Background: Strain elastography (SE) and shear wave elastography (SWE) are emerging techniques for evaluating the elasticity of soft tissue. This study aimed to determine interobserver and intraobserver reliability for elasticity measurements of different tissues and anatomic locations using SE and SWE. Methods: Ten healthy adult male individuals with 20 upper extremities participated in this study. The elasticities of the wrist extensor muscle, the common extensor tendon, and supraspinatus tendon were measured. Strain ratio and shear wave velocity were measured twice by 2 different examiners (examiner 1 with over 20 years of experience in musculoskeletal sonography and examiner 2 with 1 year of experience). Interobserver and intraobserver reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The 10 individuals’ age ranged from 28 to 35 years. In SE, interobserver reliabilities at the 3 anatomic locations (wrist extensor muscle, common extensor tendon, and supraspinatus tendon) showed fair to moderate agreement (ICC = 0.489, p = 0.076;ICC = 0.408, p = 0.131; and ICC = 0.296, p = 0.711, respectively). The intraobserver reliabilities of examiner 1 were moderate to substantial only at the wrist extensor muscle and the common extensor tendon (ICC = 0.563, p = 0.039 and ICC = 0.702, p = 0.006, respectively). In SWE, interobserver reliabilities for the wrist extensor muscle and the supraspinatus tendon were moderate to substantial (ICC = 0.756, p = 0.002 and ICC = 0.565, p = 0.039, respectively). The intraobserver reliabilities of examiner 1 at the 3 anatomic locations were almost perfect (ICC = 0.843, p = 0.001; ICC = 0.800, p = 0.001; and ICC = 0.825, p = 0.001, respectively).The results of examiner 2 showed almost perfect agreement at the wrist extensor muscle (ICC = 0.886, p = 0.001) and moderate to substantial agreement at the tendons of the common extensor and supraspinatus (ICC = 0.592, p = 0.029 and ICC = 0.682, p = 0.008, respectively). Conclusions SWE is a reliable method for assessing the flexibility of soft tissue, but it is affected by expertise and the specific anatomical site.

Background: Strain elastography (SE) and shear wave elastography (SWE) are emerging techniques for evaluating the elasticity of soft tissue. This study aimed to determine interobserver and intraobserver reliability for elasticity measurements of different tissues and anatomic locations using SE and SWE. Methods: Ten healthy adult male individuals with 20 upper extremities participated in this study. The elasticities of the wrist extensor muscle, the common extensor tendon, and supraspinatus tendon were measured. Strain ratio and shear wave velocity were measured twice by 2 different examiners (examiner 1 with over 20 years of experience in musculoskeletal sonography and examiner 2 with 1 year of experience). Interobserver and intraobserver reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The 10 individuals’ age ranged from 28 to 35 years. In SE, interobserver reliabilities at the 3 anatomic locations (wrist extensor muscle, common extensor tendon, and supraspinatus tendon) showed fair to moderate agreement (ICC = 0.489, p = 0.076;ICC = 0.408, p = 0.131; and ICC = 0.296, p = 0.711, respectively). The intraobserver reliabilities of examiner 1 were moderate to substantial only at the wrist extensor muscle and the common extensor tendon (ICC = 0.563, p = 0.039 and ICC = 0.702, p = 0.006, respectively). In SWE, interobserver reliabilities for the wrist extensor muscle and the supraspinatus tendon were moderate to substantial (ICC = 0.756, p = 0.002 and ICC = 0.565, p = 0.039, respectively). The intraobserver reliabilities of examiner 1 at the 3 anatomic locations were almost perfect (ICC = 0.843, p = 0.001; ICC = 0.800, p = 0.001; and ICC = 0.825, p = 0.001, respectively).The results of examiner 2 showed almost perfect agreement at the wrist extensor muscle (ICC = 0.886, p = 0.001) and moderate to substantial agreement at the tendons of the common extensor and supraspinatus (ICC = 0.592, p = 0.029 and ICC = 0.682, p = 0.008, respectively). Conclusions SWE is a reliable method for assessing the flexibility of soft tissue, but it is affected by expertise and the specific anatomical site.

Background: Strain elastography (SE) and shear wave elastography (SWE) are emerging techniques for evaluating the elasticity of soft tissue. This study aimed to determine interobserver and intraobserver reliability for elasticity measurements of different tissues and anatomic locations using SE and SWE. Methods: Ten healthy adult male individuals with 20 upper extremities participated in this study. The elasticities of the wrist extensor muscle, the common extensor tendon, and supraspinatus tendon were measured. Strain ratio and shear wave velocity were measured twice by 2 different examiners (examiner 1 with over 20 years of experience in musculoskeletal sonography and examiner 2 with 1 year of experience). Interobserver and intraobserver reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The 10 individuals’ age ranged from 28 to 35 years. In SE, interobserver reliabilities at the 3 anatomic locations (wrist extensor muscle, common extensor tendon, and supraspinatus tendon) showed fair to moderate agreement (ICC = 0.489, p = 0.076;ICC = 0.408, p = 0.131; and ICC = 0.296, p = 0.711, respectively). The intraobserver reliabilities of examiner 1 were moderate to substantial only at the wrist extensor muscle and the common extensor tendon (ICC = 0.563, p = 0.039 and ICC = 0.702, p = 0.006, respectively). In SWE, interobserver reliabilities for the wrist extensor muscle and the supraspinatus tendon were moderate to substantial (ICC = 0.756, p = 0.002 and ICC = 0.565, p = 0.039, respectively). The intraobserver reliabilities of examiner 1 at the 3 anatomic locations were almost perfect (ICC = 0.843, p = 0.001; ICC = 0.800, p = 0.001; and ICC = 0.825, p = 0.001, respectively).The results of examiner 2 showed almost perfect agreement at the wrist extensor muscle (ICC = 0.886, p = 0.001) and moderate to substantial agreement at the tendons of the common extensor and supraspinatus (ICC = 0.592, p = 0.029 and ICC = 0.682, p = 0.008, respectively). Conclusions SWE is a reliable method for assessing the flexibility of soft tissue, but it is affected by expertise and the specific anatomical site.

Background: Strain elastography (SE) and shear wave elastography (SWE) are emerging techniques for evaluating the elasticity of soft tissue. This study aimed to determine interobserver and intraobserver reliability for elasticity measurements of different tissues and anatomic locations using SE and SWE. Methods: Ten healthy adult male individuals with 20 upper extremities participated in this study. The elasticities of the wrist extensor muscle, the common extensor tendon, and supraspinatus tendon were measured. Strain ratio and shear wave velocity were measured twice by 2 different examiners (examiner 1 with over 20 years of experience in musculoskeletal sonography and examiner 2 with 1 year of experience). Interobserver and intraobserver reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The 10 individuals’ age ranged from 28 to 35 years. In SE, interobserver reliabilities at the 3 anatomic locations (wrist extensor muscle, common extensor tendon, and supraspinatus tendon) showed fair to moderate agreement (ICC = 0.489, p = 0.076;ICC = 0.408, p = 0.131; and ICC = 0.296, p = 0.711, respectively). The intraobserver reliabilities of examiner 1 were moderate to substantial only at the wrist extensor muscle and the common extensor tendon (ICC = 0.563, p = 0.039 and ICC = 0.702, p = 0.006, respectively). In SWE, interobserver reliabilities for the wrist extensor muscle and the supraspinatus tendon were moderate to substantial (ICC = 0.756, p = 0.002 and ICC = 0.565, p = 0.039, respectively). The intraobserver reliabilities of examiner 1 at the 3 anatomic locations were almost perfect (ICC = 0.843, p = 0.001; ICC = 0.800, p = 0.001; and ICC = 0.825, p = 0.001, respectively).The results of examiner 2 showed almost perfect agreement at the wrist extensor muscle (ICC = 0.886, p = 0.001) and moderate to substantial agreement at the tendons of the common extensor and supraspinatus (ICC = 0.592, p = 0.029 and ICC = 0.682, p = 0.008, respectively). Conclusions SWE is a reliable method for assessing the flexibility of soft tissue, but it is affected by expertise and the specific anatomical site.

Naegleria fowleri invades the brain and causes a fatal primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Despite its high mortality rate of approximately 97%, an effective therapeutic drug for PAM has not been developed. Approaches with miltefosine, amphotericin B, and other antimicrobials have been clinically attempted to treat PAM, but their therapeutic efficacy remains unclear. The development of an effective and safe therapeutic drug for PAM is urgently needed. In this study, we investigated the anti-amoebic activity of Pinus densiflora leaf extract (PLE) against N. fowleri. PLE induced significant morphological changes in N. fowleri trophozoites, resulting in the death of the amoeba. The IC50 of PLE on N. fowleri was 62.3±0.95 μg/ml. Alternatively, PLE did not significantly affect the viability of the rat glial cell line C6. Transcriptome analysis revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between PLE-treated and non-treated amoebae. A total of 5,846 DEGs were identified, of which 2,189 were upregulated, and 3,657 were downregulated in the PLE-treated amoebae. The DEGs were categorized into biological process (1,742 genes), cellular component (1,237 genes), and molecular function (846 genes) based on the gene ontology analysis, indicating that PLE may have dramatically altered the biological and cellular functions of the amoeba and contributed to their death. These results suggest that PLE has anti-N. fowleri activity and may be considered as a potential candidate for the development of therapeutic drugs for PAM. It may also be used as a supplement compound to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs currently used to treat PAM.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of red ginseng oil (RXGIN) in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Materials and Methods: Men aged between 40 and 75 years with a total International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of 8 to 19 points were recruited from April 2020 to December 2020. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the RXGIN group or the control group in a 1:1 ratio and received either RXGIN or placebo daily for 12 weeks. For the primary outcome, changes in IPSS scores at 6 and 12 weeks from baseline were analyzed. The secondary outcomes were changes in International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), maximum urinary flow rate, and post-void residual volume at weeks 6 and 12 compared to baseline. Urine analysis and blood tests were additionally performed for safety assessment. Results: A total of 88 subjects (RXGIN group, 46; control group, 42) completed the study. The total IPSS and IPSS subscores (residual urine sensation, frequency, intermittency, urgency, weak stream, straining, nocturia, and quality of life) were significantly improved in the RXGIN group compared to the control group at weeks 6 and 12. Total IIEF and sexual desire were significantly improved in the RXGIN group at week 6 and week 12, respectively, but there were no significant changes in the level of serum testosterone or dihydrotestosterone. The serum prostate-specific antigen showed significant decrease at weeks 12. No serious adverse events leading to discontinuation of the study drug were observed in the RXGIN group. Conclusions Red ginseng oil (RXGIN) appears to be safe and effective in improving lower urinary tract symptoms in men and may also improve some aspects of sexual function.

In a completely edentulous patient who cannot have implant-retained overdentures due to medical history and economic circumstances, a suction-effective complete denture utilizing the closed-mouth impression technique is being used to secure high retention. In this case, both a conventional complete denture using the open-mouth impression technique and a suction-effective complete denture using the closed-mouth impression technique were fabricated for a single completely edentulous patient. The results demonstrated that both methods provided excellent outcomes in terms of function, esthetics, and patient satisfaction. Conventional complete dentures increase the area of denture-bearing pressure to ensure retention and stability, whereas suction-effective complete dentures achieve retention by sealing the entire border of the denture. Since there are characteristic differences in the clinical and laboratory procedures due to differences in the concept of denture fabrication, this was compared through this case report.

In a completely edentulous patient who cannot have implant-retained overdentures due to medical history and economic circumstances, a suction-effective complete denture utilizing the closed-mouth impression technique is being used to secure high retention. In this case, both a conventional complete denture using the open-mouth impression technique and a suction-effective complete denture using the closed-mouth impression technique were fabricated for a single completely edentulous patient. The results demonstrated that both methods provided excellent outcomes in terms of function, esthetics, and patient satisfaction. Conventional complete dentures increase the area of denture-bearing pressure to ensure retention and stability, whereas suction-effective complete dentures achieve retention by sealing the entire border of the denture. Since there are characteristic differences in the clinical and laboratory procedures due to differences in the concept of denture fabrication, this was compared through this case report.

In a completely edentulous patient who cannot have implant-retained overdentures due to medical history and economic circumstances, a suction-effective complete denture utilizing the closed-mouth impression technique is being used to secure high retention. In this case, both a conventional complete denture using the open-mouth impression technique and a suction-effective complete denture using the closed-mouth impression technique were fabricated for a single completely edentulous patient. The results demonstrated that both methods provided excellent outcomes in terms of function, esthetics, and patient satisfaction. Conventional complete dentures increase the area of denture-bearing pressure to ensure retention and stability, whereas suction-effective complete dentures achieve retention by sealing the entire border of the denture. Since there are characteristic differences in the clinical and laboratory procedures due to differences in the concept of denture fabrication, this was compared through this case report.