Antiviral activity of adenoviral vector expressing human interferon lambda-4 against influenza virus.

Interferon lambda (IFNλ), classified as a type III IFN, is a representative cytokine that plays an important role in innate immunity along with type I IFN. IFNλ can elicit antiviral states by inducing peculiar sets of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). In this study, an adenoviral vector expression system with a tetracycline operator system was used to express human IFNλ4 in cells and mice. The formation of recombinant adenovirus (rAd-huIFNλ4) was confirmed using immunohistochemistry assays and transmission electron microscopy. Its purity was verified by quantifying host cell DNA and host cell proteins, as well as by confirming the absence of the replication-competent adenovirus. The transduction of rAd-huIFNλ4 induced ISGs and inhibited four subtypes of the influenza virus in both mouse-derived (LA-4) and human-derived cells (A549). The antiviral state was confirmed in BALB/c mice following intranasal inoculation with 109 PFU of rAd-huIFNλ4, which led to the inhibition of four subtypes of the influenza virus in mouse lungs, with reduced inflammatory lesions. These results imply that human IFNλ4 could induce antiviral status by modulating ISG expression in mice.

Changes in the intrinsic severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 according to the emerging variant: a nationwide study from February 2020 to June 2022, including comparison with vaccinated populations.

BACKGROUND: As the population acquires immunity through vaccination and natural infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), understanding the intrinsic severity of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is becoming challenging. We aimed to evaluate the intrinsic severity regarding circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 and to compare this between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. METHODS: With unvaccinated and initially infected confirmed cases of COVID-19, we estimated the case severity rate (CSR); case fatality rate (CFR); and mortality rate (MR), including severe/critical cases and deaths, stratified by age and compared by vaccination status according to the period regarding the variants of COVID-19 and vaccination. The overall rate was directly standardized with age. RESULTS: The age-standardized CSRs (aCSRs) of the unvaccinated group were 2.12%, 5.51%, and 0.94% in the pre-delta, delta, and omicron period, respectively, and the age-standardized CFRs (aCFRs) were 0.60%, 2.49%, and 0.63% in each period, respectively. The complete vaccination group had lower severity than the unvaccinated group over the entire period showing under 1% for the aCSR and 0.5% for the aCFR. The age-standardized MR of the unvaccinated group was 448 per million people per month people in the omicron period, which was 11 times higher than that of the vaccinated group. In terms of age groups, the CSR and CFR sharply increased with age from the 60 s and showed lower risk reduction in the 80 s when the period changed to the omicron period. CONCLUSIONS: The intrinsic severity of COVID-19 was the highest in the delta period, with over 5% for the aCSR, whereas the completely vaccinated group maintained below 1%. This implies that when the population is vaccinated, the impact of COVID-19 will be limited, even if a new mutation appears. Moreover, considering the decreasing intrinsic severity, the response to COVID-19 should prioritize older individuals at a higher risk of severe disease.

Mechanism Behind the Loss of Fast Charging Capability in Nickel-Rich Cathode Materials.

Fast charging technology for electric vehicles (EVs), offering rapid charging times similar to conventional vehicle refueling, holds promise but faces obstacles owing to kinetic issues within lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Specifically, the significance of cathode materials in fast charging has grown because Ni-rich cathodes are employed to enhance the energy density of LIBs. Herein, the mechanism behind the loss of fast charging capability of Ni-rich cathodes during extended cycling is investigated through a comparative analysis of Ni-rich cathodes with different microstructures. The results revealed that microcracks and the resultant cathode deterioration significantly compromised the fast charging capability over extended cycling. When thick rocksalt impurity phases form throughout the particles owing to electrolyte infiltration via microcracks, the limited kinetics of Li+ ions create electrochemically unreactive areas under high-current conditions, resulting in the loss of fast charging capability. Hence, preventing microcrack formation by tailoring microstructures is essential to ensure stability in fast charging capability. Understanding the relationship between microcracks and the loss of fast charging capability is essential for developing Ni-rich cathodes that facilitate stable fast charging upon extended cycling, thereby promoting widespread EV adoption.

Neurologic Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Transmitted among Dogs.

SARS-CoV-2 induces illness and death in humans by causing systemic infections. Evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can induce brain pathology in humans and other hosts. In this study, we used a canine transmission model to examine histopathologic changes in the brains of dogs infected with SARS-CoV-2. We observed substantial brain pathology in SARS-CoV-2-infected dogs, particularly involving blood-brain barrier damage resembling small vessel disease, including changes in tight junction proteins, reduced laminin levels, and decreased pericyte coverage. Furthermore, we detected phosphorylated tau, a marker of neurodegenerative disease, indicating a potential link between SARS-CoV-2-associated small vessel disease and neurodegeneration. Our findings of degenerative changes in the dog brain during SARS-CoV-2 infection emphasize the potential for transmission to other hosts and induction of similar signs and symptoms. The dynamic brain changes in dogs highlight that even asymptomatic individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 may develop neuropathologic changes in the brain.

Pediatric Deaths Associated With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Korea.

As of September 3, 2022, 5,388,338 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 46 deaths (3 in 2021 and 43 in 2022) were reported in children ≤ 18 years in Korea. Cumulative confirmed cases accounted for 67.3% of the population aged ≤ 18 years and case fatality rate was 0.85/100,000. Among 46 fatal cases, 58.7% were male and median age was 7 years. Underlying diseases were present in 47.8%; neurologic diseases (63.6%) and malignancy (13.6%) most common. Only four had history of COVID-19 immunization. COVID-19 associated deaths occurred at median 2 days from diagnosis (range: -1 to 21). Among COVID-19 deaths, 41.3% occurred before admission; 2 before hospital arrival and 17 in the emergency department. Among children whose cause was documented, myocarditis, respiratory and multiorgan failure were most common. COVID-19 associated death was seen early after diagnosis in children and public health policies to provide access to medical care for children with COVID-19 are essential during the pandemic.

A Hybrid Deep Learning Emotion Classification System Using Multimodal Data.

This paper proposes a hybrid deep learning emotion classification system (HDECS), a hybrid multimodal deep learning system designed for emotion classification in a specific national language. Emotion classification is important in diverse fields, including tailored corporate services, AI advancement, and more. Additionally, most sentiment classification techniques in speaking situations are based on a single modality: voice, conversational text, vital signs, etc. However, analyzing these data presents challenges because of the variations in vocal intonation, text structures, and the impact of external stimuli on physiological signals. Korean poses challenges in natural language processing, including subject omission and spacing issues. To overcome these challenges and enhance emotion classification performance, this paper presents a case study using Korean multimodal data. The case study model involves retraining two pretrained models, LSTM and CNN, until their predictions on the entire dataset reach an agreement rate exceeding 0.75. Predictions are used to generate emotional sentences appended to script data, which are further processed using BERT for final emotion prediction. The research result is evaluated by using categorical cross-entropy (CCE) to measure the difference between the model's predictions and actual labels, F1 score, and accuracy. According to the evaluation, the case model outperforms the existing KLUE/roBERTa model with improvements of 0.5 in CCE, 0.09 in accuracy, and 0.11 in F1 score. As a result, the HDECS is expected to perform well not only on Korean multimodal datasets but also on sentiment classification considering the speech characteristics of various languages and regions.

Stability and inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on food contact surfaces.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 269 million people and killed more than 5.3 million people worldwide. Although fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been continuously reported, few studies have been conducted on food contact surfaces. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the viability of coronaviruses on food contact surfaces and to remove SARS-CoV-2 contaminated on food contact surfaces with disinfectants. At 20 °C, SARS-CoV-2 was inactivated within 48 h on all food contact surfaces. At 4 °C, it was inactivated at 48 h on kraft paper and 96 h on parchment paper, but it was viable up to 5 days in low-density polyethylene (LDPE). At -20 °C, SARS-CoV-2 did not decrease by even 1 log on all food contact surfaces until 5 days. Treatment with 70% ethanol or 1000 ppm sodium hypochlorite for 5 min was sufficient to completely remove SARS-CoV-2 from 6 food contact surfaces. Similarly, UV-C irradiation at 60 mJ/cm2 eliminated SARS-CoV-2 contaminated on food contact surfaces. Also, the wiping test showed that even wiping an area contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 with a cloth moistened with 70% ethanol or 1000 ppm sodium hypochlorite, it took 5 min to inactivate the virus. Our findings suggested that SARS-CoV-2 contaminated on food contact surfaces in local retail may be viable enough to be transported home. However, if the type and method of use of the disinfectant suggested in this study are followed, it is possible to sufficiently control the fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through food contact surfaces at home.

Extract of Aster koraiensis Nakai Leaf Ameliorates Memory Dysfunction via Anti-inflammatory Action.

Aster koraiensis Nakai (AK) leaf reportedly ameliorates health problems, such as diabetes. However, the effects of AK on cognitive dysfunction or memory impairment remain unclear. This study investigated whether AK leaf extract could attenuate cognitive impairment. We found that AK extract reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, phosphorylated-tau (p-tau), and the expression of inflammatory proteins in lipopolysaccharide- or amyloid-ß-treated cells. AK extract exhibited inhibitory activity of control specific binding on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Scopolamine-induced AD models were used chronically in rats and acutely in mice. Relative to negative controls (NC), hippocampal choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) activity was increased in rats chronically treated with scopolamine and fed an AK extract-containing diet. In the Y-maze test, spontaneous alterations were increased in the AK extract-fed groups compared to NC. Rats administered AK extract showed increased escape latency in the passive avoidance test. In the hippocampus of rats fed a high-AK extract diet (AKH), the expression of neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction-related genes, including Npy2r, Htr2c, and Rxfp1, was significantly altered. In the Morris water maze assay of mice acutely treated with scopolamine, the swimming times in the target quadrant of AK extract-treated groups increased significantly to the levels of the Donepezil and normal groups. We used Tg6799 Aß-overexpressing 5XFAD transgenic mice to investigate Aß accumulation in animals. In the AD model using 5XFAD, the administration of AK extract decreased amyloid-ß (Aß) accumulation and increased the number of NeuN antibody-reactive cells in the subiculum relative to the control group. In conclusion, AK extract ameliorated memory dysfunction by modulating ChAT activity and Bcl2-related anti-apoptotic pathways, affecting the expression of neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction-related genes and inhibiting Aß accumulation. Therefore, AK extract could be a functional material improving cognition and memory.

Barotraumatic Blow-out Fracture of the Medial Orbital Wall by Nose Blowing.

ABSTRACT: Blow-out fracture is one of the most common facial bone fractures and mainly caused by blunt trauma, whereas barotraumatic causes are relatively rare. In this report, we present the case of a patient with an orbital medial wall blow out fracture caused by nose blowing. This case is unique in that the barotraumatic blow out fracture occurred in a patient without previous known risk factors, except that she had previously been operated on for orbital floor blow-out fracture. It is possible that barotraumatic orbital medial wall fracture occurred due to postoperative changes in the aerodynamics or shock-absorbing capacity of the paranasal sinuses. To prevent barotraumatic trauma in the orbital wall, patients undergoing surgery for orbital fractures should consider avoiding excessive nose blowing not only in the weeks after surgery, but for a sufficient period of time.

Establishment and characterization of patient-derived xenografts as paraclinical models for head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) reaffirm patient responses to anti-cancer therapeutics. METHODS: Tumors from HNSCC patients were transplanted into immunodeficient mice and propagated via subsequent implantation. We evaluated established PDXs by histology, genomic profiling, and in vivo anti-cancer efficacy testing to confirm them as the authentic in vivo platform. RESULTS: From 62 HNSCCs, 15 (24%) PDXs were established. The primary cancer types were tongue (8), oropharynx (3), hypopharynx (1), ethmoid sinus cancer (1), supraglottic cancer (1), and parotid gland (1); six PDXs (40%) were established from biopsy specimens from advanced HNSCC. PDXs mostly retained donor characteristics and remained stable across passages. PIK3CA (H1047R), HRAS (G12D), and TP53 mutations (H193R, I195T, R248W, R273H, E298X) and EGFR, CCND1, MYC, and PIK3CA amplifications were identified. Using the acquisition method, biopsy showed a significantly higher engraftment rate when compared with that of surgical resection (100% [6/6] vs. 16.1% [9/56], P < 0.001). Specimens obtained from metastatic sites showed a significantly higher engraftment rate than did those from primary sites (100% [9/9] vs. 11.3% [6/53], P < 0.001). Three PDX models from HPV-positive tumors were established, as compared to 12 from HPV-negative (15.8% [3/19] and 27.9% [12/43] respectively, P = 0.311), suggesting that HPV positivity tends to show a low engraftment rate. Drug responses in PDX recapitulated the clinical responses of the matching patients with pan-HER inhibitors and pan-PI3K inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Genetically and clinically annotated HNSCC PDXs could be useful preclinical tools for evaluating biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and new drug discovery.

Dual Circularly Polarized Planar Four-Port MIMO Antenna with Wide Axial-Ratio Bandwidth.

A broadband compact-sized planar four-port multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna with polarization diversity is presented. The proposed dual circularly polarized (CP) MIMO antenna consists of four G-shaped monopole elements, two of which are left-hand CP and the other two are right-hand CP. A vertical line strip in the G-shaped radiating element acts in balancing the vertical and horizontal electric field components to obtain 90° phase difference between them for circular polarization. Also, an I-shaped strip is incorporated between the ground planes of the G-shaped antenna elements to obtain equal voltage level in the proposed MIMO configuration. The dual circular polarization mechanism of the proposed MIMO/diversity antenna is analysed from the vector current distributions. The impedance bandwidth (S11 ≤ -10 dB) of the MIMO antenna is 105.9% (4-13 GHz) and the 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) is 67.7% (4.2-8.5 GHz), which is suitable for C-band applications. The overall size of the MIMO antenna is 70 × 68 × 1.6 mm3, and the minimum isolation between the resonating elements is 18 dB. The envelope correlation coefficient is less than 0.25, and the peak gain within the resonating band is 6.4 dBi.

Nephrotoxicity of amikacin in noncritically ill patients
.

AIMS: Several studies have reported that critically ill patients who require amikacin for the treatment of severe infection require therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) to prevent acute kidney injury. Moreover, studies so far have mainly focused on patients with critical illnesses; therefore, the probability of occurrence of nephrotoxicity in noncritically ill patients is less known and tends to be overestimated. Recently, with the emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria, the need for aminoglycosides has resurfaced. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the nephrotoxicity and tolerability of amikacin in noncritically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study that included 224 patients who were administered amikacin. Relevant data on patients' clinical course of disease, comorbidities, and clinical laboratory measurements were statistically analyzed. Nephrotoxicity was defined as a serum creatinine level increase by ≥ 0.3 mg/dL or ≥ 50% after therapy initiation. RESULTS: The mean (SD) daily amikacin dose was 13.04 (4.21) mg/kg. The mean (SD) duration of treatment was 12.09 (12.89) days. The incidence rate (95% CI) of amikacin-induced nephrotoxicity was 1.076/person-year (0.46 - 2.12) for the total person-time (3.44 years). In the risk analysis, no risk factor associated with nephrotoxicity could be found. However, an increasing trend of AKI risk was observed in patients with low baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate. CONCLUSION: In noncritically ill patients, the incidence of amikacin-induced nephrotoxicity was lower than that reported in previous studies. The initial monitoring for kidney function in clinical laboratories may be useful, and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) may not be necessary in patients with normal kidney function.

Differences in anti-inflammatory effect of immature and mature of Rubus coreanus fruits on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages via NF-κB signal pathways.

BACKGROUND: Rubus coreanus fruit (RF) has been used as a traditional medicine formulation to treat various diseases including diarrhea, asthma, and cancer in East Asia (Korea, China, and Japan). RF, which is native to Korea, has a larger fruit size than that of exotic species. In this study, we aimed to compare the anti-inflammatory activities of immature and mature RF extracted with different solvents. METHODS: Mature and immature RF (MRF and IRF) were extracted with 30% ethanol, 70% ethanol and water at room temperature. The antioxidant activity was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays. Anti-inflammatory activity was determined by measuring nitric oxide (NO) production, expression of inflammatory proteins (inducible NO synthase [iNOS], cyclooxygenase [COX]-2, nuclear factor [NF]-κB, and inhibitor of NF-κB [IκB]), and inflammatory cytokines using polymerase chain reaction in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. RESULTS: The IRF 30% ethanol extract showed higher radical scavenging activity in DPPH and ABTS assays (half-maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50] 16.0 ± 0.5 and 15.9 ± 0.4) than MRF did. In addition, the IRF 30% ethanol extract (200 µg/mL) significantly reduced the production of the inflammatory mediator NO by approximately 80% and inhibited iNOS, COX-2, phosphorylated (p)-IκB, and p-NF-κB activation compared with MRF. Moreover, IRF extract decreased the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6 compared with the MRF extract. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that IRF showed more beneficial effects than MRF did in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, suggesting that IRF may be a useful anti-inflammatory agent.

Evidence of hepatitis E virus infection in specific pathogen-free rabbits in Korea.

Rabbits are considered a new natural reservoir of hepatitis E virus (HEV). In this study, HEV infection was verified by the detection of partial genomic sequence of HEV and anti-HEV antibodies in specific pathogen-free (SPF) rabbits. HEV RNA was found in 6.4% serum and 13.5% fecal samples from 126 SPF rabbits. Anti-HEV antibodies were also detected in 4.0% of the SPF rabbits. HEV genetic sequences isolated from the rabbits were clustered into a rabbit HEV clade with other rabbit HEV isolates; they were found to be most closely related with a rabbit HEV sequence previously reported in Korea. Therefore, HEV infection should be diagnosed before conducting experiments involving SPF rabbits.

The Clinical Implications of Liver Resection Margin Size in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Terms of Positron Emission Tomography Positivity.

BACKGROUND: The positivity of positron emission tomography (PET) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) correlates with aggressive tumor factors and poor survival. Adequate resection margin size is still a topic of debate. We analyzed the clinical implications of resection margin size in patients with HCC in terms of PET positivity. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 92 patients who underwent liver resection from March 2012 to October 2015. We investigated prognostic factors for recurrence and survival. We analyzed the correlation of resection margin size and PET positivity. Resection margins were classified as less than 1 cm and more than 1 cm. RESULTS: Twenty six (31.3%) patients had PET-positive HCC. Multivariate analysis showed PET, satellite nodules, microvessel invasion, and multicentric occurrence were significant prognostic factors for HCC recurrence. Multivariate analysis also showed satellite nodules and microscopic portal vein invasion were significant prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). Resection margin size did not affect disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.681) or OS (p = 0.301) in patients with PET-negative HCC, but showed a difference in DFS [<1 cm at 11 months vs. ≥1 cm at 41 months (p = 0.188)] and OS [<1 cm at 28 months vs. ≥1 cm at 48 months (p < 0.001)] in patients with PET-positive HCC. CONCLUSIONS: PET has low sensitivity for HCC. However, it is useful to predict treatment outcomes after liver resection or liver transplantation for HCC. Although the extent of liver resection must be decided based on liver function, a resection margin size >1 cm may improve DFS and OS in patients with PET-positive HCC.

Comparative Study of Square and Circular Loop Frequency Selective Surfaces for Millimeter-Wave Imaging Diagnostics Systems.

A design method of large-sized square-loop and circular-loop frequency selective surface (FSS) filters for protection of mm-wave imagining receivers is presented. Due to fine cell structure requirements, the performance of the FSS structures at mm-wave frequencies can be significantly affected by fabrication tolerances, especially involved with large-size panel fabrication. Through a comprehensive parametric variation study on the performance of square-loop and circular-loop FSS structures, it is found that the circular-loop FSS structure performs much less sensitively to the fabrication tolerances, thereby producing better and consistent performances with given design values. As a design example, square-loop and circular-loop notch filters resonating at 105 GHz were designed and the performances were evaluated with multiple prototypes. The resonant frequencies of the implemented circular-loop FSS filters deviated by only about 0.5 GHz from the accurate designed value, which can be easily adjusted in the design process. The implemented square-loop and circular loop FSS filters provided low-loss in the pass-band and high rejection of 23 dB at the resonant frequency with good oblique angle performance.

Direct Synthesis of a Covalently Self-Assembled Peptide Nanogel from a Tyrosine-Rich Peptide Monomer and Its Biomineralized Hybrids.

There has been significant progress in the self-assembly of biological materials, but the one-step covalent peptide self-assembly for well-defined nanostructures is still in its infancy. Inspired by the biological functions of tyrosine, a covalently assembled fluorescent peptide nanogel is developed by a ruthenium-mediated, one-step photo-crosslinking of tyrosine-rich short peptides under the visible light within 6 minutes. The covalently assembled peptide nanogel is stable in various organic solvents and different pH levels, unlike those made from vulnerable non-covalent assemblies. The semipermeable peptide nanogel with a high density of redox-active tyrosine acts as a novel nano-bioreactor, allowing the formation of uniform metal-peptide hybrids by selective biomineralization under UV irradiation. As such, this peptide nanogel could be useful in the design of novel nanohybrids and peptidosomes possessing functional nanomaterials.

Prevalence and genetic features of rabbit hepatitis E virus in Korea.

Hepatitis caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a public health concern worldwide. HEV strains have been isolated from several animal species, some of which induce zoonosis. Recently, the isolation of HEV from rabbits was reported. Here, the partial capsid gene (320 bp) of HEV was detected in rabbit feces via reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Rabbit HEV was found in two of six rabbit farms and 17 of 264 rabbit fecal samples (6.4%). A phylogenetic analysis of the partial capsid gene classified the 17 HEV isolates into the putative rabbit HEV clade. A full genomic sequence, KOR-Rb-1, was obtained from one rabbit HEV isolate by 5' and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends-PCR and RT-PCR, and comprised 7275 bp excluding the 3' poly(A) tail. It shared 77.5-86.8%, 86.6%, and 80.2-84.3% nucleotide identities with rabbit HEV isolates from China, the US, and France, respectively. It also shared 72.3-73.0%, 71.4%, 76.7-78.3%, 72.8-73.3%, and 47.1-47.2% nucleotide identities with representative strains of HEV-1, HEV-2, HEV-3, HEV-4, and avian HEV, respectively. A full-genome phylogenetic analysis classified KOR-Rb-1 into the provisional rabbit HEV clade. This isolate could be used to study the pathogenesis and zoonotic potential of rabbit HEV.

Ascending Facial Necrotizing Fasciitis in a Patient Taking a Bisphosphonate.

Facial necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare fulminant infection of the soft and connective tissues that spreads along the fascial planes of the face. Its origins most commonly involve odontogenic infection and it is usually associated with a history of dentoalveolar surgery, such as tooth extraction or implant placement. We present a case of ascending facial NF with odontogenic origin in a patient taking a bisphosphonate.

Reliability of 3-Dimensional Computed Tomography for Application of the Bernard Quadrant Method in Femoral Tunnel Position Evaluation After Anatomic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

PURPOSE: To validate whether the Bernard quadrant method, which was developed for application on simple lateral radiography, can be used with 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) to localize the femoral insertion of the reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). METHODS: We analyzed 32 knees with ACL tears that were reconstructed using a metal interference screw for fixation at the femoral tunnel between March 2012 and May 2013. Postoperative lateral radiographs and 3D CT images were obtained 7 days after the operation. By use of the Bernard quadrant method, the location of the femoral tunnel was measured by 2 orthopaedic surgeons by locating the position of the metal interference screw using 3D CT imaging and simple lateral knee radiography. The correlation between the femoral tunnels on the 2 radiographic images was compared using the MedCalc statistical analysis program. RESULTS: On the 3D CT image, the position of the femoral insertion of the ACL as measured by the position of the metal screw head was 36.3% ± 6.0% in the x-coordinate and 39.6% ± 9.1% in the y-coordinate compared with 37.6% ± 5.8% and 41.0% ± 11.6%, respectively, on the simple radiograph. The Pearson correlation coefficients between 3D CT and simple radiography were 0.840 for the x-coordinate and 0.858 for the y-coordinate. Intraobserver reliability and interobserver reliability for both coordinates were greater than 0.9 on 3D CT. CONCLUSIONS: Application of the Bernard quadrant method on 3D CT showed high correlation to the originally described method using lateral radiographs and can be used reliably for localizing the reconstructed ACL. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, diagnostic study.