Synthesis and evaluation of 18F-labeled mitiglinide derivatives as positron emission tomography tracers for β-cell imaging.

Measuring changes in β-cell mass in vivo during progression of diabetes mellitus is important for understanding the pathogenesis, facilitating early diagnosis, and developing novel therapeutics for this disease. However, a non-invasive method has not been developed. A novel series of mitiglinide derivatives (o-FMIT, m-FMIT and p-FMIT; FMITs) were synthesized and their binding affinity for the sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) of pancreatic islets were evaluated by inhibition studies.

New regenerative treatment for tooth and periodontal bone defect associated with posttraumatic alveolar bone crush fracture.

We developed a new regenerative treatment of tooth and periodontal defect and tooth dislocation associated with posttraumatic alveolar bone crush fracture in the region of the maxillary anterior teeth. Using this method, dislocated teeth are first extracted and crushed alveolar bone is debrided. The dislocated teeth are then reimplanted, and cancellous iliac bone (bone marrow) is grafted to the area surrounding the teeth to regenerate periodontal bone.

Long-term treatment with nicotine suppresses neurotoxicity of, and microglial activation by, thrombin in cortico-striatal slice cultures.

The mechanisms of tissue injury associated with intracerebral hemorrhage involve multiple actions of thrombin, a blood-derived coagulation factor, on cells within the brain parenchyma, including activation of microglia as well as direct cytotoxicity on neurons. Based on emerging evidence that stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors provides neuroprotective effects and also suppresses cytotoxic properties of activated microglia, we investigated the effect of nicotine on thrombin-induced pathological changes in cortico-striatal slice cultures. Long-term (15 days), but not short-term (up to 144 h), treatment with nicotine (3-30 microM) partially prevented thrombin-induced neuron loss in the cortical region and tissue shrinkage in the striatal region.

Plasminogen potentiates thrombin cytotoxicity and contributes to pathology of intracerebral hemorrhage in rats.

Thrombin and plasmin are serine proteases involved in blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, whose precursors are circulating in blood stream. These blood-derived proteases might play important roles in the pathogenesis of intracerebral hemorrhage by acting on brain parenchymal cells. We previously reported that thrombin induced delayed neuronal injury through extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-dependent pathways.

Involvement of thrombin and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in hemorrhagic brain injury.

Thrombin is thought to play an important role in brain damage associated with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We previously showed that activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and recruitment of microglia are crucial for thrombin-induced shrinkage of the striatal tissue in vitro and thrombin-induced striatal damage in vivo. Here we investigated whether the same mechanisms are involved in ICH-induced brain injury.

Two-stage reconstructive surgery of a patient with head trauma resulting in extensive cranial bone and dura mater loss caused by postoperative infection: usefulness of a pericranial flap for dura mater reconstruction.

After external decompression for a case of head trauma, epidural abscess formation resulted in extensive cranial bone and dura mater loss, for which two-stage reconstructive surgery was conducted. In the first operation, after thorough debridement of the infected wound, the dura mater was reconstructed using a bipedicle pericranial flap with posterior and anterior pedicles. After the infection had completely subsided, the second operation was performed, reconstructing the cranium with grafted outer-table calvarial bone and cutting bone to reposition an old zygomatic fracture.

Surgical treatment following huge arteriovenous malformation extending from the lower lip to the chin: combination of embolization, total resection, and a double cross lip flap.

A huge arteriovenous malformation (AVM) extending from the lower lip to the chin was surgically resected and the area was reconstructed during the same surgery in three patients. To control hemorrhage during surgery, a radiologist performed embolization of major arteries in the lesion 2 or 3 days before the surgery. After total resection of the AVM, facial reconstruction was performed by using a double cross lip flap from the upper lip and a local skin flap from the lower jaw.

Thoracoscopic ultrasonic coagulation of thoracic duct in management of postoperative chylothorax.

Chylothorax is a rare but potentially serious complication of cardiac operations. We report here a 72-year-old man who underwent replacement of a descending aneurysm with a synthetic graft for dissecting aneurysm (IIIa). A persistent postoperative chylothorax developed, which necessitated continuous drainage, despite conservative treatment more than 12 days.