Publications by authors named "Akihisa Yamashita"

Introduction: The application of a load on the internal fixation of a trochanteric fracture exerts a moment along the lag screw, causing the proximal bone fragment to slide along the lag screw, allowing contact between the proximal and distal bone fragments, which promotes healing. However, excessive sliding is related to poor postoperative outcomes. We aimed to identify the risk factors for excessive sliding.

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Purpose: Refracture of pediatric both-bone diaphyseal forearm fractures (PBDFFs) may occur, even if the fractures are treated with intramedullary nailing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of refracture of PBDFFs treated with intramedullary Kirschner wires (K-wires), which are commonly used in our clinic.

Methods: The present multicenter retrospective study included 60 consecutive patients with 60 PBDFFs who were treated with intramedullary K-wires at 5 hospitals between 2007 and 2016.

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Background: The authors sought to quantify the results of clinical and radiological analyses of extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) plus percutaneous pedicle screw (PPS) fixation for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) by focusing on the distinct mechanism of indirect decompression.

Methods: Data obtained from a total of 37 patients with 47 surgical sites were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical outcomes for all patients were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and the improvement rate of the JOA score.

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Liquiritin (LQ) and its aglycone, liquiritigenin (LQG), are major flavonoids in licorice root ( spp.). Our preliminary screening identified LQ and LQG, which promote melanin synthesis in the melanoma cells.

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Objective: Recent articles have demonstrated that subchondral insufficiency fractures (SIFs) of the femoral head can occur following internal fixation of femoral neck fractures (FNFs), in addition to post-traumatic osteonecrosis (ON) of the femoral head. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and imaging features of SIF after internal fixation of FNFs compared with those of post-traumatic ON.

Methods: We reviewed five hips in five patients, who received internal fixation for the treatment of FNF and were diagnosed as having SIF according to the shape of the low-intensity band on the T1 weighted MR image.

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Introduction: It has recently been reported that the cases with an anterior femoral neck cortex posterior to the distal fragment (subtype P) in the lateral view of a postoperative radiograph have a risk of excessive sliding of lag screws compared to those located anterior to the distal fragment (subtype A) or perfectly continuous to the distal fragment (subtype N) following osteosynthesis for the treatment of a trochanteric fracture. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence the postoperative subtype in the lateral view of radiographs.

Patients And Methods: This study reviewed 136 patients who underwent osteosynthesis using an intramedullary hip nail for the treatment of a trochanteric fracture.

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the bone quality of the humeral head measured by CT multiplanar reconstruction images (MPR) and the stability of nail or plate fixation and to compare the clinical outcomes of these procedures in patients with proximal humeral fractures. Thirty-six consecutive patients (nail group: n = 18, plate group: n = 18) were investigated. In nail group, 14 cases were classified as two-part fractures, three cases were classified as three-part fractures and one case was classified as four-part fractures.

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A 69-year-old asymptomatic woman was admitted because of an abnormal chest shadow. Chest X-ray films showed a tumorous shadow behind the heart. Chest CT scans showed an aberrant artery branching from the thoracic aorta and supplying the left basal segment, but the bronchial tree was normal.

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Article Synopsis
  • Serum levels of the biomarkers KL-6 and surfactant protein D (SP-D) were studied in 21 patients with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) to see how they relate to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings.
  • Results showed that KL-6 levels correlated positively with the total HRCT score and extent of interstitial disease, while SP-D levels indicated differing relationships with CT patterns, showing both positive and negative correlations based on the presence of specific features.
  • The study concludes that KL-6 reflects the overall extent of interstitial lung lesions (both inflammatory and fibrotic), whereas SP-D is more indicative of inflammatory lesions in NSIP.
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An 85-year-old man was admitted for non-productive cough and bilateral pleural effusion on a chest X-ray film. Although his pleural effusion was exudative and showed an increased number of lymphocytes and a high level of adenosine deaminase, Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, even with a microbiological culture, PCR and interferon-gamma release assay, was unverifiable. Cytology of his pleural effusion demonstrated plasmacytoid-like large atypical cells.

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Aims: the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on NCTC Clone 1469, non-parenchymal hepatocytes, were examined to clarify the molecular basis of BPA-induced liver injury.

Main Methods: we analyzed the expression of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) mRNA, Bcl2 mRNA, caspase12, and glucose-regulated protein 78 kDa (GRP78)/Ig heavy chain-binding protein (BiP), to determine whether endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was involved in the 100 μM BPA-induced cell death. To examine the features of damaged hepatocytes, we analyzed the morphological changes in BPA-treated NCTC Clone 1469 by transmission electron microscopy.

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A 81-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was admitted to our hospital because of a productive cough and bloody sputum. She had been treated with etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist, for 9 months before admission. A chest CT scan on admission showed small nodules, bronchiectasis and consolidations in bilateral lung fields.

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Bleomycin is well known as causative molecule for acute lung injury and interstitial pneumonia. The free radical production from bleomycin is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury and interstitial pneumonia. However, there was no direct evidence of free radical production in this model.

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Heavy metal pollution of soil causes biological problems, such as mutagenicity to living organisms, including human beings. However, few methods have been developed to assess metal mutagenicity in soil. To avoid metal mutagenicity, an adequate bio-monitoring method is required.

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White adipose tissue is a multifunctional endocrine organ that synthesizes and secretes cytokine-like proteins termed adipokines. In the present study, the effects of cancer-derived medium on adipogenesis were examined. We prepared conditioned media from cancer cell lines, and cultured preadipocytes in the conditioned media.

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The present study examined the effects of tacrolimus (FK506) on the development of osteonecrosis in rabbits. In Experiment A, rabbits were given FK506, and also given a single dose of steroid. Control rabbits were given the same dose of steroid only.

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Background: Osteonecrosis (ON) of the femoral head is a serious complication in patients who have undergone organ transplantation. Introduction of cyclosporin A has resulted in lower-dosage steroid treatment and a decrease in the occurrence of ON. We examined the effect of cyclosporin A on the development of ON in rabbits.

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Some animal studies and magnetic resonance imaging studies suggest that there may exist a relationship between abnormal lipid metabolisms and osteonecrosis. The purpose of this study was to examine the size of bone marrow fat cells in the early osteonecrosis femoral head using autopsy specimens. We compared the size of bone marrow fat cells in the viable areas in the following three autopsy groups: the early osteonecrosis group (4 femoral heads); the steroid-administered group (without osteonecrosis) (n = 10), and the normal group (n = 19).

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Recent studies suggest the possible therapeutic effect of intramuscular vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene transfer in individuals with critical limb ischemia. Little information, however, is available regarding (1) the required expression level of VEGF for therapeutic effect, (2) the related expression of endogenous angiogenic factors, including fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), and (3) the related adverse effects due to overexpression of VEGF. To address these issues, we tested effects of overexpression of VEGF165 using recombinant Sendai virus (SeV), as directly compared with FGF-2 gene transfer.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, mainly affects synovial joints. Although angiogenic growth factors, including fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), may play a critical role in the development and progression of RA joint disease, little information is now available regarding their exact role in initiation and/or progression of RA. In this study, we show that both polypeptides were up-regulated in the rat joint synovial tissue of an adjuvant-induced model of arthritis (AIA), as well as human subjects with RA.

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