Delirium following total hip or knee arthroplasty: A retrospective, single-center study.

Background: Delirium is a postoperative complication that may occur in older patients. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of postoperative delirium and its risk factors in patients who had undergone total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Few reports have addressed the occurrence of delirium when different methods of pain control are used following total joint arthroplasty, and, therefore, whether its incidence varied depending on differences in pain control was investigated.

Testing combined effects of environmental trace metals/arsenic and marine trophic status on the bioaccumulation in Pacific oysters: Insights from 22-site field samplings.

Pacific oysters were sampled from 22 human-impacted sites in northeastern Japan to measure Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and As. The hazard quotient was slightly >1 for Cu and/or As at two sites, but <1 for all metal species and As at the other sites, indicating low human health risks. Oysters' Cu, Zn, and Pb contents were positively related to their concentrations in the sediment, while Cr and As were not.

Causes and Clinical Outcomes of Patellar Post Impingement.

Background: Patellar post impingement (PPI), which occurs when the post impinges on the patella, may reportedly cause poor total knee arthroplasty (TKA) outcomes. The causes of PPI and its effect on clinical outcomes and symptoms were investigated.

Material And Methods: The study subjects were 100 patients who underwent TKA (65 posterior stabilized TKA, 35 bi-cruciate stabilized [BCS] TKA).

Hepatic glycogenolysis is determined by maternal high-calorie diet via methylation of Pygl and it is modified by oteocalcin administration in mice.

Objective: Accumulating evidence indicates that an adverse perinatal environment contributes to a higher risk of metabolic disorders in the later life of the offspring. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Thus, we investigated the contribution of maternal high-calorie diet and osteocalcin to metabolic homeostasis in the offspring.

Long-term effect of immobilization in external rotation after first-time shoulder dislocation: an average 18-year follow-up.

Background: Immobilization in external rotation (ER) after a first-time shoulder dislocation was introduced to reduce the risk of recurrence compared with immobilization in internal rotation (IR), but its efficacy remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term effect of immobilization in ER after a first-time shoulder dislocation.

Methods: Between October 2000 and March 2004, 198 patients with a first-time anterior dislocation of the shoulder (average age 37) were randomly assigned to immobilization in ER (ER group = 104 shoulders) or IR (IR group = 94 shoulders) for 3 weeks.

Evaluation of anteroposterior accelerometric change after bi-cruciate stabilized total knee arthroplasty and posterior stabilized total knee arthroplasty.

Background: In conventional total knee arthroplasty (TKA), the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is resected. ACL dysfunction causes knee instability and is regarded as one factor in poor TKA outcomes. In bi-cruciate stabilized (BCS) TKA, the implant reproduces ACL function and provides anterior stability.

Pediatric spinal infection with epidural abscess: A report of two cases.

Background: Pediatric spinal infections are rare and often accompanied by abscesses. Delayed diagnosis commonly leads to a poor neurological prognosis, emphasizing the need for early diagnosis and treatment.

Case Description: We report on two cases of spinal infection; one in a 5-year-old boy with a T8-11 epidural abscess and one in a 10-year-old boy with an L5-S1 epidural abscess.

Falls from heights while clearing snow in Akita prefecture: Re-evaluation after preventive countermeasures and public service.

Background: This study was performed to re-examine the incidence of falls from heights while clearing snow in Akita prefecture after implementation of preventive countermeasures and a public service campaign.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of registration data from the section regarding prevention against natural disasters in the Akita prefectural office. The study population comprised all patients who fell from heights while clearing snow and were transported to the emergency department from December 2015 to March 2018.

Induction of bone repair in rat calvarial defects using a combination of hydroxyapatite with phosphatidylserine liposomes.

Phosphatidylserine (PS)-normally present on the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane-translocates to the outer leaflet at an early stage of apoptosis. PS-containing liposomes (PSLs) can mimic the effect of apoptotic cells in inducing the secretion of prostaglandin E from phagocytes and inhibiting the maturation of dendritic cells and osteoclast precursors. The present study attempted to evaluate the effect of calcium phosphate (in the form of hydroxyapatite [HAP]) in the presence or absence of PSLs for repair of rat calvarial bone defects.

Limaprost or Pregabalin: Preoperative and Postoperative Medication for Pain due to Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the incidence of (and risk factors for) postoperative pregabalin and/or limaprost to treat persistent numbness and/or pain of the lower extremities after lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) surgery.

Methods: Medical records of 329 patients (168 men, 161 women; average age 70 years) were retrospectively reviewed for data on the duration of LSS diagnosis; LSS disease; preoperative medication (limaprost, pregabalin, or combined limaprost/pregabalin; duration); symptoms; preoperative/postoperative intermittent claudication (IC); operation type; and postoperative medication and period.

Results: Limaprost, pregabalin, and combined limaprost/pregabalin were prescribed preoperatively for 43%, 7%, and 5% of patients, respectively.

The promotion of nephropathy by lipopolysaccharide via toll-like receptors.

Background: Recently, we reported that toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 localized on the glomerular endothelium in the glomeruli of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic mice and high fat diet feed-induced type 2 diabetic mice, and that periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS (Pg-LPS) administration lowered the survival rate of diabetic mice. The present study aims to examine the effect of TLR4 blocking on the suppression of Pg-LPS-induced diabetic nephropathy.

Methods: The survival rate and morphological/biochemical features for streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice with Pg-LPS and TLR4 blocker eritoran administration were investigated by reporter gene assay, urine and blood analysis, immunohistochemistry, and real time-PCR.

Morphological study of tooth development in podoplanin-deficient mice.

Podoplanin is a mucin-type highly O-glycosylated glycoprotein identified in several somatyic cells: podocytes, alveolar epithelial cells, lymphatic endothelial cells, lymph node stromal fibroblastic reticular cells, osteocytes, odontoblasts, mesothelial cells, glia cells, and others. It has been reported that podoplanin-RhoA interaction induces cytoskeleton relaxation and cell process stretching in fibroblastic cells and osteocytes, and that podoplanin plays a critical role in type I alveolar cell differentiation. It appears that podoplanin plays a number of different roles in contributing to cell functioning and growth by signaling.

Rapid species identification and epidemiological analysis of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. by a PCR-based open reading frame typing method.

The spread of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. has become a global problem. In this study, 18 carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (ACB) complexes, identified using a conventional biochemical method at our hospital during 2004-2013, were studied for species identification and epidemiological analyses.

Factors related to curved femur in elderly Japanese women.

Background: Multiple factors are involved in the development of atypical femoral fractures, and excessive curvature of the femur is thought to be one of them. However, the pathogenesis of femoral curvature is unknown. We evaluated the influence of factors related to bone metabolism and posture on the development of femoral curvature.

Expression of toll-like receptor 2 in glomerular endothelial cells and promotion of diabetic nephropathy by Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide.

The toll-like receptor (TLR) has been suggested as a candidate cause for diabetic nephropathy. Recently, we have reported the TLR4 expression in diabetic mouse glomerular endothelium. The study here investigates the effects of the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) which is a ligand for TLR2 and TLR4 in diabetic nephropathy.

Is protecting the healing ligament beneficial after immobilization in external rotation for an initial shoulder dislocation?

Background: Immobilization in external rotation is one of the treatment options for an initial dislocation of the shoulder. However, it remains unclear how long it takes for a Bankart lesion to heal.

Hypothesis: Protection of a healing Bankart lesion from stretching would promote the healing process and decrease the recurrence rate after an initial dislocation of the shoulder.

Inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase downregulates claudin-2 expression and alters paracellular permeability in mouse rectum CMT93-II cells.

The morphological and physiological properties of tight junctions (TJs) are determined by the combination and mixing ratios of claudin species. Mouse rectum carcinoma cell lines, CMT93-I and -II cells, expressed claudin-4, -6, -7, and -12, and CMT93-II cells further expressed claudin-2. Although there were no differences in the morphology and number of TJ strands between the two cell lines, transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) of CMT93-II cells was approximately one-seventh that of CMT93-I cells.

Latent transforming growth factor-β binding protein 2 negatively regulates coalescence of oxytalan fibers induced by stretching stress.

Oxytalan fibers are extracellular matrix components consisting of pure microfibrils. However, the mechanism whereby oxytalan fibers develop is not fully understood. We have previously reported that in human periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts subjected to stretching stress, bundles of oxytalan fibers coalesce under the control of fibulin-5.

Vertebral histomorphometry in a child with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Vertebral fractures are an under-recognized problem in children with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). They cause severe back pain and spinal column deformity with a decrease of quality of life. For evaluating the bone mass, bone mineral density measurements have been widely carried out using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Roles of collagen and periostin expression by cranial neural crest cells during soft palate development.

The tissue in the palatal region can be divided into the hard and the soft palates, each having a specialized function such as occlusion, speech, or swallowing. Therefore, an understanding of the mechanism of palatogenesis in relation to the function of each region is important. However, in comparison with the hard palate, there is still a lack of information about the mechanisms of soft palate development.

Characterization of the calcification process modeled in rat embryonic calvarial culture.

An organ culture system to model the physiological calcification process was designed using rat embryonic calvaria as a device for analyzing its mechanism. Standardized calvarial explants were dissected from rat embryos aged 18 and 20 days (E18 and E20) and cultured for 1, 3 and 5 days. The calcium content of the cultured explants was quantified by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

The effect of valproic Acid on mesenchymal pluripotent cell proliferation and differentiation in extracellular matrices.

Valproic acid (2-n-propylpentanoic acid, VPA) is a widely used antiepileptic and anticonvulsant drug. Previous studies have reported that VPA effects osteogenesis in vivo and in vitro, yet it remains unclear whether VPA promotes cell differentiation of osteoblasts derived from mesenchymal cells. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of VPA on undifferentiated pluripotent mesenchymal cell proliferation and differentiation into osteoblasts while analyzing the impact of the absence or presence of extracellular matrices (ECMs).