Association between cerebral microbleeds on T2*-weighted MR images and recurrent hemorrhagic stroke in patients treated with warfarin following ischemic stroke.

Background And Purpose: Although accumulating evidence suggests the presence of microbleeds as a risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), little is known about its significance in anticoagulated patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of microbleeds is associated with recurrent hemorrhagic stroke in patients who had received warfarin following atrial fibrillation-associated cardioembolic infarction.

Materials And Methods: A total of 87 consecutive patients with acute recurrent stroke, including 15 patients with ICH and 72 patients with cerebral infarction, were enrolled in this study.

HLA-DRB1 alleles influence clinical phenotypes in Japanese patients with ulcerative colitis.

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region has been implicated in the disease susceptibility of inflammatory bowel disease by several linkage and association studies. In Caucasians, HLA-DRB1 has been reported to determine the clinical phenotypes of ulcerative colitis (UC). Others and we previously reported that HLA-DRB1*1502 was strongly associated with UC in the Japanese population.

3,5,3'-Triiodothyronine thyrotoxicosis due to increased conversion of administered levothyroxine in patients with massive metastatic follicular thyroid carcinoma.

Objective: Some patients with massive metastatic thyroid carcinoma exhibit T(3) thyrotoxicosis. We investigated the prevalence and cause of T(3) thyrotoxicosis and the clues to the diagnosis.

Design: Serum free T(3) (FT(3)), free T(4) (FT(4)), and TSH were measured in patients with massive metastases from papillary, follicular, or medullary thyroid carcinomas (31, 20, and seven patients, respectively).

Synapse involvement of the dorsal horn in experimental lumbar nerve root compression: a light and electron microscopic study.

Study Design: This study was aimed at investigating changes in the dorsal horn of the lumbar cord induced by mechanical compression using an in vivo model.

Objective: To determine the effect of axonal flow disturbance in the dorsal horns induced by nerve root compression.

Summary Of Background Data: Few studies have looked at changes of synapses within the dorsal horn caused by disturbance of axonal flow and the axon reaction as a result of mechanical compression of the dorsal root.

Cholesterol sulphate affects production of steroid hormones by reducing steroidogenic acute regulatory protein level in adrenocortical cells.

Steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein plays a crucial role in the intramitochondrial movement of cholesterol, where P450 side chain cleavage enzyme resides. Cholesterol sulphate (CS), which is present ubiquitously in mammalian tissues, is not only a precursor of sulphated adrenal steroids but also an inhibitor of cholesterol biosynthesis. This study was designed to examine the biological roles of CS in steroidogenesis in adrenocortical cells.

Bilateral recurrent patellar dislocation in a patient with isolated patella aplasia-hypoplasia.

Patella aplasia-hypoplasia is a rare condition characterized by the congenital absence or marked reduction of the patellar bone. It is well known that patella aplasia-hypoplasia occurs in nail-patella syndrome, small patella syndrome, and several other syndromes. However, isolated patella aplasia-hypoplasia without associated clinical or radiologic anomalies, first described by Kutz in 1949, is an extremely rare condition.

Sequential changes in von Willebrand factor and soluble thrombomodulin in acute ischemic stroke.

The purposes of the present study were to investigate sequential changes in plasma von Willebrand factor (vWf) activities and serum soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) concentrations, compared with white blood cell (WBC) counts, and to disclose the different roles of vWf and sTM in acute ischemic stroke. Forty-three acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to our hospital within 48 hours from onset were enrolled. Plasma vWf activities, serum sTM concentrations, and WBC counts were measured at the acute stage and 1 and 6 months after admission.

A review of medial temporal lobe and caudate contributions to visual category learning.

Here we review recent functional neuroimaging, neuropsychological and behavioral studies examining the role of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and the caudate in learning visual categories either by verbalizeable rules or without awareness. The MTL and caudate are found to play dissociable roles in different types of category learning with successful rule-based (RB) categorization depending selectively on the MTL and non-verbalizeable information-integration (II) category learning depending on the posterior caudate. These studies utilize a combination of experimental cognitive psychology, mathematical modeling (Decision Bound Theory (DBT)) and cognitive computational modeling (the COVIS model of Ashby et al.

Long-term follow-up and knee osteoarthritis change after medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction for recurrent patellar dislocation.

Background: Proximal or distal realignment procedures have long been selected as treatment for recurrent patellar dislocation, but associated knee osteoarthritis has been a substantial problem that leads to poor results. A new approach, medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction, has recently started, but there have been no reports on the long-term follow-up.

Hypothesis: Anatomical medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction can lead to satisfactory long-term outcome and a low association rate of knee osteoarthritis.

Silver-ion redox sensing based on colloid formation by gallate ester derivatives.

Plasmon absorption of silver colloid, which was formed by reduction of silver ion with compounds bearing gallate ester groups in ethanol, was observed by absorption spectroscopy. The time-dependent absorption of silver colloid was found, which shows that the silver colloid is unstable and easy to aggregate. It seemed that a calixarene derivative bearing two gallate ester groups was the most suitable for determining silver ion.

Two cases of SAPHO syndrome accompanied by classic features of Behcet's disease and review of the literature.

We describe two patients with SAPHO (synovitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis-ostitis) syndrome who presented some of the classic features of Behcet's disease. The first case is a man diagnosed as SAPHO at 74 years old. His major complaint is pain and swelling of the bilateral sterno-clavicular region for more than 14 years.

Atlantoaxial subluxation-induced myelopathy in cleidocranial dysplasia. Case report.

The authors describe the clinical course and treatment of a patient with cleidocranial dysplasia in whom spastic myelopathy developed due to atlantoaxial subluxation. This 27-year-old woman with cleidocranial dysplasia and a history of atlantoaxial subluxation presented with spastic myelopathy. Surgery was performed twice for cervical myelopathy and atlantoaxial subluxation, including laminectomy at the atlas and cervicooccipital fusion in which the Luque rod system was used, as well as C1-2 fusion via the transpharyngeal route.

A schwannoma of the S1 dural sleeve was resected while the intact nerve fibers were preserved using a microscope. Report of a case with early MRI findings.

In this report, we describe a small schwannoma of the dural sleeve and mention that it is often difficult to differentiate this tumor from lumbar disc herniation, especially a sequestered hernia, or a discal cyst. Gadolinium-enhanced MR images were a useful preoperative examination modality for differentiating this lesion from other diseases. Microscopically, the intradural tumor was successfully removed.

Risk factors for para-aortic lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer from a randomized controlled trial of JCOG9501.

Background: No risk factor has been confirmed for para-aortic lymph node (PAN) metastasis from gastric cancer. To identify the risk factors and the most frequent route of metastasis to PAN, we analyzed the prospective data from a phase III trial.

Methods: In JCOG9501 comparing D2 and D2 + PAN dissection, 260 patients with T2(SS)-T4 gastric cancer underwent radical gastrectomy with PAN dissection.

Butyrophilin-like 2 gene is associated with ulcerative colitis in the Japanese under strong linkage disequilibrium with HLA-DRB1*1502.

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is classified into Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Recently, an association between sarcoidosis and the butyrophilin-like 2 (BTNL2) gene was reported. BTNL2 is located in the HLA region and its messenger RNA is expressed most abundantly in the intestine.

An algorithm guiding the evaluation and treatment of acute primary patellar dislocations.

Primary patellar dislocation continues to be a common problem facing clinicians today. These injuries are associated with significant morbidity and a substantial recurrence rate. A myriad of operative and nonoperative options have been described to treat these injuries though the evidence-based literature is sparse.

Motor neuron involvement in experimental lumbar nerve root compression: a light and electron microscopic study.

Study Design: The aim of this study is to investigate changes in lumbar motor neurons induced by mechanical nerve root compression using an in vivo model. This study is to investigate the changes of lumbar motor neuron induced by mechanical nerve root compression using in vivo model.

Objectives: The effect of axonal flow disturbance induced by nerve root compression was determined in lumbar motor neuron.

Mapping of a disease susceptibility locus in the HLA region for Primary Biliary Cirrhosis in Japan.

Aims: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic progressive cholestatic disease of unknown pathogenesis. However, several reports have demonstrated the involvement of genetic backgrounds in this syndrome. The aim of this study is to examine the genetic disequilibrium in the HLA region in Japanese patients using six microsatellite markers.

A case of nerve root heat injury induced by percutaneous laser disc decompression performed at an outside institution: technical case report.

Objective: In recent years, percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) has become a routine surgical procedure because it can be performed under local anesthesia and is minimally invasive. However, there is a risk of nerve root and endplate injury owing to heat generated by laser irradiation during PLDD. We recently performed salvage surgery on a patient with heat injury to the L5 nerve root that developed after PLDD.

Efficacy and safety of endoscopic balloon dilation for Crohn's strictures.

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate retrospectively the efficacy and safety of endoscopic balloon dilation for intestinal strictures in Crohn's disease.

Methods: Sixteen patients with 20 strictures were treated. The stricture sites were as follows: at the ileocolonic (n = 6) or ileoileal (n = 1) anastomosis, in the colon (n = 10), ileum (n = 2), and at the ileocecal valve (n = 1).

A validation study of a scoring system to estimate the risk of lymph node metastasis for patients with endometrial cancer for tailoring the indication of lymphadenectomy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to verify whether a preoperative scoring system to estimate the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in endometrial carcinoma is clinically useful for tailoring the indication of lymphadenectomy.

Study Design: LNM score was set up using volume index, serum CA125 level, and tumor grade/histology, which were found to be independent risk factors for LNM in a pilot study. Based on the LNM score before a validation study was started, the estimated rates of LNM (para-aortic LNM) were 3.