Air in the right ventricle and vein after basilar skull fracture: a case report.

Background: Air in the venous system may cause vascular air embolism, which is a potentially life-threatening event. The presence of air in venous system after basilar skull fracture is very rare.

Case Presentation: A 77-year-old man fell from a truck bed and suffered head and neck trauma.

Does splenic preservation treatment (embolization, splenorrhaphy, and partial splenectomy) improve immunologic function and long-term prognosis after splenic injury?

Background: : To assess the immunologic alteration and long-term prognosis after splenic injury from preservation treatment (PT) (embolization, splenorrhaphy, partial splencetomy) and to compare with splenectomy (SN).

Methods: : The long-term prognosis of patients with blunt splenic injury treated at seven tertiary emergency centers in Japan was retrospectively studied. Patients were followed up by telephone interview and written questionnaire.

Prognostic indicators and outcome prediction model for severe traumatic brain injury.

Background: Although some predictive models for patient outcomes after severe traumatic brain injury have been proposed, a mathematical model with high predictive value has not been established. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the most important indicators of prognosis and to develop the best outcome prediction model.

Methods: One hundred eleven consecutive patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of <9 were examined and 14 factors were evaluated.

Mismatch recovery of regional cerebral blood flow and brain temperature during reperfusion after prolonged brain ischemia in gerbils.

Background: Recovery of cerebral reperfusion after stroke or cardiac arrest can take a long time. We aimed to identify differences in the postischemic recovery of physiologic parameters between short and prolonged brain ischemia.

Methods: Eighteen Mongolian gerbils were assigned to one of three groups: 5-minute (G5), 15-minute (G15), or 30-minute (G30) ischemia.

Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of anti-inflammatory mediators in early-phase severe traumatic brain injury.

In our previous study of patients with early-phase severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), the anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-10 concentration was lower in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) than in serum, whereas proinflammatory IL-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha concentrations were higher in CSF than in serum. To clarify the influence of additional injury on this disproportion between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators, we compared their CSF and serum concentrations in patients with severe TBI with and without additional injury. All 35 study patients (18 with and 17 without additional injury) had a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less upon admission.