Association between self-reported walking speed and calcaneal stiffness index in postmenopausal Japanese women

Background: Osteoporosis and related fractures, a worldwide public health issue of growing concern, is characterized by compromised bone strength and an increased risk of fracture. Here we show an association between self-reported walking speed and bone mass among community-dwelling postmenopausal Japanese women aged 50 years and older. Design; cross-sectional study: Setting and Participants; The survey population included 1008 postmenopausal women 50?92 years of age residing in rural communities. Methods: Self-reported walking speed was ascertained by asking the participants: “Is your walking speed faster than others of the same age and sex?” to which participants responded “yes (faster)” or “no (moderate/slower).” Calcaneal stiffness index was measured. Results: Women with a faster self-reported walking speed were younger and had a lower BMI, higher stiffness index, and higher grip strength than women with a slower walking speed. Multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for age, BMI, grip strength, comorbidity, current smoking, and alcohol drinking status showed a significant association between faster self-reported walking speed and higher calcaneal stiffness index (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that questionnaires of walking speed may be useful for predicting bone mass and that a fast self-reported walking may benefit bone health in postmenopausal women

Gastroschisis with multiple atresia and impending rupture of small intestine

We herein report an unusual case of multiple atresia and impending rupture of the small intestine in a patient with gastroschisis. Gradual bowel dilatation and thinning of the bowel wall were confirmed at our institution by fetal imaging, which led to the suspicion of intestinal atresia. The patient underwent repair of the perforation and small intestinal resection, formation of a separate stoma, and primary closure of the abdominal wall defect. The specimen from the impending rupture of the small intestine showed partial absence of the mucosal and muscular layers on the antimesenteric side and irregular thickness of the lamina and tunica muscularis, including the non-dilated intestine. The vascular density was lower in the area with absence of the mucosal and muscular layers than in the area with normal layers. We speculate that the multiple small intestinal lesions resulted from chronic vascular stress and high intestinal internal pressure. Intestinal lesions in patients with gastroschisis cannot be excluded even when dramatic bowel distention and thickening are absent on prenatal ultrasonography. In cases of prenatally diagnosed gastroschisis, cesarean delivery should be performed as soon as possible to minimize the damage caused by intestinal lesions. Keywords: Gastroschisis, Intestinal atresia, Intestinal impending ruptur

Fibrous hamartoma of infancy in the scrotum – Report of a case

Fibrous hamartomas of infancy (FHI) is rare benign tumors. FHI is typically present before the age of two years. We report a 13-month-old child with FHI, which presented as the growing scrotum mass clinically diagnosed rhabdomyosarcoma of the trunk. Right scrotal swelling was presented. The mass was irregular, solidly, and non-tender. Operative findings revealed a mass fixed to the scrotal fundus. FHI is differentiated from other malignant neoplasms in the scrotum

Blunt splenic injury in a child with situs inversus totalis treated with transcatheter arterial embolization

We report the first case of blunt splenic rupture in a child with situs inversus totalis treated with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). A 12-year-old girl fell roughly 4 feet onto the pavement while riding her bicycle. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed situs inversus totalis, a massive hemorrhage in the abdominal cavity, and a ruptured spleen with extravasation. Arteriography showed that the internal organs were located opposite their normal positioning. TAE was carried out with gelfoam and a micro coils at the branch of the upper lobe of the splenic artery. TAE is effective for blunt splenic injury with extravasation in a child with situs inversus. In TAE, there is no technical difference about situs inversus excepted mirror image of abdominal vascular formation

Whole microbe arrays accurately predict interactions and overall antimicrobial activity of galectin-8 toward distinct strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Abstract Microbial glycan microarrays (MGMs) populated with purified microbial glycans have been used to define the specificity of host immune factors toward microbes in a high throughput manner. However, a limitation of such arrays is that glycan presentation may not fully recapitulate the natural presentation that exists on microbes. This raises the possibility that interactions observed on the array, while often helpful in predicting actual interactions with intact microbes, may not always accurately ascertain the overall affinity of a host immune factor for a given microbe. Using galectin-8 (Gal-8) as a probe, we compared the specificity and overall affinity observed using a MGM populated with glycans harvested from various strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae to an intact microbe microarray (MMA). Our results demonstrate that while similarities in binding specificity between the MGM and MMA are apparent, Gal-8 binding toward the MMA more accurately predicted interactions with strains of S. pneumoniae, including the overall specificity of Gal-8 antimicrobial activity. Taken together, these results not only demonstrate that Gal-8 possesses antimicrobial activity against distinct strains of S. pneumoniae that utilize molecular mimicry, but that microarray platforms populated with intact microbes present an advantageous strategy when exploring host interactions with microbes