The long-term effects of pitavastatin on blood lipids and platelet activation markers in stroke patients: impact of the homocysteine level.

To examine the impact of the plasma homocysteine level on the anti-atherosclerotic effects of pitavastatin treatment, we retrospectively examined 59 patients who had a history of stroke and had been prescribed pitavastatin for the treatment of dyslipidemia at the Neurology department of Toho University Ohashi Medical Center Hospital. The patients were classified into two groups according to their homocysteine levels. Carotid artery plaque progression was determined before and after pitavastatin treatment.

The course of incidental intraorbital cavernous hemangioma in a patient with myasthenia gravis treated with cyclosporine: a case report.

A 69-year-old woman presented with generalized myasthenia gravis and a left orbital cavernous hemangioma (OCH), which elevated the optic nerve and displaced the external eye muscles. Cyclosporine treatment induced a gradual size reduction in the OCH, and consequently contributed to improved external ocular symptoms in combination with immunosuppressant effects.

Legionellosis presenting as singultus and external ophthalmoplegia.

We report a 71-year-old man with legionellosis, who presented with abducens nerve palsy, singultus, confusion, memory impairment, ataxia, and hyporeflexia. Legionella pneumonia was diagnosed on the basis of detection of Legionella pneumophila antigen in the urine. The cerebrospinal fluid was negative for the antigen and antibody, but an oligoclonal band was detected, and the IgG index was elevated.

Anti-TNF therapy using etanercept suppresses degenerative and inflammatory changes in skeletal muscle of older SJL/J mice.

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2B and Miyoshi myopathy are characterized by muscle fiber necrosis caused by a defect in dysferlin and inflammatory changes. SJL/J mice are deficient in dysferlin and display severe inflammatory changes, most notably the presence of cytokines, which may be related to destruction of the sarcolemma. We tested the hypothesis that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) contributes to myofibril necrosis.

Triphasic waves in a patient with tuberculous meningitis.

We report on the case of a 32-year-old woman with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) with electroencephalogram (EEG) output displaying triphasic waves (TWs). The EEG on day 8 revealed generalized slowing, frontal bilateral TWs, a background of 2Hz delta waves, and no epileptiform activity. The patient's condition improved slowly with antituberculosis chemotherapy treatment.