Focus movement distance per pulse dependence of electrical conductivity and diameter of diamond internal modification induced by picosecond laser.

Internal and local modifications via ultrashort pulsed laser illumination to diamond are promising for manufacturing diamond electronic devices. The relationship between the diameter/electrical conductivity of modified regions and the laser fluence distribution was investigated. Picosecond laser illumination without scanning the laser focus fabricated short modified regions in diamond.

Effect of Foot Orthosis Treatment on Quality of Life in Secondary Sarcopenia Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Foot Impairment.

Objectives: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related foot impairment have a high rate of sarcopenia. Treatment using a foot orthosis (FO) enables not only a reduction in pain while walking but also an increase in physical activity, helping to prevent further loss of muscle mass. However, the primary goal of treating RA is to maximize patients' long-term quality of life (QOL).

The Exocyst Is Required for CD36 Fatty Acid Translocase Trafficking and Free Fatty Acid Uptake in Skeletal Muscle Cells.

In obesity, chronic membrane-localization of CD36 free fatty acid (FFA) translocase, but not other FFA transporters, enhances FFA uptake and intracellular lipid accumulation. This ectopic lipid accumulation promotes insulin resistance by inhibiting insulin-induced GLUT4 glucose transporter trafficking and glucose uptake. GLUT4 and CD36 cell surface delivery is triggered by insulin- and contraction-induced signaling, which share conserved downstream effectors.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial skin and soft tissue infection in Hawai'i.

Background: Hawai'i has the highest nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung infection prevalence in the United States. Limited data regarding skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) due to NTM in Hawai'i exists. This study describes patient demographics, clinical courses of infection, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes of NTM SSTIs in Hawai'i.

Comprehensive assessment of alterations in hand deformities over 11 years in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using cluster analysis and analysis of covariance.

Background: Although drug therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has recently improved, treating patients with established disease, whose hands have three major deformities (thumb deformity, finger deformities, and ulnar drift), remains a challenge. The underlying complex pathophysiology makes understanding these deformities difficult, and comprehensive assessment methods require accumulated skill with long learning curves. We aimed to establish a simpler composite method to understand the pathophysiology of and alterations in the hand deformities of patients with RA.

Foot orthosis treatment improves physical activity but not muscle quantity in patients with concurrent rheumatoid arthritis and sarcopenia.

Objectives: Foot impairment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may exacerbate sarcopenia from physical inactivity because of foot pain while walking. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with RA-associated foot impairment, and whether treatment with a foot orthosis improved physical activity and muscle quantity.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with RA were diagnosed as sarcopenic or nonsarcopenic, and the prevalence of sarcopenia was determined.

A modified Terrono classification for Type 1 thumb deformity in rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional analysis.

The most common thumb deformity in rheumatoid arthritis is Nalebuff Type 1 deformity (boutonniere deformity). Type 1 deformity severely impairs hand function, and this impairment is evaluated by the Terrono classification. In some cases, the Terrono classification incorrectly categorizes advanced thumb deformity into earlier stages.

Degeneration of the Sacroiliac Joint in Hip Osteoarthritis Patients: A Three-Dimensional Image Analysis.

Objective: The sacroiliac joint is an important source of low back pain and may be influenced by pathologies in adjoining structures such as the hip or the spine. This study aimed to investigate the influence of hip osteoarthritis on sacroiliac joint degeneration by examining the sacroiliac joints of hip osteoarthritis patients, focusing on the localization and quantity of vacuum phenomena.

Materials And Methods: The preoperative computed tomography (CT) of 31 female hip replacement candidates (mean age 69.

Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Polynesian Male with a History of Rheumatic Fever: A Case Report and Literature Review.

The presence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has rarely been described in one patient. This report describes an adolescent Polynesian male with RHD who developed SLE years later. Initially, he fulfilled modified Jones criteria for rheumatic fever with aortic insufficiency, transient arthritis, elevated streptococcal titers, and a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate with a negative antinuclear antibody (ANA).

A new assessment tool for ulnar drift in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using pathophysiological parameters of the metacarpophalangeal joint.

Objectives: To establish a new assessment tool for ulnar drift (UD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We established an observational cohort of 67 patients (134 rheumatoid hands) beginning in 2004. Fifty-two patients (100 hands) had follow-up in 2009 and 37 patients (63 hands) completed follow-up in 2015.

Recurrence of deformity after silicone implant and resection arthroplasty of the metatarsophalangeal joint for rheumatoid arthritis: long-term results.

Objective: To examine the recurrence of deformity after silicone implant arthroplasty combined with resection arthroplasty for severe forefoot deformity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: We reviewed the long-term results of this procedure for 27 feet in 15 patients. Their average age and disease duration at the time of operation were 58.

Spontaneous flexor tendon rupture due to an insufficiency fracture of the hamate hook in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: A case report.

Introduction: Spontaneous flexor tendon rupture is usually caused by trauma, systemic diseases, or carpal bone and joint disorders. Here we report a case of spontaneous flexor tendon rupture occurring in a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patient following nonunion of the hamate hook after an insufficiency fracture, and which was also associated with tendon degeneration caused by SLE.

Case Presentation: A 57-year-old woman was diagnosed with SLE 22 years ago and being treated with oral prednisolone.

Prediction of radiographic progression in synovitis-positive joints on maximum intensity projection of magnetic resonance imaging in rheumatoid arthritis.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with maximum intensity projection (MRI-MIP) is an easy, useful imaging method to evaluate synovitis in rheumatoid hands. However, the prognosis of synovitis-positive joints on MRI-MIP has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between synovitis visualized by MRI-MIP and joint destruction on X-rays in rheumatoid hands.

Weight-bearing three-dimensional computed tomography analysis of the forefoot in patients with flatfoot deformity.

Background: The recent classifications for posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD) stage II are based on forefoot deformity, but there is still no consensus regarding a detailed explanation of the clinical condition. The purposes of this study were to clarify the clinical condition of flatfoot deformity using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) imaging under loading on both healthy and flat feet and to compare 3D movement of the forefoot in response to load.

Methods: Ten volunteers and 10 PTTD stage II patients with symptomatic flatfoot deformity were examined.

Joint space width of the tibiotalar joint in the healthy foot.

Background: It is important to evaluate dynamic changes in the joint space width of the ankle mortise in detail in order to better understand the pathology of foot and ankle disorders. However, there are few reports on changes in the joint space width of the foot and ankle assessed using 3D images. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in the joint space width of the ankle (tibiotalar joint) in association with dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the ankle joint in healthy feet.

Measurement of rehabilitation in thumb MP joint subluxation due to rheumatoid arthritis.

As treatment for subluxation due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), rehabilitation by hand therapy is one option, but the number of therapist is not sufficient. Therefore, a device for rehabilitation of thumb metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint subluxation has been developed. To improve the device, it is necessary to measure in close proximity to the actual rehabilitation.

Effect of therapeutic insoles on the medial longitudinal arch in patients with flatfoot deformity: a three-dimensional loading computed tomography study.

Background: Insoles are frequently used in orthotic therapy as the standard conservative treatment for symptomatic flatfoot deformity to rebuild the arch and stabilize the foot. However, the effectiveness of therapeutic insoles remains unclear. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of therapeutic insoles for flatfoot deformity using subject-based three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) models by evaluating the load responses of the bones in the medial longitudinal arch in vivo in 3D.

Spontaneous flexor tendon rupture in systemic lupus erythematosus: A case report.

Spontaneous flexor tendon rupture is an unusual complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and has not previously been reported. While tendon ruptures in association with SLE have been focused on the previous studies, upper extremity tendon ruptures are infrequently reported in the literature. Here, we present an uncommon case of spontaneous flexor tendon rupture of the ring and little fingers in a patient with SLE and discuss the mechanism of injury and its surgical treatment.

Maximum intensity projection with magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating synovitis of the hand in rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with clinical and ultrasound findings.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with maximum intensity projection (MIP) is used to evaluate the hand in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MIP yields clear visualization of synovitis over the entirety of the bilateral hands with a single image. In this study, we assessed synovitis with MIP images, clinical findings, and power Doppler (PD) findings to examine the clinical usefulness of MIP images for RA in the hand.

How do anti-TNF therapies affect gait function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents on gait function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Nine subjects with RA who were being treated with anti-TNF agents, participated in this study. A motion capture system was utilized, and data from the force plate and captured three dimensional motions were analyzed.

Giant amino acids designed on the polysaccharide scaffold and their protein-like structural interconversion.

Amphoteric β-1,3-glucans possessing both amino groups and carboxylic acid groups on the C6 positions of glucose units were designed and synthesized from naturally produced curdlan. The amphoteric polysaccharides showed the isoelectric point and the pH responsive interconversion between the original triple helix and single-stranded random structures. Since the pH dependences are comparable to the typical properties of proteins, the polysaccharides can be considered as a new class of giant amino acids.

Rheumatoid arthritis of the hand: a five-year longitudinal analysis of clinical and radiographic findings.

Objectives: Treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have improved since methotrexate and biological agents were approved; however, few longitudinal analyses have tracked joint destruction, deformity progression, or functional impairments that directly affect the activities of daily living. Due to the consequences of functional impairments, we conducted this study to glean more information regarding deformity progression over time.

Methods: This study enrolled 134 hands in 67 RA patients with hand deformities in 2004.

An isothermal absorptiometric assay for viable microbes using the redox color indicator 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol.

A simple and rapid isothermal absorptiometric assay for detection of viable microbes using the redox color indicator 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) was studied. The absorbance of DCPIP decreased at 600 nm because of a redox reaction occurring between DCPIP and the surface membrane of viable microbes and was inversely proportional to the viable cell density. The redox reaction was found not only with bacteria, but also with yeast and a mixture of bacteria and yeast.

Load response of the medial longitudinal arch in patients with flatfoot deformity: in vivo 3D study.

Background: The acquisition of flatfoot by an adult is thought to primarily be caused by posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, although some other causes, such as congenital flexible flatfoot or an accessory navicular, may also be responsible. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bone rotation of each joint in the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) and compare the response in healthy feet with that in flat feet by analyzing the reconstructive three-dimensional (3D) CT image data during weightbearing.

Methods: CT scans of 20 healthy feet and 24 feet with flatfoot deformity were taken in non-load condition followed by full-body weightbearing condition.