Long-lasting pure topographical disorientation due to heading disorientation following left retrosplenial infarction: A report of two cases.

Topographical disorientation is linked to lesions in the right hemisphere and typically resolves within a few months post-stroke. Persistent topographical disorientation is uncommon and frequently accompanied by impairments in visual memory, complicating the analysis of the underlying mechanisms. Herein, we report two cases of sustained pure topographical disorientation following cerebral hemorrhages in the left retrosplenial region.

A Case of Cystic Retroperitoneal Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma Diagnosed by Percutaneous Image-Guided Biopsy.

Introduction: Dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLP) was initially defined as a tumor containing differentiated liposarcoma and distinct regions of nonlipogenic spindle cell or pleomorphic sarcoma. Retroperitoneal liposarcomas feature a characteristic appearance with a predominantly fatty component, and cystic liposarcomas are rare. We describe a case of retroperitoneal DDLP predominantly consisting of multilocular cysts.

Early Phase Persistent Changes in the White Blood Cell Fraction in Patients With Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma Treated With Pembrolizumab: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Background/aim: The association of clinical outcomes with posttreatment persistent changes in eosinophils and other white blood cell (WBC) subtypes in patients with advanced urothelial cancer (UC) treated with pembrolizumab after the failure of platinum-based chemotherapy is unclear.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 87 patients with advanced UC who received pembrolizumab after the failure of platinum-based chemotherapy. The changes in WBC subtypes from pretreatment were evaluated three and six weeks after pembrolizumab administration.

Auditory phonological identification impairment in primary progressive aphasia.

Objective: To examine the audiological characteristics and neuroanatomical regions associated with auditory phonological identification impairment in primary progressive aphasia (PPA).

Methods: Twenty-seven patients with PPA [13 non-fluent/agrammatic variant PPA (nfvPPA), three logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA), seven semantic variant PPA (svPPA), and four mixed type PPA] were included in the study. Neuropsychological, language, audiological, and neuroradiological examinations were also performed.

Reduced likelihood of the Poggendorff illusion in cerebellar strokes: a clinical and neuroimaging study.

This study aimed to test our hypothesis that the cerebellum plays an important role in the generation of the optical-geometric illusion known as the Poggendorff illusion, the mechanism of which has been explained by accumulated experience with natural scene geometry. A total of 79 participants, comprising 28 patients with isolated cerebellar stroke, 27 patients with isolated cerebral stroke and 24 healthy controls, performed Poggendorff illusion tasks and 2 different control tasks. We also investigated core brain regions underpinning changes in the experience of the illusion effect using multivariate lesion-symptom mapping.

Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Failure 3-year after Shunt Surgery Caused by Migration of Detached Ventricular Catheter into the Cranium: A Case Study of Idiopathic Normal-pressure Hydrocephalus.

Idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a neurological disorder that typically presents with gait disturbance, cognitive impairment, and urinary incontinence. Although most patients respond to cerebrospinal-fluid shunting, some do not react well because of shunt failure. A 77-year-old female with iNPH underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt implantation, and her gait impairment, cognitive dysfunction, and urge urinary incontinence improved.

Buccofacial apraxia in primary progressive aphasia.

Buccofacial apraxia (BFA) is associated with nonfluent/agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) as well as with the severity of apraxia of speech (AOS), a core symptom of nfvPPA. However, an association with agrammatism has not been established. The aim of this study was to examine the association between BFA and agrammatism in nfvPPA and to determine differences in atrophic regions in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) with and without BFA.

Seen by a Glance, But Not by a Stare-A Case Study of a Patient With Simultanagnosia.

Objective: Simultanagnosia is a rare neuropsychological symptom characterized by difficulty recognizing global structures while preserving perception of local detail. The condition is classified into ventral and dorsal types. Clinical presentation of ventral simultanagnosia includes a reduced ability to recognize multiple visual stimuli rapidly, that is, part-by-part recognition.

Usefulness of rapid MR angiography using two-point Dixon for evaluating carotid and aortic plaques.

Purpose: Recently, various magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modalities have been developed to easily detect carotid and aortic plaques, but these techniques are time-consuming and vulnerable to motion artifacts. We investigated the utility of a gradient echo MRI technique known as liver acquisition with volume acceleration flexible (LAVA-Flex) to detect carotid and aortic atherosclerotic plaques.

Methods: Ten patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) were assessed regarding the correspondence between LAVA-Flex findings and the histopathology of excised carotid plaques.

Qualitative Deficits in Verbal Fluency in Parkinson's Disease with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Clinical and Neuroimaging Study.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered a risk factor for PD with dementia (PDD). Verbal fluency tasks are widely used to assess executive function in PDD. However, in cases of PD with MCI (PD-MCI), the relative diagnostic accuracy of different qualitative verbal fluency measures and their related neural mechanisms remain unknown.

Improvement in callosal disconnection syndrome with recovery of callosal connectivity.

Recent advancements in radiological techniques have enabled the observation of the topographic distribution of the human corpus callosum. However, its functional connectivity remains to be elucidated. The symptoms of callosal disconnection syndrome (CDS) can potentially reveal the functional connections between the cerebral hemispheres.

Case Report: Anti-MOG Antibody Seroconversion Accompanied by Dimethyl Fumarate Treatment.

Here we report three cases of anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) mimicking multiple sclerosis in which seropositivity for anti-MOG antibodies occurred during disease-modifying drug dimethyl fumarate (DMF) treatment. These patients developed relapses with anti-MOG antibody seroconversion after switching from fingolimod or steroid pulse therapy to DMF, which was associated with peripheral lymphocyte recovery. MOGAD is considered a humoral immune disease, and DMF reportedly enhances Th2-skewed humoral immune activity.

GGC Repeat Expansion of NOTCH2NLC in Adult Patients with Leukoencephalopathy.

Leukoencephalopathies comprise a broad spectrum of disorders, but the genetic background of adult leukoencephalopathies has rarely been assessed. In this study, we analyzed 101 Japanese patients with genetically unresolved adult leukoencephalopathy using whole-exome sequencing and repeat-primed polymerase chain reaction for detecting GGC expansion in NOTCH2NLC. NOTCH2NLC was recently identified as the cause of neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease.

[Henoch-schönlein purpura induced by erlotinib (Tarceva): a case report].

Erlotinib is a newly developed molecular-targeting or molecular-targeted drug with selective inhibitory activity for tyrosine kinase of the epidermal growth factor receptor. A adverse drug reactions including diarrhea, skin eruptions are considered mild. We report a case of recurrent adenocarcinoma of the lung in a 68-year-old woman who suffered from Henoch-Schönlein purpura induced by erlotinib.

Granulomatous mycosis fungoides presenting as poikiloderma.

Granulomatous mycosis fungoides (MF) is a rare subtype of MF, characterized by the histological presence of a granulomatous reaction, but distinct clinical characteristics are not present. A 41-year-old healthy man presented with poikiloderma, ichthyosis and erythematous scaly plaque. Histological examination of a biopsy taken from poikilodermic skin showed a granulomatous reaction to epidermotropic atypical lymphocytes.

Different individual immune responses elicited by in vitro immunization.

We have previously demonstrated that the addition of muramyl dipeptide (MDP), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4 effectively raises antibody production from L-Leucyl-L-leucine methyl ester (LLME)-treated human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) against specific soluble antigen when immunized in vitro. However, PBLs from individual donors were separate optimal conditions regarding concentrations for IL-2 and IL-4, which in turn required us to optimize each individual PBLs to effectively produce antigen specific human antibody by in vitro immunization. These individual differences in the requirement for IL-2 and IL-4 reflects the differences in individual immune responses against a specific soluble antigen, which can be elicited by in vitro immunization.

Involvement of IL-10 in the suppression of antibody production by in vitro immunized peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Previously, we have established an in vitro immunization method to induce antigen-specific antibody-producing B cells. In the present study, we have attempted to clarify the mechanisms that regulate antibody production by in vitro immunized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Freshly isolated PBMC did not induce antibody production following in vitro immunization, but expressed the interleukin (IL)-10 gene.

Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma associated with vascular endothelial growth factor arising from a burn scar.

We present a case of primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma manifesting with widespread erythema around an ulcer. Skin biopsy from the ulcer showed CD30-positive atypical lymphocytes throughout the dermis, and immunostaining demonstrated that these cells produced vascular endothelial growth factor, a potent stimulus for angiogenesis. Skin biopsy from the erythema revealed rich neovascularization, which was probably associated with vascular endothelial growth factor.

Cutaneous tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme may participate in pathologic scar formation in human skin.

Background: Many studies have shown that up-regulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) participates in adverse fibrous remodeling. Although this has become an accepted fact in the cardiovascular field, the relationship between ACE and cutaneous fibrous remodeling, such as keloid or hypertrophic scars, remains unknown.

Objective: We sought to investigate ACE in normal skin, wounded skin, and pathologic scars.