Autosomal dominant inheritance of a syndrome comprising palmoplantar keratoderma, nail dystrophy, and hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (HMSN) was observed in three generations of one family. Nail dystrophy affected the toe and fingernails; it was present at birth or developed during early childhood. Palmoplantar keratoderma became apparent in later childhood. Each subject with nail dystr...

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a granulomatous necrotizing vasculitis of unknown etiology associated with bronchial asthma. Despite affecting small to medium-sized vessels, necrosis of the digits due to vasculitis is extremely rare. We report a case of CSS with necrosis of the toe tips. A 37-year-old woman with asthma, who had been diagnosed with CSS 2 years ago, was admitted to our hospital w...

AIMS To assess the usefulness of three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography (3D-TOE) vs. two-dimensional (2D)-TOE in the evaluation of morphological and dynamic findings of aortic dissection, and compare the results with those obtained by multi-slice computed tomography (CT). METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-six patients (21 men and 5 women, median age: 67 years, range: 28-74 years) diagno...

We compared frequently used methods for calcium in urine with respect to linearity, analytical recovery, within- and between-batch imprecision, bias, and practicability. We assayed serum, lyophilized urine, native urine, and an aqueous reference solution of calcium carbonate. We found that atomic absorption spectrometry and the Corning 940 Analyzer have the widest ranges of linearity; the methy...

BACKGROUND Digital myxoid cysts (DMCs) are ganglia of the adjacent distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) caused by leakage of fluid from the joint into the surrounding tissues. The connection between the DIPJ and the cyst can be identified by the injection of methylene blue into the DIPJ. However, the injection of methylene blue into the DIPJ is difficult and time-consuming. Based on this underst...

BACKGROUND Minimum toe clearance is a critical gait event because it coincides with peak forward velocity of the swing foot, and thus, there is an increased risk of tripping and falling. Trans-tibial amputees have increased risk of tripping compared to able-bodied individuals. Assessment of toe clearance during gait is thus clinically relevant. In able-bodied gait, minimum toe clearance increas...

This study shows the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy based on methylene blue dye for the treatment of endonyx toenail onychomycosis. Four patients with endonyx onychomycosis caused by Trichophyton rubrum were treated with 2% methylene blue aqueous solution irradiated with light emission diode at 630 nm and an energy density of 36 J/cm2 for 6 months at 2-week intervals. The preliminary stu...