[Ruptured Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm Coiling in a Patient with Ipsilateral Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion via the Posterior Communicating Artery].

: aneurysms after internal carotid artery(ICA)occlusion occur in the contralateral ICA or anterior communicating artery. Hemodynamic changes with increased blood flow to the contralateral carotid circulation were considered the main factor for the formation of these aneurysms. We report a rare case of ruptured ICA aneurysm associated with ipsilateral ICA occlusion treated with coil embolization via the vertebrobasilar and posterior communicating arteries.

Long-term follow up of peginterferon-α-2a treatment of hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) positive and HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B patients in phase II and III studies.

Aim: We analyzed the 5-year post-treatment response to peginterferon α-2a (PEG IFN-α-2a) in hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) positive and negative chronic hepatitis B patients.

Methods: One hundred and thirty-seven chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving 90 μg or 180 μg of PEG IFN-α-2a for 24 or 48 weeks in phase II or III studies were enrolled in the study, including 100 HBeAg positive patients and 37 HBeAg negative patients; 121 patients (88.4%) had genotype C.

Incidental detection of clinically unexpected breast lesions by computed tomography.

Background: Increased use of computed tomography (CT) has resulted in greater detection of incidental breast lesions unrelated to the primary diagnostic inquiry.

Purpose: To investigate the morphology and clinical significance of breast abnormalities detected incidentally by conventional CT.

Material And Methods: A total of 2945 female patients underwent CT examinations of the body, including the chest, from May 2006 to April 2010.

Comparison of Naftopidil 75 mg with Tamsulosin Hydrochloride 0.2 mg in the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of two α1 -adrenoceptor antagonists, α1D -adrenoceptor-selective naftopidil (Naf) 75 mg and α1A -adrenoceptor-selective tamsulosin hydrochloride (Tam) 0.2 mg, for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods: Seventy-seven patients with LUTS secondary to BPH were enrolled.

Neurovascular decompression of the rostral ventrolateral medulla decreases blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity in patients with refractory hypertension.

Recently, the authors experienced four patients who had refractory hypertension and neurovascular compression of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). One of them, a 49-year-old woman, had undergone continuous intravenous drip injections of calcium channel blockers and β-blockers for more than 3 years because of severe and refractory hypertension. The patients had undergone microvascular decompression (MVD) of the RVLM, and the changes in blood pressure (BP) and sympathetic nerve activities were recorded.

How long should double J stent be kept in after ureteroscopic lithotripsy?

Ureteroscopic lithotripsy (UL), for renal or ureteral stones, is a standard technique for every urologist. However, the length of time the double J (DJ) stent needs to be kept in postoperatively is still controversial. This study investigated how the duration of DJ stenting after UL affects postoperative adverse events, especially infection and pain.

Chronological change of antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli causing urinary tract infections.

Overuse of antibiotics can cause the emergence of resistant bacterial strains. This study retrospectively investigated recent trends in Escherichia coli causing urinary tract infections (UTIs), focusing on antibiotic use and antibiotic susceptibilities. Patients diagnosed with UTIs caused by E.

Efficacy of combining flexible and rigid ureteroscopy for transurethral lithotripsy.

Transurethral lithotripsy (TUL) is a common procedure in urology. However, controversy persists about how to deal with stones pushed up into kidney from the ureter during the procedure of TUL. This study investigated the efficacy of combining flexible ureteroscopy and rigid ureteroscopy for pushed-up stones into kidney during TUL.

Limited hydration may reduce intraoperative blood loss in retropubic radical prostatectomy.

Retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP) may involve major intraoperative blood loss. This study focuses on how limited intraoperative hydration, especially in the early part of the surgery, affects the total blood loss. Fifteen prostate cancer patients were enrolled in this study in which the RRPs were performed by a single surgeon with limited (no more than 1500 ml as a rule) intraoperative hydration in the first 2 hours of the surgery when ligation of intrapelvic lymph node, dorsal vein complex (DVC), neurovascular bundle (NVB) and cut of urethra are assumed to be finished, and were compared with the control group in which no intervention of hydration was undertaken.

Efficacy of early use of snake retractor in retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy or nephroureterectomy.

Background And Purpose: A snake retractor is generally used to create a better surgical field and space, but when to start using it is still controversial. In this study, we used a snake retractor starting in an early stage of the procedure to safely perform surgery and compared the results with a control group in which the procedure depended on operator discretion.

Patients And Methods: Twelve patients were enrolled in this study and compared with a control group (n = 12) in which no special technique was used.

Bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis cured by antibiotics alone: a case and literature review.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a rare but severe infectious disease. This disease sometimes presents bilaterally, making it difficult to cure. Diabetes mellitus is a common cofactor in this disease.

In vivo interferon system assessed by 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase activity in chronic hepatitis C virus patients treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

Aim: 2',5' oligoadenylate synthetase (2-5AS), an enzyme induced by interferon, is an accurate indicator of the antiviral effect of interferon. We measured it during pegylated interferon based therapies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) in order to determine the dynamics of antiviral status in vivo and the relationship between the response to exogenous interferon and the outcome of therapy.

Methods: A total of 160 patients with chronic HCV were treated with pegylated interferon alfa 2a or 2b or non-pegylated interferon, with or without ribavirin.

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction in a patient with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) associated with phenytoin therapy.

Mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is most commonly associated with a mitochondrial DNA A to G point mutation at nucleotide 3243 (A3243G) and individuals with the disorder present a wide range of multisystemic symptoms. Seizures in MELAS patients are often intractable and require multiple antiepileptic drugs. Here we report a MELAS patient who presented with acute intestinal pseudo-obstruction following the administration of phenytoin (PHT) as an antiepileptic treatment.

Systolic outward motion of the left ventricular apical wall as detected by magnetic resonance tagging in patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (APH) associated with paradoxic jet flow (ie, diastolic flow away from the apex) may gradually develop an apical aneurysm, which often leads to arrhythmia and mural thrombus formation. We observed systolic outward motion of the left ventricular apical myocardium in patients with APH using a magnetic resonance tagging procedure and examined the relationship of the outward motion to echocardiographic and scintigraphic findings and to cardiac events. Systolic displacement of the myocardial tags of the apical region perpendicular to the long axis in the 4-chamber view was recorded in 31 patients with APH.

Early reduction of infected hepatocytes by activated immunity at the time of interferon withdrawal hepatitis followed by lamivudine administration resulted in higher seroconversion in hepatitis Be antigen-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background: It has been found that the efficacy of lamivudine (LAM) therapy can be improved by preceding administration with a short course of corticosteroid that induces a flare of the disease upon its withdrawal. Because of the side effects of corticosteroid, we tested the effect of a short course of interferon (IFN) as the primer instead of prednisolone, which was followed by LAM when the hepatitis flare occurred. The incidence of LAM resistance mutations and the effect of core promoter and precore mutations on the durability of the responses were also studied.

[A case of scirrhous carcinoma of the stomach with malignant pleural and peritoneal carcinomatosis responding to the local administration of docetaxel (TXT)].

We report the case of a 34-year-old woman who underwent total gastrectomy for scirrhous carcinoma in the stomach (T4, N0, H0, CY1, P1, Stage IV). Despite adjuvant chemotherapy with TS-1 and/or CDDP, ascites caused by peritoneal carcinomatosis increased four months after gastrectomy. Therefore, intraperitoneal administration of docetaxel (TXT) at a dosage of 45 mg/m2 was applied.

The predictive value of liver fibrosis in determining the effectiveness of interferon and lamivudine therapies for chronic hepatitis B.

Background: To determine the best indicator of the effective use of interferon and lamivudine for the treatment of hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis, we retrospectively analyzed histologic and virologic status in 200 patients who were treated with interferon and 45 patients who were treated with lamivudine.

Methods: Histological grading and staging scores were determined by international criteria and the METAVIR scoring system. The YMDD motif associated with lamivudine resistance was analyzed by the sequencing of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA.

[A case of ovarian cancer in which a remarkable effect was seen with low-dose CDDP intratumoral injection of CPT-11].

We treated an ovarian cancer patient in whom low-dose CDDP intratumoral injection with CPT-11 therapy was very effective. The patient was a 63-year-old woman. She showed symptoms of peritonitis.

Long-term follow-up study of sustained biochemical responders with interferon therapy.

A proportion of chronic hepatitis C patients who were treated with interferon have a sustained normalization of transaminase levels after interferon therapy without hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA clearance. We determined their clinical characteristics and long-term outcome in relation to progression to liver cirrhosis (LC) and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 250 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated with interferon were studied for 8 to 11 years' posttherapy.

Genomic variations in precore and cytotoxic T lymphocyte regions in chronic hepatitis B in relationship to interferon responsiveness.

Aims: Treatment of chronic hepatitis B patients with interferon (IFN) alpha results in a sustained loss of viral replication in as many as 20-40% of cases. The resistance to antiviral treatment by some viruses is due to positive selection of variants harboring mutations that confer resistance. An HBV variant with a stop codon in the precore region (A1896 HBV) has been reported to be associated with the response to IFN therapy.