MEDICAL ENGLISH ARTICLES

  The number of children experiencing myopia, or nearsightedness, is increasing steeply in Korea, where the majority of the population already experience vision problems. Doctors say that it seems to be related to the rise of online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a survey at Kim's Eye Hospital, 74.9 percent of the young patients below the age of 15, who visited the clinic during the one-year period between April 2020 and March 2021, were myopia patients. That figure is up 6.6 percentage points from the figure for the same period a year ago. April 2020 was when schools across the country started offering online classes due to the pandemic. Doctors say that it can be assumed that the increase in young myopia patients is related to the rise of online classes, involving more frequent use of digital display devices. "After the implementation of online classes, the number of children visiting the clinic due to myopia increased. Though we would not jump to the con...

  Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health concern that threatens the ability to deal with common infections. Optimizing the use of antimicrobial, or antibiotic, medicines plays a critical role in effectively treating infections and limiting antibiotic resistance. This optimization is known as  antimicrobial stewardship Trusted Source . One aspect involves restricting the prescription of antimicrobial medicines before tests confirm that there is a bacterial infection, especially during hospital admission. A recent study published in  The Lancet Microbe Trusted Source  investigated the use of antimicrobials among COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the United Kingdom. Bacterial coinfections are common in people with severe viral respiratory infections, such as  influenza Trusted Source , and are often associated with increased rates of morbidity and mortality. As a result, doctors frequently prescribe antimicrobial therapy in these instances of coinfection...

  Nurses wearing masks to hide their identities participate in a press conference organized by the Korea Health and Medical Workers' Union, May 12. The event was held to reveal publicly the struggles of nurses who are frequently forced to take on the duties of doctors, thus conducting illegal medical procedures against their will. Yonhap A physician assistant (PA) nurse with 12 years of experience working at a general hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, said he once made an incision in a patient's abdomen to cover for the surgeon who showed up late. He has also performed some surgical procedures requiring the skills of a licensed doctor, such as an abdominal drainage tube insertion and a bowel resection. But these procedures cannot be found in any medical records as they are officially illegal medical practices according to the Medical Law, which prohibits medical personnel from performing procedures beyond the scope of their licenses. The PA's testimony was shared at...

Like other medical specialties at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, orthopedic surgery rapidly pivoted from in-person visits to remote appointments   via telemedicine . Analysis of that initial experience finds that some groups of patients faced persistent or worsening disparities as the shift to telemedicine occurred, reports Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® (CORR®), a publication of The  Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons ®. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. "We found concerning disparities in access to orthopaedic care via telemedicine for patients, and we observed that those disparities were associated with race or ethnicity, primary language, and insurance status." - Andrew J. Schoenfeld, MD, MSc, Harvard Medical School Can telemedicine 'mitigate rather than exacerbate healthcare disparities'? Telemedicine has the potential to improve healthcare access for hard-to-reach populations. But there are concerns tha...

  (HealthDay News) -- Sleeve gastrectomy, a procedure used to help obese people lose weight, may damage the bones of teen patients, a new study finds. "Childhood obesity is a major public health issue that has increased over the last 10 years," said researcher Dr. Miriam Bredella, a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. "Sleeve gastrectomy is the most common bariatric surgery procedure performed in children and adults." In the procedure, about 75% of the stomach is removed to reduce how much someone can eat. "In adults, bariatric surgery can have long-term effects on bone, leading to higher fracture risk," Bredella noted, saying the researchers wanted to focus on teens "during the crucial years when bone mass is being accrued." For the study, researchers examined 52 obese teens, 26 of whom had a sleeve gastrectomy. Before and a year after surgery, patients had a CT scan of the lumbar spine, to measure the amount of bone mineral densit...

Authors: Martyna Jankowska, Houssam Ghazzawi   Abstract We present a rare and noteworthy case of bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture in a fit and healthy middle-aged man who required an urgent surgical intervention of a bilateral open repair of the quadriceps mechanism. Early recognition and appropriate surgery resulted in a good outcome and allowed the return to his previous mobility status and lifestyle. Through this case we are hoping to highlight how important the right diagnosis and management is, and how rare this type of injury is in a view of no significant past medical history. Summary A healthy 56 year old male presented to Emergency Department (ED) with bilateral knee pain, swelling and reduced range of movement. The onset of symptoms was sudden and occured when the patient was performing his routine set of excercises involving weighted squats. On examination patient was unable to straight leg raise and there was a palpable gap above both patellas. The patient was otherw...

  ABSTRACT The authors report on a case of tibial shaft fracture associated with ankle injury. The clinical, radiological and surgical characteristics are discussed. Assessment of associated injuries is often overlooked and these injuries are hard to diagnose. When torque occurs in the lower limb, the ankle becomes susceptible to simultaneous injury. It is essential to make careful assessment based on clinical, radiographic, intraoperative and postoperative characteristics in order to attain functional recovery. INTRODUCTION The first description of the association of diaphyseal tibial fractures with additional ankle injury was made by Weber 1  in 1972. As the tibial injury is visible and obvious, a potential associated ankle injury may be neglected. Distal tibiofibular syndesmosis instability may lead to subluxation of the talus. Once undiagnosed, ankle arthrosis may take place even if the treatment for the diaphyseal tibial fracture has provided excellent reduction, stabiliz...