Postoperative Fever Evaluation Following Lumbar Fusion Procedures

Benjamin C. Mayo,Brittany E. Haws,Daniel D. Bohl,Philip K. Louie,Fady Y. Hijji,Ankur S. Narain,Dustin H. Massel,Benjamin Khechen,Kern Singh 대한척추신경외과학회 2018 Neurospine Vol.15 No.2

Objective: This study aimed to determine the incidence of postoperative fever, the workup conducted for postoperative fever, the rate of subsequent fever-related diagnoses or complications, and the risk factors associated with fever following lumbar fusion. Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing lumbar fusion was performed. For patients in whom fever (≥38.6°C) was documented, charts were reviewed for any fever workup or diagnosis. Multivariate regression was used to identify independent risk factors for the development of postoperative fever. Results: A total of 868 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 105 exhibited at least 1 episode of fever during hospitalization. The first documentation of fever occurred during the first 24 hours in 43.8% of cases, during postoperative hours 24–48 in 53.3%, and later than 48 hours postoperatively in 2.9%. At least 1 component of a fever workup was conducted in 47 of the 105 patients who had fever, resulting in fever-associated diagnoses in 4 patients prior to discharge. Three patients who had fever during the inpatient stay developed complications after discharge. On multivariate analysis, operations longer than 150 minutes (relative risk [RR], 1.66; p=0.015) and narcotic consumption greater than 85 oral morphine equivalents on postoperative day 0 (RR, 1.53; p=0.038) were independently associated with an increased risk of developing postoperative fever. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that inpatient fever occurred in roughly 1 in 8 patients following lumbar fusion surgery. In most cases where a fever workup was performed, no cause of fever was detected. Longer operative time and increased early postoperative narcotic use may increase the risk of developing postoperative fever.

Review on the comparison of effectiveness between denosumab and bisphosphonates in post-menopausal osteoporosis

Biju Benjamin,Mridula Ambwani Benjamin,Myint Swe,Sandheep Sugathan 대한골다공증학회 2016 Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia Vol.2 No.2

Objective: Osteoporosis is a rapidly rising cause of concern for elderly patients. Various classes of drugs are available in the market. Bisphosphonates are considered as a first-line therapy for the prevention and treatment. Denosumab is an antiresorptive agent which is a RANK ligand inhibitor. There is a scarcity of comparison between these two classes of drugs. The aim of this study is to compare efficacy of Bisphosphonates and Denosumab in various parameters. Materials and methods: Literature search was done for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing bisphosphonates with denosumab. RCTs with a treatment period of at least one year with a baseline bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers (BTM) and follow up values at one year were included in the study. All included studies were also analysed for complications. The study has also been registered in PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews. Results: A total of five RCTs were identified providing data on 3751 participants. In all five studies, the BMD changes at both hip and spine were statistically significant in favour of denosumab. Result was similar in three studies that studied BMD changes at the wrist. Denosumab also produced significant reduction in BTM as early as one month, but at one year there was no difference compared to the bisphosphonates. There was no statistically significant differences in the complication rates. Conclusion: Though both bisphosphonates and denosumab were effective with similar side effects, the latter was statistically superior in increasing the BMD and reducing the BTM. © 2016 The Korean Society of Osteoporosis. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Passions, Ideas, and Perfectibility in Rousseau’s Thought

Benjamin Thompson 한국정치학회 2012 한국정치학회보 Vol.46 No.3

본 논문은 루소의 사상에서의 아이디어(개념)와 열정에 대해 다룬다. 본 논문은 인간의 아이디어 (개념), 열정, 이성 사이의 상호작용에 근거해 인간 발달을 설명하고 있는 루소의『인간 불평등 기원론』에서 보여지는 루소의‘퍼펙티빌리티’이론에 대해 고찰하며, 이 이론은 상황에 따라 다르지만 인간의 아이디어 (개념)와 감정 사이에 대한 심오하고 직접적인 연관성은 설명해주지 않고 있음을 말하고자 한다. 이 연관성은 인간의 가장 중요한 열정의 많은 부분이 그 기초가 되며, 인간의 가장 중요한 아이디어와 관련한다. 본 논문은, 루소가 아이디어 와 감정을 근본적으로 동일하게 여김으로써‘퍼펙티빌리티’를 설명하게 됨을 증명하고자 한다. 루소의『에밀』에서 나타나는 이러한 설명은, 그의 철학적이고 윤리적인 연구 내용 몇몇에 그 논거를 두고 있다. 그가 연구 내용에서 주장하는 논거에는, 사보아 사제의 위험한 amour propre를 최소화하고, 도덕적 행위자가 되도록 하는 사보아 사제의 질서에 대한 사랑이 있다. 아이디어와 열정을 동일하게 여기는 것은『사회계약론』을 해석함에 있어 특히나 중요하다. 구체적으로, 아이디어와 열정을 동일하게 여기는 것이 루소의 정치적 논법의 기본 논리라는 것을 인지시켜주며, 이는, 또한, 질서 있는 사회에서 반드시 존재해야 할 사적 아이디어와 열정 뿐 아니라 공적인 아이디어와 열정에 대한 그의 이해도에 기초한다고 하겠다. This article concerns the role of ideas and passions in Rousseau’s thinking. It considers Rousseau’s theory of perfectibility as found in The Discourse on the Origins of Inequality, which is an explanation of human development on the basis of interaction between human ideas, passions, and reasoning, and finds that this relies upon but does not explain a deep and immediate connection between man’s ideas and his feelings. This connection lies behind many of man’s most important passions and concerns his most crucial ideas. This article finds that Rousseau came to explain perfectibility by virtue of a fundamental unity between ideas and affections. This explanation, found in Rousseau’s Emile, grounds several of his philosophical and moral projects. Among these is the Savoyard Vicar’s love of order, which delimits his harmful amour propre and allows him to be a moral actor. The unity of ideas and passions is particularly important for reading The Social Contract. This unity informs the basic logic of Rousseau’s political argumentation, and it lies behind his understanding of the personal and public passions and ideas that must obtain in a well-ordered society

Das Korea-Bild in deutschsprachigen Reiseberichten der Gegenwart

Benjamin Neuss 한독사회과학회 2015 한독사회과학논총 Vol.25 No.4

한국과 독일의 관계는 그 역사가 깊다. 그리고 세계화가 진행됨에 따라 두 문화가 마주치는 일이 더욱 빈번해 지고 있다. 이러한 두 문화와의 만남은 현실적인 문제를 야기하지 않을 수 없다. 바로 이 때문에 편견과 선입견을 방지 할 수 있는 간문화적 이해가 필요하다. 이번 논문을 통해 독일인들이 한국에 장기간 거주하며 느낀 세 가지 여행수기를 살펴보고 이들이 한국이라는 타지에서 어떤 인상을 받으며 이국문화에 접근 하는지를 연구 한다. 이론적인 접근을 위해 이마골로지(Imagology)적인 관점에서 연구 를 진행하였으며 특히 타문화와 고유문화에 대한 시각을 문학텍스트 속에서 살펴보고 이를 통해 서로 다른 관점을 부각 시키고자 하였다. 이는 민족 간의 이해를 개선하는데 기여 할 것이다. The German-Korean relations can look back on a long history and in the course of globalization the encounters between the two cultures has been increasing. In reality, however, the relationships are not without problems and they require intercultural understanding so that prejudices and clichés can be avoided. Against this background, the present study examined three different travelogues of Germans who have spent a long time in Korea. It is investigating the question, what images they have of the foreignness and how they manage the approach to a different culture. The theoretical framework for the study is the imagology, which specializes on finding external and internal images in literary texts to highlight different perspectives and to contribute to a better international understanding.

The Duality Continues

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2015 EAI 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Ending on a High Note?

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2015 EAI 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Aiding and Abetting : Role of Foreign Missionaries in the South Korean Democracy Movement

Benjamin A. Engel 한국학술연구원 2020 Korea Observer Vol.51 No.1

This article e xamines the c ontributions of the Monday N ight G roup (MNG) t o the transnational advocacy network (TAN) which formed to assist the Korean Democracy Movement. It argues that the MNG was uniquely located in the TAN in that it functioned as a domestic-cum-international organization given it was spatially located in Korea but its international membership allowed it to seamlessly interact with Western governments and organizations. This unique location also led the MNG to engage in constant communicative interactions with Korean activists and thus led to reflexive learning about their own societies roles in the human rights situation in Korea. The article expands the understanding of the TAN which assisted the Korean Democracy Movement and adds to the theoretical discussion on TANs by identifying a unique domestic-cum-international group that operated in ways not covered in the original TAN model.

Blossoming Divisions?

Benjamin Engel,Patrick Thomsen 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2015 EAI 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Two Branches of the Same Tree

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2015 EAI 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Rising Temperatures

Benjamin Engel 재단법인 동아시아연구원 2015 EAI 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-