Unusual olfactory perception during radiation sessions for primary brain tumors: a retrospective study.

During irradiation sessions for brain tumors or head and neck cancers, some patients experience abnormal olfactory sensations. To date, the frequency of such sensations during these treatment sessions has not been investigated. We analyzed abnormal olfactory sensations in patients who underwent radiation therapy at our institution for primary brain tumors, excluding malignant lymphoma, between January 2009 and January 2018.

Management of a Mass Casualty Event Caused by Electrocution Using Doctor Helicopters.

Objective: This is the first report to show the use of doctor helicopters in a mass casualty event induced by electrocution.

Methods: We performed a narrative review.

Results: Two children obtained electrocution burns by breaking an electric fence.

Superiority of a soft tissue-based setup using cone-beam computed tomography over a bony structure-based setup in intensity-modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

The purpose of this study was to test the superiority of a soft tissue-based setup using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to a bony structure-based setup using the ExacTrac system in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer. We studied 20 patients with localized prostate cancer who received IMRT between November 2010 and February 2012. After the initial setup, the pelvic bony structure-based setup and ExacTrac system were applied.

A patient with clear consciousness even with a glucose level of 5 mg/dL (0.2 mmol/L).

A 74-year-old man noted dysarthria and right hemiparesis. His history included a gastric ulcer 2 years previously, and he had gradually lost 10 kg over a 2-year period due to appetite loss. He daily consumed 120 mg of alcohol.

Pregnant Woman Bitten by a Japanese Mamushi (Gloydius blomhoffii).

We herein report the fourth case of a pregnant woman bitten by a mamushi. A 33-year-old pregnant woman in the 25th week of gestation was bitten by a mamushi. Her vital signs were stable; however, biochemical analyses of the blood showed mild deterioration of anemia and hypoproteinemia.

A case of the vacuum phenomenon as a mechanism of gas production in the abdominal wall.

A 40-year-old man experienced a collision with a car while driving a motorcycle in which the car was in the opposite lane and made a right turn. The patient was thrown approximately 10 m from the point of collision and, as he exhibited a consciousness disturbance, was transferred to our department. He had a score of 13 on the Glasgow Coma Scale with sinus tachycardia on arrival.

A patient with refractory shock induced by several factors, including obstruction because of a posterior mediastinal hematoma.

A 44-year-old man who drove a motorcycle experienced a collision with the side of another motorcycle. Because he had sustained a high-energy injury to the spinal cord, he was transferred to our hospital. His circulation was unstable, and received tracheal intubation in addition to thoracostomy for the hemothorax.

Significance of the vacuum phenomenon in patients with trauma evaluated by whole-body computed tomography.

Background: Severely traumatized patients undergo whole-body computed tomography (WCT) to detect lethal anatomical injuries. When checking the images, we have sometimes recognized minute gas (the vacuum phenomenon [VP]) near the traumatized lesions. Accordingly, we investigated the significance of the VP in patients with trauma.

Introduction of a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service in eastern Shizuoka prefecture in Japan.

Objective: To analyze the operating situation of a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service in eastern Shizuoka prefecture.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using the conveyance records reported by staff members of the physician-staffed helicopter. A comparison between 2007 (n = 619) and 2012 (n = 678) was performed.

Reevaluation of erythropoietin production by the nephron.

Erythropoietin production has been reported to occur in the peritubular interstitial fibroblasts in the kidney. Since the erythropoietin production in the nephron is controversial, we reevaluated the erythropoietin production in the kidney. We examined mRNA expressions of erythropoietin and HIF PHD2 using high-sensitive in situ hybridization system (ISH) and protein expression of HIF PHD2 using immunohistochemistry in the kidney.

Vasopressin V1a receptor is required for nucleocytoplasmic transport of mineralocorticoid receptor.

We previously reported that a deficiency in the vasopressin V1a receptor (V1aR) results in type 4 renal tubular acidosis, which suggests that vasopressin exerts direct effects on the physiological actions of aldosterone. We investigated the role of vasopressin for nucleocytoplasmic transport of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in the intercalated cells. Vasopressin V1aR-deficient (V1aR(-/-)) mice showed largely decreased expression of MR and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11βHSD2) in the medulla of the kidney, which was partially ameliorated by fludrocortisone treatment.

The generation of rat dorsal root ganglion cell lines to identify the target of KW-7158, a novel treatment for overactive bladder.

KW-7158 is a drug candidate for the treatment of overactive bladder. Although pharmacological studies have suggested that it suppresses afferent nerve conduction, its molecular target is unknown. We herein report the establishment of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cell lines useful for identification of the target of this compound.

Aldosterone requires vasopressin V1a receptors on intercalated cells to mediate acid-base homeostasis.

Both aldosterone and luminal vasopressin may contribute to the maintenance of acid-base homeostasis, but the functional relationship between these hormones is not well understood. The effects of luminal vasopressin likely result from its interaction with V1a receptors on the luminal membranes of intercalated cells in the collecting duct. Here, we found that mice lacking the V1a receptor exhibit type 4 renal tubular acidosis.

Role of peroxiredoxin III in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia as evidenced in mice.

As a member of peroxiredoxin (Prx) family, PrxIII has been demonstrated to play an important role in scavenging intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since PrxIII knockout mice exhibited oxidative stress in placentas resembling pathophysiologic changes in placentas of human pre-eclampsia, we measured blood pressure through the carotid artery and detected oxidative status by Western blotting in pregnant mice. We did not notice hypertension in pregnant PrxIII knockout mice as compared with wild-type littermates, although endothelin-1 was over-expressed in PrxIII-deficient placentas.

Establishment of a new conditionally immortalized human brain microvascular endothelial cell line retaining an in vivo blood-brain barrier function.

The breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been considered to be a key step in the disease process of a number of neurological disorders such as cerebral ischemia and Alzheimer's disease. Many in vitro BBB models derived from animal tissues have been established to elucidate the mechanism of BBB insufficiency. However, only a few human immortalized in vitro BBB models have been reported.

Establishment of a peritoneal mesothelial cell line from a transgenic rat harbouring the temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene.

Background: Establishing a peritoneal mesothelial cell (MC) line in which the native characteristics of primary MCs are constantly maintained in vivo is of great significance for investigating their morphological and functional changes in peritoneal dialysis. We established transgenic (Tg) rats that expressed the temperature-sensitive tsA58 mutant of the simian virus 40 large T-antigen (tsSV40T), which served as a source of immortalized rat cell lines. The cells were immortalized at a permissive temperature of 33 degrees C, although they were differentiated at a non-permissive temperature of 38 degrees C.

Peroxiredoxin III-deficiency sensitizes macrophages to oxidative stress.

As a mitochondrial scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS), peroxiredoxin III (PrxIII) plays an important role in regulating intracellular ROS level. We previously found that PrxIII knockout (PrxIII(-/-)) mice were more sensitive than wild-type (PrxIII(+/+)) controls to intratracheal inoculation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but the precise mechanism remained to be obscure. In the present study, we detected the levels of ROS and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in mouse bone-marrow-derived macrophages.