Injuries and Illness during the 2019 Gwangju FINA and Masters World Championships in Elite and Amateur Athletes.

Comparative analysis of injury and illness prevalence in elite and amateur athletes provides the basis for the development of tailored prevention programs. The authors analyzed the differences in frequency and characteristics of injuries and illnesses which occurred in elite and amateur athletes during the 2019 Gwangju Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) and Masters World Championships. The 2019 FINA World Championships hosted 3095 athletes in the disciplines of swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming. While the 2019 Masters World Championships hosted 4032 athletes in swimming, diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming. All medical records were electrically recorded in every venue as well as the central medical center located at the athlete's village. More elite athletes visited clinics than amateur athletes during the events (15.0 vs 8.6%, p<0.05) despite the ages of amateur athletes being higher than elite athletes (41.0±15.0 vs 22.4±5.6 years, p<0.01). Elite athletes complained mainly of musculoskeletal problems (69%), while amateur athletes complained of both musculoskeletal (38%) and cardiovascular (8%) problems. The most frequent injury in elite athletes was due to overuse in the shoulder joints, while that of amateur athletes was traumatic injuries involving feet and hands. The most common illness was respiratory infection in both elite and amateur athletes, while cardiovascular events occured only in amateur athletes. As the risk of injury varies in elite and amateur athletes, tailored preventive measures should be prepared. Furthermore, preventive measures of cardiovascular events should focus on amateur sports events.

Impact of COVID-19 on Nuclear Medicine in Asia.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in China in late 2019 and rapidly spread to nearby Asian countries in early 2020. Outbreaks occurred differently in each country and affected nuclear medicine (NM) practice significantly even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian NM community has worked together from the beginning of the pandemic. Fortunately, the Asian Regional Cooperative Council for Nuclear Medicine annual general meeting and Asia Nuclear Medicine Board examination was held in Manila from January 28 to February 2, 2020; these were the last face-to-face events of these organizations to date. Members shared information about COVID-19 at the conference, and through online means afterwards. Web-based surveys performed from March to April 2020 for the Asian Regional Cooperative Council for Nuclear Medicine and Asia Nuclear Medicine Board communities showed a significant reduction of NM practice and supply of radioisotopes (RI) at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. A follow-up survey in March to April 2021 clearly showed the recovery of both NM practice and RI supplies. The pattern of recovery is variable according to institutions and countries. Herein, we have reported the case-in-point operational histories of four representative institutions in the East, Southeast, South, and West Asia. The second outbreak in India is ongoing on a worrisome scale. Various communications and educational sessions were actively performed online in the Asian NM community during the pandemic.

KSNM60 in Cardiology: Regrowth After a Long Pause.

The Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine (KSNM) is celebrating its 60th anniversary in honor of the nuclear medicine professionals who have dedicated their efforts towards research, academics, and the more comprehensive clinical applications and uses of nuclear imaging modalities. Nuclear cardiology in Korea was at its prime time in the 1990s, but its growth was interrupted by a long pause. Despite the academic and practical challenges, nuclear cardiology in Korea now meets the second leap, attributed to the growth in molecular imaging tailored for many non-coronary diseases and the genuine values of nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging. In this review, we describe the trends, achievements, challenges, and perspectives of nuclear cardiology throughout the 60-year history of the KSNM.

Increasing Use of Cardiac PET/CT for Inflammatory and Infiltrative Heart Diseases in Korea.

Recently the incidence of inflammatory and infiltrative heart diseases is increasing in Korea. Cardiac PET/CT is a useful technology evaluating inflammatory and infiltrative heart diseases. This study analyzed trends in the use of cardiac PET/CT for evaluating inflammatory and infiltrative heart diseases in the Chonnam National University Hospital and Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. The general trend in Korea was also assessed based on the domestic nuclear medicine database. There was a common increasing trend in the number of F-18 FDG PET/CT for the evaluation of inflammatory and infiltrative heart diseases. A representative case with cardiac sarcoidosis is illustrated.