Continuous carbon capture in an electrochemical solid-electrolyte reactor.

Electrochemical carbon-capture technologies, with renewable electricity as the energy input, are promising for carbon management but still suffer from low capture rates, oxygen sensitivity or system complexity1-6. Here we demonstrate a continuous electrochemical carbon-capture design by coupling oxygen/water (O2/H2O) redox couple with a modular solid-electrolyte reactor7. By performing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) redox electrolysis, our device can efficiently absorb dilute carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules at the high-alkaline cathode-membrane interface to form carbonate ions, followed by a neutralization process through the proton flux from the anode to continuously output a high-purity (>99%) CO2 stream from the middle solid-electrolyte layer. No chemical inputs were needed nor side products generated during the whole carbon absorption/release process. High carbon-capture rates (440 mA cm-2, 0.137 mmolCO2 min-1 cm-2 or 86.7 kgCO2 day-1 m-2), high Faradaic efficiencies (>90% based on carbonate), high carbon-removal efficiency (>98%) in simulated flue gas and low energy consumption (starting from about 150 kJ per molCO2) were demonstrated in our carbon-capture solid-electrolyte reactor, suggesting promising practical applications.

Psychometric validation of the Korean Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties, including content validity, validity of multiple choice items, and the reliability of the Korean version of the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool (K-PUKAT 2.0), using classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). METHOD: Linguistic validation process and factor analysis were conducted among wound care nurses, staff nurses and nursing students. Items were analysed according to the CTT and IRT using a two-parameter logistic model. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to examine reliability. RESULTS: A total of 378 wound care nurses, staff nurses and nursing students participated in this study. While most items showed moderate difficulty based on the CTT, difficulty index values based on the IRT were more broadly distributed (low: 5 items; moderate: 9 items; high: 1 item). The intraclass correlation coefficient for K-PUKAT 2.0 was 0.72. CONCLUSION: The K-PUKAT 2.0 demonstrated concise and good psychometric properties. Based on the results of this study, repetitive use of K-PUKAT 2.0 will not only help in distinguishing whether an individual has sufficient clinical knowledge, but will also play a key role in supporting learning.

Risk Factors Associated With Pressure Injuries in Surgical Patients: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify predictive risk factors for pressure injury (PI) occurring during surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Data on records of 6070 patients hospitalized for surgery at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital located in Seoul Korea. Data were collected between May 2013 and December 2014. METHODS: Anonymized data from patients were accessed via electronic health records, nursing records, direct patient assessment, surgical, clinical laboratory, and anesthesia records, preanesthesia status evaluations, and PI incident reports, and transfusion and extracorporeal circulation reports. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Three hundred eighty-one of the 6070 patients (6.3%) developed within 24 hours a PI that was associated with surgery. The most common locations for the PIs were the coccyx (15.1%; n = 75) and trunk (chest or abdomen; 15.1%; n = 75). All PIs were classified as stage 1 (66.6%; n = 331) or 2 (33.4%; n = 166). Based on logistic regression results, we found that the risk factors that were independently predictive of surgery-related PIs were patient position during surgery, admission to an intensive care unit after surgery, required blood transfusion during surgery, and duration of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study identified several risk factors associated with a higher incidence of perioperative PIs in surgical patients. A PI prevention program accounting for these factors could potentially help prevent PIs and their costly complications.

Bilateral branch pulmonary artery Pulsta valve implantation for treatment of large right ventricular outflow tract in a high-risk patient.

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) has been implemented as a novel alternative strategy to surgical pulmonary valve replacement. However, PPVI has an inevitable limitation: the large right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) lesions exhibit variable geometry and significant pulmonary regurgitation (PR). To overcome this limitation, bilateral branch pulmonary artery (PA) valve implantations using Melody or Sapien valves have been attempted and have shown a reduction in right ventricular volume with clinical benefits in the intermediate term. Nevertheless, these trials also have constraints of large branch PA size. Recently, a feasibility study using the Pulsta valve (Tae Woong Medical Co, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) for native RVOTs was reported; the diameter of the Pulsta valve ranges from 18 to 32 mm. Herein, we present a successful percutaneous bilateral branch PA valve implantation using two 32 mm Pulsta valves in a 59-year-old man who showed right heart failure with severe pulmonary regurgitation despite several open heart surgeries for tetralogy of Fallot. The main PA was measured to be 49 mm, and both the right and left PAs were measured to be 30 mm.

Alterations in structural rich-club connectivity of the precuneus are associated with depressive symptoms among individuals with subjective memory complaints.

The association between subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and depressive symptoms has been widely reported and both have been regarded as risk factors for dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although SMCs arise as early as in middle age, the exact neural correlates of comorbid depressive symptoms among individuals who are middle-aged and with SMCs have not yet been well investigated. Because rich-club organization of the brain plays a key role in the pathophysiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders, the investigation of rich club organization may provide insight regarding the neurobiological mechanisms of depressive symptoms in SMCs. In the current study, we compared the rich-club organization in the structural brain connectivity between individuals who have SMCs along with depressive symptoms (SMCD) and individuals with SMCs but without depressive symptoms (SMCO). A total of 53 individuals with SMCD and 91 individuals with SMCO participated in the study. For all participants, high-resolution, T1-weighted images and diffusion tensor images were obtained, and the network analysis was performed. Individuals with SMCD had lower connectivity strength between the precuneus and other rich-club nodes than those with SMCO, which was significant after adjusting for potential confounders. Our findings suggest that disruptions of rich-club connectivity strength of the precuenus are associated with depressive symptoms in middle-aged individuals with SMCs. Given that the precuneus is one of the commonly affected regions in the early stages of AD, our findings may imply that the concomitant depressive symptoms in middle-aged individuals with SMCs could reflect structural alterations related to AD.

Medical device-related pressure ulcer (MDRPU) in acute care hospitals and its perceived importance and prevention performance by clinical nurses.

The incidence rate of patients developing pressure ulcers associated with medical device use is underreported in Korea. This study aims to determine clinical nurses' perceived importance and performance towards medical device-related pressure injury prevention. A total of 620 nurses from seven hospitals attending continuing education programmes in Korea responded to self-administered questionnaires. Data were collected from March to December 2017 on a 4-point-Likert scale on nurses' perceived importance and performance for prevention of medical device-related pressure ulcer (MDRPU). Secondary data analysis was performed through reported pressure injury incidence, and questionnaire data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and anova. The overall rates of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers and MDRPU were 16.9% and 0.8%, respectively. The proportion of MDRPU was 5.02%. Its perceived importance (3.56 ± 0.48) was also higher than prevention performance (3.13 ± 0.90) among nurses. Education level and participation in pressure injury management training was found to enhance prevention performance by nurses. Therefore, informational and educational programmes based on clinical practice are necessary for clinical nurses to focus on perceived importance and performance towards prevention of medical device-related pressure injury and pressure ulcer care.

Risk of Metachronous Advanced Neoplasia in Patients With Multiple Diminutive Adenomas.

OBJECTIVES: Individuals with advanced adenomas or three or more adenomas have a higher risk of metachronous advanced neoplasia (AN) and are recommended to undergo surveillance colonoscopy at shorter intervals. However, it is questionable whether patients with multiple (three or more) non-advanced diminutive adenomas should be considered as high-risk. METHODS: We analyzed 5482 patients diagnosed with one or more adenomas during their first colonoscopy screening and who underwent a follow-up colonoscopy. Patients were categorized into four groups based on adenoma characteristics at baseline: Group 1, 1-2 non-advanced adenomas; Group 2, ≥3 non-advanced, diminutive (1 to 5 mm) adenomas; Group 3, ≥3 non-advanced, small (6-9 mm) adenomas; and Group 4, advanced adenomas. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 38 months, the incidence of metachronous AN at surveillance colonoscopy was 5.6%. The incidence of AN was 3.9% in group 1, 5.9% in group 2, 10.6% in group 3, and 22.1% in group 4. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] for metachronous AN between group 2, group 3, and group 4, and low risk group 1 were 1.71 (0.99-2.94), 2.76 (1.72-4.44), and 5.23 (3.57-7.68), respectively. Compared with group 4, the adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for group 1, group 2, and group 3 were 0.19 (0.13-0.28), 0.32 (0.18-0.59), and 0.52 (0.31-0.89), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We found that patients with three or more non-advanced diminutive adenomas had a borderline increased risk of metachronous AN compared with patients with low risk adenomas.

Metabolic alterations in the anterior cingulate cortex and related cognitive deficits in late adolescent methamphetamine users.

The adolescent brain, with ongoing prefrontal maturation, may be more vulnerable to drug use-related neurotoxic changes as compared to the adult brain. We investigated whether the use of methamphetamine (MA), a highly addictive psychostimulant, during adolescence affect metabolic and cognitive functions of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In adolescent MA users (n = 44) and healthy adolescents (n = 53), the levels of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), a neuronal marker, were examined in the ACC using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The Stroop color-word task was used to assess Stroop interference, which may reflect cognitive functions of behavior monitoring and response selection that are mediated by the ACC. Adolescent MA users had lower NAA levels in the ACC (t = -2.88, P = 0.005) and relatively higher interference scores (t = 2.03, P = 0.045) than healthy adolescents. Moreover, there were significant relationships between lower NAA levels in the ACC and worse interference scores in adolescent MA users (r = -0.61, P < 0.001). Interestingly, early onset of MA use, as compared to late onset, was related to both lower NAA levels in the ACC (t = -2.24, P = 0.03) as well as lower performance on interference measure of the Stroop color-word task (t = 2.25, P = 0.03). The current findings suggest that metabolic dysfunction in the ACC and its related cognitive impairment may play an important role in adolescent-onset addiction, particularly during early adolescence.

BMRC: A Bitmap-Based Maximum Range Counting Approach for Temporal Data in Sensor Monitoring Networks.

Due to the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT), many feasible deployments of sensor monitoring networks have been made to capture the events in physical world, such as human diseases, weather disasters and traffic accidents, which generate large-scale temporal data. Generally, the certain time interval that results in the highest incidence of a severe event has significance for society. For example, there exists an interval that covers the maximum number of people who have the same unusual symptoms, and knowing this interval can help doctors to locate the reason behind this phenomenon. As far as we know, there is no approach available for solving this problem efficiently. In this paper, we propose the Bitmap-based Maximum Range Counting (BMRC) approach for temporal data generated in sensor monitoring networks. Since sensor nodes can update their temporal data at high frequency, we present a scalable strategy to support the real-time insert and delete operations. The experimental results show that the BMRC outperforms the baseline algorithm in terms of efficiency.

Incidence of Neutropenia With Valproate and Quetiapine Combination Treatment in Subjects With Acquired Brain Injuries.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the incidence of neutropenia was higher in subjects who received a combination treatment with valproate and quetiapine than in those who were administered monotherapy. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Rehabilitation department of a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with acquired brain injuries who had taken valproate for seizures or quetiapine for delirium for >7 days (N=101). Data were extracted from electronic medical records of the hospital. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count<2000 cells/µL) was elicited from the weekly complete blood cell records for 71.07±43.71 days of observation. The odds ratio for neutropenia development was calculated and adjusted for variables that showed significant differences between patients with or without neutropenia. RESULTS: The incidence of neutropenia was significantly higher in the group receiving the combination treatment than in those receiving the monotherapy (32.26% vs 12.90%, adjusted P=.036), despite a lack of any differences in the daily doses of the medications. Coadministration of quetiapine and valproate was the predictor of neutropenia development when age, body weight, and underlying diseases were adjusted in the logistic regression model (odds ratio=3.749; 95% confidence interval, 1.161-12.099; P=.027). CONCLUSIONS: Administration of quetiapine together with valproate in patients with acquired brain injury could increase the incidence of medication-induced neutropenia.

Effects of pressure ulcer classification system education programme on knowledge and visual differential diagnostic ability of pressure ulcer classification and incontinence-associated dermatitis for clinical nurses in Korea.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pressure ulcer classification system education on clinical nurses' knowledge and visual differential diagnostic ability of pressure ulcer (PU) classification and incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD). One group pre and post-test was used. A convenience sample of 407 nurses, participating in PU classification education programme of continuing education, were enrolled. The education programme was composed of a 50-minute lecture on PU classification and case-studies. The PU Classification system and IAD knowledge test (PUCS-KT) and visual differential diagnostic ability tool (VDDAT), consisting of 21 photographs including clinical information were used. Paired t-test was performed using SPSS/WIN 20.0. The overall mean difference of PUCS-KT (t = -11·437, P<0·001) and VDDAT (t = -21·113, P<0·001) was significantly increased after PU classification education. Overall understanding of six PU classification and IAD after education programme was increased, but lacked visual differential diagnostic ability regarding Stage III PU, suspected deep tissue injury (SDTI), and Unstageable. Continuous differentiated education based on clinical practice is needed to improve knowledge and visual differential diagnostic ability for PU classification, and comparison experiment study is required to examine effects of education programmes.

A descriptive study of Korean nurses' perception of pain and skin tearing at dressing change.

This study aimed to investigate Korean nurses' level of awareness of pain and skin tearing in wound bed and/or peri-wound skin at dressing change. A descriptive study was performed. Convenience sampling was employed and registered nurses were recruited from attendees of continuing education program. A total of 399 participants (RN) completed questionnaire. Data was collected from September to November 2014. Many of them perceived skin tearing and wound related pain associated with dressing changing, but most of them did not assess and record pain and skin tearing at dressing change. More than half of respondents reported that they did not provide nursing intervention to prevent pain and skin tearing. Many of them reported that a systematic educational program for preventing pain and skin tearing at dressing change was needed. In conclusion, many of respondents were aware of pain and skin tearing at dressing change, but did not take any further necessary measures, including nursing intervention, for the most appropriate, systematic pain and skin tearing management. Therefore, this study suggested that a systematic and comprehensive educational program for Korean healthcare professions needs to be developed and implemented in Korea's hospital settings.

Effects of polydeoxyribonucleotide in the treatment of pressure ulcers.

This study aimed to examine the positive effects of polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) on the wound-healing process in pressure ulcers. In this randomized controlled trial, the effects of PDRN were compared over time between an experimental group (n=11) and a control group (n=12). The former was administered the same dose of PDRN intramuscularly (1 ampule, 3 mL, 5.625 mg, for 5 days) for 2 weeks and perilesionally (1 ampule, 3 mL, 5.625 mg, twice a week) for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint for determining efficacy was wound healing in the pressure ulcers, which was reflected by the wound surface area determined using VISITRAK Digital (Smith & Nephew, Largo, FL). The secondary endpoint was the pressure ulcer scale for healing score, determined using pressure ulcer scale for healing (PUSH Tool 3.0 developed by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel). After the 4-week treatment period, PDRN therapy was found to significantly reduce the wound size and PUSH score, without adverse effect during the treatment. The findings indicate that PDRN can positively modify the wound healing process in pressure ulcers, and its use could improve the clinical outcomes of patients and lower the need for additional therapies or hospital stay.

Validation of the videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale in various etiologies.

The videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS) was developed as an objective predictor of the prognosis of dysphagia after stroke. We evaluated the clinical validity of the VDS for various diseases. We reviewed the medical records of 1,995 dysphagic patients (1,222 men and 773 women) who underwent videofluoroscopic studies in Seoul National University Hospital from April 2002 through December 2009. Their American Speech­Language­Hearing Association's National Outcome Measurement System (ASHA NOMS) swallowing scale, clinical dysphagia scale (CDS), and VDS scores were evaluated on the basis of the clinical and/or videofluoroscopic findings by the consensus of two physiatrists. The correlations between the VDS and the other scales were calculated. The VDS displayed significant correlations with the ASHA NOMS swallowing scale and the CDS in every disease group (p < 0.001 in all groups, including central and peripheral nervous system disorders), and these correlations were more apparent for spinal cord injury, peripheral nerve system disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases (correlation coefficients between the VDS and the ASHA NOMS swallowing scale: −0.603, −0.602, and −0.567, respectively). This study demonstrated that the VDS is applicable to dysphagic patients with numerous etiologies that cause dysphagia

The Metaverse for Healthcare: Trends, Applications, and Future Directions of Digital Therapeutics for Urology.

In recent years, the emergence of digital therapeutics as a novel approach to managing conditions has garnered significant attention. This approach involves using evidence-based therapeutic interventions that are facilitated by high-quality software programs to treat, manage, or prevent medical conditions. The incorporation of digital therapeutics into the Metaverse has increased the feasibility of their implementation and application in all areas of medical services. In urology, substantial digital therapeutics are being produced and researched, including mobile apps, bladder devices, pelvic floor muscle trainers, smart toilet systems, mixed reality-guided training and surgery, and training and telemedicine for urological consultations. The purpose of this review article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current impact of the Metaverse on the field of digital therapeutics and identify its current trends, applications, and future perspectives in the field of urology.

Comparison of 2 methods of non-invasive treatment between transcutaneous electrical stimulation and pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation as replacement of invasive manual acupuncture.

The aim of this study was to find the non-invasive optimal alternative method for Manual Acupuncture. Existing researches had reported that Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation (TEAS) was an effective treatment method instead of manual acupuncture. In place of the TEAS, we suggested the Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMFs). Thus, we designed the PEMFs system which can stimulate only an acupoint. There have been no researches which reported therapeutic effect when stimulating at an identical acupoint by TEAS and PEMFs. Hence, this study investigated the therapeutic effect on the muscle fatigue after the strenuous knee extension/flexion exercise by two stimulations. We selected the stimulation method of both TEAS and PEMFs by using 2Hz biphasic rectangular wave pulse and pulse width 0.2ms. The magnetic flux was the 30.92mT (309.2gauss) at 2 Hz. The electromyogram (EMG) and the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) at rectus femoris were measured. The Median Frequency (MF) at TEAS group was significantly effective at 6 minutes (p=0.499). The PEMFs group was recovered to the MF rapidly after 4 minutes (p=0.166). The results of the peak torque indicated that both non-stimulation group and TEAS group did not recover to the peak torque at pre-exercise during the recovery period (p<0.05). In contrast, the significant treatment effect of PEMFs group was found after 14 minutes (p=0.135). The results of this study demonstrated that PEMFs were better than TEAS as a non-invasive method to replace the manual acupuncture.

Development and Evaluation of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Cognitive Exercise Game: A Pilot Study.

Recently, cognitive serious games have successfully been employed to train cognitive abilities in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and related disorders. However, despite the continuous rehabilitation game design and its applications, the existing cognitive exercise games fall short of user interaction and personalized elements with regard to difficult levels, which leads to users leaving early and losing interests during the gameplay. In this regard, the purpose of the study was to design and develop the serious game inclusive of playful elements for user motivation, the web-based mobile application system for easy accessibility, and Artificial Intelligence- (AI-) based difficulty level adjustment system for prevention from earlier leaving out in the middle of the play so that the elderly users can feel entertaining and immersed into the cognitive game voluntarily. This study was designed as an eight-week pilot experiment with thirty-seven participants in their 60s to 80s for the game's usability assessment purpose. Results of the study showed that the AI-based cognitive exercise game was acceptable, interesting, and motivating for the elderly people and the test results before and after the eight-week training suggest a relationship between longer the training on the game and lower cognitive assessment scores including geriatric quality of life scale, geriatric depression scale, and Korean version of mini-mental state examination (MMSE). These correlations demonstrate the potential value of serious games in clinical assessment of cognitive status for the elderly users with varying cognitive ability. Based on these results, the elderly-centered serious game with playful element can be potentially used in clinical settings, allowing the cognitive training to be more enjoyable and more medically effective. Given these promising results, a more focused study can extend to the game system or additional game tools or features to be explored that solely target the elderly by applying AI and advanced visualization devices.

Efficient and optimized communication in biomedical sensor networks based on bioinspired particle swarm optimization for medical applications.

Healthcare, sports, the military, location monitoring and wireless body networks are emerging as technology of major relevance. As a result of the widespread usage of biomedical sensor networks in medical applications, it is essential that data packets containing vital signs be reliably and effectively supplied to the medical center. Because of its mobility, real-time monitoring, cheap cost, and real-time feedback, it may be used in a broad variety of applications. Effective data transport and a limited energy supply are the main challenges in WBAN. Uses genetic heuristics to enhance routing algorithm efficiency. Low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) and distributed energy efficiency clustering (DEC) are two kinds of clustering algorithms (DEEC). A clustering-based routing protocol may be optimized using this study's optimization approach so that the network's lifetime can be extended.. The cluster heads (CHs) in sensor nodes are picked with the least amount of overhead grading possible. The cluster is being balanced. Passive clustering based on Bioinspired Particle Swarm Optimization (BPSO) should be used for clustering purposes. Routing messages efficiently means sending them quickly and efficiently without using a lot of bandwidth. Using constraints such as distance and residual power, the optimal path for the cluster may be determined with the help of iterative and heuristic chicken swarm optimization (IHCSO) for short. An evaluation of the packet distribution allocation, capacity, and average end-to-end latency illustrates the practicability of the proposed system in research concerning its efficiency. According to the findings of the research, following the technique that was proposed leads to much better outcomes.

Efficient conversion of low-concentration nitrate sources into ammonia on a Ru-dispersed Cu nanowire electrocatalyst.

Electrochemically converting nitrate ions, a widely distributed nitrogen source in industrial wastewater and polluted groundwater, into ammonia represents a sustainable route for both wastewater treatment and ammonia generation. However, it is currently hindered by low catalytic activities, especially under low nitrate concentrations. Here we report a high-performance Ru-dispersed Cu nanowire catalyst that delivers an industrial-relevant nitrate reduction current of 1 A cm-2 while maintaining a high NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 93%. More importantly, this high nitrate-reduction catalytic activity enables over a 99% nitrate conversion into ammonia, from an industrial wastewater level of 2,000 ppm to a drinkable water level <50 ppm, while still maintaining an over 90% Faradaic efficiency. Coupling the nitrate reduction effluent stream with an air stripping process, we successfully obtained high purity solid NH4Cl and liquid NH3 solution products, which suggests a practical approach to convert wastewater nitrate into valuable ammonia products. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the highly dispersed Ru atoms provide active nitrate reduction sites and the surrounding Cu sites can suppress the main side reaction, the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Safety of low-dose oral dantrolene sodium on hepatic function.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of hepatobiliary dysfunction after administration of low-dose dantrolene sodium. DESIGN: A retrospective survey of medical records. SETTING: One secondary and 2 tertiary hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=243; 144 men, 27 children; mean age ± SD, 47.8 ± 19.7y) who were administered dantrolene at a daily dose of 12.5 to 400mg for more than 4 weeks. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Liver function test (LFT) results, including serum total bilirubin, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase, were recorded before and at least 1 month after the initial dose of dantrolene. In cases of treatment cessation, the reason was investigated. Significantly elevated LFT levels were defined as ≥ to 2 times the upper limit of the normal range. RESULTS: Treatment duration was 268.0 ± 428.5 days with a daily dose of 65.2 ± 44.7 mg. At the end of the investigation, 95 patients (39.1%) had been lost to follow-up, and 105 (43.2%) had stopped treatment. The reasons for cessation were improved spasticity (42.9%), no effect of the medication (27.6%), weakness (6.7%), and other medical problems (5.7%). Patients with weaknesses did not have elevated LFT values. A 32-year-old man with head injuries and multiple trauma developed hepatic dysfunction 82 days after the initial dose and 43 days after a dose increment to 400mg/d. Other patients did not experience significant LFT abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: One case of hepatic dysfunction was recorded in 243 cases after at least 4 weeks of low-dose oral dantrolene administration. Low-dose dantrolene can be used safely with meticulous clinical and laboratory monitoring.