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Biomedical subjects

S Takasugi

Publications and source records attributed to S Takasugi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Characteristics of stress fractures in young athletes under 20 years.

BACKGROUND: With the popularization of organized sports among adolescents and children, the clinical cases of stress fractures in young athletes have increased. This study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of stress fractures in young athletes. METHODS: During the 18-month period between January 1996 and June 1997, new clinical cases of stress fracture due to sports activities were collected from 39 hospitals in Japan. RESULTS: We analyzed 222 stress fractures in 208 athletes under 20 years of age (108 males: 14.4+/-2.2 years, 100 females: 15.2+/-1.5 years). Among these cases, the peak age of occurrence was 16. The most common sport causing stress fracture was basketball. The tibia was the most common location. About 70% of the patients participated in the respective sport for 6 or 7 days per week. High school students trained significantly more often than the primary and junior high school students (p<0.0001). There was a statistically significant difference in the return time to the sport between the cases who visited a hospital within 3 weeks and those who waited for more than 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms (return time, 10.4 vs 18.4 wks). Several cases visited a hospital beyond 8 weeks after the onset of symptoms regardless of the continuous pain of stress fracture, and their recovery was prolonged. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to educate young athletes that continuous pain lasting over 3 weeks is a warning signal to the body, and that early diagnosis leads to early recovery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Effects of acupuncture therapy on low back pain and/or knee pain in elderly patients].

In April 1999, 75 elderly patients (mean age: 79 years old) with low back pain and/or knee pain visited an acupuncture and physical therapy unit in a geriatric hospital. A cross-sectional study was carried out in order to evaluate the effects of acupuncture therapy on low back pain and/or knee pain in elderly patients. Among them, 60 patients answered that their pain diminished following their therapy. The proportion of patients who were treated with acupuncture therapy were higher in these 60 patients than the other 15 patients (55.5% vs. 26.7%, p = 0.05). The result suggests that acupuncture therapy may be able to relieve low back pain and/or knee pain in elderly patients. However, 46% of the patients with acupuncture therapy were also treated with other types of physical therapy. Further studies should be recommended to confirm the effects of acupuncture therapy on low back pain and/or knee pain.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1999

Osteoporosis and years since menopause.

In Fukuoka Prefecture, in south-western Japan, a regional screening program for osteoporosis was conducted from 1994 to 1995. The screening level in the bone mineral density (BMD) at the distal non-dominant radius was equal to or less than two standard deviations below age-specific mean (< or = -2.0 SD). In 1177 examinees with natural menopause (mean age: 61.4, range: 42-88), 56 of those who were screened were subsequently radiologically confirmed by orthopedic specialists to have osteoporosis (case group). They were then compared with 802 normal BMD (> or =-1.0 SD) women (reference group) with their lifestyle and reproductive characteristics. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a logistic regression model. A significant increase in the ORs for osteoporosis based on the number of years since menopause was observed for 7-13 years since menopause (OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.0-5.4) compared with <7 years, however, no increasing trend in risk was evident in 14+ years since menopause (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 0.4-5.1). Thus, the elevated risk continued up to around 10 years since menopause. These findings are consistent with previous studies that reported an alternation in the calcium metabolism and bone loss related to the length of time after menopause. Both the childhood and current milk consumption were also associated with a decreased risk: ORs were 0.4 (95% CI: 0.2-0.9) and 0.5 (95% CI: 0.3-1.0), respectively.

Confidence Intervals↗
PubMed1997

Flexible neuroendoscopy for percutaneous treatment of intraventricular lesions in the absence of hydrocephalus.

A procedure with a flexible fiberoptic neuroendoscope was applied to a series of patients with small lesions in the lateral ventricle, not associated with hydrocephalus. The maneuverability of the flexible neuroendoscope allows the surgeon to work in narrow spaces of the lateral ventricle avoiding surgical trauma to surrounding neural structures. The safety and accuracy of this procedure depend upon how available working space is obtained in the undilated ventricles. Both shaft-rotation and tip-flexion of the flexible neuroendoscope are available for adjusting it to the wider axis in each region of the lateral ventricle and for dealing with the intraventricular lesions. Three patients with a small intraventricular lesion, two with arachnoid cysts and one with subependymal hematoma, underwent such a procedure successfully. It is concluded that this neuroendoscopic procedure provides benefits to the treatment of small intraventricular lesions regardless of the size of the cerebral ventricles.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Unusually late onset of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea after head trauma.

Two cases of acute meningitis and cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, in which the head trauma responsible occurred 10 and 30 years before, are presented. Intraoperatively, the brain parenchyma was found to be plugged into the fractured anterior fossa. By debridement and duraplasty from an intradural approach, both patients were cured. Several precipitating factors could be responsible for this unusually late reopening of the fistula. The possible accidental causes could be coughing or undetected microtraumas, but in the long run, atrophy of tissues and consequent changes in brain compliance with aging may play a role.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

GTP-dependent and -independent activation of superoxide producing NADPH oxidase in a neutrophil cell-free system.

GTP and GTP-gamma-S enhanced several-fold the NADPH-dependent superoxide production induced by sodium dodecyl sulfate in a cell-free system of pig neutrophils consisting of the membrane fraction and two cytosolic fractions separated by gel filtration. The enhanced activity was decreased by the addition of GDP in a dose-dependent manner, but 70% of the activity in the absence of GTP remained even at 1 mM GDP. Only one cytosol fraction besides the membrane fraction was required for the activation in the presence of GTP. The cytosol fraction was analyzed by chromatography on 2',5'-ADP agarose and two components responsible for the GTP-dependent and independent activation were separated. These results suggest that at least two pathways are available for the activation of superoxide production in the cell-free system of pig neutrophils.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Effect of 2',3'-dialdehyde NADPH on activation of superoxide-producing NADPH oxidase in a cell-free system of pig neutrophils.

We studied the effect of the 2',3'-dialdehyde derivative of NADPH on the activation of superoxide-producing oxidase in a cell-free system of pig neutrophils. The system consisted of a membrane fraction, two cytosolic fractions prepared by gel filtration, and arachidonic acid. Preincubation of one of the cytosolic fractions with the derivatives of NADPH and NADP+ caused the loss of its ability to activate the enzyme. The inactivation was effectively prevented by the addition of NADPH and NADP+. Neither the membrane fraction nor the other cytosolic fraction was affected by the derivatives. The results indicate that the NADPH binding component of the oxidase is present in the cytosolic fraction and may be translocated to the membrane fraction during the activation process in the cell-free system.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Pannus tissue at the cartilage-synovium junction in rheumatoid arthritis.

The cartilage-synovium junction of knees afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis was observed light microscopically using formalin-fixed, decalcified and immunohistochemically stained tissues. Decalcification had little or no influence on immunoreactivity for lysozyme and S-100 protein. All the specimens had pannus formation, which was classified into four types: A) cellular pannus with homogeneous cell pattern, B) cellular pannus of inflammatory cells, C) fibrous pannus with many fibrous bundles, D) fibrous pannus including round cells with scattered fibrous bundles. Type A pannus may be responsible for extensive cartilage degradation, and may occur at the first stage of pannus formation. Type B pannus may occur afterwards, and may be followed by type C pannus at a later stage. Type D pannus was found in two out of 19 specimens. Round cells in type D were positive for S-100 protein and lysozyme, and were probably chondrocytes. The findings indicated that chondrocytes were responsible for cartilage degradation and pannus formation.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

A case of ruptured hepatoma followed by elastase-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation.

In the present study, the first case of ruptured hepatoma followed by disseminated intravascular coagulation is reported. An elastase-like enzyme which possessed elastolytic and caseinolytic activities was confirmed from patient plasma. On the other hand, no elastase activity was detected in the plasma of patients with hepatitis, liver cirrhosis or hepatoma without disseminated intravascular coagulation. The patient plasma did not possess H-D-Val-Leu-Lys-p-nitroanilide hydrochloride, succinyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-p-nitroanilide, and pyro-Glu-Pro-Val-p-nitroanilide amidolytic activities. However, when chromatographed on Sephadex G-200, the presence of low-molecular weight plasminogen was confirmed. Its molecular weight was approximately 52,000. A slight decrease of alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor was noted, but no decrease of alpha 2-macroglobulin was detected.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

[Interaction of proteases and their inhibitors in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis].

It was confirmed that esterolytic activity was significantly elevated in plasma of patients with acute pancreatitis, which correlated better with the stage of the disease than serum amylase level. Using the several column chromatography procedures, pancreatic kallikrein, trypsin and pancreatic elastase were separated and purified from alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-M) fractions of patients plasma with acute pancreatitis. From this this result, it was confirmed that kallikrein was liberated into the blood stream from the pancreas during attacks of acute pancreatitis and the liberated kallikrein combined with alpha 2-M. Furthermore, the coexistence of trypsin is required for the complex formation of alpha 2-M and pancreatic kallikrein. It was speculated that alpha 2-M might be decomposed by the excessive amount of elastase, and consequently, might release all of its combining enzymes into the blood stream. In the present study, the activation mechanism of fibrinolytic enzyme system in plasma by human pancreatic elastase was investigated. Elastase not only converted the co-existing plasminogen to low molecular weight plasminogen which could be easily activated by the activators, but also inhibited alpha 2-M and alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor, and consequently, induced the activation of the fibrinolytic enzyme system in plasma. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that elastase could activate plasma kallikreinogen to kallikrein.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1984

Studies on the role of polymorphonuclear leukocyte granule elastase in Arthus reaction.

In the present study, attempts were made to clarify the role of an elastase-like enzyme in Arthus reaction by using rabbit-peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). It was first confirmed that the injection of large amounts of PMNs with antibody can increase tissue damage in reversed Arthus reaction. The five various fractions, which were intact PMNs, whole homogenate, granule fraction, nuclei and cell debris, and membrane extract, were prepared from rabbit-peritoneal exudate. Each fraction was intracutaneously injected into the abdominal wall of rabbit. It was of particular interest that the tissue damage induced by membrane extract occurred earlier and was more severe than that caused by the others. Furthermore, membrane extract possessed remarkably higher caseinolytic and elastinolytic activities than the others. The membrane extract was partially purified by Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The protein concentration of the elastase-like enzyme solution was 3.64 mg/ml, and its specific activity was 195 caseinolytic units and 0.45 elastinolytic units per milligram of protein. The cutaneous reaction by membrane extract was dependent on the concentration of this elastase-like enzyme and could be strongly inhibited by Elastatinal. From these results, the authors suggest that an elastase-like enzyme which originates in PMN granules is the key enzyme that promotes the severity of tissue damage in Arthus reaction.

Animals↗