Registry for Evaluating Healthy Life Expectancy and Long-Term Outcomes after Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation in the Very Elderly (REHEALTH AF) study: rationale and design of a prospective, multicentre, observational, comparative study.

Introduction: Data are lacking on the extent to which patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) who are aged ≥80 years benefit from ablation treatment. The question pertains especially to patients' postablation quality of life (QoL) and long-term clinical outcomes.

Methods And Analysis: We are initiating a prospective, registry-based, multicentre observational study that will include patients aged ≥80 years with non-valvular AF who choose to undergo treatment by catheter ablation and, for comparison, such patients who do not choose to undergo ablation (either according to their physician's advice or their own preference).

Compensatory relationship of mechanical energy in paretic limb during sit-to-stand motion of stroke survivors.

The sit-to-stand motion is a prerequisite for walking and is therefore frequently performed in daily life. Diseases such as stroke often make performing it challenging. Even the stroke survivors who can stand up, the number of sit-to-stand motions they perform each day is lower than that of healthy adults.

Association with sagittal alignment and osteoporosis-related fractures in outpatient women with osteoporosis.

Unlabelled: The baseline sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and pelvic tilt (PT) are independent risk factors of osteoporosis-related fractures in women with osteoporosis. We clarified the SVA and PT to predict the incidence of osteoporosis-related fractures.

Purpose: Sagittal alignment with osteoporosis women deteriorates with advancing age and sagittal alignment may indicate osteoporosis-related fractures in the future.

The effects of trunk endurance training on running kinematics and its variability in novice female runners.

The functional importance of trunk muscle strength for running movement is widely recognised, but the kinematic effects of undertaking specific training are unclear. This study investigated the change in joint angle and its variability during running following trunk muscle training. Eighteen young female and novice runners participated.

Association of height loss with falls and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older women.

Objectives: Height loss is associated with vertebral fracture risk and osteoporosis. We assumed that height loss may indicate the risk of falls because the presence of osteoporosis is significantly associated with sarcopenia development. We studied the association of height loss with falls and sarcopenia.

Analysis of Relationships between Spinal Deformity and Walking Ability in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine impacts on walking ability of spinal deformity and imbalance as distinct from movement disorders in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: Thirty-two patients (15 males, 17 females; mean age 72.5 years) were analyzed.

[A Case of Contralateral Oculomotor Nerve Palsy due to Internal Carotid Artery-Anterior Choroidal Artery Ruptured Aneurysm].

Sudden oculomotor palsy with severe headache is known to suggest a ruptured ipsilateral internal carotid artery aneurysm. We encountered a case of contralateral oculomotor nerve palsy due to internal carotid artery-anterior choroidal artery ruptured aneurysm. A 63-year-old woman presented with severe headache and sudden right oculomotor palsy.

[The Plasma (1→3)-β-D-glucan Assay, a Japanese Contribution to the Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Infection].

 In 1985, a (1→3)-β-D-glucan assay based on the discovery of a (1→3)-β-D-glucan-sensitive coagulation factor in the horseshoe crab amebocytes was developed in Japan, as a test aid in the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. After many clinical trials, it has now been incorporated in practice guidelines both in Japan and abroad for the diagnosis and management of invasive fungal infection, and is now available worldwide. In Japan, however, two commercial kits that differ widely in sensitivity to (1→3)-β-D-glucan are used; namely, the colorimetric and the turbidimetric assays.

Muscle synergies underlying sit-to-stand tasks in elderly people and their relationship with kinetic characteristics.

Background: Physiological evidence suggests that the nervous system controls motion by using a low-dimensional synergy organization for muscle activation. Because the muscle activation produces joint torques, kinetic changes accompanying aging can be related to changes in muscle synergies.

Objectives: We explored the effects of aging on muscle synergies underlying sit-to-stand tasks, and examined their relationships with kinetic characteristics.

[Validation of a New (1 → 3)-β-D-Glucan Test Kit, Fungitec G Test MKⅡ " Nissui "].

Using 415 residual blood samples subjected to (1→3) -β-D-glucan assay, we studied the correlation of measurement results between Fungitec G Test MKII "Nissui" (Nissui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo) and its predecessor, Fungitec G Test MK (Seikagaku Corporation, Tokyo), which is now out of production.

An accessory thyroid gland that presented tumor-like images.

A 26-year-old woman presented with right breast pain and itching. Incidentally, a firm, non-tender, movable mass (3 cm in diameter) located in the lower right part of the neck was identified by palpation. Ultrasonography revealed a clearly demarcated dumbbell-shaped mass with homogenous hypo- (cranial side) and hyper-echogenicity (caudal side) compared with the thyroid gland.

Comparison between endoscope-assisted partial mastectomy with filling of dead space using absorbable mesh and conventional conservative method on cosmetic outcome in patients with stage I or II breast cancer.

Background: Studies comparing cosmetic outcome between conventional conservative method (CCM) and endoscope-assisted partial mastectomy (EAPM) are scarce.

Patients And Methods: A total of 111 patients with stage I or II breast cancer who underwent CCM (n=51) or EAPM (n=60) were reviewed. Evaluation of cosmetic outcome consisted of a 3-level scoring method; breast retraction assessment (0-2), nipple deviation (0-2), atrophy (0-2), skin change (0-2), and scar (0-2).

A case of solitary intraductal papilloma of the breast coexisting with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

A 54-year-old woman was referred to this institution because of spontaneous bloody discharge from the nipple of her left breast in July 2003. Physical examination revealed no mass, but minimal pressure on the mammary gland exuded a bloody discharge from the nipple. No lymph node swelling was recognized in the axillary or subclavicular regions.