The N-Terminal Fragment of Urine Titin Is Not a Product of Degradation by Calpain 3.

Introduction: A 20 kDa fragment at the N-terminus of titin is highly excreted in the urine of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), making urine titin a prominent biomarker for muscle breakdown. This N-terminal fragment is presumed to be a product of degradation by a protein-degrading enzyme, calpain 3; however, whether calpain 3 is required remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether urine titin elevation occurs in the absence of calpain 3.

Relationship between functional independence measure scores and timed up-and-go time in postoperative elderly patients with vertebral and hip fractures.

[Purpose] To analyze the correlation between the timed up-and-go time and functional independence measure total score in postoperative elderly patients with vertebral and hip fractures. [Participants and Methods] The total functional independence measure scores and timed up-and-go times of 87 Japanese patients aged ≥65 years with a history of vertebral or hip fracture surgery were analyzed. Patients were classified based on age (<85 or ≥85 years), sex (female or male), fracture type (vertebral or hip fracture), and postoperative period (early or late).

Page kidney in a child with ureteropelvic junction obstruction of lower moiety in a partial duplex system.

Reports of hydronephrosis-induced hypertension in pediatric patients are rare. A 7-year-old girl with hypertension was referred to our hospital with left hydronephrosis caused by ureteropelvic junction obstruction of the lower moiety in a partial duplex system. Because the lower moiety was almost nonfunctional, a laparoscopic heminephrectomy was performed.