Density of fresh wall of acute aortic dissection with synchrotron-based x-ray phase tomography.

Objectives: The mechanisms behind the onset of acute aortic dissection have not been fully elucidated. We developed dynamic synchrotron-based X-ray phase-contrast tomography to quantitatively study the dynamics of biological samples and applied it to the fresh aortic wall in acute type-A aortic dissection (ATAAD).

Methods: Fresh, ring-shaped aortas undergoing aortic repair in ATAAD were measured in a container filled with normal cold saline within 24 h of surgery.

Giant Patent Ductus Arteriosus Aneurysm Compressing the Esophagus.

It is extremely rare to observe aneurysmal changes in patients with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), especially in adults. If left untreated, a PDA aneurysm can increase the risk of life-threatening complications, including rupture, dissection, esophageal fistula, and infection. Following is a description of successful surgical repair in a 55-year-old man with PDA aneurysm compressing the esophagus.

Mechanism of sac expansion without evident endoleak analyzed with X ray phase-contrast tomography.

Objective: Synchrotron radiation-based X ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT) was used in this study to evaluate abdominal aorta specimens from patients with sac expansion without evidence of an endoleak (endotension) following endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The aim of this study was to analyze the morphologic structure of the aortic wall in patients with this condition and to establish the cause of the endotension.

Methods: Human aortic specimens of the abdominal aorta were obtained during open repair, fixed with formalin, and analyzed among three groups.

Accumulation of Plasma-Derived Lipids in the Lipid Core and Necrotic Core of Human Atheroma: Imaging Mass Spectrometry and Histopathological Analyses.

Objective: To clarify the pathogenesis of human atheroma, the origin of deposited lipids, the developmental mechanism of liponecrotic tissue, and the significance of the oxidation of phospholipids were investigated using mass spectrometry-aided imaging and immunohistochemistry.

Unlabelled: Atherosclerotic lesions in human coronary arteries were divided into 3 groups: pathologic intimal thickening with lipid pool, atheroma with lipid core, and atheroma with necrotic core. The lipid pool and lipid core were characterized by the deposition of extracellular lipids.

Development of Unidirectional Cellular Structure with Multiple Pipe Layers and Characterisation of Its Mechanical Properties.

This study is concerned with the development of a new unidirectional cellular (UniPore) copper structure with multiple concentric pipe layers. The investigated UniPore structures were grouped into three main types, each having a different number of pipes (3, 4, and 5 pipes per transversal cross-section) and different pore arrangements. The specimens were fabricated by explosive compaction to achieve tightly compacted structures with a quasi-constant cross-section along the length of the specimens.

Synchrotron Radiation-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging of the aortic walls in acute aortic dissection.

Objective: Synchrotron radiation-based X-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT) imaging is an innovative modality for the quantitative analysis of three-dimensional morphology. XPCT has been used in this study to evaluate ascending aorta specimens from patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) and to analyze the morphologic structure of the aortic wall in patients with this condition.

Methods: Aortic specimens from 12 patients were obtained during repairs for ATAAD and were fixed with formalin.

Attenuation of Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension in BubR1 Low-Expression Mice Via Repression of Angiotensin II Receptor 1 Overexpression.

Background Angiotensin II (Ang II) can cause hypertension and tissue impairment via AGTR1 (Ang II receptor type 1), particularly in renal proximal tubule cells, and can cause DNA damage in renal cells via nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase. BubR1 (budding uninhibited by benzimidazole-related 1) is a multifaceted kinase that functions as a mitotic checkpoint. BubR1 expression can be induced by Ang II in smooth muscle cells in vitro, but the relationship between systemic BubR1 expression and the Ang II response is unclear.

Reduced Estimated GFR and Cardiac Remodeling: A Population-Based Autopsy Study.

Rationale & Objective: Evidence suggests that cardiac remodeling, including left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis, develops with progression of kidney disease. Few studies have examined cardiac pathology across a range of estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs), which was the objective of this investigation.

Study Design: Population-based cross-sectional study of deceased patients undergoing autopsy.

A Comparison of Methods to Count Breathing Frequency.

Background: Counting breaths for a full minute for all patients to determine breathing frequency could result in excessive work load for many medical staff. The aim of this study was to verify the agreement of 2 quick screening methods with counting breaths for a full minute.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to compare the breathing frequency estimates from a 15-s period multiplied by 4 (15-s quadruple) and a value which is 60 divided by the time measured for a single breath (ie, breathing time measurement) against counting breaths for a full minute.

Bone density of the femoral neck in patients on maintenance dialysis.

Background: Our institution recently started using the femoral neck (FN), as well as the non-shunted distal radius (Rd), to measure bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with chronic kidney disease. We examined the utility and characteristics of this measurement in patients on maintenance dialysis.

Methods: We selected 293 patients on chronic dialysis.

[A Case of HER2 Positive Occult Breast Cancer Presenting as Swollen Axillary Lymph Nodes].

Occult breast cancer, which develops as a metastatic lesion with no primary tumor detected in the breast, is a rare breast cancer. A 68-year-old female patient particularly complained of the presence of a right axillary mass. The mass in the right axilla was palpable, but no tumor was found in both the breasts on palpation, ultrasound examination, or MRI.

Pathologic intimal thickening in human atherosclerosis is formed by extracellular accumulation of plasma-derived lipids and dispersion of intimal smooth muscle cells.

Background And Aims: Pathologic intimal thickening (PIT) is an important stage of atherosclerosis that leads to atheroma. The present study aimed to clarify the pathogenesis of PIT in humans.

Methods: Coronary arteries were obtained from 43 autopsy subjects aged 15-49 years.

[A Case of Noninvasive Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast in a Male].

Breast cancer in male is rare, accounting for 1%of all breast cancers.Among male breast cancers, noninvasive carcinoma is extremely rare.We experienced a case of noninvasive carcinoma of the breast in a male.

Invasive myoepithelial carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the major salivary gland: two case reports.

Background: Myoepithelial carcinoma (MEC) is a rare salivary gland tumor. Its long-term prognosis remains unknown because of the paucity of reported cases with long-term follow-up. Although some case series exist, the clinical features of MEC vary considerably depending on the site of origin.

BubR1 Insufficiency Results in Decreased Macrophage Proliferation and Attenuated Atherogenesis in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice.

Background: Budding uninhibited by benzimidazole-related 1 (BubR1), a cell cycle-related protein, is an essential component of the spindle checkpoint that regulates cell division. BubR1 insufficiency causes early aging-associated vascular phenotypes. We generated low-BubR1-expressing mutant (BubR1) and apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE) mice (BubR1-ApoE mice) to investigate the effects of BubR1 on atherosclerosis.

Impact of synchrotron radiation-based X-ray phase-contrast tomography on understanding various cardiovascular surgical pathologies.

At SPring-8, synchrotron radiation-based X-ray phase-contrast tomography (PCXI) has been developed to measure the inner structures of biological soft tissue without destroying them. To resolve the three-dimensional (3D) morphology, we have applied PCXI to various cardiovascular tissue samples, including the thoracic aorta, ductus arteriosus, and cardiac conduction system. In the aortic walls, PCXI demonstrated differences in 3D structures of tunica media of aortic dissection.

Morphometric study of the human mitral annulus: guide for mitral valve surgery.

Background: during mitral valve surgery, it is important for surgeons to understand the anatomy of the mitral valve annulus to prevent surgical complications. This study aimed to perform morphometry of the mitral annulus to facilitate secure suturing during ring annuloplasty or replacement of the mitral valve.

Methods: an anatomical study was carried out on 7 human hearts.

A case of thyroid storm with cardiac arrest.

A 23-year-old man became unconscious while jogging. He immediately received basic life support from a bystander and was transported to our hospital. On arrival, his spontaneous circulation had returned from a state of ventricular fibrillation and pulseless electrical activity.

Analgesia for pain during subcutaneous injection: effectiveness of manual pressure application before injection.

Background: It is necessary to establish an effective subcutaneous injection procedure for adult and elderly individuals because many drugs such as hormones and interferon are generally delivered by subcutaneous injection. We tested whether pain during subcutaneous injection can be decreased by prior application of localized manual pressure at the injection site.

Methods: In this semirandomized, open-label study evaluating the manual pressure method for transient analgesia, physicians applied pressure with their thumbs for 10 seconds to create a nonpainful skin depression at the injection site immediately before subcutaneous injection of the influenza vaccine to patients.

Peroxiredoxins, thioredoxin, and Y-box-binding protein-1 are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of dialysis-associated renal cell carcinoma.

Patients with end-stage renal disease are exposed to increased oxidative stress and impairment of antioxidant mechanisms. We focused on dialysis renal cell carcinoma (RCC), including epithelial hyperplasia in acquired cystic disease of the kidney (ACDK). We attempted to obtain insight into the carcinogenesis and tumor progression in terms of cellular defense mechanisms associated with oxidative stress by investigating the expression of antioxidant proteins by immunohistochemistry.

Chronic kidney disease is associated with neovascularization and intraplaque hemorrhage in coronary atherosclerosis in elders: results from the Hisayama Study.

There is little information regarding whether patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a high incidence of vulnerable plaques in their coronary arteries. To gain additional evidence on this, we conducted a population-based study by randomly selecting 126 subjects from 844 consecutive autopsies of elderly residents of Hisayama, Japan. We then determined the relationships of CKD with neovascularization and intraplaque hemorrhage in coronary atherosclerosis with the subjects classified into four categories based on their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Heterochronic spontaneous rupture of bilateral renal cell carcinomas in a hemodialysis patient.

A 64-year-old man undergoing chronic hemodialysis was admitted under a shock state with macrohematuria and fatigue lasting for two hours. A blood analysis revealed severe anemia. Computed tomography disclosed a large right-sided perirenal hematoma.

Diabetes influences peritoneal morphology in uremic patients at the initiation of peritoneal dialysis.

Background: The peritoneum begins to undergo morphologic changes before the start of peritoneal dialysis (PD), particularly in diabetic patients. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of diabetes on the peritoneum.

Methods: This study involved 17 patients who began receiving PD and had diabetes as an underlying disease (DM group), and 30 patients without diabetes who served as a control group (nonDM group).

Surgical strategy for intracranial endodermal cyst--case report.

Two cases of endodermal cyst of the posterior fossa are reported. A 12-year-old girl presented with severe headache and vomiting caused by increased intracranial pressure. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed a cystic mass occupying the ambient and quadrigeminal cisterns.

Hypoxia activates the hedgehog signaling pathway in a ligand-independent manner by upregulation of Smo transcription in pancreatic cancer.

The hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is activated in various types of cancer including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. It has been shown that extremely low oxygen tension (below 1% O2) is found in tumor tissue including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells (PDAC) and increases the invasiveness of PDAC. To investigate the contribution of the Hh pathway to hypoxia-induced invasiveness, we examined how hypoxia affects Hh pathway activation and the invasiveness of PDAC.