Reperfusion Injury after Autologous Cranioplasty in a Patient with Sinking Skin Flap Syndrome

The sinking skin flap syndrome is a rare complication after a large craniectomy. It consists of a sunken skin above the bone defect with neurological symptoms such as severe headache, mental changes, focal deficits, or seizures. In patient with sinking skin flap syndrome, cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolism are decreased by sinking skin flap syndrome, and it may cause the deterioration of autoregulation of brain. We report a case of a patient with sinking skin flap syndrome who suffered from reperfusion injury after cranioplasty with review of pertinent literature

Unconventional spin-phonon coupling via the Dzyaloshinskii???Moriya interaction

Spin-phonon coupling (SPC) plays a critical role in numerous intriguing phenomena of transition metal oxides (TMOs). In 3d and 4d TMOs, the coupling between spin and lattice degrees of freedom is known to originate from the exchange interaction. On the other hand, the origin of SPC in 5d TMOs remains to be elucidated. To address this issue, we measured the phonon spectra of the 5d pyrochlore iridate Y 2 Ir 2 O 7 using optical spectroscopy. Three infrared-active phonons soften below the N??el temperature of T N ??? 170 K, indicating the existence of strong SPC. Simulations using density functional theory showed that the coupling is closely related to the Ir???O???Ir bond angle. A tight-binding model analysis reveals that this SPC is mainly mediated by the Dzyaloshinskii???Moriya interaction rather than the usual exchange interaction. We suggest that such unconventional SPC may be realized in other 5d TMOs with non-collinear magnetic order

Laparoscopic Total Mesorectal Excision in a Rectal Cancer Patient with Situs Inversus Totalis

Situs inversus totalis is a rare anomaly in which the abdominal and thoracic cavity structures are opposite their usual positions. A 41-yr-old woman, who had an ulcerating cancer on the rectum, was found as a case of situs inversus totalis. We present an overview of the operative technique for the first documented laparoscopic total mesorectal excision of a rectal cancer in the patient with situs inversus totalis. Careful consideration of the mirror-image anatomy permitted a safe operation using techniques not otherwise different from those used for the general population. Therefore, curative laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer in this patient is feasible and safe

A Survey of Diabetic Educators and Patients for the Revision of Korean Food Exchange Lists

BackgroundFood exchange lists are one of the main methods of nutritional education. However, Korean food exchange lists have not been revised since 1994. Therefore, we surveyed the opinions of diabetes educators and patients with diabetes regarding the need for revision of the current food exchange lists.MethodsFor two weeks beginning on 10 March 2008, a 12-item questionnaire regarding the opinion and need for revision of the current food exchange lists was e-mailed to diabetes educators nationwide. Another 15-question survey was administered to patients with diabetes in 13 hospitals located in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions of Korea.ResultsWe obtained survey responses from 101 diabetes educators and 209 patients; 65 (64.3%) of the educators answered that the current food exchange lists should be revised. The items that needed revision were the glycemic index, addition of new foods and reaffirmation of exchange standard amounts. The patients demanded specific education about choosing appropriate foods, a balanced meal plan, proper snacks, and dining intake.ConclusionOur survey results demonstrate the need to revise the Korean food exchange lists. This process should focus on glycemic index, the addition of new foods and reconfirmation of one exchange reference unit