F-18 FDG uptake in a malignant localized fibrous tumor of the pleura

In the case presented here, FDG-PET was performed to evaluate the possibility of malignancy. High FDG accumulation, with a standardized uptake ratio (SUR) of 3.0, was noted in an upper nodular compartment of the mass that exhibited malignant features histopathologically. It was suggested that FDG-PET is helpful to know which parts of lesions are benign or malignant in patients with LFTP whose prognoses are usually difficult to predict.     

Iron accelerates the conversion of dopamine-oxidized intermediates into melanin and provides protection in SH-SY5Y cells

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), and it has been suggested that dopamine is one of the main endogenous toxins in the genesis of PD. We demonstrated that thiol antioxidants (the reduced form of glutathione, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and L-cysteine), which conjugate with one dopamine oxidation intermediate, o-quinone, provided almost complete protection from dopamine-mediated toxicity in SH-SY5Y, a human neuroblastoma cell line. In contrast, catalase partially provided protection against cell death caused by dopamine. These data suggest that the generation of dopamine oxidation intermediates, rather than hydrogen peroxide, plays a pivotal role in dopamine-induced toxicity. Iron accumulated in the SN of patients with PD can cause dopaminergic neuronal degeneration by enhancing oxidative stress. However, we found that iron reduced the total amounts of dopamine oxidation intermediates and enhanced the formation of melanin, a final product of dopamine oxidation. Also, addition of iron inhibited dopamine-induced cytotoxicity. These results suggest that iron can provide protection when it accelerates the conversion of dopamine oxidation intermediates.     

A 32-year prospective study of change in body weight and incident dementia: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study

BACKGROUND: The course of weight loss associated with dementia is unclear, particularly prior to and around the onset of the clinical syndrome. OBJECTIVE: To compare the natural history of weight change from mid to late life in men with and without dementia in late life. DESIGN AND SETTING: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study, a 32-year, prospective, population-based study of Japanese American men who had been weighed on 6 occasions between 1965 and 1999 and who had been screened for dementia 3 times between 1991 and 1999. PARTICIPANTS: Of 1890 men (aged 77-98 years), 112 with incident dementia were compared with 1778 without dementia at the sixth examination (1997-1999). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Weight change up to and including the sixth examination was treated as the dependent variable and estimated using a repeated measures analysis. RESULTS: Groups with and without dementia did not differ with respect to baseline weight or change in weight from mid to late life (first 26 years' follow-up). In the late-life examinations (final 6 years), mean age- and education-adjusted weight loss was -0.22 kg/y (95% confidence intervals, -0.26 to -0.18) in participants without dementia. Men with incident dementia at the same examination had an additional yearly weight loss of -0.36 kg (95% confidence interval, -0.53 to -0.19). This was not changed substantially with adjustment for risk factors for vascular disease or functional impairment and was significant for both Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: Dementia-associated weight loss begins before the onset of the clinical syndrome and accelerates by the time of diagnosis. The potential impact on prognosis should be considered in the case of elderly persons at risk for dementia.     

Prolonged infusion of cycloheximide does not block mossy fiber sprouting in a model of temporal lobe epilepsy

PURPOSE: The role of protein synthesis in mossy fiber sprouting is unclear. Conflicting reports exist on whether a single dose of the protein synthesis-blocker cycloheximide administered around the time of an epileptogenic injury can block the eventual development of mossy fiber sprouting. METHODS: In rats, osmotic minipumps and cannulae were implanted to deliver 8 mg/ml cycloheximide to one dentate gyrus and vehicle to the other. This method has been used to block protein synthesis in the infused region for up to 5 days with minimal neurotoxic effects (Taha and Stryker, Neuron 2002;34:425-36). After 2 days of infusion, rats were treated with pilocarpine to induce status epilepticus. Pumps were removed 3 days later. Thirty days after pilocarpine treatment, rats were perfused, and hippocampal sections were processed for Timm staining. RESULTS: Timm staining revealed aberrant mossy fiber sprouting in the inner molecular layer regardless of whether hippocampi were treated with cycloheximide or vehicle. Cycloheximide-treated hippocampi displayed more aberrant Timm staining and more tissue damage around the infusion site than did vehicle-treated hippocampi. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged infusion of cycloheximide, spanning the period of pilocarpine treatment, did not block mossy fiber sprouting. This finding suggests that protein-dependent mechanisms around the time of an epileptogenic injury are not necessary for the eventual development of synaptic reorganization.     

A case of angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) of the upper lip

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is clinically characterized by intradermal or subcutaneous papules and/or nodules usually occurring in young adults. Lesions in the oral mucosa are extremely rare. We report a case and review the literature of ALHE cases involving the oral mucosa. A 40-year-old man presented with a painless, 20 x 20 mm, submucosal nodule on the upper lip. Histological examination of lip biopsy specimens revealed an increase in many small vessels. The vascular walls consisted of prominent endothelial cells with a histiocytoid appearance, which protruded into the lumen. Many eosinophils and lymphocytes were also seen around the vessels. The diagnosis of ALHE was made from the above findings.     

Electron microscopic findings of cardiomyopathy with limb girdle muscular dystrophy

Cardiac involvement in limb girdle muscular dystrophy has considered to be rare. This is the first report showing the electron microscopic findings of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) accompanied with limb girdle muscular dystrophy. The findings described in this report indicate that limb girdle muscular dystrophy may be yet another cause of DCM.     

Optimal Covering Material for Stent-Grafts Placed in the Portal Vein in a Canine Model

Purpose We evaluated the suitability of Dacron, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and small intestinal submucosa (SIS) as a covering material for stent-grafts placed in the portal vein as compared with a bare stent. Methods Using 24 beagle dogs, either bare stents or stent-grafts covered with Dacron, PTFE, or SIS were placed in the main trunk of the portal vein in 6 animals each. Portography was performed immediately after stent placement, and at 2, 4, and 12 weeks thereafter. Next, the extracted stents or stent-grafts were examined histopathologically. Neointimal thickness adjacent to the stent wire and at the midportion between the stent wires was compared among the groups. Then, the neointimal thickness at the sub- and supragraft sites was compared between each stent-graft group. Serial changes in the histologic features of the thickened neointima were also investigated. Results No significant difference was noted in the mean stenotic ratio of the portal vein diameter between the bare stent and PTFE groups, whereas it was significantly higher in the Dacron and SIS groups compared with the bare stent group. In neither of the studies on neointimal thickness adjacent to the stent wire and at the midportion between the stent wires were any significant differences noted between the neointimal thickness of the bare stent group and the sum of the neointimal thickness of the PTFE group, whereas the sum of the neointimal thickness of the Dacron and SIS groups was significantly greater than that of the bare stent group at both sites. In the comparison of the supragraft neointimal thickness, the SIS group showed significantly greater thickness than the PTFE group, while the difference between the Dacron and PTFE groups was not significant. In the comparison of the subgraft neointimal thickness, the Dacron and SIS groups showed significantly greater thickness than the PTFE group. Conclusion The present results indicate that of the three covering materials examined here, PTFE is the most suitable material for grafts placed in the portal vein.