[Monostotic fibrous dysplasia of the cranial vault: a case report].

Fibrous dysplasia, when it occurs in the craniofacial region, mostly involves the skull base and is rarely localized in the cranial vault. Although there have been several reports on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of fibrous dysplasia involving the skull base, cases occurring in the cranial vault have seldom been reported. We describe here a rare case of monostotic fibrous dysplasia that occurred in the parietal bone and discuss the characteristics of the MRI findings.

[Case of symptomatic epilepsy presenting with focal high intensity on diffusion-weighted image prior to initial convulsive seizure].

It has been reported that high intensity on diffusion-weighted image (DWI) in magnetic reasonance imaging (MRI) accompanying a reduction of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) can be detected at the ictal or postictal stage of epileptic seizure. However, it remains unclear whether such a change results from persisting systemic convulsive seizure or from certain physiological changes such as recurrent epileptic discharge prior to the occurrence of obvious convulsion. We report here a case of symptomatic epilepsy displaying a high intensity area on DWI in MRI before convulsive seizure was initiated.

Role of hematopoietic microenvironment in prolonged impairment of B cell regeneration in age-related stromal-cell-impaired SAMP1 mouse: effects of a single dose of 5-fluorouracil.

In this study, we examined the age-associated defect of stromal cells, which support B cell development, treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to induce severe perturbation of hematopoiesis, including B lymphocyte development, using SAMP1 mice exhibiting senescence-mimicking stromal-cell impairment after 30 weeks of age. Significant findings of this study are as follows: first, a marked and prolonged decrease in number of CFU-preB cells in non-SCI mice (58% of the steady-state level) associated with more markedly depressed number of CFU-preB cells in SCI mice (20% of the steady-state level), despite the absence of difference in the number of CFU-GMs during the period; second, in the non-SCI mice, a significant and prolonged up-regulation of GM-CSF and IL-6, positive regulators of myelopoiesis and suppressive factors of B lymphopoiesis, was observed. In SCI mice, greater and prolonged suppression of B lymphopoiesis was clearly demonstrated by the significant up-regulation of the negative regulator TNF-alpha associated with the concomitant marked down-regulation of the positive regulator SDF-1, although the increases of GM-CSF and IL-6 were limited.

Effects of in situ administration of excitatory amino acid antagonists on rapid microglial and astroglial reactions in rat hippocampus following traumatic brain injury.

Objective: Both microglia and astrocytes respond immediately to traumatic brain injury (TBI). The present study was undertaken to examine whether or not excitatory amino acid (EAA) antagonists could attenuate such glial responses.

Methods: EAA antagonists, including the broad spectrum EAA antagonist, kynurenic acid (KYN), specific N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker, 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (AP-5), and AMPA-KA receptor blocker, 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), as well as the voltage-dependent ion channel blocker, tetrodotoxin (TTX), were administered into the unilateral hippocampus of rats through a dialysis probe for 30 minutes before the induction of unilateral controlled cortical impact injury.

Jugular bulb venous thrombosis caused by mild head injury: a case report.

Background: We present here the first report of a jugular bulb venous thrombosis after mild head injury, which lacked either a skull fracture or abnormal findings on CT scan.

Case Description: An 8-year-old boy was hit on the back of the head and experienced headache and vomiting beginning the next morning. A CT scan and cranial x-ray examination failed to reveal any abnormal findings.

[A case of nasal dermal sinus-cyst (NDSC) with intracranial extension].

Nasal dermal sinus-cyst (NDSC) is a rare abnormality consisting of a dermal sinus opening at the nasal skin and dermoid cyst localized in the frontobasal area. A 2-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital due to swelling of the fronto-nasal regions with pus running from an orifice situated in the nasal skin. Bone-image CT and 3D-CT revealed bone defects within the frontal skull base.

Inflammatory biomarker, neopterin, suppresses B lymphopoiesis for possible facilitation of granulocyte responses, which is severely altered in age-related stromal-cell-impaired mice, SCI/SAM.

Neopterin is produced by monocytes and is a useful biomarker of inflammatory activation. We found that neopterin enhanced in vivo and in vitro granulopoiesis triggered by the stromal-cell production of cytokines in mice. The effects of neopterin on B lymphopoiesis during the enhancement of granulopoiesis were determined using the mouse model of senescent stromal-cell impairment (SCI), a subline of senescence-accelerated mice (SAM).

Inflammatory biomarker, neopterin, enlarges splenic mast-cell-progenitor pool: prominent impairment of responses in age-related stromal cell-impairment mouse SCI/SAM.

Neopterin is produced by monocytes and is a useful biomarker of inflammatory responses. We found that neopterin enhances granulopoiesis, but suppresses B-lymphopoiesis triggered by the positive and negative regulations of cytokines produced by stromal cells in mice. In this study, neopterin was found to regulate mast cell development, which was confirmed in the mouse model of senescent stromal-cell impairment (SCI).

[Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis suffered as a complication of ulcerative colitis: case report].

A case of superior sagittal sinus thrombosis which was complicated with ulcerative colitis is reported. A 16-year-old male patient had a 2-year history of ulcerative colitis. He was admitted to our hospital complaining of abdominal pain, bloody bowel discharge and appetite loss, and was then treated conservatively.

Effects of neopterin on the hematopoietic microenvironment of senescence-accelerated mice (SAM).

The pteridine neopterin (NP) is produced by monocytes and is known to be a useful marker of immunological activation, although, it remains elusive whether neopterin itself exhibits biological functions. Recently, we found that NP stimulates hematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation by activating bone marrow stromal cell function. In order to elucidate the biological effect of NP on stromal cells, its effects on hematopoiesis was determined in the mouse model of age-related stromal impairment, senescence-accelerated mice (SAMs).

Tissue plasminogen activator extravasated through the cerebral vessels: evaluation using a rat thromboembolic stroke model.

Neurotoxic effects of endogenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) have recently been reported. Employing a rat model of thromboembolic stroke, we evaluated the extent and degree of extravasation of exogenous tPA administered for the purpose of fibrinolysis. In a thromboembolic model using Sprague-Dawley rats, focal cerebral ischemia was induced at the territory of the middle cerebral artery (MCA).

Cyclic polylactate inhibited growth of cloned leukemic cells through reducing glycolytic enzyme activities.

A novel supramolecular oligomer, cyclic polylactate (CPL) that was originally discovered in the culture medium of HeLa-S tumor cells, reportedly inhibits the growth of FM3A ascites tumor cells by inhibiting enzymes involved in the glycolytic pathway. We synthesized CPL containing 3- to 13-mers by prolonged heating and rapidly mixing a carbohydrate compound of the L-lactic acid monomer (C(3)H(6)O(3)) under decreased pressure, and studied its effects on the growth of the cloned leukemic cell, TF-1. CPL inhibited the growth of TF-1 cells and induced 7A6 antigen, which is expressed by cells undergoing apoptosis, on the surface of TF-1 cells.