The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Aug 2020
Clinical TrialPreoperative In-Hospital Rehabilitation Improves Physical Function in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer Scheduled for Surgery.
Low preoperative physical function in cancer patients is associated with postoperative complications; however, there have been no reports on the benefits of in-hospital preoperative rehabilitation on preoperative physical function in patients with pancreatic cancer. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantitatively determine the effects of preoperative in-hospital rehabilitation provided under the supervision of a physiotherapist, on preoperative physical function in patients with pancreatic cancer. The study subjects were 26 patients (15 males, 11 females; age 71.2 ± 8.5 years, range: 51-87 years), including four patients with preoperative chemotherapy, scheduled for surgery for pancreatic cancer. ⋯ No wound infection, delirium, deep vein thrombosis, or respiratory complications were encountered postoperatively. In-hospital preoperative rehabilitation under the supervision of a physiotherapist significantly improved physical function and maintained physical activity in patients with pancreatic cancer. Such improvements may contribute toward preventing serious postoperative complications, resulting in better outcomes.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Aug 2020
ReviewThe Roles of MicroRNAs and Extracellular Vesicles in the Pathogeneses of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
The lungs are the organs that work for gas exchange. The basic structure of the lungs is an alveolus, which consists of various types of parenchymal cells and bone marrow-derived cells. Therefore, because the lungs consist of various types of cells with various functions, communication among the different types of the cells should play important roles for the homeostasis and response to disease pathogens. ⋯ MicroRNAs and extracellular vesicles are therefore attracting increasing attention from both translational and clinical researchers because these emerging intercellular communication tools seem to be useful for further understanding of the disease pathogenesis as well as the biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of the diseases including cancer and inflammatory diseases. This review article is an attempt to review studies about microRNAs and extracellular vesicles in terms of their roles in normal conditions and refractory diseases of the lungs such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and acute respiratory distress syndrome including our recent study about pulmonary microvascular endothelial microparticles particles as the biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome. This review also addresses the possibility of microRNAs and extracellular vesicles as new clinical tools for the diagnosis or treatment for these refractory respiratory diseases.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Aug 2020
Comparative StudyLow Back Pain in School-Aged Martial Arts Athletes in Japan: A Comparison among Judo, Kendo, and Karate.
Martial arts, such as judo, kendo, and karate, are popular worldwide, not only among adults but also among children and adolescents. Although low back pain (LBP) is considered to be a common problem in these sports, it has been scarcely studied, especially in young athletes. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the point prevalence of and factors related to LBP among school-aged athletes in judo, kendo, and karate. ⋯ Older age was significantly associated with LBP in judo (adjusted OR, 2.12 [95% CI, 1.24-3.61]), kendo (1.77 [1.27-2.47]), and karate (2.22 [1.14-4.33]). Lower extremity pain was significantly associated with LBP in judo (6.56 [1.57-27.34]) and kendo (21.66 [6.96-67.41]). Coaches should understand the characteristics of LBP in each martial art to develop strategies to prevent LBP among school-aged martial arts athletes.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Aug 2020
ReviewCoronavirus Disease 2019: Hematological Anomalies and Antithrombotic Therapy.
After the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, the disease quickly become a pandemic that has seriously affected the economic and health systems in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Although most patients have mild symptoms or are even asymptomatic, there are patients who can develop serious complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome or venous thromboembolism requiring mechanical ventilation and intensive care. Hence, it is important to identify patients with a higher risk of complications in a timely manner. ⋯ Retrospective studies have identified alterations in various hematological and inflammatory parameters as part of the host's response to infection and a secondary increased risk of different thrombotic events. Among these altered parameters, D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 have been tested as prognostic biomarkers due to their close relationship with the severity of the disease. Actually, they can reliably indicate the use of antithrombotic therapy at prophylactic or therapeutic doses (mainly D-dimer), as has already been established in those patients who, after an individualized assessment, appear to be at high risk for thrombotic events.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Aug 2020
Case ReportsSalmonella Osteomyelitis of the Rib Mimicking a Mammary Tumor: A Case Report.
Salmonella infection predominantly causes four clinical syndromes: enteric fever, gastroenteritis, bacteremia, and asymptomatic carrier state. Salmonella osteomyelitis is an extremely rare manifestation of salmonella infection except in children with hemoglobinopathies. Salmonella osteomyelitis has been reported to mostly affect the diaphysis of long bones and lumbar spine. ⋯ Importantly, there was no evidence for any underlying disease that could lead to an immunocompromised status of the patient. To our knowledge, this is the first report of salmonella osteomyelitis of the rib presenting in an older female that required differentiation from a mammary tumor. Clinicians should consider rib osteomyelitis when they find swelling and local heat in the female's breast tissue and detect no cancerous tissue.