[Complete disruption of cervical trachea, whose distal airways were migrated into the mediastinum].

The first case was a 55-year-old man, who suffered by a rope while driving his motor bicycle. On 7th day after injury, tracheotomy was scheduled due to progressive dyspnea. Following intubation of a endotracheal tube, his trachea was ruptured.

Rotational acetabular osteotomy in patients forty-six years of age or older: comparison with younger patients.

Background: Satisfactory intermediate and long-term results of periacetabular rotational osteotomy for early osteoarthritis secondary to dysplasia of the hip have been reported for patients in the third and fourth decades of life. The purpose of the present study was to examine the usefulness of rotational acetabular osteotomy in patients older than forty-six years of age.

Methods: A retrospective review of two groups of patients who had been treated with a rotational acetabular osteotomy was conducted.

Abductor digiti minimi musculocutaneous island flap as an opposition transfer: a case report.

We described the use of an abductor digiti minimi musculocutaneous (ADM) island flap as an opposition transfer. This procedure is easy and safe, and provides more of a bulge in the thenar area than the Huber transfer. This procedure can be used in the treatment of Blauth grade 2 and 3A hypoplastic thumb.

Enchondroma in the hand retrospective study--recurrence cases.

This is a retrospective analysis of 21 patients with documented enchondroma of the hand. They were operated on between 1980 to 2000 with conventional curettage and bone grafting. The objective of this study is to analyse the chance of recurrence and evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatment.

The proMMP-2 activation rate in patients with chronic viral liver disease.

Background: We previously showed that serum promatrix metalloproteinase-2 (proMMP-2) concentrations were increased in cirrhotic patients, reflecting the increase in liver proMMP-2 concentrations. We examined whether the increased proMMP-2 concentration reflects the biological matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity.

Methods: We measured serum concentrations of active MMP-2 and proMMP-2, and calculated the active MMP-2/proMMP-2 ratio as an index of the proMMP-2 activation rate in chronic viral liver disease.

Anterior knee laxity in young women varies with their menstrual cycle.

We studied 16 women 21-23 years old with regular menstrual cycles (28+/-4 days) and no history of knee injury. From their basal body temperatures and the serum concentrations of estradiol and progesterone, the follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases were delineated. Using a KT-2000 arthrometer, anterior displacement at 89 N and 134 N and anterior terminal stiffness (N/mm) at 134 N were measured two or three times every week over a 4-week period.

Spontaneous healing of acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries - conservative treatment using an extension block soft brace without anterior stabilization.

To evaluate the spontaneous healing capability of acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, conservative treatment was applied in a selected group of 31 patients, who had low athletic demands. Each patient demonstrated a continuous ACL on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), from the original femoral attachment through the tibial attachment, and an area of high intensity was detected in the substance of the ACL. The injured knees were treated using an extension block soft brace without anterior stabilization for 2-3 months.

Expression of ABH/Lewis-related antigens as prognostic factors in patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: The prognostic value of altered blood group factor and Lewis-related carbohydrate antigen expression in breast cancers has not been fully determined.

Methods: To this end, breast carcinoma samples from 87 radical mastectomy patients with primary cancer were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the ABH factors, Le(a), sialyl Le(a), Le(x), and sialyl Le(x).

Results: It was found that ABH, Le(a), sialyl Le(a), Le(x), and sialyl Le(x) antigens were expressed in 25 (21.

Evaluation of sustained grip strength for a stroke patient with a mild paresis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a sustained grip strength test is workable as an accurate assessment of activity limitation related to muscle weakness of the paretic hands of stroke patients with mild pareses. Sixty-one stroke patients with mild pareses participated in this study. The maximal grip strength and an ability to sustain grip strength were examined with the Sustained Grip Strength Test.

Presentation of a major histocompatibility complex class 1-binding peptide by monocyte-derived dendritic cells incorporating hydrophobized polysaccharide-truncated HER2 protein complex: implications for a polyvalent immuno-cell therapy.

Recognition of the essential role of dendritic cells (DCs) as professional antigen-presenting cells has prompted investigators to search for methods to use DCs as natural adjuvants in immunotherapy. A number of antigenic oligopeptides, recognized by CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for cancer cells, have been applied in clinical trials using DCs. Such a monovalent vaccine with a single epitope for a particular type of HLA class 1 molecule would be effective.

Plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 (gelatinase B) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Increased plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 have been shown in cancerous diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our present aim was to examine whether the measurement of plasma MMP-9 concentration is clinically useful for assessing or monitoring HCC patients. We measured the plasma MMP-9 concentrations in 47 HCC patients, and compared the results with the clinicopathologic features.

Carpal tunnel syndrome in radial dysplasia.

We treated three patients for carpal tunnel syndrome which developed more than 10 years after reconstructive surgery for radial dysplasia. All responded to decompressive surgery. The radial carpal bones were hypoplastic in all cases, and in two we measured the carpal tunnel with computed tomography (CT).

Repair of articular cartilage on the surface of heat-treated bone by transplantation of cultured chondrocytes.

The present study addresses clinical problems associated with the degeneration of articular cartilage, which occurs when heat-treated bone with articular cartilage is used for re-implantation after resection of malignant bone tumors adjacent to the joints. We therefore evaluated the effect of transplantation of chondrocytes embedded in collagen gel on the surface of heat-treated bone. A cylindrical complex of bone and articular cartilage 6 mm in diameter was resected from rabbits' patellar grooves and treated in saline at 60 degrees C for 30 min.

Comparison of tensile strength and thrombus formation between mechanical microvascular anastomoses using a biodegradable ring device and sutured anastomoses.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether early motion following mechanical anastomosis using a biodegradable ring device was possible or not, by measuring tensile strength and the rates of thrombus formation at anastomotic sites. Bilateral femoral arteries and veins of 24 rabbits were repaired by sutured anastomoses and biodegradable ring anastomoses. The tensile strength of the anastomotic site was measured by constant loading with a material-testing machine, using specimens excised at 24 hr, 72 hr, 1 week, and 2 weeks after anastomosis.

Microvascular toe transfer for cleft-foot plasty: eight-year follow-up.

No exact equivalent procedure has been developed for cleft-foot plasty. In the case of a four-year-old boy, the plasty was achieved by using microvascular toe transfer from a contralateral side that was amputated. Eight years postoperatively, the longitudinal growth of the grafted toe is symmetric, compared to the recipient toes, and the appearance of the treated foot is quite natural.

Anterior cruciate ligament injury in recreational alpine skiers: analysis of mechanisms and strategy for prevention.

Between 1995 and 1997, a retrospective survey was conducted in Japan to classify the types of injuries sustained by recreational alpine skiers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes and mechanisms of lower-extremity equipment-related (LEER) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in this population. Seventy-seven (96%) of the 80 respondents reported that their ski bindings did not release their ski boots at the time of their accident, and 30 respondents (38%) reported functional failure of their ski bindings, or that the ski boots came off.

Effects on articular cartilage of subchondral replacement with polymethylmethacrylate and calcium phosphate cement.

Bone defects were created in rabbit medial femoral condyle in a model where subchondral bone was completely removed or about 2 mm of subchondral bone was maintained. Groups without augmentation and augmented with autogenous bone, polymethylmethacrylate, or calcium phosphate cement were sacrificed at 3, 12, and 24 weeks for evaluation of articular cartilage and observation of bone formation. In the model in which subchondral bone was completely removed, collapse of the subchondral bone together with exfoliation and prolapse of cartilage developed early in all cases.

Physical disorder and optical properties in the vacuum ultraviolet region of amorphous SiO(2).

The optical absorption of point-defect-free SiO(2) glass in the vacuum ultraviolet region is primarily controlled by the concentrations of three- and four-membered ring structures composed of heavily strained Si-O-Si bonds. The main channel of color center formation by F(2) excimer laser (7.9 eV) irradiation is not Frenkel-defect generation of oxygen via two-photon absorption processes but a pair generation of E' and nonbridging oxygen hole centers by the one-photon excitation of these strained bonds with 7.

Treatment of subungual glomus tumour.

We reviewed 30 patients with subungual glomus tumours of the hand operated on between 1964 and 1997. Seven patients were male and 23 were female. Their age ranged from 16 to 78 years.

The state of the articular cartilage at the time of surgery as an indication for rotational acetabular osteotomy.

We have studied whether the state of the articular cartilage at the time of rotational acetabular osteotomy for dysplasia of the hip affects the outcome 2 to 5.5 years after surgery. Arthroscopy in 57 patients (59 joints) at the time of the operation showed grade-0 changes in seven, grade-1 in nine, grade-2 in 17, grade-3 in 14 and grade-4 in 12 joints, according to the classification of Outerbridge.

Evaluation of grip strength with a sustained maximal isometric contraction for 6 and 10 seconds.

The grip strength in which subjects sustained a maximal isometric contraction for 6 seconds (the 6-second test) was compared with that for 10 seconds (the 10-second test) to clarify a reliable sustained grip strength test procedure. Fifty healthy students (22+/-4 years, 25 men and 25 women) participated in this study. Strength was measured continuously by the Dexter (Cedaron Medical Inc.

Precise ulna-shortening osteotomy with a new device.

Ulna-shortening osteotomy has become a standard procedure for various ulnar-sided wrist disorders. A precise osteotomy, good coaptation of the osteotomy surfaces, and rigid internal fixation are mandatory to achieve good results from ulna-shortening osteotomy. Various techniques and devices have been introduced to assist in this difficult procedure.

Incidence of hepatitis virus infection and severe liver dysfunction in patients receiving chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies.

Hepatitis virus infection through virus reactivation has a high risk of mortality in patients with hematological malignancies receiving chemotherapy. We examined the incidence of both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and severe liver dysfunction (alanine aminotransferase >ten times the normal upper limit and total bilirubin >5 mg/dl) during chemotherapy in 268 patients with hematological malignancies. Eight patients (3.

Efficient ex vivo generation of dendritic cells from CD14+ blood monocytes in the presence of human serum albumin for use in clinical vaccine trials.

Dendritic cells (DC) with the potential to induce anti-tumour immunity represent one of the promising candidates for cancer vaccines. Efficiency of ex vivo DC generation depends on culture conditions, especially protein components in the plasma or serum used. Using human serum albumin (HSA), we devised a constant and reproducible culture method for DC generation from peripheral blood CD14+ cells.