Computed tomography detected pyelovenous backflow associated with complete ureteral obstruction.

Introduction: Pyelovenous backflow is a rare condition resulting from an increase in pressure in the renal pelvis due to urinary obstruction.

Case Presentation: A 49-year-old woman developed high-grade fever and right-sided hydronephrosis after undergoing hysterectomy. Although the hydronephrosis was mild, retrograde pyelography revealed complete obstruction of the right ureter.

Postmortem computed tomography of gas gangrene with aortic gas in a dialysis patient.

Recently, postmortem imaging is sometimes used as an alternative to conventional autopsy. However, there are few case reports of postmortem imaging of dialysis patients. Here, we report a fatal case of gas gangrene involving a 76-year-old man who underwent dialysis.

Cathodal tDCS on the motor area decreases the tactile threshold of the distal pulp of the hallux.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been reported to modulate cortical excitability. Most studies on this topic addressed the modulation effects of tDCS on the upper extremities. Foot-sole tactile sensation is essential to gait, but little is known about the effect of tDCS on sensory function in the foot area.

The Usefulness of Diffusion MRI in Detection of Lymph Node Metastases of Colorectal Cancer.

The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of preoperative diagnosis by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (D-MRI) for lymph node metastasis of colorectal cancer. The b-value represents the diffusion factor (measured in s/mm(2)) and the strength of the diffusion gradients. The b-value used in this study was 1,000 s/mm(2).

Is refraction with a hand-held autorefractometer useful in addition to visual acuity testing and questionnaires in preschool vision screening at 3.5 years in Japan?

The vision-screening program for 3.5-year-old children in Japan consists of 3 steps:questionnaires and home visual acuity testing, visual acuity testing by nurses and inspection by medical officers at regional Public Health Centers, and examinations by ophthalmologists. In this study, we tested refraction with a hand-held autorefractometer in addition to visual acuity testing and inspection to reveal whether or not autorefraction leads to better detection of eye problems.

Gastric leiomyosarcoma manifesting peculiar findings: radiological-pathological correlation.

Reported herein is a gastric leiomyosarcoma, which, nowadays, is extremely rare. Attention was focused not only on pathological findings but also on the histological basis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. The patient was a 29-year-old Japanese woman.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma mimicking hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor.

A 50-year-old male with hepatitis B was referred for a small intrahepatic nodule. Magnetic resonance images raised strong suspicion of a benign lesion, such as an inflammatory pseudotumor, while the other radiological studies were equivocal. Furthermore, the high-intensity image on diffusion magnified-weighted imaging with a low B value strongly suggested a benign tumor.

Nonenhanced magnetic resonance lymphoductography: visualization of lymphatic system of the trunk on 3-dimensional heavily T2-weighted image with 2-dimensional prospective acquisition and correction.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the nonenhanced 3-dimensional heavily T2-weighted images obtained with 2-dimensional prospective acquisition and correction in visualization of the lymphatic system of the trunk. The thoracic duct, cisterna chyli, and lumbar lymphatics were well shown in 9 healthy volunteers. This nonenhanced magnetic resonance lymphoductography is thought to be a suitable method in visualization of the lymphatic system of the trunk.

Clinical usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging using low and high b-values to detect rectal cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the potential role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) using low and high b-values to detect rectal cancer.

Methods: The subjects were 15 patients diagnosed endoscopically with rectal cancer (m in 1 patient, sm in 0, mp in 3, ss in 7, se in 1, a in 3) and 20 patients diagnosed endoscopically with colon cancer and no other lesions (control group). Magnetic resonance imaging was performed using a 1.

The relationship between left ventricular geometric remodeling and cardiac function in essential hypertension.

Background: Abnormal left ventricular (LV) diastolic relaxation is an early sign of hypertensive heart disease. Whether diastolic dysfunction differs between LV geometric patterns remains controversial.

Methods And Results: We examined 220 hypertensive patients by echocardiography to assess the relationship between diastolic function and LV geometric pattern.

Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging of solitary pulmonary nodules: utility of kinetic patterns in differential diagnosis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical feasibility of dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with a 3-dimensional (3D) gradient recalled echo (GRE) volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) sequence to differentiate between benign and malignant solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs).

Methods: Dynamic 3D GRE VIBE was performed in 45 patients with SPNs. For each lesion, the morphologic parameters, including the edge configuration, presence of peripheral enhancement (PE), and an internal signal on T2-weighted images, and the kinetic enhancement parameters were evaluated.

[Pulmonary hypertension associated with refractory hyperthyroidism: a case report].

A 25-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with goiter. The diagnosis was Grave's disease. Diagnostic transthoracic echocardiography revealed a hyperdynamic stage of the heart with right ventricular dilation.

A highly stereoselective construction of beta-glycosyl linkages by reductive cleavage of cyclic sugar ortho esters.

The preparation of beta-glycosides by the reductive cleavage of spiro sugar ortho esters is described in this report. This procedure is based on a concept completely different from those of other methods for glycosylation. Twelve sugar ortho esters that commonly possess perhydrospiro[2H-pyran-2,2'-pyrano[3,2-d][1,3]dioxin] ring systems in their molecules were reduced by LiAlH(4)/AlCl(3) or NaCNBH(3)/AlCl(3).

Synthesis and structure of 4-O,6-O-glycosylidene glycosides.

Interglycosidic spiro ortho esters (9-20) were efficiently prepared from methyl 2,6-di-O-benzylgluco- or galactopyranoside and various sugar lactones in the presence of methoxytrimethylsilane and a catalytic amount of trimethylsilyl triflate. All of the prepared sugar ortho esters possess perhydrospiro[2H-pyran-2,2'-pyrano[3,2-d][1,3]dioxin] ring systems commonly in their molecules and, remarkably, were afforded as single isomers. The configurations of the spiro centers in their molecules were determined or estimated by X-ray single crystallographic analysis and molecular modeling studies.

Clinical evaluation of 99mTc-Technegas SPECT in thoracoscopic lung volume reduction surgery in patients with pulmonary emphysema.

Unlabelled: 99mTc-Technegas (Tcgas) SPECT is useful for evaluating the patency of the airway and highly sensitive in detecting regional pulmonary function in pulmonary emphysema. The aim of this study is to evaluate regional ventilation impairment by this method pre and post thoracoscopic lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) in patients with pulmonary emphysema.

Methods: There were 11 patients with pulmonary emphysema.

[Mental deterioration in childhood epilepsy. II. Investigation of intelligence of right-handed epileptic children with right-hemispheric dominance of language].

To clarify the pathogenesis of mental deterioration in epilepsy, we investigated the intelligence of right-handed epileptic children with right hemispheric dominance of language. On dichotic listening test, all 13 patients with right-handedness, 7 to 20 years of age, showed a left ear dominance suggesting right hemispheric dominance of language. Among 13 patients, 9 showed mental retardation, and 6 patients of them showed mental deterioration during the clinical course of epilepsy.

[Two cases whose epileptic attacks disappeared at the time of infection].

Two cases with secondary generalized epilepsy whose epileptic attacks disappeared abruptly were reported. Permanent improvement was observed in case 1 with residual state of West syndrome, aged 4 years, after viral pneumonia, both epileptic attacks and epileptic discharges on EEG disappeared more than 3 years. Transient improvement was observed in case 2 with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, aged 6 years, after an episode with insomnia, poor appetite and confusion for three days.

[A study on functional plasticity of the brain in childhood. II. Speech development and intelligence after the damage of cerebral hemisphere under 1 year of age].

To investigate the functional plasticity of the brain in childhood, the speech development, the intelligence test and dichotic listening test were performed on 27 patients who had suffered from hemiplegia under 1 year of age. Among 13 patients with right hemiplegia, 7 to 24 years old, 11 patients showed a left ear dominance suggesting the lateralization of language in the right hemisphere. All 14 patients with left hemiplegia, 5 to 37 years old, showed a right ear dominance suggesting the lateralization of language in the left hemisphere.

[A study of functional plasticity of the brain in childhood. I. Critical period dislodging lateralization of language in the brain].

To investigate the functional plasticity of the brain in childhood, the intelligence and language tests, brain CT and dichotic listening test were performed on 34 patients with hemiplegia. All 13 patients with left hemiplegia, 8 to 37 years old, showed a right ear dominance suggesting the lateralization of language in the left hemisphere. Among 21 patients with right hemiplegia, 7 to 22 years old, 16 patients who had suffered from the left hemispheric damage before 6 years and 1 month of age, showed the left ear dominance suggesting the lateralization of language in right hemisphere except 2 patients.

West syndrome associated with hyperlexia.

Two patients are reported with West syndrome associated with hyperlexia. They had peculiar linguistic and psychosocial development and autistic behavior, yet began to read Japanese and Chinese characters, numbers, Roman alphabet letters, and trademark letters at 3 years of age. Neuropsychologic, electroencephalographic, and radiologic studies were performed at 11 years of age in Patient 1 and at 10 years of age in Patient 2.

[Mental deterioration in childhood epilepsy. I. Neuropsychological and electroencephalographic studies].

To clarify the pathogenesis of mental deterioration in epilepsy, neuropsychological and electroencephalographic studies were performed. Thirty-seven children were classified into two groups: group I consisted of 24 children with mental deterioration during the clinical course of their epilepsy, and group II consisted of 13 children without mental deterioration. Mental deterioration was assessed on the basis of the intelligence test scores during follow-up studies.

[Visual perception in normal children and adults II. Correlation between dominance of visual field and dominance of the eye].

To clarify more precisely about the correlation between the dominance of visual field and dominance of the eye, tachistoscopic examination was performed on 48 normal adults; 24 males and 24 females, and 24 right-handed and 24 left-handed subjects. The mean of the time of exposure was less than 4.5 msec.