Short-Term Clinical Outcomes Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty Without Concomitant Osteotomy in Ankles with Severe Preoperative Varus Deformity: Comparison to Ankles with Preoperative Neutral Alignment.

Background: It remains controversial whether satisfactory outcomes can be obtained following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) without osteotomy in patients with severe varus ankle deformities. This study aimed to examine outcomes following TAA without concomitant osteotomies in patients with severe varus ankle alignment by comparing them with those in patients with neutral alignment.

Methods: Fifty-one patients (53 ankles; mean age, 71.

A case of a novel hemoglobin variant, Hb A2-Karatsu, discovered following a falsely elevated HbA1c value.

The patient, a man in his thirties, presented to our hospital for a secondary examination after a 2020 medical check-up found a high hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HbA1c level determined by HPLC (HA-8180V, fast mode) was elevated at 6.8%, but a 75-g glucose tolerance test showed normal glucose tolerance.

A cross-species approach for the identification of Drosophila male sterility genes.

Male reproduction encompasses many essential cellular processes and interactions. As a focal point for these events, sperm offer opportunities for advancing our understanding of sexual reproduction at multiple levels during development. Using male sterility genes identified in human, mouse, and fruit fly databases as a starting point, 103 Drosophila melanogaster genes were screened for their association with male sterility by tissue-specific RNAi knockdown and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis.

The Drosophila Neprilysin 4 gene is essential for sperm function following sperm transfer to females.

Sperm are modified substantially in passing through both the male and the female reproductive tracts, only thereafter becoming functionally competent to fertilize eggs. Drosophila sperm become motile in the seminal vesicle; after ejaculation, they interact with seminal fluid proteins and undergo biochemical changes on their surface while they are stored in the female sperm storage organs. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these maturation processes remain largely unknown.

Plantar pressure sensors indicate women to have a significantly higher peak pressure on the hallux, toes, forefoot, and medial of the foot compared to men.

Background: Sex-related differences of plantar pressure distribution during activities should be thoroughly inspected as it can help establish treatment and prevention strategies for foot and ankle problems. In-shoe measurement systems are preferable without space and activity restrictions; however, previously reported systems are still heavy and bulky and induce unnatural movement. Therefore, a slim and light plantar pressure sensor was newly developed to detect the effect of sex difference on plantar pressure during standing and walking.

Anterior placement of the talar component in total ankle arthroplasty: A risk factor for talar component subsidence.

Background: Component subsidence is considered as a cause of revision surgery. The talar component subsidence may be a risk factor for revision surgery; however, there are no reports regarding talar component placement and subsidence amount following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). We therefore investigated the relationship between talar component placement and subsidence amount.

Deletion of p21 expression accelerates cartilage tissue repair via chondrocyte proliferation.

Articular cartilage tissue has a poor healing potential, and when subjected to traumatic damage this tissue undergoes cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis. The association between the regulation of cell cycle checkpoints and tissue regeneration has been previously investigated, and p21 was initially identified as a potent inhibitor of cell cycle progression. However, the effects of p21 defects on damaged tissue remain controversial.

Identification of CR43467 encoding a long non-coding RNA as a novel genetic interactant with dFIG4, a CMT-causing gene.

The eye imaginal disc-specific knockdown of dFIG4, a Drosophila homolog of FIG4 that is one of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT)-causing genes, induces an aberrant adult compound eye morphology, the so-called rough eye phenotype. We previously performed modifier screening on the dFIG4 knockdown-induced rough eye phenotype and identified several genes, including CR18854, encoding a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) as genetic interactants with dFIG4. In the present study, in more extensive genetic screening, we found that the deletion of a gene locus encoding both Odorant rector 46a (Or46a) and lncRNA CR43467 effectively suppressed the rough eye phenotype induced by the knockdown of dFIG4.

Expression Analyses of POGZ, A Responsible Gene for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, during Mouse Brain Development.

POGZ is a heterochromatin protein 1 α-binding protein and regulates gene expression. On the other hand, accumulating pieces of evidence indicate that the POGZ gene abnormalities are involved in various neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we prepared a specific antibody against POGZ, anti-POGZ, and carried out biochemical and morphological characterization with mouse brain tissues.

Clinical Outcomes of Total Ankle Arthroplasty With Total Talar Prosthesis.

Background: Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) has been developed to treat patients with end-stage ankle osteoarthritis (OA). However, there is often difficulty in treating complicated pathologies such as ankle OA with subtalar joint OA and severe talar collapse. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the short-term results and complications of TAA with total talar prosthesis, known as combined TAA, as the new techniques to treat such complicated pathology.

Normal aging hyperactivates innate immunity and reduces the medical efficacy of minocycline in brain injury.

Symptoms of many neurodegenerative diseases appear later in human life. However, young animal models for penetrating traumatic brain injury (pTBI) have been used to study neurodegenerative diseases and evaluate the efficacy of neuroprotective medicines. Possibly because of this discordance, effective neuroprotective drugs have still not been developed.

Deterioration of patellofemoral cartilage status after medial open-wedge high tibial osteotomy.

Purpose: To identify parameters associated with deterioration of patellofemoral (PF) cartilage after open-wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) and determine predictive values. It was hypothesized that cartilage injuries in PF joints would progress after OWHTO in patients who need a large alignment correction.

Methods: Fifty-two knees in 47 patients who underwent bi-planer OWHTO for the treatment of medial compartment osteoarthritis from 2012 to 2017 and received a second-look arthroscopy at the time of plate removal (mean 14 months post-OWHTO) were assessed.

Biochemical and Morphological Characterization of a Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor ARHGEF9 in Mouse Tissues.

ARHGEF9, also known as Collybistin, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rho family GTPases, is thought to play an essential role in the mammalian brain. In this study, we prepared a specific polyclonal antibody against ARHGEF9, anti-ARHGEF9, and carried out expression analyses with mouse tissues especially brain. Western blotting analyses demonstrated tissue-dependent expression profiles of ARHGEF9 in the young adult mouse, and strongly suggested a role during brain development.

Intraperitoneal injection of the SIRT1 activator SRT1720 attenuates the progression of experimental osteoarthritis in mice.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effects of SRT1720, a potent SIRT1 activator, on osteoarthritis (OA) progression using an experimental OA model.

Methods: Osteoarthritis was surgically induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus in eight-week-old C57BL/6 male mice. SRT1720 was administered intraperitoneally twice a week after surgery.

Analysis of Graft Length Change Patterns in Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction via a Fluoroscopic Guidance Method.

Background: A fluoroscopic guidance method for medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction has been widely used to determine the anatomic femoral attachment site.

Purpose: To examine the graft length change patterns in MPFL reconstruction with a fluoroscopic guidance method.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Preparation of Conjugated Linoleic Acid Microemulsions and their Biodistribution.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has several beneficial biological properties. Specifically, trans10, cis12-CLA, one of the CLA isomers, has strong physiologic activity against cancer and obesity. However, compared with cis9, trans11-CLA, a naturally occurring CLA isomer, trans10, cis12-CLA tends to be easily metabolized.

The antioxidant and non-antioxidant contributions of vitamin E in vitamin E blended ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for total knee replacement.

Vitamin E (VE) blended ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been developed in Japan as a material for use in total knee replacement (TKR). Various results have demonstrated that VE blended UHMWPE reduces the incidence of delamination failure and lowers the amount of wear produced during knee simulator testing. It was also found that wear particles from VE blended UHMWPE elicited a reduced biological response compared to conventional UHMWPE.

Intravital oxygen radical imaging in normal and ischemic rat cortex.

Objective: We examined reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion by intravital fluorescence imaging.

Methods: In anesthetized adult rats, a fluorescent dye (5 microL), MitoSOX (5 micromol/L) for superoxide radical (.O2-), and hydroxyphenyl fluorescein (20 micromol/L) for hydroxyl radical (.

GIF-0173 protects against cerebral infarction through DP1 receptor activation.

The neuroprotective effects and mechanism of action of GIF-0173, a Delta12-prostaglandin J analogue, were investigated in the early phase of cerebral ischemia. GIF-0173 was administered intravenously immediately following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in photochemically induced thrombosis model of rat. Neurological scores and infarct sizes were examined at 24 h after MCAO.

Strain-induced crystallization and orientation of vitamin E-blended ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene.

The effects of vitamin E addition on the strain-induced crystallization and molecular chain orientation of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) were examined in order to clarify the wear mechanism of vitamin E-blended UHMWPE in knee prostheses. The structure changes of vitamin E-blended UHMWPE before and after tensile strain were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and image correlation method. The vitamin E-blended UHMWPE exhibited lower strain-induced crystallization than virgin UHMWPE but a higher Ic value in Raman spectroscopic analysis.

Recurrent gastric perforation as a late complication of radiotherapy for mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of the stomach.

Radiation therapy can be used to treat Helicobacter pylori-negative or eradication-refractory extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) of the stomach. We report a case of gastric perforation which occurred more than 1 year after the completion of radiotherapy for H. pylori eradication-refractory gastric MALT lymphoma, and then recurred shortly afterwards.

Shewanella infection in decompensated liver disease: a septic case.

Shewanella species are an unusual cause of disease in humans. However, reports of Shewanella infections have been increasing, and hepatobiliary disease has been proposed as a predisposing factor following a critical course. We report the first Japanese septic case of decompensated liver disease in which this bacterium acted as a definite pathogen.

It's green outside: tracking cell surface proteins with pH-sensitive GFP.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and mutated GFP variants have proved to be immensely powerful tools that have had a profound impact on research in biological sciences. This review considers the development, use and future implications of pH-dependent GFP variants (e.g.