Quantifying the Effects of Knee Joint Biomechanics on Acoustical Emissions

The knee is one of the most injured body parts, causing 18 million patients to be seen in clinics every year. Because the knee is a weight-bearing joint, it is prone to pathologies such as osteoarthritis and ligamentous injuries. Existing technologies for monitoring knee health can provide accurate assessment and diagnosis for acute injuries. However, they are mainly confined to clinical or laboratory settings only, time-consuming, expensive, and not well-suited for longitudinal monitoring. Developing a novel technology for joint health assessment beyond the clinic can further provide insights on the rehabilitation process and quantitative usage of the knee joint. To better understand the underlying properties and fundamentals of joint sounds, this research will investigate the relationship between the changes in the knee joint structure (i.e. structural damage and joint contact force) and the JAEs while developing novel techniques for analyzing these sounds. We envision that the possibility of quantifying joint structure and joint load usage from these acoustic sensors would advance the potential of JAE as the next biomarker of joint health that can be captured with wearable technology. First, we developed a novel processing technique for JAEs that quantify on the structural change of the knee from injured athletes and human lower-limb cadaver models. Second, we quantified whether JAEs can detect the increase in the mechanical stress on the knee joint using an unsupervised graph mining algorithm. Lastly, we quantified the directional bias of the load distribution between medial and lateral compartment using JAEs. Understanding and monitoring the quantitative usage of knee loads in daily activities can broaden the implications for longitudinal joint health monitoring.Ph.D

Efficacy of a long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser in acute scar redness

Background The initial redness of the scar on a postoperative suture site is a natural phenomenon that fades over time. However, with a long period of redness, patients complain about cosmetic discomfort, and the possibility of pigmentation changes is induced. We investigated the use of a long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser as a noninvasive treatment for improving the redness of these scars. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted on 36 patients who underwent excision of a nevus on the face. Fourteen patients received laser treatment and another 22 patients used only scar management ointment. Patients were followed up 1 week after the sutures were removed. The photographic images taken at the time of suture removal and 2 months later were reviewed. The evaluation was performed on a 7-point scale by adding the Japan Scar Workshop (JSW) scar scale’s redness and erythema scores. Results The average initial JSW scar scale score of the treatment group was 4.6, and that of the nontreatment group was 4.2. When the re-evaluation was performed 2 months later, the score of the treatment group decreased to 2.2 and that of the nontreatment group decreased to 3.1. The difference in the JSW scar scale between the treatment group and the nontreatment group according to laser performance was statistically significant (P=0.03). Conclusions The treatment method with a long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser that is less invasive and has a quick effect can be a good alternative for improving this initial scar redness

Does robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy enable to obtain adequate oncological and functional outcomes during the learning curve? From the Korean experience

To estimate the short-term results of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP) during the learning curve, in terms of surgical, oncological and functional outcomes, we conducted a prospective survey on RALRP. From July 2007, a single surgeon performed 63 robotic prostatectomies using the same operative technique. Perioperative data, including pathological and early functional results of the patient, were collected prospectively and analyzed. Along with the accumulation of the cases, the total operative time, setup time, console time and blood loss were significantly decreased. No major complication was present in any patient. Transfusion was needed in six patients; all of them were within the initial 15 cases. The positive surgical margin rate was 9.8% (5/51) in pT2 disease. The most frequent location of positive margin in this stage was the lateral aspect (60%), but in pT3 disease multiple margins were the most frequent (41.7%). Overall, 53 (84.1%) patients had totally continent status and the median time to continence was 6.56 weeks. Among 17 patients who maintained preoperative sexual activity ( Sexual Health Inventory for Men \u3e = 17), stage below pT2, followed up for \u3e 6 months with minimally one side of neurovascular bundle preservation procedure, 12 (70.6%) were capable of intercourse postoperatively, and the mean time for sexual intercourse after operation was 5.7 months. In this series, robotic prostatectomy was a feasible and reproducible technique, with a short learning curve and low perioperative complication rate. Even during the initial phase of the learning curve, satisfactory results were obtained with regard to functional and oncological outcome

Clinical and Microbiologic Investigation of an Expedited Peri-implantitis Dog Model: An Animal Study

Background: Animal studies are pivotal in allowing experimentation to identify efficacious treatment protocols for resolution of peri-implantitis. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize an expedited dog peri-implantitis model clinically, radiographically, and microbiologically. Methods: Eight hound dogs underwent extractions (week 0) and implant (3.3 × 8.5 mm) placement with simultaneous surgical defect creation and ligature placement for induction of peri-implantitis (week 10). Ligatures were replaced at 6 weeks (week 16) and removed after 9 weeks (week 19) when supporting bone loss involved approximately 50% of the peri-implant bone. Microbial samples from the defects and healthy control implant sites collected at week 19 were analyzed utilizing a microarray. Clinical measures of inflammation were obtained and radiographic bone loss was measured from periapical radiographs. Radiographic depth and width measurements of bony defect were repeated at weeks 10 (baseline), 16, and 19. Canonical analysis of principal coordinates was used to visualize overall differences in microbial abundance between peri-implantitis and healthy implants. Results: This accelerated disease protocol led to intrabony defect creation with a mean depth and width of 4.3 mm and 3.5 mm, respectively after 9 weeks of ligature placement. Microbial identification revealed 59 total bacteria in peri-implant sites, 21 of which were only present in peri-implant sites as compared to healthy controls. Overall microbial beta diversity (microbial between-sample compositional diversity) differed between peri-implantitis and healthy implants (p = 0.009). Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, this protocol led to expedited generation of peri-implant defects with a microbial profile indicative of a shift to disease and defect patterns conducive to regenerative treatment. However, the possibility of potential spontaneous resolution of lesions due to the lack of a chronicity interval as compared to chronic disease models need to be further clarified and considered during preclinical peri-implantitis model selection

High-Dose Terazosin Therapy (5 mg) in Korean Patients with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms with or without Concomitant Hypertension: A Prospective, Open-Label Study

Purpose: We determined the efficacy and safety of a relatively high dose of terazosin (5 mg) in Korean patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), with or without concomitant hypertension. Materials and Methods: From July to December 2006, 200 men who consecutively presented with LUTS were prospectively studied. Eight weeks after treatment, blood pressure (BP), uroflowmetry, and International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) were assessed. For analysis purposes, patients were stratified according to concomitant hypertension. Of the 200 patients, 173 completed the scheduled eight-week treatment period. Results: At baseline, no differences were evident in the two groups in terms of I-PSS, Qmax, PVR and BP. After eight weeks of treatment-although I-PSS and uroflowmetry parameters were not significantly different in the two groups-systolic and diastolic BP in the non-hypertensive control group were higher than in the hypertensive group (p= 0.001 and p = 0.0100, respectively). Changes in I-PSS, uroflowmetry parameters, and BPs measured at week eight posttreatment commencement did not significantly differ between the two groups. Moreover, the addition of 5 mg of terazosin to antihypertensives did not cause a significant reduction in either systolic or diastolic BP in either group. Conclusion: Adding terazosin to existing antihypertensive regimens did not seem to increase the incidence of adverse events. Our findings suggest that 5 mg terazosin is effective and that it has an acceptable safety profile as an add-on therapy for patients with LUTS and concomitant hypertension. Key Words: Hypertension, prostate, lower urinary tract symptoms, terazosi

Xanthogranulomatous Cystitis Arising from the Posterior Wall of the Bladder

Xanthogranulomatous cystitis is a rare, benign chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. Herein we report a case of a 41-year-old man who presented with painless hematuria and a bladder mass on imaging studies

The Reproducibility of Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) Measurement: A Test Case for the Measurement of Key Air Pollutants from the Pan Frying of Fish Samples

To assess the robustness of various indoor air quality (IAQ) indices, we explored the possible role of reproducibility-induced variability in the measurements of different pollutants under similar sampling and emissions conditions. Polluted indoor conditions were generated by pan frying fish samples in a closed room. A total of 11 experiments were carried out to measure a list of key variables commonly used to represent indoor air pollution (IAP) indicators such as particulate matter (PM: PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and TSP) and a set of individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with some odor markers. The cooking activity conducted as part of our experiments was successful to consistently generate significant pollution levels (mean PM10: 7110 μg m−3 and mean total VOC (TVOC): 1400 μg m−3, resp.). Then, relative standard error (RSE) was computed to assess the reproducibility between different IAP paramters measured across the repeated experiments. If the results were evaluated by an arbitrary criterion of 10%, the patterns were divided into two data groups (e.g., <10% for benzene and some aldehydes and >10% for the remainders). Most noticeably, TVOC had the most repeatable results with a reproducibility (RSE) value of 3.2% (n=11)

The reproducibility of indoor air pollution (IAP) measurement: A test case for the measurement of key air pollutants from the pan frying of fish samples

To assess the robustness of various indoor air quality (IAQ) indices, we explored the possible role of reproducibility-induced variability in the measurements of different pollutants under similar sampling and emissions conditions. Polluted indoor conditions were generated by pan frying fish samples in a closed room. A total of 11 experiments were carried out to measure a list of key variables commonly used to represent indoor air pollution (IAP) indicators such as particulate matter (PM: PM 1 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and TSP) and a set of individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with some odor markers. The cooking activity conducted as part of our experiments was successful to consistently generate significant pollution levels (mean PM 10 : 7110 g m −3 and mean total VOC (TVOC): 1400 g m −3 , resp.). Then, relative standard error (RSE) was computed to assess the reproducibility between different IAP paramters measured across the repeated experiments. If the results were evaluated by an arbitrary criterion of 10%, the patterns were divided into two data groups (e.g., &lt;10% for benzene and some aldehydes and &gt;10% for the remainders). Most noticeably, TVOC had the most repeatable results with a reproducibility (RSE) value of 3.2% ( = 11)

Helicobacter pylori infection combined with DENA revealed altered expression of p53 and 14-3-3 isoforms in Gulo−/− mice

AbstractUnlike most other mammals, human bodies do not have the ability to synthesize vitamin C inside of their own bodies. Therefore, humans must obtain vitamin C through daily diet. Gulo−/− mice strain is known with deficiency, in which vitamin C intake can be controlled by diet like human, and would be valuable for investigating the molecular mechanism of various diseases. In the present study, we established Gulo−/− mice model and investigated the differentially expressed proteins in stomach tissue of Gulo−/− mice after Helicobacter pylori-infected, and followed by DENA, using immunohistochemistry and proteomic approach. The results of immunohistochemistry analysis of stomach tissue showed that the tumor suppressor, p53 protein, expression was significantly decreased (p<0.05) but not messenger RNA (mRNA) transcriptional level, and 14-3-3ε, 14-3-3δ, Ki-67 and cleaved caspase 3 expressions were significantly increased (p<0.05) by H. Pylori infection, and followed by DENA treatment in Gulo−/− mice. Moreover, knockdown of 14-3-3 isoforms (14-3-3ε, 14-3-3σ, 14-3-3ζ and 14-3-3η) were significantly increased sub-G1 phase (characteristics of apoptosis) in AGS cells and, phenotypic changes like cell shrinkage, density and cleaved nuclei were also observed. Proteome analyses showed that 14-3-3σ, 14-3-3η, and tropomyosin alpha-1 chain were down-regulated, and Hspd1 protein and HSC70 were up-regulated after H. Pylori-infection, and followed by DENA. The combined results of immunohistochemistry and proteomic analysis suggest that H. pylori altered the p53 and 14-3-3 isoforms expression and DENA further enhanced the H. pylori effect, which might be involved in carcinogenesis and metastasis of gastric cancer on Gulo−/− mice

Reduced Tomato Bacterial Wilt by Ferrous Chloride Application

Exogenous ferrous chloride (FeCl2) suppressed in vitro growth of Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum, causing bacteria for tomato bacterial wilt. More than 50 µM of FeCl2 reduced the in vitro bacterial growth in dose-dependent manners. Two to 200 µM of FeCl2 did not affect the fresh weight of detached tomato leaves at 3 and 5 days after the petiole dipping without the bacterial inoculation. The bacterial wilt of the detached tomato leaves was evaluated by inoculating two different inoculum densities of R. pseudosolanacearum (105 and 107 cfu/ml) in the presence of FeCl2. Bacterial wilt in the detached leaves by 105 cfu/ml was efficiently attenuated by 10–200 µM of FeCl2 at 3 and 5 days post-inoculation (dpi), but bacterial wilt by 107 cfu/ml was only reduced by 200 µM of FeCl2 at 3 and 5 dpi. These results suggest that iron nutrients can be included in the integrated disease management of tomato bacterial wilt