gelatin sponge embolization of both gastrorenal (GR) shunt and gastric varix was performed after retrograde transvenous placement of a vascular plug in GR shunt. Coil assisted RTO (CARTO) was performed in one patient who had challenging GR shunt anatomy for vascular plug placement. Additional embolic materials, such as microcoils and NBCA glue-lipiodol mixture, were required in three patients to enhance complete occlusion of GR shunt or obliteration of competitive collateral vessels. Clinical success was defined as no variceal rebleeding and disappearance of gastric varix. RESULTS: All technical and clinical success-i.e., complete GR shunt occlusion and offending gastric varix embolization with immediate bleeding control-was achieved in all 9 patients. There was no procedure-related complication. All cases showed successful clinical outcome during mean follow up of 17 months (12-32 months), evidenced by imaging studies, endoscopy and clinical data. In 4 patients, mild worsening of esophageal varices or transient ascites was noted as portal hypertensive related change. CONCLUSION: Emergent PARTO is technically feasible and safe, with acceptable mid-term clinical results, in treating active gastric varix bleeding.
Aged ; Ascites/complications ; Balloon Occlusion ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; *Emergency Medical Services ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/*complications ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/*complications/*therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) can be caused by bacteria entering the liver via the portal vein or primary bacteremia, or it can be cryptogenic. Recently, Klebsiella pneumoniae has been increasingly found as a PLA pathogen. PLA due to this bacterium often leads to formation of extrahepatic abscesses. The treatment of choice is dual therapy with insertion of percutaneous catheter drainage and antibiotic therapy. We report 2 cases of PLA due to K. pneumoniae in immunocompetent children. We successfully treated patient 1 with percutaneous catheter drainage for 18 days and 6-week course of antibiotic therapy. Patient 2 was treated with percutaneous needle aspiration and antibiotic therapy for the same period. In both patients, the PLAs showed the ultrasound-confirmed resolutions after the dual therapy.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteremia ; Bacteria ; Catheters ; Child ; Drainage ; Humans ; Immunocompetence ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Klebsiella ; Liver ; Liver Abscess, Pyogenic ; Needles ; Pneumonia ; Portal Vein

Objective: To investigate the effect of antigravity treadmill gait training (AGT) on gait function, balance, and fall risk in stroke patients. Methods: This study included 30 patients with stroke (mean age, 73 years). All subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group (n=15) performed AGT for 20 minutes, five times per week for 4 weeks. The control group (n=15) received conventional gait training for the same duration. To assess fall risk, the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) was measured. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go test (TUG), and 10-m walk test (10mWT) were measured to assess dynamic balance. All scales were measured before intervention (T0) and at 4 weeks (T1) and 12 weeks (T2) after intervention. Results: Results showed that the total POMA score, BBS, and 10mWT scores improved significantly (p<0.05) at T1 and T2 in both groups. The POMA gait score (4.20±1.37 at T1, 4.87±1.36 at T2) and TUG (4.52±4.30 at T1, 5.73±4.97 at T2) significantly improved (p<0.05) only in the intervention group. The changes in total POMA score and BBS of the intervention group (7.20±2.37, 7.47±3.07) improved more significantly (p<0.05) between T0 and T2 than the control group (2.53±2.10, 2.87±2.53). Conclusion Our study showed that AGT enhances dynamic balance and gait speed and effectively lowers fall risk in stroke patients. Compared to conventional gait therapy, AGT would improve gait function and balance in stroke patients more effectively.

No abstract available.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Humans ; NF-kappa B

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of thyroid cancer has been increasing rapidly worldwide, especially among women. There has been a debate as to whether such an increase represents consequences of over-diagnosis or a true increase. To find the occupational risk of Korean female workers in different industry sectors, we analyzed the data of Korean female workers. METHODS: National Female Worker Cohort data that contain information on total female workers were used for our analysis of prevalence of thyroid cancer (C73 according to KCD-5, 6 code) derived from National Health Insurance data. By combining industrial codes from National Health Insurance Service and those from Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, the classification of industrial codes became to consist of the total of thirty three representing both non-office (NO) and office (O) categories. Both an internal comparison among female workers within the cohort and an external comparison to compare female workers with Korean general female population were carried out. RESULTS: Among 149,258 female workers, 2,641 cases of thyroid cancers were identified. Differences in prevalence of thyroid cancer between female workers (40.5%) and general Korean female population (32.6%) were observed; however, the differences in prevalence of thyroid cancer between NO workers and O workers were not apparent. An analysis involving workers in Financial and insurance activities sector revealed that, standardized prevalence rate (SPR) of both NO (2.96, 95% CI = 2.01–4.20) and O workers (3.68, 95% CI = 3.10–4.33) increased significantly and that an AOR (adjusted odds ratio) increased marginally (1.38, 95% CI = 0.97–1.96). Further, when stratified in respect to the duration of employment, an AOR of female workers having been employed for more than 8 years showed a significant increase (1.63, 95% CI = 1.07–2.49). CONCLUSIONS: Female workers had a higher risk of thyroid cancer than general female population but the difference between NO workers and O workers was not found to be significant in most industrial sectors. Further studies using data with information regarding specific occupational exposures are needed. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40557-018-0259-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Classification ; Cohort Studies ; Compensation and Redress ; Employment ; Female ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; National Health Programs ; Occupational Exposure ; Prevalence ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Women, Working

This study offers a comprehensive overview of brain organoids for researchers. It combines expert opinions with technical summaries on organoid definitions, characteristics, culture methods, and quality control. This approach aims to enhance the utilization of brain organoids in research. Brain organoids, as three-dimensional human cell models mimicking the nervous system, hold immense promise for studying the human brain. They offer advantages over traditional methods, replicating anatomical structures, physiological features, and complex neuronal networks. Additionally, brain organoids can model nervous system development and interactions between cell types and the microenvironment. By providing a foundation for utilizing the most human-relevant tissue models, this work empowers researchers to overcome limitations of two-dimensional cultures and conduct advanced disease modeling research.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and clinical outcomes of plug-assisted retrograde transvenous obliteration (PARTO) to treat gastric variceal hemorrhage in patients with portal hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2012 to June 2014, 19 patients (11 men and 8 women, median age; 61, with history of gastric variceal hemorrhage; 17, active bleeding; 2) who underwent PARTO using a vascular plug and a gelfoam pledget were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical and laboratory data were examined to evaluate primary (technical and clinical success, complications) and secondary (worsening of esophageal varix [EV], change in liver function) end points. Median follow-up duration was 11 months, from 6.5 to 18 months. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare laboratory data before and after the procedure. RESULTS: Technical success (complete occlusion of the efferent shunt and complete filling of gastric varix [GV] with a gelfoam slurry) was achieved in 18 of 19 (94.7%) patients. The embolic materials could not reach the GV in 1 patient who had endoscopic glue injection before our procedure. The clinical success rate (no recurrence of gastric variceal bleeding) was the same because the technically failed patient showed recurrent bleeding later. Acute complications included fever (n = 2), fever and hypotension (n = 2; one diagnosed adrenal insufficiency), and transient microscopic hematuria (n = 3). Ten patients underwent follow-up endoscopy; all exhibited GV improvement, except 2 without endoscopic change. Five patients exhibited aggravated EV, and 2 of them had a bleeding event. Laboratory findings were significantly improved after PARTO. CONCLUSION: PARTO is technically feasible, safe, and effective for gastric variceal hemorrhage in patients with portal hypertension.
Aged ; Balloon Occlusion ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/complications/radiography/*therapy ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/therapy ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable/chemistry ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/complications ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) accounts for approximately 15% of all-cause mortality in the US and 50% of all cardiovascular mortalities in developed countries; 10% of cases have an underlying structural cardiac abnormality. An echocardiography has widely been used to evaluate cardiac abnormality, but it needs to be performed by emergency physicians available in the emergency department immediately after death, rather than by cardiologists. We aimed to determine whether post-mortem echocardiography (PME) performed in the emergency department may reveal such abnormalities. METHODS: We evaluated the reliability and validity of PME performed by emergency physicians in the emergency department. Measurement by a cardiologist was used as reference. RESULTS: Two emergency physicians performed PME on 3 out of the 4 included patients who died after unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. PME was started within 10 minutes of death, and it took 10 minutes to complete. Parasternal views in either supine or left decubitus position were most helpful. The adequacy of the image was rated good to fair, and that of measurements was acceptable to borderline. Regarding the chamber size and left ventricular wall thickness, intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability and validity were 0.97 (n=15) and 0.95 (n=35), respectively (p<0.001). Evaluation of presence/absence of left ventricular wall thinning, valve calcification, and pericardial effusion was incomplete (3/7-5/7), precluding further analysis. CONCLUSION: Emergency physicians could perform reliable and valid PME to assess the chamber size and left ventricular wall thickness. A large prospective study with collaboration between emergency physicians and cardiologists would reveal the feasibility and usefulness of PME in diagnosing structural causes of sudden cardiac arrest.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Cooperative Behavior ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac* ; Developed Countries ; Echocardiography* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Mortality ; Pericardial Effusion ; Prospective Studies ; Reproducibility of Results