Percutaneous Endoscopic Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PETLIF): Current Techniques, Clinical Outcomes, and Narrative Review.

Full endoscopic techniques are becoming more popular for degenerative lumbar pathologies. Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (PETLIF) is a minimally invasive surgical technique for spondylolisthesis and lumbar spinal canal stenosis with instability. Nagahama first introduced PETLIF in 2019.

A Narrative Review of Full-Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy Using Interlaminar Approach.

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a frequently encountered pathologic condition in orthopedic daily practice. Discectomy is considered when patients with LDH experience persistent limb or lumbar pain or neurologic deficits. Various minimally invasive techniques are available for discectomy.

Involvement of GLCCI1 in mouse spermatogenesis.

Spermatid production is a complex regulatory process in which coordination between hormonal control and apoptosis plays a pivotal role in maintaining a balanced number of sperm cells. Apoptosis in spermatogenesis is controlled by pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic molecules. Hormones involved in the apoptotic process during spermatogenesis include gonadotrophins, sex hormones, and glucocorticoid (GC).

USP40 deubiquitinates HINT1 and stabilizes p53 in podocyte damage.

Podocyte damage is a major pathological lesion leading to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Podocytes damaged by cellular stress undergo hypertrophy to compensate for podocytopenia. It is known that cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors induced by p53 ensure podocytes hypertrophy; however, its precise mechanism remains to be further investigated.

Tibial Condyle Valgus Osteotomy for Ipsilateral Knee Osteoarthritis after Hip Arthrodesis.

We report a case of tibial condylar valgus osteotomy (TCVO) for ipsilateral knee osteoarthritis (OA) after hip arthrodesis. A 58-year-old woman developed right purulent hip arthritis at one month of age and underwent right hip fusion at 16 years old. She visited our department at the age of 57 because her right knee joint pain worsened.

c-Src controls stability of sprouting blood vessels in the developing retina independently of cell-cell adhesion through focal adhesion assembly.

Endothelial cell adhesion is implicated in blood vessel sprout formation, yet how adhesion controls angiogenesis, and whether it occurs via rapid remodeling of adherens junctions or focal adhesion assembly, or both, remains poorly understood. Furthermore, how endothelial cell adhesion is controlled in particular tissues and under different conditions remains unexplored. Here, we have identified an unexpected role for spatiotemporal c-Src activity in sprouting angiogenesis in the retina, which is in contrast to the dominant focus on the role of c-Src in the maintenance of vascular integrity.

GLCCI1 is a novel protector against glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in T cells.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) potently induce T-cell apoptosis in a GC receptor (GR)-dependent manner and are used to control lymphocyte function in clinical practice. However, its downstream pathways remain controversial. Here, we showed that GC-induced transcript 1 (GLCCI1) is a novel downstream molecule of the GC-GR cascade that acts as an antiapoptotic mediator in thymic T cells.

Association of crumbs homolog-2 with mTORC1 in developing podocyte.

The evidence that gene mutations in the polarity determinant Crumbs homologs-2 (CRB2) cause congenital nephrotic syndrome suggests the functional importance of this gene product in podocyte development. Because another isoform, CRB3, was reported to repress the mechanistic/mammalian target of the rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway, we examined the role of CRB2 function in developing podocytes in relation to mTORC1. In HEK-293 and MDCK cells constitutively expressing CRB2, we found that the protein localized to the apicolateral side of the cell plasma membrane and that this plasma membrane assembly required N-glycosylation.

Iatrogenic Cushing's Syndrome Due to Topical Ocular Glucocorticoid Treatment.

Iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome (CS) is a severe adverse effect of systemic glucocorticoid (GC) therapy in children, but is extremely rare in the setting of topical ocular GC therapy. In this article, we report the case of a 9-year-old girl suffering from idiopathic uveitis who developed CS due to topical ocular GC treatment. She was referred to the ophthalmology department with a complaint of painful eyes, at which time she was diagnosed with bilateral iridocyclitis and started on a treatment of betamethasone sodium phosphate eye drops.

The endothelial adaptor molecule TSAd is required for VEGF-induced angiogenic sprouting through junctional c-Src activation.

Activation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor 2 (VEGFR2) by VEGF binding is critical for vascular morphogenesis. In addition, VEGF disrupts the endothelial barrier by triggering the phosphorylation and turnover of the junctional molecule VE-cadherin, a process mediated by the VEGFR2 downstream effectors T cell-specific adaptor (TSAd) and the tyrosine kinase c-Src. We investigated whether the VEGFR2-TSAd-c-Src pathway was required for angiogenic sprouting.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis associated with IgA nephropathy.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), previously referred to as Wegener's granulomatosis, is a rare necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis, especially in children. GPA affects small- to medium-sized vessels, leading to involvement of multiple organs, including the upper and lower respiratory tracts and kidneys. Glomerular lesions associated with GPA typically present as crescentic glomerulonephritis with necrotizing lesions, with little or no staining for immunoglobulins and complement proteins.

The struggle for energy in podocytes leads to nephrotic syndrome.

Podocytes are terminally differentiated post-mitotic cells similar to neurons, and their damage leads to nephrotic syndrome, which is characterized by massive proteinuria associated with generalized edema. A recent functional genetic approach has identified the pathological relevance of several mutated proteins in glomerular podocytes to the mechanism of proteinuria in hereditary nephrotic syndrome. In contrast, the pathophysiology of acquired primary nephrotic syndrome, including minimal change disease, is still largely unknown.

Amino acid transporter LAT3 is required for podocyte development and function.

LAT3 is a Na+-independent neutral l-amino acid transporter recently isolated from a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. Although liver, skeletal muscle, and pancreas are known to express LAT3, the tissue distribution and physiologic function of this transporter are not completely understood. Here, we observed that glomeruli express LAT3.

Protein characterization of NA+-independent system L amino acid transporter 3 in mice: a potential role in supply of branched-chain amino acids under nutrient starvation.

We recently cloned the human Na(+)-independent system L neutral amino acid transporter LAT3. The aim of the present study was to characterize the molecular nature of mouse LAT3 at the protein level. Isolated mouse LAT3 showed 83% identity to human LAT3.