Chloroplast translation factor EF-Tu of Arabidopsis thaliana can be inactivated via oxidation of a specific cysteine residue.

Translational elongation factor EF-Tu, which delivers aminoacyl-tRNA to the ribosome, is susceptible to inactivation by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. However, the sensitivity to ROS of chloroplast-localized EF-Tu (cpEF-Tu) of plants remains to be elucidated.

Optimal timing and safety of the external ventricular drainage in patients with high-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with endovascular coiling.

The presented retrospective analysis has evaluated the optimal timing and safety of external ventricular drainage (EVD) for acute hydrocephalus after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The study cohort comprised 102 patients, 49 of whom underwent EVD at 3-120 h (mean, 16 h) after the clinical onset of aSAH, either before (N = 27) or after (N = 22) ruptured aneurysm coiling. Among those treated with EVD, favorable and fair outcomes at discharge (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] scores 0-3) were noted in 14 (29%) and unfavorable (mRS scores 4-6) in 35 (71%).

A case of idiopathic extracranial carotid artery pseudoaneurysm with a rare clinical course and pathological features.

Extracranial carotid artery aneurysms (ECAAs) are rare, with the etiology mainly classified as degeneration or dissection. Pseudoaneurysms in the region are even rarer and are seen following trauma, iatrogenic injury, or infection. We report a case of extracranial carotid artery pseudoaneurysm (pseudo-ECAA) with a rare clinical course and pathological features.

[A Case of Segmental Arterial Mediolysis:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Followed by Abdominal Bleeding].

We describe a case involving subarachnoid and intraperitoneal hemorrhage due to segmental arterial mediolysis(SAM). A 77-year-old female patient with sudden subarachnoid hemorrhage was immediately transferred to our institution. The hemorrhage was classified as grade 2 according to the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies system.

Novel and recurrent variants in Japanese pediatric patients with moyamoya disease.

Moyamoya disease is a progressive steno-occlusive condition of the main intracranial arteries that results in the compensatory formation of fragile moyamoya vessels at the base of the brain. is the most significant susceptibility gene and is often found with the p.Arg4810Lys founder variant in East Asian patients.

Exome Sequencing Identified CCER2 as a Novel Candidate Gene for Moyamoya Disease.

The etiology of Moyamoya disease (MMD) is still largely unclear, despite identification of RNF213 as the most significant susceptibility gene in East Asian patients. Following up our previous study confirming genetic heterogeneity in Japanese patients with MMD, we extensively surveyed novel candidate genes for a new perspective on the etiology of this disease. Two characteristic pedigrees without susceptibility variants in RNF213 were selected for whole-exome sequencing; 1 harbored 3 affected members, and the other included discordant monozygotic twins.

Association of Rare Nonsynonymous Variants in PKD1 and PKD2 with Familial Intracranial Aneurysms in a Japanese Population.

Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) caused by deleterious mutations in PKD1 (16p13.3) and PKD2 (4q21) often coexists with intracranial aneurysms (IAs). In this study, we investigated whether IAs without obvious renal diseases were also associated with these ADPKD genes.

Perioperative and Long-term Outcomes of Carotid Endarterectomy for Japanese Asymptomatic Cervical Carotid Artery Stenosis: A Single Institution Study.

As the recently developed medical treatments for asymptomatic cervical carotid artery stenosis (ACCAS) have shown excellent stroke prevention, carotid endarterectomy (CEA) should be carried out for more selected patients and with lower complication rates and better long-term outcomes. We have performed CEA for Japanese ACCAS patients with a uniform surgical technique and strict perioperative management. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the perioperative complications and long-term outcomes of our CEA series.

In vivo semi-automatic segmentation of multicontrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance for prospective cohort studies on plaque tissue composition: initial experience.

Automatic in vivo segmentation of multicontrast (multisequence) carotid magnetic resonance for plaque composition has been proposed as a substitute for manual review to save time and reduce inter-reader variability in large-scale or multicenter studies. Using serial images from a prospective longitudinal study, we sought to compare a semi-automatic approach versus expert human reading in analyzing carotid atherosclerosis progression. Baseline and 6-month follow-up multicontrast carotid images from 59 asymptomatic subjects with 16-79 % carotid stenosis were reviewed by both trained radiologists with 2-4 years of specialized experience in carotid plaque characterization with MRI and a previously reported automatic atherosclerotic plaque segmentation algorithm, referred to as morphology-enhanced probabilistic plaque segmentation (MEPPS).

Systematic Validation of RNF213 Coding Variants in Japanese Patients With Moyamoya Disease.

Background: A founder variant of RNF213, p.R4810K (c.14429G>A, rs112735431), was recently identified as a major genetic risk factor for moyamoya disease (MMD) in Japan.

Omnidirectional retractor-supporting ring as a new device for carotid endarterectomy.

In carotid endarterectomy (CEA), the traditional retractors are often difficult to use because they tend to obstruct surgical manipulations, especially in the deep operative field on the rostral side. The authors have invented a new omnidirectional retractor-supporting ring (OD ring) to solve the problems of traditional retractors. The OD ring has an ellipsoid-shaped frame (major axis: 275 mm, minor axis: 192 mm) with 22 equally spaced outward protrusions.

Gene expression profiling reveals distinct molecular signatures associated with the rupture of intracranial aneurysm.

Background And Purpose: The rupture of intracranial aneurysm (IA) causes subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with high morbidity and mortality. We compared gene expression profiles in aneurysmal domes between unruptured IAs and ruptured IAs (RIAs) to elucidate biological mechanisms predisposing to the rupture of IA.

Methods: We determined gene expression levels of 8 RIAs, 5 unruptured IAs, and 10 superficial temporal arteries with the Agilent microarrays.

Hemodynamics and changes after STA-MCA anastomosis in moyamoya disease and atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease measured by micro-Doppler ultrasonography.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) and atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease (ACVD) differ in angiographic appearance and probably hemodynamics. Pediatric MMD (PMMD) usually presents with cerebral ischemia, while intracranial hemorrhage is more common in adult MMD (AMMD), suggesting differences in cerebral hemodynamics. We analyzed the cortical flow velocity and direction of recipient arteries using micro-Doppler ultrasonography to evaluate the cortical circulation before and after anastomosis in MMD and ACVD.

Analysis of TGFB1 in European and Japanese Moyamoya disease patients.

Background: Despite large efforts in researching the genesis of Moyamoya disease (MMD), the etiology of this rare disease remains widely unknown. In a previous publication we described two genetic variants in the first exon of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1) which were associated and showed a tendency toward significance, respectively. In this study we performed a follow-up analysis of TGFB1 by sequencing the complete exon 1 in European and by genotyping previously described positively associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Japanese patients with MMD.

Technical options for the surgical management of extracranial carotid artery aneurysms. Three case reports.

Three cases of extracranial carotid artery (ECA) aneurysm were treated with various surgical options. Two female patients (74 and 37-year-old women) presented with pulsatile masses in their necks, which were confirmed as ECA aneurysms. Another 65-year-old woman presented with a calcified mass in her neck caused by an ECA aneurysm.

[Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: a case report].

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a relapsing inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, usually affecting the optic nerves and the spinal cord. It is presumed to be an antibody-mediated disorder and the target antigen is the water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) on astrocyte cell membranes. NMO is a disease caused by astrocyte disorder and is distinct from multiple sclerosis (MS), which is a primarily demyelinating disease caused by oligodendrocyte disorder.

[Two cases of iatrogenic vertebral arteriovenous fistulas successfully treated by surgery].

Cervical vertebral arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are very rare. The most frequent cause is trauma including iatrogenesis which result from vertebral artery penetration during central venous catheterization. Some endovascular techniques have been reported for this type of lesion.

Postcarotid endarterectomy cerebral hyperperfusion can be prevented by minimizing intraoperative cerebral ischemia and strict postoperative blood pressure control under continuous sedation.

Objective: Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome is a major complication after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). We investigated whether our strategy of minimizing intraoperative cerebral ischemia and strict postoperative blood pressure control under continuous sedation prevented postoperative hyperperfusion.

Methods: Eighty consecutive patients undergoing CEA were studied.

[Genetic dissection of intracranial aneurysm].

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to rupture of an intracranial aneurysm (IA) is a devastating condition with high mortality and morbidity. Genetic as well as environment factors play important roles in the pathogenesis of SAH and IAs. We review the present knowledge on the genetic factors responsible for SAH or IAs.

A haplotype spanning two genes, ELN and LIMK1, decreases their transcripts and confers susceptibility to intracranial aneurysms.

The rupture of an intracranial aneurysm (IA) results in subarachnoid hemorrhage, a catastrophic neurological condition with high morbidity and mortality. Following-up on our previous genome-wide linkage study in Japanese population, we extensively analyzed a 4.6 Mb linkage region around D7S2472 on 7q11 by genotyping 168 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Is there any evidence for linkage on chromosome 17cen in affected Japanese sib-pairs with an intracranial aneurysm?

A linkage region on chromosome 17cen has previously been found in 29 Japanese families with a history of familial intracranial aneurysms (IA). To investigate whether there is evidence of linkage in affected Japanese sib-pairs we performed nonparametric and parametric linkage analysis of a total of 253 familial aneurysm cases including 111 affected sib-pairs (ASP). Ten microsatellite markers covering a 17.

Influence of endothelial nitric oxide synthase T-786C single nucleotide polymorphism on aneurysm size.

Object: Among patients with aneurysms, those with heterozygous (T/C) endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) T-786C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), a mutation reducing endothelial nitric oxide synthesis, are reported to have larger ruptured intracranial aneurysms (IAs) than those with homozygous (C/C or T/T) genotype. The authors tested patients harboring aneurysms for eNOS T-786C SNP in two populations--Japanese and Korean.

Methods: The eNOS T-786C SNP was genotyped through direct sequencing in genomic DNA obtained from 336 Japanese and 191 Korean patients with lAs and 214 Japanese and 191 Korean control volunteers.

Absence of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency alleles (S and Z) in Japanese and Korean patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: A possible association has been proposed for the formation of intracranial aneurysm (IA) and deficiency alleles (S and Z) of the alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) gene. We extensively screened this gene in Japanese and Korean patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Methods: Seven allelic variants, including S and Z alleles, were genotyped by direct sequencing of genomic DNA obtained from 195 and 189 ruptured IA patients and 195 and 94 controls in Japanese and Koreans, respectively.

Collagen type I alpha2 (COL1A2) is the susceptible gene for intracranial aneurysms.

Background And Purpose: The collagen alpha2(I) gene (COL1A2) on chromosome 7q22.1, a positional and functional candidate for intracranial aneurysm (IA), was extensively screened for susceptibility in Japanese IA patients.

Methods: Twenty-one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of COL1A2 were genotyped in genomic DNA from 260 IA patients (including 115 familial cases) (mean age, 59.