The Beneficial Roles of Sargassum spp. in Skin Disorders.

As the body's largest organ, the skin is located at the internal and external environment interface, serving as a line of defense against various harmful stressors. Recently, marine-derived physiologically active ingredients have attracted considerable attention in the cosmeceutical industry due to their beneficial effects on skin health. Sargassum, a genus of brown macroalgae, has traditionally been consumed as food and medicine in several countries and is rich in bioactive compounds such as meroterpenoids, sulfated polysaccharides, fucoidan, fucoxanthin, flavonoids, and terpenoids. Sargassum spp. have various beneficial effects on skin disorders. They help with atopic dermatitis by improving skin barrier protection and reducing inflammation. Several species show potential in treating acne by inhibiting bacterial growth and reducing inflammation. Some species, such as Sargassum horneri, demonstrate antiallergic effects by modulating mast cell activity. Certain Sargassum species exhibit anticancer activity by inhibiting tumor growth and promoting apoptosis, and some species help with wound healing by promoting angiogenesis and reducing oxidative stress. Overall, Sargassum spp. demonstrate potential for treating and managing various skin conditions. Therefore, the bioactive compounds of Sargassum spp. may be natural ingredients with a wide range of functional properties for preventing and treating skin disorders. The present review focused on the various biological effects of Sargassum extracts and derived compounds on skin disorders.

Detection of Rotator Cuff Tears by Ultrasound: How Many Scans Do Novices Need to Be Competent?

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound is commonly used for evaluating rotator cuff tears. However, little training in ultrasound imaging is provided during orthopedic residents' training period. Therefore, we performed this study to determine how many ultrasound scans are required for orthopedic residents to be competent and self-confident in the diagnosis of supraspinatus tendon tears and to investigate whether senior residents outperformed junior residents. METHODS: We studied two third-year residents who had no previous experience of shoulder ultrasound and evaluated their ability to detect rotator cuff pathologies. Their learning curves were plotted using a cumulative summation analysis with a 20% acceptable failure rate compared to arthroscopic findings. Downward, upward, and horizontal cumulative summation trends indicated incompetence, exceptional competence, and competence, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of third-year residents was compared with that of second-year residents and the number of cases required to gain self-confidence was evaluated. RESULTS: Cumulative summation analysis showed that after 26-28 scans, residents achieved the competence to correctly diagnose supraspinatus tears: an upward trend was observed from the beginning for full-thickness tears and a downward trend was observed for partial-thickness tears. Sensitivity and specificity were 0.95 and 0.79, respectively, for third-year residents and 0.91 and 0.58, respectively, for second-year residents. Residents reported self-confidence after 30 ultrasound scans for the detection of rotator cuff tears. CONCLUSIONS: The number of scans that novices needed to be competent for detecting rotator cuff tears was approximately 30 cases, and the diagnostic accuracy of third-year residents was significantly higher than that of second-year residents.

Femoral Nerve Palsy due to Noninfectious Iliopsoas Bursitis and Hematoma after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Case Report.

Femoral nerve palsy after total hip arthroplasty is an uncommon complication. We present a case report of delayed-onset femoral nerve palsy associated with iliopsoas hematoma and bursitis 10 years after primary total hip arthroplasty in a 57-year-old male patient with avascular necrosis of the femoral head. The patient visited our clinic due to swelling of the inguinal area with sudden-onset knee extension weakness. Radiologic examination at admission revealed suspicion of bursitis and hematoma on iliopsoas muscle. After evacuation of the hematoma and bursitis debridement, the patient's clinical symptoms improved dramatically. This is a rare report of femoral nerve palsy due to noninfectious iliopsoas bursitis and hematoma after total hip arthroplasty.

Surgical Results of the Cephalomedullary Nail for the Femoral Intertrochanteric Fracture: Comparison between Non-experienced Surgeons and Experienced Surgeon.

PURPOSE: Cephalomedullary nail (CM nail) in the treatment of femoral intertrochanteric fractures is in the lime light in recent years. The purpose of this study is to compare surgical outcomes between experienced surgeon and non-experienced surgeons in respect of CM nail for femoral intertrochanteric fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 129 patients underwent CM nail for femoral intertrochanteric fracture more than six months of follow-up from April 2011 to March 2014 in Seoul Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) were participated in this study. For this study, group A consisted of experienced surgeons who performed more than 500 times of CM nail, and group B consisted of non-experienced surgeons who performed less than 50 times of CM nail. Clinical and radiologic outcomes, complications and the need for reoperation between both groups were compared in the study. RESULTS: According to clinical result, both the mean operation time and transfusion volume were significantly longer and greater in group B (P<0.05). In the radiologic outcomes, adequacy of reduction, tip-apex distance and numbers of case placed in the Cleveland zones 5, 6 and 8; there was no statistical difference between both groups. Moreover, rate of complication and reoperation had same results as radiologic outcomes. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference with statistical data in complications from CM nail for femoral intertrochanteric fractures between experienced surgeon and non-experienced surgeon. Although the operation time and transfusion volume were significantly longer and greater in the case of operation by non-experienced surgeon, satisfactory performance was seen in the complications and the need for reoperation.

The Early Result of Cementless Arthroplasty for Femur Neck Fracture in Elderly Patients with Severe Osteoporosis.

PURPOSE: The purposes of the current study were to assess the early results of cementless hip arthroplasty (HA) for femoral neck fractures in elderly patients with severe osteoporosis and to compare the clinical outcomes between those who underwent total HA (THA) or bipolar hemiarthroplasty (BHA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2011 to May 2012, we performed 87 cementless HAs for displaced femoral neck fractures in elderly patients (≥65 years) with severe osteoporosis. Among them, we studied 70 hips that were able to be followed-up for >24 months. Of these, 34 underwent THA and 36 underwent BHA. Clinical results were evaluated using the Harris hip score (HHS), Koval classification, and radiographs. RESULTS: Only one instance of femoral stem loosening was observed. Additionally, no dislocations were observed and no revision surgeries were required. The mean changes in the functional items of the HHS scores were 2.8 and 5.2 for those who underwent THA and BHA, respectively (P<0.05). According to the Koval classification used for the ambulatory status analysis, the mean perioperative change in the grade was 0.8 (0-4), with no significant differences noted between the THA and BHA groups. CONCLUSION: The early results of cementless HA for femur neck fractures in elderly patients with osteoporosis were satisfactory, and THA was found to have a functional advantage over BHA.