Yonsei medical journal
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Yonsei medical journal · May 2014
Separate vertical wiring for the fixation of comminuted fractures of the inferior pole of the patella.
Among patients over 50 years of age, separate vertical wiring alone may be insufficient for fixation of fractures of the inferior pole of the patella. Therefore, mechanical and clinical studies were performed in patients over the age of 50 to test the strength of augmentation of separate vertical wiring with cerclage wire (i.e., combined technique). ⋯ Augmentation of separate vertical wiring with cerclage wire provides enough strength for protected early exercise of the knee joint and uneventful healing.
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Yonsei medical journal · May 2014
COPD patients with exertional desaturation are at a higher risk of rapid decline in lung function.
A recent study demonstrated that exertional desaturation is a predictor of rapid decline in lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, the study was limited by its method used to detect exertional desaturation. The main purpose of this study was to explore whether exertional desaturation assessed using nadir oxygen saturation (SpO₂) during the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) can predict rapid lung function decline in patients with COPD. ⋯ This study supports that exertional desaturation is a predictor of rapid lung function decline in male patients with COPD.
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Yonsei medical journal · May 2014
Finding the 'ideal' regimen for fentanyl-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia: how to give and what to mix?
This analysis was done to investigate the optimal regimen for fentanyl-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) by finding a safe and effective background infusion rate and assessing the effect of adding adjuvant drugs to the PCA regimen. ⋯ Background infusion rates of fentanyl between 0.12 and 0.67 μg/kg/hr may safely be used without any serious side effects for IV-PCA. In order to approach the most reasonable background infusion rate for effective analgesia without increasing postoperative nausea and vomiting, adding an adjuvant analgesic and an antiemetic should always be considered.
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Yonsei medical journal · May 2014
Incidence of nocturnal leg cramps in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis before and after conservative and surgical treatment.
To examine the effects of conservative and surgical treatments for nocturnal leg cramps in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Nocturnal leg cramps is frequently observed in patients with peripheral neuropathy. However, there have been few reports on the relationship between nocturnal leg cramps and LSS, and it remains unknown whether conservative or surgical intervention has an impact on leg cramps in patients with LSS. ⋯ The findings of this prospective study indicate that the prevalence of nocturnal leg cramps is associated with LSS and severity of symptoms. Pain symptoms were improved by conservative or surgical treatment, but only surgery improved nocturnal leg cramps in patients with LSS. Thus, these results indicate that the prevalence of nocturnal leg cramps is associated with spinal nerve compression by LSS.
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Yonsei medical journal · May 2014
Development of a quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting the MPT64 antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major infectious disease and is responsible for two million deaths annually. For the identification and quantitation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), a causative agent of TB, a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against the MPT64 protein of M. tuberculosis, an antigen marker of the M. tuberculosis complex, was developed. ⋯ The sandwich MPT64 ELISA is a highly sensitive and quantitative test for MPT64 protein, which can identify M. tuberculosis.