Tumoral calcinosis in the cervical spine: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract Background Tumoral calcinosis is rarely located in spine. A 55-year-old Japanese woman with cervical tumoral calcinosis is presented, along with a review of the literature relating to tumoral calcinosis in the spine. We discussed the etiology, diagnosis, and management of this condition. Case presentation We report a case of a patient with cervical tumoral calcinosis with end-stage renal disease. A computed tomography scan showed a lobulated, calcified mass around the right facet joint at the fourth-fifth cervical spine and calcifications were also observed in the right intervertebral foramens at fourth-fifth cervical spine and fifth-sixth cervical spine levels and the anterior wall of the spinal canal. By performing a cervical decompression and stabilization, the patient recovered from her neurological symptoms. Conclusions Although tumoral calcinosis is rarely located in the spine, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spinal lesions. If a calcified mass causes acute neurological symptoms, resection of the mass is still the most important treatment

Trajectory of instantaneous axis of rotation in fixed lumbar spine with instrumentation

Abstract Background Several studies showed instantaneous axis of rotation (IAR) in the intact spine. However, there has been no report on the trajectory of the IAR of a damaged spine or that of a fixed spine with instrumentation. It is the aim of this study to investigate the trajectory of the IAR of the lumbar spine using the vertebra of deer. Methods Functional spinal units (L5–6) from five deer were evaluated with six-axis material testing machine. As specimen models, we prepared a normal model, a damaged model, and a pedicle screw (PS) model. We measured the IAR during bending in the coronal and sagittal planes and axial rotation. In the bending test, four directions were measured: anterior, posterior, right, and left. In the rotation test, two directions were measured: right and left. Results The IAR of the normal model during bending moved in the bending direction. The IAR of the damaged model during bending moved in the bending direction, but the magnitude of displacement was bigger compared to that of the normal model. In the PS model, the IAR during bending test hardly moved. During rotation test, the IAR of the normal model and PS model located in the spinal canal, but the IAR of the damaged model located in the posterior part of the vertebral body. Conclusions In this study, the IAR of damaged model was scattering and that of PS model was concentrating. This suggests that higher mechanical load applied to the dura tube and nerve roots in the damaged model and less mechanical load applied to that in the PS model

A survey of workplace violence against physicians in the hospitals, Myanmar

Abstract Objective Workplace violence in hospitals is recently becoming a major global concern in many countries. However, in Myanmar, we have felt that patients and their families have rarely made unreasonable complaints in hospitals, and then, the purpose of this study is to report the current state of workplace violence in hospitals in Myanmar. Participants are 196 physicians (108 males and 88 females) in hospitals in Myanmar. Results A descriptive survey was conducted in regard to verbal abuse and physical violence from patients or the people concerned. At the results of this study, the percentages of physicians who have encountered verbal abuse and those who have encountered physical violence are markedly low (8.7 and 1.0%, respectively). The present study is the first to report the frequencies of verbal abuse and physical violence against physicians in a least developed country, and the results of the present study are important in terms of discussing workplace violence in hospitals

Data-Driven Control for Radiative Collapse Avoidance in Large Helical Device

A radiative collapse predictor has been developed using a machine-learning model with high-density plasma experiments in the Large Helical Device (LHD). The model is based on the collapse likelihood, which is quantified by the parameters selected by the sparse modeling, including ne, CIV, OV, and Te,edge. The control system implementing this model has been constructed with a single-board computer to apply this predictor model to the LHD experiment. The controller calculates the collapse likelihood and regulates gas-puff fueling and boosts electron cyclotron resonance heating in real-time. In density ramp-up experiments with hydrogen plasma, high-density plasma has been maintained by the control system while avoiding radiative collapse. This result has shown that the predictor based on the collapse likelihood has the capability to predict a radiative collapse in real-time