Expression of interleukin-6 receptor, leukemia inhibitory factor receptor and glycoprotein 130 in the murine cerebellum and neuropathological effect of leukemia inhibitory factor on cerebellar Purkinje cells

Expression of glycoprotein 130 and the related receptors, including interleukin-6 receptor and leukemia inhibitory factor receptor, was examined in the murine cerebellum at the protein level. Western blot analysis revealed that interleukin-6 receptor, leukemia inhibitory factor receptor and glycoprotein 130 were expressed in the murine cerebellum. Immunoreactivities for interleukin-6 receptor, leukemia inhibitory factor receptor and glycoprotein 130 were strongly localized on the cell body of Purkinje cells, indicating that both interleukin-6 and leukemia inhibitory factor could act directly on Purkinje cells in murine adult mice. The expressions of interleukin-6 receptor, leukemia inhibitory factor receptor and glycoprotein 130 were observed on the cell membranes of Purkinje cells by immunoelectron microscopy. Immunoreactivity for the interleukin-6 receptor was also detected in the cytoplasm of Purkinje cells. Injection of a murine hemopoietic cell line, FDC-P1 cells, transfected with the complementary DNA encoding the leukemia inhibitory factor led to a reduction in calbindin-positive dendrites of the Purkinje cells.

The present results suggest that the leukemia inhibitory factor affects cerebellar functions through Purkinje cells.     

Identification of Dish-Based Dietary Patterns for Breakfast,Lunch, and Dinner and Their Diet Quality in Japanese Adults

We identified dish-based dietary patterns for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and assessed the diet quality of each pattern. Dietary data were obtained from 392 Japanese adults aged 20–69 years in 2013, using a 4 d dietary record. K-means cluster analysis was conducted based on the amount of each dish group, separately for breakfasts (n = 1462), lunches (n = 1504), and dinners (n = 1500). The diet quality of each dietary pattern was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) and Nutrient-Rich Food Index 9.3 (NRF9.3). The extracted dietary patterns were as follows: ‘bread-based’ and ‘rice-based’ for breakfast; ‘bread’, ‘rice-based’, ‘ramen’, ‘udon/soba’, and ‘sushi/rice bowl dishes’ for lunch; and ‘miscellaneous’, ‘meat dish and beer’, and ‘hot pot dishes’ for dinner. For breakfast, the HEI-2015 and NRF9.3 total scores were higher in the ‘rice-based’ pattern than the ‘bread-based’ pattern. For lunch, the HEI-2015 and NRF9.3 total scores were relatively high in the ‘rice-based’ pattern and low in the ‘ramen’ pattern. For dinner, the HEI-2015 total score was the highest in the ‘meat dish and beer’ pattern, and the NRF9.3 total score was higher in the ‘hot pot dishes’ than the ‘miscellaneous’ pattern. These results suggested that breakfast, lunch, and dinner have distinctive dietary patterns with different diet qualities.     

Assessment of the accuracy of color Doppler flow mapping by digital image analysis

An in vitro steady flow experiment was performed in order to test the accuracy of velocity measurements obtained through color Doppler flow mapping (CDFM). Using the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) flow phantom, low (maximum velocity = 60 cm/sec), medium (maximum velocity = 300 cm/sec) and high (maximum velocity = 600 cm/sec) speed accelerating flow fields, in which multiple aliases were visible, were imaged. A fully automatic computer algorithm was used to unwrap the aliases and to convert the CDFM to digital velocity. Packet size and wall filter frequency on the ultrasound machine were varied and the measured velocity compared to the true velocity. The results show that the velocity obtained in this way from the CDFM is very accurate at the low and medium velocities, but for the high velocity the turbulence is too intense to obtain an accurate result. There was no marked difference between the data for different packet sizes or wall filter settings.     

Imaging features of pancreatoblastoma: a case report

We present a patient with pancreatoblastoma along with a discussion of various cross-sectional imaging features. The tumor was a large multilocular cystic mass with solid components in the left retroperitoneal space. There were fine internal echoes on ultrasonography, and the signal intensity was high on both T1- and T2-weighted MR images in most of the locules, suggesting the presence of hemorrhagic debris. Among the various retroperitoneal organs displaced by the tumor, only the pancreatic tail was inseparable from the mass, suggesting that the pancreatic tail was the origin of the tumor. Pancreatoblastoma should be included in the differential diagnosis when a large left upper quadrant mass with these imaging features is seen in infants and young children.     

A patient of successful renal transplantation using donor kidney with congenital abnormalities of the inferior vena cava

At the time of donor nephrectomy, congenital abnormalities of the inferior vena cava was discovered. A 56-year-old woman was worked up preoperatively and no abnormalities were found. Abdominal aortography was normal. At the time of operation, the inferior vena cava was located to the left and anterior to the abdominal aorta. In the renal hilus, the location of the renal artery and vein was reversal. We thought the ideas of operation and could successfully performed renal transplantation using donor kidney with congenital abnormalities of the inferior vena cava.     

Increased plasma ghrelin level in lung cancer cachexia.

PURPOSE: Ghrelin, a novel growth hormone-releasing peptide,has been shown to cause a positive energy balance by stimulating food intake and inducing adiposity. We sought to investigate the pathophysiology of ghrelin in cachexia associated with lung cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Plasma ghrelin level was measured in 43 patients with lung cancer and 21 control subjects. Patients with lung cancer were divided into two groups: patients with cachexia (n = 21) and those without cachexia (n = 22). RESULTS: Plasma ghrelin level did not significantly differ between all patients with lung cancer and controls (157 +/- 10 versus 132 +/- 8 fmol/ml, P = 0.1). However, plasma ghrelin level was significantly higher in patients with cachexia than in those without cachexia (180 +/- 17 versus 135 +/- 10 fmol/ml, P = 0.011). Furthermore, plasma ghrelin level increased significantly in patients with decreased food intake after chemotherapy (from 136 +/- 11 fmol/ml to 170 +/- 16 fmol/ml on day 8, 179 +/- 20 fmol/ml on day 21 after start of chemotherapy), although plasma ghrelin level did not significantly change in those without decreased food intake. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline plasma ghrelin level was elevated in cachectic patients with lung cancer, and follow-up plasma ghrelin level increased in patients with anorexia after chemotherapy. Considering the positive energy effects induced by ghrelin, increased ghrelin may represent a compensatory mechanism under catabolic-anabolic imbalance in cachectic patients with lung cancer.     

Possible origin of suprasellar arachnoid cysts: neuroimaging and neurosurgical observations in nine cases

OBJECT: In this study the authors identify and investigate two new classifications of suprasellar arachnoid cysts. METHODS: The authors used computerized tomography cisternography, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and neuroendoscopy to investigate nine cases of suprasellar arachnoid cysts. A communicating cyst with early filling and early clearance of a radioopaque tracer was found in seven of nine cases; a communicating cyst with delayed filling and delayed clearance of the tracer was observed in one case; and a noncommunicating cyst was observed in the other. The MR findings indicated a variation in the position of the basilar artery (BA) bifurcation in relation to the ventral surface of the midbrain. A distance existed between the BA bifurcation and the ventral surface of the midbrain in a communicating cyst with early filling, whereas the BA bifurcation was posteriorly displaced in a communicating cyst with delayed filling and also in a noncommunicating cyst, leaving little space between the bifurcation and the ventral surface of the midbrain. Endoscopic observation revealed, in the case of communicating cysts with early filling and early clearance of tracer, that the BA bifurcation is located inside the cyst with no overlying membrane, whereas in a noncommunicating cyst, the BA and its branches can be observed through the transparent membrane of the lesion. CONCLUSIONS: The authors postulate two different types of suprasellar arachnoid cysts: a noncommunicating intraarachnoid cyst of the diencephalic membrane of Liliequist and a communicating cyst that is a cystic dilation of the interpeduncular cistern.     

Successful bronchial artery embolization using hydrogel coils for hemoptysis during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

A 58-year-old woman with bronchiectasis presented with massive hemoptysis and severe respiratory failure, which required long-term extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with continuous heparin infusion. Bronchial artery embolization using hydrogel coils, which provide a greater volume occlusion than bare platinum coils, was performed; hemoptysis stopped and she fully recovered. No recanalization was observed on follow-up computed tomography angiography 2 months postbronchial artery embolization, and there had been no recurrence of bleeding at the time of this report (at least 6 months). Although continuous anticoagulation during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation might hinder complete vessel occlusion by metallic coils or induce early recanalization (because the homeostatic mechanism of coils depends on the patient''s coagulability), our experience showed that bronchial artery embolization using hydrogel coils was effective and safe. Additionally, this case presents a successful example of anticoagulation management for patients with hemoptysis on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation who undergo bronchial artery embolization using coils.     

Phenolic glycosides from berries of Pimenta dioica

Four new phenolic glycosides, (2-hydroxy-3-methoxy-5-allyl)phenyl beta- d-(6-O-E-sinapoyl)glucopyranoside (1), (1' R,5' R)-5-(5-carboxymethyl-2-oxocyclopentyl)-3 Z-pentenyl beta-D-(6-O-galloyl)glucopyranoside (2), (S)-alpha-terpinyl [alpha-L-(2-O-galloyl)arabinofuranosyl]-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), and (R)-alpha-terpinyl [alpha-L-(2-O-galloyl)arabinofuranosyl]-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), were isolated from the berries of Pimenta dioica together with eight known flavonoids. The structures of 1-4 were elucidated on the basis of MS and NMR data and enzymatic hydrolysis. All four glycosides showed radical-scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals.     

Motor Mapping with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Comparison with Electrical Cortical Stimulation

The aim of the present study was to evaluate motor area mapping using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) compared with electrical cortical stimulation (ECS). Motor mapping with fMRI and ECS were retrospectively compared in seven patients with refractory epilepsy in which the primary motor (M1) areas were identified by fMRI and ECS mapping between 2012 and 2019. A right finger tapping task was used for fMRI motor mapping. Blood oxygen level-dependent activation was detected in the left precentral gyrus (PreCG)/postcentral gyrus (PostCG) along the “hand knob” of the central sulcus in all seven patients. Bilateral supplementary motor areas (SMAs) were also activated (n = 6), and the cerebellar hemisphere showed activation on the right side (n = 3) and bilateral side (n = 4). Furthermore, the premotor area (PM) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC) were also activated on the left side (n = 1) and bilateral sides (n = 2). The M1 and sensory area (S1) detected by ECS included fMRI-activated PreCG/PostCG areas with broader extent. This study showed that fMRI motor mapping was locationally well correlated to the activation of M1/S1 by ECS, but the spatial extent was not concordant. In addition, the involvement of SMA, PM/PPC, and the cerebellum in simple voluntary movement was also suggested. Combination analysis of fMRI and ECS motor mapping contributes to precise localization of M1/S1.