Thrombosed Fusiform Dilatation of Persistent Median Artery with Normal Median Nerve

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be produced by abnormal mass effect due to trauma, ganglion cysts, various soft tissue tumors, musculotendinous variants, and aberrant vascular structures. Persistent median artery is one of the causes of the carpal tunnel syndrome. Thrombosed persistent median artery usually accompanies the anomaly of the median nerve and causes a sudden onset of severe pain and paresthesia. In contrast to previous literature, we report the rare case of gradual onset and mild symptom of a 53-year-old man with a thrombosed persistent median artery but without anomaly of the median nerve and abnormal finding of electrophysiologic study.

Effects of Low Alternating Current on Growth of the Trichophyton tonsurans and Microsporum canis / 대한의진균학회지

BACKGROUND@#A large number of studies have been focused on bacterial growth but limited number of literature has been reported regarding modification of fungal growth.@*OBJECTIVE@#This study aims to investigate effects of low alternating current on Microsporum (M.) canis and Trichophyton (T.) tonsurans growth.@*METHODS@#Inoculums of M. canis and T. tonsurans were applied to twenty-four PDACT (potato dextrose agar-corn meal-Tween 80) plates with a sterile spreader. Petri dishes were allocated into 8 groups according to the fungi species and the amperage delivered to these dishes. Group A, B, C and D were M. canis group and E, F, G, H were T. tonsurans group. The given amperage of electric current was 0.5 µA in group A and E, 2 µA in B and F, 4 µA in C and G. No electric current was given in group D and H.@*RESULTS@#In groups A, B, and C the average time elapsed for colony appearances were 42 hours, 43.17 hours, and 40.5 hours respectively. The average time elapsed in the control group D was 88.67 hours. In groups E, F, and G the average time elapsed for colony appearances were 63.67 hours, 61.83 hours, and 64.17 hours respectively. The average time elapsed in the control group H was 90.60 hours.@*CONCLUSION@#With electric current, faster fungal growth was observed in the amperage range used in this study. Based on these results, we hypothesized that microcurrent helps the fungal growth.

Ultrasonographic measurement of the axillary recess thickness in an asymptomatic shoulder

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure the axillary recess (AR) thickness in an asymptomatic shoulder by using ultrasonography (US) and to analyze the factors affecting it. METHODS: We recruited 141 patients (52 males; 89 females; age, 57.7±9.9 years) with unilateral shoulder pain and performed US on the unaffected shoulder. Two physiatrists measured the AR thickness of the unaffected shoulder independently. All patients were examined in an upright sitting position with 90° shoulder abduction. The ultrasonographic transducer was placed longitudinally on the mid-axillary line and along the long axis of the humeral shaft. The factors affecting the AR thickness values were analyzed, and intra-class correlation coefficients were used for assessing the reproducibility of each measurement. RESULTS: The intrarater reliability values for the two physiatrists were 0.98 and 0.96, respectively. The inter-rater reliability of the mean AR thickness measurements was 0.91. The mean AR thickness in all subjects, males, and females was 2.8±0.6 mm, 3.1±0.6 mm, and 2.6±0.5 mm (P<0.01), respectively. No difference between the left and the right sides (males, P=0.086; females, P=0.535) or between the dominant and the non-dominant sides (males, P=0.173; female, P=0.244) was found. The AR thickness correlated positively with the height (r=0.313, P<0.01) and the weight (r=0.319, P<0.01). However, it did not correlate with the body mass index (r=0.152, P=0.077) or the age (r=-0.056, P=0.515). CONCLUSION: US measurements of the AR thickness in asymptomatic shoulders demonstrated excellent intrarater and inter-rater reliabilities. The AR thickness showed anatomical variation with sex, height, and weight.

Therapeutic Effect of Microcurrent Therapy in Children With In-toeing Gait Caused by Increased Femoral Anteversion: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of portable microcurrent therapy device (PMTD) of the hip internal rotators in the treatment of in-toeing gait caused by increased femoral anteversion in children over 8 years of age. METHODS: Eleven children (22 legs; 4 boys and 7 girls; mean age, 10.4±1.6 years) with in-toeing gait caused by increased femoral anteversion were included in the present study. All children received 60 minutes of PMTD (intensity, 25 µA; frequency, 8 Hz) applied to the hip internal rotators daily for 4 weeks. Hip internal rotation (IR) angle, external rotation (ER) angle, and midmalleolar-second toe angle (MSTA) measurement during stance phase at transverse plane and Family Satisfaction Questionnaire, frequency of tripping and fatigue like pains about the PMTD were performed before treatment and at 4 weeks after initial PMTD treatment. Paired t-test and Fisher exact test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Hip IR/ER/MSTA was 70.3°±5.4°/20.1°±5.5°/–11.4°±2.7°, and 55.7°±7.8°/33.6°±8.2°/–2.6°±3.8° before treatment and at 4 weeks after initial PMTD treatment, respectively (p<0.01). Ten of 11 (91%) children's family stated that they were generally satisfied with the PMTD treatment. The frequency of tripping and fatigue like pains was significantly lower at 4 weeks after PMTD treatment (p<0.05). Excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability was observed for repeated MSTA measurements between the examiners (k=0.91–0.96 and k=0.93–0.99), respectively. CONCLUSION: PMTD of the hip internal rotators can be effective in improving the gait pattern of children with in-toeing gait caused by increased femoral anteversion.