A Decrease in the Hardness of Feces with Added Glucosylceramide Extracted from Koji -A Working Hypothesis of Health Benefits of Dietary Glucosylceramide.

Skin barrier function, prevent colon cancer, head and neck cancer, and decrease liver cholesterol. However, the mechanism of action has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we propose a new working hypothesis regarding the health benefits and functions of glucosylceramide: decreased fecal hardness.

Mechanical, bioactive, and long-lasting antibacterial properties of a Ti scaffold with gradient pores releasing iodine ions.

The ideal bone implant would effectively prevent aseptic as well as septic loosening by minimizing stress shielding, maximizing bone ingrowth, and preventing implant-associated infections. Here, a novel gradient-pore-size titanium scaffold was designed and manufactured to address these requirements. The scaffold features a larger pore size (900 μm) on the top surface, gradually decreasing to small sizes (600 μm to 300 μm) towards the center, creating a gradient structure.

Investigation of the relationship between intradialytic hypotension during hemodialysis and serum syndecan-1 concentration.

Intradialytic hypotension and arrhythmias are complications of hemodialysis. They are associated with decreased intravascular volume due to reduced ultrafiltration volume, cardiac function, and arterial tone. The vascular endothelial glycocalyx, which exists on the surface of healthy vascular endothelial cells and maintains vascular permeability, has been suggested to be impaired by hemodialysis.

Liver regeneration after portal vein embolization: comparison between absolute ethanol and -butyl-cyanoacrylate in an rat model.

Purpose: To compare the effects of absolute ethanol (ethanol) and N-butyl-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) on non-embolized liver lobe regeneration in a rat model.

Methods: Twenty-seven Sprague-Dawley rats underwent portal vein embolization (PVE) using ethanol:lipiodol, 1:1 (ethanol group, n = 11, 40.74%), NBCA:lipiodol, 1:1 (NBCA group, n = 11, 40.

Clinicoradiological Characteristics of Gastric Metastases: A Single Center Retrospective Study.

Background:  With recent advances in treatment, gastric metastases are increasingly becoming the subject of diagnostic imaging. On the other hand, it is difficult to detect gastric metastasis on CT finding images.

Purpose:  To characterize the CT findings of gastric metastasis and investigate its treatment method and natural history in patients.

Increased future liver function after modified associating liver partition and portal vein ligation/embolization for staged hepatectomy.

Background: The increasing ratio of functional future liver remnant (functional %FLR) after modified associating liver partition and portal vein ligation/embolization for staged hepatectomy (modified-ALPPS) compared with portal vein embolization (PVE) has not been comprehensively evaluated.

Purpose: To compare the increasing ratio of functional %FLR between modified-ALPPS and PVE via technetium-99 m-galactosyl human serum albumin single-photon emission computed tomography (Tc-GSA SPECT/CT) fusion imaging.

Material And Methods: Seven and six patients underwent modified-ALPPS (modified-ALPPS group) and PVE (PVE group) from 2015 to 2019.

Glucosylceramide Changes Bacterial Metabolism and Increases Gram-Positive Bacteria through Tolerance to Secondary Bile Acids In Vitro.

Glucosylceramide is present in many foods, such as crops and fermented foods. Most glucosylceramides are not degraded or absorbed in the small intestine and pass through the large intestine. Glucosylceramide exerts versatile effects on colon tumorigenesis, skin moisture, cholesterol metabolism and improvement of intestinal microbes in vivo.

Pseudohemothorax induced by residual contrast medium mimicking aortic dissection rupture.

Hemothorax is an urgent condition, and its accurate diagnosis and the identification of the cause are important. Herein, we report a case of a 74-year-old man with end-stage renal disease who was presented with high-concentration pleural effusion owing to residual contrast medium. The case required differentiation from hemothorax owing to an aortic dissection and its rupture.

Inverted intercostal hernia of elastofibroma dorsi mimicking well-differentiated liposarcoma in the chest wall.

Elastofibroma dorsi is a well-known benign chest wall tumor. Herein, we present a case in which an elastofibroma protruded into the thoracic cavity, leading to inverted intercostal hernia. Imaging revealed a soft tissue mass containing fat, typical of elastofibroma dorsi; however, precise diagnosis was difficult owing to the location of this mass that protruded into the thoracic cavity.

T2 hypointense signal discovered incidentally at the posterior edge of the adenohypophysis on MRI: its prevalence and morphology and their relationship to age.

Purpose: T2 hypointense signal at the posterior edge of the adenohypophysis (T2HSPA) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is incidentally encountered. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and morphology of T2HSPA and their relationship to age.

Methods: A total of 212 cases between 3 and 88 years old were examined.

Multiscale Entropy of Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Differentiates Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Multiple System Atrophy.

Distinguishing progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) from multiple system atrophy (MSA) in the early clinical stages is challenging; few sensitive and specific biomarkers are available for their differential diagnosis. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is used to study the fluctuations in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals at rest, which provides evidence for aberrant brain functional networks in neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to examine whether rs-fMRI data could differentiate between PSP and MSA via a multiscale entropy (MSE) analysis of BOLD signals, which estimates the complexity of temporal fluctuations in brain activity.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in the Ventral Tegmental Area Distinguishes Responders to Suvorexant Prior to Treatment: A 4-Week Prospective Cohort Study.

The ventral tegmental area (VTA; a dopaminergic nucleus) plays an important role in the sleep-wake regulation system including orexin system. In addition to neuronal activity, there is increasing evidence for an important role of glial cells (i.e.

[Accuracy of Classification of Cerebral Blood Flow Reduction Patterns Using Statistical Analysis Images Generated with Simulated SPECT Datasets via Deep Learning].

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the classification accuracy of specific blood flow reduction patterns in clinical images by deep learning using simulation data.

Methods: We obtained Z-score maps for 100 cases each of simulated Alzheimer's disease (AD), simulated dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and simulated normal cognition (NC) by performing statistical analysis of the simulation data that provided defects and healthy patient data. The clinical images were determined by reference to radiological reports, and Z-score maps of AD (n=33), DLB (n=20), and NC (n=28) were used.

Coil volume embolization ratio for preventing recanalization after portal vein embolization.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the optimum volume embolization ratio (VER) for the prevention of recanalization after portal vein embolization (PVE) and the influence of recanalization on future liver remnant (FLR) function using technetium-99m galactosyl human serum albumin single-photon emission computed tomography (99mTc-GSA SPECT/CT) fusion imaging.

Methods: We analyzed procedural data of 18 patients who underwent PVE from 2015 to 2018. A total of 29 portal branches were embolized (12 anterior branch, 11 posterior branch, 4 left branch, 2 right branch) with absolute ethanol and coils.

Bioactivation Treatment with Mixed Acid and Heat on Titanium Implants Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting Enhances Preosteoblast Cell Differentiation.

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a promising technology capable of producing individual characteristics with a high degree of surface roughness for implants. These surfaces can be modified so as to increase their osseointegration, bone generation and biocompatibility, features which are critical to their clinical success. In this study, we evaluated the effects on preosteoblast proliferation and differentiation of titanium metal (Ti) with a high degree of roughness (Ra = 5.

Medical Application of Substances Derived from Non-Pathogenic Fungi and -Containing .

Although most fungi cause pathogenicity toward human beings, dynasties of the East Asian region have domesticated and utilized specific fungi for medical applications. The Japanese dynasty and nation have domesticated and utilized fermented with non-pathogenic fungus for more than 1300 years. Recent research has elucidated that contains medicinal substances such as Taka-diastase, acid protease, glycosylceramide, acid, oligosaccharides, ethyl-α-d-glucoside, ferulic acid, ergothioneine, pyroglutamyl leucine, pyranonigrin A, resistant proteins, deferriferrichrysin, polyamines, -stimulating peptides, angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor peptides, 14-dehydroergosterol, beta-glucan, biotin, and citric acid.

Extra copy of the mitochondrial cytochrome-c peroxidase gene confers a pyruvate-underproducing characteristic of sake yeast through respiratory metabolism.

The mechanism of pyruvate-underproduction of aneuploid sake yeast was investigated in this study. In our previous report, we revealed that an increase in chromosome XI decreases pyruvate productivity of sake yeast. In this report, we found that increased copy number of CCP1, which is located on chromosome XI and encodes cytochrome-c peroxidase, decreased the pyruvate productivity of sake yeasts.

Pulmonary Actinomycosis Mimicking Pulmonary Cancer on Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT.

Pulmonary actinomycosis is a rare disease frequently misdiagnosed as primary lung cancer. Herein, we presented pulmonary actinomycosis mimicking pulmonary cancer on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18-FDG) PET-CT.

CT-guided color marking of impalpable pulmonary nodules prior to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Objectives: To investigate the utility and complications of computed tomography (CT)-guided color marking of impalpable pulmonary nodules for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical resection.

Methods: This retrospective single institutional study has obtained Institutional Review Board approval. A total of 174 patients with 207 undiagnosed peripheral lesions of the lung were enrolled who had undergone preoperative computed tomography-guided color marking using colored collagen followed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) from December 2015 to September 2018.

Double Dose Reduction in the Equilibrium Phase of Chest-Pelvic CT With Low Tube Voltage and Forward-Projected Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction Solution.

Objectives This study aimed to examine whether a new imaging method (80-kV forward-projected model-based iterative reconstruction solution [FIRST] protocol) that uses a combination of low tube voltage and FIRST can reduce radiation dose and contrast medium volume by comparing the quality of the resulting image with that of the image obtained by 120-kV adaptive iterative dose reduction 3D protocol in the equilibrium phase of chest-pelvic computed tomography (CT). Subjects and methods Twenty-seven patients underwent CT by both protocols on different days. Two radiologists subjectively assessed image quality by scoring axial images for sharpness, contrast enhancement, noise, artifacts, and overall quality.

Diagnosis of a small Leydig cell tumor by dynamic contrast-enhanced and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

Leydig cell tumors are usually small and resemble normal ovarian stroma, so they are often difficult to localize. Here, we present a rare case in 39-year-old woman which dynamic contrast-enhanced and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging findings showed some differences between a Leydig cell tumor and normal ovarian stroma. Combining these 2 MRI techniques may be useful for diagnosing a Leydig cell tumor.

Gossypiboma penetrating into the small intestine similar to Meckel's diverticulum: a report and literature review.

Foreign body granuloma due to retained surgical sponge (gossypiboma) with penetration into the small intestine is very rare. Cases of gossypiboma in the abdominal cavity have sometimes been reported, yet the correct incidence has not been determined, only estimated to occur in one of every 1,000 to 1,500 intra-abdominal operations. Acute abdomen may be observed in some cases, requiring treatment.