CT correlation of spinal canal diameter with pedicle size for safer posterior cervical pedicle screw fixation.

Background: Utilizing computed tomography (CT) studies, we correlated cervical spinal canal diameters (SCDs) with pedicle size between the C3 and C7 levels to more safely perform posterior cervical surgery.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed CT studies for 71 patients with cranial or spinal disorders and correlated the cervical SCD with the pedicle outer width (POW) between the C3 and C7 levels. Patients were divided into normal (SCD ≥12 mm at any level, = 30) and stenosis groups (SCD <12 mm at any level, = 41).

Cerebrospinal fluid protein concentration in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Background: In this study, we examined the impact and degree of lumbar stenosis on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein concentration.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we analyzed protein concentrations in CSF samples of 61 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) obtained during pre-operative myelography. Patients were divided into two groups: those showing no block to contrast (Group A) versus those showing medium block to contrast below the lumbar puncture level (Group B).

Systemic Embolism Following Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Case of Suspected Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Objective: Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is a disease characterized by a poor prognosis and a high mortality rate, leading to systemic thrombosis. Approximately two-thirds of CAPS cases are associated with conditions such as infections, malignancies, surgical interventions, and events linked to the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Herein, we present a case of CAPS with multiorgan ischemia following ischemic stroke.

Covalently Linked 5,6,11,12-Tetraazanaphthacene Dimer and Its Triptycene-Capped Derivatives as Electron Acceptors.

The development of electron transport and n-type materials is still largely dominated by a limited number of organic semiconductors, with fullerenes at the forefront. In contrast, substantial progress has been made in developing hole transport and p-type materials. Therefore, expanding the range of electron acceptors, making them solution-processable, and elucidating their structural arrangement by X-ray crystallography is essential.

Zymosan and lipopolysaccharide decrease gene expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in peripheral organs in chicks.

Nitric oxide (NO) is gaseous bioactive molecule that is synthesized by NO synthase (NOS). Inducible NOS (iNOS) expression occurs in response to pathogenic challenges, resulting in the production of large amounts of NO. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding neuronal NOS (nNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) in birds during pathogenic challenge.

Secondary hypophysitis associated with Rathke's cleft cyst resembling a pituitary abscess.

Background: Although rare, cases of hypophysitis resembling a pituitary abscess (PA) have been reported. Differential diagnosis between hypophysitis and PA is crucial as the two diseases require different treatments.

Case Description: A 38-year-old woman with headaches underwent head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which revealed an 11-mm mass lesion in the sella turcica.

Synthesis of Network Biobased Aliphatic Polyesters Exhibiting Better Tensile Properties than the Linear Polymers by ADMET Polymerization in the Presence of Glycerol Tris(undec-10-enoate).

Development of biobased aliphatic polyesters with better mechanical (tensile) properties in film has attracted considerable attention. This report presents the synthesis of soluble network biobased aliphatic polyesters by acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization of bis(undec-10-enyl)isosorbide diester [, dianhydro--glucityl bis(undec-10-enoate)] in the presence of a tri-arm crosslinker [, glycerol tris(undec-10-enoate)] using a ruthenium-carbene catalyst, and subsequent olefin hydrogenation using RhCl(PPh). The resultant polymers, after hydrogenation (expressed as ) and prepared in the presence of 1.

Radiological Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics at the Craniovertebral Junction Using Time-Spatial Labeling Inversion Pulse Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Cervical Spinal Canal Stenosis.

Objective: Spondylotic changes in the cervical spine cause degeneration, leading to cervical spinal canal stenosis. This stenotic change can affect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics by compressing the dural sac and reducing space in the subarachnoid space. We examined CSF dynamics at the craniovertebral junction (CVJ) using time-spatial labeling inversion pulse magnetic resonance imaging (Time-SLIP MRI) in patients with cervical spinal canal stenosis.

D-Galactosamine Causes Liver Injury Synergistically with Lipopolysaccharide but not Zymosan in Chicks.

The pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and zymosan, derived from gram-negative bacteria and fungi, respectively, activate the innate immune system and cause injury to multiple organs, including the liver and intestine, in mammals. In rodents, PAMP-induced injury has been demonstrated to be potentiated by co-administration of D-galactosamine (D-GalN) in rodents. However, whether PAMPs and D-GalN collectively cause organ injury in birds remains unclear.

Indocyanine green endoscopic evaluation of pituitary stalk and gland blood flow in craniopharyngiomas.

To assess the use of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence endoscopy to evaluate pituitary blood flow in craniopharyngioma resection and its possible impact on intraoperative decisions regarding pituitary stalk processing. Patients with craniopharyngiomas who had undergone transsphenoidal surgery since March 2021, when an ICG endoscope was introduced at the Kagoshima University Hospital, were included in the study. When targeted tumor removal was approaching completion, 10 mg of ICG was administered intravenously to evaluate blood flow in the pituitary stalk and gland.

Alterations in and are associated with the localization of contrast-enhancing lesions in glioblastoma.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant brain tumor, with radiological and genetic heterogeneity. We examined the association between radiological characteristics and driver gene alterations.

Methods: We analyzed the driver genes of 124 patients with wild-type GBM with contrast enhancement using magnetic resonance imaging.

Possible role of corticosterone on behavioral, physiological, and immune responses in chicks.

Glucocorticoids are one of steroid hormone and have a variety of functions including stress response, carbohydrate metabolism, and modulation of immune system in vertebrates. Corticosterone is the main glucocorticoid in birds, although the precise role of the glucocorticoid during immune challenge is not fully understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine if a single subcutaneous injection of corticosterone could affect inflammation-related gene expressions in the spleen and liver of chicks (Gallus gallus).

Favorable prognostic impact of alterations in wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase and promoter glioblastoma.

Background: promoter () mutations are a biological marker of glioblastoma; however, the prognostic significance of mutational status is controversial. We evaluated this impact by retrospectively analyzing the outcomes of patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase ( and -type glioblastomas.

Methods: Using custom next-generation sequencing, we analyzed 208 glioblastoma samples harboring wild-type .

Characterization of LysoTracker Red uptake by in vitro model cells of the outer blood-retinal barrier: Implication of lysosomal trapping with cytoplasmic vacuolation and cytotoxicity.

Lysosomal trapping, a physicochemical process in which lipophilic cationic compounds are sequestered in lysosomes, can affect drug disposition and cytotoxicity. To better understand lysosomal trapping at the outer blood-retinal barrier (BRB), we investigated the distribution of LysoTracker Red (LTR), a probe compound for lysosomal trapping, in conditionally immortalized rat retinal pigment epithelial (RPE-J) cells. LTR uptake by RPE-J cells was dependent on temperature and attenuated by ammonium chloride and protonophore, which decreased the pH gradient between the lysosome and cytoplasm, suggesting lysosomal trapping of LTR in RPE-J cells.

Bilateral Internal Carotid Artery Hypoplasia with Craniofacial Anomalies: A Case of Suspected Treacher Collins Syndrome.

Internal carotid artery aplasia or hypoplasia above the cervical bifurcation is rare, occurring in less than 0.01% of the general population. Unilateral neurocristopathy complicated by unilateral internal carotid artery agenesis or hypogenesis has been reported, but bilateral internal carotid artery hypoplasia is rare and scarcely reported.

Spinal intradural solitary fibrous tumor/ hemangiopericytoma with intramedullary invasion mimicking a hemangioblastoma.

Background: Solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytomas (SFT/HPCs) are rare mesenchymal tumors of nonmeningothelial origin that comprises <1% of all central nervous system tumors.

Case Description: A 45-year-old male presented with sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index was 17.1 events/hour) and dysesthesias of the right upper and lower extremities.

Delayed postoperative hyponatremia in patients with acromegaly: incidence and predictive factors.

Purpose: Delayed postoperative hyponatremia (DPH) is a unique complication of transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) in pituitary tumors. Growth hormone (GH) enhances renal sodium reabsorption; however, the association between postoperative GH reduction and DPH in acromegaly is unclear. This study was performed to clarify the incidence of and the predictive factors for DPH in patients with acromegaly who underwent TSS.

Marked reduction of proteinuria after removal of a growth hormone-producing pituitary adenoma in a patient with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: a case report and literature review.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is a rare complication of acromegaly. A 74-year-old man was found to have acromegaly features such as enlargement of the forehead, nose, and hands. Laboratory tests showed a urine protein/creatinine ratio of 3.

Effect of ornithokinin on feeding behavior, cloacal temperature, voluntary activity and crop emptying rate in chicks.

Bradykinin is a well-studied bioactive peptide associated with several physiological functions, including vasodilation and inflammation, in mammals. However, its avian homolog, ornithokinin, has received less research attention in birds. Therefore this study aimed to investigate the effect of intraperitoneal (IP) and intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of ornithokinin on feeding behavior, cloacal temperature, voluntary activity, crop emptying rate, and blood constituents in chicks (Gallus gallus).

Effect of lithium chloride on food intake, cloacal temperature, voluntary activity, and crop-emptying rate in chicks.

Infections frequently accompany with non-specific symptoms such as anorexia and hyperthermia. In addition, there may be unpleasant sensations such as visceral discomfort during infection. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a Gram-negative bacteria cell wall component, is known to induce the unpleasant sensation of conditioned taste aversion in mammals.

Distribution and favorable prognostic implication of genomic EGFR alterations in IDH-wildtype glioblastoma.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the mutation profile, transcriptional variants, and prognostic impact of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype glioblastomas (GBMs).

Methods: We sequenced EGFR, evaluated the EGFR splicing profile using a next-generation sequencing oncopanel, and analyzed the outcomes in 138 grade IV IDH-wildtype GBM cases.

Results: EGFR mutations were observed in 10% of GBMs.