Molecular Targeted Therapy for the Bone Loss Secondary to Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis Using Medications for Osteoporosis: A Literature Review

Pyogenic spondylodiscitis can cause severe osteolytic and destructive lesions in the spine. Elderly or immunocompromised individuals are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases; specifically, infections in the spine can impair the ability of the spine to support the trunk, causing patients to be bedridden, which can also severely affect the physical condition of patients. Although treatments for osteoporosis have been well studied, treatments for bone loss secondary to infection remain to be elucidated because they have pathological manifestations that are similar to but distinct from those of osteoporosis. Recently, we encountered a patient with severely osteolytic pyogenic spondylodiscitis who was treated with romosozumab and exhibited enhanced bone formation. Romosozumab stimulated canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling, causing robust bone formation and the inhibition of bone resorption, which exceeded the bone loss secondary to infection. Bone loss due to infections involves the suppression of osteoblastogenesis by osteoblast apoptosis, which is induced by the nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, and osteoclastogenesis with the receptor activator of the nuclear factor-κB ligand-receptor combination and subsequent activation of the nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 1 and c-Fos. In this study, we review and discuss the molecular mechanisms of bone loss secondary to infection and analyze the efficacy of the medications for osteoporosis, focusing on romosozumab, teriparatide, denosumab, and bisphosphonates, in treating this pathological condition.     

日本应用预应力混凝土预制件建造公路防灾构筑物的情况

本文介绍了日本公路工程利用预应力混凝土预制件修建防灾构筑物的情况。防灾构筑物可分为:防雪灾和防落石、塌方两种。也可分为预防工程和防护工程构筑物,如防风雪掩道、防雪崩栅栏、防雪崩安全隧道、防雪崩栏杆、防落石、防塌方安全隧道和防落石栏杆,以及用FRP的吊栅栏、用泡沫苯乙烯的悬臂梁防落石栏杆等。     

Unperturbed dimension of poly(4-acetoxystyrene) measured in good and theta solvents

In order to obtain the additional data concerning the unperturbed dimension of poly-4-substituted styrene, light scattering measurements are performed on the twenty-two fractions with molecular weight of (0.91–352)·10⁴ of poly(4-acetoxystyrene) in dioxan at 25°C, from which the molecular weight obtained was found easily to be evaluated with the gel permeation chromatography using THF. Phase separation experiments for this polymer indicate that the theta state is attained in isopropyl acetate at 19.7°C and butyl acetate at 26.8°C. By making viscosity measurements at that state, the value of K_Θ is directly evaluated as 5.4·10^?4 dl g^?1. The limiting viscosity number is also obtained in good solvents, THF and dioxan, at 25°C and constants of the Mark-Houwink-Sakurada equation in each solvent are determined. Further, approximately the same K_Θ as above is obtained from these data with the Stockmayer-Fixman plot. The calculated value of steric factor, 2.37, on this polymer may be plausible, compared with those of polyvinylaromatic derivatives.     

A 322 MHz random-cycle embedded DRAM with high-accuracy sensing and tuning

A 16 Mb embedded DRAM macro in a fully CMOS logic compatible 90 nm process with a low noise core architecture and a high-accuracy post-fabrication tuning scheme has been developed. Based on the proposed techniques, 61% improvement of the sensing accuracy is realized. Even with the smallest 5 fF/cell capacitance, a 322 MHz random-cycle access while 32 ms data retention time which contributes to save the data retention power down to 60 /spl mu/W are achieved.     

Infrequent mutation of the H-cadherin gene on chromosome 16q24 in human breast cancers

To investigate the molecular basis of altered expression of the H-cadherin gene, we used polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing to examine the H-cadherin gene in 48 primary breast cancers in which loss of the long arm of chromosome 16 had been detected. We identified no mutations other than somatic 5-bp deletion within the coding region in a single tumor. The very low frequency of mutation found in these experiments suggests that H-cadherin is usually not a primary target for carcinogenesis in human breast cancers, and that reduction of its expression is likely to be a consequence of some other genetic event(s).     

Clinico-laboratory characteristics and treatment of patients with trichinosis

The severity of clinical features of trichinosis and cardiac involvement incidence were examined in the study. The values of eosinophiles, serum enzymes and serologic response to T. spiralis were determined in relation to the disease severity. Twenty-nine patients, of mean age from 24 to 29 years treated in the Clinic in the period from January to April 1995 were presented-7 with severe form of trichinosis, 10 with moderately severe and 12 with light. The fever was noticed in 93.1% of patients, gastrointestinal disorders in 65.5%, myalgias in 96.6%, facial edema in 79.3%, cardiac disorders in 31% and rash in 20.7%. Positive IIF test result was found in 100% of patients with severe clinical features, and only in 58.3% of patients with light clinical features. The patients were treated with mebendazole in the dose of 25 mg/kg BM a day during 14 days. It was concluded that severe trichinosis forms were frequently followed by myocardial damage, that severe forms responded faster and better serologically to trichinella and those patients should be treated with high mebendazole doses.     

Rutile-type TiO2 thin film for high-k gate insulator

We investigated rutile-type titanium dioxide (TiO₂) films for possible use as a high-k gate insulator. The TiO₂ thin films were directly deposited on Si substrates using a RF magnetron sputtering method with a sintered oxide target. A single phase of rutile-type TiO₂ whose dielectric constant of approximately 75 was obtained when the film was deposited in an inert gas atmosphere and annealed at 800 °C in an oxidizing gas atmosphere. The oxygen ions were deficient in the as-deposited film, and consequently, a sufficient oxygen supply was needed to crystallize the film to a single phase of rutile during the post-annealing. However, the interfacial SiO₂ layer between the TiO₂ and the Si substrate simultaneously grew thicker than 2 nm. As the interfacial SiO₂ grew, the leakage current was decreased and the equivalent oxide thickness was increased, in the Au/rutile-type TiO₂/Si capacitor. Therefore, we concluded that the growth of the interfacial SiO₂ layer thicker than 2 nm is inevitable to form the single phase of rutile-type TiO₂ and to decrease the leakage.     

A case of macrocystic cervical neurinoma diagnosed by MRI with Gd-DTPA

The authors report a rare case of a large cystic cervical neurinoma. A 45-year-old female was admitted to our clinic because of motor weakness of the right upper extremity, numbness of the right fingers and right posterior cervical pain. Metrizamide CT myelography demonstrated the outline of a low density mass. MRI showed a mass revealing low signal intensity on T1-weighted image, high signal intensity on T2-weighted image and marginal enhancement on contrast image with Gd-DTPA. The mass which was diagnosed as cystic tumor, was located in the intradural extramedullary space between C4 to C5 segments. After C4 through C5 laminectomy, the tumor was found to originate from the C5 anterior motor root. The tumor consisted mostly of a cystic part with a very thin solid compartment beneath the capsule. Postoperative course of the patient was uneventful. Although spinal neurinoma is one of the most common spinal tumors, an almost completely degenerated large cystic spinal neurinoma is extremely rare. MRI with Gd-DTPA was useful for the diagnosis of the cystic neurinoma by clearly enhancing the margin of the tumor.