Pharmacokinetics of Edaravone Oral Suspension in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Purpose: Edaravone is a neuroprotective agent approved as an intravenous treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The intravenous administration of edaravone places a burden on patients and there is a clinical need for oral agents for the treatment of ALS. This report aimed to assess the pharmacokinetics and safety of an edaravone oral suspension in patients with ALS after oral and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube administration.

[Malignant Lymphoma of the Brain, and Dementia].

A differential diagnosis of acute and subacute progressive dementias includes malignant lymphoma of the brain. We reviewed primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL), lymphomatosis cerebri, and the relapse and invasion of systemic lymphomas. PCNSL is confined to the central nervous system; the infiltration and compression by the lymphoma result in adverse neurological symptoms.

α-Hydroxy and α-Oxo Selenoamides: Synthesis via Nucleophilic Selenocarbamoylation of Carbonyl Compounds and Characterization.

Carbonyl compounds were added to selenocarbamoyllithiums to generate α-hydroxy and α-oxo selenoamides. Their conformations were determined by X-ray analyses. These compounds adopted conformations that were almost identical to those of ordinary amides.

Airspace enlargement with fibrosis shows characteristic histology and immunohistology different from usual interstitial pneumonia, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia and centrilobular emphysema.

The histologic characteristics of air space enlargement with fibrosis (AEF) are compared with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and centrilobular emphysema (CLE) to determine similarities and differences. Lung specimens from 39 patients were studied; 9 with AEF, 13 with UIP and 5 with CLE identified in lobectomy specimens for cancer and 12 NSIP cases identified on surgical lung biopsies. We determined the characteristics of cystic structures (i.

Relationship between slowing of the EEG and cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease.

A previous study using the quantitative EEG technique confirmed that diffuse slowing of the EEG is present in Parkinson disease. The present study was the first to assess the relationship between cognitive impairment and quantitative EEG in Parkinson disease. A total of 100 patients with Parkinson disease with a mean Hoehn-Yahr stage of 2.

[Neurological disturbances caused by intravascular lymphomatosis].

Intravascular malignant lymphomatosis (IML) is a relatively rare type of malignant lymphoma that is mostly caused by B-cell type neoplastic lymphocytes and rarely by T-cell and NL-cell type cells. B-cell type IML is currently considered to consist of 2 types: a conventional European type and an Asian variant that was originally reported from Japan. In IML, the tumor cells primarily grow within the blood vessel lumina but may cause minimal extravascular infiltration around the involved vessels in some patients.

Ubiquitin-positive pneumocytes and inclusion bodies are present in secondary organizing pneumonia.

Objective: We previously reported that various types of interstitial pneumonia (IP) patterns contain intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusions or Mallory bodies (inclusions) that are ubiquitin positive (Ub+). In the present study, we examined tissues with the organizing pneumonia pattern (OP) to determine if they contain inclusions and Ub+ pneumocytes using lobectomized specimens.

Methods: Tissues from 34 patients with secondary OP, which appeared in 33 carcinomas and 1 pulmonary abscess, were histologically evaluated for the type of intraluminal granulation tissue and the presence of erosions and inclusions.

The haplotype of the CACNA1B gene associated with cerebral infarction in a Japanese population.

Cerebral infarction (CI) is thought to be a multifactorial disease that is affected by several environmental factors and genetic variants. N-type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), which are expressed primarily in the neurons, have various roles in neuronal functions and are especially involved with neurotransmitter release at the sympathetic nerve terminals. We considered the α1B subunit of the N-type voltage-gated calcium channel (CACNA1B) to be representative of the general characteristics of this channel type.

Dural arteriovenous fistula on the convexity presenting with pure acute subdural hematoma.

Non-traumatic dural arteriovenous fistula/malformation (dural AVF/AVM) presenting with pure subdural hematoma (SDH) is relatively rare. We report on a male patient who showed pure acute SDH and was diagnosed as having dural AVF on the convexity near the superior sagittal sinus (SSS), based on angiographic findings. A 27-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to headache with acute onset.

Atrophy of the parahippocampal gyrus and regional cerebral blood flow in the limbic system in chronic alcoholic patients.

This study investigated regional cerebral flood flow (CBF) in chronic alcoholic patients, focusing primarily on the limbic system, including the hippocampus and the callosomarginal region, because of their susceptibility to damage in such patients. The degree of hippocampal atrophy in such patients was also examined. Regional CBF and the degree of parahippocampal gyrus atrophy were studied in 22 chronic alcoholic male patients with no neurological or psychological symptom (mean age, 59.

Effect of motor imagery and voluntary muscle contraction on the F wave.

We tested the validity of instructing patients to minimally contract the muscle to facilitate F-wave recording in clinical practice. In 12 healthy subjects, F waves were recorded from the first dorsal interosseous muscle at rest, during motor imagery, and at up to 30% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). F-wave persistence increased significantly from 32.

Quantitative EEG analysis of executive dysfunction in Parkinson disease.

Quantitative EEG evaluation in Parkinson disease (PD) reveals diffuse slowing. This is the first quantitative EEG evaluation of the differences between PD with and without executive dysfunction (ExD). The subjects were 32 PD patients without remarkable dementia.

Clinical study of the responsible lesion for dysarthria in the cerebellum.

There have been few reports describing the lesion for cerebellar dysarthria. We compared MRI findings of 4 reported patients (including our previously reported patient) to that of our patient who showed ataxic speech and ataxic gait. The lesions of 4 patients involved lobulus quadrangularis and lobulus simplex, and the lesion of the present patient involved lobulus semilunaris superior and lobulus simplex.

Current perception threshold in subacute myelo-optico-neuropathy.

We report the first current perception threshold (CPT) examination of sensory disturbance in subacute myelo-optico-neuropathy (SMON). SMON patients experience serious neurological symptoms, including dysesthesia, sensory loss, motor weakness, and visual impairment. During CPT examination, 5 Hz, 250 Hz, and 2,000 Hz stimulations were used to stimulate C fibers, A-delta fibers, and A-beta fibers, respectively.

The relationship between slowing EEGs and the progression of Parkinson's disease.

The previous association study confirmed that diffuse slowing of EEGs was present in Parkinson's disease (PD), demonstrated with the use of the quantitative EEG technique. This study was the first to assess the relationship between progression of PD and quantitative EEG. A total of 106 patients with PD with a mean Hoehn-Yahr stage of 2.

Ubiquitin-positive foam cells are identified in the aortic and mitral valves with atherosclerotic involvement.

Aim: Our aim was to determine the roles of the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome system (UPS) in valvular diseases by immunohistochemically identifying Ub-positive cells in aortic and mitral valves and determining if Ub+cells were associated with the severity of valvular diseases.

Methods: We evaluated surgically removed aortic and mitral valves from 60 patients (mean age, 64.5 years) for thickening, fibrosis, foam cell infiltration, thrombus, and atheromatous plaques by using grading scores.

Selective deposition of 4-repeat tau in cerebral infarcts.

The tau deposits found in neurodegenerative diseases are classified based on their isoforms, that is, 3-repeat (3R) tau and 4-repeat (4R) tau. These isoforms are distinguishable using the antibodies RD3 and RD4, respectively, and Gallyas (Gal) and Campbell-Switzer (CS) silver staining methods, respectively. Tau is also deposited in cerebral infarcts.

Relationship between haplotypes of KCNN4 gene and susceptibility to human vascular diseases in Japanese.

Background: Human vascular diseases such as myocardial infarction (MI) and cerebral infarction (CI) are thought to be affected by several environmental factors and genetic variants. It has been suggested that the expression of the KCNN4 calcium-activated potassium channel is associated with the developing vascular smooth-muscle cells of human neointimal hyperplasia. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human KCNN4 gene or haplotypes and the incidence of MI or CI in Japanese.

Phase II study of ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide in patients with a first recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme.

Object: The prognosis of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains unsatisfactory. The authors conducted a Phase II study of ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (ICE) for a first recurrence of GBM to determine whether it prolonged a patient's good-quality life.

Methods: This trial was an open-label, single-center Phase II study.

Pathological study of pseudohypertrophy of the inferior olivary nucleus.

There have been only a few reports about the immunohistochemical study of pseudohypertrophy of the inferior olivary nucleus (PH-IO). We therefore performed the detailed immunohistochemical study of 10 PH-IOs in 8 patients to clarify the mechanism of neuronal degeneration and its related phenomenon of PH-IO. We used various antibodies to alphaB-crystallin (alphaBC), synaptophysin (SYP), microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu (KDEL) receptors, heat shock protein (HSP) 27 as well as SMI-31.

[Immunohistochemical study of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia and ubiquitin-positive pneumocytes in elderly patients].

Aim: The Ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome system maintains cellular homeostasis through proteolysis, and Ub appears in the damaged cells of many organs. Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)in elderly patients was studied to clarify the relationship between Ub-positive cells, cellular damage, and resistance to therapy.

Methods: Specimens of surgical lung biopsy with the NSIP pattern (NSIP/P) from 13 patients (mean age, 68 years old) were examined histologically and immunohistochemically.

Nationwide survey of acute juvenile female non-herpetic encephalitis in Japan: relationship to anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis.

Objective: To study the incidence and clinical features of acute juvenile female non-herpetic encephalitis (AJFNHE) in Japan.

Methods: A nationwide questionnaire on patients with severe non-herpetic encephalitis of unknown etiology with a prolonged clinical course or death was sent to the departments of Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, and Emergency and Critical Care at all hospitals with 200 beds or more in Japan.

Results: The recovery rate was 25% (1,279 out of 5,030 departments) and 90 patients were enrolled in this study.