[Management of secondary normal pressure hydrocephalus and assessment of cortical reorganization using fMRI].

We assessed the motor recovery and cortical reorganization associated with intracranial pressure (ICP) control in a secondary normal pressure hydrocephalus (sNPH) patient. A 32-year-old man with sNPH resulting from a head injury presented with left hemiplegia. A ventricular-peritoneum shunt (VP shunt) was surgically inserted for the sNPH using a Codman Hakim Programmable Valve, and his ICP was controlled according to the ventricular size by CT scanning.

Cardiac-specific overexpression of GTP cyclohydrolase 1 restores ischaemic preconditioning during hyperglycaemia.

Aims: Hyperglycaemia (HG) decreases intracellular tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)) concentrations, and this action may contribute to injury during myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion. We investigated whether increased BH(4) by cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of the GTP cyclohydrolase (GTPCH) 1 gene rescues myocardial and mitochondrial protection by ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) during HG through a nitric oxide (NO)-dependent pathway.

Methods And Results: Mice underwent 30 min of myocardial ischaemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion with or without IPC elicited with four cycles of 5 min ischaemia/5 min of reperfusion in the presence or absence of HG produced by d-glucose.

[Case of von Hippel-Lindau disease diagnosed by detection of multiple pancreatic endocrine tumors and renal tumor 13 years after bilateral adrenalectomy].

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is an inherited neoplastic syndrome caused by abnormity of the VHL gene found on the short arm of the chromosome 3. We reported a case of VHL disease diagnosed by the detection of multiple pancreatic endocrine tumors and renal tumor 13 years after bilateral adrenalectomy. A 40-year-old man presented with multiple pancreas tumors (maximum size 42 mm in diameter) detected by screening abdominal ultrasonography.

[Successful treatment of duodenal Crohn disease with infliximab: report of 3 cases].

We present 3 patients with Crohn disease (CD) of the duodenum with progressive symptoms. A 31-year-old man with Crohn ileocolitis presented epigastralgia. A 32-year-old man with Crohn ileocolitis presented upper GI bleeding.

Nicotine increases cancer stem cell population in MCF-7 cells.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that cigarette smoking is related to increased breast cancer risk. Nicotine is most likely related to the risk in cigarette smoking. However, the mechanisms by which nicotine promotes cancer development are not fully understood.

The role of tumor necrosis factor-α for interleukin-10 production by murine dendritic cells.

In the present study, we examined the role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in interleukin (IL)-10 production by dendritic cells (DCs) using bone-marrow derived DCs from wild type (WT) and TNF-α knockout (TNF-α(-/-)) mice. Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation induced substantial level of IL-10 production by WT DCs, but significantly low level of IL-10 production by TNF-α(-/-) DCs. In contrast, no significant difference was detected in IL-12 p40 production between WT and TNF-α(-/-) DCs.

Low-dose continuous infusion of landiolol can reduce adrenergic response during tracheal intubation in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease.

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of low-dose infusion of landiolol on hemodynamics during tracheal intubation in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease. The study population consisted of 30 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status II and III, aged 65-77 years, who were scheduled to undergo elective surgery under general anesthesia. Patients were randomly divided into two groups (n = 15 each): a control group, receiving normal saline, and a landiolol group, receiving landiolol at 30 μg/kg/min.

Monitoring mitochondrial electron fluxes using NAD(P)H-flavoprotein fluorometry reveals complex action of isoflurane on cardiomyocytes.

Mitochondrial bioenergetic studies mostly rely on isolated mitochondria thus excluding the regulatory role of other cellular compartments important for the overall mitochondrial function. In intact cardiomyocytes, we followed the dynamics of electron fluxes along specific sites of the electron transport chain (ETC) by simultaneous detection of NAD(P)H and flavoprotein (FP) fluorescence intensities using a laser-scanning confocal microscope. This method was used to delineate the effects of isoflurane, a volatile anesthetic and cardioprotective agent, on the ETC.

[A case of bronchial glomus tumor].

A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of a cough and hemoptysis. Chest CT and bronchoscopy demonstrated a polypoid tumor in the truncus intermedius. The pathological diagnosis of the biopsy specimens was glomus tumor, which is an extremely rare tumor of the respiratory tract.

CD8 and CD103 are highly expressed in asthmatic bronchial intraepithelial lymphocytes.

Background: Although characteristics of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) in mucosal immunity have been well defined in the intestine, bronchial IELs have been little investigated. Recently, we showed that bronchial IELs have a distinct function that partly resembles that of intestinal IELs; however, surface antigen expression of bronchial IELs and the relationship of that expression to airway disease have not been studied.

Methods: We analyzed phenotypic profiles of human bronchial IELs and lamina propria lymphocytes (LPLs) by double-staining immunohistochemistry using full-thickness bronchial specimens (10 nonasthmatic controls and 7 asthmatics) from lung resections.

Sight-threatening optic neuropathy is associated with paranasal lymphoma.

Malignant lymphoma around the orbit is very rare. We present a rare case of optic neuropathy caused by lymphoma. A 61-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital for evaluation of idiopathic optic neuropathy affecting her right eye.

Characterization of the interaction of influenza virus NS1 with Akt.

Avian influenza viruses belong to the genus influenza A virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae. The influenza virus consists of eight segmented minus stranded RNA that encode 11 known proteins. Among the 11 viral proteins, NS1 (non-structural protein 1, encoded on segment 8) has been implicated in the regulation of several important intra-cellular functions.

Improved catalytic and stereoselective glycosylation with glycosyl N-trichloroacetylcarbamate: application to various 1-hydroxy sugars.

Efficient catalytic and stereoselective glycosylation was achieved by activating a glycosyl N-trichloroacetylcarbamate with a catalytic amount of Lewis acid in the presence of a glycosyl acceptor and 5A molecular sieves. Catalytic one-pot dehydrative glycosylation of a 1-hydroxy carbohydrate was achieved stereoselectively by reaction with trichloroacetyl isocyanate, followed by activation with a catalytic amount of activators.

Pulmonary embolism caused by a carbon dioxide blower during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

We report a rare case of pulmonary embolism (PE) caused by a carbon dioxide (CO2) blower during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). When the anastomosis of the right internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending artery was performed, the operator tore the right ventricle outflow track (RVOT) that was adjacent to the left anterior descending artery. Immediately after the anastomosis and repair of the torn RVOT with CO2 blower, the systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) increased from 28 to 64 mmHg, and end-tidal CO2 decreased from 32 to 12 mmHg.

[Individualized inhalation instruction using check sheets by a pharmacist in community pharmacy improves inhalation techniques in asthmatic patients].

Background: Many types of inhaled medications are used for the treatment of asthma; however, inadequate inhalation techniques and poor adherence cause exacerbations of asthma symptoms. It is necessary to therefore provide adequate instruction to acquire correct inhalation techniques. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of individualized inhalation instruction in asthmatic outpatients by a community pharmacist for an improvement of the inhalation techniques and asthma control.

Central line-associated bloodstream infection: is the hospital epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus relevant?

We aimed to evaluate the risk factors, including the hospital epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), for central venous line-associated and laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infections (CLA-BSI and LC-BSI, respectively). The risk factors examined included the age and sex of patients, whether or not they were in the surgery service, the number of days of central line (CL) placement, the monthly number of inpatients and those positive for MRSA, and whether the standard or maximal barrier precautions were observed at CL insertion. As the outcome factors, we selected CLA-BSI and LC-BSI, while precluding repeated isolation within 28 days.

The E3 ligase TTC3 facilitates ubiquitination and degradation of phosphorylated Akt.

The serine threonine kinase Akt is a core survival factor that underlies a variety of human diseases. Although regulatory phosphorylation and dephosphorylation have been well documented, the other posttranslational mechanisms that modulate Akt activity remain unclear. We show here that tetratricopeptide repeat domain 3 (TTC3) is an E3 ligase that interacts with Akt.

Dendritic cell-derived TNF-alpha is responsible for development of IL-10-producing CD4+ T cells.

Immature dendritic cells (DCs) appear to be involved in peripheral immune tolerance via induction of IL-10-producing CD4(+) T cells. We examined the role of TNF-alpha in generation of the IL-10-producing CD4(+) T cells by immature DCs. Immature bone marrow-derived DCs from wild type (WT) or TNF-alpha(-/-) mice were cocultured with CD4(+) T cells from OVA specific TCR transgenic mice (OT-II) in the presence of OVA(323-339) peptide.

[A case of lymphomatoid granulomatosis].

An 83-year-old man was found to have multiple pulmonary nodules and ground-glass opacities after a left upper lobectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer. After bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial lung biopsy, he was put on a regimen of steroids for a tentative diagnosis of organizing pneumonia. Over the course of 3 months, the radiographic findings improved; however, they progressively deteriorated during the steroid tapering period and new skin lesions also appeared.

[Case of acute eosinophilic pneumonia possibly caused by an increase in smoking amount].

An 18-year-old man was hospitalized with fever, dry cough and dyspnea of acute onset. A chest radiograph and chest CT scan revealed diffuse bilateral infiltrates in peripheral lung zones with a small amount of pleural effusion. Laboratory data showed leukocytosis without eosinophilia and hypoxemia.

The global distribution of pure anorthosite on the Moon.

It has been thought that the lunar highland crust was formed by the crystallization and floatation of plagioclase from a global magma ocean, although the actual generation mechanisms are still debated. The composition of the lunar highland crust is therefore important for understanding the formation of such a magma ocean and the subsequent evolution of the Moon. The Multiband Imager on the Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE) has a high spatial resolution of optimized spectral coverage, which should allow a clear view of the composition of the lunar crust.