OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the prognostic values of biomarkers of neurodegeneration as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and amyloid burden as measured by amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) in predicting conversion to Alzheimer's disease (AD) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched for structural MRI or amyloid PET imaging studies published between January 2000 and July 2014 that reported conversion to AD in patients with MCI. Means and standard deviations or individual numbers of biomarkers with positive or negative status at baseline and corresponding numbers of patients who had progressed to AD at follow-up were retrieved from each study. The effect size of each biomarker was expressed as Hedges's g. RESULTS: Twenty-four MRI studies and 8 amyloid PET imaging studies were retrieved. 674 of the 1741 participants (39%) developed AD. The effect size for predicting conversion to AD was 0.770 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.607–0.934] for across MRI and 1.316 (95% CI 0.920–1.412) for amyloid PET imaging (p<0.001). The effect size was 1.256 (95% CI 0.902–1.609) for entorhinal cortex volume from MRI. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that volumetric MRI measurement may be useful for the early detection of AD.
Alzheimer Disease* ; Amyloid* ; Biomarkers ; Entorhinal Cortex ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mild Cognitive Impairment* ; Positron-Emission Tomography

The calcium phosphate coating on various pretreated metals was prepared by soaking in modified simulated body fluid (m-SBF) solution. The coating structure and its surface morphologies were determined by x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed significant differences in morphology and composition of the calcium phosphate coatings with and without chitosan and NaOH-pretreated commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) substrate. The calcium phosphates formed on chitosan coated-Ti pretreated with NaOH were ~ 350 nm-sized resulting in strong bonding of the apatite layer with the substrates and a uniform gradient of stress transfer from coating materials to the Ti-substrate. After NaOH pretreatment, the hydroxyl groups bind to Ca²⁺ to attract PO₄³⁻ anions, eventually resulting in a continuous layer of calcium phosphate on chitosan coated-Ti substrate during immersion in m-SBF solution. The chitosan coated-Ti showed hydrophobic surface while NaOH pretreatment resulted in maximum hydrophilicity to the Ti substrate. Due to improved wettability of Ti by NaOH pretreatment before chitosan coating, aggregation of calcium phosphate was prevented and size-controlled composite materials were obtained.
Anions ; Body Fluids ; Calcium Phosphates ; Calcium ; Chitosan ; Clothing ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Immersion ; Metals ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Titanium ; Wettability ; X-Ray Diffraction

As the use of the antibiotics, antitumor substances, steroid hormone and immunosuppressive agent have been increased remarkably, the incidence of the fungal infection has also been increased. Aspergillus is a fungus belonged to ascomycetes family and distributed world-widely. Aspergillus infection of the spine is very rare. Mode of vertebral Aspergillosis is direct extension of primary lesion of lung in children, on the other hand, hematogenous metastasis in adults. We report a adult woman who suffered from thoracolumbar pain without any neurological deficit for 6 months prior to admission. Imaging studies revealed irregular bony destruction on the adajacent end plates of T12 and L1 vertebras with kyphotic change. We underwent operation via anterolateral approach using Z-plate fixation. followed by amphotericin-B administration.
Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ascomycota ; Aspergillosis* ; Aspergillus ; Child ; Female ; Fungi ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Spine*

Statement of problem: Many factors influence shade determination in clinical practice and shade matching is highly affected by the viewing conditions. Purpose: This study investigated the differences in shade perception among distinct groups of dental personnel (10 prosthodontists, 10 general practitioners, 10 last-year dental students and 10 dental technicians). Material and method: Four groups of dental personnel were investigated. They were tested to eliminate color blindness. To compare shade selection ability, they were asked to match four test tabs of shades A3, B2, C2 and D4 (VITAPAN. Classical shade guide. The identification codes of the shade tabs were masked to prevent shade memory.) against another full set of VITAPAN. Classical shade guide under similar lighting conditions. Shade selections were randomly repeated five times every week and then the repeatability between dental personnel was evaluated. To compare value perception ability, they were asked to arrange randomly selected five test tabs (B1, A2, D2, C3, A4) in descending order from the brightest to the darkest. To compare hue determination ability, they were asked to divide selected eight test tabs (A2, A3, B2, B3, C2, C3, D2, D3) into four groups by manufacturer as follows: Group A-Reddish brown, Group B-Reddish yellow, Group C-Grey, Group D-Reddish grey. Results and conclusion: The obtained results were as follows: 1. For the value perception ability and hue determination ability, there was no significant difference among 4 groups: prosthodontists, general practitioners, dental students, dental technicians(P>.05). 2. For shade selection ability, the prosthodontists and dental technicians were significantly higher than dental students(P<.05). 3. The repeatability of selected shade in the dental technicians was significantly higher than that of general practitioners and dental students(P<.05). 4. The prosthodontists and dental technicians had significantly higher selection ability than dental students for shade B2(P<.05).
Color Vision Defects ; Dental Technicians ; General Practitioners ; Humans ; Masks ; Perception* ; Students, Dental

In this study, hydroxyapatite (HAp) was coated on titanium using electrochemical deposition (ECD) method at body fluid temperature. The titanium specimens for ECD were prepared by chemically etching treatment using 5M NaOH solution. The electrolyte mixed with 5 mM Ca(NO³)² and 2 mM NH⁴H²PO⁴ which has pH 5 (E2) was adjusted to pH 3 (E1) and pH 6 (E3). The different electric pulses of −10, −15, −30 mA were applied to each specimen. The temperature of electrolytes was kept at 37℃. E1-10, E1-15, E1-30, E2-10, E2-15, E2-30, E3-10, E3-15, and E3-30 groups were prepared for this study. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that E1-10 and E1-15 groups were not coated and the powder-shaped compounds were formed on E3-15 and E3-30 groups. The cracks were observed on the surface of E1-30 and E2-30 groups. The evenly and stable coated layer was deposited on E2-10, E2-15 and E3-10 groups. The layer coated on titanium surface had an HAp crystalline structure. E1-30 and E2-30 groups had low crystallinity, even though they had thick layer. HAp layer on for E2-10 group was well deposited on the surface because it more aligned to c-axis compared with other groups.
Body Fluids ; Crystallins ; Durapatite ; Electrolytes ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Methods ; Titanium

It is difficult to get sufficient roughness on titanium implant surface using traditional electrochemical treatments. In this study, we have developed a new method which provides a hybrid structured titanium surface having micro/nano roughness using electrochemical treatment in NaCl electrolyte and hydrothermal treatment. Titanium disks were anodically oxidized (ANO) in 0.15M NaCl electrolyte by applying positive electric pulses. The oxide compounds loosely attached to the surface were removed by ultrasonic cleaning (ANO group). These specimens were hydrothermally (HT) treated in an alkaline solution (ANO-HT group). ANO group showed the dimpled grain surfaces with a diameter of approximately 30 µm, and its roughness (Ra) was about 2.4 µm. The nano-sized crystallites which had an anatase TiO₂ crystalline structure were uniformly distributed on the surface of ANO-HT group. This group still retained high roughness (~2.7 µm) similar to ANO group and showed high hydrophilicity. Titanium surface with high roughness and hydrophilicity was fabricated using new electrochemical treating method and hydrothermal treatment. This surface modification method could be used for enhancing the osteoconductivity of the titanium implants.
Crystallins ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Methods ; Titanium ; Ultrasonics

The purpose of laboratory tests in the field of oral medicine can be divided into two categories: (1) medical evaluation of patients with systemic diseases that are planning to receive dental care and (2) diagnosis of patients with certain oral diseases. First, laboratory tests are commonly used to evaluate patients with systemic diseases who need dental management. A combination of multiple tests is usually prescribed as a test panel to diagnose and assess a specific disease. Test panels closely related to oral medicine include those for rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue disease/lupus, liver function, thyroid screening, anemia, and bleeding disorders. Second, laboratory tests are used as auxiliary diagnostic methods for certain oral diseases. They often provide crucial diagnostic information for infectious diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses that are associated with pathology in the oral and maxillofacial regions. Laboratory tests for infectious diseases are composed of growth-dependent methods, immunologic assays, and molecular biology. As the field develops, further application of laboratory tests, including synovial fluid analysis in temporomandibular joint disorders, salivary diagnostics, and hematologic biomarkers associated with temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain conditions, is currently under scrutiny for their reliability as diagnostic tools.

Purpose: This study sought to investigate the effects of robot-assisted gait training on balance in total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients after bilateral avascular necrosis (AVN). Methods: This case study in two patients utilized an ‘A-B-A’ single-subject experimental design that included five days of pre-intervention, followed by five days of intervention, and five days of post-intervention. The intervention involved the use of a standing inclined robot (R-bot) for 15 minutes. The outcome measures were evaluated using the Functional Reaching Test (FRT), Time Up to Go (TUG), and the Modified One Leg Standing Test (OLST). Results: Patient 1 showed improvement based on data gathered from baseline A to intervention period B, with results as follows: FRT improved from 27.7 cm to 41.28 cm, OLST LT from 14.03 seconds to 67.37 seconds, OLST RT from 2.94 seconds to 35.97 seconds, and TUG from 12.96 seconds to 7.82 seconds. Patient 2 also showed improvement from baseline A to intervention period B, with results as follows: FRT improved from 17.18 cm to 24.3 cm, OLST LT from 11.53 seconds to 52.01 seconds, OLST RT from 12.99 seconds to 62.19 seconds, and TUG from 27.31 seconds to 12.99 seconds. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, robotic rehabilitation during the early stages after surgery is effective for promoting balance in patients who have undergone THA due to bilateral AVN.

OBJECTIVES: Sexual assaults are increasing in the world. They are frequently associated with violence of verbal or physical force and threat. The aim of this study is to investigate frequency of violence according to characteristics of sexual assault. METHODS: Eighty two female sexual assault victims were referred to the psychiatric clinic from Gwangju One-Stop Service Center between Sep. 4, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2012. We compared the frequency of violence, including verbal or physical force and threat according to characteristics of sexual assault : sexual assault type ; relationship with perpetrator ; time lag to visit one-stop center ; assault location. RESULTS: According to the results, 58.5% (n=48) of subjects had experienced violence before the sexual assaults. Compared to rape (50.9%), indecent (76.0%) showed more frequent violence ; and stranger assailant (81.8%) showed greater frequency of violence than acquaintance (50.0%). Victims who visited the One-stop center within 24 hours (76.7%) had greater exposure to violence than those who visited after 24 hours (48.1%). Regarding assault location, violence frequency was higher in other locations (65.7%) than in accommodations (26.7%). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that frequency of violence before sexual assaults could be influenced by their characteristics.
Female ; Humans ; Rape ; Violence*

Although renal artery aneurysms (RAAs) rarely occur, rupture of RAAs may be life-threateningand result in nephrectomy. To date, there has been only one case report providing histologic evidence of a true aneurysm in a transplanted renal artery. We report here a 51-year-old male with a de novo trueaneurysm in a donor renal artery that was detected 12 years postoperatively. This RAA was corrected by ex vivo repair and allograft autotransplantation.
Aneurysm ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; Renal Artery ; Rupture ; Tissue Donors ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Transplants