Analysis of factors related to patient satisfaction in adult spinal deformity with a minimum follow-up of 5 years.

Objective: Numerous studies have reported that corrective surgery improves postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD), and postoperative HRQOL is maintained over 5-year follow-up. However, few studies have investigated factors associated with mid-term patient satisfaction. This study aimed to examine the factors contributing to 5-year patient satisfaction in patients with ASD following corrective surgery.

Do different pathologies of adult spinal deformity (idiopathic lumbar scoliosis against de novo lumbar scoliosis) affect preoperative and postoperative selfimage?

Study Design: Retrospective single-center study.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the factors associated with the self-image domain of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 revised (SRS-22r) in patients who underwent corrective surgery for adult idiopathic scoliosis (AdIS).

Overview Of Literature: Adult spinal deformity (ASD) can be classified into AdIS and de novo scoliosis.

Impact of Incident Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures on 5-Year Postoperative Outcomes and Spinal Alignment Following Lumbar Fusion Surgery.

Introduction: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) are a significant problem among older patients who are undergoing spine surgery. This study examined the influence of incident OVFs on clinical outcomes and spinal alignment 5 years following short-segment fusion (SSF) for lumbar spinal stenosis.

Methods: We studied 88 patients who underwent SSF (≤2-disc level) for lumbar spinal stenosis with instability and were followed up for more than 5 years postoperatively.

Previously unreported X-ray findings associated with distal toe pain in children.

While children undergo skeletal maturation, it is difficult to distinguish between normal variants and abnormalities of the epiphysis and acrophysis on radiological images. Abnormalities in the epiphysis and acrophysis of the toe phalanx have not been reported yet. Here, we describe a series of abnormalities in the epiphysis and acrophysis of the fourth and fifth toe phalanges, including an investigation of their pathogenesis.

Associations of occupation, employment type and company size with actions related to health examinations among Japanese employees.

Taking action in response to health examination results is important to stay healthy. We aimed to investigate the associations between occupation, employment type and company size, and having a health examination and taking action in response to the results among Japanese employees. We focused on three particular actions by employees in response to health examination results: paying attention to one's health, receiving health guidance, and visiting a medical institution.

Recovery of atrophic parotid glands in rats fed a liquid diet by switching to a pellet diet.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to clarify how parotid glands, made atrophic by a liquid diet, recover after diet change.

Design: Seven-week-old male Wistar rats were fed a pellet (control group) or a liquid diet (experimental group) for the first 14 days. Thereafter, all animals were fed a pellet diet for up to 14 days (days 0-14).

Acinar cell response to liquid diet during rats' growth period differs in submandibular and sublingual glands from that in parotid glands.

Continuously feeding a liquid diet to growing rodents strongly inhibits parotid gland growth, due to suppressed growth of acinar cells. This study investigated whether a liquid diet had a similar effect on submandibular and sublingual glands of growing rats. Rats were weaned on day 21 after birth and then fed a pellet diet in the control group and a liquid diet in the experimental group for 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks.

Different risk factors for vascular calcification in end-stage renal disease between diabetics and nondiabetics: the respective importance of glycemic and phosphate control.

Vascular calcification is highly prevalent in dialysis patients, and significantly increases cardiovascular mortality. The presence and progression of vascular calcification is significantly associated with chronic inflammation and malnutrition. Disorders of mineral metabolism, particularly hyperphosphatemia, have been emphasized as risk factors for vascular calcification.

Urinary albumin excretion associated with arterial wall stiffness rather than thickness in type 2 diabetic patients.

Background: A close relationship has been reported between microalbuminuria and atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to determine which of the 2 aspects of atherosclerosis, arterial thickening or stiffness, has more effect on levels of microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients.

Methods: Twenty-four-hour urine samples of 167 Japanese type 2 diabetic patients (aged 58 +/- 12 years) without overt proteinuria were collected for quantitative analysis of urinary albumin excretion (UAE).

Significant improvement from chronic beryllium disease following corticosteroid pulse therapy.

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a rare disease characterized by diffuse interstitial pulmonary granulomatosis. We report a case of CBD which exhibited marked improvement both subjectively and objectively following pulse therapy. The patient was a 36-year-old man whose chief complaint was dyspnea and a dry cough.

Aortic calcification in haemodialysis patients with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Certain metabolic disorders, such as hyperphosphatemia induce vascular calcification in haemodialysis patients; it is unclear, however, whether these disorders contribute to aortic calcification in diabetic haemodialysis patients. This study examined the risk factors of aortic calcification in a large number of haemodialysis patients, and compared risk factors between diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Methods: The subjects were 667 patients on maintenance haemodialysis: 184 with type 2 diabetes and 483 without.

Cross-sectional association of serum phosphate with carotid intima-medial thickness in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Although an increased serum phosphate concentration is a significant risk factor for vascular calcification, it is unclear whether serum phosphate level is a risk factor for increased arterial wall thickness in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: Using B-mode ultrasonography, we examined intima-medial thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery of hemodialysis patients and analyzed risk factors for increased IMT with regard to the effect of serum phosphate. Seven hundred sixteen hemodialysis patients were enrolled (547 patients without diabetes, 169 patients with diabetes; 441 men, 275 women; age, 60 +/- 8.

Matrix Gla protein is associated with coronary artery calcification as assessed by electron-beam computed tomography.

Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is an extracellular matrix protein with wide tissue distribution. It has been demonstrated that the expression of MGP is detected not only in the normal blood vessels but also calcified atherosclerotic plaques, and that MGP deficient mice develop extensive arterial calcification. MGP is thought to be a regulator of vascular calcification.

Infected urachal cyst ruptured during medical palliation.

Since most cases of urachal cyst are asymptomatic, they are frequently detected after complication by infection. Ruptured urachal cysts are frequently detected after complication by severe infections such as sepsis. We report on a 31-year-old man who was diagnosed preoperatively as having an infected urachal cyst and the decision was made to follow the patient because primary excision was scheduled to be performed a few days later.

Intrarenal hemodynamic changes after captopril test in patients with type 2 diabetes: a duplex Doppler sonography study.

Objective: ACE inhibitors are known to be effective in preventing the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is reported to contribute to intrarenal hemodynamic abnormality in diabetic patients. We examined whether RAS blockade by captopril induces intrarenal hemodynamic changes in normotensive patients with type 2 diabetes.

Smoking and proteinuria impair vasodilatory response of intrarenal arteries to nitroglycerine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Few studies have addressed the effect of vasodilatory stimuli on the intrarenal arterial system in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and factors affecting its responsiveness.

Methods: One hundred twenty-four patients with type 2 DM without renal failure were enrolled, and 25 subjects served as controls. Using duplex Doppler sonography, resistive indices (RI) of interlobar arteries were measured before and after sublingual nitroglycerine (NTG) (0.

Renal insufficiency accelerates atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is a strong risk factor for the progression of atherosclerosis. In patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis, advanced atherosclerosis is reported to be present. We examined how renal insufficiency affects intima-medial thickness (IMT) of the carotid and femoral arteries in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Mönckeberg's medial sclerosis and inorganic phosphate in uremia.

Mönckeberg's medial sclerosis (MMS) is one of the characteristic calcified lesions of uremic artery disease and often exhibits osseous metaplasia. Although its pathogenic mechanism is largely unknown, MMS may contain two different pathologic processes: degenerative process leading to apoptosis or necrosis of medial smooth muscle cells and osteogenic process leading to formation of bone-like structures. It has long been known that calcification follows necrosis.

Relations between ACE gene and ecNOS gene polymorphisms and resistive index in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy.

Objective: ACE and endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) genotypes have been reported to be related to the incidence of renal diseases and coronary artery diseases. In order to assess the effect of the gene polymorphism of both ACE and ecNOS on renal hemodynamic abnormality, we examined 155 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes with various stages of nephropathy.

Research Design And Methods: The patients ranged in age from 40 to 72 years (92 men and 63 women).

Femoral artery wall thickness and stiffness in evaluation of peripheral vascular disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Stiffening and thickening of arterial wall are two important components of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of femoral artery wall stiffness on clinical manifestation of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The subjects were 315 patients with type 2 diabetes.