[Prognostic Significance of Mode of Nodal Involvement in Pulmonary pN1 Squamous Cell Carcinoma].

According to the tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) classification of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), N factor is defined by the anatomic extent of the metastatic lymph nodes, but is not related to the metastatic pattern. N1 is defined as "metastasis in ipsilateral peribronchial and/or ipsilateral hilar lymph nodes and intrapulmonary nodes, including involvement by direct extension". Lymph node involvement is one of the most important prognosistic factors in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

MicroRNAs in Smoking-Related Carcinogenesis: Biomarkers, Functions, and Therapy.

Long-term heavy cigarette smoking is a well-known high-risk factor for carcinogenesis in various organs such as the head and neck, lungs, and urinary bladder. Furthermore, cigarette smoking can systemically accelerate aging, and as the result, promoting carcinogenesis via changing the host microenvironment. Various inflammatory factors, hormones, and chemical mediators induced by smoking mediate carcinoma-related molecules and induce carcinogenesis.

Intra-individual variability across cognitive task in drug-naïve pediatric patients with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Attention deficit is commonly observed in several psychiatric conditions. In particular, patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder exhibit not only attention deficit, but also intra-individual variability in response times (IIV-RT) during the performance of cognitive tasks related to attention span and sustained attention. Although obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is commonly observed across childhood, little is known about abnormalities in IIV-RT during the auditory odd-ball task, and how these changes relate to event-related potentials (ERPs) components.

Clinical Implications of Transbronchial Biopsy for Surgically-resected Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background/aim: Lung biopsies might cause metastasis and/or dissemination. The aim of this study was to review our institutional experience and analyze the outcomes of resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in patients who had received preoperative transbronchial biopsy using fiberoptic bronchoscopy with fluoroscopic imaging (BFS).

Patients And Methods: The medical records of consecutive patients between 2010 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed.

[Vascular smooth muscle cell response to cyclic mechanical stretch and aortic dissection].

Acute aortic dissection is the most common life-threatening vascular disease, with sudden onset of severe pain and a high fatality rate. The pulsatile nature of blood flow exposes vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the vessel wall to cyclic mechanical stretch (CMS), which evokes VSMC death, phenotypic switching, and migration, leading to aortic dissection. We have revealed that CMS of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) caused JNK- and p38-dependent cell death and that a calcium channel blocker, azelnidipine and an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, olmesartan decreased the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 and, subsequently, decreased cell death by CMS.

Computer-assisted cognitive remediation therapy increases hippocampal volume in patients with schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) effectively reduces neurocognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia, but few studies have used structural neuroimaging methods to assess its neuroanatomical effects. We investigated these effects, as well as the association between changes in cortical volume and neurocognitive performance.

Method: Between August 2013 and September 2016, we performed a randomized controlled study comprising a CRT group (16 individuals) and a treatment-as-usual (TAU) group (15 individuals) of patients with schizophrenia.

Favorable Long-Term Outcomes for Positional Vertebral Artery Occlusion with Treatment Strategy Prioritizing Spinal Fusion Surgery.

Objective: Positional vertebral artery occlusion (PVAO) has a fundamental problem in the definition. We analyzed the long-term outcomes with a redefinition of the rare clinical entities as PVAO for a broader conceptualization, and discuss the efficacy of fusion surgery as a treatment option.

Methods: We analyzed the clinical and radiologic characteristics and outcomes in 8 patients with PVAO who experienced cerebral ischemia during a 10-year period at our institution.

Distinct patterns of blood oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex in clinical phenotypes of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) are characterized by different clinical symptoms, and have previously been considered as categorically separate. However, several lines of evidence controversially suggest that these two disorders may run on a continuum. While it is therefore important to evaluate the subtle differences between SZ and BD, few studies have investigated the difference of brain functioning between the two by focusing on the common symptoms of cognitive functioning and impulsivity, rather than positive/negative and mood symptoms.

Supplying osteogenesis to dead bone using an osteogenic matrix cell sheet.

Purpose: To evaluate whether osteogenic matrix cell sheets can supply osteogenesis to dead bone.

Methods: Femur bone fragments (5 mm in length) were obtained from Fisher 344 rats and irradiated by a single exposure of 60 Gy to produce bones that were no longer viable. Osteogenic matrix cell sheets were created from rat bone marrow-derived stromal cells (BMSCs).

Small-Vessel Vasculopathy Due to Aberrant Autophagy in LAMP-2 Deficiency.

Lysosomal associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2) is physiologically implicated in autophagy. A genetic LAMP2 defect causes Danon disease, which consists of two major phenotypes of myopathy and cardiomyopathy. In addition, arteriopathy may manifest on rare occasions but the pathological basis remains unknown.

Decreased daytime light intensity at nonwindow hospital beds: Comparisons with light intensity at window hospital beds and light exposure in nonhospitalized elderly individuals.

Light is crucial for the synchronization of internal biological rhythms with environmental rhythms. Hospitalization causes a range of unfavorable medical conditions, including delirium, sleep disturbances, depressed mood, and increased fall, especially in elderly people. The hospital room environment contributes significantly to patients' circadian physiology and behavior; however, few studies have evaluated light intensity in hospital settings.

Effects of cross-rearing with social peers on myelination in the medial prefrontal cortex of a mouse model with autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, poor communication skills, and repetitive/restrictive behaviors. Recent studies have indicated that early rehabilitative intervention can alleviate the symptoms of individuals with ASD. However, it remains unknown whether rehabilitative intervention can restore brain structures such as myelin, which generally shows abnormalities in individuals with ASD.

Reversal of olanzapine-induced weight gain in a patient with schizophrenia by switching to asenapine: a case report.

Aims: Antipsychotics are effective for treating schizophrenia, but atypical antipsychotics can cause several adverse side effects including weight gain, hyperprolactinemia, and extrapyramidal symptoms. Moreover, weight gain increases the risk of metabolic diseases.

Methods: We treated a case of olanzapine-induced weight gain in a 41-year-old man with schizophrenia by switching his medication from olanzapine to asenapine.

Current state of yusho and prospects for therapeutic strategies.

The mass food poisoning incident yusho occurred in Japan in 1968. It was caused by the ingestion of rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls and various dioxins and dioxin-like compounds including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Notably, PCDFs were found to contribute to approximately 65% of the total toxicity equivalent in the blood of yusho patients.

Chemokines protect vascular smooth muscle cells from cell death induced by cyclic mechanical stretch.

The pulsatile nature of blood flow exposes vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the vessel wall to cyclic mechanical stretch (CMS), which evokes VSMC proliferation, cell death, phenotypic switching, and migration, leading to vascular remodeling. These responses have been observed in many cardiovascular diseases; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We have revealed that CMS of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) causes JNK- and p38-dependent cell death and that a calcium channel blocker and angiotensin II receptor antagonist decreased the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 and subsequently decreased cell death by CMS.

Macular retinoschisis in eyes with glaucomatous optic neuropathy: Vitrectomy and natural course.

Purpose: Our purpose was to determine the effectiveness of vitrectomy in resolving the macular retinoschisis in an eye with glaucomatous optic neuropathy and also to determine the natural course of macular retinoschisis.

Methods: This was a retrospective case series of patients who were diagnosed with macular retinoschisis and glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Fourteen eyes of 13 patients were studied.

Bone regeneration with osteogenic matrix cell sheet and tricalcium phosphate: An experimental study in sheep.

Aim: To determine the effects of a cell sheet created from sheep bone marrow and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) on osteogenesis.

Methods: Bone marrow cells were harvested from a sheep and cultured in a minimal essential medium (MEM) containing ascorbic acid phosphate (AscP) and dexamethasone (Dex). After 2 wk, the formed osteogenic matrix cell sheet was lifted from the culture dish using a scraper.