Laparoscopic Removal of a Broken Sewing Needle in a Patient with Irritative Bladder Symptoms

A foreign body near the bladder is rare. Although foreign bodies in the bladder can be easily found and removed by endoscopic transurethral removal, extravesical foreign bodies may require the use of an open or laparoscopic procedure. Here, we report a case of a patient complaining of frequency and urgency in whom an extravesical sewing needle was successfully removed by a laparoscopic approach. A 4.5 cm rusty sewing needle was found between the bladder and the left external iliac vessels and was removed through a 5 mm trocar port by use of endo forceps with no complications

(S)-[5-Methyl-3-(3-methyl­thio­phen-2-yl)-4,5-dihydro­isoxazol-5-yl]methanol

In the title compound, C10H13NO2S, the thio­phene and isoxazoline rings are almost coplanar, the dihedral angle between their least-squares planes being 2.08 (1)°. The O—H atoms of the methyl hy­droxy group and the N atom of the isoxazole ring are orientated in the same direction to allow for the formation of inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds that lead to a supra­molecular chain along the a axis

Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangioscopic Intervention in the Management of Complete Membranous Occlusion of Bilioenteric Anastomosis: Report of Two Cases

Postoperative biliary stricture is a relatively rare but serious complication of biliary surgery. Although Rouxen-Y hepaticojejunostomy or choledochojejunostomy are well-established and fundamental therapeutic approaches, their postoperative morbidity and mortality rates have been reported to be up to 33% and 13%, respectively. Recent studies suggest that percutaneous transhepatic intervention is an effective and less invasive therapeutic modality compared with traditional surgical treatment. Compared with fluoroscopic intervention, percutaneous with cholangioscopy may be more useful in biliary strictures, as it can provide visual information regarding the stricture site. We recently experienced two cases complete membranous occlusion of the bilioenteric anastomosis and successfully treated both patients using percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy

Preparation and In Vitro

Magnesium ion substituted biphasic calcium phosphate (Mg-BCP) bioceramic microscaffolds with spherical and porous morphology were successfully prepared using in situ coprecipitation and rotary spray drying atomization process for application of tissue engineering combined with human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAT-MSCs). After 4 weeks of immersion in Hanks’ balanced salt solution (HBSS), Mg-BCP micro-scaffolds showed the enhanced biodegradation and bioactivity due to the substituted Mg2+ ion present in the BCP structure. In this study, it was observed that hAT-MSCs have clearly attached on the surface of Mg-BCP micro-scaffolds. In addition, Mg-BCP micro-scaffolds exhibited the improved biocompatibility and osteoconductivity via in vitro and in vivo biological tests with hAT-MSCs. Therefore, these bioceramic micro-scaffolds had potential to be used as hAT-MSCs microcarriers for biomedical applications

Determination of an Applicable FRAX Model in Korean Women

We investigated which of the three FRAX fracture risk assessment tool models is most applicable to Korean women. For 306 postmenopausal women (mean age, 77 yr) with a hip fracture, fracture probabilities were calculated using FRAX models from Japan, Turkey and China. Data on bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck were available for 103 patients. Significant differences existed among the models, independent of the inclusion of BMD in the calculation of fracture probabilities. The probabilities of both major osteoporotic fractures and hip fractures were significantly higher in the Japanese model than in the Turkish or Chinese models. In all of the models, the probabilities of a major osteoporotic fracture, but not of a hip fracture, decreased significantly if calculated without BMD values. By applying the Japanese model, the ten-year probabilities for major osteoporotic and hip fractures increased significantly with age. Our results suggest that the Japanese FRAX model might be the most appropriate for Korean women

Clinicopathological Aspects of 542 Cases of Pancreatic Cancer: a Special Emphasis on Small Pancreatic Cancer

Small pancreatic cancers (longest diameter ≤2 cm) have been regarded as preliminary to early pancreatic cancer, which was thought to be highly curable. During our experience since 1989, we evaluated 542 cases of pancreatic cancer. Among them we found 74 cases of tumors ≤2 cm in diameter, small pancreatic cancer (TS1 pancreatic cancer). Well-differentiated adenocarcinomas (18.9%) and absence of symptoms (8.1%) were more frequent in patients with TS1 than in those with larger pancreatic tumors. Only 16 of the 74 patients (21.6%) with small pancreatic cancers had T1 tumors. According to the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) staging, only 11 patients (14.9%) were stage IA: their 5-yr survival rate was 23.3% and their median survival was 30.0 months. Among these 11 patients, 3 had tumors <1 cm; their median survival time was 30.0 months and their 5-yr survival rate was 50.0%. These findings may indicate that 'small' pancreatic cancer is not equivalent to 'early' pancreatic cancer

The Korean Organ Transplantation Registry (KOTRY): an overview and summary of the kidney-transplant cohort

Background As the need for a nationwide organ-transplant registry emerged, a prospective registry, the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry (KOTRY), was initiated in 2014. Here, we present baseline characteristics and outcomes of the kidney-transplant cohort for 2014 through 2019. Methods The KOTRY consists of five organ-transplant cohorts (kidney, liver, lung, heart, and pancreas). Data and samples were prospectively collected from transplant recipients and donors at baseline and follow-up visits; and epidemiological trends, allograft outcomes, and patient outcomes, such as posttransplant complications, comorbidities, and mortality, were analyzed. Results From 2014 to 2019, there were a total of 6,129 registered kidney transplants (64.8% with living donors and 35.2% with deceased donors) with a mean recipient age of 49.4 ± 11.5 years, and 59.7% were male. ABO-incompatible transplants totaled 17.4% of all transplants, and 15.0% of transplants were preemptive. The overall 1- and 5-year patient survival rates were 98.4% and 95.8%, respectively, and the 1- and 5-year graft survival rates were 97.1% and 90.5%, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 3.8 years, biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes occurred in 17.0% of cases. The mean age of donors was 47.3 ± 12.9 years, and 52.6% were male. Among living donors, the largest category of donors was spouses, while, among deceased donors, 31.2% were expanded-criteria donors. The mean serum creatinine concentrations of living donors were 0.78 ± 0.62 mg/dL and 1.09 ± 0.24 mg/dL at baseline and 1 year after kidney transplantation, respectively. Conclusion The KOTRY, a systematic Korean transplant cohort, can serve as a valuable epidemiological database of Korean kidney transplants

The Usefulness of Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangioscopy for Identifying Malignancies in Distal Commom Bile Duct Strictures

The diagnostic accuracy of percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) was compared to that of three radiologic modalities in distal common bile duct (CBD) strictures for the evaluation of clinical application. Ninety-five patients who underwent PTCS for the evaluation of distal CBD strictures (35 malignant and 60 benign) whose masses were not obvious from radiologic imagings were included. Confirmative diagnosis could not be reached by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or radiologic findings in all cases. Specific findings on the computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and direct cholangiography were analyzed among 68 (25 malignant and 43 benign) out of the 95 patients in order to determine the sensitivity and specificity of three radiologic studies for the diagnosis of malignant distal CBD strictures, and to compare those results with those by a combination of PTCS-guided biopsy and tumor vessel observation on cholangioscopy. The sensitivity/specificity of CT, MRCP and direct cholangiography including ERCP in diagnosing malignant distal CBD strictures were 42.9%/65.8%, 53.3%/58.3%, and 70.8%/47.6% respectively, while it was 96%/100% for the combination of PTCS-guided biopsy and tumor vessel. PTCS is a useful method for differential diagnosis of distal CBD strictures, particularly when it is difficult to distinguish benign from malignant strictures by radiologic studies and when peroral approach is not feasible

Electroless Gold Plating on Aluminum Patterned Chips for CMOS-based Sensor Applications

We presented an approach for the activation of aluminum Al alloy using palladium Pd and the subsequent gold Au electroless plating ELP for complementary metal oxide semiconductor CMOS -based sensor applications. In this study, CMOS process compatible Al patterned chips were used as substrates for easy incorporation with existing CMOS circuits. To improve the contact resistance that arose from the Schottky barrier between the metal electrodes and the single-walled carbon nanotubes SWCNTs , electroless deposition of gold that has a higher work function than Al was adopted because the SWCNTs has p-type semiconductor properties. Each step of the Au ELP procedure was studied under various bath temperatures, immersion times, and chemical concentrations. Fine Pd particles were homogeneously distributed on the Al surface by the Pd activation process at room temperature. Au ELP allowed selective deposition of the Au film on the activated Al surface only. The SWCNT networks formed on the Au plated chip by a dip-coating method showed improved contact resistance and resistance variation between the Au electrode and SWCNTs. We also tried SWCNT decoration with the Au particle using the upper Au ELP method, which was expected to be applied in various areas including field-effect transistors and sensor devices.This work was supported by the Nano Systems Institute-National Core Research Center NSI-NCRC program of NRF and the TDPAF, Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Republic of Korea