Publications by authors named "Nakao N"

Objective: Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) and neocortical epilepsy (NE) have different anatomo-clinical characteristics. The authors hypothesized that this may be reflected in the different functional connectivity of the epileptogenic zone between mTLE and NE. The authors, therefore, examined preoperative resting-state functional connectivity MRI with regional global connectivity (rGC) analysis for surgically treated patients.

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Background Telemedicine is expected to play an increasingly important role in building universal emergency medical systems without geographical disparities in the future. To eliminate healthcare disparities between regions, Wakayama Prefecture in Japan has been promoting telemedicine for closer inter-hospital coordination with secondary and tertiary emergency medical care hospitals. The "Join" diagnostic image-sharing app has been used since November 2018 for operating a remote emergency support system that shares medical images of emergency patients between 13 secondary and tertiary emergency medical care hospitals in Wakayama Prefecture.

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This study aims to elucidate the clinical and molecular characteristics, treatment outcomes and prognostic factors of patients with histone H3 K27-mutant diffuse midline glioma. We retrospectively analyzed 93 patients with diffuse midline glioma (47 thalamus, 24 brainstem, 12 spinal cord and 10 other midline locations) treated at 24 affiliated hospitals in the Kansai Molecular Diagnosis Network for CNS Tumors. Considering the term "midline" areas, which had been confused in previous reports, we classified four midline locations based on previous reports and anatomical findings.

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Schwannomatosis (SWN) is a rare genetic condition characterized by the risk of developing multiple benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors; however, the risk of developing malignant tumors in patients with SWN remains unclear. This study described the case of a 57-year-old Japanese man diagnosed with SWN whose older brother also had SWN. Whole-exome sequencing identified a heterozygous mutation [c.

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Objectives Solitude is a state of being without social contact; it occurs when a person chooses not to interact with others, even when they are in the company of others. It is not necessarily accompanied by negative feelings. In contrast, loneliness, is a psychological state characterized by the feeling of needing the company of others.

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Background: Gangliogliomas account for 0.4% of primary brain tumors. They mainly occur in the supratentorial compartment and typically affect only children and young adults.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Post-stroke epilepsy can emerge after a type of brain hemorrhage (aSAH), with both early and late seizures potentially leading to serious cognitive issues if not treated quickly.
  • - A study of 297 aSAH patients found that early seizures are linked to older age and severe infections, while late seizures relate to the size of brain lesions and shunt placements.
  • - Electroencephalograms (EEGs) were useful for detecting early seizures and showed that patients with brain lesions need close monitoring for late seizure risks post-surgery.
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Context: Inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) and PKR-like ER kinase (PERK), which are endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane proteins, regulate the unfolded protein response (UPR). These molecules have recently gained attention as a novel therapeutic target in secretory tumors. The roles of the UPR in pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) are unclear.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of staphyloma edges in highly myopic eyes and how they progress.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using baseline data and a longitudinal study with follow-up data from 256 patients (447 eyes) with high myopia, with a mean (SD) follow-up of 3.79 (0.

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Several generations of ATP-competitive anti-cancer drugs that inhibit the activity of the intracellular kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been developed over the past twenty years. The first-generation of drugs such as gefitinib bind reversibly and were followed by a second-generation such as dacomitinib that harbor an acrylamide moiety that forms a covalent bond with C797 in the ATP binding pocket. Resistance emerges through mutation of the T790 gatekeeper residue to methionine, which introduces steric hindrance to drug binding and increases the for ATP.

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Purpose: Oral mucositis (OM) is a side effect associated with cancer treatment. Hangeshashinto (HST), a Kampo medicine, was originally prescribed to treat diarrhea, gastritis, and stomatitis. Several reports have described the effects of HST for OM induced by chemotherapy in patients with gastric or colorectal cancer.

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Background: Ischemic cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) occur in 3.3-7.2% of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA), and intracranial vessels are rarely affected.

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Article Synopsis
  • Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a type of lymphoma treated primarily with methotrexate (MTX), and the treatment outcomes at neurosurgery versus hematology/oncology departments had not been previously compared.
  • In a study of 26 newly diagnosed PCNSL patients, those treated in the hematology/oncology department had a significantly higher median relative dose intensity (93% vs. 67%) and a greater complete response rate compared to those treated in neurosurgery.
  • The 2-year overall survival rate was notably better in the hematology/oncology group (100%) compared to the neurosurgery group (72%), suggesting differences in
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Purpose: To report our findings in a patient with a two layered dome shaped macula (DSM) in which only the inner layer of the sclera protruded anteriorly.

Observations: An 84-year-old woman with high myopia had a DSM in both eyes. The optical coherence tomographic (OCT) image of the left eye showed a uniform thickening of the foveal sclera, but the DSM of the right eye was split into an inner and outer layer by intrascleral blood vessels running between the two layers.

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Neuropeptide B (NPB) has been identified as an endogenous peptide ligand for the orphan receptor NPBWR1. However, the effect of NPB on the central regulatory mechanisms of reproductive functions remains unclear. Our findings indicated the presence of Npb, Npw (which is another ligand for NPBWR1), and Npbwr1 mRNA in the hypothalamus of male and female rats at each stage of the estrous cycle.

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Article Synopsis
  • Fibrosis is a key factor in the transition from chronic organ injury to organ failure, often due to ongoing inflammation, and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) show potential as a treatment to mitigate this progression.
  • This study explores the differences between ASCs obtained from the superficial and deep layers of abdominal fat, comparing their characteristics and therapeutic capabilities.
  • Methods included analyzing cell properties, their effects on immune response, and conducting in vivo tests in a rat model with kidney injury to assess the impact of Sup-ASCs versus Deep-ASCs on fibrosis.
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Isolated fourth ventricle is a rare complication following shunt insertion of the lateral ventricles for hydrocephalus. The present report describes a rare case of a hemangioblastoma of the medulla oblongata that caused isolated fourth ventricle due to intraventricular deposition of fibrin. A 34-year-old man presented with headache a month before admission.

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Article Synopsis
  • Understanding the parameters for body size growth is crucial in forensic science for accurately estimating fetal age and assessing the impact of the postmortem environment on size measurements.
  • In Japan, stillbirths must be reported, and the challenges in a forensic autopsy case revealed complications in accurately measuring fetal age due to issues with soft tissue preservation.
  • Discrepancies in age estimations based on bone size and tooth development suggest that forensic age estimation should involve comprehensive discussions among professionals to address variations in methodologies and sample conditions.
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Purpose: To determine the longitudinal changes in patterns of inner scleral curvature and development of posterior staphylomas in the eyes of highly myopic youths.

Methods: A retrospective, longitudinal study. Ultra-widefield optic coherence tomographic (UWF-OCT) images from 47 eyes of 24 highly myopic patients with a follow-up period of 2 to 4 years were analyzed.

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In -conjugated polymers, a highly ordered backbone structure and solubility are always in a trade-off relationship that must be overcome to realize highly efficient and solution-processable organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Here, it is shown that a -conjugated polymer based on a novel thiazole-fused ring, thieno[2',3':5,6]benzo[1,2-d:4,3-d']bisthiazole (TBTz) achieves both high backbone order and high solubility due to the structural feature of TBTz such as the noncovalent interlocking of the thiazole moiety, the rigid and bent-shaped structure, and the fused alkylthiophene ring. Furthermore, based on the electron-deficient nature of these thiazole-fused rings, the polymer exhibits deep HOMO energy levels, which lead to high open-circuit voltages (V s) in OPV cells, even without halogen substituents that are commonly introduced into high-performance polymers.

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Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD). The optimal management strategy of methotrexate (MTX) related-LPD with central nervous system (CNS) involvement and histological features of LYG remains unclear. We herein report a case of grade 2-3 LYG in a rheumatoid arthritis patient, in which an intracranial mass accompanied by hemorrhaging and pulmonary and skin lesions developed.

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Background: Although dental radiography is a valuable tool for age estimation in forensic anthropology and odontology, very limited radiological data are available regarding tooth development in healthy newborn babies during the first month of life.

Aim: This study aimed to describe the radiological findings of tooth development in babies aged 0 days to 1 month.

Design: We analyzed the postmortem findings of five newborn babies with no known natural cause of death who had undergone autopsy, computed tomography (CT), and dental radiography.

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We encountered a 78-year-old Japanese man with IgG4-related sialoadenitis complicated with marked eosinophilia. We diagnosed him with IgG4-RD (related disease) with a submandibular gland tumor, serum IgG4 elevation, IgG4-positive plasma cell infiltration, and storiform fibrosis. During follow-up after total incision of the submandibular gland, the peripheral eosinophil count was markedly elevated to 29,480/μL.

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Introduction: Myopic macular neovascularization (MNV) is the most common cause of a reduction of central vision in eyes with pathologic myopia, and it can progress to macular atrophy in the long term. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with the development of MNVs.

Methods: There were 17,198 follow-up records from 5,409 eyes of 2,784 highly myopic patients that were reviewed.

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