Publications by authors named "Naohiro Tachibana"

Article Synopsis
  • Incidental dural tears (DTs) during cervical spine surgery are a serious concern, yet their effects on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) one year post-surgery are not well understood.
  • The study investigated patients who had elective cervical spine surgeries, examining pre- and postoperative PROs in relation to the occurrence of DTs, identifying complications and differences between patients with and without DTs.
  • Results showed that out of 2,704 patients, 3.6% had DTs, leading to higher rates of complications and more severe neck and pain outcomes in those affected compared to those without DTs.
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  • Cervical radiculopathy impacts finger movement and dexterity, and a study analyzed 359 patients who underwent surgery for this condition, comparing those with C8 radiculopathy to those with C5-7 radiculopathy.
  • The study found that while arm pain decreased significantly after surgery, patients with C8 radiculopathy experienced worse post-surgery neck disability index (NDI) scores and higher levels of upper back pain and numbness compared to the C5-7 group.
  • Overall, the findings suggest that despite relief from arm pain after surgery, C8 radiculopathy patients had a less favorable clinical outcome compared to those with C5-7 radiculopathy.
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Introduction: The association between postoperative patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient satisfaction remains poorly defined in patients undergoing surgery for thoracic myelopathy. This study aimed to investigate PROs and patient satisfaction following surgical intervention for thoracic myelopathy.

Methods: A prospective cohort of 133 patients who underwent surgery for thoracic myelopathy at 13 hospitals between April 2017 and August 2021 was enrolled.

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Background: Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, such as baricitinib, are widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Clinical studies show that baricitinib is more effective at reducing pain than other similar drugs. Here, we aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the pain relief conferred by baricitinib, using a mouse model of arthritis.

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Purpose: Adult spinal deformity (ASD) is associated with a combination of back and leg pain of various intensities. The objective of the present study was to investigate the diverse reaction of pain profiles following ASD surgery as well as post-operative patient satisfaction.

Methods: Multicenter surveillance collected data for patients ≥ 19 years old who underwent primary thoracolumbar fusion surgery at > 5 spinal levels for ASD.

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Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: With the aging of the Japanese population, patients with athetoid cerebral palsy (ACP) are getting older, and the rate of surgery for CSM is increasing in ACP patients. However, postoperative complications of such surgery among adult patients with ACP have not been reported yet.

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The Runt-related transcription factor (Runx) family plays various roles in the homeostasis of cartilage. Here, we examined the role of Runx2 and Runx3 for osteoarthritis development in vivo and in vitro. Runx3-knockout mice exhibited accelerated osteoarthritis following surgical induction, accompanied by decreased expression of lubricin and aggrecan.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ectopic endochondral ossification in tendons and ligaments results from repetitive stress or inflammation, and tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) play a role in tissue repair, with some expressing lubricin (PRG4).
  • Research identified a specific cluster of TSPCs that express R-spondin 2 (RSPO2), a WNT signaling activator, which helps maintain these cells in an undifferentiated state.
  • In experiments, RSPO2 overexpression reduced ectopic ossification in mouse models by inhibiting chondrogenic differentiation, and lower RSPO2 levels were found in patients with specific ligament ossification compared to those
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  • Researchers created a comprehensive single-cell atlas of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by analyzing data from over 70 samples and more than 130,000 cells, enhancing understanding of the tumor's complexity and environment.
  • The application of this atlas helped reanalyze existing bulk transcriptomic studies and revealed key relationships between different cell types, indicating that high levels of tumor cells and fibroblasts are linked to worse patient outcomes.
  • The study identified distinct tumor clusters and their interactions with various fibroblast subtypes, providing insights into the signaling pathways that contribute to the heterogeneity within PDAC and offering a valuable reference for future research.
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Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Preoperative mental state has been reported as one of the factors affecting the surgical outcomes of spine surgery, but few studies have examined in detail how patients' mental state is affected by spine surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) whether surgery improves preoperative depression and anxiety in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy.

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: The influence of changes in spinal alignment after total hip arthroplasty (THA) on improvement in lower back pain (LBP) remains controversial. To evaluate how changes in spinal malalignment correlate with improvement in preoperative LBP in patients who underwent THA for hip osteoarthritis. : From November 2015 to January 2017, 104 consecutive patients who underwent unilateral THA were prospectively registered.

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Background: Somatic stem cell transplantation has been performed for cartilage injury, but the reparative mechanisms are still conflicting. The chondrogenic potential of stem cells are thought as promising features for cartilage therapy; however, the correlation between their potential for chondrogenesis in vitro and in vivo remains undefined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the intrinsic chondrogenic condition depends on cell types and explore an indicator to select useful stem cells for cartilage regeneration.

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Lubricin encoded by the proteoglycan 4 (Prg4) gene is produced from superficial zone (SFZ) cells of articular cartilage and synoviocytes, which is indispensable for lubrication of joint surfaces. Loss-of-function of human and mouse Prg4 results in early-onset arthropathy accompanied by lost SFZ cells and hyperplastic synovium. Here, we focused on increases in the thickness of articular cartilage in Prg4-knockout joints and analyzed the underlying mechanisms.

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Interpretation of thoracic spine radiographs is difficult because they cannot clearly depict the vertebrae due to overlap with soft tissues. This study aimed to evaluate whether thoracic spine radiographs obtained using the energy subtraction method could improve the accuracy of a diagnosis of thoracic osteolytic lesions. The authors analyzed 300 thoracic vertebrae from 25 patients with multiple myeloma who underwent thoracic spine radiography.

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Purpose: Associated factors for and the natural course of sacroiliac (SI) joint degeneration in the normal population are unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine associated factors for and the progression rate of SI joint degeneration.

Methods: We enrolled 553 healthy middle-aged subjects who underwent the first and second comprehensive health screening at an interval of 5.

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Background: Intramedullary hyperintense lesions associated with spinal cord edema on T2-weighted MR images (T2WI) are rare findings in patients with cervical spondylosis and are poorly characterized. We investigated the clinical characteristics of spinal cord edema due to cervical spondylosis (SCECS).

Methods: In total, 214 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy who underwent surgery between April 2007 and March 2017 were divided into SCECS and non-SCECS groups with SCECS defined as follows: (1) intramedullary signal intensity (ISI) of the cervical spinal cord in sagittal T2WI extending to more than one vertebral body height; (2) "fuzzy" ISI, recognized as a faint intramedullary change with a largely indistinct and hazy border; and (3) a larger sagittal diameter of the spinal cord segment with ISI just above or below the cord compression area compared with areas of the cervical spine without ISI.

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CTLA4-Ig (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4-immunoglobulin; Abatacept) is a biologic drug for rheumatoid arthritis. CTLA4 binds to the CD80/86 complex of antigen-presenting cells and blocks the activation of T cells. Although previous reports showed that CTLA4-Ig directly inhibited osteoclast differentiation, the whole inhibitory mechanism of CTLA4-Ig for osteoclast differentiation is unclear.

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Hypoglossal nerve palsy (HNP) is a potential cause of dysphagia. A 66-year-old man presented to our hospital with dysphagia and neck pain. One year prior to his first visit, he had been diagnosed with upper cervical tuberculosis and had undergone posterior C1-2 fixation.

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Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the effects of dynamic stabilization with sublaminar taping (ST) on the upper segment adjacent to posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF).

Summary Of Background Data: Hybrid procedures such as dynamic stabilization for adjacent segment in addition to spinal fusion have been developed for reduction of the mechanical stress and prevention of adjacent segment pathology (ASP).

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