Hokkaido University · Medicine
Professor Tomohiro Shimizu's research lab focuses on musculoskeletal imaging and biomechanics, with a strong emphasis on high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) to assess bone microarchitecture and disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The lab investigates the early effects of biologic therapies—particularly anti-TNFα agents—on bone erosion and microarchitectural deterioration, aiming to improve treatment monitoring and personalization. Additionally, the lab explores the pathophysiological links between osteoporosis, subchondral insufficiency fractures, and osteoarthritis, especially in aging populations. Recent work also extends into surgical video analysis, applying hand motion recognition to classify surgical tools in open surgery settings.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Level II, prospective trial.
Using HR-pQCT, our data suggest that anti-TNFα treatment prevents erosion progression and deterioration of bone microarchitecture within the first 3 months of treatment, one patient not responding to treatment, had significant progression of bone erosions within this short time period. Patients with low disease activity scores (<3.2) can have continuous HR-pQCT-detectable progression of erosive disease with MTX treatment only. HR-pQCT can be a sensitive, powerful tool to quantify bone changes an
The increased incidence of osteoarthritis (OA), particularly knee and hip OA, and osteoporosis (OP), owing to population aging, have escalated the medical expense burden. Osteoarthritis is more prevalent in older women, and the involvement of subchondral bone fragility spotlights its association with OP. Notably, subchondral insufficiency fracture (SIF) may represent a more pronounced condition of OA pathophysiology. This review summarizes the relationship between OA and OP, incorporating recent
Our data should be useful for analyzing pitching activity and clarifying the pathology of shoulder disorders associated with throwing.
Because of the adverse consequences of abnormal knee kinetics on anterior laxity after ACLR, efforts to improve knee movement patterns should be initiated.
Detecting surgical tools is an essential task for the analysis and evaluation of surgical videos. However, in open surgery such as plastic surgery, it is difficult to detect them because there are surgical tools with similar shapes, such as scissors and needle holders. Unlike endoscopic surgery, the tips of the tools are often hidden in the operating field and are not captured clearly due to low camera resolution, whereas the movements of the tools and hands can be captured. As a result that the
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