Publications by authors named "Takashi Kaito"

Article Synopsis
  • * Out of 451 patients over 65 years with cervical fractures, 69% had mid-cervical injuries while 31% had lower-cervical injuries, with lower-cervical injuries being linked to more high-energy trauma cases.
  • * Although lower-cervical injuries resulted in fewer muscle weaknesses compared to mid-cervical injuries, many patients still experienced neurological deficits and similar overall complication rates after treatment, such as respiratory issues but no significant differences in mortality or mobility outcomes.
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Introduction: Preoperative estimations of blood loss are important when planning surgery for cervical spine injuries in older adults. The association between ankylosis and blood loss in perioperative management is of particular interest. This multicenter database review aimed to evaluate the impact of ankylosis on surgical blood loss volume in elderly patients with cervical spine injury.

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  • The study examines how the preoperative Spine Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS) relates to surgical decisions and patient outcomes in spinal metastases patients.
  • The research involved 317 patients and assessed various factors like surgery type, existing conditions, and postoperative health indicators over 6 months.
  • Findings revealed that SINS did not correlate with life expectancy, all patient-reported outcomes improved post-surgery, and surgical approach (especially fusion vs. non-fusion) didn't significantly impact these outcomes.
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Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) is clinically applied for treating intractable fractures and promoting spinal fusion because of its osteogenic potency. However, adverse effects following the release of supraphysiological doses of BMP2 from collagen carriers are widely reported. Nanoclay gel (NC) is attracting attention as a biomaterial, given the potential for localized efficacy of administered agents.

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  • This study analyzed 389 patients aged 65 and older with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) but no bone injury to assess the effects of diabetes on neurological recovery.
  • The research found that there were no significant differences in neurological outcomes between diabetic patients and those without diabetes at 6 months post-injury.
  • Additionally, moderate-severe diabetes did not adversely impact recovery, suggesting that diabetic patients had similar improvements in neurological function as their nondiabetic counterparts.
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Study Design: Prospective multicenter study.

Objectives: Palliative surgery is crucial for maintaining the quality of life (QOL) in patients with spinal metastases. This study aimed to compare the short-term outcomes of QOL after palliative surgery between patients with metastatic spinal tumors at different segments.

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Background: Nonunion following fracture treatment remains a significant clinical challenge, adversely affecting the patient's quality of life and imposing a substantial economic burden. The emergence of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) for bone regeneration represents a promising avenue, albeit limited by side effects such as inflammatory reactions primarily due to suboptimal drug delivery systems. This study focuses on NOVOSIS putty (NP), a novel biomaterial designed for the sustained release of BMP-2, aiming to mitigate these limitations and enhance bone healing.

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  • This study compared the effectiveness of two surgical procedures, anterior spinal fusion (ASF) and posterior cervical foraminotomy (PCF), in helping patients recover motor function after surgery for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR).
  • A total of 227 patients were evaluated, with 106 focusing specifically on those with upper-limb motor deficits, and their recovery was monitored for at least 12 months post-surgery.
  • Results indicated that while the overall recovery rates were similar (74% for ASF and 86% for PCF), the PCF group recovered motor function significantly faster at 3, 6, and 12 months compared to the ASF group, suggesting PCF may be the better option for quicker recovery
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  • Dysphagia, a serious swallowing disorder, affects older adults post-spinal cord injury, particularly those with cervical injuries, though its risk factors are not well understood.
  • A study involving 707 patients aged 65 and older identified male sex, low nutritional status (GNRI <92), dementia, fractures, complete paralysis, anterior surgery, and tracheostomy as significant risk factors for dysphagia.
  • The findings suggest that a low geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a key indicator of dysphagia risk, implying that nutritional health is critical for recovery in elderly patients with cervical spinal injuries.
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  • * Studies show that the loss of the Men1 protein in osteoblasts leads to structural bone changes similar to those observed in osteoporosis patients, characterized by decreased bone-forming and increased bone-resorbing activities.
  • * The research suggests that loss of Men1 triggers cellular senescence via mTORC1 activation and AMPK suppression, with potential treatment benefits from metformin, indicating a new avenue for therapeutic strategies against age-related osteoporosis.
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  • A study was conducted to explore the link between obesity and the progression of OPLL (heterotopic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine) in Asian patients, focusing on how fat-related biochemical signals, or adipokines, might impact this condition.
  • Researchers compared adipokine levels, including leptin and adiponectin, between patients with different degrees of OPLL severity and healthy controls to see if these factors correlate with disease progression.
  • Findings revealed that patients with more severe OPLL had a higher BMI, lower adiponectin/leptin ratios, and elevated osteocalcin, suggesting a potential relationship between obesity, adipokine dysregulation, and the severity of OPLL.*
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The resting zone (RZ) in mammalian growth plates is critical for maintaining and regulating chondrocyte turnover during longitudinal bone growth as a control tower and stem cell reservoir. Although recent lineage tracing studies have identified several markers for stem cells in the RZ, these markers only partially label chondrocytes in the RZ, suggesting that the resting chondrocytes (RCs) are a heterogeneous population with different types of stem cells. Since a comprehensive marker for RCs is still lacking, the RZ is generally determined based on ambiguous histological criteria, such as small and round chondrocytes without columnar formation, which may lead to inconsistencies among researchers.

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  • The study investigated the postoperative outcomes for patients with spinal metastases from prostate cancer, focusing on improvements in their quality of life and other patient-oriented assessments.
  • Conducted across 35 centers, the research assessed 413 patients, with 41 specifically having prostate cancer, and followed them for at least a year following surgery using various evaluation methods.
  • Results showed significant improvements in neurological function, quality of life, and patient motivation post-surgery, indicating that surgical intervention is beneficial for these patients.
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Study Design: A retrospective analysis.

Objective: This research sought to develop a predictive model for surgical outcomes in patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) using deep learning and machine learning (ML) techniques.

Summary Of Background Data: Determining surgical outcomes assists surgeons in communicating prognosis to patients and setting their expectations.

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Background: Although pelvic obliquity (PO) is a risk factor for postoperative coronal decompensation in corrective surgery in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), especially Lenke 5C, methods of measuring PO are controversial. This study aimed to establish an appropriate measurement method using multiplanar reconstructed computed tomography (MPR-CT) images instead of standing posteroanterior (PA) whole-spine radiographs to evaluate PO in patients with Lenke 5C AIS.

Methods: This study was a retrospective cross-sectional study.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to determine minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for patients undergoing surgery for spinal metastases to improve patient care by linking quality of life assessments with clinical outcomes.
  • A total of 171 patients were evaluated pre- and post-surgery using various scales, leading to the identification of specific MCID values for different quality of life aspects based on their treatment outcomes.
  • The study successfully established both anchor-based and distribution-based MCIDs for surgical interventions, which can help in assessing patient progress and overall treatment effectiveness.
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  • In Japan, the Act on Safety of Regenerative Medicine controls the use of unapproved regenerative medicine products, while other countries may sell these products without such regulations.
  • Research indicated that platelet-rich plasma was a frequently used unapproved treatment, primarily targeting knee issues.
  • The average cost for these unapproved orthopedic regenerative medicine treatments was around $2,490.
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  • This study examined how malnutrition affects older patients (65+) with cervical spinal cord injuries and their outcomes after treatment.
  • Among 789 patients, 6% had major nutritional risks at the start, which impacted their survival and recovery.
  • Results showed that those with major nutritional risks had a significantly higher death rate, shorter lifespan, less neurological improvement, and greater difficulty with daily activities a year after their injury compared to matched controls.
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Background: Health-related patient-reported outcomes (HR-PROs) are crucial for assessing the quality of life among individuals experiencing low back pain. However, manual data entry from paper forms, while convenient for patients, imposes a considerable tallying burden on collectors. In this study, we developed a deep learning (DL) model capable of automatically reading these paper forms.

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Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To define the prognosis and predictive factors for neurological improvement in older patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) of American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grade C (AIS-C).

Settings: Multi-institutions in Japan.

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Study Design: Retrospective multicenter study.

Objectives: The effectiveness of early surgery for cervical spinal injury (CSI) has been demonstrated. However, whether early surgery improves outcomes in the elderly remains unclear.

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Adult spinal deformity (ASD) is a complex condition that combines scoliosis, kyphosis, pain, and postoperative range of motion limitation. The lack of a scale that can successfully capture this complex condition is a clinical challenge. We aimed to develop a disease-specific scale for ASD.

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Study Design: A retrospective cohort study using prospectively collected data.

Objective: This study primarily aimed to investigate the risk factors for surgery-related complications in primary thoracic spine surgery for degenerative diseases using a surgeon-maintained database. The secondary purpose was to elucidate the characteristics of surgically treated thoracic myelopathy that also required cervical and/or lumbar spine surgery in the study period.

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Background: Cervicobrachial pain frequently affects the quality of life (QOL) of the general public and has a significant economic impact on the health care systems of various countries. There are a number of treatment options for this disease, including widely-used drug therapy, but the effectiveness of each option is indeterminate, and there have been no published cost-effectiveness analysis studies so far. This prospective observational study aimed to examine the cost-effectiveness of drug treatment for cervicobrachial symptoms.

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Background Context: Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have potent osteoinductivity and have been applied clinically for challenging musculoskeletal conditions. However, the supraphysiological doses of BMPs used in clinical settings cause various side effects that prevent widespread use, and therefore the BMP dosage needs to be reduced.

Purpose: To address this problem, we synthesized 7C, a retinoic acid receptor γ antagonist-loaded nanoparticle (NP), and investigated its potential application in BMP-based bone regeneration therapy using a rat spinal fusion model.

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