Medicine
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Recurrent laryngeal nerve block is an uncommon complication that can occur after an interscalene brachial plexus block (ISB), which may lead to vocal cord palsy or paresis. However, if the recurrent laryngeal nerve is blocked in patients with a preexisting contralateral vocal cord palsy following neck surgery, this may lead to devastating acute respiratory failure. Thus, ISB is contraindicated in patients with contralateral vocal cord lesion. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports of bilateral vocal cord paresis, which occurred after a continuous ISB and endotracheal intubation in a patient with no history of vocal cord injury or surgery of the neck. ⋯ When ISB is planned, a detailed history-taking and examination of the airway are essential for patient safety and we recommend that any local anesthetics be carefully injected under ultrasound guidance. We also recommend the use of low concentration of local anesthetics to avoid possible paralysis of the vocal cord.
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Periodontal disease (PD) is associated with various systemic diseases. We investigated the association between PD and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). For this population-based, cross-sectional study, we enrolled 13,072 adults at least 40 years of age with gradable retinal fundus photographs and community periodontal index (CPI) data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) (2008-2010 and 2012). ⋯ Multivariate logistic regression model after adjusting for all confounding factors showed that PD was not significantly associated with AMD (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86-1.22). However, according to degree of PD, participants with severe PD in the middle age group were 1.61 times more likely to have AMD (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.02-2.54). Our data, collected from an Asian population, showed that only severe PD is independently associated with AMD in individuals aged 62 years or younger.
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Primary spinal glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a rare clinical entity with an aggressive course and an invariably dismal prognosis. Its clinical characteristics, radiologic and pathologic findings, and treatment protocols have been discussed in a few cases. ⋯ Although therapeutic options have been improving, the prognosis of the primary spinal GBM remains poor. The treatment of primary spinal GBM entered into a central registry and multiple-center cooperation is important in establishing future therapeutic strategies.
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Case Reports
Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism with extensive intracranial calcification in children: First report from Saudi Arabia.
Pediatric idiopathic hypoparathyroidism with extensive intracranial calcifications outside the basal ganglia (BG) is extremely rare with less than 10 cases worldwide. ⋯ Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism is a diagnosis of exclusion after ruling out all known causes of hypoparathyroidism. It is associated with BG calcifications, but extensive intracranial calcifications outside the BG are extremely rare.
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Review Meta Analysis
Is the oral contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy a risk factor for cholelithiasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Association between exogenous estrogen intake and cholelithiasis risk has been reported in several epidemiological studies, including oral contraceptive (OC) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), while the results were controversial. This study aimed to perform a comprehensive meta-analysis of this issue. ⋯ The HRT was positively associated with the cholelithiasis risk, and the OC will not increase the risk of cholelithiasis.