Influence of the characteristics of Japanese patients on the long-term outcomes after aortic valve replacement: results of a microsimulation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the influence of the characteristics of Japanese patients on the long-term outcomes after aortic valve replacement with either mechanical or biological prostheses by means of a microsimulation.

Methods: A microsimulation model was used to simulate the lives of patients living in Japan and in the United States after aortic valve replacement. The background mortality data taken from the 21st complete life table of Japan and the bleeding hazard determined from a meta-analysis of long-term results in Japanese institutions were used to simulate Japanese patients.

Brain protection during ascending aortic repair for Stanford type A acute aortic dissection surgery. Nationwide analysis in Japan.

Background: The optimal brain protection strategy for use during acute type A aortic dissection surgery is controversial.

Methods And Results: We reviewed the results for 2 different methods: antegrade cerebral perfusion (ACP) and retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP), during ascending aortic repair for acute type A aortic dissection for the period between 2008 and 2012 nationwide. Cases involving root repair, arch vessel reconstruction and/or concomitant procedures were excluded.

Cervical aortic arch with multiple aortic aneurysms that required two aortic replacements with a 34-year interval.

A 57-year old female was referred to our hospital after symptoms of hoarseness and dysphagia for a few years. She was diagnosed with a cervical vessel anomaly during childhood and had undergone surgery for a right-sided thoracic descending aortic aneurysm through a right thoracotomy at the age of 23 years. Now, enhanced computed tomography revealed newly developed multiple aneurysms in the aorta between the left carotid artery and the proximal descending aorta in the left hemithorax.

Ototoxic effect of Ultrastop antifog solution applied to the guinea pig middle ear.

Objectives: Recent advances in endoscopic technology have allowed its application to middle ear surgery. An antifog agent is necessary for endoscopy because moisture and blood may obscure visibility. Ultrastop is one of the most commonly used antifog agents.

[Successful treatment with bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus for benign tremulous parkinsonism].

A 62-year-old man complained of resting tremor and posture tremor. In spite of presence of the tremor, other parkinsonian component was very mild. [(11)C]2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-fluorophenyl)-tropane ([(11)C]CFT) PET showed asymmetrical reduction of the uptake and [(11)C]raclopride PET showed slightly increased uptake in the striatum.

Dearomatization-induced transannular cyclization: synthesis of electron-accepting thiophene-S,S-dioxide-fused biphenylene.

The transannular cyclization of dehydroannulenes bearing several alkyne moieties in close proximity is a powerful synthetic method for producing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We report that the reactivity can be switched by the aromaticity of the ring skeletons fused with the dehydroannulene core. Thus, while thiophene-fused bisdehydro[12]annulene 1 was handled as a stable compound in the air at room temperature, the oxidation with m-chloroperbenzoic acid from the aromatic thiophene rings to the nonaromatic thiophene-S,S-dioxides induced the transannular cyclization, even at room temperature, which was completed within 1 day to produce the formal [2 + 2] cycloadduct 3.

MicroRNA-29c mediates initiation of gastric carcinogenesis by directly targeting ITGB1.

Objective: Gastric cancer (GC) remains difficult to cure due to heterogeneity in a clinical challenge and the molecular mechanisms underlying this disease are complex and not completely understood. Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in GC, but the role of specific miRNAs involved in this disease remains elusive. We performed next generation sequencing (NGS)-based whole-transcriptome profiling to discover GC-specific miRNAs, followed by functional validation of results.

Ototoxic effect of daptomycin applied to the guinea pig middle ear.

Conclusion: Daptomycin applied topically at a concentration of 50 mg/ml caused mild but statistically significant hearing impairment. Outer hair cells were not damaged by daptomycin. Great care must be taken when there is a chance that daptomycin can reach the middle ear.

Binding of an RNA aptamer and a partial peptide of a prion protein: crucial importance of water entropy in molecular recognition.

It is a central issue to elucidate the new type of molecular recognition accompanied by a global structural change of a molecule upon binding to its targets. Here we investigate the driving force for the binding of R12 (a ribonucleic acid aptamer) and P16 (a partial peptide of a prion protein) during which P16 exhibits the global structural change. We calculate changes in thermodynamic quantities upon the R12-P16 binding using a statistical-mechanical approach combined with molecular models for water which is currently best suited to studies on hydration of biomolecules.

Effect of additional preoperative administration of the neutrophil elastase inhibitor sivelestat on perioperative inflammatory response after pediatric heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) elicits a systemic inflammatory response. Our previous reports revealed that prophylactic sivelestat administration at CPB initiation suppresses the postoperative acute inflammatory response due to CPB in pediatric cardiac surgery. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of sivelestat administration before CPB and at CPB initiation in patients undergoing pediatric open-heart surgery.

Phyllodes tumor metastasis to the tonsil with synchronous undifferentiated carcinoma.

Introduction: Breast tumor metastasis to the tonsil is extremely rare.

Presentation Of Case: A 54-year-old woman underwent resection of a breast malignant phyllodes tumor and later presented with metastasis to the lung and the left tonsil. She underwent left lower lobectomy and resection of the left tonsillar tumor.

Septal deviation is associated with maxillary sinus fungus ball in male patients.

Fungus is one of the causes of chronic rhinosinusitis. If the fungus occupies the sinus but does not invade the sinonasal mucosa, this is called sinus fungus ball. Any association between anatomical variations and fungus ball remains unclear.

Multitarget, dual-electrode deep brain stimulation of the thalamus and subthalamic area for treatment of Holmes' tremor.

Object: Holmes' tremor (HT) is generally considered to be a symptomatic tremor associated with lesions of the cerebellum, midbrain, or thalamus. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for essential tremor and parkinsonian tremor has proved quite successful. In contrast, surgical treatment outcomes for HT have often been disappointing.

Therapeutic potential of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in formed aortic aneurysms of a mouse model.

Objectives: An aortic aneurysm (AA) is caused by atherosclerosis with chronic inflammation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potential anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we examined whether an already-formed AA can be treated by intravenous injection of bone marrow-derived (BM)-MSCs in a mouse model.

Synthesis of pyridine N-oxide-BF₂CF₃ complexes and their fluorescence properties.

Pyridine N-oxide-BF2CF3 and -BF2C2F5 complexes and their derivatives were synthesized. Most of the complexes show fluorescence both in solution and in the solid state. By expanding the π-conjugated skeleton, the color of the fluorescence could be changed dramatically.

Change in endocochlear potential during experimental insertion of a simulated cochlear implant electrode in the guinea pig.

Objective: Preservation of residual hearing during cochlear implantation is important. This study investigated changes in endocochlear potential (EP) during simulated cochlear implant (CI) electrode insertion.

Study Design: Laboratory animal study.

[A case of locally advanced breast cancer successfully treated with Mohs paste].

We report a case of primary advanced breast cancer that was locally controlled by treatment with Mohs paste. A 57- year-old woman presented with right locally advanced breast cancer with massive exudate and oozing blood. Histopathological examination indicated an invasive ductal carcinoma.

[A case of pancreatic and duodenal fistula after total gastrectomy successfully treated with coagulation factor XIII].

Pancreatic fistula( PF) is a challenging postoperative complication. We report a case of PF following gastrectomy successfully treated using intravenous coagulation factor XIII( FXIII).A 78-year-old man with early gastric cancer underwent total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction.

Association between septal deviation and sinonasal papilloma.

Sinonasal papilloma is a common benign epithelial tumor of the sinonasal tract and accounts for 0.5% to 4% of all nasal tumors. The etiology of sinonasal papilloma remains unclear, although human papilloma virus has been proposed as a major risk factor.

Increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor attenuates contusion necrosis without influencing contusion edema after traumatic brain injury in rats.

To clarify the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the formation of contusion edema and necrosis after traumatic brain injury, we examined the time course of changes in the VEGF expression (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), cerebrovascular permeability (extravasation of Evans blue), and water content (dry-wet weight method) of the contused brain tissue in a cortical impact injury model using rats. In addition, we tested the effects of administration of bevacizumab (VEGF monoclonal antibody) on changes in the cerebrovascular permeability and water content of the contused brain tissue, as well as the neurological deficits (rota rod test) and volume of contusion necrosis. Increased VEGF expression was maximal at 72 h after injury (p<0.

On the physics of multidrug efflux through a biomolecular complex.

Insertion and release of a solute into and from a vessel comprising biopolymers is a fundamental function in a biological system. A typical example is found in a multidrug efflux transporter. "Multidrug efflux" signifies that solutes such as drug molecules with diverse properties can be handled.

Acute stress exposure preceding transient global brain ischemia exacerbates the decrease in cortical remodeling potential in the rat retrosplenial cortex.

Doublecortin (DCX)-immunoreactive (-ir) cells are candidates that play key roles in adult cortical remodeling. We have previously reported that DCX-ir cells decrease after stress exposure or global brain ischemia (GBI) in the cingulate cortex (Cg) of rats. Herein, we investigate whether the decrease in DCX-ir cells is exacerbated after GBI due to acute stress exposure preconditioning.