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Study Design:This was a retrospective observational study.Objectives:The objectives were to describe the prognosis of upper extremity function following cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI), and to identify prognostic factors for functional recovery.Setting:Spinal Injuries Center, Japan.Methods:Sixty patients with C3-4 CSCI without major bone injury participated in the study. Patients were treated nonsurgically and evaluated using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scales for the upper and lower extremities, their residual cervical motor functions, the modified Frankel grade and an upper extremity function scale. We compared the findings for the upper extremity function scale at 6 months with those for the residual cervical motor functions and modified Frankel grade obtained 3 days after injury.Results:Most patients with CSCI who could flex their hip and knee from a supine position (95%) or who showed some active elbow extension (86%) 3 days after their injury could use a spoon at 6 months. We compared patients who used their fingers at 6 months to those who could not, and observed significant differences in age and ASIA scores for the upper and lower extremities obtained 3 days after injury. A strong correlation was observed between the initial motor scores and the extent of functional recovery at 6 months.Conclusion:Hip and knee flexion from the supine position and elbow extension 3 days after injury significantly predicted a positive prognosis for upper extremity function. Younger age and higher ASIA motor scores obtained 3 days after injury were factors associated with neurological recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender-related risk factors in the survival of transplanted teeth with complete root formation have not yet been identified. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in tooth autotransplantation at dental clinics. We asked participating dentists to provide information on transplantations they had undertaken from 1 January 1990 to 1931 December 2010. The data were screened to exclude patients who underwent more than one transplantation, smokers or those whose smoking habits were unknown, patients under 30 or who were 70 years old and over, cases where the transplanted teeth had incomplete root formation or multiple roots and those with fewer than 20 present teeth post-operation. We analysed 73 teeth of 73 males (mean age, 47·2 years) and 106 teeth of 106 females (mean age, 45·3 years) in this study. The cumulative survival rate and mean survival time were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The cumulative survival rate for males was 88·3% at the 5-year mark, 64·8% at 10 years and 48·6% at 15 years; for females, it was 97·2% at the 5-year mark, 85·9% at 10 years and 85·9% at 15 years. A log-rank test indicated the difference between males and females to be significant ( P = 0·011). There was also a significant difference in the main causes for the loss of transplanted teeth: males lost more transplanted teeth due to attachment loss than females ( P < 0·05). These results indicate that males require more attention during the autotransplantation process, particularly at the stage of pre-operation evaluation and that of follow-up maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Bone mineral density of the 1/3 distal radius, ultra-distal radius, and lumbar spine correlated significantly and negatively with serum adiponectin. There was a significant positive correlation between serum adiponectin and serum NTX. Thus, adiponectin may play a role in mineral and bone disorder in chronic kidney disease stage 5 dialysis (CKD 5D) patients. Introduction: Serum adiponectin, an adipocyte-produced hormone, has been reported to correlate negatively with bone mineral density (BMD) in the general population. However, little is known about the association between adiponectin and BMD in patients with CKD. Methods: BMD of the 1/3 distal and ultra-distal radius, which are enriched with cortical and cancellous bone, respectively, and the lumbar spine was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry in 114 Japanese male hemodialysis patients (age 61.0 ± 11.1 years; hemodialysis duration 6.6 ± 3.0 years; 43.9% diabetics). Serum total adiponectin, bone formation marker (bone alkaline phosphatase, BAP), and bone resorption marker (cross-linked N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTX)) were measured. Results: The BMD of the 1/3 distal radius, ultra-distal radius, and lumbar spine correlated significantly and negatively with serum adiponectin level ( r = −0.229, p = 0.014; r = −0.286, p = 0.002; r = −0.227, p = 0.013, respectively). In multiple linear regression analyses, serum adiponectin was significantly and independently associated with the BMD of the 1/3 distal radius ( R = 0.173, p < 0.001) and ultra-distal radius ( R = 0.278, p < 0.001) after adjustment of age, hemodialysis duration, body weight, %fat mass, and log [intact PTH], although it was not with the BMD of the lumbar spine. There was a significant positive correlation between serum adiponectin and serum NTX ( r = 0.321, p < 0.001), although there was no significant correlation between serum adiponectin and serum BAP. Conclusion: Increased levels of serum adiponectin were associated with decrease in BMD in male hemodialysis patients. Adiponectin may play a role in mineral and bone disorder, possibly in bone resorption, of patients with CKD 5D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabet. Med. 29, e41-e46 (2012) Abstract Aims Dehydroepiandrosterone exerts a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. However, the relationship of dehydroepiandrosterone with the anticoagulant factor activated protein C, generated by the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex on vascular endothelial cells, remains unknown. This study aimed at studying the relationship between dehydroepiandrosterone and activated protein C generation in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Methods Sixty-two male patients with Type 2 diabetes were enrolled in this study. Data obtained from 40 healthy male subjects were used as controls. The plasma levels of dehydroepiandrosterone, the activated protein C-protein C inhibitor complex, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were measured by enzyme immunoassays. Carotid intima-media thickness was measured by ultrasonography. Results The plasma levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (5.15 ± 2.81 vs. 3.76 ± 2.16 ng/ml; P < 0.005) and the activated protein C-protein C inhibitor complex (1.90 ± 1.07 vs. 1.02 ± 0.51 ng/ml; P < 0.001) were significantly lower in patients with diabetes than in normal subjects. Univariate analysis showed a significant correlation of the plasma level of dehydroepiandrosterone with that of the activated protein C-protein C inhibitor complex ( r = 0.48, P < 0.001), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( r = −0.30, P < 0.05) and with the mean intima-media thickness ( r = −0.28, P < 0.05) in patients with diabetes. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the plasma level of dehydroepiandrosterone is significantly correlated with the plasma levels of the activated protein C-protein C inhibitor complex ( F = 18.06) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( F = 4.94). There was no correlation between the plasma levels of dehydroepiandrosterone and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Conclusions These results suggest that lower circulating levels of dehydroepiandrosterone are associated with decreased activated protein C generation and higher intima-media thickness in patients with Type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]