Chronological changes in the rate of surgical field contamination in the shoulder joint.

Background: In shoulder surgery, low-virulence bacteria such as Cutibacterium acnes and coagulase-negative staphylococci can cause postoperative infection. However, the degree of sterility during surgery after disinfection is not known, and the efficacy of double skin preparation for such bacteria is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate chronological changes in the surgical field contamination rate in the shoulder joint and to compare single and double skin preparation.

Signal intensity on MRI after conservative treatment of patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears: Correlation with shoulder pain.

Background: High signal intensity (HSI) on T2-weighted or fat-suppressed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) around the shoulder is often observed in patients who have a rotator cuff tear, and is generally recognized as an indicator of shoulder pain, especially pain at night. We hypothesized these HSI volumes are reduced after improvement of symptoms. We sought to compare HSI before and after conservative treatment, and to determine if HSI is associated with the patient's pain status over time.

An Autologous Leukocyte-Reduced Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy for Chronic Injury of the Medial Collateral Ligament in the Knee: A Report of 3 Successful Cases.

Some patients complain of chronic persistent medial knee pain after isolated low-grade injuries of medial collateral ligaments (MCL). These injuries often respond to various conservative treatments but insufficient healing of ligaments is believed to be responsible for symptoms in this group of patients. We report on successful treatment of chronically symptomatic MCL injuries in 3 patients using autologous leukocyte-reduced platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.

Efficacy of autologous leukocyte-reduced platelet-rich plasma therapy for patellar tendinopathy in a rat treadmill model.

Background: An autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has currently been applied for the tendinopathy; however, its efficacy and an optimal platelets concentration in PRP were uncertain. We analyzed them in an animal model prepared using a repetitive running exercise.

Methods: We made the tendinopathy rat model of patellar tendon using a rodent treadmill machine.

Therapeutic effects of high molecular weight hyaluronan injections for tendinopathy in a rat model.

Background: Tendinopathy is the most common tendon disorder. The etiology is still uncertain, and the disorder poses many therapeutic problems. In a few clinical studies, analgesic effects of high molecular weight hyaluronan (HMW HA) injections were observed, but the underlying mechanisms were not elucidated.

Venous thromboembolism after total joint arthroplasty: results from a Japanese multicenter cohort study.

Introduction: Real-world evidence of the effectiveness of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis for venous thromboembolism (VTE) is limited. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness and safety of thromboprophylactic regimens in Japanese patients undergoing joint replacement in a real-world setting.

Method: Overall, 1,294 patients (1,073 females and 221 males) who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 868 patients (740 females and 128 males) who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) in 34 Japanese national hospital organization (NHO) hospitals were enrolled.

Incomplete joint side tear of the subscapularis tendon with a small fragment in an adolescent tennis player: a case report.

Case: In this case report, we presented the case of an adolescent tennis player with avulsion injury of the subscapularis tendon of the right shoulder.

Patients: A 17-year-old right-hand-dominant male tennis player visited our hospital complaining of pain in the anterior aspect of the right shoulder. We performed X-ray and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for the diagnosis.

Autoimmunity to citrullinated type II collagen in rheumatoid arthritis.

The production of autoantibodies to citrullinated type II collagen and the citrullination of type II collagen were analyzed in rheumatoid arthritis. Autoantibodies to citrullinated type II collagen were detected in 78.5% of serum samples from 130 rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Analysis for the major contributor of collagenase to the primary cleavage of type II collagens in cartilage degradation.

Degradation of type II collagen is a central process in cartilage destruction seen in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Primary cleavage of type II collagen at the collagenase site is rate-limiting and is, therefore, a critical step for its degradation. The major contributor to this cleavage was identified in three isozymes of collagenase in human cartilage.

Expression analysis of three isoforms of hyaluronan synthase and hyaluronidase in the synovium of knees in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

Hyaluronan is a major molecule in joint fluid and plays a crucial role in joint motion and the maintenance of joint homeostasis. The concentration and average molecular weight of hyaluronan in the joint fluids are reduced in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, we analyzed the message expression of three isoforms of hyaluronan synthase and hyaluronidase from knee synovium, using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

[Gamma knife radiosurgery for spontaneous carotid-cavernous sinus fistula (CCF)].

Gamma knife radiosurgery was carried out for spontaneous CCF (carotid-cavernous sinus fistula) in 8 patients (1 male and 7 females), and its results were reported. The ages ranged from 48 to 74 years with a mean of 60.6 years.