Atraumatic Femoral Insufficiency Fracture in Postmenopausal Women Taking Bisphosphonate

The patient was 85-year-old woman. Five years and 8 months previously, bisphosphonate was prescribed for osteoporosis at a local clinic. Deformity of the thigh occurred when she tried to stand after sitting. X-ray findings revealed a transverse fracture of the right femoral diaphysis. Intramedullary nailing of the right femur was performed. Bone union was slightly delayed, but it was eventually achieved. Bisphosphonates have been reported to severely suppress bone turnover, resulting in the occurrence of fractures at the diaphysis or metaphysis of the femur. This type of fracture is characteristically induced by minor trauma and usually shows a simple transverse fracture. Bone union is delayed and these patients complain of prodromal symptoms. Because our case met all of the above criteria, it was concluded that the cause of her fracture was severely suppressed bone turnover (SSBT). We treated a patient who had a pathologic fracture associated with bisphosphonate therapy. Careful follow-up will be required, because it has been reported that such fractures can also occur on the contralateral side

Teriparatide Treatment for An Atypical Fracture of the Femoral Shaft: A Case Report

An 82-year-old woman had been taking alendronate for 5 years and 5 months, which had been prescribed for osteoporosis at a local clinic. Severe left thigh pain began without any trauma. X-ray, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings showed atypical femoral fracture（AFF）. Treatment with teriparatide and weight-bearing therapy was selected. Bone union was achieved without surgery. Teriparatide has been reported to promote AFF healing. At four years and 9 months from the beginning of treatment, our patient has no left femoral pain and no impairment to activities of daily living. Careful follow-up will be necessary as long-term outcomes of conservative AFF treatment have not been reported to date

BioHackathon series in 2011 and 2012: penetration of ontology and linked data in life science domains

The application of semantic technologies to the integration of biological data and the interoperability of bioinformatics analysis and visualization tools has been the common theme of a series of annual BioHackathons hosted in Japan for the past five years. Here we provide a review of the activities and outcomes from the BioHackathons held in 2011 in Kyoto and 2012 in Toyama. In order to efficiently implement semantic technologies in the life sciences, participants formed various sub-groups and worked on the following topics: Resource Description Framework (RDF) models for specific domains, text mining of the literature, ontology development, essential metadata for biological databases, platforms to enable efficient Semantic Web technology development and interoperability, and the development of applications for Semantic Web data. In this review, we briefly introduce the themes covered by these sub-groups. The observations made, conclusions drawn, and software development projects that emerged from these activities are discussed

Effective Catheter Manoeuvre for the Removal of Phlegm by Suctioning : A Biomechanical Analysis of Experts and Novices

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the effective biomechanical technique for suctioning phlegm. Methods A novel tracheal suctioning simulator combined with a motion capture system was used to calculate the amount of simulated phlegm suctioned and the biomechanical parameters of the associated suctioning manoeuvre. A laboratory study, including 12 nurses with > 3 years of suctioning experience and 12 nursing students without any clinical suctioning experience, was conducted. The amount of phlegm suctioned, the maximum length of catheter insertion, and the biomechanical parameters of hand movement were calculated. Results The mean amount of phlegm suctioned per second was significantly larger in the experienced group than in the non-experienced group. The amount of phlegm suctioned correlated positively with the length of the vertical path of motion of the wrist and forearm, and with the angular velocity of thumb rotation in both the groups. Conclusion Greater vertical motion of the wrist and thumb rotation improved the effectiveness of phlegm suctioning and prevented the need for deep suctioning, which is unsafe