Whether to excise a lipofibroma of the median nerve

A 28-year-old man presented with a lipofibroma of the median nerve of the left hand. We released the carpal tunnel, did a neurolysis, and biopsied of the median nerve together with a distal fasciotomy of the forearm. Two years after the operation, the paraesthesiae of the middle finger had improved but was still present to a lesser degree. Initial considerations about treatment should be directed toward biopsy and alleviation of the compression neuropathy, rather than total excision.     

A case of myeloid sarcoma diagnosed by FISH

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a tumor mass of myeloblasts or immature myeloid cells occurring in an extramedullary site or in bone. The tumor mass may precede or occur concurrently with acute or chronic myeloid leukemia or with other types of myeloproliferative disorders or myelodysplastic syndromes. MS is a rare disease, estimated to comprise between 2 to approximately 14% of acute myeloid leukemia. On the other hand, 95% of cases of CML have characteristic t (9;22) cytogenetic abnormality and BCR/ABL fusion gene at diagnosis. We here report the clinical significance of FISH in a diagnosis of MS that formed tumor in femur during the chronic phase of CML.     

In vitro metabolism of alectinib,a novel potent ALK inhibitor,in human: contribution of CYP3A enzymes

1.?The in vitro metabolism of alectinib, a potent and highly selective oral anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor, was investigated.

2.?The main metabolite (M4) in primary human hepatocytes was identified, which is produced by deethylation at the morpholine ring. Three minor metabolites (M6, M1a, and M1b) were also identified, and a minor peak of hydroxylated alectinib (M5) was detected as a possible precursor of M4, M1a, and M1b.

3.?M4, an important active major metabolite, was produced and further metabolized to M6 by CYP3A, indicating that CYP3A enzymes were the principal contributors to this route. M5 is possibly produced by CYP3A and other isoforms as the primary step in metabolism, followed by oxidation to M4 mainly by CYP3A. Alternatively, M5 could be oxidized to M1a and M1b via an NAD-dependent process. None of the non-CYP3A-mediated metabolism appeared to be major.

4.?In conclusion, this study suggests that involvement of multiple enzymes in the metabolism of alectinib reduces its potential for drug–drug interactions.     

Changes in matrix phosphorylation during bovine dentin development

Phosphorylation of the organic matrix proteins of dentin is important for the initiation of mineralization, but its relevance in later mineralization stages is controversial. The objective of this study was to analyze changes in the total matrix phosphate content during dentin development and to identify their origin. Amino acid and total matrix phosphate analyses of microdissected developing mantle and circumpulpal fetal bovine dentin specimens were performed. The amino acid composition showed few changes during mantle and circumpulpal dentin maturation. However, the total matrix phosphate content showed a significant, positive correlation with tissue maturation in both mantle and circumpulpal dentin, with a two- and a three-fold increase, respectively, being observed. The data indicate that changes occur in the pattern of phosphorylation of matrix proteins during dentin maturation, which we suggest may play a functional role in later stages of tooth mineralization.     

The dawn of computer-assisted robotic osteotomy with ytterbium-doped fiber laser

Currently, laser radiation is used routinely in medical applications. For infrared lasers, bone ablation and the healing process have been reported, but no laser systems are established and applied in clinical bone surgery. Furthermore, industrial laser applications utilize computer and robot assistance; medical laser radiations are still mostly conducted manually nowadays. The purpose of this study was to compare the histological appearance of bone ablation and healing response in rabbit radial bone osteotomy created by surgical saw and ytterbium-doped fiber laser controlled by a computer with use of nitrogen surface cooling spray. An Ytterbium (Yb)-doped fiber laser at a wavelength of 1,070 nm was guided by a computer-aided robotic system, with a spot size of 100 μm at a distance of approximately 80 mm from the surface. The output power of the laser was 60 W at the scanning speed of 20 mm/s scan using continuous wave system with nitrogen spray level 0.5 MPa (energy density, 3.8?×?10⁴ W/cm²). Rabbits radial bone osteotomy was performed by an Yb-doped fiber laser and a surgical saw. Additionally, histological analyses of the osteotomy site were performed on day 0 and day 21. Yb-doped fiber laser osteotomy revealed a remarkable cutting efficiency. There were little signs of tissue damage to the muscle. Lased specimens have shown no delayed healing compared with the saw osteotomies. Computer-assisted robotic osteotomy with Yb-doped fiber laser was able to perform. In rabbit model, laser-induced osteotomy defects, compared to those by surgical saw, exhibited no delayed healing response.     

Modafinil augments brain activation associated with reward anticipation in the nucleus accumbens

Rationale

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) works as a key brain structure of the reward system, in which reward-related neural activity is well correlated with dopamine release from mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons.

Objectives

Since modafinil can modulate dopaminergic transmission through re-uptake inhibition of dopamine, we investigated whether modafinil affects the reward-related brain activity in the NAc in healthy subjects.

Methods

Twenty healthy participants underwent two series of functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing monetary incentive delay task in which they were cued to anticipate and respond to a rapidly presented target to gain or avoid losing varying amounts of money, under modafinil or placebo condition. Blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) activation signals during gain and loss anticipations were analyzed in the NAc as an a priori region of interest as well as the whole brain.

Results

Modafinil significantly changed subjective feelings toward positive ones. The activation of BOLD signals was observed during gain anticipation under the placebo and modafinil conditions in the left and bilateral NAc, respectively. The modafinil condition showed significantly higher BOLD signal change at the highest gain (+¥500) cue compared to the placebo condition.

Conclusions

The present study showed that modafinil affects reward processing in the NAc in healthy subjects through enhancing more positive anticipation, and it may provide a basis for the use of this drug for treating anhedonia observed in psychiatric disorders.     

Evaluation of residual stress and texture in isotope based Mg11B2 superconductor using neutron diffraction

Magnesium diboride (MgB₂) superconducting wires have demonstrated commercial potential to replace niobium–titanium (NbTi) in terms of comparable critical current density. Its higher critical temperature makes MgB₂ wire suitable for liquid-helium-free operation. We recently reported boron-11 isotope-based low-activation Mg¹¹B₂ superconducting wire with decent critical current density appropriate for low-cost superconducting fusion magnets. In this study, we have mainly focused on the neutron diffraction technique to measure the residual stress in Mg¹¹B₂ superconducting wire for the first time. The residual stress state was given qualitative and quantitative interpretation in terms of micro- and macrostress generation mechanisms based on the isotropic model confirmed by neutron texture measurements. The relationship between the stress/strain state in the wire and the transport critical current density is also discussed. This investigation could pave the way to further enhancement of the critical current density of low-activation Mg¹¹B₂ superconducting wires suitable for next-generation fusion grade magnets.

Magnesium diboride (MgB₂) superconducting wires have demonstrated commercial potential to replace niobium–titanium (NbTi) in terms of comparable critical current density.