Experimental Assessment of the Performance of Dual Pneumatic Vitreous Cutters According to Gauge and Cut Rate

Purpose@#To compare and analyze the performance of dual pneumatic ultra-high-speed vitreous cutters based on their cut rates, vacuum levels, and diameters in terms of flow rate and cutting time. @*Methods@#The Constellation Vision System was used to remove egg white for 30 seconds, after which we calculated the flow rate by measuring the change in weight. We then measured the time required to remove 4 mL of egg white. We tested the UltraVit (UV) 7,500 cuts per minute (cpm) probe and the Advanced UltraVit (AUV) 10,000 cpm probe in biased open duty cycle mode, using 23-, 25-, and 27-gauge probes, respectively. @*Results@#In biased open duty cycle, the flow rate tended to decrease as the cut rates increased for all three gauges. At the same cut rates, the flow rate increased as the vacuum level increased (p < 0.05), and as the diameter increased (p < 0.05). Among cutters with the same diameter, the AUV cutter showed higher flow rates than the UV cutter, with increases of 0.267 mL/min (18.5%) at 27 gauge, 0.627 mL/min (20.8%) at 25 gauge, and 1.000 mL/min (20.7%) at 23 gauge (all p < 0.05). The times required to remove 4 mL of egg white took longer with the UV cutter than the AUV cutter for all three gauges (all p < 0.05). @*Conclusions@#The use of a smaller gauge vitreous cutter may reduce the flow rate and increase the time required for vitrectomy, but this can be partially compensated for by increasing the vacuum level as well as using a vitreous cutter with a higher maximum cut rate, improved port size, and improved duty cycle.

Refractive Outcomes of Intraocular Lenses with Different Haptic Designs Following Phacovitrectomy with Gas Tamponade

Purpose@#To compare the refractive outcomes of closed C-loop and C-loop intraocular lenses (IOLs) following phacovitrectomy with gas tamponade. @*Methods@#Medical records of 42 patients (43 eyes) who underwent phacovitrectomy with gas tamponade for idiopathic macular holes between January 2021 and June 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Closed C-loop (26 eyes; Eyelike K-flex Aspheric®, Koryo Eyetech, Seoul, Korea) and C-loop (17 eyes; Tecnis® ZCB00, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Santa Ana, CA, USA) IOLs were surgically implanted. The main outcome measures were postoperative prediction error and absolute error. @*Results@#There was no significant difference in mean absolute error at 5 months postoperatively (0.34 ± 0.24 diopters [D] and 0.30 ± 0.25 D in the closed C-loop and C-loop IOL groups, respectively; p = 0.502). The mean prediction error at 5 months postoperatively also showed no significant difference between the groups (-0.28 ± 0.30 D and -0.16 ± 0.36 D, respectively; p = 0.242). Myopic shift was observed in both groups. @*Conclusions@#There was no significant difference in refractive outcomes between closed C-loop IOLs and C-loop IOLs. A myopic shift was observed in both groups; this should be taken into consideration when calculating IOL power following phacovitrectomy with gas tamponade.

Sudden mode change of permanent pacemaker during living donor liver transplantation - A case report -

Background@#Pacemakers assist circulation by generating electrical impulses. Patients with pacemakers scheduled to undergo surgery are vulnerable to device-related complications. Therefore, careful perioperative management is required to prevent undesirable events.Case: A 66-year-old man with alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma was referred for liver transplantation. The pacemaker was inserted preoperatively to manage sick sinus syndrome and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Overall liver transplantation was performed without any adverse events. However, the pacemaker suddenly failed to provide regular pacing rhythm during abdominal closure. Fortunately, the native heart rate was maintained above 70 beats per minute and blood pressure did not fluctuate after pacing failure. After retrospective analysis, the duration setting of preoperative pacemaker reprogramming (24 h) was revealed as the cause of unexpected pacing failure. @*Conclusions@#Anesthesiologists should be alert in patients with pacemakers because minor errors may lead to inadvertent failure of pacing or severe hemodynamic instability.

Comparison of Overall Immunity Levels among Workers at Grape Orchard, Rose Greenhouse, and Open-Field Onion Farm

Background@#Occupational hazards in crop farms vary diversely based on different field operations as soil management, harvesting processes, pesticide, or fertilizer application. We aimed at evaluating the immunological status of crop farmers, as limited systematic investigations on immune alteration involved with crop farming have been reported yet. @*Methods@#Immunological parameters including plasma immunoglobulin level, major peripheral immune cells distribution, and level of cytokine production from activated T cell were conducted. Nineteen grape orchard, 48 onion open-field, and 21 rose greenhouse farmers were participated. @*Results@#Significantly low proportion of natural killer (NK) cell, a core cell for innate immunity, was revealed in the grape farmers (19.8 ± 3.3%) in comparison to the onion farmers (26.4 ± 3.1%) and the rose farmers (26.9 ± 2.5%), whereas cytotoxic T lymphocyte proportion was lower in the grape and the onion farmers than the rose farmers. The proportion of NKT cell, an immune cell implicated with allergic response, was significantly higher in the grape (2.3 ± 0.3%) and the onion (1.6 ± 0.8%) farmers compared with the rose farmers (1.0 ± 0.4%). A significantly decreased interferon-gamma:interleukin-13 ratio was observed from ex vivo stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of grape farmers compared with the other two groups. The grape farmers revealed the lowest levels of plasma IgG1 and IgG4, and their plasma IgE level was not significantly different from that of the onion or the rose farmers. @*Conclusion@#Our finding suggests the high vulnerability of workplace-mediated allergic immunity in grape orchard farmers followed by open-field onion farmers and then the rose greenhouse farmers.

Association between Perceived Susceptibility to Fine Dust Exposure and Wearing Masks, Attitude toward Respiratory Disease Prevention Education in Farmers / 農村醫學 地域保健

Objectives@#This study aimed to investigate health risk awareness pertaining to fine dust exposure and the use of face masks in farmers, as well as their attitude toward education regarding fine dust-related respiratory disease prevention. @*Methods@#In total, 295 farmers were interviewed in a survey using a structured questionnaire to obtain data on general characteristics, farming-related characteristics, health risk awareness pertaining to fine dust exposure, attitude toward education on fine dust-related respiratory disease prevention and the use of face masks. This study was analyzed the correlation between the perceived susceptibility to fine dust exposure and willingness to participate in education on fine dust-related respiratory disease prevention. @*Results@#The mean score for perceived susceptibility to fine dust exposure was 3.8 (out of 5), and the participants were highly willing to receive education on fine dust-related respiratory disease prevention. In Multiple response analysis of reactions to exposure to fine dust generated during work, 221 participants responded that they practiced at least one preventive action; participants gave a positive response to "wearing masks" (56.1%), "personal hygiene, such as hand washing." (52.9%). In terms of education methods, 94 (33.6%) participants preferred to learn online or via text messages. @*Conclusions@#The significant correlation between the perceived susceptibility to fine dust exposure and willingness to participate in education on fine dust-related respiratory disease prevention shows the importance of promoting education on prevention. The results of this study can help understand as reference for education on fine dust-related respiratory disease prevention.

Deacetylation of mitofusin-2 by sirtuin-1: A critical event in cell survival after ischemia.

Sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) is associated with longevity and cell survival. Recently, we unveiled a new role of SIRT1 in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and identified a novel interaction between SIRT1 and mitochondrial outer membrane protein mitofusin-2 (MFN2), in which SIRT1-dependent deacetylation of MFN2 regulates mitochondria and autophagy in the liver.

Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist in Public Firefighters and Rescue Workers

OBJECTIVES: Firefighters and rescue workers are likely to be exposed to a variety of traumatic events; as such, they are vulnerable to the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The psychometric properties of the Korean version of the PTSD Checklist (PCL), a widely used self-report screening tool for PTSD, were assessed in South Korean firefighters and rescue workers. METHODS: Data were collected via self-report questionnaires and semi-structured clinical interviews administered to 221 firefighters. Internal consistency, item-total correlation, one-week test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and divergent validity were examined. Content validity of the PCL was evaluated using factor analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to estimate the optimal cutoff point and area under the curve. RESULTS: The PCL demonstrated excellent internal consistency (alpha = 0.97), item-total correlation (r = 0.72-0.88), test-retest reliability (r = 0.95), and convergent and divergent validity. The total score of PCL was positively correlated with the number of traumatic events experienced (p < 0.001). Factor analysis revealed two theoretically congruent factors: re-experience/avoidance and numbing/hyperarousal. The optimal cutoff was 45 and the area under the ROC curve was 0.97. CONCLUSIONS: The Korean version of the PCL may be a useful PTSD screening instrument for firefighters and rescue workers, further maximizing opportunities for accurate PTSD diagnosis and treatment.

Biochemical characterization of protein quality control mechanisms during disease progression in the C22 mouse model of CMT1A.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) is a hereditary demyelinating neuropathy linked with duplication of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) gene. Transgenic C22 mice, a model of CMT1A, display many features of the human disease, including slowed nerve conduction velocity and demyelination of peripheral nerves. How overproduction of PMP22 leads to compromised myelin and axonal pathology is not fully understood, but likely involves subcellular alterations in protein homoeostatic mechanisms within affected Schwann cells. The subcellular response to abnormally localized PMP22 includes the recruitment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), autophagosomes and heat-shock proteins (HSPs). Here we assessed biochemical markers of these protein homoeostatic pathways in nerves from PMP22-overexpressing neuropathic mice between the ages of 2 and 12 months to ascertain their potential contribution to disease progression. In nerves of 3-week-old mice, using endoglycosidases and Western blotting, we found altered processing of the exogenous human PMP22, an abnormality that becomes more prevalent with age. Along with the ongoing accrual of misfolded PMP22, the activity of the proteasome becomes compromised and proteins required for autophagy induction and lysosome biogenesis are up-regulated. Moreover, cytosolic chaperones are consistently elevated in nerves from neuropathic mice, with the most prominent change in HSP70. The gradual alterations in protein homoeostatic response are accompanied by Schwann cell de-differentiation and macrophage infiltration. Together, these results show that while subcellular protein quality control mechanisms respond appropriately to the presence of the overproduced PMP22, with aging they are unable to prevent the accrual of misfolded proteins.

Chemoprevention of Gastrointestinal Cancer: The Reality and the Dream

Despite substantial progress in screening, early diagnosis, and the development of noninvasive technology, gastrointestinal (GI) cancer remains a major cause of cancer-associated mortality. Chemoprevention is thought to be a realistic approach for reducing the global burden of GI cancer, and efforts have been made to search for chemopreventive agents that suppress acid reflux, GI inflammation and the eradication of Helicobacter pylori. Thus, proton pump inhibitors, statins, monoclonal antibodies targeting tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents have been investigated for their potential to prevent GI cancer. Besides the development of these synthetic agents, a wide variety of the natural products present in a plant-based diet, which are commonly called phytoceuticals, have also sparked hope for the chemoprevention of GI cancer. To perform successful searches of chemopreventive agents for GI cancer, it is of the utmost importance to understand the factors contributing to GI carcinogenesis. Emerging evidence has highlighted the role of chronic inflammation in inducing genomic instability and telomere shortening and affecting polyamine metabolism and DNA repair, which may help in the search for new chemopreventive agents for GI cancer.