Pseudogout attack of the lumbar facet joint is rare, but this clinical entity should be added to the differential diagnosis of acute low back pain.

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A series of Japanese full-text retrieval experiments were conducted using an inference network document retrieval model. The retrieval performance of two major indexing methods, character-based and wordbased, were evaluated. Using structured queries, the character-based indexing performed retrieval as well as, or slightly better, than the word-based system. This result has practical significance since the character-based indexing speed is considerably faster than the traditional word-based indexing. All the queries in this experiment were automatically formulated from natural language input.

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An air-bridge-structured silicon nanowire was made by micromachining a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate and electrically characterized. The nanowire was isolated from the substrate by an air gap and typically 20–100 nm in diameter and 300–600 nm in length. Current–voltage characteristics of these wires were anomalous electric conductivity such as negative resistance and hysteresis at room temperature. Charge accumulation into surface states is considered a dominant characteristic.

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Bacterial epidural abscess formation of cervical spine was rarely seen and all these cases were associated with osteomyelitis of the odontoid process. To the author's knowledge, only 1 case of septic arthritis of the C1-C2 lateral facet joint has been reported in the English literature. A 76-year-old woman presented with progressive neck pain and stiffness in the left side of her neck with fever. Coronal computed tomography clearly demonstrated destructive change of the atlantoaxial joint. Contrast magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated infection of the atlantoaxial joint resulting in epidural abscess formation. Because of lack of neurologic deficit, we treated her with halo-fixation together with appropriate antibiotics administration. The patient was successfully treated with antibiotics and immobilization. Septic arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint should be added to the differential diagnosis of severe neck pain with fever, although it is very rare clinical entity. Early analysis of computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging although maintaining a high suspicion for this disease is mandatory to avoid delayed diagnosis and subsequent morbidity.

No abstract