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Pre-heparin plasma LPL mass is closely associated with intra-abdominal fat distribution, and the measurement of its value gives useful information concerning metabolic disorder.

The antifracture efficacy of vitamin D in osteoporosis is due to its direct action on bones and indirect extraskeletal effects to prevent falls. Eldecalcitol is an analog of active vitamin D3 that improves bone mineral density and reduces the risk of osteoporotic fractures. However, the effects of eldecalcitol on muscle strength and static and dynamic postural balance are unclear. In this open-label randomized controlled study, we assessed the effects of eldecalcitol on muscle strength and static and dynamic postural balance in 50 postmenopausal women (mean age 74 years) with osteoporosis treated with bisphosphonate. Participants were randomly divided into a bisphosphonate group (alendronate at 35 mg/week; n = 25) or an eldecalcitol group (eldecalcitol at 0.75 μg/day and alendronate at 35 mg/week; n = 25) and were followed up for 6 months. Trunk muscle strength, including back extensor strength and iliopsoas muscle strength, was measured. Static standing balance was evaluated and the one leg standing test was performed to assess static postural balance. Dynamic sitting balance was evaluated and the 10-m walk test, functional reach test, and timed up and go test were performed to assess dynamic postural balance. At 6 months, there were no significant changes in any measure of muscle strength or balance in the bisphosphonate group, whereas eldecalcitol significantly increased back extensor strength (p = 0.012) and iliopsoas muscle strength (p = 0.035). Eldecalcitol also significantly improved findings on the timed up and go test (p = 0.001) and dynamic sitting balance (p = 0.015) at 6 months. These results with eldecalcitol may have an impact on prevention of falls.

By treating 0.5 g DW of a plant sample directly with 10 ml of a dilute hydrofluoric acid solution (HF solution, 1.5 M HF—0.6 M HCl), all the silica in plant (as much as 150 mg SiO2) was dissolved within 1 h. After dilution of the extract with 40 mL of distilled water, the silica in the extract was measured by the spectrometric molybdenum yellow method. The molybdenum yellow method, in which silica in 0.1 mL of the diluted extract can be determined in 8 min, is well suited to rapid, micro‐estimations of the silica content in plants. In the micro‐modification, the size of the plant sample was reduced to 100 mg DW. The analytical procedure was simple, and the analytical time was less than 2 h. The method can save much labor and time, compared with the gravimetric analysis. The dissolution with HF solution and the molybdenum yellow method were also applied to the measurement of the content of silica separated by acid digestion of rice plants. Excellent agreement in the silica measurement of rice plants was confirmed among the direct extraction method, the gravimetric method and the digestion‐separation‐dissolution method. In the molybdenum yellow method, the addition of boric acid enabled to mask the interference of hydrofluoric acid, and the least amount of citric acid required for the elimination of phosphorus interference was proposed. In conclusion in this report, recommended methods for the rapid estimation of the silica content in rice plants were presented.

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Objectives: Previous studies have suggested that the effects of vitamin D in preventing osteoporotic fractures result in part from its influence on fall prevention. However, the effects of vitamin D on dynamic balance as a contributor to fall prevention have not been fully evaluated. Moreover, few studies have compared the effects of native and active forms of vitamin D. The objective of this preliminary randomized prospective study was to compare the effects of native vitamin D and eldecalcitol on muscular strength and dynamic balance in postmenopausal patients undergoing denosumab treatment for osteoporosis. Methods: A total of 30 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis were randomly assigned to a native D group (administered denosumab and native vitamin D with calcium) or an ELD group (administered denosumab and eldecalcitol) and were followed up for 6 months. The following parameters were compared: the strengths of the back extensor and lower extremity muscles; static balance evaluated using the one-leg standing test; and dynamic balance evaluated using the 10-m walk test, the functional reach test, the timed up and go test, and the total length of the trajectory of the center of gravity (LNG) measured using a dynamic sitting balance measurement device. Results: Compared to baseline measurements, back extensor and knee extensor strengths had significantly increased after 6 months of treatment in the native D group (P<0.05) but not in the ELD group. In contrast, LNG significantly improved in both groups after 6 months (P<0.05). No significant differences between the two groups were seen in any of these measured parameters after treatment. Conclusions: Both native vitamin D + denosumab and eldecalcitol + denosumab were effective for improving dynamic sitting balance in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

An 8-year-old girl developed mutism after removal of a vermian medulloblastoma. The mutism was not accompanied by long tract signs or cranial nerve palsy. The girl started to regain her speech 2 weeks postoperatively, showing marked improvement 2 months after the operation, after passing through a dysarthric phase. Magnetic resonance imaging showed only normal postoperative changes without abnormalities of dentate nuclei or supranuclear region. Nineteen similar cases of transient mutism following cerebellar operations have been reported in the literature, most of them with a delayed postoperative onset. In all patients the recovery of speech started to appear 4 days to 4 months postoperatively, and all patients passed through a monotonous, dysarthric phase. The absence of long tract or other brain stem signs, together with the presence of dysarthria during the recovery of speech, suggested a cerebellar cause of the transient mutism. Various hypotheses advanced to explain the pathogenesis of this speech disorder are analyzed.

PurposeHigh tibial valgus osteotomy (HTO) is a well-established surgical procedure for patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The hybrid closed-wedge HTO (CWHTO) procedure permits extensive correction in patients with severe deformities or patellofemoral joint OA. The aim of this study was to report the short-term results in a consecutive series of patients treated with hybrid CWHTO.Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcomes and radiographic parameters in 29 consecutive knees that underwent hybrid CWTHO to correct medial compartment OA at an average follow-up of 52.6 months. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Lysholm score and knee scoring system of the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA). The Kellgren-Lawrence grading system and pre- and postoperative mechanical axis (MA), femorotibial angle (FTA), posterior tibial slope, and patella height were assessed.ResultsThe FTA and MA significantly changed from 180.7° to 170.4° and from 22.0° to 60.2°, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the mean pre- and postoperative posterior tibial slope, Insall-Salvati ratio, or Caton-Deschamps index. The postoperative JOA and Lysholm scores significantly improved from 76.7 to 95.8 and from 58.8 to 90.2, respectively.ConclusionsSatisfactory outcomes can be achieved with hybrid CWHTO in patients with medial OA.