A Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-vectored vaccine expressing clade 2.3.4.4b H5 Hemagglutinin was developed and assessed for efficacy against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens, broilers, and domestic ducks. In SPF chickens, the live recombinant NDV-vectored vaccine, rK148/22-H5, achieved complete survival against HPAI and NDV challenges and significantly reduced viral shedding. Notably, the live rK148/22-H5 vaccine conferred good clinical protection in broilers despite the presence of maternally derived antibodies. Good clinical protection was observed in domestic ducks, with decreased viral shedding. It demonstrated complete survival and reduced cloacal viral shedding when used as an inactivated vaccine from SPF chickens. The rK148/22-H5 vaccine is potentially a viable and supportive option for biosecurity measure, effectively protecting in chickens against the deadly clade 2.3.4.4b H5 HPAI and NDV infections. Furthermore, it aligns with the strategy of Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA).
Taekwondo has evolved from a traditional martial art into an official Olympic sport. This study introduces a novel action recognition model tailored for Taekwondo unit actions, utilizing joint-motion data acquired via wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors. The utilization of IMU sensor-measured motion data facilitates the capture of the intricate and rapid movements characteristic of Taekwondo techniques. The model, underpinned by a conventional convolutional neural network (CNN)-based image classification framework, synthesizes action images to represent individual Taekwondo unit actions. These action images are generated by mapping joint-motion profiles onto the RGB color space, thus encapsulating the motion dynamics of a single unit action within a solitary image. To further refine the representation of rapid movements within these images, a time-warping technique was applied, adjusting motion profiles in relation to the velocity of the action. The effectiveness of the proposed model was assessed using a dataset compiled from 40 Taekwondo experts, yielding remarkable outcomes: an accuracy of 0.998, a precision of 0.983, a recall of 0.982, and an F1 score of 0.982. These results underscore this time-warping technique's contribution to enhancing feature representation, as well as the proposed method's scalability and effectiveness in recognizing Taekwondo unit actions.
Objective: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is chronic inflammatory arthritis causing structural damage and radiographic progression to the spine due to repeated and continuous inflammation over a long period. This study establishes the application of machine learning models to predict radiographic progression in AS patients using time-series data from electronic medical records (EMRs). Methods: EMR data, including baseline characteristics, laboratory findings, drug administration, and modified Stoke AS Spine Score (mSASSS), were collected from 1,123 AS patients between January 2001 and December 2018 at a single center at the time of first (T1), second (T2), and third (T3) visits. The radiographic progression of the (n+1)th visit (Pn+1=(mSASSSn+1-mSASSSn)/(Tn+1-Tn)≥1 unit per year) was predicted using follow-up visit datasets from T1 to Tn. We used three machine learning methods (logistic regression with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operation, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting algorithms) with three-fold cross-validation. Results: The random forest model using the T1 EMR dataset best predicted the radiographic progression P2 among the machine learning models tested with a mean accuracy and area under the curves of 73.73% and 0.79, respectively. Among the T1 variables, the most important variables for predicting radiographic progression were in the order of total mSASSS, age, and alkaline phosphatase. Conclusion: Prognosis predictive models using time-series data showed reasonable performance with clinical features of the first visit dataset when predicting radiographic progression.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine age-related differences in the comprehension of Korean comparative sentences with varying word orders by employing both offline and online measures, and to investigate how variations in word order affect sentence processing across different age groups. Methods: A total of 52 monolingual native Korean speakers, 26 young adults, and 26 older adults, completed a sentence-picture-matching task under two word order conditions: comparative-first and nominative-first. Offline measures included accuracy and response time, while an online method involved eye-tracking within the Visual World Paradigm. Data analyses were performed using linear and generalized linear mixed-effects models. Results: Older adults demonstrated lower accuracy and longer response times compared to younger individuals. Distinctive fixation patterns were observed, particularly in the sentential-final phrase, across different age groups. Specifically, nominative-first sentences elicited greater target advantage scores among younger adults, whereas older adults showed higher scores in comparative-first sentences. Conclusion: The study highlights the potential of comparative sentences in elucidating age-related changes in sentence comprehension. These differences were evident not only in offline tasks but also in real-time processing, as evidenced by eye-tracking data. The findings suggest distinct processing strategies employed by young and older adults and underscore the importance of considering both syntactic and semantic cues in sentence comprehension.
Understanding direction-dependent friction anisotropy is necessary to optimize interface shear resistance across soil-structure. Previous studies estimated interface frictional anisotropy quantitatively using contractive sands. However, no studies have explored how sand with a high dilative tendency around the structural surface affects the interface shear response. In this study, a series of interface direct shear tests are conducted with selected French standard sand and snakeskin-inspired surfaces under three vertical stresses (50, 100, and 200 kPa) and two shearing directions (cranial â caudal or caudal â cranial). First, the sand-sand test observes a higher dilative response, and a significant difference between the peak and residual friction angles (Ïpeak - Ïres = 8°) is obtained at even a lower initial relative density Dr = 40%. In addition, the interface test results show that (1) shearing against the scales (cranial shearing) mobilizes a larger shear resistance and produces a dilative response than shearing along the scales (caudal shearing), (2) a higher scale height or shorter scale length exhibits a higher dilative tendency and produces a higher interface friction angle, and (3) the interface anisotropy response is more pronounced during cranial shearing in all cases. Further analysis reveals that the interface friction angle and dilation angle are decreased with the scale geometry ratio (L/H). For L/H values between 16.67 and 60, the interface dilation angle varies between 9° and 4° for cranial first shearing and 3.9°-2.6° for caudal first shearing. However, the difference in dilation angle within the same shearing direction is less than 1°.
Acanthamoeba infection is associated with keratitis in humans; however, its association with keratitis in dogs remains unclear. To investigate this possibility, we collected 171 conjunctival swab samples from dogs with eye-related diseases (65 with keratitis and 106 without keratitis) at Chungbuk National University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Korea, from August 2021 to September 2022. Polymerase chain reaction identified 9 samples (5.3%) as Acanthamoeba positive; of these, 3 were from dogs with keratitis (4.6%) and 6 were from dogs without keratitis (5.7%). Our results indicated no significant association between Acanthamoeba infection and keratitis, season, sex, or age. All Acanthamoeba organisms found in this study had the genotype T4, according to 18S ribosomal RNA analysis. Acanthamoeba infection in dogs might have only a limited association with keratitis.
Acanthamoeba , Amebiasis , Keratitis , Humans , Dogs , Animals , Hospitals, Animal , Hospitals, Teaching , Acanthamoeba/genetics , Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Background: Both left ventricular systolic function and fractional flow reserve (FFR) are prognostic factors after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, how these prognostic factors are inter-related in risk stratification of patients after PCI remains unclarified. Objectives: This study evaluated differential prognostic implication of post-PCI FFR according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Methods: A total of 2,965 patients with available LVEF were selected from the POST-PCI FLOW (Prognostic Implications of Physiologic Investigation After Revascularization with Stent) international registry of patients with post-PCI FFR measurement. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiac death or target-vessel myocardial infarction (TVMI) at 2 years. The secondary outcome was target-vessel revascularization (TVR) and target vessel failure, which was a composite of cardiac death, TVMI, or TVR. Results: Post-PCI FFR was independently associated with the risk of target vessel failure (per 0.01 decrease: HRadj: 1.029; 95% CI: 1.009-1.049; P = 0.005). Post-PCI FFR was associated with increased risk of cardiac death or TVMI (HRadj: 1.145; 95% CI: 1.025-1.280; P = 0.017) among patients with LVEF ≤40%, and with that of TVR in patients with LVEF >40% (HRadj: 1.028; 95% CI: 1.005-1.052; P = 0.020). Post-PCI FFR ≤0.80 was associated with increased risk of cardiac death or TVMI in the LVEF ≤40% group and with that of TVR in LVEF >40% group. Prognostic impact of post-PCI FFR for the primary outcome was significantly different according to LVEF (Pinteraction = 0.019). Conclusions: Post-PCI FFR had differential prognostic impact according to LVEF. Residual ischemia by post-PCI FFR ≤0.80 was a prognostic indicator for cardiac death or TVMI among patients with patients with LVEF ≤40%, and it was associated with TVR among patients with patients with LVEF>40%. (Prognostic Implications of Physiologic Investigation After Revascularization with Stent [POST-PCI FLOW]; NCT04684043).
BACKGROUND: Posterior tibial slope (PTS) exhibits considerable variability among individuals and is anticipated to influence the accuracy of radiographic measurements related to the knee. Despite this potential impact, there is a lack of prior research investigating how PTS affects the accuracy of these measurements. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of PTS on the measurement reliability regarding the radiographic parameter of the knee. METHODS: The medical records of patients who took full-length anteroposterior radiographs of the lower limb between January 2020 and June 2022 were evaluated retrospectively. Radiographic parameters related to the knee joint characteristics such as osteoarthritis grade, hip-knee-ankle angle, weight-bearing line ratio, medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), lateral distal femoral angle, joint-line convergence angle (JLCA), and PTS were measured. Subjects were classified into 3 groups according to PTS (group A, PTS < 4°; group B, PTS ≥ 4° and < 8°; group C, PTS ≥ 8°), and the measurement reliability for the radiographic variables was compared between groups. The intra- and inter-observer agreements were assessed using the kappa coefficients, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: A total of 175 limbs (86 patients) were included in this study. As the intra- and inter-observer reliability for PTS ranged over 0.9, grouping was performed based on the average of the measured PTSs. The inter-observer reliability of the MPTA and JLCA decreased as the PTS increased (ICCs for MPTA in Groups A, B, and C: 0.889, 0.796, and 0.790, respectively; ICCs for JLCA in Groups A, B and C: 0.916, 0.859, and 0.843, respectively), whereas there were no remarkable differences in other variables. Similar trends were observed in the comparisons of intra-observer reliability and Bland-Altman plots also showed consistent results. CONCLUSION: The larger the PTS, the lower the measurement reliability regarding the radiographic parameters of the knee that includes the joint line, such as MPTA and JLCA. Given the occasional challenge in accurately identifying the knee joint line in patients with a relatively large PTS, careful measurement of radiographic parameters is crucial and utilizing repetitive measurements for verification may contribute to minimizing measurement errors.
Osteoarthritis, Knee , Tibia , Humans , Tibia/diagnostic imaging , Retrospective Studies , Reproducibility of Results , Osteoarthritis, Knee/diagnostic imaging , Lower Extremity , Knee Joint/diagnostic imaging
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate which indirect parameters on preoperative MRI were the principal predictors of subscapularis tendon tears (STTs) requiring surgical repair. Materials and Methods: Preoperative MRI scans of 86 patients were retrospectively reviewed for visual assessment of the STT, pathology of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT), posterior decentering (PD) of the humeral head, humeral rotation, fatty degeneration, and subscapularis muscle atrophy. To evaluate atrophy, visual grading using the anatomical line connecting the coracoid tip to the glenoid base, designated as the base-to-tip line (BTL), and thickness measurements were performed in the en-face view. Results: Arthroscopically, 31 patients (36%) exhibited Lafosse type III or IV STT and underwent surgical repair. LHBT pathology (p = 0.002), PD of the humeral head (p = 0.012), fatty degeneration (p < 0.001), and BTL grade (p = 0.003) significantly correlated with STT. In the multivariate analysis, PD of the humeral head (p = 0.011, odds ratio [OR] = 5.14) and fatty degeneration (p = 0.046, OR = 2.81) were independent predictors of STT. Conclusion: PD of the humeral head and fatty degeneration of the subscapularis can help to diagnose clinically significant STT. Interpretation of these findings may contribute to the planning of an optimal surgical strategy.
BACKGROUND: Atlantodental subluxation (ADS) is a serious condition that can result in sudden death. Measuring the anterior atlantodental interval (AADI method) is the gold standard for diagnosis but the complex anatomy of this region can make diagnosis difficult, especially for beginners. Therefore, we would like to use a simpler method, the Swischuk line method, to diagnose ADS. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Swischuk line method for ADS on lateral cervical spine radiographs compared to the AADI method. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with patients who presented with ADS (ADS group, n = 32, mean age 57.78 years, age range 34-82 years, 10 men, 21 women) and an age- and sex-matched control group (n = 32). The diagnostic performance of the AADI method and the Swischuk line method for ADS was assessed using lateral cervical radiographs in both flexion and neutral postures by an experienced musculoskeletal radiologist (reader 1), a senior resident (reader 2), and a junior resident (reader 3) in the radiologic department. RESULTS: In the flexion posture, the AADI method and the Swischuk line method showed excellent diagnostic performance with AUCs > 0.9 for readers 1 2 and reader 3. In a neutral posture, the diagnostic performance of the AADI and Swischuk line methods was decreased. With a 1 mm cut-off value using the Swischuk line method in flexion posture, the sensitivity was 75% or more, the specificity was 100%, and the accuracy was 87.50% or more 90.63% for all readers. With a 2 mm cut-off value, the sensitivity was low (37.50-46.88%) but the specificity was 100% for all three readers. In a neutral posture, the sensitivity for both methods decreased, though specificity remained high (> 80%). CONCLUSIONS: The Swischuk line method was found to be reliable and showed high sensitivity and specificity with a cut-off value of 1 mm for the diagnosis of ADS in cervical lateral radiographs in flexion posture. It can be used as a complement to the AADI method.
Cervical Vertebrae , Neck , Male , Humans , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Retrospective Studies , Radiography , Range of Motion, Articular
In the regulation of inflammatory responses and skin homeostasis, the skin and its microbiota are closely related. Studies have reported that lactic acid bacteria extracts can improve the skin condition and microbiota. In our previous study, we developed probiotic lysates, which are efficacious in improvement of human skin cells and the skin barrier. The skin-moisturizing effect of Dermabiotics HDB (HDB) prepared with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and the correlation between changes in the skin microbiota and moisture contents, were evaluated and analyzed in clinical trials. The clinical parameters on the cheeks of 21 female participants were measured using biophysical tools before and after (2 weeks) using HDB or control. The skin microbes were collected and identified using 16s rRNA gene sequencing. HDB significantly improved moisture intensity, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and hot flush level on the cheek. The beta-diversity of the skin microbiota was different from that of the control in the unweighted UniFrac principal coordinate analysis after using HDB. The genus Lawsonella demonstrated a positive correlation with TEWL and a negative correlation with the moisture contents of the keratin layer, regardless of the use of HDB and control. Conversely, after HDB use, the genus Staphylococcus was increased and associated with a lower hot flush level, while the genera of the phylum Proteobacteria tended to decrease, which is associated with an improved skin condition. Overall, HDB showed clinically proven effects, including skin moisturization with regulation of the skin microbiota.
Microbiota , Skin , Humans , Female , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Proteobacteria
Objective: To investigate the effects of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment on lipid profiles and identify risk factors for an increase in total cholesterol (TC) after the anti-TNF treatment in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed AS patients who received the first-line anti-TNF treatment. Patients with at least nine months of follow-up were included; those who were under 18 years or on any lipid-lowering agent were excluded. A linear mixed model was used to assess the impact of anti-TNF inhibitors on disease activity and lipid profile (TC, low-density lipoprotein [LDL], high-density lipoprotein [HDL], and triglycerides [TG]). Univariable and multivariable linear regression were used to identify risk factors for an increase in TC after 3 months of anti-TNF treatment. Results: A total of 315 AS patients were enrolled (78.1% male, median age 32.0 [26.0~41.0]). TC, HDL, and TG levels significantly increased particularly within the first 3 months of anti-TNF treatment, while LDL level did not show significant changes. Changes in inflammatory markers and lipid particles (TC, LDL, TG) were correlated over time, but HDL showed no significant correlation. Older age, higher baseline erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and lower baseline LDL level were related to an increase in TC after 3 months of the anti-TNF treatment. Conclusion: In AS patients, anti-TNF treatment has been found to increase lipid particles, potentially due to its anti-inflammatory effects. Future research should explore the underlying mechanism and the clinical implications of dyslipidemia, particularly the occurrence of cardiovascular events, following anti-TNF treatment in AS patients.
In this article, we discuss the synthesis of eight novel zirconium and hafnium complexes containing amidoxime ligands as potential precursors for atomic layer deposition (ALD). Two amidoximes, viz., (E)-N'-hydroxy-N,N-dimethylacetimidamide (mdaoH) and (Z)-N'-hydroxy-N,N-dimethylpivalimidamide (tdaoH), along with their Zr and Hf homoleptic complexes, Zr(mdao)4 (1), Hf(mdao)4 (2), Zr(tdao)4 (3), and Hf(tdao)4 (4) were prepared. We further synthesized heteroleptic compounds with different physical properties by introducing cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligand, namely, CpZr(mdao)3 (5), CpHf(mdao)3 (6), CpZr(tdao)3 (7), and CpHf(tdao)3 (8). Thermogravimetric analysis was used for the assessment of the evaporation characteristics of complexes 1, 2, 5, and 6, and it revealed multistep weight losses with high residues. On the other hand, the thermogravimetric analysis curves of complexes 3, 4, 7, and 8 comprising tdao ligands revealed single-step weight losses with moderate residues. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of complexes 1, 3, and 7 showed that all of the complexes have monomeric molecular structures. Complex 7 exhibited a low melting point (75 °C), good volatility, and high thermal stability compared with other complexes. Therefore, an atomic layer deposition process for the growth of ZrO2 was developed by using ZrCp(tdao)3 (7) as a novel precursor.
Flying qubits encode quantum information in propagating modes instead of stationary discrete states. Although photonic flying qubits are available, the weak interaction between photons limits the efficiency of conditional quantum gates. Conversely, electronic flying qubits can use Coulomb interactions, but the weaker quantum coherence in conventional semiconductors has hindered their realization. In this work, we engineered on-demand injection of a single electronic flying qubit state and its manipulation over the Bloch sphere. The flying qubit is a Leviton propagating in quantum Hall edge channels of a high-mobility graphene monolayer. Although single-shot qubit readout and two-qubit operations are still needed for a viable manipulation of flying qubits, the coherent manipulation of an itinerant electronic state at the single-electron level presents a highly promising alternative to conventional qubits.
Femoral neck fracture is a common osteoporotic fracture in elderly patients and is effectively managed with arthroplasty. However, the benefits and risks of a surgical drain after arthroplasty in these patients are still debatable. Hence, we conducted this study to investigate the necessity of a surgical drain after hemiarthroplasty in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture. This study enrolled elderly patients (aged ≥ 70 years) who underwent cementless bipolar hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fracture between April 2016 and December 2021. The patients were divided into two groups; the control group (199 patients) with a surgical drain after surgery performed between April 2016 and June 2020 and the study group (134 patients) with no surgical drain between July 2020 and December 2021. The demographics, perioperative data, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Estimated blood loss, perioperative transfusion volume and rate, and length of hospital stay were significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.008, and p < 0.001, respectively). Although there were no significant intergroup differences in the length of intensive care unit stay and in-hospital, 1-month, and 1-year mortalities, the incidence of postoperative medical complications was significantly lower in the study group than the control group (p = 0.001). A surgical drain may be unnecessary after hemiarthroplasty in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture considering less blood loss and transfusion, lower incidence of postoperative medical complications, and shorter hospital stay in the study group with no surgical drain.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip , Femoral Neck Fractures , Hemiarthroplasty , Aged , Humans , Hemiarthroplasty/adverse effects , Femoral Neck Fractures/surgery , Postoperative Complications/epidemiology , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Postoperative Complications/surgery , Length of Stay , Treatment Outcome , Retrospective Studies
Background: The deep peripheral fascia and epimysium are vital for muscle and tendon support, but their tight proton composition results in hypointense signals in conventional spin echo sequences. Ultrashort echo time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), using microsecond TE values, may visualize these structures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether UTE pulse sequence with a three-dimensional cone trajectory (3D UTE), with or without fat suppression (FS), can be used to visualize the fascia and epimysium using porcine lower legs as an example. Methods: The anterior soft tissues of porcine lower legs were dissected and partially separated into distinct layers to expose the deep peripheral fascia, epimysium, and muscle. Axial 3D UTE and 3D UTE FS imaging using dual-echo acquisition and echo subtraction were performed both before and after dissection. Prior to dissection, the thickness, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of structures believed to be deep peripheral fascia and epimysium were measured in both 3D UTE and 3D UTE FS. Post-dissection images were also analyzed to measure the SNRs and CNRs for the deep peripheral fascia and epimysium. Histological evaluations were carried out to verify the identities of the deep peripheral fascia and epimysium, as well as their thickness, and these measurements were compared to imaging findings. Results: In pre-dissection images obtained with 3D UTE and 3D UTE FS, both the deep peripheral fascia and epimysium exhibited high signal intensity. In the subtraction images, the mean thickness of the deep fascia was 0.87 mm, and that of the epimysium was 0.80 mm when imaged with 3D UTE. This is compared to measurements of 0.77 and 0.22 mm in 3D UTE FS, respectively. Histological analyses confirmed the thickness of the deep peripheral fascia and epimysium as 0.65 and 0.14 mm, respectively. In the post-dissection images, the deep fascia continued to display high signal intensity when compared with adjacent soft tissues, consistent with the histological findings. Meanwhile, the epimysium showed very low CNRs. Conclusions: 3D UTE and 3D UTE FS can be used to visualize the deep peripheral fascia with high signal intensity and contrast but are insufficient to show signal intensity in the epimysium.
Major clinical symptoms of Theileria infection include fever, anemia, anorexia, jaundice, and decreased milk production. Although several studies have been conducted on tick-borne pathogens, including Theileria in Korea, only a few have focused on Theileria infection in deer, including the Korean water deer. Blood samples from 160 deer were collected and subjected to DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Next, PCR-positive samples were sequenced and analyzed by constructing a phylogenetic tree. The results showed that the overall infection rate of Theileria was 8.1% (13/160). Infection rates of 100% were observed in the northern and southern regions. However, the study's limitation was its small sample size, wherein five and one samples were analyzed from the northern and southern regions, respectively. The central region exhibited the lowest infection rate of 2.9% (4/140). Infection rates also differed based on seasons, with the highest (18.4%, 9/49) being observed in spring, followed by that in summer (8.9%, 4/45). However, no infection was observed during autumn and winter. A phylogenetic analysis indicated that the PCR-positive samples contained Theileria luwenshuni, which usually infects small ruminants, such as goats and sheep.
PURPOSE: To investigate the surgical outcomes of arthroscopic pull-out repair for medial meniscus root tear (MMRT) combined with the marrow stimulation procedures (MSP) for accompanying high-grade cartilage lesions. METHODS: Patients who underwent arthroscopic pull-out repair for MMRT between 2010 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had at least 3 years of follow-up were included and classified into two groups according to whether MSP (microfracture or microdrilling) were performed on cartilage lesions in the medial tibiofemoral joint (group 1, patients with International Cartilage Repair Society [ICRS] grade 0-3a lesions and did not undergo MSP; group 2, patients with ICRS grade 3b-3d lesions and underwent MSP). Comparative analyses, including non-inferiority trials, were conducted between groups for subjective and objective outcomes. In addition, group 2 was further divided into two subgroups according to cartilage lesion size and compared with group 1 (group S, ≤ 2.0 cm2; group L, > 2.0 cm2). RESULTS: A total of 94 patients were included (group 1, 68 patients; group 2, 26 patients). There were no significant differences in clinical scores at postoperative 3 years and final follow-up between groups 1 and 2, but group 2 failed to satisfy the non-inferiority criteria compared to group 1 overall. In objective outcomes, group 2 did not meet the non-inferiority criteria for the rate of osteoarthritis progression compared to group 1, and it also showed a significantly higher proportion of high-grade osteoarthritis at final follow-up (P = 0.044) and a higher degree of osteoarthritis progression than group 1 (P = 0.03 for pre- to postoperative 3 years, and P = 0.006 for pre- to final follow-up). In additional evaluations comparing the subgroups of group 2 and group 1, group S showed relatively favourable results compared to group L in objective outcomes at final follow-up. CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent arthroscopic pull-out repair for MMRT combined with MSP for accompanying high-grade cartilage lesions showed suboptimal outcomes compared to those with no or low-grade lesions at mid-term follow-up. High-grade cartilage lesions ≤ 2.0 cm2 may be candidates for the surgical repair of MMRT if MSP are performed, but those with larger lesions may require alternative treatment strategies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.
Cartilage, Articular , Osteoarthritis , Humans , Menisci, Tibial/surgery , Retrospective Studies , Bone Marrow/pathology , Arthroscopy/methods , Osteoarthritis/surgery , Rupture/pathology , Cartilage, Articular/surgery , Cartilage, Articular/pathology , Treatment Outcome
Introduction: Although patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) can receive optimal treatment, the risk of recurrence remains. This study aimed to evaluate whether the tumor microbiome can be a predictor of recurrence in patients with stage III CRC. Methods: Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we analyzed the microbiomes of tumor and adjacent tissues acquired during surgery in 65 patients with stage III CRC and evaluated the correlation of the tissue microbiome with CRC recurrence. Additionally, the tumor tissue microbiome data of 71 patients with stage III CRC from another center were used as a validation set. Results: The microbial diversity and abundance significantly differed between tumor and adjacent tissues. In particular, Streptococcus and Gemella were more abundant in tumor tissue samples than in adjacent tissue samples. The microbial diversity and abundance in tumor and adjacent tissues did not differ according to the presence of recurrence, except for one genus in the validation set. Logistic regression analysis revealed that a recurrence prediction model including tumor tissue microbiome data had a better prediction performance than clinical factors (area under the curve [AUC] 0.846 vs. 0.679, p = 0.009), regardless of sex (male patients: AUC 0.943 vs. 0.818, p = 0.043; female patients: AUC 0.885 vs. 0.590, p = 0.017). When this prediction model was applied to the validation set, it had a higher AUC value than clinical factors in female patients. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the tumor microbiome of patients with CRC be a potential predictor of postoperative disease recurrence.
Aseptic abscess (AA) is a rare autoinflammatory disorder, characterized by the formation of sterile abscesses in various organs, and is accompanied by inflammatory bowel disease. Antibiotic treatment is ineffective, but steroid therapy shows a good response. AA can be difficult to differentiate from infection because abscesses appear similar both radiologically and histopathologically. Herein, we present the case of a 56-year-old woman with AA in the anterior chest wall and synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome.
