CD80CD86 deficiency disrupts regulatory CD4+FoxP3+T cell homoeostasis and induces autoimmune‐like alopecia

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that results in spot baldness in humans. Adequate animal models for AA are currently lacking. The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of autoimmune-like alopecia (ALA) in C57BL/6.CD80CD86-deficient (B6.CD80CD86^−/−) mice. Incidence and severity of alopecia were analysed in 58 B6.CD80CD86^−/− mice using histological examination, flow cytometry, multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative RT-PCR and CD25 inhibition test. Both male and female B6.CD80CD86^−/− mice showed almost 100% incidence of hair loss at 40 weeks of age. Moreover, CD4+FoxP3+Treg (Treg) cell population in B6.CD80CD86^−/− mice was significantly lower than in B6 mice, which presumably underlined autoimmune reaction. Histologically, B6.CD80CD86^−/− mice showed CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell infiltration around terminal follicle region and exhibited hair follicle destruction in the anagen or catagen stage. Negative correlation between the number of CD4+FoxP3+ Tregs and ALA was confirmed by the CD25 depletion test in B6 mice, as follicle destruction was similar to that observed in B6.CD80CD86^−/− animals. CD80CD86 deficiency disrupted CD4+FoxP3+ Treg homoeostasis and prompted the development of ALA. We demonstrated that B6.CD80CD86^−/− mice might have several advantages as an ALA model, because they exhibited high incidence of disease phenotype and epipathogenesis similar to that observed in human AA.     

Microneurovascular decompression in patients with hemifacial spasm caused by vascular compression of facial nerve at cisternal portion

Background  

Hemifacial spasm is commonly caused by arterial compression of the facial nerve. Although vascular compression usually occurs at the facial nerve exit zone, in some cases, the facial nerve is compressed more distally. We analyzed the clinical outcome of microneurovascular decompression in patients with hemifacial spasm caused by either distal or proximal compression.     

Changes in gamma- and theta-band phase synchronization patterns due to the difficulty of auditory oddball task

We analyze the pattern of inter-regional functional association between cortical activities during auditory oddball tasks, and the influence of task difficulty on it. Event-related electroencephalograms were recorded from 17 subjects during auditory oddball tasks with two task difficulty levels. The task difficulty was controlled by changing the difference between the frequencies of standard and target tones. The changes in behavioral response and P300 component due to the difficulty were consistent with previous findings, whereby successful control of difficulty was verified. Significant gamma- and theta-band phase synchronization (PS) was observed primarily between frontal and posterior electrodes along the midline, which is interpreted as functional connectivity among cortical regions devoted to the task execution. Apparent differences in PS were identified between two difficulties in both gamma- and theta-bands. On the whole, the number of electrode pairs showing significant PS was much smaller for higher task difficulty. The overall result is in agreement with our recent study which reported similar difference in PS due to the difficulty of ‘visual’ oddball task.     

Region-based diagnostic performance of multidetector CT for detecting peritoneal seeding in ovarian cancer patients

Purpose  

To determine the accuracy of multi-detector CT (MDCT) compared with the surgical findings, such as peritoneal seeding and metastatic lymph nodes, in ovarian cancer patients.     

Spontaneous Epidural Hematoma from Skull Base Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

We report a case of an acute spontaneous epidural hematoma (EDH) due to skull base metastasis in a 46-year-old male patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The patient presented with the acute onset of severe headache followed by unconsciousness, and computed tomography showed a large EDH in the right temporal and parietal lobes with midline shift. Emergency evacuation of the EDH was performed, and the hemorrhage was determined to be secondary to skull base metastasis of HCC.