Isolated sphenoid sinus opacification is often asymptomatic and is not referred for otolaryngology consultation.

Isolated sphenoid sinus opacifications (ISSOs) are clinically important because they can lead to serious complications. However, some patients with ISSOs are asymptomatic, and not all patients are properly referred to the otolaryngology department. Because past studies of ISSOs focused only on patients who received treatment, in this study we selected ISSO cases based on radiology reports, then determined whether these patients had symptoms and were appropriately referred for specialty care.

Fast Deep Stacked Networks based on Extreme Learning Machine applied to regression problems.

Deep learning techniques are commonly used to process large amounts of data, and good results are obtained in many applications. Those methods, however, can lead to long training times. An alternative to simultaneously tune all parameters of a large network is to stack smaller modules, improving the model efficiency.

Antitumor effects of novel highly hydrophilic and non-ATP-competitive MEK1/2 inhibitor, SMK-17.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal pathway plays a central role in regulating tumor cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. The components of this pathway, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK, are frequently activated in human cancers. Targeting this pathway is considered to be a promising anticancer strategy.

Therapeutic sclerosis of a small liver cyst that caused obstructive jaundice.

The authors describe the case of a small liver cyst (2 cm in diameter) causing obstructive jaundice that was treated with aspiration and therapeutic sclerosis. The procedure was performed with use of a microcatheter and wire system to access the cyst, which was injected with minocycline hydrochloride. At present, 9 months after treatment, the levels of hepatobiliary enzymes are within normal ranges, and no sign of cyst regrowth has been detected on imaging.

The vasopressin injection technique for laparoscopic excision of ovarian endometrioma: a technique to reduce the use of coagulation.

Study Objective: To estimate the efficacy of the vasopressin injection technique for laparoscopic cystectomy of ovarian endometriomas with regard to operative time and coagulation events.

Design: Prospective study (Canadian Task Force Classification II-1)

Setting: Osaka Central Hospital in Osaka, Japan

Patients: Fifteen women with single lobular similarly-sized ovarian endometrioma.

Interventions: Women who planned to undergo laparoscopic cystectomy of endometrioma were allocated randomly to 3 groups: (1) ordinary laparoscopic cystectomy without injection, (2) laparoscopic cystectomy with the injection of saline solution, and (3) laparoscopic cystectomy with the vasopressin injection technique.

Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic evaluation of CS-526 in cynomolgus monkeys.

In the present study, we evaluated the effect of the novel acid pump antagonist 7-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)-2,3-dimethyl-1-{[(1S,2S)-2-methylcyclopropyl]methyl}-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazine (CS-526) on the intragastric acidity of cynomolgus monkeys. The study was performed in a crossover manner with five male animals. CS-526 was administered orally or intravenously at doses of 3.

The effect of subchronic administration of 7-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)-2,3-dimethyl-1-{[(1S,2S)-2-methylcyclopropyl]methyl}-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazine (CS-526), a novel acid pump antagonist, on gastric acid secretion and gastrin levels in rats.

In the present report, we evaluated the effect of the novel acid pump antagonist 7-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)-2,3-dimethyl-1-{[(1S,2S)-2-methylcyclopropyl]methyl}-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazine (CS-526) and 2-[3-methyl-4-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethoxy)-pyridin-2-ylmethanesulfinyl]-1H-benzimidazole (lansoprazole) on rebound gastric acid secretion, using an intragastric dialysis membrane perfusion model and on the serum and antral gastrin level after a 14-day treatment in rats. The effect of CS-526 on gastric acid secretion was almost constant during the 14 days of treatment. After the 14-day treatment, gastric acid secretion had returned to pretreatment levels.

Re-evaluation of the true rate of hepatitis C virus mother-to-child transmission and its novel risk factors based on our two prospective studies.

Objective: To re-evaluate the true hepatitis C virus (HCV) mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rate and its novel risk factors.

Study Design: A comparative study based on our own two prospective studies done during the two periods, 'early' (1989-1994) and 'recent' (1995-2004).

Results: All carrier infants became HCV RNA-positive within 3 months after birth.

Pharmacological profile of novel acid pump antagonist 7-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)-2,3-dimethyl-1-{[(1S,2S)-2-methyl cyclopropyl]methyl}-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazine (CS-526).

The pharmacological profiles of the novel acid pump antagonist 7-(4-fluorobenzyloxy)-2,3-dimethyl-1-{[(1S,2S)-2-methylcyclopropyl]methyl}-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyridazine (CS-526) were investigated in terms of hog gastric H+,K+-ATPase activity, gastric acid secretion, and acute gastroesophageal lesions in comparison with other proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). CS-526 inhibited H+,K+-ATPase activity in a concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 value of 61 nM. The inhibitory effect of CS-526 on H+,K+-ATPase activity was more potent than that of any of the other PPIs examined.

P16-immunostaining pattern as a predictive marker of lymph node metastasis and recurrence in early uterine cervical cancer.

Objectives: We investigated the relationship between P16-immunostaining patterns and clinicopathological factors in early uterine cervix cancers and assessed whether P16-immunostaining patterns predict the prognosis of the patients with early uterine cervix cancers.

Methods: Twenty-nine early squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) specimens of the uterus were examined using immunohistochemistry for P16 expression. The P16-immunostaining pattern was classified into two groups: the homogeneous type and the heterogeneous type.

A study of abnormal cervical cytology in pregnant women.

During the 4 year routine study of smears in 2,919 pregnant women, 33 cases of abnormals of the uterine cervix were detected (1.13%). The patients were followed with uterine cervical cytology and colposcopy and in case of need, sometimes punch biopsies were performed.

A study of abnormal cervical cytology in pregnant women.

During the 4-year routing study of smears in 2,919 pregnant women, 33 cases of abnormalities of the uterine cervix were detected (1.13%). The patients were followed with uterine cervical cytology and colposcopy, and in case of need, sometimes punch biopsies were performed.

Profiling of proteins associated with cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells.

Resistance to cisplatin is a major impediment to the successful treatment of ovarian cancer, but the precise nature of the resistance is still unclear. In the current study, we aimed to investigate and compare the protein expression profiles in cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines. We employed the recent development of surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization ProteinChip technology to measure protein expression in three human ovarian cancer cell lines (KF-1, MN-1, and A2780) and their sublines (KF-r, MN-r, and A2780cp) resistant to cisplatin.

Inhibitory effects of herbal drugs on the growth of human ovarian cancer cell lines through the induction of apoptosis.

Objective: In order to develop and search for more effective and safe treatments for early and advanced stages of ovarian cancer, we examined the direct effects of four extracts of Chinese herbal drugs on ovarian cancer cells in vitro.

Methods: The growth inhibition of four herbal drugs on a total of six cell lines of human ovarian cancer cells was determined by a Cell Counting Kit-8 by counting viable cells. Apoptotic cells induced by herbal drugs were detected by using MEBCYTO Apoptosis Kit.

Endometrial adenosquamous carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells: immunohistochemistry and histogenesis.

Primary extraskeletal epithelial neoplasms containing osteoclast-like giant cells (OGCs) are rare. We herein describe a case of adenosquamous carcinoma that developed in the endometrium together with non-neoplastic OGCs. The patient was a 72-year-old woman who underwent radical hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy and lymph node dissection after being diagnosed with uterine cancer.

PTEN and p53 abnormalities are indicative and predictive factors for endometrial carcinoma.

PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) and p53 alterations were expected to be diversely involved in endometrial carcinogenesis. Patients (n=92) with endometrial carcinoma (EC) were analyzed, and PTEN and p53 were immunostained in the tissue sections. Tumor histology, grade of differentiation, presence of endometrial hyperplasia, staining status of PTEN and p53 and clinical information were examined.

Incarceration of the retroverted gravid uterus: the key to successful treatment.

Introduction: Incarceration of the retroverted gravid uterus is rare, and it is difficult to make a diagnosis, and, therefore, difficult to treat. We present two cases of incarceration of the retroverted gravid uterus.

Case Report: Two pregnant women presented with urinary retention at 14 weeks' gestation.

Transition of the craniocaudal velocity of the spinal cord: from cervical segment to lumbar enlargement.

Rationale And Objectives: The authors investigate the craniocaudal velocity of the spinal cord over its full length by using magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: A spin-echo pulse sequence with velocity encoding gradients was used to examine five normal volunteers. Oblique-axial phase images at nine levels, from cervical spinal cord to lumbar enlargement, were obtained with prospective electrocardiogram gating.

Craniocaudal motion velocity in the cervical spinal cord in degenerative disease as shown by MR imaging.

Purpose: To investigate, by means of MR phase imaging, the effects of compression on the velocity of craniocaudal motion in the spinal cord.

Material And Methods: Spin-echo pulse sequences with velocity encoding gradients were used to examine 12 patients with cervical spondylosis and 6 normal volunteers. Oblique-axial phase images at 3 levels (cranial, middle and caudal), were obtained with prospective electrocardiogram gating.

[Blood flow measurement of portal vein with fast cine phase contrast MR imaging under breath-holding].

Flow measurements of the right portal vein were performed in seven healthy volunteers with the segmented k-space fast gradient-echo phase-contrast (fcard-PC) sequence under breath-holding. The mean velocity and the flow rate of the right portal vein at maximal expiration, 14.3 +/- 4.