Can Outpatient Rehabilitation Be Continued During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Report from a Japanese Regional Medical University Hospital.

Objective: To describe the operation of an outpatient rehabilitation practice at a Japanese hospital severely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Design: Analytical observational study.

Setting: Outpatient rehabilitation department in Saitama, Japan.

Quality of life and life-space mobility after total knee arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot case-controlled study.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify factors inhibiting improvement in the quality of life after total knee arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. [Participants and Methods] This was a pilot case-control study. The sample comprised of five participants with rheumatoid arthritis and 11 participants with osteoarthritis, who underwent total knee arthroplasty.

Safer return to jazz dance instruction after simultaneous bilateral total hip arthroplasty.

To describe the case of a 48-year-old Japanese female patient with more than two decades of experience in jazz dance instructor returning to work after simultaneous bilateral total hip arthroplasty (SBTHA). We provided her with a tailored postoperative physical therapy programme considering her preoperative activity level and skills using three-dimensional motion analysis for guidance. The patient returned to jazz dance instruction 8 months after undergoing SBTHA, and her disease-specific quality of life assessment score at 1-year postsurgery was almost perfect.

Clinical improvements in higher brain function and rapid functional recovery in a case of cerebellar hemorrhage treated by neurocognitive rehabilitation.

Cerebellar stroke rarely causes disorders of higher brain function such as cognitive deficits and emotional dysfunction; hence, the prognosis of these patients is uncertain. We report the case of a 34-year-old patient with cerebellar hemorrhage due to arteriovenous malformation causing higher brain dysfunction who was able to return to full-time employment after neurocognitive rehabilitation. Cerebellar stroke caused by nonatherosclerotic diseases or diaschisis may lead to cognitive deficits but these symptoms can be reversed by appropriate therapy.

Platelet activation is caused not by aging but by atherosclerosis.

Platelet activation increases with age, although it is still controversial whether it derives from aging per se or from atherosclerosis concomitant with aging. The purpose of this study is to clarify the association between platelet activation and aging or atherosclerosis. We studied the ultrastructure of platelets in the elderly subjects with or without atherosclerosis and healthy young subjects.

Is insulin resistance related to recurrence of stroke or incident of ischemic heart disease in patients with stroke? A preliminary report.

Insulin resistance promotes atherosclerosis and has been recognized as an important risk factor for both stroke and ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, the precise relationship between insulin resistance and ischemic stroke recurrence or development of IHD is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of insulin resistance to ischemic stroke recurrence or IHD in patients with a history of stroke.

Successful treatment of pulmonary aspiration due to brain stem infarction by using cough exercise based on swallowing scintigraphy: preliminary observations.

Although dysphagia in stroke may result in lethal chest infection, it can be prevented by coughing. We report on a patient with dysphagia and aspiration who regained oral ingestion by swallowing with voluntary cough. A 54-year-old man with subarachnoidal hemorrhage underwent endovascular coiling and developed brain stem infarction.

Insulin resistance in patients with stroke is related to visceral fat obesity and adipocytokines.

Insulin resistance is associated with hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia and promotes atherosclerosis. Although insulin resistance is associated with adipocytokines, little is known about the association in patients with stroke without diabetes mellitus. The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship among insulin resistance, visceral fat area, and adipocytokines in patients with stroke.

Delayed manifestation and slow progression of cerebral infarction caused by polycythemia rubra vera.

Background: Polycythemia rubra vera is often found after the manifestation of cerebral infarction, though the pathogenesis is still controversial. We present a case of cerebral infarction secondary to polycythemia rubra vera, which presented a slow expansion on magnetic resonance imaging despite severe hemiplegia. This case suggests a possible mechanism for development of cerebral infarction in polycythemia rubra vera.

Rhabdomyolysis, hepatitis and multiple hematological disorders associated with alcohol abuse: a case report.

A 68-year old Japanese male with alcohol related rhabdomyolysis, hepatitis, and hematological disorders is presented. Biochemical data showed markedly elevated levels of serum hepatobiliary enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase and myoglobin, and decreased levels of serum sodium and phosphate. The serum creatine kinase level was approximately 40 times higher than the normal upper limit with 97% of MM fraction.

Inhibiting bacteria and skin pH in hemiplegia: effects of washing hands with acidic mineral water.

Objective: To evaluate bacterial flora in hemiplegic hands as a possible pathogen of endogenous infection in a rehabilitation unit and to examine the effect of cleansing hands with acidic mineral water on the flora.

Design: Case-control study in a university affiliated hospital. Seventy-two patients with hemiplegia caused by cerebrovascular diseases were included in this study.