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Postoperative loss of correction is a concern in cases of distal radius fracture with bone loss after surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) with unidirectional pore structure (Affinos®: Kuraray Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan) with internal fixation in patients with bone defects during the correction of distal radius fractures. Thirty-nine patients (40 radii) treated between 2016 and August 2020 were included in the study. There were 8 males and 31 females; the mean age was 70.9 (32–88). The mean postoperative observation period was 14.6 (3.4–24) months. The bone defect that occurred in the surgery was filled with Affinos® and fixed with a locking plate. Radial inclination (RI), volar tilt (VT), and ulnar variance (UV) were evaluated after the operation and at the final observation. The start of absorption and the completion of replacement to the host bone of Affinos® were also evaluated. There were no complications associated with grafts of Affinos®. The mean time of translucent findings around artificial bone was 1.85 (0.5–6) months, and that of complete resorption was 10.6 (1.5–16.5) months after surgery. The mean RI was 21.82° after surgery and 21.16° at final observation. The mean VT was 8.54° after surgery and 8.50° at final observation. The mean UV was −0.3 mm after surgery and 0.5 mm at final observation. Affinos® was resorbed relatively early, and host bone formation was observed. Filling of unidirectional pore structure β-TCP with internal fixation showed favorable outcomes in the surgery of distal radius fractures with bone defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The inability to read quickly can be a disadvantage throughout life. This study focused on the associations of braille reading fluency and individual factors, such as the age at onset of blindness and number of years reading braille, and the tactile sensitivity of people with early and late blindness. The relationship between reading speed and these other factors was examined to identify factors that influence reading speed. Methods: Nine people with early blindness and 10 people with late blindness participated in this study, which included the measurement of accuracy of word recognition, braille reading speed, and tactile sensitivity. Results: We found a significant partial correlation between reading speed and the age at onset of blindness, controlling for number of years reading braille (r =-0.68, p <0.005), and no significant partial correlation between tactile sensitivity and reading speed after controlling for the age at onset of blindness (r =-0.08, ns). Discussion: A direct relationship between reading speed and tactile sensitivity was not confirmed, and the age at onset of blindness appears not only to mediate the relationship between reading speed and tactile sensitivity but also may be a crucial factor influencing braille reading fluency. Implications for practitioners: Our results suggested that a crucial factor that influences braille reading fluency was the age at onset of blindness, and that individuals should begin learning braille as early as possible.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) causes sinusitis. The general treatment of S. pneumonia sinusitis is by using antibiotics; however, one of their serious problems is the attenuation of their effect. Shin’iseihaito (Xinyiqingfeitang), a formula of Japanese traditional Kampo medicine, has been used for the treatment of sinusitis in Japan. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of Shin’iseihaito against S. pneumoniae-caused sinusitis in mice. Oral administration of Shin’iseihaito extract (SSHT) decreased the nasal colonization of S. pneumoniae in both prophylactic and therapeutic treatments, respectively, and the former was more effective than the latter. Histopathological analysis revealed that the epithelial tissue from S. pneumoniae-infected nose under SSHT treatment recovered the tissue destruction in comparison to infected nose. We also confirmed this result by scanning electron microscopic analysis. Murine peritoneal macrophages from SSHT-treated mice had significant phagocytic activity in comparison to those from untreated group. We also found that tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels and the migration of macrophages from S. pneumoniae-infected mice with the treatment with SSHT were increased compared to those from untreated group. Our data suggest that Shin’iseihaito may be useful for the treatment of S. pneumoniae-induced sinusitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shin'iseihaito (Magnolia Flower Lung-Clearing Decoction; xīn yí qīng fèi tāng), a formula of traditional Japanese kampo medicine ( rì běn hàn yī) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM; zhōng yī), has been used for the treatment of chronic sinusitis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-allergic effect of shin'iseihaito on murine allergic reaction induced by nasal sensitization using ovalbumin (OVA) as an antigen. Extract of shin'iseihaito (SSHT) could reduce the eosinophil, serum IgE and interleukin (IL)-4 levels, while increased the interferon (IFN)-γ levels in allergic mouse. Furthermore, allergic-murine serum treated with SSHT could not activate passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction in murine model. Thus, our study showed that SSHT may possess anti-allergic activity. We suggested that SSHT may contribute to inhibit the exacerbation of allergic reaction induced by nasal sensitization.

A small, light, ball-joint device called PinFix, which can instantly convert a simple percutaneous cross pin fracture fixation system into a rigid external fracture fixation system based on truss structure, was developed. The purpose of this study was to compare the mechanical load and breaking strength of this truss-structure-based fixation system to that of the conventionally used external cantilever structure-based fixation system. Three types of mechanical loading tests, axial, bending, and torsion, were performed on an artificial fractured bone treated with either three-dimensional PinFix fixation, two-dimensional PinFix fixation, or conventional external fixation. The three- and two-dimensional PinFix fixations showed significantly more stiffness than conventional fixation on all three loading tests. Finite element analysis was next performed to calculate the stress distribution of the parts in PinFix and in the conventional fixator. The applied stress to the rod and connectors of PinFix was much less than that of the conventional external fixator. These results reflected the physical characteristic of truss structure in which applied load is converted to pure tension or compression forces along the members of the PinFix. In conclusion, PinFix is a simple fracture fixation system that has a truss-structure with a high rigidity.

A prospective multicenter clinical study evaluated, using the Hand20 and hand diagram, the disability, incidence, location, and predictive factors of residual wrist pain 18 months after volar locking plate fixation of distal radius fracture in 122 patients. The average Hand20 score and numeric rating scores for pain were 13.1 +/- 18.2 and 2.1 +/- 23, respectively. Fifty-seven patients indicated that they had pain. Among those patients, 25 had ulnar pain and 45 had radial pain. The incidence of radial-sided wrist pain was higher than ulnar-sided wrist pain. Logistic regression analysis showed that female sex and intra-articular fracture significantly correlated with radial-sided wrist pain. Volar locking plate fixation maintained anatomical reduction; however, a significant number of patients complained of residual wrist pain.