Accurate and Minimally Invasive Cervical Pedicle Screw Insertion Procedure Using the Bone Biopsy Needle as Drill Guide.

Introduction: Cervical pedicle screw (CPS) fixation provides the strongest mechanical stability. It needs, however, wide soft tissue detachment to expose the entry point and carries the potential risk of iatrogenic damage to neurovascular structures. Malposition of the CPS cannot be completely avoided even using the navigation system.

Synergistic Effect of Neutral Protease and Clostripain on Rat Pancreatic Islet Isolation.

Background: Islet isolation currently requires collagenase, neutral protease and other components. Thermolysin (TL) from Bacillus thermoproteolyticus is the gold standard neutral protease. However, we speculated that neutral protease derived from Clostridium histolyticum (Ch; ChNP) would be biologically superior for islet isolation.

Vasohibin-1 as a potential predictor of aggressive behavior of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

Vasohibin-1 is a recently identified negative feedback regulator of angiogenesis induced by VEGF-A and bFGF. In this study, we first evaluated mRNA expression of vasohibin-1 and CD31 in 39 Japanese female breast carcinoma specimens including 22 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and 17 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) using a real-time quantitative RT-PCR (QRT-PCR) with LightCycler system. In addition, we also immunolocalized vasohibin-1 and CD31 and compared their immunoreactivity to nuclear grades and histological grades of 100 carcinoma cases (50 IDC and 50 DCIS).

Efficacy of acute inhalation of nitric oxide in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension using chronic use of continuous epoprostenol infusion.

Background: There have only been a few reports published on combination therapy for patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH).

Methods And Results: Fifteen patients with PPH (4 men and 11 women, 34.5+/-12.

Time-related changes of radiofrequency ablation lesion in the normal rabbit liver: findings of magnetic resonance imaging and histopathology.

Rationale And Objectives: To study time-related magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histopathological findings after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the normal liver.

Methods: Under ultrasound guidance, RFA was performed in 22 rabbits with a 15-gauge expandable probe inserted into the liver. The RF power was applied at 10 W initially with a 5-W increment every minute until RF power "roll-off" occurred.

[Angiography of pulmonary hypertension].

In the present report, we reviewed articles on pulmonary angiography for patients with pulmonary hypertension. The use of a non-ionic, low-osmolarity agent and improvements in catheters reduced periprocedual complications, but attention should be paid to the pre-existing poorer physical state. Digital pulmonary angiography has similar diagnostic power to conventional angiography.

Factors affecting the difference between screening and home blood pressure measurements: the Ohasama Study.

Objective: To establish the factors affecting the difference between screening and home blood pressure measurements.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: General population in a rural Japanese community, Ohasama, Japan.