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An inappropriate thermal environment negatively impacts workers, causing mental stress and safety accidents. Unskilled workers are more vulnerable to industrial accidents and thermal stress compared with skilled workers due to suboptimal and unfamiliar work. Previous studies have focused on individual characteristics (such as gender, age, and race), with limited emphasis on the thermal comfort sensation. This study identified the preferred thermal environment according to work experience and how mental stress differed between unskilled and skilled workers by examining their thermal comfort sensation. Predicted mean vote (PMV) was used as an indicator of the thermal environment, and five environments were constructed for PMV: −2, −1, 0, 1, and 2. Participants were recruited among current workers and the public. Mental stress and thermal comfort sensation were assessed using heart rate variability and thermal comfort vote, respectively. This study demonstrated that the skilled group experienced higher mental stress and a lower thermal comfort sensation. Contrastingly, in the sensitivity analysis, the unskilled group exhibited greater sensitivity to changes in the thermal environment. Through a comprehensive analysis, this study derived an optimal PMV range for each group. The findings can provide a reference for configuring the optimal thermal environment of the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arteriovenous graft for hemodialysis vascular access is a widely used technique with many advantages. However, it has crucial complications with graft thrombosis and infection. We recently experienced an unusual case of arteriovenous graft complication involving graft thrombosis related to fistula formation between the graft and the natural vein with infection. We diagnosed this condition using Doppler ultrasound and computed tomography angiography. Successful surgical treatment including partial graft excision and creation of a secondary arteriovenous fistula using an inadvertently dilated cephalic vein was performed. The dialysis unit staff should keep this condition in mind and try to prevent this complication.

BackgroundThe elderly have been reported to show anatomical and physiologic changes in the upper airway, which might affect the supraglottic airway (SGA) performance in geriatric populations. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the classic laryngeal mask airway (LMA-C) in the elderly compared with young adult patients.MethodsFifty patients aged 65-85 years (elderly group) and 50 patients aged 20-40 years (young group) who were scheduled for surgery using the LMA-C for general anesthesia were enrolled in this prospective, non-randomized, comparative study. Manipulations required during insertion, success rate, insertion time, oropharyngeal leak pressure, gastric insufflation, and intraoperative inadequate ventilation with the LMA-C were assessed. Fiberoptic evaluation was used to determine the position of the LMA-C.ResultsIn the elderly group, the insertion success rate on the first attempt was significantly lower than that in the young group (84 vs. 96%, P = 0.02). The insertion time in the elderly group was significantly longer than that in the young group (28.5 ± 19.6 vs. 22.2 ± 6.4 seconds, P = 0.001). However, there was no difference in oropharyngeal leak pressure or fiberoptic grade between the two groups after proper placement of the LMA-C. During the surgery, inadequate ventilation events occurred more frequently in the elderly group than in the young group (31.3 vs. 4.0%, P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe clinical efficacy of the LMA-C in elderly patients was inferior to that in young adult patients. Therefore, further studies are required to determine the type of SGA that can provide excellent clinical efficacy in the geriatric population.

Influence of Youth Baseball Players’ Pitches on Range of Motion and Ball Speed

18F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is used to monitor tumor response to 131I-therapy, but is confounded by prompt emissions (284, 364, 637, and 723 keV) from 131I, particularly in animal PET imaging. We propose a method for correcting this emission in 18F-FDG PET. The 131I prompt emission effect was assessed within various energy windows and various activities. We applied a single gamma correction method to a phantom and in vivo mouse model. The 131I prompt emission fraction was 12% when 300 µCi of 131I and 100 µCi of FDG were administered, and increased exponentially with escalating 131I activity for all energy windows. The difference in spill-over ratio was reduced to 131I prompt emission correction. In the mouse model, the standard uptake value (SUV) did not differ significantly between FDG PET only (gold standard) and FDG PET after 131I prompt emission-correction, whereas it was overestimated by 38% before correction. Contrast was improved by 18% after 131I prompt emission correction. We first found that count contamination on 18F-FDG follow-up scans due to 131I spilled-over count after 131I rituximab tumor targeted therapy. Our developed 131I prompt emission-correction method increased accuracy during measurement of standard uptake values on 18F-FDG PET.