The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Feb 2005
Review Case ReportsGorham disease of the spine: a case report and treatment strategies for this enigmatic bone disease.
Gorham disease is an extremely rare condition of unknown etiology characterized by progressive osteolysis. Only 28 cases of its spinal involvement have been reported, and some of those cases showed kyphosis, kyphoscoliosis, subluxation or dislocation. ⋯ In situ posterior fusion with a hook and rod system and iliac bone grafts were performed, but after surgery, he had complete paraplegia and its cause was uncertain. Based on the unfortunate consequence of the present case and the review of the literature, we propose the treatment strategies for spinal Gorham disease.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Feb 2005
Serum cardiac troponin T levels as an indicator of myocardial injury in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients.
Many studies in the literature have clearly shown the increase in creatine kinase-myocardial subfraction (CK-MB) levels and changes in electrocardiography (ECG) after stroke. However, the studies on cardiac troponin T (cTnT) which is more sensitive and specific to myocardium after stroke are relatively scarce. Moreover, its associations with volume of stroke lesions and type of stroke have not been investigated thoroughly. ⋯ Serum levels of both CK-MB and cTnT were higher in patients with hemorrhagic stroke than those with ischemic stroke but this difference was not significant (p > 0.05). As a conclusion, cTnT has a higher specificity and sensitivity in detecting myocardial injury after stroke of both ischemic and hemorrhagic origins. Measurement of the serum levels of cTnT is of clinical importance in evaluating myocardial injury and provides a useful aid in estimating the volume of stroke lesions.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Jan 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialSuprascapular nerve block versus steroid injection for non-specific shoulder pain.
Shoulder pain is a common complaint in elder population and may cause an important functional disability. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of suprascapular nerve block with those of steroid injection in patients with non-specific shoulder pain. A total of 60 patients with shoulder pain lasting for more than four weeks were included in this study. ⋯ No method was found to be superior to each other (p >0.05). No complications occurred in suprascapular nerve block in contrary to steroid injection. We suggest that suprascapular nerve block can be considered the preferred treatment for non-specific shoulder pain because of being as effective as steroid injection with rare side effects.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Jan 2005
The effect of hormone replacement therapy on oxidized low density lipoprotein levels and paraoxonase activity in postmenopausal women.
Oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) are involved in initiation of atherosclerosis. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1), the isoenzyme of PON, is located on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and protects against the oxidative modification of both HDL and LDL by hydrolysing lipid peroxides. Postmenopausal women have a higher risk of cardiovascular events compared with premenopausal women. ⋯ After 6-month therapy, MDA and oxLDL levels showed a statistically significant reduction in the treated groups versus baseline (p <0.05), whereas PON1 activities were increased (p <0.05). Increase in oxidative status may be one of the factors leading to reduction in PON1 activity and increased oxLDL in menopause. HRT may be effective on oxidative stress and lipoprotein metabolism in apparently healthy postmenopausal women.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Dec 2004
Relationship between major depression and high serum cholesterol in Japanese men.
Although it has been argued that those with lower levels of serum cholesterol are likely to be depressive, the findings are inconsistent. The present study attempted to clarify the relationship between major depression and serum total cholesterol in a working population. Subjects were 987 Japanese men working at an institute, aged 20 to 64 years. ⋯ Concerning those diagnosed with major depression, serum total cholesterol levels remained higher in the following year (p < 0.05), comparing to those without such diagnosis. Therefore, depression is associated with higher serum cholesterol levels in a population of Japanese male workers. The irregularity of eating behavior may be one of the factors mediating high serum cholesterol levels and major depression.