Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2022
ReviewComplications of Nasopharyngeal Swabs and Safe Procedures for COVID-19 Testing Based on Anatomical Knowledge.
Nasopharyngeal swabs have been widely to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Nasopharyngeal COVID-19 testing is a generally safe and well-tolerated procedure, but numerous complications have been reported in the media. Therefore, the present study aimed to review and document adverse events and suggest procedural references to minimize preventable but often underestimated risks. ⋯ Forceful insertion should be attempted, and alternative examinations should be considered, especially in vulnerable patients. In conclusion, patients and clinicians should be aware of rare but possible complications and associated high-risk factors. The suggested procedural pearls enable more comfortable and safe nasopharyngeal COVID-19 testing for both clinicians and patients.
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Plastic changes to brain structure and function have been reported in elite athletes of various sports. Interestingly, different regions of the brain were engaged according to the type of sports analyzed. Our laboratory reported no difference in total cerebellar volume of basketball players compared to that in the control group using the manual segmentation method. Further detailed analyses showed that elite basketball players had increased volume of the striatum and vermian lobules VI-VII of the cerebellum. We analyzed the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of basketball players to understand their cerebral cortical plasticity through automatic analysis tools for MRI. ⋯ Plastic changes of both precentral gyri, the pericentral area, paracentral lobules, and the right superior temporal gyrus were observed in elite basketball players. There was a strong increase of fractal complexity in both precentral gyri and a weak increase in the right posterior cingulate gyrus and left collateral gyrus. In this study, plastic regions linked to functional neuroanatomy were related to the competence required to play basketball.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Mar 2022
Case ReportsClinicopathological Characteristics of Inflammatory Myositis Induced by COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2): A Case Report.
As more individuals were coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinated, unexpected side effects appeared. Herein, we present the case of a 30-year-old man with myopathy in both extremities after the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccine. Symptoms, swelling and pain, started from the proximal upper and lower extremities and extended to the distal parts. ⋯ In contrast to general myopathy including inflammatory myositis and rhabdomyolysis, vaccine-induced inflammatory myositis shows a prolonged increase in muscle enzyme levels and multifocal macrophage infiltration with necrosis of the muscle fibers. Symptoms improved with glucocorticoid and immunosuppressive treatment. If vaccinated individuals experience severe and continuous muscle pain and swelling, clinicians should consider vaccine-induced inflammatory myositis, measure the muscle enzyme levels, and perform muscle biopsy for a definite diagnosis.
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Non-palpable splenomegaly in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) has seldom been addressed. In this retrospective study, we evaluated non-palpable, volumetric splenomegaly defined based on age- and body surface area (BSA)-matched criteria in patients with PV diagnosed according to the 2016 World Health Organization diagnostic criteria. ⋯ The degree of splenomegaly, including volumetric splenomegaly, based on age- and BSA-matched reference spleen volumes at diagnosis reflects disease progression in PV patients. Therefore, volumetric splenomegaly should be evaluated at the time of diagnosis and taken into consideration when predicting the prognosis of patients with PV.