Imatinib mesylate discontinuation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who have received front-line imatinib mesylate therapy and achieved complete molecular response

The aims were to investigate the feasibility of imatinib mesylate (IM) discontinuation in chronic myeloid leukemia patients who were initially treated with IM and achieved complete molecular response (CMR). Fourteen patients were included. Ten were relapsed within 9.5 months after discontinuation of IM. All 7 patients with high Sokal risk were relapsed. The probability of CMR persistence at 1-year was 28.6%. All relapsed patients were still responsive to IM. A high Sokal risk and delayed acquisition of CMR were associated with relapse. IM discontinuation in patients achieved CMR after treatment with front-line IM might be feasible. Further studies are warranted.     

Effects of the height of ball-backrest on head and shoulder posture and trunk muscle activity in VDT workers

This study was designed to elucidate the effects of a ball-backrest at different heights on the head and shoulder posture and neck and trunk muscles of visual display terminal (VDT) workers who adopted a forward head posture when working at a VDT. Twenty-three VDT workers with forward head posture performed the keyboard typing work at a VDT without and with a ball-backrest at the L3, T10, and T4 levels. Surface electromyograms were recorded from the neck, shoulder, and trunk muscles, and the forward head angle and forward shoulder angle were analyzed using a 3-D motion analysis system. The significance of differences for the ball-backrest at different heights was tested by repeated one-way ANOVA, with the significance cutoff set at p=0.05. The mean forward head angle and forward shoulder angle decreased in the order of no backrest, T10-level ball-backrest, T4-level ball-backrest. Compared with not using a backrest, the activity of midcervical muscles was significantly lower and that of the lower trapezius was significantly higher when using a T4-level ball-backrest, and the activity of the internal oblique abdominal muscle was significantly higher when using a T10-level ball-backrest. We suggested that using T4 and T10-level ball-backrests would produce similar effects to active exercise, such as ball exercise for trunk stabilization, and that a ball-backrest would prevent kinematics changes. Therefore, the height of the backrest must be determined on the basis of the characteristics of work-related musculoskeletal disorders when applying a ball-backrest to VDT workers with such disorders.     

A Herpes Simplex Virus Infection Secondary to Acupuncture and Cupping

Acupuncture and cupping have a public reputation as being safe even though these practices can lead to complications such as trauma or infection. We report here on a case of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection secondary to acupuncture and cupping in a 56-year-old woman. The patient, who had a history of acupuncture and cupping on her left forearm for treating her myalgia, developed painful papules. Histologically, the biopsy specimen showed characteristic ballooning degeneration and inclusion bodies in the epidermis and mid-dermis. These clinical and histological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of HSV infection.