Development of a novel animal model of lumbar vertebral endplate lesion by intervertebral disk injection of monosodium iodoacetate in rats.

Purpose: Vertebral endplate lesions (EPLs) caused by severe disk degeneration are associated with low back pain. However, its pathophysiology remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to develop a vertebral EPL rat model mimicking severe intervertebral disk (IVD) degeneration by injecting monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) into the IVDs and evaluating it by assessing pain-related behavior, micro-computed tomography (CT) findings, and histological changes.

Two Cases of Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor in the Spinal Cord: Loss of SMARCB1 in a Child and Loss of SMARCA4 in an Adult.

We compare two cases of primary spinal atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT), which rarely occurs in adults marked by inactivation, and inactivation for pediatric cases. AT/RT represents a highly malignant neoplasm comprising poorly differentiated constituents and rhabdoid cells, with SMARCB1(INI1) or infrequently SMARCA4 (BRG1) inactivation. These tumors are predominantly found in children but are rare in adults.

Bacterial meningitis caused by nontraumatic cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea with aqueductal stenosis: A case report.

Background: Nontraumatic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea associated with aqueductal stenosis is rare. The resulting CSF leakage may cause bacterial meningitis, and appropriately timed surgical treatment should be considered.

Case Description: A 28-year-old woman with obstructive hydrocephalus secondary to aqueductal stenosis presented with intermittent nasal discharge.

Comparison of the electrophysiological characteristics of tight filum terminale and tethered cord syndrome.

Purpose: This study aims to characterize tight filum terminale (TFT) in motor evoked potential (MEP) testing by comparing TFT patients with both tethered cord syndrome (TCS) patients and healthy subjects.

Methods: Fifty TFT patients, 18 TCS patients, and 35 healthy volunteers participated in this study. We recorded MEPs following transcranial magnetic stimulation from the bilateral abductor hallucis muscles as well as compound muscle action potentials and F-waves evoked by electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve from the bilateral abductor pollicis brevis muscles.

Evaluation of intervertebral disc degeneration using T2 signal ratio on magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: Intervertebral disc degeneration is assessed clinically by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although some quantitative evaluation methods for MRI under special imaging conditions have been reported, they are widely and generally difficult to use. The aim of this study is to determine if intervertebral disc degeneration can be assessed using the ratio of MRI T2 values of the disc to the spinal cord T2 values.

Development of a rat model with lumbar vertebral endplate lesion.

Purpose: Vertebral endplate lesion (EPL) caused by severe disc degeneration is associated with low back pain. However, there is no suitable animal model to elucidate the pathophysiology of EPL. This study aimed to develop a rat model of EPL and evaluate rat behavior and imaging and histological findings.

Surgical outcomes of cervical myelopathy in patients with athetoid cerebral palsy.

Purpose: Surgical treatment for cervical myelopathy with athetoid cerebral palsy remains unestablished. Instrumented fusion is reported to have good clinical results; however, there are no data of decompression surgery for this pathology in recent years. This study aimed to assess the surgical outcomes of laminoplasty with or without posterior instrumented fusion for cervical myelopathy in patients with athetoid cerebral palsy.

Quantifying Bone Marrow Edema Adjacent to the Lumbar Vertebral Endplate on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Cross-Sectional Study of Patients with Degenerative Lumbar Disease.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Purpose: We aimed to quantitatively assess bone marrow edema (BME) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patients with degenerative lumbar diseases.

Overview Of Literature: BME adjacent to a sclerotic endplate of the lumbar spine, detected using T2-weighted fat-saturated MRI, is closely associated with low back pain in patients with degenerative lumbar diseases.

Long-term outcome of targeted therapy for low back pain in elderly degenerative lumbar scoliosis.

Purpose: Treatment of low back pain (LBP) associated with elderly degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) remains controversial. We have developed percutaneous intervertebral-vacuum polymethylmethacrylate injection (PIPI) targeting to the intervertebral vacuum as a minimally invasive surgery. The present study compared the long-term clinical outcomes of PIPI to that of nonoperative treatment.

[A case of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung with a high titer of proteinase 3 antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody].

A 57-year-old man who had a history of sinusitis was admitted to Ryugasaki-Saiseikai hospital in April 2002 because of productive cough and bloody sputum. Chest radiographs and CT scans showed mediastinal lymphadenopathy and a solitary mass lesion with an irregular margin and cavity in the left lower lung field. Proteinase 3 antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (PR3 ANCA) was positive, and this is a sensitive and specific indicator of Wegener's granulomatosis.

[A case of diffuse malignant mesothelioma of the pleura with bilateral chylothorax].

We describe a case of bilateral chylothorax with malignant pleural mesothelioma. A 41-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea. She had no history of exposure to asbestos.

Peritoneal shunt migration into the pulmonary artery--case report.

A 48-year-old man underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunting for hydrocephalus secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage due to left vertebral artery dissection, which had been successfully treated by trapping. The peritoneal catheter was correctly positioned via a right upper abdominal incision, and symptoms related to the hydrocephalus disappeared. One month later, the patient began to complain of pain on the right side of the neck.

[Comparative study of bone resorption markers for the diagnosis of bone metastasis in lung cancer].

NTx and I CTP, a metabolite of type I collagen, were compared as to their usefulness as indicators of bone metastasis in lung cancer. The NTx level was significantly higher in lung cancer patients with bone metastasis (107.9 +/- 56.

[Improvement of extrapulmonary lesions of eosinophilic granuloma after cessation of smoking].

We encountered a case of pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma complicated with pneumothorax. A 24-year-old man was admitted to our department because of respiratory difficulty. Chest radiography on admission showed a right pneumothorax.

[Extracorporeal ventriculoatrial shunt with the use of one-way ball valve].

We developed a simple system of an "extracorporeal" ventriculoatrial (VA) shunt using a one-way ball valve (Acty valve II, Kaneka Medix) to release the patient from postoperative constraint during the ventricular drainage. The system is constructed in such a way that the ventricular drainage tube is connected to the central venous catheter via a one-way valve. The CSF is regulated by using the valve and is diverted into the systemic circulation as in the conventional ventriculoatrial shunt.

Production of hepatocyte growth factor from human lung microvascular endothelial cells induced by interleukin-1beta.

To investigate the possible role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the reconstruction process following inflammatory damage in lung tissue, we compared HGF production of human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLWECs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) after stimulation by interleukin(IL)-1beta. In an HLMEC-conditioned medium, large amounts of total (single and 2-chain) HGF were detected, and were 26- to 28-fold higher than those in HUVECs or human lung fibroblasts. The production of total HGF increased in a dose-dependent manner (4.

Long-term follow-up study of unruptured vertebral artery dissection: clinical outcomes and serial angiographic findings.

Object: Although the spontaneous occurrence of an unruptured vertebral artery (VA) dissection has increasingly been recognized as a relatively common cause of stroke, and the clinical aspects of this lesion have gradually been determined, its natural course remains obscure. The main goal of this study was to clarify the management protocol for this condition by examining serial angiographic changes in patients with unruptured VA dissections.

Methods: Seventeen patients with unruptured VA dissections, including 13 men and four women, were clinically and angiographically examined between 1993 and 1998.

Embolectomy for acute embolic occlusion of the internal carotid artery bifurcation.

Background: Acute occlusion of the distal intracranial segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA) causes sudden severe hemispheric ischemia. A low rate of recanalization and a high mortality rate for this condition have been noted, even with endovascular treatment.

Methods: We report the results of emergency embolectomy in six patients with acute embolic occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) bifurcation.

[Clinicopathological study of six cases of primary pulmonary lymphoma diagnosed by gene rearrangement analysis].

We report six cases of primary pulmonary lymphoma in which a gene-rearranged band was shown by Southern blot analysis of transbronchial or surgical biopsy specimens. The cases were 3 mens and 4 women with an average age of 59.6, who had abnormal pulmonary shadows on chest X-ray.

Malignant solitary fibrous tumor arising in the right buttock associated with metastatic parietal pleural and intrapulmonary tumors in addition to pleural effusion.

A malignant solitary fibrous tumor arising in the right buttock associated with metastatic parietal pleural and intrapulmonary tumors and pleural effusion was found in a 59-year-old man. A chest computed tomogram revealed three tumors attached to the parietal pleura with rib destruction, and a tumor in the left lower lung field. Histologically, the tumors of the buttock and parietal pleura were characterized by proliferation of bundles of spindle-shaped or oval cells separated by wavy hyalinized collagen tissue with no expression of cytokeratin, S-100 protein, muscle actin or epithelial membrane antigen, but these cells weakly expressed CD34 and strongly expressed vimentin.

[Clinico-pathological analysis of airway abnormalities in patients with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia].

Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia is characterized by infiltration of eosinophils into alveolar spaces. Patients with this condition may also have asthmatic episodes, chronic coughing, and bronchorrhea, even after the infiltrative opacity on the chest roentgenogram resolves. We used computed tomography, pulmonary function tests, and biopsies to evaluate the airways of 11 patients with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia.

[Clinical value of 67gallium single photon emission tomography].

To evaluate the clinical utility of 67gallium single photon emission tomography (SPECT), we prospectively compared 67Ga SPECT with gallium planar views and with compared tomography in 94 patients with diffuse lung diseases. Differences in the accumulation of gallium between slices and between the left and right sides of a single slice were easier to detect with 67Ga SPECT than with planar views. Three-dimensional information regarding accumulation was also obtained by SPECT.