Objective : To study the effect of repetitive facilitation exercises (RFE) on motor functional recovery in stroke patients with hemiplegia. Subjects and Methods : Fifty-two stroke patients in the recovery stage were divided randomly to receive RFE (RFE group) or conventional therapy (CT group) for 17 weeks. Motor functional recovery and activities of daily living (ADL) were evaluated using Ueda's motor paresis grading system and functional independence measure (FIM), respectively. ADL evaluations were done blindly. Results : The baseline characteristics of the RFE and CT groups did not significantly differ. After the intervention, the RFE group showed not significantly larger improvements than the CT group in Ueda's grades for the upper limb, hand, and lower limb. But isolated joint movement from synergy was observed more frequently in the RFE group than in the CT group (p<0.05). Furthermore, improvement in FIM in the RFE group was greater than that in the CT group, especially in both the total and motor FIM of subjects who underwent lower limb RFE (p<0.05), and in the subscore for self-care in subjects receiving RFE to their fingers (p=0.075). Conclusion : There is a possibility that RFE might promote the functional recovery of the hemiplegic upper limb, hand, and lower limb to a greater extent than CT.

We examined the effect of the liaison critical pathway for stroke among the inpatients in an acute hospital (AH) from 2007 to 2008. The average length of hospital stay in the AH was reduced by 5.7 days compared with 2006 by means of the critical pathway. Among 155 patients who had been transferred from the AH to a convalescent rehabilitation ward (CRW), 148 were discharged from the CRW. Ninety-seven patients returned home and 44 patients were transferred from the CRW to a nursing home type unit or an institution. One patient died in the CRW, six were returned to the AH. From among the clinical factors, that included sex, age, modified Rankin Scale (mRS), total, motor and cognitive scores of Functional independence measure (FIM) at discharge from the AH, total FIM scores and FIM gain at discharge from the CRW, mRS at discharge from the AH and total FIM scores at discharge from the CRW exerted an influence on outcome. Patients living with their spouses and / or children before the onset of stroke were more inclined to return home.

Central giant cell lesions are rare, benign, osteolytic, pseudocystic, solitary, localized lesions that are common in the skeletal structure, but less so in the maxillofacial region. Furthermore, to perform panoramic radiography and cone-beam computed tomography, it is necessary to prepare patients properly and to position their heads carefully. However, this can be difficult in pediatric patients, who may be anxious. In this report, we describe the case of a central giant cell lesion of the mandible in a 2-year-old girl that was evaluated with multidetector computed tomography.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Female* ; Giant Cells* ; Granuloma, Giant Cell ; Head ; Humans ; Mandible* ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Radiography, Panoramic

A study was conducted to clarify the effect of hyperoxia (HO) on exercise tolerance andhemodynamics in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) . The subjects were 10 patients with serious IHD who showed ischemic ST depression during low-intensity exercise testing. In all subjects, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) was performed using two types of inhalation : normoxia (NO) and HO (O₂: 60%, N₂: 40%) . Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), elapsed exercise duration and pressure rate product (PRP) were measured, and ECG was recorded during CPX according to the Bruce protocol. The peak oxygen uptake (VO₂peak) was calculated using the appropriate formula. These data were compared between the NO and HO groups, and the following results were obtained.
ST depressions on ECG, BP, HR and PRP after 20 min of rest showed no changes under NO. The other hand, only ST depression was improved after 20 min of rest under HO. The exercise duration in HO group was longer than in the NO group, and the VO₂peak in the HO group was higher than in the NO group. However, peak RPE showed no significant difference between the HO and NO groups. The incidence of ST depression as an endpoint of CPX showed no significant difference between the two groups. BP, HR and PRP at the CPX endpoint showed no significant differences between the HO and NO groups. In patients whose exercise duration was prolonged beyond the mean value by HO, peak HR and PRP were increased significantly. However, this tendency was not seen in patients whose exercise was prolonged for less than the mean value.
In conclusion, these results suggest that an increase in the oxygen supply to peripheral working muscles may play an important role in increasing exercise tolerance under HO in IHD patients.

Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be useful for the evaluation of palatal lesions, and strain elastography (performed together with intraoral ultrasonography) is a relatively new sonographic imaging modality. This report describes 2 clinical cases in which strain elastography was used to assess palatal tumors in conjunction with intraoral ultrasonography, CT, and MRI. In the first case, diagnosed as a myoepithelioma, the strain was determined to be 0.000% (strain of normal tissue, 0.556%). In the second case, diagnosed as an adenoid cystic carcinoma, the determined strain was 0.000% (strain of normal tissue, 1.077%). Therefore, we conclude that intraoral strain elastography can be useful for evaluating palatal lesions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging and histopathological characteristics of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) and medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). Materials and Methods: Ten surgical specimens from segmental mandibulectomy (3 ORN and 7 MRONJ) were analyzed using CBCT. The CBCT parameters were as follows: high-resolution mode (tube voltage, 90.0 kV; tube current, 4.00 mA; rotation time, 16.8 s; field of view, 56 mm×56 mm; thickness, 0.099 mm). Histopathological characteristics were evaluated using histological slides of the surgical specimens. The Pearson chi-square test was used to compare ORN and MRONJ in terms of CBCT findings (internal texture, sequestrum, periosteal reaction and cortical perforation) and histopathological characteristics (necrotic bone, inflammatory cells, reactive bone formation, bacteria, Actinomyces, and osteoclasts). A P value less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results: MRONJ showed periosteal reaction on CBCT more frequently than ORN (7 of 7 [100%] vs. 0 of 3 [0%], P<0.05). Regarding histopathological characteristics, MRONJ showed osteoclasts more frequently than ORN (6 of 7 [85.7%] vs. 0 of 3 [0%], P<0.05). Conclusion This study evaluated the CBCT imaging and histopathological characteristics of ORN and MRONJ, and the findings suggest that CBCT could be useful for the evaluation of ORN and MRONJ.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of Acinetobacter baumannii DNA gyrase (gyrA) and topoisomerase IV (parC) are linked to fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance. We developed a mismatched PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay to detect mutations in the gyrA and parC QRDRs associated with FQ resistance in A. baumannii. METHODS: Based on the conserved sequences of A. baumannii gyrA and parC, two primer sets were designed for mismatched PCR-RFLP to detect mutations in gyrA (codons 83 and 87) and parC (codons 80 and 84) by introducing an artificial restriction enzyme cleavage site into the PCR products. This assay was evaluated using 58 A. baumannii strains and 37 other Acinetobacter strains that have been identified by RNA polymerase β-subunit gene sequence analysis. RESULTS: PCR amplification of gyrA and parC was successful for all A. baumannii strains. In 11 FQ -susceptible strains, the gyrA and parC PCR products were digested by the selected restriction enzymes at the site containing gyrA (codons 83 and 87) and parC (codons 80 and 84). PCR products from 47 FQ-resistant strains containing mutations in gyrA and parC were not digested by the restriction enzymes at the site containing the mutation. As for the non-baumannii Acinetobacter strains, although amplification products for gyrA were obtained for 28 strains, no parC amplification product was obtained for any strain. CONCLUSIONS This assay specifically amplified gyrA and parC from A. baumannii and detected A. baumannii gyrA and parC mutations with FQ resistance.