Publications by authors named "Koji Hara"

Background: Although arthroscopic Bankart repair for shoulder instability after a traumatic shoulder dislocation is a standard procedure, return-to-play rates for overhead-throwing athletes with shoulder instability on the throwing side have been reported to be lower than those in nonoverhead athletes or in nonthrowing shoulders. A recent technical report showed that the dynamic anterior glenohumeral capsular ligament tensioning (DAGHT) procedure in abducted external rotation, which mimics the late cocking phase of the throwing motion during surgery, may provide optimal tensioning of the anterior glenohumeral ligament. This study compared clinical outcomes and return-to-play after arthroscopic Bankart repair between DAGHT and a conventional procedure for overhead-throwing athletes with traumatic dislocation on the throwing side.

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Although the most common surgical treatment for traumatic anterior shoulder instability is arthroscopic Bankart repair (ABR), which has shown good postoperative results, a potential risk of postoperative external rotation deficit exists. For overhead-throwing athletes, recovery of postoperative range of motion during abduction and external rotation is essential to return to preinjury performance levels. We consider that the key to returning to play after ABR on the dominant side in overhead-throwing athletes is to simultaneously gain anterior stability and mobility of the shoulder.

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Article Synopsis
  • Focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (FSWT) was analyzed for its effectiveness in treating chronic calcific rotator cuff tendinitis, with a focus on factors influencing calcium resorption post-treatment.
  • In a study of 117 shoulders treated with FSWT over 16 weeks, results were categorized into complete resorption (CR) and incomplete resorption (ICR), revealing that the CR group had longer disease duration and more tenderness.
  • Key factors associated with successful calcium resorption included the presence of blood flow around calcium deposits, Gärtner classification type, and the length of time the condition had persisted, with specific odds ratios calculated for each factor.
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  • - The study aimed to identify challenges in measuring respiratory rates among healthcare workers and improve their behavior to enhance patient care by observing and implementing multi-nudges in a hospital setting.
  • - Results showed that initially low respiratory rate measurement rates increased significantly after introducing visual prompts, while barriers like time constraints and equipment issues were also identified.
  • - The findings suggest that applying behavioral science principles can effectively change healthcare practices, ultimately leading to more accurate patient evaluations and better healthcare quality.
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  • Many developed countries, including Japan, face declining birth rates, especially in urban areas like Yokohama, due to factors such as childcare policies, financial support, and community dynamics.
  • The HAMA study will survey 10,000 young married couples over five years to explore the factors influencing their planned family sizes and overall well-being.
  • The study has received ethical approval and aims to publish findings that could inform future policies to mitigate declining birth rates.
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The effectiveness of the tongue right positioner (TRP) use on oral and swallowing functions remains unclear. To investigate the effects of TRP use on tongue function in patients with dysphagia. This interventional study included eight participants with dysphagia who visited a university dental hospital.

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Objectives: Toinvestigate liver carcinogenesis and other causes of death by collecting clinical data, including the Fib-4 index, from patients with successfully eradicated hepatitis C virus (HCV) by direct-acting antivirals (DAA) treatment.

Methods: Patients ( n  = 690), who achieved a sustained virologic response (SVR) between 2014 and 2021, were identified and followed up for approximately 6.8 years; 71 incident hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases were identified.

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Background: In Japan's super-aging society, the number of long-term care service providers is increasing, and the quality of care is a matter of concern. One aspect of the quality of care is the user's quality of life. The questionnaires EQ-5D and WHO-5 are representative indicators of quality of life.

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Dysphagia causes aspiration symptoms and can trigger aspiration pneumonia, poor nutritional status, etc. To address these risks, it is important to properly evaluate dysphagia and link it with treatment and training. However, current dysphagia evaluation methods cannot assess a swallowing function equivalent to that in daily life, owing to the examination method and environment.

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Aim: Forward head posture, an abnormality in head and trunk positioning, adversely affects suprahyoid muscle activity. Jaw-opening force, which reflects suprahyoid muscle strength, is a useful index of dysphagia. However, the relationship between forward head posture and strength and morphology of suprahyoid muscles remains unclear.

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Purpose: Preventing falls in patients is one of the most important concerns in acute hospitals. Balance disorder and hypnotic drugs lead to falls. The Standing Test for Imbalance and Disequilibrium (SIDE) is developed for the evaluation of static standing balance ability.

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Tongue pressure (TP) is used to assess tongue muscle strength and is related to function and frailty. While performing TP, it is necessary to elevate the tongue and oral floor by contracting the suprahyoid muscles. However, the association between TP and suprahyoid muscle strength remains unclear.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of research, practice, social contribution, and education in social medicine and public health, which relate to the core mission of universities. Early-career researchers and professionals play an important role in these domains, but little is known about the challenges and issues they encountered or recognized during this pandemic. Therefore, we summarized the opinions of 37 participants (30 early-career researchers and seven senior researchers) on this issue from discussions at the Social Medicine Young Retreat, 2019, of the Japanese Medical Science Federation.

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Background: Verbascoside, a representative phenylethanoid glycoside, is widely distributed in plants and has various activities beneficial for human health. Although systemically administered verbascoside has an antinociceptive effect, little is known about the site and mechanism of its activity. The aim of the present study was to determine whether verbascoside attenuates neuropathic pain in the spinal cord and which pain regulatory systems are involved.

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Purpose: Osteoporosis combined with sarcopenia contributes to a high risk of falling, fracture, and even mortality. However, sarcopenia's impact on low back pain and quality of life (QOL) in patients with osteoporosis is still unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate low back pain and QOL in osteoporosis patients with sarcopenia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Jaw-opening force (JOF) may serve as a useful screening tool for dysphagia in older adults, but the impact of other health variables on this relationship has not been fully explored.
  • In a study involving over 400 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older, JOF measurements were taken and compared to dysphagia assessments using standardized tools.
  • The findings suggest that lower JOF is independently linked to the presence of dysphagia, highlighting it as a potential risk factor for swallowing difficulties in this age group.
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This retrospective study determined the significant predictive factors for the number of days required to remove nasogastric tubes (NGTs) after surgery in patients with oral cancer (OC). In this study, patients underwent a videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) approximately 2 weeks after surgery. Videofluoroscopic images were analyzed, and variables such as swallowing and swallowing kinematics were measured.

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Background: In clinical practice, many hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A4-B1 cannot receive the curative treatments of liver transplantation, resection, and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which are the recommended options according to liver cancer guidelines. Our aim is to study the feasibility of RFA and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) as a curative treatment for different multifocal HCCs in BCLC stage A4-B1 patients.

Methods: From September 2014 to August 2019, 39 multifocal HCC lesions (median diameter: 16.

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Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly designed jaw-retraction exercise for strengthening the geniohyoid muscle and thus improving the anterior movement of the hyoid bone during swallowing.

Background: Although previous studies suggest a relationship between anterior hyoid excursion and upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening, there are currently no reports of physical exercises without the use of special equipment that can effectively improve this movement of the hyoid bone during swallowing.

Materials And Methods: This before-after study included patients presenting to the authors' hospital with mild dysphagia (Level 5 on the Dysphagia Outcome and Severity Scale).

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Punicalagin, a natural polyphenolic compound classified as an ellagitannin, is a major ingredient of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.). Punicalagin has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

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Aims: Exercise is effective for the prevention of liver cancer. Exercise exerts biological effects through the regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) and cytokines/myokines. We aimed to investigate the effects of low-intensity resistance exercise on serum miRNA and cytokine/myokine expressions in subjects with no exercise habits.

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Background: The endocannabinoid system modulates a wide variety of pain conditions. Systemically administered AM404, an endocannabinoid reuptake inhibitor, exerts antinociceptive effects via activation of the endocannabinoid system. However, the mechanism and site of AM404 action are not fully understood.

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Oral direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment leads to >95% sustained virological response (SVR) and could be clinically useful in regression of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We evaluated if ledipasvir/sofosbuvir or sofosbuvir + ribavirin is associated with regression of fibrosis in HCV patients who achieved SVR.In this prospective cohort study performed at 3 sites in Japan, patients with genotype 1 and genotype 2 were given standard treatment of ledipasvir 90 mg/sofosbuvir 400 mg and sofosbuvir 400 mg + 200-1000 mg/day ribavirin, respectively, for 12 weeks.

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Background: Extragonadal germ cell tumor (EGCT) is a relatively rare condition, reportedly representing 3-7% of all germ cell tumors. We report a patient who had metachronous testicular tumor with uncommon metastases 20 years after primary retroperitoneal EGCT treatment, along with a corresponding literature review.

Case Presentation: A 49-year-old Japanese man visited our department in November 2017 with chief complaints of indolent right scrotum enlargement and a right inguinal mass.

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