Background: Textile dyeing workers are at an increased risk of developing occupational respiratory diseases owing to frequent exposure to harmful chemicals, irritants, and high humidity in the workplace. Pulmonary rehabilitation is essential but associated with access and adherence challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, accessibility, and safety of an app-based pulmonary telerehabilitation program for this population. Methods: Forty-five textile dyeing workers with respiratory symptoms underwent a 4-week pulmonary telerehabilitation program consisting of daily gamified respiratory muscle training using a Bluetooth-enabled device and video-guided flexibility exercises. The program was delivered through a mobile application and adherence was monitored using an online platform. Pulmonary function tests, 6-minute walk test, hand grip strength, and St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores were assessed at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1). The adherence, adverse events, and system usability were evaluated. Results: Improvements were observed in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity, maximal inspiratory pressure, and maximal expiratory pressure at T1 compared to T0. The SGRQ activity scores improved after the intervention. The mean adherence rate was 95.69%; three participants had adherence rates <80% for ≥1 week each. The mean System Usability Scale score was high. Conclusion The program resulted in significant improvements in pulmonary function and quality of life with high adherence rates and good usability. This may be a promising approach for managing occupational respiratory diseases among textile dyeing workers. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are warranted to validate these results and assess the long-term outcomes.

Alterations in gait patterns often indicate health status, and their analysis enables the diagnosis and assessment of various health conditions. This study aimed to develop a noncontact gait analysis system using red, green, and blue-depth (RGB-D) cameras and to evaluate its potential clinical applicability. A single case study was conducted to assess changes in the gait patterns of a patient with stroke before and after the application of an ankle-foot orthosis. Twenty walking trials were recorded to evaluate the key gait parameters. The custom RGB-D camera-based gait analysis system demonstrated the potential to rapidly quantify key gait parameters in the patient. Compared with normative data, it effectively identified characteristic stroke-related gait impairments such as shorter step lengths and slower gait speeds. However, the intraclass correlation coefficient analysis indicated low measurement reliability. Although the stance time and minimum knee angle on the left and right sides exceeded the standard error of measurement (SEM), no changes exceeded the minimal detectable change (MDC) criteria. Moreover, other gait parameters did not show significant changes beyond SEM or MDC, limiting the interpretability of the results. Therefore, further technological developments and data collection are required to improve test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change.

Background: Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is increasingly used as an alternative to ankle arthrodesis for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although its outcomes remain controversial. Using propensity score matching, this study compared clinical and radiographic outcomes of TAA for patients with RA and osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Eighteen patients with RA were selected from 21 eligible cases and matched—using propensity score matching based on 8 baseline variables—to 36 patients with OA from a pool of 386. All patients underwent mobile-bearing TAA and were followed up for a minimum of 2 years. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle–hindfoot score, Short Form-36 Physical Component Summary, and a visual analog scale for pain. Radiographic outcomes and postoperative complications were also evaluated. Results: At a mean follow-up of 7 years, both groups demonstrated improvement in all clinical outcome measures, with no significant differences between the RA and OA groups (p > 0.05). Radiographic outcomes, including postoperative tibiotalar angle, talar tilt angle, as well as the incidence values for periprosthetic osteolysis, implant subsidence, and aseptic loosening, were similar between groups. However, periprosthetic medial malleolar fractures occurred only in the RA group (3 cases, 16.7%; p = 0.033), and 2 cases of incision wound dehiscence were also observed in the RA group. No deep infections were reported in either group. Overall, reoperation rates did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions Patients with RA who underwent TAA achieved clinical and radiographic outcomes comparable to those with OA.However, periprosthetic fractures and wound complications were more common in the RA group. Further studies with larger, matched cohorts and longer follow-up are needed to confirm these findings.

Intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat discogenic back pain and offers an alternative to surgical intervention in selected patients. Although it is generally considered safe, rare but significant complications can occur and may be difficult to diagnose because their symptoms overlap with those of other spinal conditions. We describe the case of a 69-year-old woman who presented with severe lower back and left buttock pain that was unresponsive to conservative treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed disc bulging with a high-intensity zone at the L4–5 and L5–S1 levels. IDET was performed at the L4–5 level, resulting in initial pain relief. However, the patient returned 7 days later with recurrent pain. Despite undergoing percutaneous epidural neuroplasty at the left L5–S1 level, a medial branch block, and a piriformis muscle block, her symptoms persisted. Further evaluation with spinal computed tomography revealed a retroperitoneal hematoma near the left psoas muscle. Referred pain from the hematoma mimicked discogenic pain, resulting in delayed diagnosis and unnecessary interventions. The patient remained hemodynamically stable and gradually improved with conservative management alone. This case highlights retroperitoneal hematoma as a rare complication of IDET and emphasizes the importance of accurate and timely diagnosis in patients with persistent or worsening symptoms after spinal procedures. Clinicians should consider non-discogenic sources of pain when treatment outcomes deviate from expected patterns.

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a frequent phenotype of BRCA-mutanttumors. Tumors with BRCAness may show characteristics of BRCA-mutant tumors and respond to similar treatments. Next-generation sequencing is an efficient and cost-effective method for simultaneously sequencing multiple cancer susceptibility genes, surpassing conventional Sanger testing. Methods: A total of 148 women with TNBC were recruited from December 2015 to November 2018, as part of a sub-analysis based on the PEARLY trial data. Of them, 103 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT). The targeted genes related to hereditary cancers were sequenced using the 65-gene germline next-generation sequencing (gNGS) panel pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants (P&LPs) were determined by Sanger sequencing. We examined the occurrence of pathologic complete remission (ypCR) in patients with P&LPs. Results: The patients’ median age was 47 years (range, 27–69 years). Twenty (13.7%) of 148 patients had P&LP in six genes, including BARD1 (n = 2), BRCA1 (n = 9), BRCA2 (n = 5), CHEK2 (n = 1), RAD51C (n = 1), and RAD51D (n = 2). Among the 103 patients with NCT, 43 (41.7%) achieved ypCR (P&LPs; 9 individuals vs. non-variants; 34 individuals). Among the 103 patients with NCT, 14 (9.3%) had P&LPs. Nine of 14 patients with P&LPs, including BARD1 (n = 2), BRCA1 (n = 4), BRCA2 (n = 1), RAD51C (n = 1), and RAD51D (n = 1), achieved ypCR, showing a trend toward statistical significance (p = 0.066). Conclusion Germline P&LP mutations in TNBC patients can be detected by gNGS. This panel test can identify BRCA and BRCAness mutations that may predict ypCR in TNBC.

Purpose: Obesity refers to a condition in which there is excessive fat in the body and is caused by an imbalanced diet and a decrease in physical activity. Accordingly, regular exercise is reported to help improve and prevent obesity. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of short-term resistance training (RT) on weight loss, lipid profiles, blood pressure, atherogenic indices, and inflammation in middle-aged mice. Methods: Adult mice (7.5-month-old) were randomly divided into three groups comprising 7 mice per group: a normal diet group (NDC); a high-fat diet group (HDC, 45% total calories as fat); and a high-fat diet plus resistance training group (HDRT). The mice in the resistance training group performed climbing exercises using a ladder for the experimental period of 5 days/week for 4 weeks. The indicated intensity load was adjusted by individual % of animal body weight. The load gradually increased every week, and a total of 4 repetitions/set and 3 sets/day with 1 minute of rest provided between sets were performed. After sacrifice, analysis of serum and mRNA expression in the tissues were performed. Results: The HDC group showed a significant increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared to the NDC group, while the HDRT group had a lower SBP relative to the HDC group. RT significantly improved blood lipid levels (triglycerides [TG], low-density lipoprotein [LDL], non-high-density lipoprotein [nonHDL], and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [VLDL-C]). Arteriosclerosis improved through resistance training as observed in the changes in the arteriosclerosis indices (atherogenic index of plasma [AIP], Castelli risk index [CRI]-I, CRI-II, and atherogenic coefficient [AC]). In addition, the HDRT group showed decreased mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (Tnfa), interleukin-1 beta (Il-1b), and Il-6 in muscle tissue when compared with the HDC. Conclusion This study confirmed that RT improves blood lipids and inflammation profiles, regulates blood pressure, and improves atherosclerosis in obese mice.

Background and Objectives: Inconsistencies in nasal nitric oxide (nNO) values, due to anatomical variations and comorbidities, challenge the accurate assessment of upper airway inflammation severity. We hypothesized that changes in nNO levels following treatment for chronic rhinitis would be consistent and provide relative value. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between changes in nNO levels and symptomatic improvements following treatment for chronic rhinitis. Methods: This prospective observational study included 46 participants diagnosed with chronic rhinitis between December 2021 and November 2023. nNO measurements, evaluations of four nasal and two ocular symptoms, and quality of life questionnaires were conducted at baseline and after one month of treatment. Baseline laboratory tests included serum total immunoglobulin E levels, blood eosinophil percentages, and skin prick tests. Results: The Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), TNSS with ocular symptoms (TNSS eye), and Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) scores significantly decreased following treatment (all p<0.001). nNO levels also decreased significantly after treatment (p=0.036). Moreover, changes in nNO were significantly correlated with changes in TNSS, TNSS eye, and RQLQ scores (p=0.047, r=0.294; p=0.021, r=0.340; and p=0.004, r=0.419, respectively). Conclusion In patients with chronic rhinitis, changes in TNSS, TNSS eye, and RQLQ scores were correlated with changes in nNO levels after treatment. nNO may serve as a potential objective evaluation tool for chronic rhinitis, particularly in patients who have difficulty reporting symptoms.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasonography- and fluoroscopy-guided transvaginal catheter drainage for pelvic fluid collection. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study included nine female patients who underwent transvaginal drainage for pelvic fluid collection unsuitable for transabdominal access between October 2016 and January 2023. The study analyzed patient symptoms and signs, ultrasonography and CT findings, transvaginal approach details, and technical and clinical outcomes, including complications. Catheters of size 7 or 8.5-Fr, with or without an endocavitary needle guide were used for the puncture. Results: Pelvic fluid collections were primarily post-operative (n = 7) or from patients with primary tubo-ovarian abscesses (n = 2). All patients achieved technical success, defined as the successful insertion of the drainage catheter at the site of target fluid collection, and clinical success, defined as the improvement of symptoms with catheter removal within 1 week. In seven cases, the procedure was assisted by an endocavitary needle guide. The median catheter indwelling period was 2 days, with two minor complications: accidental catheter removal and urinary bladder puncture, both of which were managed without further complications. Conclusion Ultrasonography- and fluoroscopy-guided transvaginal drainage are effective and safe methods for managing pelvic fluid collections that are unsuitable for a transabdominal approach.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has underscored the limitations of traditional diagnostic methods, particularly in ensuring the safety of healthcare workers and patients during infectious outbreaks. Smartphone-based digital stethoscopes enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) have emerged as potential tools for addressing these challenges by enabling remote, efficient, and accessible auscultation. Despite advancements, most existing systems depend on additional hardware and external processing, increasing costs and complicating deployment. This review examines the feasibility and limitations of smartphone-based digital stethoscopes powered by AI, focusing on their ability to perform real-time analyses of audible and inaudible sound frequencies. We also explore the regulatory barriers, data storage challenges, and diagnostic accuracy issues that must be addressed to facilitate broader adoption. The implementation of these devices in veterinary medicine is discussed as a practical step toward refining their applications. With targeted improvements and careful consideration of existing limitations, smartphone-based AI stethoscopes could enhance diagnostic capabilities in human and animal healthcare settings.