Huge arachnoid cyst of the occipital cerebral convexity

A 68-year-old woman presented with a rare huge right occipital cystic lesion manifesting as progressive left hemiplegia. Cranial computed tomography revealed a 4 x 7 cm right occipital lobe thin-walled cyst with midline shift and compression of the ipsilateral ventricle. The patient underwent a single burr hole operation for cystography and delineation of the cyst anatomy, then a separate right parieto-occipital craniotomy with complete cyst evacuation, corticotomy, and ventriculostomy. The presumptive diagnosis was arachnoid cyst. The symptoms had completely resolved by 4 months after surgery with nearly normal neuroimaging appearance after 7 months. Cystography followed by craniotomy and ventriculostomy may be effective for supratentorial arachnoid cysts.     

Urinary diversion--the key to reducing surgical complications--ileal conduit

The ileal conduit, first described by Bricker in 1950, continues to be the most common form of incontinent urinary diversion. We have evaluated the surgical methods, pre- and post-operative management, complications and quality of life in the patients treated with ileal conduit urinary diversion. Between January, 1980 and December, 2004, ileal conduit was performed in 97 cases (82 male, 15 female) and median follow-up was 37.7 months (11 to 121 months). Early complications occurred in 38 patients (39%); however, none of them resulted in post-operative death within one month. Late complications were noticed in 60 patients (62%). The most frequent complications include stoma related complications (34 cases, 35%). Renal dysfunction was seen in only 7 cases (7.2%). A questionnaire survey on 13 patients with ileal conduit revealed that 93% of them were satisfied with the current conditions. The ileal conduit is considered an appropriate method of continent urinary diversion because of the simplicity of surgical method, few complications and high satisfaction in the quality of life.     

Persistent wedge-shaped contrast enhancement of the kidney

A case with a single wedge-shaped high-density area of the kidney that persists after urography was observed by CT scan. This might be an aberrant form of acute renal failure with multiple wedge-shaped contrast enhancement.     

The trend of tuberculosis in Japan during the period 1953-58: Comparison of the results of tuberculosis prevalence surveys*

In 1953 a survey of tuberculosis prevalence, carried out by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare on a statistical sampling basis, yielded valuable data on the status of tuberculosis in Japan. In 1954, a follow-up investigation, conducted on one-third of the areas surveyed in 1953, gave information which helped to elucidate the trend of tuberculosis and changes in the tuberculin-positive rate and in the incidence of the disease. Five years after the first survey, the Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted yet another survey, again by the stratified sampling method, to obtain basic information on the present status of tuberculosis, and, by comparing the results with those of the 1953 survey, to assess the trend of tuberculosis during the five years in question.     

Novel bactericidal surface: Catechin-loaded surface-erodible polymer prevents biofilm formation

We developed a novel bactericidal surface based on a catechin-loaded surface-erodible polymer. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg), which is the main constituent of tea catechins, showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli biofilm formation and a dose-dependent enhanced destructive effect on biofilm. EGCg-immobilized surfaces were prepared by photopolymerization of liquid biodegradable polyesters. The releasing rate was enhanced with an increase in surface-erosion rate of photocured polymers. Polymers with high releasing capacity dose-dependently reduced biofilm formation on the surfaces. The confocal laser scanning microscopic and scanning electron microscopic observations revealed that EGCg induced biofilm-destructing activities, which include bacterial membrane damage, degradation of exopolysaccharides, and detachment of colonized cells. From these results, potential advantages of the clinical use of catechin-loaded polymer-coated implants or catheters are discussed in terms of a reduced occurrence of biomaterial-centered infections without substantial toxicity or adverse effects.     

Electrospun nano- to microfiber fabrics made of biodegradable copolyesters: structural characteristics, mechanical properties and cell adhesion potential

Nano- to micro-structured biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLCL) fabrics were prepared by electrospinning. Electrospun microfiber fabrics with different compositions of PLCL (mol% in feed; 70/30, 50/50, and 30/70), poly(L-lactide) (PLL) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) were obtained using methylene chloride (MC) as a solvent. The PLL microfiber exhibited a nanoscale-pore structure with a pore diameter of approximately 200-800 nm at the surface and subsurface regions, whereas such a surface structure was hardly observed in other polymers containing CL. The microfiber fabric made of PLCL 50/50 was elastomeric. Nanoscale-fiber fabrics with PLCL 50/50 (approx. 0.3 or 1.2 microm in diameter) were electrospun using 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) as a solvent. Mercury porosimetry showed that the decrease in the fiber diameter of the fabric decreased porosity, but increased fiber density and mechanical strength. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were adhered well and proliferated on the small-diameter-fiber fabrics (0.3 and 1.2 microm in diameter), both of which are dense fabrics, whereas markedly reduced cell adhesion, restricted cell spreading and no signs of proliferation were observed on the large-diameter-fiber fabric (7.0 microm in diameter). The potential biomedical application of electrospun PLCL 50/50 was discussed.     

Heterogeneity of apex-to-base dispersion in diastolic lengthening is related to impaired global left ventricular relaxation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Background  

The presence of apex-to-base disparity in diastolic left ventricle (LV) endocardial lengthening, based on an electromechanical activation sequence, has been recognized as an important determinant of LV diastolic properties. However, the behavior of LV apical and basal diastolic lengthening and its relationship to LV filling in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are unknown.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes, resistance determinants and DNA fingerprints of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium isolated from bovine in Southern Japan

A longitudinal study was conducted in cattle to determine the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes, integron elements, resistance genes and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis fingerprints among Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium isolates. A total of 33 strains were isolated and categorised into Groups A, B and C during the period 1989-2004. Thirty-one strains (93.9%) showed resistance to ampicillin (A) encoded by bla(OXA-1), bla(TEM) and bla(PSE-1) genes; 84.8% showed resistance to chloramphenicol (C) encoded by floR and catA1; 97.0% were resistant both to streptomycin (S) and sulfamethoxazole (Su), the former encoded by aadA1 and aadA2; 100% were resistant to oxytetracycline (T) encoded by tetA, tetB and tetG; and 42.4% were resistant to kanamycin (Km) encoded by aphA1-Iab. Multidrug resistance types observed were ACSSuT-Km (n=13), ACSSuT (n=15), ASSuT (n=3) and SSuT (n=2). Class 1 integrons ranging from 1.0 kb to 1.9 kb were detected from 54.5% of isolates (18/33). Integrons were not detected initially (1989-1992), then during the 1993-1996 interval a high frequency of 1.0 kb and 1.2kb amplicons were detected and during 2000-2004 the amplicon size increased to 1.7 kb and 1.9 kb. We report evidence of additional integration of resistance gene cassettes as shown by integrons with increased size. Finally, group B strains showed banding patterns indistinguishable from S. Typhimurium DT104 reference strain, indicating that the DT104 lineage existed on the island since 1993.     

Accelerated growth of intestinal tumours after radiation exposure in Mlh1-knockout mice: evaluation of the late effect of radiation on a mouse model of HNPCC

Mlh1-knockout mice have been developed as a useful model of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). In this study, we analyzed the pathology of gastrointestinal tumours (GIT) in these mice in detail and examined the possible effects of ionizing radiation on the induction of intestinal tumours to evaluate the late response to radiotherapy in HNPCC. Mlh1-/- mice spontaneously developed GIT and thymic lymphomas by 48 weeks. GIT included not only well differentiated adenocarcinomas but also poorly differentiated and mucinous adenocarcinomas, suggesting that this mouse is a good model for HNPCC. In contrast to colon cancers from HNPCC patients, however, carcinomas of Mlh1-/- mice expressed p53 and showed a lack of transforming growth factor (TGF)-betaRII mutation, which resulted in the expression of TGF-betaRII protein. Irradiation of 10-week-old Mlh1-/- mice accelerated GIT development but had little effect at 2 weeks. Mlh1+/- and Mlh1+/+ mice were not susceptible to spontaneous or radiation-induced thymic lymphomas and GIT until 72 weeks after birth. The development and pathology of GIT in Mlh1-/- mice suggest that this mouse is a good model for HNPCC, although tumour-related responsible genes might be different from HNPCC. As X-ray exposure promoted carcinogenesis of GIT in adult Mlh1-/- mice, an increased risk of secondary cancers after radiotherapy for HNPCC patients should be taken into consideration.