[Molecular screening for moyamoya disease by use of expressed sequence tag on chromosome 3p].

Moyamoya disease is a well-known cerebrovascular disorder of unknown pathogenesis affecting terminal portion of internal carotid arteries and causing ischemic attacks. Its familial occurrence suggests genetic background. We hypothesized that paternally imprinted gene might be associated with this disorder.

[No association between moyamoya disease and polymorphism of IGF2R].

Moyamoya disease is a cerebrovascular disorder of unknown etiology. Its high incidence in East Asia and accumulation in family members suggest a genetic background. A high incidence of maternal inheritance implicates genomic imprinting in this disorder.

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine is a novel messenger for Rho-kinase-mediated Ca2+ sensitization in the bovine cerebral artery: unimportant role for protein kinase C.

Although recent investigations have suggested that a Rho-kinase-mediated Ca2+ sensitization of vascular smooth muscle contraction plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cerebral and coronary vasospasm, the upstream of this signal transduction has not been elucidated. In addition, the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) may also be related to cerebral vasospasm. We recently reported that sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), a sphingolipid, induces Rho-kinase-mediated Ca2+ sensitization in pig coronary arteries.

Electrophoretic studies on the phosphorylation of stathmin and mitogen-activated protein kinases in neuronal cell death induced by oxidized very-low-density lipoprotein with apolipoprotein E.

In the central nervous system, stressful conditions can easily cause the oxidation of lipoprotein particles, followed by the oxidative modification of apolipoproteins such as apolipoprotein E (apoE) and the production of free radicals and aldehydes. We have confirmed that oxidized very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) inhibits the proliferation, viability and differentiation of neuronal PC12 cells leading to cell death. The cells internalized intact apoE, but did not internalize oxidized apoE.

Evaluation of cerebral perfusion parameters measured by perfusion CT in chronic cerebral ischemia: comparison with xenon CT.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the usefulness of perfusion CT in the evaluation of patients with chronic cerebral ischemia by comparing it with xenon CT (Xe-CT).

Method: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) of perfusion CT (CBFper) and time to peak (TTP) were compared with the CBF of Xe-CT (CBFxe) in 18 patients. Cerebral blood volume (CBV) was compared with cerebral vascular reserve (CVR) in 10 of 18 patients who underwent pre- and postacetazolamide Xe-CT.