A Method for Preventing Aerosols During Dental Treatment With an Oroscope.

Dentists have a much higher risk of exposure to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) than other healthcare workers. The virus is transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets and close/direct contact. Aerosol propagation is also possible in the case of prolonged exposure to high concentrations in a relatively closed environment.

Jaw Manipulation Using Ultrasound-Guided Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block for Trismus in Temporomandibular Disorders.

Temporomandibular disorders are a group of disorders with symptoms that include pain and clicking sounds in the temporomandibular joint and restricted mouth opening. For the treatment of temporomandibular disorders with trismus, herein, we suggest a new approach: "jaw manipulation using the ultrasound-guided inferior alveolar nerve block technique." A woman in her 60s developed temporomandibular disorders and presented with severe trismus owing to pain in the temporomandibular joint.

A Novel Pain Relief Approach for the Treatment of Multiple Dental Caries and Pulpitis.

Anxiety and stress toward treatment can hamper treatment completion in patients with dental caries and pulpitis. Therefore, effective management of post-treatment pain is important because poor pain management can lead to patient dissatisfaction. Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks provide good postoperative analgesia in maxillofacial surgeries.

Is anterior decompression and fusion more beneficial than laminoplasty for K-line (+) cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament? An analysis using propensity score matching.

Objective: It is unclear whether anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ADF) or laminoplasty (LMP) results in better outcomes for patients with K-line-positive (+) cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). The purpose of the study is to compare surgical outcomes and complications of ADF versus LMP in patients with K-line (+) OPLL.

Methods: The study included 478 patients enrolled in the Japanese Multicenter Research Organization for Ossification of the Spinal Ligament and who underwent surgical treatment for cervical OPLL.

An NEFH founder mutation causes broad phenotypic spectrum in multiple Japanese families.

Background And Aims: Mutations in neurofilament genes have been linked to several neuromuscular disorders. The neurofilament heavy (NEFH) gene was identified as the causative gene of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2CC (CMT2CC) in 2016, with a toxic gain of function mechanism caused by the translation and aggregation of cryptic amyloidogenic element (CAE) in the 3' untranslated region (UTR). But the NEFH-related clinical and genetic spectrums are still unclear in Japan.

Comparison of laminoplasty and posterior fusion surgery for cervical ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament.

This prospective multicenter study, established by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and involving 27 institutions, aimed to compare postoperative outcomes between laminoplasty (LM) and posterior fusion (PF) for cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), in order to address the controversy surrounding the role of instrumented fusion in cases of posterior surgical decompression for OPLL. 478 patients were considered for participation in the study; from among them, 189 (137 and 52 patients with LM and PF, respectively) were included and evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, the JOA Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ), and radiographical measurements. Basic demographic and radiographical data were reviewed, and the propensity to choose a surgical procedure was calculated.

Elderly patients with suspected Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease should be tested for the TTR gene for effective treatments.

Background And Aims: Some hereditary transthyretin (ATTRv) amyloidosis patients are misdiagnosed as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) at onset. We assess the findings to identify ATTRv amyloidosis among patients with suspected CMT to screen transthyretin gene variants for treatments.

Methods: We assessed clinical, cerebrospinal fluid, and electrophysiological findings by comparing ATTRv amyloidosis patients with suspected CMT (n = 10) and CMT patients (n = 489).

Effect of Early vs Delayed Surgical Treatment on Motor Recovery in Incomplete Cervical Spinal Cord Injury With Preexisting Cervical Stenosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The optimal management for acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is unknown.

Objective: To determine whether early surgical decompression results in better motor recovery than delayed surgical treatment in patients with acute traumatic incomplete cervical SCI associated with preexisting canal stenosis but without bone injury.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter randomized clinical trial was conducted in 43 tertiary referral centers in Japan from December 2011 through November 2019.

Impact of Diabetes Mellitus on Cervical Spine Surgery for Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament.

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is commonly associated with diabetes mellitus (DM); however, the impact of DM on cervical spine surgery for OPLL remains unclear. This study was performed to evaluate the influence of diabetes DM on the outcomes following cervical spine surgery for OPLL. In total, 478 patients with cervical OPLL who underwent surgical treatment were prospectively recruited from April 2015 to July 2017.

Perioperative Complications in Posterior Surgeries for Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: A Prospective Nationwide Investigation.

Study Design: This was a prospective multicenter study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the perioperative complications of posterior surgeries for the treatment of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

Summary Of Background Data: Surgical treatment for cervical OPLL has a high risk of various complications.

Colorectal Cancer Patients Have Four Specific Bacterial Species in Oral and Gut Microbiota in Common-A Metagenomic Comparison with Healthy Subjects.

Oral microbiota is reportedly associated with gut microbiota and influences colorectal cancer (CRC) progression; however, the details remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the role of oral microbiota in CRC progression. Fifty-two patients with CRC and 51 healthy controls were included.

Development of Intravascular Large B-cell Lymphoma during Methotrexate Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

A 56-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who had been taking methotrexate (MTX) for six years visited our hospital with dyspnea and dizziness. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed mild splenomegaly. Laboratory examinations showed a marked elevation in soluble interleukin-2 receptor and lactate dehydrogenase levels.

The impact of diabetes mellitus on spinal fracture with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Patients with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) are susceptible to spinal column injuries with neurological deterioration. Previous studies indicated that the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with DISH was higher than that in patients without DISH. This study investigates the impact of DM on surgical outcomes for spinal fractures in patients with DISH.

Neurological improvement is associated with neck pain attenuation after surgery for cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Although favourable surgical outcomes for myelopathy caused by cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) have been reported, factors significantly associated with post-operative neck pain attenuation still remain unclear. The primary aim of the present study was to determine factors significantly associated with post-operative neck pain attenuation in patients with cervical OPLL using a prospective multi-centre registry of surgically treated cervical OPLL. Significant postoperative neck pain reduction (50% reduction of neck pain) was achieved in 31.

Factors Negatively Influencing Postoperative Improvement After Laminoplasty in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.

Study Design: This was a retrospective study of prospectively collected data.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to characterize a population of patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and a history of poor postoperative neurological recovery and to identify risk factors associated with poor neurological recovery after laminoplasty.

Summary Of Background Data: Kyphotic cervical alignment has been considered a relative contraindication to laminoplasty in recent years; hence, laminoplasty has been decreasingly performed for the treatment of DCM in patients with cervical kyphosis.

Machine Learning Approach in Predicting Clinically Significant Improvements After Surgery in Patients with Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Objective: This study aimed to create a prognostic model for surgical outcomes in patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) using machine learning (ML).

Summary Of Background Data: Determining surgical outcomes helps surgeons provide prognostic information to patients and manage their expectations.

Predictors for quality of life improvement after surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy: a prospective multi-center study.

Background: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) can significantly impair a patient's quality of life (QOL). In this study, we aimed to identify predictors associated with QOL improvement after surgery for DCM.

Methods: This study included 148 patients who underwent surgery for DCM.

Comparison of Surgical Outcomes After Open- and Double-Door Laminoplasties for Patients with Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

Study Design: A prospective multicenter study.

Objective: To evaluate and compare the surgical outcomes after open-door (OD) and double-door (DD) laminoplasties in subjects with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

Summary Of Background Data: Although previous studies compared clinical results after OD and DD laminoplasties, they were performed at a single institution with a relatively small sample size targeting mixed pathologies, including cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Severity of Myelopathy is Closely Associated With Advanced Age and Signal Intensity Change in Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: A Prospective Nationwide Investigation.

Study Design: Prospective, nationwide case series.

Objective: To identify preoperative factors associated with myelopathy and neurological impairment in patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

Summary Of Background Data: Various studies have reported clinical outcomes following the surgical treatment of OPLL.

Risk Factors for Mortality and Neurodevelopmental Impairment among Neonates Born at 22-23 Weeks' Gestation.

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the risk factors for mortality and neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) among infants of 22-23 weeks' gestational age, which currently remain unclear.

Methods: This retrospective case-control study included 104 infants delivered at 22-23 weeks' gestation at Kagoshima City Hospital from 2006 to 2015. We compared 65 and 34 cases of survival to discharge and postnatal in-hospital death (5 excluded), respectively, and 26 and 35 cases with and without NDI, respectively, using maternal, prenatal, and postnatal records.

Predictors associated with neurological recovery after anterior decompression with fusion for degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Background: Anterior decompression with fusion (ADF) has often been performed for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) in patients with poor cervical spine alignment and/or anterior cord compression. We aimed to identify clinical and radiological predictors associated with neurological recovery after ADF.

Methods: This post-hoc analysis from a prospective multicenter study included patients who were scheduled for ADF for DCM.

Clinical significance of circulating tumor cells in the response to trastuzumab for HER2-negative metastatic gastric cancer.

Purpose: The prognosis of metastatic gastric cancer has improved due to trastuzumab in patients with HER2 positive. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been examined as a prognostic predictor in gastric cancer. The clinical advantage of trastuzumab was examined in gastric cancer patients with HER2-negative tumor tissues and HER2-positive CTCs.

Predictors of Falls in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Prospective Multi-institutional Study.

Study Design: Prospective multicenter study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to characterize a population of patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) combined with a history of falling, and to identify the predictors associated with those falls.

Summary Of Background Data: Falls among patients with DCM are common and can lead to the worsening of neurological symptoms.