Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that is spreading worldwide due to an aging population. This is not simply a disease caused by worn out joints, but a complex disease accompanied by various mechanisms such as inflammatory reactions. Among various joints, knee joints show degenerative changes earlier than other joints because they carry most of the weight load, causing social-economic problems. In the case of OA of the knee that does not respond to relatively simple conservative treatments such as physical therapy or medication, intra-articular injection is preferred. However, intra-articular injection drugs have limited effectiveness and uncertainties. There are several intra-articular viscous supplement drugs such as hyaluronic acid. Tissue regeneration active materials such as polydeoxyribonucleotide and polynucleotide are also newly used. The objective of this paper was to compare effects of intra-articular supplementation drugs used for degenerative arthritis of the knee.

Human infection by Rhodococcus species is rare and mostly limited to immunocompromised hosts such as patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or organ transplant recipients. The most common strain is R. equi, and the most common clinical presentation is pulmonary infection, reported in 80% of Rhodococcus spp. infections. The central nervous system is an uncommon infection site. We report a case of a patient with pneumonia, brain abscess, and recurrent meningitis caused by Rhodococcus spp. He initially presented with pneumonia with necrosis, which progressed to brain abscess and recurrent meningitis. Rhodococcus spp. was identified from the cerobrospinal fluid (CSF) collected during his fourth hospital admission. Despite prolonged treatment with appropriate antibiotics, meningitis recurred three times. Finally, in order to administer antibiotics directly into the CSF and bypass the blood-brain barrier, an Ommaya reservoir was inserted for administration of 90 days of intrathecal vancomycin and amikacin in conjunction with intravenous and oral antibiotics; the patient was finally cured with this treatment regimen.

Herpes zoster (HZ) results from the reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus in the dorsal root ganglion neurons. The most common complication of HZ is post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), characterized by persisting neuropathic pain in the affected dermatome after the rash recedes. The immune system is more compromised in older people, which leads to an increase in the incidence of HZ and PHN. Several studies have revealed that HZ or PHN is associated with an increased risk of malignancy in immune-suppressed patients. An 83-year-old man visited our pain clinic with facial pain 6 months after he was diagnosed with recurred HZ on the right V1 dermatome. He was diagnosed with HZ on the right C2 dermatome 5 years ago. He could not perform a right lateral gaze for the past 3 months. Moreover, the symptoms did not improve and the pain was aggravated on the face and head. We considered two possibilities: HZ affecting motor neuron and occult malignancy. Brain magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography showed a mass lesion that should have been differentiated, and his blood was positive for prostate specific antigen. The probability of occult malignancy should be taken into account in elderly patients with HZ or PHN.

PRSH development was heavily influenced by donor-related factors. Graft size, extent of fatty change, and post-reperfusion syndrome were identified as independent donor-associated predictors of PRSH.