Insomnia in patients on hemodialysis for a short versus long duration.

Background: Many studies have investigated insomnia and the factors associated with this condition in hemodialysis (HD) patients, although the influence of HD duration has not been thoroughly investigated. In the present study, we investigated the factors, especially the duration of HD, associated with insomnia in HD patients.

Patients And Methods: A total of 138 patients undergoing HD were recruited, and the Japanese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the quality of sleep.

Differences in UGT1A1, UGT1A7, and UGT1A9 polymorphisms between Uzbek and Japanese populations.

Background And Objectives: Uridine-diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A (UGT1A) is a key enzyme involved in irinotecan metabolism, and polymorphisms in the UGT1A gene are associated with irinotecan-induced toxicity. The aim of this study was to elucidate the allele frequencies of UGT1A polymorphisms in healthy Uzbek volunteers, and to compare them with those of the Japanese population.

Method: A total of 97 healthy volunteers from Uzbekistan were enrolled and blood samples were collected from each participant.

Cloning of the dog bile salt export pump (BSEP; ABCB11) and functional comparison with the human and rat proteins.

The dog bile salt export pump (BSEP; ABCB11) was cloned and expressed in a Sf9 insect cell system. The deduced amino acid sequence encodes a 1325-amino-acid protein, which shows 89.4% and 80.

Diffusion tensor MR imaging of the cervical spinal cord in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Our purpose was to evaluate the ability of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to characterize cervical spinal cord white matter (WM) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). DTI were obtained in 21 MS patients and 21 control subjects (CS). Regions of interest (ROIs) were placed at C2/3, C3/4, and C4/5 within the right, left, and dorsal (WM) to calculate fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC).

Intravertebral cleft sign on fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced MR: correlation with cement distribution pattern on percutaneous vertebroplasty.

Rationale And Objectives: Filling intravertebral clefts during percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is considered to be important for optimal pain control. It is often difficult to detect clefts on non-contrast MR and some fractures show a solid pattern distribution of injected cement without a cleft sign on non-contrast MR. In this study, we evaluated usefulness of fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced MR to predict a solid pattern distribution of injected cement on PVP.

Early detection of global cerebral anoxia: improved accuracy by high-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging with long echo time.

Background And Purpose: Early and accurate detection of global cerebral anoxia is important for determination of prognosis and further management. We evaluated whether accuracy in early detection of global cerebral anoxia was improved by high-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with long echo time (TE).

Methods: Routine DWI (b = 1000 s/mm(2); TE = 139 ms), high-b-value DWI (b = 3000 s/mm(2); TE = 190 ms), T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging were acquired in six patients who experienced cardiopulmonary arrest within 24 hours and six volunteers.

Percutaneous sacroplasty for hemorrhagic metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma.

Percutaneous injection of bone cement is a promising treatment for metastatic tumors. We present a case of hemorrhagic sacral metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma treated successfully by percutaneous sacroplasty with combined injections of bone cement and n-butyl cyanoacrylate resulting in pain relief.

Quantitative cerebral blood flow measurement with dynamic perfusion CT using the vascular-pixel elimination method: comparison with H2(15)O positron emission tomography.

Background And Purpose: Blood vessels are usually conspicuous on dynamic CT perfusion images. The presence of large vessels may lead to overestimation of the quantitative value of cerebral blood flow (CBF). We evaluated the efficacy of the vascular-pixel elimination (VPE) method in quantitative CT perfusion imaging, in comparison with positron emission tomography (PET).

Anterior spinal artery and artery of Adamkiewicz detected by using multi-detector row CT.

Background And Purpose: Our purpose was to evaluate the visualization of the artery of Adamkiewicz (AKA) and the anterior spinal artery (ASA) by using multi-detector row CT. Preoperative detection of the AKA and ASA is important for prevention of ischemic complications of thoracoabdominal aortic surgery.

Methods: Data from contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen of 19 consecutive patients with known or suspected liver disease were evaluated.