Effects of revascularisation on evoked cerebral blood oxygenation responses in stroke patients.

We demonstrated that ischemic strokes exhibit an increase of deoxyhemoglobin during activation. We evaluated the effect of revascu-larization on the abnormal evoked cerebral blood oxygenation (CBO) re-sponses in these patients, employing near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We selected five patients who exhibited an increase of deoxyhemoglobin associated with increases of oxyhemoglobin and total hemoglobin during activation for this study.

EC-IC bypass function in Moyamoya disease and non-Moyamoya ischemic stroke evaluated by intraoperative indocyanine green fluorescence angiography.

Indocyanine green (ICG) emits near-infrared fluorescence when it is excited by near-infrared light. The near infrared fluorescence of ICG was applied to the imaging of cerebral vessels during neurosurgical operations such as clipping of aneurysms. In this study, ICG angiography was applied to extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery to evaluate the hemodynamic changes induced by bypass in moyamoya disease (MD) and non-moyamoya ischemic diseases (non-MD).

Changes of evoked cerebral blood oxygenation and optical pathlength in the frontal lobe during language tasks: a study by multi-channel, time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy and functional MRI.

To determine the alterations in optical characteristics and cerebral blood oxygenation (CBO) in the frontal lobe during language tasks, we evaluated the changes in mean optical pathlength (MOP) and CBO induced by a verbal fluency task (VFT) in the right and left frontal lobes in normal adults (n = 9, mean age = 29.6 +/- 4.8 years).

Effect of transient forebrain ischemia on flavoprotein autofluorescence and the somatosensory evoked potential in the rat.

In order to evaluate the effect of cerebral ischemia on the flavoprotein fluorescence (FPF), we compared the changes in the FPF and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) during transient cerebral ischemia in the rat. We measured the FPF and SEP simultaneously via a cranial window made over the right sensorimotor cortex during the left median nerve stimulation in F344 rats. We compared change in FPF and SEP during cerebral ischemia for 60 min.

Oral adsorbent AST-120 ameliorates tubular injury in chronic renal failure patients by reducing proteinuria and oxidative stress generation.

AST-120 is an oral adsorbent that attenuates the progression of chronic renal failure (CRF) and improves the prognosis of the patients under dialysis. Although tubulointerstitial injury is more important than glomerulopathy in terms of renal prognosis in patients with CRF, effect of AST-120 on tubular injury in CRF patients remains unknown. In this study, we examined whether and how AST-120 treatment could improve tubular damage in nondiabetic CRF patients.

Comparative effects of benidipine and amlodipine on proteinuria, urinary 8-OHdG, urinary L-FABP, and inflammatory and atherosclerosis markers in early-stage chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: We examined the effects of 2 calcium channel blockers, benidipine (T-, L-, and N-type) and amlodipine (L- and N-type), on renal, inflammatory, oxidative, and atherosclerosis markers in hypertensive patients with mild chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: Forty hypertensive patients with CKD were assigned randomly to either of the 2 treatments: 8 mg benidipine once daily (n = 20, group A) or 5 mg amlodipine once daily (n = 20, group B). Treatment was continued for 12 months.

Genetic reduction of GABA(A) receptor gamma2 subunit expression potentiates the immobilizing action of isoflurane.

Potentiation of inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid subtype A (GABA(A)) receptor function is involved in the mechanisms of anesthetic action. The present study examined the immobilizing action of the volatile anesthetic isoflurane in mice with double knockout (DKO) of phospholipase C-related inactive protein (PRIP)-1 and -2. Both of these proteins play important roles in the expression of GABA(A) receptors containing the gamma2 subunit on the neuronal cell surface.

Novel pro-atherogenic molecule coupling factor 6 is elevated in patients with stroke: a possible linkage to homocysteine.

Background And Purpose: Homocysteine (Hcy) is an independent predictor of stroke. Coupling factor 6 (CF6) is regulated by nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) signaling which is activated by Hcy. We tested the hypothesis that CF6 is elevated with Hcy in stroke.

Peak C-reactive protein level predicts long-term outcomes in type B acute aortic dissection.

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is associated with an inflammatory reaction, as evidenced by elevated inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP). The association between the peak CRP level and long-term outcomes in type B AAD has not been systematically investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the peak CRP level during admission predicts long-term outcomes in type B AAD.

[A case of adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver].

A 60-year-old man underwent abdominal computed tomography due to the chest pressure. Then, a 10 cm sized tumor in the right lobe of the liver was detected. Tumor marker was normal except that CA19-9 was as high as 703 U/mL.

[A case of hepatocellular carcinoma with advanced gastric cancer treated by radio frequency ablation].

A 69-year-old male patient has been diagnosed hepatitis B a couple of years ago at our hospital. His follow up CT revealed multiple hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in May 2007. Transarterialchemoembolization was selected for treatment.

[A case of locally recurrent rectal cancer responding to radiation and chemotherapy with S-1].

We describe a case of locally recurrent rectal cancer that was successfully treated with radiation and chemotherapy with S-1; this treatment resulted in long-term survival of the patient with a good performance status. A 51-year-old man underwent Hartmann's operation for advanced rectal cancer. At 6 months after the surgery, a pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan showed a local recurrence of the rectal cancer.

The behavior of PLGA microspheres containing rifampicin in alveolar macrophages.

We have developed a pulmonary drug delivery system for the treatment of tuberculosis using rifampicin (RFP) encapsulated in poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres (RFP-PLGA MS), which is a biocompatible polymer. In this study, the behavior of RFP-PLGA MS and the metabolism of RFP were investigated after their uptake by macrophages using the rat alveolar macrophage cell line, NR8383. The prepared RFP-PLGA MS were spherical with an average diameter of 1.

[The inhibition effect of a synthetic analogue of prostaglandin E1 to the provocation by aspirin in the patients of WDEIA].

Background: Exercise or aspirin intake enhances symptoms by increasing blood gliadin levels in patients with wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA). Misoprostol, a synthetic analogue of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) compensates prostagrandins of which synthesis is inhibited by aspirin and protect the gastrointestinal mucosa. We projected to examine the effect of misoprostol in suppression the allergic symptom and elevation of blood gliadin levels in WDEIA induced by aspirin.

[Updates on ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament. Quality of life (QOL) of patients with OPLL].

Among the research conducted under the Health Labour Sciences Research Grant Program by the study group on ossification of spinal ligaments, we reviewed studies on patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) with regard to methods for assessing their QOL as well as the study results. Methods for assessing QOL included the use of a single question, health-related QOL scales such as the SF-36 and SF-8, and the QOL criteria used in the JOA Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ) . In patients with OPLL, which is a condition characterized by pain and numbness that primarily affects the patient's lifestyle rather than survival, the degree of pain was strongly related to QOL.

Expression of osteogenic proteins during the intrasplenic transplantation of Meckel's chondrocytes: A histochemical and immunohistochemical study.

Meckel's chondrocytes, derived from the ectomesenchyme, have the potential to transform into other phenotypes. In this study, we transplanted cell pellets of Meckel's chondrocytes into isogenic mouse spleens and analyzed their phenotypic transformation into osteogenic cells using histological and immunohistochemical methods. With the increasing duration of transplantation, chondrocytes were incorporated into splenic tissues and formed a von Kossa-positive calcified matrix containing calcium and phosphoric acid, similar to that of intact bone.

MR diagnosis of a pulmonary embolism: comparison of P792 and Gd-DOTA for first-pass perfusion MRI and contrast-enhanced 3D MRA in a rabbit model.

Objective: To compare P792 (gadomelitol, a rapid clearance blood pool MR contrast agent) with gadolinium-tetraazacyclododecanetetraacetic acid (Gd-DOTA), a standard extracellular agent, for their suitability to diagnose a pulmonary embolism (PE) during a first-pass perfusion MRI and 3D contrast-enhanced (CE) MR angiography (MRA).

Materials And Methods: A perfusion MRI or CE-MRA was performed in a rabbit PE model following the intravenous injection of a single dose of contrast agent. The time course of the pulmonary vascular and parenchymal enhancement was assessed by measuring the signal in the aorta, pulmonary artery, and lung parenchyma as a function of time to determine whether there is a significant difference between the techniques.

Complete resection of hepatoblastoma originating in the caudate lobe: case report and literature review.

Hepatoblastoma originating in the caudate lobe is extremely rare, and resection is technically challenging. The aim of this study was to report our experience of complete resection of hepatoblastoma originating in the caudate lobe and review the literature. A 12-month-old boy was admitted for investigation of an upper abdominal mass.

Co-administration of ezetimibe enhances proteinuria-lowering effects of pitavastatin in chronic kidney disease patients partly via a cholesterol-independent manner.

Since co-administration of ezetimibe, a specific inhibitor of cholesterol absorption into the intestine, has been shown to augment lipid-lowering effects of statins, ezetimibe plus statins is a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of dyslipidemia in high-risk patients. Statins have been shown to ameliorate renal function and reduce proteinuria in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, effects of co-administration of ezetimibe with statins on renal damage and dysfunction in CKD patients remain unknown.

'Lysobacter enzymogenes ssp. cookii ' Christensen 1978 should be recognized as an independent species, Lysobacter cookii sp. nov.

'Lysobacter enzymogenes ssp. cookii' was proposed by Christensen and Cook in 1978; however, this subspecies name has not been cited in the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names and therefore the nomenclature has not been validated. In our genetic approach to clarify the relationships of the designated type strain of 'L.

Positive association of serum levels of advanced glycation end products and high mobility group box-1 with asymmetric dimethylarginine in nondiabetic chronic kidney disease patients.

There is accumulating evidence that engagement of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) with ligands such as advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and high mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1) elicits vascular inflammation, thus contributing to the increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, enhanced accumulation of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) plays a role in cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. However, the relationships among serum levels of AGEs, HMGB-1, soluble form of RAGE (sRAGE), and ADMA are largely unknown.

Combination therapy with normobaric oxygen (NBO) plus thrombolysis in experimental ischemic stroke.

Background: The widespread use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the only FDA-approved acute stroke treatment, remains limited by its narrow therapeutic time window and related risks of brain hemorrhage. Normobaric oxygen therapy (NBO) may be a useful physiological strategy that slows down the process of cerebral infarction, thus potentially allowing for delayed or more effective thrombolysis. In this study we investigated the effects of NBO started simultaneously with intravenous tPA, in spontaneously hypertensive rats subjected to embolic middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke.

Effect of polymyxin B-immobilized fiber hemoperfusion on serum high mobility group box-1 protein levels and oxidative stress in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by diffuse inflammation in the lung and resultant permeability edema. Polymyxin B-immobilized fiber (PMX-F) hemoperfusion is effective for sepsis-induced ARDS. High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) is newly recognized as a proinflammatory cytokine.