COMPARISON OF ANGULAR KINEMATIC PATTERNS BETWEEN CARVING TURN AND SKIDDING TURN DURING ALPINE SKIING

The purpose of this study was to investigate the movement patterns between segments (lower spine, pelvis, thigh, shank) and ski using the relative angular displacement on anteroposterior and vertical axis. Fourteen alpine ski instructors were participated in this study. Eight inertial measurement units were used to measure kinematic variables. Each skier was asked to perform ten carving turns and ten skidding turns on the groomed 15°slope, respectively. On the vertical axis, relative angular displacement of lower spine-ski was significantly increased during carving turn, whereas relative angular displacement of shank-ski was significantly increased during skidding turn. On the anteroposterior axis, relative angular displacement of lower spine-ski, pelvis-ski and thigh-ski were significantly increased during carving turn

Association Kikuchi disease with Hashimoto thyroiditis: a case report and literature review

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a benign and self-limited disease characterized by fever and lymphadenopathy. The etiology of KFD is unknown, but an autoimmune cause has been suggested. Hashimoto thyroiditis is the most common autoimmune thyroid disorder in children and is known to be associated with other autoimmune diseases. Only a few cases of Hashimoto thyroiditis associated with KFD have been documented. We report a case of a 16-year-old girl who was first diagnosed with KFD and developed Hashimoto thyroiditis 2 years and 6 months later during her follow-up period. Physicians of patients with KFD should consider the possibility of autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

A case of Hashimoto's encephalopathy presenting with seizures and psychosis

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare, poorly understood, autoimmune disease characterized by symptoms of acute or subacute encephalopathy associated with increased anti-thyroid antibody levels. Here, we report a case of a 14-year-old girl with HE and briefly review the literature. The patient presented with acute mental changes and seizures, but no evidence of infectious encephalitis. In the acute stage, the seizures did not respond to conventional antiepileptic drugs, including valproic acid, phenytoin, and topiramate. The clinical course was complicated by the development of acute psychosis, including bipolar mood, insomnia, agitation, and hallucinations. The diagnosis of HE was supported by positive results for antithyroperoxidase and antithyroglobulin antibodies. Treatment with methylprednisolone was effective; her psychosis improved and the number of seizures decreased. HE is a serious but curable, condition, which might be underdiagnosed if not suspected. Anti-thyroid antibodies must be measured for the diagnosis. HE should be considered in patients with diverse neuropsychiatric manifestations

Thirty-day mortality after percutaneous gastrostomy by endoscopic versus radiologic placement: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background/AimsA percutaneous gastrostomy can be placed either endoscopically (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, PEG) or radiologically (radiologically-inserted gastrostomy, RIG). However, there is no consistent evidence of the safety and efficacy of PEG compared to RIG. Recently, 30-day mortality has become considered as the most important surrogate index for evaluating the safety and efficacy of percutaneous gastrostomy. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the 30-day mortality rates between PEG and RIG.MethodsMajor electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane library) were queried for comparative studies on the two insertion techniques of gastrostomy among adults with swallowing disturbance. The primary outcome was the 30-day mortality rate after gastrostomy insertion. Forest and funnel plots were generated for outcomes using STATA version 14.0.ResultsFifteen studies (n=2,183) met the inclusion criteria. PEG was associated with a lower risk of 30-day mortality after tube placement compared with RIG (odds ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38–0.94; P=0.026). The pooled prevalence of 30-day mortality of PEG was 5.5% (95% CI, 4.0%–6.9%) and that of RIG was 10.5% (95% CI, 6.8%–14.3%). No publication bias was noted.ConclusionsThe present meta-analysis demonstrated that PEG is associated with a lower probability of 30-day mortality compared to RIG, suggesting that PEG should be considered as the first choice for long-term enteral tube feeding. Further prospective randomized studies are needed to evaluate and compare the safety of these two different methods of gastrostomy

Occupational asthma caused by inhalation of bovine serum albumin powder

Bovine serum albumin (BSA), which is present in bovine plasma, is one of the major allergens affecting patients with food allergies induced by milk and meat. It is also commonly used in research laboratories. Although some reports have documented food allergies associated with BSA, BSA-induced occupational asthma has not been reported. We report a case of occupational asthma and rhinitis in a laboratory worker caused by the inhalation of BSA powder, in which an IgE-mediated response was suggested as the pathogenic mechanism

Occupational Asthma Induced by the Reactive Dye Synozol Red-K 3BS

Various reactive dyes can elicit occupational asthma in exposed textile industry workers. To date, there has been no report of occupational asthma caused by the red dye Synozol Red-K 3BS (Red-K). Here, we report a 38-year-old male textile worker with occupational asthma and rhinitis induced by inhalation of Red-K. He showed positive responses to Red-K extract on skin-prick testing and serum specific IgE antibodies to Red-K-human serum albumin conjugate were detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A bronchoprovocation test with Red-K extract resulted in significant bronchoconstriction. These findings suggest that the inhalation of the reactive dye Red-K can induce IgE-mediated occupational asthma and rhinitis in exposed workers

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of in-hospital complications and overall mortality in Takotsubo syndrome preceded by physical triggers

Background Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) with physical triggers has worse short- and long-term clinical courses than those with emotional triggers. However, predictive factors associated with poor outcomes of TTS with physical triggers are unknown. Methods We included 231 patients identified as TTS preceded by physical triggers at two tertiary referral hospitals from 2010 to 2019. In-hospital complications (IHC)—a composite of malignant arrhythmia, need for mechanical circulatory support or mechanical ventilation, and in-hospital death—and overall mortality were retrospectively reviewed. The associations with clinical features were evaluated by multivariable logistic and Cox regression analyses. Results The mean age was 69.3 ± 11.6years, and 85 (36.8%) were male. The in-hospital complications rate was 46.8%. During a median follow-up of 883days, 96 (41.6%) had died, and overall mortality was 13.6% per patient-year. Higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was associated with a higher risk of IHC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.73; positive and negative predictive value = 60.9% and 67.2% for NLR ≤ 12); odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was 1.03 (1.01–1.05), p = 0.010. Subsequently, higher NLR was also related to a greater risk of overall mortality; patients with high NLR (NLR > 12) exhibited poor long-term survival than those with low NLR (NLR ≤ 5): hazard ratio (95% CI), 3.70 (1.72–7.94) with p < 0.001. Conclusions A high NLR at initial presentation is associated with an increased risk of IHC and overall mortality in TTS preceded by physical triggers. Given that the treatment of TTS is mainly supportive, intensive monitoring with careful follow-up would be warranted in patients with high NLR.This study was funded by SNUBH Research Fund [Grant No. 14-2015-029]