Expansive open-door laminoplasty for cervical spinal stenotic myelopathy

Although the operative results have been improving since the air drill was introduced for cervical laminectomy instead of an ordinary rongeur, post-laminectomy complications, such as postoperative fragility of the cervical spine to acute neck trauma, posterior spur formation at the vertebral body, and malalignment of the lateral curvature have still remained as unsolved problems. In order to avoid these disadvantages, a new surgical technique called "expansive open-door laminoplasty" was devised by the author in 1977, which is relatively easier, safer, and better than the ordinary laminectomy from the standpoint of structural mechanics of the cervical spine. The operative procedure is described in detail. Operative results in the patients with cervical OPLL, spondylosis, and canal stenosis were satisfactory, and optimal widening of the AP diameter of the spinal canal is considered to be over 4 mm. From this procedure a bilateral, open-door laminoplasty has been devised for extensive exploration at the intradural space.     

New technique for producing hybridoma by using laser radiation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: With conventional methods, cell fusion rate is extremely low, and fusion of two specific cells is not possible. We developed a new method for inducing cell fusion under the microscope by using a microprocessing device by laser. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Under a microscope, the target cells were irradiated with laser beams for trapping. Then, the trapped cells were transferred and placed in contact with the corresponding cells, which were also fixed by laser beam. The pulse laser beams are focused on the contact surface to cut small perforations for mutual communication of the cytoplasms. RESULTS: The fusion rate of mouse myeloma cells was 38%. The rate of hybridoma production of myeloma cell and lymphocyte was 2%. We confirmed the proliferation of the newly formed hybridoma in HAT medium and the production of immunoglobulin G. CONCLUSION: This new cell fusion method is characterized by production of hybridomas of target cells, lower cell toxicity, and a high rate of hybrid production.     

Nonsense Mutation at Codon 63 of the BRCA1 Gene in Japanese Breast Cancer Patients

The involvement of abnormalities of the BRCA1 gene in breast cancers in Japanese patients without any family history of this cancer was investigated by polymerase chain reaction-based single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of the DNA sequences corresponding to the zinc finger domain (exons 2, 3 and 5) and the binding domain with Rad51 (exon 11) of the BRCA1 protein. An identical nonsense mutation at codon 63 (TTA to TAA) was found in 2 of 56 (3.5%) breast cancers from independent patients. The nucleotide change was also detected in the DNAs from non-cancerous tissues of both patients and therefore was a germline mutation. One of the patients was a member of a pedigree involving 3 ovarian cancer and 1 gastric cancer patients, while the other patient had no family history of malignancy. The same germline mutation at codon 63 was reported in four other independent Japanese pedigrees with frequent breast cancer, but not in such families in other countries. These observations suggest that the mutation commonly originated from a single Japanese ancestor. No other mutation of the BRCA1 gene was observed in the samples analyzed in this study. A low incidence of germline mutation and the absence of somatic mutation suggest that the aberration of the BRCA1 gene is involved only in a subset of Japanese breast cancers.     

New PCR-Based Open Reading Frame Typing Method for Easy,Rapid, and Reliable Identification of Acinetobacter baumannii International Epidemic Clones without Performing Multilocus Sequence Typing

Antimicrobial resistance issues have become a global health concern. The rapid identification of multidrug-resistant microbes, which depends on microbial genomic information, is essential for overcoming growing antimicrobial resistance challenges. However, genotyping methods, such as multilocus sequence typing (MLST), for identifying international epidemic clones of Acinetobacter baumannii are not easily performed as routine tests in ordinary clinical laboratories. In this study, we aimed to develop a novel genotyping method that can be performed in ordinary microbiology laboratories. Several open reading frames (ORFs) specific to certain bacterial genetic lineages or species, together with their unique distribution patterns on the chromosomes showing a good correlation with the results of MLST, were selected in A. baumannii and other Acinetobacter spp. by comparing their genomic data. The distribution patterns of the ORFs were visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis after multiplex PCR amplification and digitized. A. baumannii sequence types (STs) corresponding to international clones I and II were successfully discriminated from other STs and Acinetobacter species by detecting the distribution patterns of their ORFs using the multiplex PCR developed here. Since bacterial STs can be easily expressed as digitized numeric data with plus (+) expressed as 1 and minus (−) expressed as 0, the results of the method can be easily compared with those obtained by different tests or laboratories. This PCR-based ORF typing (POT) method can easily and rapidly identify international epidemic clones of A. baumannii and differentiate this microbe from other Acinetobacter spp. Since this POT method is easy enough to be performed even in ordinary clinical laboratories, it would also contribute to daily infection control measures and surveillance.     

Associations of Education With Overall Diet Quality Are Explained by Different Food Groups in Middle-aged and Old Japanese Women

BackgroundThe disparity of overall diet quality by personal educational attainment has been a public issue. However, it remains unknown which food groups contribute to the disparity. This cross-sectional study assesses which food groups explain associations between education and overall diet quality in Japanese women.MethodsA total of 3,788 middle-aged (mean age, 47.7 years) and 2,188 older women (mean age, 74.4 years), who lived in 47 prefectures in Japan, provided data on their education (low, middle, and high) and dietary intakes from a diet history questionnaire. A diet quality score (possible score 0–70) was calculated based on seven food components. Mean diet quality scores, with adjustment for lifestyle and neighborhood variables, were estimated by education using a general linear model, and Dunnett’s multiple comparison was conducted. Additionally, mean scores of each food component were estimated by education and compared using the same manner.ResultsAfter adjustment for lifestyle and neighborhood variables, mean diet quality score of high or middle education was higher than low education for both generations. Middle-aged women with high and middle education had higher scores of ‘milk’, ‘snacks, confection, and beverages’, ‘fruits’, and ‘vegetable dishes’ than those with low education. Older women with high and middle education had higher scores of ‘sodium from seasonings’ and ‘fruits’ than those with low education.ConclusionsThis study suggests that positive associations between education and diet quality are explained by different food groups in middle-aged and older Japanese women, which are independent of lifestyle and neighborhood variables.Key words: education, diet quality, Japanese