Muscle atrophy greatly affects the prognosis of patients in the intensive care unit, but the rate of change remains unclear. In this prospective observational study, we used ultrasound to measure the change in muscle thickness of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus intermedius (VI) in 284 patients who were admitted to the SICU of Taoyuan General Hospital between January 1 and June 30, 2020. Patients were excluded if there is a wound at the right thigh which hinders the ultrasonography probe from placing. Daily rates of muscle atrophy were calculated using linear analysis and the ratios of change were plotted against the period of hospitalization. Patient characteristics were adjusted using propensity score matching and differences between men and women were analyzed. A linear mixed model was used to calculate the influence of other factors on muscle loss. The average daily atrophy rates of the RF and VI were 0.84% and 0.98%, respectively. The rate of atrophy was the highest in the third and fourth weeks. Daily atrophy rates of the RF and VI were approximately three times higher in women than in men. Protective factors of muscle atrophy included higher BMI and lower initial thickness of the RF and VI. Our study depicts the trend of muscle atrophy in the ICU and suggests more discussion in prevention to be conducted especially for women.

Acute stroke is not a common complication of electrical injury, and only a few cases of acute stroke have been reported for lightning or high-voltage injuries. We present the case of a man who suffered from a low-voltage electrical injury followed by ischemic stroke. Magnetic resonance angiography showed segmental narrowing of the right internal carotid artery and right middle cerebral artery. The patient underwent thrombolytic therapy and catheter-assisted angioplasty. The low-voltage current-induced vasospasm rather than direct vascular injury, and this may explain why the intracranial defect occurred away from the electrical current pathway. Electric shock injury with low-voltage alternating currents and prolonged contact period may cause ischemic stroke.

Background: During varied weather conditions, patients with osteoarthritis experience different severity of symptoms and signs. However, weather may also cause barriers or incentives for patients to seek medical services. These factors may result in changes in medical utilisation; however, no studies have investigated whether the probability of physical therapy utilisation among patients with osteoarthritis is associated with changes in meteorological factors. Method: By using a secondary data of NHID in Taiwan, we conducted a population-based, retrospective study with case-crossover design for patients initially diagnosed with osteoarthritis between 2000 and 2013. The meteorological factors of months with the lowest treatment rate were used as patients’ own control periods and compared with the parameters of months with high treatment frequency. The risk of exposure to different meteorological factors, including mean temperature, daily highest temperature, daily minimum temperature, diurnal temperature range, relative humidity, and barometric pressure, was estimated and represented by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 8,130 patients were recruited. Regardless of univariate or multivariable analysis, increased daily highest temperature enhanced the frequency of physical therapy (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02–1.05; p < 0.01; OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04–1.10; p < 0.01). When the weather was hotter (> 23 °C), higher diurnal temperature range and humidity resulted in an increase in the utilisation of physical therapy. However, when the weather was colder (< 23 °C), reverse effects were observed. Conclusions: An increase in temperature increases the probability of physical therapy resource use. Therefore, temperature, along with other meteorological factors, may play a key role in the utilization of physical therapy among patients with osteoarthritis.

Background: There have been no definitive guidelines on the treatment method and specific points in the body. Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of extracorporeal shockwave therapy on treating the main tendons and ligaments of knee osteoarthritis. Method: A total of 36 patients with knee osteoarthritis were enrolled in trial and organized into two groups: 3-wk extracorporeal shockwave therapy for the intervention group and 3-wk sham extracorporeal shockwave therapy for control group. Both groups received the same physical therapies: (1) transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, (2) magnetic field treatment, and (3) quadricep muscle strength training. Evaluation was performed before the start of treatment, at third week after the start of treatment, and 1 wk after the end of treatment. The study used randomized controlled trials (level of evidence, 1). Result: Eextracorporeal shockwave therapy group had significant improvement in WOMAC pain score, physical function, and total score (mean difference = −2.8, P < 0.001; −5.1, P = 0.02; −8.3, P = 0.004, respectively), Visual Analog Scale score (mean difference = −2.3, P < 0.001), and the distance of 6-min walk test (mean difference = 28.7, P = 0.01) in the 1 wk after the end of treatment. Statistical significance in WOMAC pain, physical function, and total scores (mean difference = −3.0, P = 0.001; −5.6, P = 0.02; −9.3, P = 0.004, respectively) and Visual Analog Scale score (mean difference = −1.2, P = 0.027) was observed between the extracorporeal shockwave therapy group and control group. Conclusions: Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for the tendons and ligaments has clinical benefits for pain and physical function improvement in knee osteoarthritis. In addition, improvement in physical performance was observed in the short-term follow-up.