Infected charcot spine.

Patients with an infected charcot spine (ICS) may experience little or no back pain despite severe vertebral destruction. Understanding the pathophysiology underlying ICS and its differential diagnoses is crucial for its accurate diagnosis. Worsening symptoms of chronic charcot spine should raise suspicions of an infection.

Mechanisms of tissue degeneration mediated by periostin in spinal degenerative diseases and their implications for pathology and diagnosis: a review.

Periostin (POSTN) serves a dual role as both a matricellular protein and an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein and is widely expressed in various tissues and cells. As an ECM protein, POSTN binds to integrin receptors, transduces signals to cells, enabling cell activation. POSTN has been linked with various diseases, including atopic dermatitis, asthma, and the progression of multiple cancers. Recently, its association with orthopedic diseases, such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis resulting from cartilage destruction, degenerative diseases of the intervertebral disks, and ligament degenerative diseases, has also become apparent. Furthermore, POSTN has been shown to be a valuable biomarker for understanding the pathophysiology of orthopedic diseases. In addition to serum POSTN, synovial fluid POSTN in joints has been reported to be useful as a biomarker. Risk factors for spinal degenerative diseases include aging, mechanical stress, trauma, genetic predisposition, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, but the cause of spinal degenerative diseases (SDDs) remains unclear. Studies on the pathophysiological effects of POSTN may significantly contribute toward the diagnosis and treatment of spinal degenerative diseases. Therefore, in this review, we aim to examine the mechanisms of tissue degeneration caused by mechanical and inflammatory stresses in the bones, cartilage, intervertebral disks, and ligaments, which are crucial components of the spine, with a focus on POSTN.

Scaffold-free human vascular calcification model using a bio-three-dimensional printer.

Morbidity and mortality rates associated with atherosclerosis-related diseases are increasing. Therefore, developing new research models is important in furthering our understanding of atherosclerosis and investigate novel treatments. Here, we designed novel vascular-like tubular tissues from multicellular spheroids composed of human aortic smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts using a bio-3D printer. We also evaluated their potential as a research model for Mönckeberg's medial calcific sclerosis. The tubular tissues were sufficiently strong to be handled 1 week after printing and could still be cultured for 3 weeks. Histological assessment showed that calcified areas appeared in the tubular tissues within 1 week after culture in a medium containing inorganic phosphate (Pi) or calcium chloride as the calcification-stimulating factors. Calcium deposition was confirmed using micro-computed tomography imaging. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the expression of osteogenic transcription factors increased in calcified tubular tissues. Furthermore, the administration of Pi and rosuvastatin enhanced tissue calcification. The bio-3D printed vascular-like tubular structures, which are composed of human-derived cells, can serve as a novel research model for Mönckeberg's medial calcific sclerosis.

Intramuscular Myxoma in the Supinator Muscle with Transient Postoperative Posterior Interosseous Nerve Palsy: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Intramuscular myxomas are rare, benign mesenchymal tumors in the musculoskeletal system, and usually, the tumors arise in the large muscles of the thigh, buttocks, shoulder, and upper arm. However, a tumor of the forearm is very rare. Herein, we describe the case of an intramuscular myxoma in the supinator muscle of a 56-year-old female patient. CASE PRESENTATION: Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined mass that was hypointense with the peritumoral fat ring sign. The differential diagnoses might have been myxoma, schwannoma, or intramuscular hemangioma. The histopathological image showed abundant myxoid tissue, hypocellularity, and poor vascularization. The cells of the tumor were spindle and stellate-shaped with normochromic nuclei. Based on these findings, the pathological diagnosis was an intramuscular myxoma. After excising the tumor, the patient had transient posterior interosseous nerve palsy. CONCLUSION: This tumor is curative by resection in toto; however, when the tumor exists in the forearm, surgeons should be careful to avoid damaging surrounding tissues because the tumor is very hard and relatively large compared to the forearm.

Pre-critical MRI findings of an Alzheimer's disease patient with pathologically proven cerebral amyloid angiopathy related lobar hemorrhage.

An 85-year-old woman with untreated hypertension was admitted with a disturbance of consciousness. On admission, brain CT revealed a lobar intracerebral hemorrhage with a midline shift. An intracranial hematoma was evacuated via a life-saving craniotomy. Definite pathological findings of amyloid-ß deposition in the excised hematoma (strong in anti-amyloid ß40 immunostain, but weak in anti- amyloid ß42) indicated cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at a regional memory clinic one month before symptom onset based on MRI findings of medial temporal lobe atrophy as well as CAA-related features of multiple strictly lobar cerebral microbleeds in the occipital lobe, cortical superficial siderosis and >20 enlarged perivascular spaces in the centrum semiovale. This experience suggests that comprehensive interpretation of such CAA-related findings on MRI might help to improve the management of cardiovascular risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.

Characteristics of distributed-type inorganic electroluminescence panels with comb-shaped electrodes.

We deposited comb electrodes with narrow gaps between the teeth on a glass substrate, thus realizing a high electric field intensity that cannot be achieved with conventional structures. Au electrodes are deposited to form a comb shape and then spin-coated with a phosphor layer obtained by mixing ZnS phosphor particles with resins in a certain ratio. An AC voltage was applied to the gaps between the teeth of the comb electrode to emit light, from which the luminance was measured for different electric field intensities. The luminance was not affected by the transmittance of the electrodes themselves when measured from the phosphor layer side. Therefore, it may be possible to produce a display that does not require transparent electrodes by using the phosphor layer side of a device with comb electrodes made of metals, such as Au, for the display.