[Clarification of the Mechanism Involved in Orexigenic Action by Oral Zinc Ingestion].

 We investigated the role of zinc in regulation of food intake using male SD rats during early-stage of zinc deficiency (the 3rd day of the feeding) without decreased zinc concentrations in tissues (hypothalamus and liver). As a result, we found that orally but not intraperitoneal administered zinc stimulates food intake in the short-term zinc-deficient rats. The mRNA expressions of hypothalamic peptides, such as orexin (OX) and neuropeptide Y (NPY), were increased after oral administration of zinc to increase food intake.

Efficacy of carotid artery stenting.

Carotid Artery Stenting(CAS) was performed for 51 lesions in 46 patients for almost clinically symptomatic stenotic (> 70%)lesions of cervical carotid arteries. The lesions involved the contralateral occlusion cases in eight cases, the bilateral stenotic cases in six cases and the ipsilateral internal carotid artery stenotic cases in two cases. In all cases, endovascular technique was performed from a transfemoral approach under local anesthesia primarily.

Cerebral blood oxygenation after cerebrospinal fluid removal in hydrocephalus measured by near infrared spectroscopy.

Background: The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tap test has been used for the diagnosis of chronic hydrocephalus to identify the candidates for surgical CSF shunting. However, a high rate of false negative results limits it utility. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the concomitant monitoring of cerebral hemodynamics by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can improve the diagnostic accuracy of the tap test.

Memory function decline over 18 months after selective amygdalohippocampectomy.

We report on a 22 year-old woman with left temporal lobe epilepsy who had suffered complex partial seizures since childhood. At 19 years 10 months of age she underwent selective amygdalohippocampectomy, which resulted in a complete cessation of seizures. Preoperatively, the Logical Memory II section of the WMS-R revealed poor logical memory function.

Postoperative seizures: epidemiology, pathology, and prophylaxis.

The risk of epileptic seizures after craniotomy is extremely important but the incidence of postoperative epilepsy varies greatly, depending on the patient's conditions such as primary diseases, severity of surgical insult, and pre-existing epilepsy. Animal studies suggest that neurosurgical insults lead to seizures by two different mechanisms: One mechanism is mediated by free radical generation and the other by impaired ion balance across the cell membrane caused by ischemia or hypoxia. Conventional antiepileptic agents such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, carbamazepine, and valproic acid are promising for the prevention of early seizures, but the effect in preventing postoperative epilepsy is still controversial.