Synchrotron study of the garnet-type oxide Li6CaSm2Ta2O12

Hexalithium calcium disamarium(III) ditantalum(V) dodeca­oxide, Li6CaSm2Ta2O12, crystallizes in a cubic garnet-type structure. In the crystal structure, disordered Li atoms occupy two crystallographic sites. One Li has a tetra­hedral coordination environment in the oxide lattice, whereas the other Li atom occupies a significantly distorted octa­hedral site, with site occupancies for the two Li atoms of 0.26 (7) and 0.44 (2), respectively. Ca and Sm atoms are statistically distributed over the same crystallographic position with a occupancy of 2/3 for Sm and of 1/3 for Ca, and are eightfold coordinated by O atoms. The TaO6 octa­hedron is joined to six others via corner-sharing LiO4 tetra­hedra. One Li and the O atoms lie on general positions, while the other atoms are situated on special positions. The Sm/Ca position has 222, Ta has , and the tetra­hedrally coordinated Li atom has site symmetry

Higher Lesion Detection by 3.0T MRI in Patient with Transient Global Amnesia

PURPOSE: Transient global amnesia (TGA) patients were retrospectively reviewed to determine the usefulness of high-field strength MRI in detecting probable ischemic lesions in TGA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the lesion detection rate in patients with TGA using 1.5T and 3.0T MRI. Acute probable ischemic lesions were defined as regions of high-signal intensity in diffusion weighted image with corresponding low-signal intensity in apparent diffusion coefficient map. RESULTS: 3.0T MRI showed 11 out of 32 patients with probable ischemic lesions in the hippocampus with mean lesion size of 2.8 +/- 0.6 mm, whereas 1.5T MRI detected no lesion in any of 11 patients. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics between the groups of 1.5 and 3.0T MRI. CONCLUSION: High-field strength MRI has a higher detection rate of probable ischemic lesions than low-field strength MRI in patients with TGA.ope

Liquid crystal display using combined fringe and in-plane electric fields

A high performance liquid crystal display using combined fringe and in-plane horizontal electric fields is proposed. The strong electric fields cause more liquid crystals to reorient almost in plane above and between the pixel electrodes. As a result, the operation voltage is lower and transmittance is higher than those of fringe field switching and in-plane switching modes, while preserving a wide viewing angle. Such a high performance device is particularly attractive for large panel liquid crystal displays

Transient Increase of Higher-Order Aberrations after Lateral Rectus Recession in Children

The changes of higher-order aberrations (HOAs) after bilateral lateral rectus muscle recession were evaluated. Forty eyes of 20 children were enrolled and their wavefront information was assessed until postoperative 3 months. Even though the root mean square (RMS) of total aberration was not changed, the RMS of HOA was transiently increased at postoperative 1 week and returned to baseline level after 1 month. Among individual Zernike coefficient, secondary astigmatism, quadrafoil, secondary coma, secondary trefoil, and pentafoil showed similar tendency with the RMS of HOA. However, coma, trefoil, and spherical aberration were not changed. Regarding recession amount, it did not correlate with any Zernike coefficient. In summary, our data imply that the HOAs are transiently increased after lateral rectus recession surgery. These results are in collusion with previous reports that strabismus surgery induced transient corneal astigmatism

Gallbladder pseudolithiasis caused by ceftriaxone in young adult

Ceftriaxone is a commonly used antibiotic due to some of its advantages. Reversible gallbladder (GB) sludge or stone has been reported after ceftriaxone therapy. Most of these patients have no symptom, but the GB sludge or stone can sometimes cause cholecystitis. We experienced two patients who had newly developed GB stones after ceftriaxone therapy for diverticulitis and pneumonia, and this resolved spontaneously 1 month after discontinuation of the drug. Awareness of this complication could help to prevent unnecessary cholecystectomy

Three-dimensional evaluation of soft tissue change gradients after mandibular setback surgery in skeletal Class III malocclusion

Objective: To evaluate whether mandibular setback surgery (MSS) for Class III patients would produce gradients of three-dimensional (3D) soft tissue changes in the vertical and transverse aspects. Materials and Methods: The samples consisted of 26 Class III patients treated with MSS using bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy. Lateral cephalograms and 3D facial scan images were taken before and 6 months after MSS, and changes in landmarks and variables were measured using a Rapidform 2006. Paired and independent t-tests were performed for statistical analysis. Results: Landmarks in the upper lip and mouth corner (cheilion, Ch) moved backward and downward (respectively, cupid bow point, 1.0 mm and 0.3 mm, P <.001 and P < 01; alar curvature-Ch midpoint, 0.6 mm and 0.3 mm, both P <.001; Ch, 3.4 mm and 0.8 mm, both P < <.001). However, landmarks in stomion (Stm), lower lip, and chin moved backward (Stm, 1.6 mm; labrale inferius [Li], 6.9 mm; LLBP, 6.9 mm; B9, 6.7 mm; Pog9, 6.7 mm; Me9, 6.6 mm; P < 001, respectively). Width and height of upper and lower lip were not altered significantly except for a decrease of lower vermilion height (Stm-Li, 1.7 mm, P <.001). Chin height (B9-Me9) was decreased because of backward and upward movement of Me9 (3.1 mm, P<.001). Although upper lip projection angle and Stm-transverse projection angle became acute (ChRt-Ls-ChLt, 5.7° Ch Rt-Stm-ChLt, 6.4°, both P, <.001) because of the greater backward movement of Ch than Stm, lower lip projection angle and Stm-vertical projection angle became obtuse (ChRt-Li-ChLt, 10.8°; Ls- Stm-Li, 23.5°, both P <.001) because of the larger backward movement of Li than labrale superius (Ls). Conclusions: Three-dimensional soft tissue changes in Class III patients after MSS exhibited increased gradients from upper lip and lower lip to chin as well as from Stm to Ch

Availability of the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) rule for computed tomography scanning decision in children younger than 2 years with minor head injury

Purpose Traumatic brain injury is the most common cause of pediatric injury. Although computed tomography (CT) scan is an effective modality for screening fatal craniocerebral trauma, there is growing concern about radiation exposure associated with the consequent cancer particularly in children. We assessed validity of previous large prospective study named Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) retrospectively to determine the necessity of CT scans for children younger than 2 years with minor head injury. Methods We reviewed medical records of children younger than 2 years discharged from our emergency department with S00–09 diagnosis code of ICD-10 from August 2008 to December 2014. Patients who had only soft tissue injury without blunt trauma, did not CT scan take brain CT, whose head trauma was not mild, and who was uncertain to meet the rule were excluded. All included patients were divided into the PECARN rule positive group and negative group. Each group was compared by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value to predict four outcomes of clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI), abnormal CT findings, intracranial hemorrhage, and isolated simple skull fracture. Results A total of 1,491 patients were included, 656 PECARN rule positive and 835 negative patients. There is statistical difference between PECARN rule positive and negative the 2 group for ciTBI (P < 0.001), abnormal CT findings (P < 0.001), intracranial hemorrhage (P < 0.001), and isolated simple skull fracture (P < 0.001) with high sensitivity (100.0%, 89.5%, 91.7%,85.7%) and negative predictive value (100.0%, 99.3%, 99.6%, 99.6%). Conclusion We confirmed that PECARN rule is a useful tool to determine the necessity of CT scan and reduce unnecessary CT scan for children younger than 2 years with minor head injury

Lacunar Infarction in Type 2 Diabetes Is Associated with an Elevated Intracranial Arterial Pulsatility Index

Purpose: The arterial pulsatility index (PI) is measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) and is postulated to reflect the vascular resistance distal to the artery being examined. An increased PI of the intracranial artery is often reported with diabetes mellitus (DM), old age, hypertension, intracranial hypertension, vascular dementia, and small artery disease. Microvascular complication of DM, which may contribute to cerebral infarction, involves the small perforating artery and may influence the PI of the proximal artery. Materials and Methods: We performed a TCD examination in patients with type 2 DM with acute lacunar infarction (DML, n = 35), type 2 DM without cerebral infarction (DMO, n = 69), and in control cases with no DM or cerebral infarction (control group, n = 41). We then compared the TCD findings among these groups. Results: The PI was significantly higher in the DML and DMO groups than in the control group (1.05, 0.93, 0.73. respectively, for the right middle cerebral artery; 1.04, 0.90, 0.73, respectively, for the left middle cerebral artery; 0.97, 0.89, 0.70, respectively, for the basilar artery). The PI was also significantly higher in the DML group than in the DMO group for both middle cerebral arteries. The flow velocity was comparable among the three groups. Conclusion: The elevated PI of the intracranial arteries may reflect diabetic cerebral microvascular complications. The PI measurement using TCD may be a useful predictor of lacunar infarction in type 2 DM patients

A Case of Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a familial cardiac arrhythmia that is related to RYR2 or CASQ2 gene mutation. It occurs in patients with structurally normal heart and causes exercise-emotion-triggered syncope and sudden cardiac death. We experienced a case of CPVT in an 11 year-old female patient who was admitted for sudden cardiovascular collapse. The initial electrocardiogram (ECG) on emergency department revealed ventricular fibrillation. After multiple defibrillations, sinus rhythm was restored. However, recurrent ventricular fibrillation occurred during insertion of nasogastric tube without sedation in coronary care unit. On ECG monitoring, bidirectional ventricular tachycardia occurred with sinus tachycardia and then degenerated into ventricular fibrillation. To our knowledge, there has been no previous case report of CPVT triggered by sinus tachycardia in Korea. Therefore, we report the case as well as a review of the literature

Stent Fracture at the Proximal Shaft of the Left Main Stem

Stent fracture is likely to be caused due to mechanical stress at the hinge point or kinking movement at the point of aneurysm formation with stent malapposition. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of stent fracture at the proximal shaft of the left main stem in a patient with acute myocardial infarction