Pure hemi-chorea resulting from an acute phase of contralateral thalamic lacunar infarction: a case report.

Background: Thalamic lesions give rise to a variety of clinical syndromes such as pure sensory stroke, ataxic hemiparesis, and rarely involuntary movements including chorea. Generally and classically, lacunar infarction in the subthalamic nucleus has been regarded as the lesion mainly responsible for hemi-chorea and hemi-ballismus, on the basis of previous anatomical studies.

Case Presentation: This report describes the case of an 81-year-old man who developed sudden-onset pure hemi-chorea in the right limbs resulting from an acute phase of left thalamic lacunar infarction detected on a diffusion-weighted image (DWI) in an MRI study.

Novel wide-range quantitative nested real-time PCR assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA: development and methodology.

Previously, we designed an internally controlled quantitative nested real-time (QNRT) PCR assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in order to rapidly diagnose tuberculous meningitis. This technique combined the high sensitivity of nested PCR with the accurate quantification of real-time PCR. In this study, we attempted to improve the original QNRT-PCR assay and newly developed the wide-range QNRT-PCR (WR-QNRT-PCR) assay, which is more accurate and has a wider detection range.

Novel wide-range quantitative nested real-time PCR assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA: clinical application for diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis.

Although the "gold standard" for diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is bacterial isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, there are still several complex issues. Recently, we developed an internally controlled novel wide-range quantitative nested real-time PCR (WR-QNRT-PCR) assay for M. tuberculosis DNA in order to rapidly diagnose TBM.

TGF-beta1 and CTGF mRNAs are correlated with urinary protein level in IgA nephropathy.

The degree of tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a poor prognostic indicator in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Recently, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) was observed to be strongly up-regulated in human proliferative and fibrogenic diseases. Renal biopsy specimens were obtained from the 20 patients with IgAN.

Quantitative nested real-time PCR assay for assessing the clinical course of tuberculous meningitis.

Although the "gold standard" for diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is bacterial isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. Tb), there are still several complex issues. Recently, in the diagnosis of TBM, the detection of M.