[Arterial stenosis after coil migration in embolization of an aneurysm].

A case of arterial stenosis after coil migration in intracranial aneurysm embolization is presented. A 51-year-old woman suffered sudden onset of headache and unconsciousness. Computed tomography demonstrated diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral angiography disclosed a right internal carotid artery (ICA) bifurcation aneurysm and a right ICA-anterior choroidal artery aneurysm.

Symptomatic narcolepsy in patients with neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis: new neurochemical and immunological implications.

Objective: To characterize factors that contribute to symptomatic narcolepsy and excessive daytime sleepiness in neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis.

Setting: Japanese university hospitals.

Design: Case study.

Loss of polyubiquitin gene Ubb leads to metabolic and sleep abnormalities in mice.

Aims: Ubiquitin performs essential roles in a myriad of signalling pathways required for cellular function and survival. Recently, we reported that disruption of the stress-inducible ubiquitin-encoding gene Ubb reduces ubiquitin content in the hypothalamus and leads to adult-onset obesity coupled with a loss of arcuate nucleus neurones and disrupted energy homeostasis in mice. Neuropeptides expressed in the hypothalamus control both metabolic and sleep behaviours.

Aragonite undersaturation in the Arctic Ocean: effects of ocean acidification and sea ice melt.

The increase in anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and attendant increase in ocean acidification and sea ice melt act together to decrease the saturation state of calcium carbonate in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean. In 2008, surface waters were undersaturated with respect to aragonite, a relatively soluble form of calcium carbonate found in plankton and invertebrates. Undersaturation was found to be a direct consequence of the recent extensive melting of sea ice in the Canada Basin.

[Catheter-assisted technique for endovascular treatment of a wide-neck aneurysm: a case report].

A catheter-assisted technique is a technical option that has been developed to allow the endovascular treatment of wide-neck aneurysms. We report our experience of the catheter-assisted technique in treating a wide-neck aneurysm in the posterior inferior cerebellar artery.

Patterns of radiotherapy practice for pancreatic cancer in Japan: results of the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group (JROSG) survey.

Purpose: To determine the patterns of radiotherapy practice for pancreatic cancer in Japan.

Methods And Materials: A questionnaire-based national survey of radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer treated between 2000 and 2006 was conducted by the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group (JROSG). Detailed information on 870 patients from 34 radiation oncology institutions was accumulated.

Amyloid-beta dynamics are regulated by orexin and the sleep-wake cycle.

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) accumulation in the brain extracellular space is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The factors regulating this process are only partly understood. Abeta aggregation is a concentration-dependent process that is likely responsive to changes in brain interstitial fluid (ISF) levels of Abeta.

Orexin neurons are necessary for the circadian control of REM sleep.

Study Objectives: The orexin-producing neurons are hypothesized to be essential for the circadian control of sleep/wake behavior, but it remains unknown whether these rhythms are mediated by the orexin peptides or by other signaling molecules released by these neurons such as glutamate or dynorphin. To determine the roles of these neurotransmitters, we examined the circadian rhythms of sleep/wake behavior in mice lacking the orexin neurons (ataxin-3 [Atx] mice) and mice lacking just the orexin neuropeptides (orexin knockout [KO] mice).

Design: We instrumented mice for recordings of sleep-wake behavior, locomotor activity (LMA), and body temperature (Tb) and recorded behavior after 6 days in constant darkness.

The transcriptional repressor DEC2 regulates sleep length in mammals.

Sleep deprivation can impair human health and performance. Habitual total sleep time and homeostatic sleep response to sleep deprivation are quantitative traits in humans. Genetic loci for these traits have been identified in model organisms, but none of these potential animal models have a corresponding human genotype and phenotype.

Hypocretin/orexin and narcolepsy: new basic and clinical insights.

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. Both sporadic (95%) and familial (5%) forms of narcolepsy exist in humans. The major pathophysiology of human narcolepsy has been recently discovered based on the discovery of narcolepsy genes in animals; the genes involved in the pathology of the hypocretin/orexin ligand and its receptor.

Specificity of direct transition from wake to REM sleep in orexin/ataxin-3 transgenic narcoleptic mice.

To create operational criteria for polygraphic assessments of direct transitions from wake to REM sleep (DREM), as a murine analog of human cataplexy, we have analyzed DREM episodes in congenic lines of orexin/ataxin-3 transgenic [TG] mice and wild-type littermates. The sleep stage of each 10-second epoch was visually scored using our standard criteria. Specificity of DREM for narcoleptic TG mice and sensitivity to detect DREM was evaluated using different DREM criteria.

Molecular features of thyroid hormone-regulated skin remodeling in Xenopus laevis during metamorphosis.

Amphibian body skin provides an opportunity to investigate the molecular mechanism of thyroid hormone (TH)-dependent organ remodeling during metamorphosis. Global gene expression changes in the TH-dependent body skin remodeling were studied with microarray analysis. We identified 401 genes that were differentially expressed more than fourfold for 7 days after TH-treatment.

CSF histamine contents in narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Study Objective: To (1) replicate our prior result of low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) histamine levels in human narcolepsy in a different sample population and to (2) evaluate if histamine contents are altered in other types of hypersomnia with and without hypocretin deficiency.

Design: Cross sectional studies.

Setting And Patients: Sixty-seven narcolepsy subjects, 26 idiopathic hypersomnia (IHS) subjects, 16 obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) subjects, and 73 neurological controls were included.

Decreased CSF histamine in narcolepsy with and without low CSF hypocretin-1 in comparison to healthy controls.

Study Objective: To examine whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) histamine contents are altered in human narcolepsy and whether these alterations are specific to hypocretin deficiency, as defined by low CSF hypocretin-1.

Methods: Patients meeting the ICSD-2 criteria for narcolepsy with and without cataplexy and who had CSF hypocretin-1 results available were selected from the Stanford Narcolepsy Database on the basis of CSF availability and adequate age and sex matching across 3 groups: narcolepsy with low CSF hypocretin-1 (n=34, 100% with cataplexy), narcolepsy without low CSF hypocretin-1 (n=24, 75% with cataplexy), and normal controls (n=23). Low CSF hypocretin-1 was defined as CSF < or =110 pg/mL (1/3 of mean control values).

[Enlargement of cerebral infarction after CBF study with acetazolamide challenge: two case report].

Acetazolamide has been used for a long time for the evaluation of cerebral hemodynamics. Severe side effects as a result of acetazolamide infusion are uncommon. Two patients with unilatral internal carotid artery occlusion presented with enlargement of cerebral infarction after SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) with acetazolamide challenge.

Disorder-induced quantum bond percolation.

We investigate the effects of off-diagonal disorder on localization properties in quantum bond percolation networks on cubic lattices, motivated by the finding that the off-diagonal disorder does not always enhance the quantum localization of wavefunctions. We numerically construct a diagram of the 'percolation threshold', distinguishing extended states from localized states as a function of two degrees of disorder, by using the level statistics and finite-size scaling. The percolation threshold increases in a characteristic way on increasing the disorder in the connected bonds, while it gradually decreases on increasing the disorder in the disconnected bonds.

Endovascular treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with bilateral common carotid artery occlusion.

Cases of aneurysm associated with the occlusion of both common carotid arteries are very rare.We present a case of ruptured aneurysms of the basilar bifurcation and posterior cerebral artery coexisting with bilateral common carotid artery occlusion, successfully treated by endovascular coil embolization with a double-balloon remodeling technique. Finally, we review the literature.

[A case of intrasacular thrombosis during the coil embolization procedure for a ruptured cerebral aneurysm].

A case of intrasacular thrombosis during the coil embolization procedure for a ruptured cerebral aneurysm is presented. A 50-year-old man suffered sudden onset of headache and unconsciousness. Computed tomography demonstrated diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) disclosed a basilar-right superior cerebellar artery aneurysm.

[The US Government's effort in decreasing the cost of sleep-related problems and its outcome].

Sleepiness and inattention caused by sleep and circadian rhythm disorders or inadequate sleep habits adversely affect workers in many industries as well as the general public, and these disorders are likely to lead to public health and safety problems and adversely affect civilian life. Evidence is accumulating that these sleep related problems are contributing factors not only in many errors of judgement and accidents, but also related to some highly prevalent diseases, such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension. For each of these societal concerns, sleep science must be translated to the general public and to those in policy positions for improving public policy and public health awareness.

Hypocretin receptor expression in canine and murine narcolepsy models and in hypocretin-ligand deficient human narcolepsy.

Study Objective: To determine whether hypocretin receptor gene (hcrtR1 and hcrtR2) expression is affected after long-term hypocretin ligand loss in humans and animal models of narcolepsy.

Design: Animal and human study. We measured hcrtR1 and hcrtR2 expression in the frontal cortex and pons using the RT-PCR method in murine models (8-week-old and 27-week-old orexin/ataxin-3 transgenic (TG) hypocretin cell ablated mice and wild-type mice from the same litter, 10 mice for each group), in canine models (8 genetically narcoleptic Dobermans with null mutations in the hcrtR2, 9 control Dobermans, 3 sporadic ligand-deficient narcoleptics, and 4 small breed controls), and in humans (5 narcolepsy-cataplexy patients with hypocretin deficiency (average age 77.

Identifying competing aerobic nitrobenzene biodegradation pathways by compound-specific isotope analysis.

Nitroaromatic compounds that contaminate soil and groundwater can be biodegraded by different, sometimes competing reaction pathways. We evaluated the combined use of compound-specific stable C and N isotope analysis to distinguish between enzymatic nitrobenzene oxidation by Comamonas sp. strain JS765 and partial reduction by Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes strain JS45 under aerobic conditions.

Escherichia coli NsrR regulates a pathway for the oxidation of 3-nitrotyramine to 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetate.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation and microarray (ChIP-chip) analysis showed that the nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive repressor NsrR from Escherichia coli binds in vivo to the promoters of the tynA and feaB genes. These genes encode the first two enzymes of a pathway that is required for the catabolism of phenylethylamine (PEA) and its hydroxylated derivatives tyramine and dopamine. Deletion of nsrR caused small increases in the activities of the tynA and feaB promoters in cultures grown on PEA.

Armodafinil for excessive daytime sleepiness.

Armodafinil is the (R)-enantiomer of the wakepromoting compound modafinil (racemic), with a considerably longer half-life of 10-15 hours. Armodafinil (developed by Cephalon, Frazer, PA, USA) was approved in June 2007 for the treatment of excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and shift work disorder, and the indications are the same as those for modafinil. Like modafinil, the mechanisms of action of armodafinil are not fully characterized and are under debate.