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The aim of our study was to measure granulocyte and monocyte phagocytosis following treatment of cells with some metabolites of aliphatic alcohols alone and in combination with acetaldehyde. The cells were separated from human peripheral... more
The aim of our study was to measure granulocyte and monocyte phagocytosis following treatment of cells with some metabolites of aliphatic alcohols alone and in combination with acetaldehyde. The cells were separated from human peripheral blood prior to determination of phagocytosis of opsonized zymosan particles by granulocytes and monocytes treated individually with metabolites of aliphatic alcohols including formaldehyde, 1-propanal, acetone, 1-butanal, and 2-butanone and in combination with acetaldehyde. The findings revealed that metabolites of aliphatic alcohols inhibited phagocytosis by granulocytes and monocytes in a concentration-dependent manner and when combined with acetaldehyde, they caused a further decrease in phagocytic activity. Due to their additive effects, it is possible that, in combination with acetaldehyde, metabolites of aliphatic alcohols may inhibit phagocytosis at physiologically realistic concentrations in episodic heavy drinkers, thereby contributing to their increased susceptibility to infectious diseases.
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In this study we investigate a laboratory scale vacuum membrane distillation system to produce pure water from model oil in water emulsion. Experimental determination of liquid entry pressure (LEP) of a commercial Durapore TM GVPH flat... more
In this study we investigate a laboratory scale vacuum membrane distillation system to produce pure water from model oil in water emulsion. Experimental determination of liquid entry pressure (LEP) of a commercial Durapore TM GVPH flat sheet membrane using model emulsions in various oil concentrations has been carried out. Two different methods of liquid entry pressure determination – a frequently used, so-called static and a novel dynamic method – have been investigated. In case of static method, LEP value was found to be 2.3 bar. No significant effect of oil content on LEP was detected up to 3200 ppm. In contrast, LEP values determined with dynamic method showed strong dependence on the oil concentration of the feed and decreased from 2.0 bar to a spontaneous wetting at 0.2 bar in the range 0-250 ppm, respectively. Vacuum membrane distillation tests were also performed. The separation performance is evaluated in terms of flux behavior, total organic carbon removal and droplet size...
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Different salt solutions such as CH 3 CO 2 K, NH 4 NO 3 , K 2 CO 3 , and CaCl 2 have been examined as alternatives for osmotic distillation process concentrating pre-concentrated sour cherry juice. Simplified estimation of mass transfer... more
Different salt solutions such as CH 3 CO 2 K, NH 4 NO 3 , K 2 CO 3 , and CaCl 2 have been examined as alternatives for osmotic distillation process concentrating pre-concentrated sour cherry juice. Simplified estimation of mass transfer phenomena has been also performed. Further analytical methods such as total antioxidant activity, and total polyphenolic content using spectrophotometric assays have been also carried out to evaluate the effect of the osmotic distillation treatments on valuable compounds losses of concentrated sour cherry juice.
Sour cherry is one of the most famous and characteristic Hungarian fruit what is also commonly used in food production as a colour additive. The sour cherry cultivar, ‘Oblachinska’ was shown to be a rich source of antioxidant compounds,... more
Sour cherry is one of the most famous and characteristic Hungarian fruit what is also commonly used in food production as a colour additive. The sour cherry cultivar, ‘Oblachinska’ was shown to be a rich source of antioxidant compounds, including mainly anthocyanins. Valuable compounds in fruit juice – vitamins, polyphyenols etc. –are heat-sensitive molecules, which should be taken into account during the process of concentration to prevent degradation. Osmotic distillation seems a suitable option to product high quality sour cherry juice because this process does not require high temperature or pressure. Raw juice with approximately 15°Brix was used for the experiment and tried to concentrate up to 60° Brix where the water activity low enough to inhibit the microbiological deterioration. Before and after the process, TPC (total phenolic compounds) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) was measured using spectrophotometric methods to determine the effect of the osmotic distil...
Sour cherry is one of the most famous and characteristic Hungarian fruit what is commonly used for in food production as colour additive. Valuable compounds in fruit juice –vitamins, polyphyenols, etc.-are heat and mechanical sensitive... more
Sour cherry is one of the most famous and characteristic Hungarian fruit what is commonly used for in food production as colour additive. Valuable compounds in fruit juice –vitamins, polyphyenols, etc.-are heat and mechanical sensitive molecules and during the concentrate process should have to avoid from degradation. Osmotic distillation seems suitable option to product high quality of sour cherry juice because this process not requires high temperature or pressure. Raw juice with approximately 15°Brix was used for the experiment and tried to concentrate up to 60°Brix where the water activity enough low to inhibit the microbiological effects. Before and after the process TPC (total phenolic compounds) and AC (antioxidant capacity) was measured by spectrophotometric method to determine the effect of the osmotic distillation. Results point out that osmotic distillation is a promising method to make concentrated sour cherry juice while the valuable compounds could avoid the degradation.
In this present work a laboratory scale vacuum membrane distillation system has been applied to produce pure water from oil in water emulsion. Vacuum membrane distillation tests have been performed with various oil concentrations up to... more
In this present work a laboratory scale vacuum membrane distillation system has been applied to produce pure water from oil in water emulsion. Vacuum membrane distillation tests have been performed with various oil concentrations up to 250 ppm. Furthermore liquid entry pressure of pure water and oil emulsions in various concentration using two different methods (static and dynamic) has been also determined using commercial Durapore TM
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This is a retrospective review of 26 patients with chronic intractable pain in which dorsal column stimulation was used as a salvage procedure. On follow-up of 12 to 42.7 months, 21 of the patients had diminished narcotic usage. Seventeen... more
This is a retrospective review of 26 patients with chronic intractable pain in which dorsal column stimulation was used as a salvage procedure. On follow-up of 12 to 42.7 months, 21 of the patients had diminished narcotic usage. Seventeen patients subjectively rated their pain relief as good to excellent. Another five patients reported some relief of pain. Two-thirds of the patients reported an increase in their ability to perform daily activities such as walking, stair climbing, and time spent sitting. There are still many technical problems that plague this procedure, as evidenced by a very high technical complication rate of lead migration and lead breakage. Whether or not results diminish over long-term follow-up remains to be seen.
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Unregulated production of spirits in many countries leads to products containing appreciable levels of aliphatic alcohols (AAs) and is the main source of human exposure to these substances worldwide. Previous studies have confirmed that... more
Unregulated production of spirits in many countries leads to products containing appreciable levels of aliphatic alcohols (AAs) and is the main source of human exposure to these substances worldwide. Previous studies have confirmed that alcohol abuse can lead to ethanol-induced immunosuppression and thereby increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. Granulocytes, as professional phagocytic cells, play a crucial role in engulfment and killing of pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, a decrease in their phagocytic activity has been invoked as a factor in the impaired antimicrobial defense observed in alcoholics. However, AAs consumed as contaminants of illicit spirits may also influence phagocytosis, thereby contributing to a further decrease in microbicidal activity but, so far, this has not been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure granulocyte phagocytosis following treatment of granulocytes with those higher alcohols found in illegal spirits. Granulocytes were isolated from human peripheral blood. Then phagocytosis of opsonized zymosan particles by granulocytes treated with AAs individually and in combination was determined. These alcohols inhibited phagocytosis in a concentration-dependent manner and at lower concentrations when combined than when tested individually. Due to their synergistic effects, it is possible that, in combination with ethanol, they may inhibit phagocytosis in a clinically meaningful way in episodic heavy drinkers.
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This article reviews the technique of thoracic (T)(2) and T(3) sympathetic ganglion block and neurolysis. Historic aspects of this technique are described. The concept of radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) of T(2) and T(3) is... more
This article reviews the technique of thoracic (T)(2) and T(3) sympathetic ganglion block and neurolysis. Historic aspects of this technique are described. The concept of radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) of T(2) and T(3) is discussed and the technique is detailed. This procedure is useful for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), vascular compromise, and neuropathic pain syndromes of upper extremities. It is an alternative to stellate ganglion ablation and may be useful for patients with sympathetically maintained pain who have persistent pain after stellate ganglion procedures.
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ABSTRACT In the influence maximization problem one is to find a subset of vertexes with the highest influence among the node sets of the same cardinality, where a model representing the spread of influence is also given. In [6] two of the... more
ABSTRACT In the influence maximization problem one is to find a subset of vertexes with the highest influence among the node sets of the same cardinality, where a model representing the spread of influence is also given. In [6] two of the most commonly used model were introduced and it was shown that in both cases the problem becomes NP-hard. On the other hand, it was also proven that the greedy algorithm always guarantees a solution performing at most as bad as 1 − 1/e times the optimal solution. Focusing on the Independent Cascade Model we enhance the greedy algorithm to be able to remember not only the locally best solution but b other sets as well, whose influence was the second, third etc. best in the previous step. Surprisingly, contrast to the extended search space this method performs indistinguishably the same as the optimized greedy algorithm of [1] even for relatively large values of b. This shows that there are several different node sets, whose influence is indistinguishably the same as that of the node set returned by the greedy algorithm. Inspired by this result we characterize the most influential sets from two different perspective. Firstly, we try to determine the distribution of three different centrality measures on the members. It turns out that for the eigenvector centrality [12] this distribution can be closely approximated by the normal distribution. Secondly, we examine how the age of a node, i.e., the time passed after becoming a member of the network, correlates to its chance of being chosen by the greedy algorithm. Surprisingly, we found that for graphs with 100, 000 nodes generated by the forest fire model [8] [7], most of the times even the “youngest” node belongs to the first 50, 000 users who have joined the network. It may be even more striking that the fourth youngest elements are among the 10 percent of these nodes in average.
ABSTRACT E-Science relies heavily on manipulating massive amounts of data for re-search purposes. Researchers should be able to contribute their own data and methods, thus making their results accessible and reproducible by others... more
ABSTRACT E-Science relies heavily on manipulating massive amounts of data for re-search purposes. Researchers should be able to contribute their own data and methods, thus making their results accessible and reproducible by others worldwide. They need an environment which they can use anytime and any-where to perform data-intensive computations. Virtual observatories serve this purpose. With the advance of the Semantic Web, more and more data is available in Resource Description Framework based databases. It is often de-sirable to have the ability to link data from local sources to these public data sets. We present a prototype system, which satisfies the requirements of a virtual observatory over semantic databases, such as user roles, data import, query execution, visualization, exporting result, etc. The system has special features which facilitate working with semantic data: visual query editor, use of ontologies, knowledge inference, querying remote endpoints, linking remote data with local data, extracting data from web pages.
The molecular background of follicular lymphoma is the formation of chimera(s) by the bcl2 gene and one of the immunoglobulin genes, mainly the heavy chain gene. While the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma is based on histological study,... more
The molecular background of follicular lymphoma is the formation of chimera(s) by the bcl2 gene and one of the immunoglobulin genes, mainly the heavy chain gene. While the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma is based on histological study, the histology cannot be recommended for the follow-up of efficiency of treatment(s). Sensitive detection of the chimera genes in blood or bone marrow samples can serve as informative data without invasive sampling. In this study, a single-tube multiplex reaction was developed for the simultaneous detection of different chimeras of the bcl2 and immunoglobulin heavy chain genes, molecular hallmarks of follicular lymphoma. The method was optimized for the highest yield of reaction and for reproducing the ratio of components in artificial mixtures of two different chimeras. The method is suitable for fast and accurate molecular characterization of follicular lymphomas and for follow-up of residual disease.
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ABSTRACT Due to the spreading of semantic technologies, the volume of the datasets that are described in the Resource Description Framework (RDF) is dynamically growing. The RDF framework is suitable for integrating data from... more
ABSTRACT Due to the spreading of semantic technologies, the volume of the datasets that are described in the Resource Description Framework (RDF) is dynamically growing. The RDF framework is suitable for integrating data from heterogeneous sources; however, the resulted datasets can be larger and extremely complex than before, new tools are needed to analyze them. In this paper, we present a method which aims to help to understand the structure of semantic datasets. It can reduce the size and the complexity of a dataset while preserves the selected parts of it. The method consists of a filtering and a compaction phases that are implemented according to the MapReduce distributed programing model to be able to handle large volume of data. The result of the method can be visualized as a labeled directed graph that is suitable to give an overview of the structure of the dataset. It may reveal hidden connections or di�erent kinds of problems related to the completeness and correctness of the data.
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After the first 5 years of life, cancer is one of the three most common causes of death. Most investigations of cancer pain have shown that 50-70% of patients suffer needlessly. Pain may be due to the tumor or a co-existant benign pain... more
After the first 5 years of life, cancer is one of the three most common causes of death. Most investigations of cancer pain have shown that 50-70% of patients suffer needlessly. Pain may be due to the tumor or a co-existant benign pain syndrome. Methods of pain management include: 1) neurolytic blockade: stellate ganglion block, celiac plexus block, lumbar sympathetic block, epidural phenol, subarachnoid neurolysis; and 2) non-pharmacologic methods: radiofrequency thermocoagulation lumbar sympathectomy, transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS), dorsal column stimulation (DCS). In summary, we utilize every possible combination of therapeutic modalities for cancer pain management. With so many safe procedures available, we encourage the primary physician to refer patients early in their disease process. Neurolytic procedures should be performed prior to initiation of high dose narcotic therapy, radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery when possible.
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One hundred and eighteen patients undergoing surgical procedures not requiring immediate tracheal intubation, nor producing visceral reflexes, were pretreated with d-tubocurarine 6 mg, three minutes before the administration of a bolus of... more
One hundred and eighteen patients undergoing surgical procedures not requiring immediate tracheal intubation, nor producing visceral reflexes, were pretreated with d-tubocurarine 6 mg, three minutes before the administration of a bolus of succinylcholine (2 mg/kg). Electrocardiographic changes, venous and arterial plasma potassium and calcium levels, CPK changes (12 patients) and appearance of myoglobinuria (35 patients) were followed. Pretreatment with a small dose of d-tubocurarine did not change the overall incidence and pattern of arrhythmias; it did, however, prevent increases in plasma potassium in 90.4 per cent of the patients, mean plasma potassium values remaining below pre-induction levels. The CPK level changed in only one of 12 patients (from 10 to 21 I.U., the normal range being 0 to 34 I.U.). No myoglobinuria was detected in any of the patients tested. A rapid but short-lasting change in the K+/Ca++ ratio did not seem to influence the occurrence of arrhythmias. Pretreatment with a small dose of d-tubocurarine is effective in preventing or decreasing fasciculations, plasma potassium and CPK changes and myoglobinuria described after the intravenous administration of succinylcholine. The already useful role of succinylcholine in our armamentarium can be made safer by pretreatment with a small dose of d-tubocurarine.
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Research Interests: Adolescent, Endoscopy, Humans, Child, Clinical Sciences, and 5 moreGeneral Anesthesia, Aged, Middle Aged, Adult, and Perforation
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Research Interests: Cryotherapy, Pregnancy, Humans, Female, Clinical Sciences, and 4 moreIlium, Adult, Nerve Block, and Neurosciences
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It has recently been shown that--after chronic cholecystokinin (CCK) treatment--an adaptation of pancreatic secretory but not gastric motor function does occur. Recent studies indicate that the CCK(1)-receptor exists in two (i.e. high and... more
It has recently been shown that--after chronic cholecystokinin (CCK) treatment--an adaptation of pancreatic secretory but not gastric motor function does occur. Recent studies indicate that the CCK(1)-receptor exists in two (i.e. high and low) affinity states, which could be distinguished by the CCK-analogue JMV-180. CCK occupancy of high and low affinity sites is thought to be related to the initiation of different intracellular events and consequent biological responses. Affinity states of CCK(1)-receptors on pancreas and gastrointestinal (GI) smooth muscle could be different and this can offer an explanation for the different effects of CCK on pancreatic and gastric growth. We therefore studied the affinity states of CCK(1)-receptors on isolated rat pancreatic acini and gastric smooth muscle preparations. When acini were incubated with increasing concentrations of CCK-8, a biphasic (i.e. stimulation followed by inhibition) effect on amylase release was observed. JMV-180 caused only stimulation of enzyme release and combined JMV-180 and CCK stimulation (at submaximal doses) resulted in an additive secretory response. CCK-8 induced contractions of pyloric, antral and fundic muscle in a concentration-dependent manner. The response was monophasic, reaching a plateau. JMV-180 had only a very weak effect on these preparations. On the contrary, it inhibited CCK-induced contractions in a competitive manner, the concentration-response curve to CCK being shifted to the right by the CCK analogue. Our data suggest that the affinity states of CCK(1)-receptors on rat pancreatic and gastric tissue are different. On pancreatic acini CCK(1)-receptors exist in both high- and low-affinity states whose occupation is followed by the sequence of intracellular events leading to growth. In contrast, occupation of low affinity receptors (the only ones present in the GI smooth muscle) does not lead to cell proliferation. This difference therefore explains the different adaptive response of the pancreas and the stomach to chronic CCK administration. Furthermore, different affinity states of CCK(1)-receptors may mediate different functions of the digestive tract.
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To better characterize the effects of 24-hour mechanical ventilation on diaphragm, the expression of myogenic transcription factors, myosin heavy chains, and sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase pumps was examined in rats. In... more
To better characterize the effects of 24-hour mechanical ventilation on diaphragm, the expression of myogenic transcription factors, myosin heavy chains, and sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase pumps was examined in rats. In the diaphragm of mechanically ventilated animals, the mRNA of MyoD, myosin heavy chain-2a and -2b, and sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase-1a decreased, whereas myogenin mRNA increased. In the diaphragm of anesthetized and spontaneously breathing rats, only the mRNA of MyoD and myosin heavy chain-2a decreased. MyoD and myogenin protein expression followed the changes at the mRNA, whereas the myosin heavy chain isoforms did not change. Parallel experiments involving the gastrocnemius were performed to assess the relative contribution of muscle shortening versus immobilization-induced deconditioning on muscle regulatory factor expression. Passive shortening produced no additional effects compared with immobilization-induced deconditioning. The overall changes followed a remarkably similar pattern except for MyoD protein expression, which increased in the gastrocnemius and decreased in the diaphragm while its mRNA diminished in both muscles. The early alterations in the expression of muscle protein and regulatory factors may serve as underlying molecular basis for the impaired diaphragm function seen after 24 hours of mechanical ventilation. Whether immobilization-induced deconditioning and/or passive shortening play a role in these alterations could not be fully unraveled.
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ABSTRACT
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We studied the distribution of stromal cell-derived factor 1 isoforms α and β, and their receptor CXCR4, in polymyositis, sporadic inclusion body myositis and dermatomyositis using in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry,... more
We studied the distribution of stromal cell-derived factor 1 isoforms α and β, and their receptor CXCR4, in polymyositis, sporadic inclusion body myositis and dermatomyositis using in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. In control muscle, polymyositis and sporadic inclusion body myositis, stromal cell-derived factor-1α expression was noted in muscle fibers, while stromal cell-derived factor-1β and CXCR4 were predominantly localized to capillaries and arterioles. In dermatomyositis, stromal cell-derived factor-1β immunoreactivity of blood vessels was focally increased. The vast majority of inflammatory cells in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies were CXCR4 positive. A subset of helper T-cells and macrophages expressed stromal cell-derived factor-1α, while only rare inflammatory cells expressed stromal cell-derived factor-1β. A significant increase of stromal cell-derived factor-1α and CXCR4 was observed in protein extracts of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies in comparison with normal controls. The abundance of both CXCR4 and its ligand stromal cell-derived factor-1 implicates their interaction in the pathogenesis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and identifies these proteins as possible targets for selective immune therapy.
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Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is an uncommon orofacial pain syndrome. Primary GPN is idiopathic, whereas secondary GPN has identifiable causes: tonsillectomy, peritonsillar abscesses, invasive cancer, and trauma. Despite these... more
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is an uncommon orofacial pain syndrome. Primary GPN is idiopathic, whereas secondary GPN has identifiable causes: tonsillectomy, peritonsillar abscesses, invasive cancer, and trauma. Despite these differences, both types of GPN present similarly and can recur. Pulsed mode radiofrequency lesioning is a safe, non-destructive treatment method and hence, useful in neuropathic pain conditions. We present the first case of chronic post-tonsillectomy pain (secondary glossopharyngeal neuralgia), that was successfully managed with pulsed radiofrequency lesioning.
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Radiofrequency is a minimally invasive, target-selective technique that has been in clinical use for more than 25 years and has demonstrated success at reducing pain in several chronic pain conditions, including trigeminal neuralgia,... more
Radiofrequency is a minimally invasive, target-selective technique that has been in clinical use for more than 25 years and has demonstrated success at reducing pain in several chronic pain conditions, including trigeminal neuralgia, chronic low back pain, postherpetic neuralgia, and complex regional pain syndrome. However, the success of radiofrequency in chronic pain has not been adequately reproduced in good-quality, randomized controlled trials, and its use in the management of neuropathic pain is under some debate. In addition, conventional radiofrequency occasionally leads to worsening and even new onset of neuropathic pain. Nevertheless, clinical experience suggests that radiofrequency may be a useful tool in the overall management of refractory neuropathic pain. Pulsed radiofrequency in particular is a minimally destructive procedure that may offer new opportunities and a broader perspective for therapy with radiofrequency.
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The authors present recent results in the Hungarian hantavirus ecology and epidemiology. Most of the research was done between 1992-2000. To determine the presence and geographic distribution of hantaviruses and to get more detailed... more
The authors present recent results in the Hungarian hantavirus ecology and epidemiology. Most of the research was done between 1992-2000. To determine the presence and geographic distribution of hantaviruses and to get more detailed information of human and small-mammal infection with these viruses in Hungary. For diagnostic purposes (patients' sera), serosurvey of healthy persons and serological investigations of small mammals, the following tests were used: indirect fluorescent antibody, high density particle agglutination and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Virus isolation, antigen-, and nucleic acid detection were conducted for ecological investigations. 235 of 831 patients proved to be seropositive. 2257 sera of age matched Hungarian citizens above 20 years were tested in 2000. The average seropositivity proved to be about 10% using two different methods. Sera of 1512 individuals of nearly 20 different mammalian species were tested. Serological results revealed t...
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Objective: To discuss the diagnostic relevance and safety concerns of perform- ing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the presence of an implanted spinal cord stimu- lator (SCS). Case Report: A 39-year old man with CRPS I and major... more
Objective: To discuss the diagnostic relevance and safety concerns of perform- ing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the presence of an implanted spinal cord stimu- lator (SCS). Case Report: A 39-year old man with CRPS I and major depression fell and frac- tured his humerus. A cervical SCS had been placed several years earlier. After the fall, he developed progressive