A Multi-Center, Prospective Observational Study to Investigate the Safety, Compliance, and Efficacy of Omethyl QTlet Soft Capsule.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be effective in lowering triglyceride (TG) levels; however, tolerability issues arise due to the large size of the pills. The purpose of this study was to examine the safety, compliance, and efficacy of Omethyl QTlet soft capsules (OQCs). This multi-center, prospective, observational study evaluated the safety, compliance, and efficacy of OQCs. Patients with hypertriglyceridemia with a history of omega-3 fatty acid intake were enrolled in this study and were prescribed OQCs (2 g−4 g/day) for eight weeks. All adverse events (AEs), adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and serious adverse events (SAEs) were recorded for safety evaluation. Adherence to treatment was assessed using questionnaires, and efficacy was assessed by changes in lipid and lipoprotein levels after eight weeks from baseline. The convenience of taking medication was analyzed for 580 patients, and the efficacy test was performed for 563 patients. The AE and ADR rates were 8.2% and 5.7%, respectively. There were only two SAEs. Of the patients, 55.8% responded that the OQC improved medication convenience, and mean changes in TG, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and non-HDL-C from baseline to eight weeks were −37.88 mg/dL, −11.56 mg/dL, −5.55 mg/dL, and −10.87 mg/dL, respectively (p-values < 0.001). In patients who had previously taken omega-3 fatty acids, OQCs showed safety and efficacy in lowering TG, and it was confirmed that compliance with medicine also improved compared to omega-3 fatty acids.

Precision spectroscopy of Rb atoms using single comb-line selected from fiber optical frequency comb.

We demonstrated the selection of a single comb-line from an optical frequency comb (OFC) of a mode-locked femtosecond fiber laser with a 250 MHz pulse repetition rate, and applied for precision spectroscopy of Rb atoms at 1529 nm. The single comb-line was selected from the fiber-OFC with a 1.5 GHz mode-spacing using spectral-mode-filtering and femtosecond laser injection-locking. When the repetition rate of the mode-locked femtosecond fiber laser was scanned over the range of 382.6 Hz at 250 MHz, we observed the double-resonance optical pumping spectra of the 5S(1/2)-5P(3/2)-4D(3/2) transition of Rb atoms using the selected comb-line of an OFC scanned over the range of 300 MHz at 196,037,213.8 MHz.

Development of a Minimally Invasive and Non-invasive Lipolysis Laser System for Effective Fat Reduction.

Introduction: Obesity is a global problem because it causes various complications. Methods for reducing fat for healthy life are being studied. In this study, we developed a minimally invasive and non-invasive lipolysis laser system for effective fat reduction. Methods: The laser had the wavelengths of 1980 nm and 2300 nm which have very good absorption of fat and water. We developed a minimally invasive laser system that breaks down fat by direct irradiation of fat tissue. This minimally invasive laser system uses a 808 nm diode laser and Nd:YVO4 to generate the 1064 nm wavelength, which is the pumping source of the nonlinear crystals. It is a mid-infrared lipolysis laser system having two wavelengths of 1980 nm and 2300 nm by controlling the temperature of nonlinear crystals. We also developed a non-invasive laser system that reduces fat with hyperthermia treatment by raising the temperature of adipocytes with a 1060 nm penetrating depth into the skin. In this non-invasive laser system, the In gallium arsenide (GaAs) diode laser is irradiated on the skin with an area of 4 × 8 cm2 through the hand-piece. The cooling system in the hand-piece protects the skin from burns. We studied the effectiveness and safety of each system through animal experiment. We studied the effects of lipolysis when these two systems were combined. Results: This research uses new wavelengths (1980 nm, 2300 nm) to increase the fat reduction effect with low energy (1.3 W). After using the 1060 nm (1.1 W/cm2) wavelength laser, when the 1980 nm and 2300 nm (1.3 W) laser were used, a lipolysis effect of about 35 % was obtained. Conclusion: We have developed a 1.3 W mid-infrared (1980 nm, 2300 nm) laser with good lipolysis effect with low power.

A multi-layer electro-optic field probe.

We present a novel design method and sensing scheme for an electro-optic field probe using multi-stratified layers of electro-optic wafers. A serial stack of cascaded layers is found to be capable of enhancing the performance of interferometric electro-optic light modulation that utilizes the slopes of interference fringe patterns and field-induced electro-optic phase retardations within wafers. The absolute sensitivity of the probe is also characterized with a micro-TEM cell that generates electric fields distributions with accurate, calculable strength for use in probe calibration. The sensitivity of a multi-layered probe-per unit electro-optic wafer volume--was enhanced by 6 dB compared to that of a single-layer one.

Demonstration of an optical frequency synthesizer with zero carrier-envelope-offset frequency stabilized by the direct locking method.

We developed an optical frequency synthesizer (OFS) with the carrier-envelope-offset frequency locked to 0 Hz achieved using the "direct locking method." This method differs from a conventional phaselock method in that the interference signal from a self-referencing f-2f interferometer is directly fed back to the carrier-envelope-phase control of a femtosecond laser in the time domain. A comparison of the optical frequency of the new OFS to that of a conventional OFS stabilized by a phase-lock method showed that the frequency comb of the new OFS was not different to that of the conventional OFS within an uncertainty of 5.68x10(-16). As a practical application of this OFS, we measured the absolute frequency of an acetylene-stabilized diode laser serving as an optical frequency standard in optical communications.

Absolute frequency measurement of an acetylene stabilized laser using a selected single mode from a femtosecond fiber laser comb.

We performed an absolute frequency measurement of an acetylene stabilized laser utilizing a femtosecond injection locking technique that can select one component among the fiber laser comb modes. The injection locking scheme has all the fiber configurations. Femtosecond comb lines of 250 MHz spacing based on the fiber femtosecond laser were used for injection locking of a distributed feedback (DFB) laser operating at 1542 nm as a frequency reference. The comb injected DFB laser serves as a selection filter of optical comb modes and an amplifier for amplification of the selected mode. The DFB laser injection locked to the desired comb mode was used to evaluate the frequency stability and absolute frequency measurement of an acetylene stabilized laser. The frequency stability of the acetylene stabilized laser was measured to be 1.1 x 10(-12) for a 1 s averaging time, improving to 6.9 x 10(-14) after 512 s. The absolute frequency of the laser stabilized on the P(16) transition of (13)C(2)H(2) was measured to be 194 369 569 385.7 kHz.

Unusual Pseudoaneurysm of the Dorsalis Pedis Artery after an Iatrogenic Injury.

Aneurysm and pseudoaneurysm of the dorsalis pedis artery (DPA) are rare vascular entities. Pseudoaneurysms of the DPA are commonly due to blunt trauma, sharp penetrating injury, fracture, or iatrogenic injury. Herein, we report the case of a patient with a rare iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm that occurred after blood sampling. The diagnosis was suspected based on palpitation of a pulsatile mass on the dorsal foot and confirmed by color Doppler ultrasound and computed tomography angiography. Surgical treatment was successfully performed by reconstruction with an autologous venous graft. The patient recovered well, with no ischemic complications.

Thoracic Scoliosis in Patients with Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax.

BACKGROUND: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) affects patients without clinically apparent lung disorder found in tall and thin young male. Scoliosis refers to curves exceeding 10° Cobb angle observed through chest X-ray and affects 2% to 4% of adolescents. Both conditions are commonly encountered in primary health care setting. The aim of this study is to access the correlation of thoracic scoliosis and PSP in adolescent. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted for patients diagnosed for PSP in Konyang University Hospital between January 2010 and March 2017. Chest X-rays of 222 patients and 155 normal control (NC) cases were reviewed to measure the Cobb angle. Greater than 10° of Cobb angle is diagnosed as scoliosis. RESULTS: Scoliosis in patient with PSP has higher incidence than that of NC group (p<0.001). Median value of Cobb angle is 12.9° in PSP group and 14.7° in NC group. Directional relationship between scoliosis and pneumothorax in PSP group is also observed; 40.5% cases are ipsilateral and 59.5% are contralateral. CONCLUSION: PSP patients tend to have thoracic scoliosis more commonly compared with normal healthy adolescent. Scoliosis may contribute to heterogeneity of alveolar pressure which exacerbates subpleural bleb formation that can cause pneumothorax. The causal relationship is unclear and further studies are needed in the future.

Optical frequency comb generator based on actively mode-locked fiber ring laser using an acousto-optic modulator with injection-seeding.

We present an optical frequency comb generator (OFCG) based on a fiber ring laser that provides a bandwidth of over 1.8 THz with mode-locked pulse operation by external injection seeding. The OFCG was developed via a configuration with actively mode-locked fiber ring laser utilizing an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) with a carrier frequency of 150 MHz when an external seeding laser was injected into the fiber ring cavity. To our knowledge, our experimental device has the widest comb bandwidth ever reported for an OFCG based on a fiber ring loop adopting an AOM device, and ours is the first device that can operate with an actively mode-locked scheme.

Surgical Treatment of Sternoclavicular Joint Dislocation Using a T-plate.

A 22-year-old man was hospitalized with a sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) dislocation caused by a traffic accident. Surgical reduction and fixation of the SCJ were performed using a T-plate. SCJ dislocation is rare, accounting for less than 1% of all dislocations, and is usually treated conservatively, although severe cases may require surgery. Surgery typically involves joint reduction and fixation using an autologous tendon graft, but this has disadvantages such as the requirement for additional surgery to obtain autologous tissue and an extended operative time. To overcome these issues, here, we performed a simple SCJ reduction and fixation using a T-plate and achieved good results.

A retrospective clinical study: complications of totally implanted central venous access ports.

BACKGROUND: When managing patients who require repeated venous access, gaining a viable intravenous route has been problematic. To improve the situation, various studies on techniques for venous access have been conducted. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical results of complications following totally implanted central venous access port (TICVAP) insertion. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 163 patients, from December 2008 to March 2013. The occurrence of complications was studied in three separate periods of catheter use: the intraoperative period, postoperative period, and period during the treatment. RESULTS: A total of 165 cases of TICVAP insertions involving 156 patients were included in the final analysis. There were 35 complications (21%) overall. Among these, 31 cases of complications (19%) occurred during the treatment period and the other 4 cases were intraoperative and postoperative complications (2%). There were no statistically significant differences in age and gender of the patients between the two groups to be risk factors (p=0.147, p=0.08). Past history of chemotherapy, initial laboratory findings, and the locations of TICVAP insertion also showed no statistical significance as risk factors (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Because the majority of complications occurred after port placement and during treatment, meticulous care and management and appropriate education are necessary when using TICVAPs.

A rare case of bilateral pulmonary sequestration managed with embolization and surgical resection in a patient.

In this article, we report a rare case of a 22-year-old male with bilateral pulmonary sequestration, treated with embolization and surgical resection. The initial plan involved staged bilateral lobectomy for both lungs and prophylactic embolization of feeding vessels for preventing unexpected hemorrhage during operation. Symptomatic right lower lobe was resected with video-assisted thoracic surgery after embolization, and the patient refused surgery of left lower lobe upon symptomatic relief. The two-year follow-up examination revealed that the patient was healthy and had no relevant discomfort.

A case of traumatic thoracic outlet syndrome.

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) due to thoracic trauma is a rare disorder. Surgical treatment of TOS is especially rare. We report here a case of traumatic TOS caused by right 1st rib and clavicular fracture after a traffic accident. The patient underwent first rib resection and open reduction with fixation of the clavicle through axillary and supraclavicular incisions.