The temporal fascia is a double lamina sandwiching a thick fat layer above the zygomatic bony arch. To characterize each lamina, their developmental processes were examined in fetuses. We observed histological sections from 22 half-heads of 10 mid-term fetuses at 14–18 weeks (crown-rump length, 95–150 mm) and 12 near-term fetuses at 26–40 weeks (crown-rump length, 215–334 mm). The superficial lamina of the temporal fascia was not evident at mid-term. Instead, a loose subcutaneous tissue was attached to the thin, deep lamina of the temporal fascia covering the temporalis muscle. At near-term, the deep lamina became thick, while the superficial lamina appeared and exhibited several variations: i) a monolayered thick membrane (5 specimens); ii) a multi-layered membranous structure (6) and; iii) a cluster of independent thick fasciae each of which were separated by fatty tissues (1). In the second and third patterns, fatty tissue between the two laminae was likely to contain longitudinal fibrous bands in parallel with the deep lamina. Varying proportions of the multi-layered superficial lamina were not attached to the zygomatic arch, but extended below the bony arch. Whether or not lobulation or septation of fatty tissues was evident was not dependent on age. The deep lamina seemed to develop from the temporalis muscle depending on the muscle contraction. In contrast, the superficial lamina developed from subcutaneous collagenous bundles continuous to the cheek. Therein, a difference in development was clearly seen between two categories of the fasciae.

Purpose: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) who undergo dental procedures during radiotherapy (RT) face an increased risk of developing osteoradionecrosis (ORN). Accordingly, new tools must be developed to extract critical information regarding the dose delivered to the teeth and mandible. This article proposes a novel approach for visualizing 3-dimensional planned dose distributions on panoramic reconstruction computed tomography (pCT) images. Materials and Methods: Four patients with HNC who underwent volumetric modulated arc therapy were included. One patient experienced ORN and required the extraction of teeth after RT. In the study approach, the dental arch curve (DAC) was defined using an open-source platform. Subsequently, pCT images and dose distributions were generated based on the new coordinate system. All teeth and mandibles were delineated on both the original CT and pCT images. To evaluate the consistency of dose metrics, the Mann-Whitney U test and Student t-test were employed. Results: A total of 61 teeth and 4 mandibles were evaluated. The correlation coefficient between the 2 methods was 0.999, and no statistically significant difference was observed (P>0.05). This method facilitated a straightforward and intuitive understanding of the delivered dose. In 1 patient, ORN corresponded to the region of the root and the gum receiving a high dosage (approximately 70 Gy). Conclusion The proposed method particularly benefits dentists involved in the management of patients with HNC. It enables the visualization of a 3-dimensional dose distribution in the teeth and mandible on pCT, enhancing the understanding of the dose delivered during RT.

Introduction: Since the commercial availability of buprenorphine extended-release transdermal patches (BTDP) from the early 2010’s, the therapeutic indications for opioids have widely expanded to include chronic benign diseases. We report a case of a home health care patient with acute opioid withdrawal symptoms due to self-interruption of BTDP. Case: An 84-year-old man using home health care services due to worsening of lumbar spinal canal stenosis had been receiving analgesia with a BTDP, a mixed opioid agonist/antagonist analgesic, for the preceding five months. Since the patient's spouse thought that his pain and symptoms were gradually improving, she secretly replaced the BTDP with an NSAID patch without informing the patient. About 50 hours later, the patient experienced a variety of symptoms, including frequent urination with incontinence every five minutes, watery diarrhea, sweating, decreased blood pressure, discomfort in the feet, and insomnia. Evaluation of the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Score (COWS) by the home health care physician indicated a score of 12, corresponding to mild withdrawal symptoms. About 12 hours after symptom onset, the severe abnormalities were barely noticeable and completely disappeared after two days. Conclusion: Few previous case reports have described withdrawal symptoms due to rapid discontinuation of BTDP. In addition to the medical considerations, we report the social issues associated with onset of the condition in a home environment. Opioid use for non-cancer pain requires medication management from a different perspective than that for cancer pain.

Purpose: General surgeons at regional hospitals should have the primary trauma care skills necessary to treat critically ill trauma patients to withstand transfer. This study was conducted to identify a consensus on primary trauma care skills for general surgeons. Methods: An initial list of acute care surgical skills was compiled, and revised by six trauma experts (acute care surgeons); 33 skills were nominated for inclusion in the Delphi consensus survey. Participants (councilors of the Japanese Society for Acute Care Surgery) were presented with the list of 33 trauma care skills and were asked (using web-based software) to rate how strongly they agreed or disagreed (using a 5-point Likert scale) with the necessity of each skill for a general surgeon. The reliability of consensus was predefined as Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.8, and trauma care skills were considered as primarily required when rated 4 (agree) or 5 (strongly agree) by ≥ 80% participants. Results: There were 117 trauma care specialists contacted to participate in the Delphi consensus survey panel. In the 1st round, 85 specialists participated (response rate: 72.6%). In the 2nd round, 66 specialists participated (response rate: 77.6%). Consensus was achieved after two rounds, reliability using Cronbach’s α was 0.94, and 34 items were identified as primary trauma care skills needed by general surgeons. Conclusion A consensus-based list of trauma care skills required by general surgeons was developed. This list can facilitate the development of a new trauma training course which has been optimized for general surgeons.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage (ETGBD) is useful for the treatment of acute cholecystitis; however, the technique is difficult to perform. When intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) is combined with ETGBD, the orifice of the cystic duct in the common bile duct may be more easily detected in the cannulation procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ETGBD with IDUS compared with that of ETGBD alone. Methods: A total of 100 consecutive patients with acute cholecystitis requiring ETGBD were retrospectively recruited. The first 50 consecutive patients were treated using ETGBD without IDUS, and the next 50 patients were treated using ETGBD with IDUS. Through propensity score matching analysis, we compared the clinical outcomes between the groups. The primary outcome was the technical success rate. Results: The technical success rate of ETGBD with IDUS was significantly higher than that of ETGBD without IDUS (92.0% vs. 76.0%, p=0.044). There was no significant difference in procedure length between the two groups (74.0 min vs. 66.7 min, p=0.310). The complication rate of ETGBD with IDUS was significantly higher than that of ETGBD without IDUS (6.0% vs. 0%, p<0.001); however, only one case showed an IDUS technique-related complication (pancreatitis). Conclusions The assistance of IDUS may be useful in ETGBD.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate hangeshashinto rinse for oral discomfort in terminally-ill cancer patients and to compare the effectiveness of hangeshashinto rinse with or without honey rinse. Methods: Patients with oral discomfort were randomized to receive either hangeshashinto rinse or hangeshashinto with honey rinse as first-line treatment. Patients performed oral rinse three to five times a day for 2 weeks. Further, oral wetness, halitosis, oral mucositis, mouth discomfort, compliance of rinse were then evaluated before and after the intervention. Results: 144 patients were enrolled during this period and 22 patients completed the study (hangeshashinto 13 / hangeshashinto with honey 9). After the intervention, oral wetness was improved, and end-tidal concentration of hydrogen sulfide was decreased in both cases. Although there was no statistically significant difference, oral discomfort by subjective and objective evaluations, also and symptom of oral mucositis were improved. Other volatile sulfur compounds decreased. Frequency of rinsing between groups receiving hangeshashinto or hangeshashinto with honey did not differ, however, the acceptability was slightly better in the honey combination group. Conclusion: Both hangeshashinto rinse and hangeshashinto with honey rinse reduced end-tidal concentration of hydrogen sulfide and improved oral wetness. Oral rinse by hangeshashinto or hangeshashinto with honey may be effective for oral discomfort in terminally-ill cancer patients.

A woman in her 80s developed a feeling of abnormal sensation in her face and excessive salivation. She was diagnosed with right facial nerve paralysis and was admitted to a local hospital. On admission, serum creatinine level was 0.54mg/dL and estimated glomerular filtration rate was 79mL/min/1.73m2. She was started on oral valacyclovir at a dose of 3,000mg/day to treat the right facial nerve paralysis. However, 5 days after starting oral administration, she developed generalized fatigue, vertigo, and vomiting. Serum creatinine level rose to 4.99mg/dL with mild disturbance of consciousness, so she was transported to our hospital on suspicion of acyclovir-induced encephalopathy. We performed hemodialysis for 3 consecutive days to remove the acyclovir from the circulation, which subsequently improved all her symptoms. She was later diagnosed with allergic tubulointerstitial nephritis based on renal biopsy.After discharge from our hospital, laboratory data showed a serum creatinine level of 0.67mg/dL. We later confirmed that the serum acyclovir level before the first hemodialysis session had been very high (11.9μg/mL).

CD57 (synonyms: Leu-7, HNK-1) is a well-known marker of nerve elements including the conductive system of the heart, as well as natural killer cells. In lung specimens from 12 human fetuses at 10–34 weeks of gestation, we have found incidentally that segmental, subsegmental, and more peripheral arteries strongly expressed CD57. Capillaries near developing alveoli were often or sometimes positive. The CD57-positive tissue elements within intrapulmonary arteries seemed to be the endothelium, internal elastic lamina, and smooth muscle layer, which corresponded to tissue positive for a DAKO antibody reactive with smooth muscle actin we used. However, the lobar artery and pulmonary arterial trunk as well as bronchial arteries were negative. Likewise, arteries in and along any abdominal viscera, as well as the heart, thymus, and thyroid, did not express CD57. Thus, the lung-specific CD57 reactivity was not connected with either of an endodermal- or a branchial arch-origin. CD57 antigen is a sugar chain characterized by a sulfated glucuronic acid residue that is likely to exist in some glycosphingolipids. Therefore, a chemical affinity or an interaction might exist between CD57-positive arterioles and glycosphingolipids originating from alveoli, resulting in acceleration of capillary budding to make contact with the alveolar wall. CD57 might therefore be a functional marker of the developing air-blood interface that characterizes the fetal lung at the canalicular stage.
Acceleration ; Actins ; Antigens, CD57 ; Arteries* ; Arterioles ; Bronchial Arteries ; Capillaries ; Endothelium ; Fetus ; Glucuronic Acid ; Glycosphingolipids ; Heart ; Humans* ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lung* ; Muscle, Smooth ; Pregnancy ; Thymus Gland ; Thyroid Gland ; Viscera

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of implant tilting and the loading direction on the displacement and micromotion (relative displacement between the implant and bone) of immediately loaded implants by in vitro experiments and finite element analysis (FEA). METHODS: Six artificial bone blocks were prepared. Six screw-type implants with a length of 10 mm and diameter of 4.3 mm were placed, with 3 positioned axially and 3 tilted. The tilted implants were 30° distally inclined to the axial implants. Vertical and mesiodistal oblique (45° angle) loads of 200 N were applied to the top of the abutment, and the abutment displacement was recorded. Nonlinear finite element models simulating the in vitro experiment were constructed, and the abutment displacement and micromotion were calculated. The data on the abutment displacement from in vitro experiments and FEA were compared, and the validity of the finite element model was evaluated. RESULTS: The abutment displacement was greater under oblique loading than under axial loading and greater for the tilted implants than for the axial implants. The in vitro and FEA results showed satisfactory consistency. The maximum micromotion was 2.8- to 4.1-fold higher under oblique loading than under vertical loading. The maximum micromotion values in the axial and tilted implants were very close under vertical loading. However, in the tilted implant model, the maximum micromotion was 38.7% less than in the axial implant model under oblique loading. The relationship between abutment displacement and micromotion varied according to the loading direction (vertical or oblique) as well as the implant insertion angle (axial or tilted). CONCLUSIONS: Tilted implants may have a lower maximum extent of micromotion than axial implants under mesiodistal oblique loading. The maximum micromotion values were strongly influenced by the loading direction. The maximum micromotion values did not reflect the abutment displacement values.
Dental Implants ; Finite Element Analysis* ; Immediate Dental Implant Loading ; In Vitro Techniques*

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. PURPOSE: To determine whether kissing spine is a risk factor for recurrence of sciatica after lumbar posterior decompression using a spinous process floating approach. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Kissing spine is defined by apposition and sclerotic change of the facing spinous processes as shown in X-ray images, and is often accompanied by marked disc degeneration and decrement of disc height. If kissing spine significantly contributes to weight bearing and the stability of the lumbar spine, trauma to the spinous process might induce a breakdown of lumbar spine stability after posterior decompression surgery in cases of kissing spine. METHODS: The present study included 161 patients who had undergone posterior decompression surgery for lumbar canal stenosis using a spinous process floating approaches. We defined recurrence of sciatica as that resolved after initial surgery and then recurred. Kissing spine was defined as sclerotic change and the apposition of the spinous process in a plain radiogram. Preoperative foraminal stenosis was determined by the decrease of perineural fat intensity detected by parasagittal T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Preoperative percentage slip, segmental range of motion, and segmental scoliosis were analyzed in preoperative radiographs. Univariate analysis followed by stepwise logistic regression analysis determined factors independently associated with recurrence of sciatica. RESULTS: Stepwise logistic regression revealed kissing spine (p=0.024; odds ratio, 3.80) and foraminal stenosis (p<0.01; odds ratio, 17.89) as independent risk factors for the recurrence of sciatica after posterior lumbar spinal decompression with spinous process floating procedures for lumbar spinal canal stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: When a patient shows kissing spine and concomitant subclinical foraminal stenosis at the affected level, we should sufficiently discuss the selection of an appropriate surgical procedure.
Case-Control Studies ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Decompression ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Logistic Models ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Odds Ratio ; Postoperative Complications ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sciatica* ; Scoliosis ; Spinal Canal ; Spine ; Weight-Bearing