A Case of Anaphylaxis to Oral Minocycline

Minocycline is a semisynthetic tetracycline derivative that is often used in the treatment of acne vulgaris. To date, there has been only one case report of anaphylaxis to minocycline. We report here a case of anaphylaxis to oral minocycline. A 56-yr-old woman visited our hospital after three episodes of recurrent anaphylaxis. We performed an oral challenge test, the standard method for diagnosing drug allergies, with minocycline, one of the drugs she had taken previously. She developed urticaria, angioedema, nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and dyspnea within 4 min and was treated with intramuscular epinephrine, intravenous antihistamine and systemic corticosteroid. However, she presented similar symptoms at 50 min and at 110 min. In prescribing oral minocycline, physicians should consider the possibility of serious adverse reactions, such as anaphylaxis

Prediction of the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the Korean population

OBJECTIVES Proper risk assessment is important for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, no validated risk prediction tools are currently in use in Korea. This study sought to develop a 10-year risk prediction model for incident ASCVD. METHODS Using the National Sample Cohort of Korea, 325,934 subjects aged 20-80 years without previous ASCVD were enrolled. ASCVD was defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The Korean atherosclerotic cardiovas cular disease risk prediction (K-CVD) model was developed separately for men and women using the development dataset and validated in the validation dataset. Furthermore, the model performance was compared with the Framingham risk score (FRS) and pooled cohort equation (PCE). RESULTS Over 10 years of follow-up, 4,367 ASCVD events occurred in the overall population. The predictors of ASCVD included in the model were age, smoking status, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, lipid profiles, urine protein, and lipid-lowering and blood pressure-lowering treatment. The K-CVD model had good discrimination and strong calibration in the validation dataset (time-dependent area under the curve=0.846; 95% confidence interval, 0.828 to 0.864; calibration χ2=4.73, goodness-of-fit p=0.32). Compared with our model, both FRS and PCE showed worse calibration, overestimating ASCVD risk in the Korean population. CONCLUSIONS Through a nationwide cohort, we developed a model for 10-year ASCVD risk prediction in a contemporary Korean population. The K-CVD model showed excellent discrimination and calibration in Koreans. This population-based risk prediction tool would help to appropriately identify high-risk individuals and provide preventive interventions in the Korean population

Influence of Warm Isostatic Press Process on Mechanical Properties of a Part Fabricated by Metal Material Extrusion Process

Material extrusion (ME) using a filament including metal powders has recently attracted considerable attention because it allows the production of metal parts at low cost. However, like other additive manufacturing processes, metal ME suffers from the problem of internal pores. In this study, warm isostatic pressure (WIP)—a post-process used to downsize or remove the pores in polymer ME—was employed in metal ME to improve the mechanical properties of the finished part. It was confirmed experimentally that the tensile strength and the strain at the ultimate tensile strength were increased by WIP. However, from hardness tests, two different results were obtained. On a microscopic scale, there was no change in hardness because the temperature of the WIP process was not high enough to change the microstructure, while on a macroscopic scale, the hardness changed owing to the collapse of the pores within the material under the indenter load. In specimens with relatively large pores, the hardness sensitivity increases with a larger indenter. Finally, factors affecting the WIP process parameters in metal ME were discussed

Influence of Warm Isostatic Press Process on Mechanical Properties of a Part Fabricated by Metal Material Extrusion Process

Material extrusion (ME) using a filament including metal powders has recently attracted considerable attention because it allows the production of metal parts at low cost. However, like other additive manufacturing processes, metal ME suffers from the problem of internal pores. In this study, warm isostatic pressure (WIP)—a post-process used to downsize or remove the pores in polymer ME—was employed in metal ME to improve the mechanical properties of the finished part. It was confirmed experimentally that the tensile strength and the strain at the ultimate tensile strength were increased by WIP. However, from hardness tests, two different results were obtained. On a microscopic scale, there was no change in hardness because the temperature of the WIP process was not high enough to change the microstructure, while on a macroscopic scale, the hardness changed owing to the collapse of the pores within the material under the indenter load. In specimens with relatively large pores, the hardness sensitivity increases with a larger indenter. Finally, factors affecting the WIP process parameters in metal ME were discussed

Depression and Subclinical Coronary Atherosclerosis in Adults Without Clinical Coronary Artery Disease

Background The relationship between depression and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in asymptomatic individuals is not clear. We evaluated this relationship in a Korean population. Methods and Results We analyzed 3920 individuals (mean age 54.7±7.9 years and 2603 men [66.4%]) with no history of coronary artery disease who voluntarily underwent coronary computed tomographic angiography and screening for depression using the Beck Depression Inventory as part of a general health examination. The degree and extent of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis were evaluated by coronary computed tomographic angiography, and ≥50% diameter stenosis was defined as significant. Participants were categorized into groups of those with or without depression using the Beck Depression Inventory scores ≥16 as a cutoff value. Of the study participants, 272 (6.9%) had a Beck Depression Inventory score of 16 or higher. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, depression was not significantly associated with any coronary plaque (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.05 [95% CI, 0.78–1.41]; P=0.746), calcified plaque (OR, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.71–1.29]; P=0.758), noncalcified plaque (OR, 1.31 [95% CI, 0.79–2.17]; P=0.305), mixed plaque (OR, 1.16 [95% CI, 0.60–2.23]; P=0.659), or significant coronary artery stenosis (OR, 1.22 [95% CI, 0.73–2.03]; P=0.450). In the propensity score‐matched population (n=1318) as well, none of the coronary artery disease measures of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis were statistically significantly associated with depression (all P>0.05). Conclusions In this large cross‐sectional study with asymptomatic individuals undergoing coronary computed tomographic angiography and Beck Depression Inventory evaluation, depression was not associated with an increased risk of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis

Recurrent Postoperative Effusive-Constrictive Pericarditis Associated with Steroid Discontinuation

Transient effusive-constrictive pericarditis is a rare complication of open-heart surgery, but is increasingly recognized. For patients with both pericardial effusion and constrictive physiology soon after uneventful open-heart surgery, proper treatment remains to be established. We experienced a case of transient effusive-constrictive pericarditis in a 50-year-old woman who underwent aortic valve replacement due to infective endocarditis. Initially, she was treated with both prednisolone and ibuprofen, which resulted in dramatic relief of symptom. However, she suffered from a relapse of pericaridis after rapid steroid discontinuation and was stabilized by re-treatment with steroid