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Background: Continuity of care in primary care settings is crucial for managing diabetes. We aimed to statistically define and analyze continuity factors associated with demographics, clinical workforce, and geographical relationships.Methods: We used 2014–2015 National Health Insurance Service claims data from the Korean registry, with 39,096 eligible outpatient attendance. We applied multivariable logistic regression to analyze factors that may affect the continuity of care indices for each patient: the most frequent provider continuity index (MFPCI), modified-modified continuity index (MMCI), and continuity of care index (COCI).Results: The mean continuity of care indices were 0.90, 0.96, and 0.85 for MFPCI, MMCI and COCI, respectively. Among patient factors, old age >80 years (MFPCI: odds ratio [OR], 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74–0.89; MMCI: OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76–0.92; and COCI: OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.74–0.89) and mild disability were strongly associated with lower continuity of care. Another significant factor was the residential area: the farther the patients lived from their primary care clinic, the lower the continuity of diabetes care (MFPCI: OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.70–0.78; MMCI: OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.66–0.73; and COCI: OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.70–0.78).Conclusion: The geographical proximity of patients’ residential areas and clinic locations showed the strongest correlation as a continuity factor. Further efforts are needed to improve continuity of care to address the geographical imbalance in diabetic care.

Background To establish a nomogram integrating radiomics features based on ultrasound images and clinical parameters for predicting the prognosis of patients with endometrial cancer (EC). Materials and methods 175 eligible patients with ECs were enrolled in our study between January 2011 and April 2018, which were divided into a training cohort (n = 122) and a validation cohort (n = 53). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was applied for selection of key features and a radiomics score was calculated. According to the rad-score, patients were stratified into high-risk and low-risk groups. The univariate and multivariable COX regression analysis was used to select independent clinical parameters for disease free survival (DFS). The combined model based on radiomics features and clinical parameters was finally established, and the performance was quantified with respect to discrimination and calibration. Results 9 features were selected from 1130 features using LASSO regression in the training cohort, and yielded the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.823 and 0.792 to predict DFS in training and validation cohorts respectively. Patients with higher rad-score were significantly associated with worse DFS. The combined nomogram, which was composed of clinically significant variables and radiomics features, showed a calibration and favorable performance for DFS prediction (AUC 0.893 and 0.885 in the training and validation cohort, respectively). Conclusion The combined nomogram could be used as a tool in predicting DFS and may assist individualized decision making and clinical treatment.

MED-02 is a complex supplement containing two probiotic strains, Limosilactobacillus fermentum MG4231 and MG4244, isolated from humans. The anti-obesity effects and safety profile of MED-02 were assessed in overweight and obese subjects. In this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, 100 healthy obese and overweight subjects aged 19–65 years with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 31.9 kg/m2 were recruited and randomized to receive a placebo or MED-02 (5 × 109 CFU/day). After 12 weeks of consumption, body fat mass (−1166.82 g vs. −382.08 g; p = 0.024) and body fat percentage (−0.85% vs. −0.11%; p = 0.030), as evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and body weight (−2.06 kg vs. −1.22 kg; p = 0.041), were significantly reduced in the MED-02 group compared to the placebo group. The safety profile did not differ among the groups. No serious adverse effects were observed in either group. These results suggest that MED-02 is a safe and beneficial probiotics that reduces body fat and body weight in overweight or obese individuals.

This study aimed at developing a radiomics signature (R score) as prognostic biomarkers based on penumbra quantification and to validate the radiomics nomogram to predict the clinical outcomes for thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. In total, 168 patients collected from seven centers were retrospectively included. A score of mismatch was defined as MIS. Based on a short-term clinical label, 456 radiomics features were evaluated with feature selection methods. R score was constructed with the selected features. To compare the predictive capabilities of the clinical factors, MIS, and R score, three nomograms were developed and evaluated, according to the short-term clinical assessment on day 7. Finally, the radiomics nomogram was validated by predicting the 3-month clinical outcomes of AIS patients, in an external cohort. R scores were found to be significantly higher in patients with favorable clinical outcomes in both training and validation datasets. The predictive value of the radiomics nomogram estimating favorable clinical outcomes was modest, with a concordance index (C-index) of 0.695 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.667–0.723) in an external validation dataset. In addition, the area under curve (AUC) of the radiomics nomogram predicting favorable clinical outcome reached 0.886 (95% CI 0.809–0.963) on day 7 and 0.777 (95% CI 0.666–0.888) at 3 months. The radiomics signature is an independent biomarker for estimating the clinical outcomes in AIS patients. By improving the individualized prediction of the clinical outcome for AIS patients 3 months after onset, the radiomics nomogram adds more value to the current clinical decision-making process.

Background: Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases with approximately 463 million patients worldwide. It is established that to manage diabetes, continuity of care in primary care setting is crucial. We aim to statistically define and analyze factors of continuity that are associated with patient, clinic, and geographical relationship.Methods: We used 2014~2015 claim data from National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), with 39,096 eligible outpatient attendances across 29,912 office-based clinics. We applied multivariable logistic regression to analyze factors that may affect three kinds of continuity of care index for each patient: most frequent provider continuity index (MFPC), modified-modified continuity index (MMCI), and continuity of care index (COC). Results: Mean value of continuity of care indices were MFPC 0.90, MMCI 0.96, COC 0.85. Among patient factors, old age above 80 (MFPC 0.81 [0.74-0.89], MMCI 0.84 [0.76-0.92], COC 0.81 [0.74-0.89]) and disability were strongly associated with lower continuity of care. Another significant factor was residential area: further the patients lived from their primary care clinic, lower the continuity of diabetes care (MFPC 0.74 [0.70–0.78], MMCI 0.70 [0.66–0.73], COC 0.74 [0.70–0.78]). Patients who lived in metropolitan areas had higher continuity of care compared to those of other areas (metropolitan area, MFPC 1.19 [1.17-1.27], MMCI 1.17 [1.10-1.25], COC 1.19 [1.12-1.27]). There was no statistical significance among clinic factors, such as the number of physicians or nurses hired per clinic, between the lower and the higher continuity of care groups.Conclusion: Geographical proximity of patient’s residential area and clinic location showed the strongest correlation as factor of continuity. Political support is necessary to geographically align the imbalance of supply and demand of medical needs.

Background: Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases with approximately 463 million patients worldwide. It is established that to manage diabetes, continuity of care in primary care setting is crucial. We aim to statistically define and analyze factors of continuity that are associated with patient, clinic and geographical relationship.Methods: We used 2014~2015 claim data from National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), with 39,096 eligible outpatient attendances across 29,912 office-based clinics. We applied multivariable logistic regression to analyze factors that may affect three kinds of continuity of care index for each patient: most frequent provider continuity index (MFPC), modified-modified continuity index (MMCI), and continuity of care index (COC). Results: Mean value of continuity of care indices were MFPC 0.90, MMCI 0.96, COC 0.85. Among patient factors, old age above 80 (MFPC 0.81 [0.74-0.89], MMCI 0.84 [0.76-0.92], COC 0.81 [0.74-0.89]) and disability were strongly associated with lower continuity of care. Another significant factor was residential area: further the patients lived from their primary care clinic, lower the continuity of diabetes care (MFPC 0.74 [0.70–0.78], MMCI 0.70 [0.66–0.73], COC 0.74 [0.70–0.78]). Patients who lived in metropolitan area had higher continuity of care compared to other areas (metropolitan area, MFPC 1.19 [1.17-1.27], MMCI 1.17 [1.10-1.25], COC 1.19 [1.12-1.27]). There was no statistical significance among clinic factors, such as number of hired physicians or nurses hired per clinic, between the lower and the higher continuity of care groups.Conclusion: Geographical proximity of patient’s residential area and clinic location showed highest correlation as factor of continuity. Political support is necessary to geographically align the imbalance of supply and demand of medical needs.

Clinicians have been faced with the challenge of differentiating between severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infected pneumonia (NCP) and influenza A infected pneumonia (IAP), a seasonal disease that coincided with the outbreak. We aim to develop a machine‐learning algorithm based on radiomics to distinguish NCP from IAP by texture analysis based on computed tomography (CT) imaging. Forty‐one NCP and 37 IAP patients admitted from January to February 6, 2019 admitted to two hospitals in Wenzhou, China. All patients had undergone chest CT examination and blood routine tests prior to receiving medical treatment. NCP was diagnosed by real‐time RT‐PCR assays. Eight of 56 radiomic features extracted by LIFEx were selected by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to develop a radiomics score and subsequently constructed into a nomogram to predict NCP with area under the operating characteristics curve of 0.87 (95% confidence interval: 0.77‐0.93). The nomogram also showed excellent calibration with Hosmer‐Lemeshow test yielding a nonsignificant statistic (P = .904). The novel nomogram may efficiently distinguish between NCP and IAP patients. The nomogram may be incorporated to existing diagnostic algorithm to effectively stratify suspected patients for SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia., Clinicians have been faced with the challenge of differentiating between severe acute respiratory syndrome‐associated coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infected pneumonia (NCP) and influenza A infected pneumonia (IAP). We developed a machine‐learning algorithm based on radiomics to distinguish NCP fromIAP by texture analysis based on computed tomography (CT) imaging. Eight of 56 radiomic features extracted by LIFEx were selected to develop a radiomics score and subsequently constructed into a nomogram to predict NCP. The novel nomogram may efficiently distinguish between NCP and IAP patients.

The use of thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke is restricted to a small proportion of patients because of the rigid 4·5-h window. With advanced imaging-based patient selection strategy, rescuing penumbra is critical to improving clinical outcomes. In this study, we included 155 acute ischemic stroke patients (84 patients in training dataset, age from 43 to 80, 59 males; 71 patients in validation dataset, age from 36 to 80, 45 males) who underwent MR scan within the first 9-h after onset, from 7 independent centers. Based on the mismatch concept, penumbra and core area were identified and quantitatively analyzed. Moreover, predictive models were developed and validated to provide an approach for identifying patients who may benefit from thrombolytic therapy. Predictive models were constructed, and corresponding areas under the curve (AUC) were calculated to explore their performances in predicting clinical outcomes. Additionally, the models were validated using an independent dataset both on Day-7 and Day-90. Significant correlations were detected between the mismatch ratio and clinical assessments in both the training and validation datasets. Treatment option, baseline systolic blood pressure, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, mismatch ratio, and three regional radiological parameters were selected as biomarkers in the combined model to predict clinical outcomes of acute ischemic stroke patients. With the external validation, this predictive model reached AUCs of 0·863 as short-term validation and 0·778 as long-term validation. This model has the potential to provide quantitative biomarkers that aid patient selection for thrombolysis either within or beyond the current time window.

Background: Ginseng has been used as an ergogenic agent, although evidence for its effectiveness is weak. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of a ginsenoside complex (UG0712) on changes in exercise performance. Methods: Sedentary individuals (n=117) were randomly assigned into one of three groups: low-dose ginsenoside supplementation (100 mg/d, n=39), high-dose ginsenoside supplementation (500 mg/d, n=39), or a placebo group (500 mg/d, n=39). All participants underwent a supervised 12-wk aerobic and resistance exercise training course. To assess the effects of supplementation on physical performance, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), anaerobic threshold (AT), lactic acid, and muscle strength of the dominant knee were measured at baseline, every visit, and after the training program. Results: Both ginsenoside groups showed significant increases in VO2max and muscular strength during exercise training. There were no definite changes in AT and lactic acid levels over time. After exercise training, there were definite differences in the VO2max (28.64.9 to 33.7±4.9 ml/kg/min in high-dose group vs. 30.4±6.7 to 32.8±6.6 ml/kg/min in placebo, p=0.029) and AT (19.3±4.2 to 20.9±3.5 ml/kg/min in high-dose group vs. 20.0±5.1 to 20.0±4.9 ml/kg/min in placebo, p=0.038) between the high-dose ginsenoside and placebo groups. However, there was no difference in VO2max between the low-dose ginsenoside and placebo groups (p=0.254). There were no differences in muscular strength during exercise training among the three groups. Conclusion: High-dose ginsenoside supplementation (UG0712) augmented the improvement of aerobic capacity by exercise training. Keywords: cardiopulmonary exercise test, ginsenoside, Panax ginseng, randomized controlled trial

Primary care physicians should encourage their patients to engage in adequate physical activity. Current recommendations for physical activity in adults are as follows: at least 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity, 75-150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Adults should also perform muscle-strengthening activities of moderate intensity or higher that involve all major muscle groups for 2 or more days per week. The elderly should perform additional balance training and fall prevention exercises more than 3 times a week. Children and adolescents should perform at least 1 hour of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily, which includes vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days per week. As part of their 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, resistance training and bone strengthening exercise should be done at least 3 days per week. According to new evidence, one bout of any exercises can be shorter than 10 minutes. Previously, physical activities were recommended for more than 10 minutes. For patients with diabetes, it is advisable to perform resistance exercise or short-distance running before aerobic exercise to prevent hypoglycemia. New evidence shows that dynamic resistance training is safe and effective in patients with hypertension provided the load is not too heavy. Exercise reduces pain and improves quality of life and physical function in patients with osteoarthritis,. Therefore, the treatment guidelines for osteoarthritis have been changed recently from not recommending exercise to highly recommending it.

Purpose of this study is to evaluate association of job characteristics or occupational stress with health behavior in hospital employees. Total 687 employees were recruited from a university hospital in Korea and completed a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire includes demographic factors (age, marriage) and job characteristics such as job type, job position, shift work, type of employment. Perceived stress and occupational stress assessed by Korean Occupational Stress Scale were also measured. Outcome variables was bad health behavior such as current smoking, problem drinking, no exercise and insufficient sleep. Multivariate analyses were conducted separately in male and female because of different health behaviors by sex. In male, there was association between insufficient sleep and occupational stress, total score and subscales like job demand, organizational system, and occupational climate. In female, it was observed an association between insufficient sleep and job demand. Irregular exercise was associated with insufficient job control, job insecurity in female. Problem drinking was associated with shift worker. Insufficient sleep was related with stress perception. In conclusion, there are an association between occupational stress and health behavior in hospital employees. (Korean J Stress Res 2016;24:95∼102)

Summary Aim The aim of this study was to assess the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid composite (URSA-S) on fatigue in patients with elevated liver function tests and/or fatty liver disease. Methods In this multi-centre randomised double-blinded placebo-controlled trial, 168 adults who were diagnosed with fatigue based on our criteria and had elevated liver function tests (but not > 5 times the normal level) and/or fatty liver on ultrasonography, were randomised to either the placebo or URSA-S administration group. The rate of improvement of checklist individual strength (CIS) using a cut-off of 76 points at the end of the study (8 weeks), the change in fatigue scale [CIS score and visual analogue scale (VAS)] were evaluated. The adverse effects of URSA-S were also recorded. Results The rate of CIS improvement at the end-point was 79.76% and 45.68% in the therapy and placebo groups, respectively (p < 0.05). The fatigue recovery rate of the CIS score and VAS were higher in the therapy (−25.44 ± 18.57, −27.84 ± 2.70) than in the placebo group (−16.59 ± 17.29, −19.46 ± 2.81) (p < 0.05). The difference in fatigue recovery rate between the therapy and placebo groups was significant after 8 weeks. When analysed separately in patients with abnormal liver function tests and fatty liver disease, the fatigue recovery rate of the CIS score and VAS at 8 weeks was higher in the therapy than in the placebo group (p < 0.05). The frequency of adverse events in the therapy group was not significantly higher than that in the placebo group. Conclusion URSA-S is effective for alleviating fatigue in patients with liver dysfunction and/or fatty liver. The adverse effects of URSA-S are not significant. This study is registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02415777.

We investigate high-order harmonic generation from atoms irradiated by bichromatic counter-rotating circularly polarized laser pulses by numerically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. It is found that the minimum energy position of the harmonic spectrum and the non-integer order optical radiation are greatly discrepant for different atomic potentials. By analyzing the quantum trajectory of the harmonic emission, discrepancies among the harmonic spectra from different potentials can be attributed to the action of the potential on the ionized electrons. In addition, based on the influence of the driving light intensity on the overall intensity and ellipticity of higher order harmonics, the physical conditions for generating a high-intensity circularly polarized harmonic can be obtained.

Rupture of an intracranial aneurysm is a life-threatening acute cerebrovascular event. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) incidence rate is higher or lower in elderly population than in middle aged population.Aneurysmal SAH cases were collected retrospectively from the archives of 21 hospitals in Mainland China. All the cases were collected from September 2016 and backward consecutively for a period of time up to 8 years. SAH was initially diagnosed by brain computed tomography (CT). CT angiography (CTA) or digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was followed and SAH was confirmed to be due to cerebral aneurysm rupture. For cases when multiple bleeding occurred, the age of the first SAH was used in this study. The total incidence from all hospitals at each age group were summed together for females and males respectively; then adjusted by the total population number at each age group for females and males which was from the 2010 population census of the People's Republic of China.In total there were 8,144 cases of intracranial aneurysmal SAH, with 4,861 females and 3,283 males. For females the relative aneurysmal SAH incidence rate started to decrease after around 65 years old, while for males the relative aneurysmal SAH incidence rate started to decrease after around 53 years old.Our data tentatively suggest elderly patients may be at a reduced risk of rupture compared with patients who are younger while have similar other risk factors.

Despite documented efficacy and recommendations, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been underutilized. Home-based PR was proposed as an alternative, but there were limited data. The adequate exercise intensity was also a crucial issue. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of home-based PR with a metronome-guided walking pace on functional exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in COPD. The subjects participated in a 12-week home-based PR program. Exercise intensity was initially determined by cardiopulmonary exercise test, and was readjusted (the interval of metronome beeps was reset) according to submaximal endurance test. Six-minute walk test, pulmonary function test, cardiopulmonary exercise test, and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were done before and after the 12-week program, and at 6 months after completion of rehabilitation. Thirty-three patients participated in the program. Six-minute walking distance was significantly increased (48.8 m; P = 0.017) and the SGRQ score was also improved (-15; P < 0.001) over the six-month follow-up period after rehabilitation. There were no significant differences in pulmonary function and peak exercise parameters. We developed an effective home-based PR program with a metronome-guided walking pace for COPD patients. This rehabilitation program may improve functional exercise capacity and HRQOL.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of vardenafil in primary care, we undertook a post-marketing surveillance study in 384 men with erectile dysfunction (ED), enrolled by 22 family physicians in Korea, from July 2004 to August 2005. Of the 384 patients enrolled, 343 (89.3%) returned for efficacy assessment and safety evaluation. Among the latter, 279 patients (81.3%) reported that their erectile function improved, 292 (92.1%) showed enhanced IIEF (International Index of Erectile Function)-5 scores and 265 (77.9%) responded that they were 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied' with vardenafil treatment. The most frequent reason for patient satisfaction with vardenafil was erectile potency (62.4%), followed by safety (42.4%), rapid onset (35.3%), adequate duration of efficacy (28.5%) and easy administration (25.9%). A total of 23 adverse events were observed in 18 patients, with the most frequent being hot flushes (3.2%), followed by headache (1.2%), nasal congestion (0.6%), color vision disturbance (0.3%), dizziness (0.3%), dry mouth (0.3%), dyspepsia (0.3%), nausea (0.3%) and diarrhea (0.3%). Only one patient discontinued vardenafil as a direct result of an adverse event. These results suggest that vardenafil prescribed by primary care physicians improved erectile function and was well tolerated by patients with ED.

Fenestrations involving aneurysms have been well documented. Only sporadic papers have been reported on fenestrations associated with AVMs (arteriovenous malformations) with few cases. Our study is to determine the rate of co-occurrence of fenestrations and AVMs and to analyze the possible relationship between them by CTA.Between January 2006 and February 2012, the CTA data of 5,657 consecutive patients were retrospectively reviewed.A total of 12 cases (.21%) of fenestrations associated with AVMs were found. Of these, single-fenestrations were identified in 9 cases, and multifenestrations were found in 3 cases. Among 349 fenestrations, there were 15 cases of multifenestrations. The frequency of multifenestrations among fenestrated patients without AVMs was 3.6%. There was no significant difference in the incidence of AVMs in cases with and without fenestrations (3.4% and 2.7%), and there was no significant difference in the incidence of fenestration in cases with and without AVMs (7.7% and 6.1%, χ(2) = .643, P = .423).CTA may play a vital role in assessing the anomalies of co-occurring AVM and fenestration, with an incidence of .21%. The frequency of multifenestrations in fenestrated cases with AVMs was higher than those without AVMs, though there is no significant association between fenestrations and AVMs.

Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and requires continuous management. The role of primary physicians in this regard is important, yet the factors associated with successful lipid lowering treatments in primary clinics have not been clearly identified. We aimed to evaluate the rate of successful hypercholesterolemia treatment in Korean primary care, and to identify the factors associated with achieving low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets.We prospectively recruited and retrospectively assessed 1851 Korean patients with hypercholesterolemia who visited family physicians and were prescribed rosuvastatin for the first time. LDL-C lowering targets, defined according to NCEP ATP III guidelines, were evaluated at 6 months after the first prescription. The factors associated with achieving these targets were also assessed.Overall, 87.6% of our participants attained their LDL-C goals. In multiple logistic regression analysis, good adherence to medication was strongly associated with the achievement of target LDL-C levels, whereas higher cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes (in both sexes), low high density lipoprotein, and current smoking status (in males), and hypertension (in females) were related to LDL-C target level failures.Our observations of the short period for hypercholesterolemia in Korean primary care has revealed that the rate of achieving target LDL-C levels was high in these patients, whereas patients at higher risk for cardiovascular disease tended to have lower LDL-C achievement outcomes. Primary care physicians should pay more attention to patients showing higher cardiovascular risk and stress the need for good adherence and management regimens in these individuals.

Background Combined therapy with alendronate and calcitriol may have additive effects on bone density. An observational study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Maxmarvil, a combinative agent of alendronate (5 mg) and calcitriol (0.5 µg), and to identify factors associated with efficacy. Methods A total of 568 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were enrolled by family physicians in 12 hospitals. The study subjects took Maxmarvil daily for 12 months. Questionnaires about baseline characteristics, socioeconomic status, and daily calcium intake were completed at the first visit. Adverse events were recorded every 3 months and bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and after 12 months. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of Maxmarvil, and the factors related to BMD improvement. Results A total of 370 patients were included in final analysis. The median BMD was 0.81 ± 0.12 g/cm2 at pre-treatment and 0.84 ± 0.13 g/cm2 after one year. The average BMD improvement was 3.4% ± 6.4% (P < 0.05), and 167 (45.1%) patients showed improvement. Factors associated with improved BMD were continuation of treatment (odds ratio [OR], 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 to 5.07) and good compliance (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.29 to 5.00). Adverse events were reported by 35 of the 568 patients, with the most common being abdominal pain and dyspepsia. Conclusion Maxmarvil was found to be safe, well tolerated and effective in osteoporosis treatment. Continuation of treatment and good compliance were the factors associated with efficacy.

To explore the characteristics of susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) of the intravitreous foreign body of autologous eyelashes in rabbits.A total of 12 New Zealand white rabbits, either sex, weighing 2.5-3.5 kg, and provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Henan Province were employed in this study. For each rabbit, 5 autologous eyelashes (1 cm in length and 0.2-0.3 mm in diameter) were implanted into the right ocular vitreum, while the left control ocular vitreum received sham operation but nothing was implanted. SWI sequential test was made 2 hours postoperatively. Then the rabbits were killed and the specimens of the vitreous bodies of the rabbits were obtained. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and histological examinations were performed.The autologous eyelashes in 8 ocular vitreums of rabbits showed linear low signal intensity on the magnitude images and susceptibility weighted images, but linear high signal intensity on the phase images. Among the 12 experimental rabbits, 5 eyelashes in the right vitreum were completely shown in 3 rabbits, partly shown in 5 rabbits (2 eyelashes shown in 3 rabbits and 3 eyelashes shown in 2 rabbits), and not shown in 4 rabbits.SWI of the foreign body of intravitreous autologous eyelashes in rabbits has its own characteristics. The combined application of SWI sequential magnitude images, susceptibility weighted images and phase images is helpful to the detection and diagnosis of intravitreous autologous eyelashes in rabbits.

To label rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) in vitro, and to monitor the survival and location of these labeled BMSCs in a rat model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) by susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) sequence.BMSCs were cultured in vitro and then labeled with SPIO. Totally 24 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats weighing 200-250 g were randomly divided into 4 groups: Groups A-D (n equal to 6 for each group). Moderate TBI models of all the rats were developed in the left hemisphere following Feeney's method. Group A was the experimental group and stereotaxic transplantation of BMSCs labeled with SPIO into the region nearby the contusion was conducted in this group 24 hours after TBI modeling. The other three groups were control groups with transplantation of SPIO, unlabeled BMSCs and injection of nutrient solution respectively conducted in Groups B, C and D at the same time. Monitoring of these SPIO-labeled BMSCs by SWI was performed one day, one week and three weeks after implantation.Numerous BMSCs were successfully labeled with SPIO. They were positive for Prussian blue staining and intracytoplasm positive blue stained particles were found under a microscope (200). Scattered little iron particles were observed in the vesicles by electron microscopy (5000). MRI of the transplantation sites of the left hemisphere demonstrated a low signal intensity on magnitude images, phase images and SWI images for all the test rats in Group A, and the lesion in the left parietal cortex demonstrated a semicircular low intensity on SWI images, which clearly showed the distribution and migration of BMSCs in the first and third weeks. For Group B, a low signal intensity by MRI was only observed on the first day but undetected during the following examination. No signals were observed in Groups C and D at any time points.SWI sequence in vivo can consecutively and noninvasively trace and demonstrate the status and distribution of BMSCs labeled with SPIO in the brain of TBI model rats.

To investigate dynamic changes of intracerebral focus on cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL).Using the modified Scheltens scale, the magnetic resonance (MR) changes of lesion distribution, size and shape in 7 patients from a CADASIL family were retrospectively analyzed during 3 years observed.In 6 of 7 patients, the number and volume of lesion areas in the white matter were increased (parietal lobe, n = 6; temporal lobe, n = 5; frontal lobe, n = 3; occipital lobe, n = 2) and some areas even became confluent as a mass or chain. New lacunar infarcts (n = 1 - 5) appeared in 5 patients and the arcuate fiber were involved in 1 patients. Slight enlargement could be seen in lateral ventricle (n = 1) or lateral ventricle with third ventricle (n = 1).MR imaging can help us to reveal dynamic changes of brain lesions and prognosis in patients with CADASIL.

To investigate the diagnostic value of computerized tomographic angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for intracranial traumatic aneurysms (TAs).CTA and MRA of six patients with intracranial TAs verified by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and surgery were retrospectively analysed. All patients were examined by nonenhanced computerized tomography (CT) and two by CTA. The source data were reconstructed by volume rendering (VR) and multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) from CTA. Four of them had maximum intensity project (MIP) from MRA.Of the six patients, a total of seven TAs were detected by CTA and MRA examinations. Five cases had only one TA and one case had two TAs. The average diameter was 2.3 cm (1.1-3.3 cm). CTA demonstrated two TAs appeared at the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the middle cerebral artery (MCA) respectively. MCA TA was definitely and clearly demonstrated on VR images, whereas VR images failed to depict the cavernous ICA TA, which was detected on MPR images. Two TAs were found irregular saccular shape, irregular margin of parent artery and wide neck on CTA. Four MRA examinations demonstrated five TAs, including the cavernous segment ICA TAs (2 cases), the supraclinoid segment ICA TA (1 case), and the cavernous segment associated with opposite side of the petrosal segment ICA TA (1 case). In a cavernous ICA TA, MRA only revealed aneurysm body, whereas aneurysm neck and distal segment of the parent artery were not revealed. In the remaining cases, MRA clearly depicted aneurysm body and parent artery, whereas the neck was not displayed. ICA TAs showed irregular capsule-like high signal intensity on MRA images. Four TAs exhibited irregular distal segment of the parent artery. TAs at the supraclinoid segment or MCA failed to find fracture signs on nonenhanced CT.Both CTA and MRA examinations are the effective non-invasive method of imageology for diagnosing intracranial TAs, while CTA is more eligible for diagnosing TAs after nonenhanced CT has demonstrated skull base fractures.

Background Given emerging evidence of the association between stress and disease, practitioners need a tool for measuring stress. Several instruments exist to measure perceived stress; however, none of them are applicable for population surveys because stress conceptualization can differ by population. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Perceived Stress Inventory (PSI) and its short version for use in population surveys and clinical practice in Korea. Methods From a pool of perceived stress items collected from three widely used instruments, 20 items were selected for the new measurement tool. Nine of these items were selected for the short version. We evaluated the validity of the items using exploratory factor analysis of the preliminary data. To evaluate the convergent validity of the PSI, 387 healthy people were recruited and stratified on the basis of age and sex. Confirmatory analyses and examination of structural stability were also carried out. To evaluate discriminatory validity, the PSI score of a group with depressive symptoms was compared with that of a healthy group. A similar comparison was also done for persons with anxious mood. Results Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor construct (tension, depression, and anger) for the PSI. Reliability values were satisfactory, ranging from 0.67 to 0.87. Convergent validity was confirmed through correlation with the Perceived Stress Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. People with depressive or anxious mood had higher scores than the healthy group on the total PSI, all three dimensions, and the short version. Conclusion The long and short versions of the PSI are valid and reliable tools for measuring perceived stress. These instruments offer benefits for stress research using population-based surveys.

To evaluate the usefulness of two- dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) in the identification and classification of Le Fort type fractures.Sixty-two patients with different types of Le Fort fractures underwent CT scanning and 3D-CT reconstruction. The data were analyzed by multiplanar reconstruction (MPR), surface shaded display (SSD) and volume rendering (VR) respectively.The patients with Le Fort I, Le Fort II fracture and Le Fort III fracture accounted for 16.1%, 14.5% and 12.9% respectively. The compound fractures were the most common type and accounted for 56.5% (n=35, 18 cases with Le Fort I+II fracture, 10 cases with Le Fort II+III fracture and 7 cases with Le Fort I+ II+III fracture). Fifty-five cases coexisted with other fractures in maxillofacial region. 2D-CT could be used to define the tiny fractures and the deep-structure fractures more accurately compared with 3D-CT, but the real impression of Le Fort type fractures could not be correctly evaluated on 2D-CT. 3D-CT could clearly demonstrate the whole shape of Le Fort type fractures and identify the classification of Le Fort fractures.3D-CT is the best imaging method for the diagnosis of Le Fort type fractures and can provide valuable information of space relationship, especially for the design of treatment plan before operation.