The Caloric Test Is More Consistent With the Presence of Endolymphatic Hydrops Than the Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential Test in Meniere's Disease.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the correlation between enhanced inner ear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and vestibular and cochlear function test results in patients with definite Meniere's disease and confirmed endolymphatic hydrops. Methods Among 70 consecutive patients diagnosed with definite Meniere's disease, 49 underwent contrast-enhanced 3-T inner ear MRI. The patients also underwent pure-tone audiometry, glycerol, caloric, and vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) tests.

Potent anti-tumor effects of receptor-retargeted syncytial oncolytic herpes simplex virus.

Most oncolytic virotherapy has thus far employed viruses deficient in genes essential for replication in normal cells but not in cancer cells. Intra-tumoral injection of such viruses has resulted in clinically significant anti-tumor effects on the lesions in the vicinity of the injection sites but not on distant visceral metastases. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a receptor-retargeted oncolytic herpes simplex virus employing a single-chain antibody for targeting tumor-associated antigens (RR-oHSV) and its modified version with additional mutations conferring syncytium formation (RRsyn-oHSV).

Synthesis and antitumor activity of novel pyridinium fullerene derivatives.

Purpose: We have previously reported that some cationic fullerene derivatives exhibited anticancer activity, and they are expected to be a potential lead compound for an anti-drug resistant cancer agent. However, they are bis-adducts and a mixture of multiple regioisomers, which cannot be readily separated due to the variability of substituent positions on the fullerene cage. To overcome this issue, we evaluated the antiproliferative activities of a set of mono-adduct derivatives and examined their structure-activity relationship.

Syncytial Mutations Do Not Impair the Specificity of Entry and Spread of a Glycoprotein D Receptor-Retargeted Herpes Simplex Virus.

Unlabelled: Membrane fusion, which is the key process for both initial cell entry and subsequent lateral spread of herpes simplex virus (HSV), requires the four envelope glycoproteins gB, gD, gH, and gL. Syncytial mutations, predominantly mapped to the gB and gK genes, confer hyperfusogenicity on HSV and cause multinucleated giant cells, termed syncytia. Here we asked whether interaction of gD with a cognate entry receptor remains indispensable for initiating membrane fusion of syncytial strains.

Asymptomatic Free Air Caused by Mallory-Weiss Tears during Endoscopy.

An 80-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer which extended from the antrum to the bulbus of the duodenum. Although the patient did not struggle or retch during endoscopy, multiple mucosal lacerations were observed in the proximal stomach by Mallory-Weiss tears. No evidence of perforation was identified at the sites.