Effect of dental metals on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

The aim of this research was to examine the effects of metals used in dentistry upon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ten disk-shaped samples of metals have been used in this study. Each sample has been set into a volunteer who had produced a normal MR image when tested. The subject was imaged in the sagittal, frontal and coronal plane with a 0.1T MRI device and results examined for MR defects.
Au, Ag, Au-Ag-Pd and amalgam produced no defect. Ni-Cr, Co-Cr and SUS304 expressed small amounts of MR defects, but SUS405, Pd-Co-Ni and Sm-Co expressed large defects. Those metals which create MR image degradation must not be used for fixed prosthesis or orthodontic devices both of which could easily be made from other metals. If the MR image degrading metals are to be used in dentistry, their application should be restricted to removable prosthesis.     

A Ruptured Basilar Tip Aneurysm Showing Repeated Perianeurysmal Edema after Endovascular Coil Embolization: Case Report

The authors present an extremely rare case of a 48-year-old female who developed repeated perianeurysmal edema at 2, 9, and 16 weeks after endovascular coil embolization for the ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Interestingly, the mechanism for this edema could be different at each time point in this case; acute thrombosis formation, chemical inflammation, and aneurysm recanalization. We have to be aware of this potential complication in the long term after endovascular coil embolization for the intracranial aneurysm, especially with large size or buried into the brain parenchyma. The clinical implications of this case are discussed with a review of the literature.     

De Novo Vertebral Artery Dissection after Endovascular Trapping for Ruptured Dissecting Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm: Case Report

The authors present an extremely rare case of a 54-year-old female patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a rupture of a dissecting internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm, who developed de novo vertebral artery dissection in the spasm period after endovascular trapping of the ICA. Interestingly, postoperative cardiopulmonary monitoring showed high global end-diastolic volume index and mean arterial pressure, which could contribute to this de novo dissection via hemodynamic stress in the cerebral circulation. Spontaneous intracranial artery dissection of more than two arteries is rare, and we believe this is the first case of de novo dissection occurring on a circulating vessel different from that of the initial dissection. The clinical implications are discussed in relation to postoperative hemodynamic stress with a review of the literature.     

Uncinate fasciculus-correlated cognition in Alzheimer's disease: a diffusion tensor imaging study by tractography

Background: Neuroimaging studies show increased diffusivity and decreased anisotropy in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Previous reports have analyzed a correlation with cognitive function and DTI parameters, but their results are inconsistent. A reason for this might be a region of interest (ROI) method, used to calculate parameters for DTI, because this method has various usages of how to place a ROI and includes summations of values for various neuronal fiber tracts, resulting in contamination of unintended fibers. To improve the instability with ROI placement, a tractography‐based method might be useful. Our coworker reported decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of uncinate fasciculus (UF) in patients with AD by tractography. To confirm whether DTI parameter values are related to severity of cognitive function in patients with AD, we measured mean diffusion anisotropy and diffusivity of coregistered voxels along the tracking lines (i.e. tract of interest) of UF. Methods: The subjects were 30 patients with probable AD (NINCDS‐ADRDA criteria). Assessment of cognitive function was carried out according to the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale‐cognitive component‐Japanese version (ADAS‐Jcog). A 1.5‐T clinical magnetic resonance unit was used to obtain diffusion tensor images. Diffusion tensors were computed and fiber‐tract maps were created using ‘dTV II’ DTI software developed by Masutani et al. We measured mean FA and ADC values along the bilateral UF. Results: FA values were positively correlated with MMSE score (r= 0.67) and were negatively correlated with ADAS‐Jcog score (r=?0.62), while ADC values were negatively correlated with MMSE score (r=?0.58) and were positively correlated with ADAS‐Jcog score (r= 0.59). Conclusion: FA and ADC values might reflect the severity of cognitive dysfunction. The tract‐of‐interest method might be a useful tool for objectively evaluating DTI parameters in AD.     

Effects of Skin Care with Shower Therapy on Children with Atopic Dermatitis in Elementary Schools

Abstract:  For elementary school children with atopic dermatitis, a skin care program using shower therapy was performed during the school lunch break for 6 weeks from June to July in 2004 and 2005. All 53 participants showed an improvement in their atopic dermatitis during the 6-week periods studied. Skin care with daily showering at an elementary school was thus found to be effective for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.     

Massive Intravenous Immunoglobulin Treatment in Women with Four or More Recurrent Spontaneous Abortions of Unexplained Etiology: Down-Regulation of NK Cell Activity and Subsets

PROBLEM: The aims of this study were to investigate the efficacy of massive intravenous immunoglobulin (MIVIg) treatment for women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) of unexplained etiology, and to investigate changes in peripheral natural killer (NK) cell activity and subsets. METHOD OF STUDY: MIVIg treatment was performed in 18 pregnancies from 15 women with 4 or more consecutive RSA of unexplained etiology. NK cell activity and subsets were assessed in 8 of the pregnancies. RESULTS: 14 pregnancies resulted in live births and 4 resulted in abortions with chromosome abnormality. The pre-infusion NK cell activity (mean + SD. 40.9 + 17.0%) at 4.4 +/- 0.5 weeks of gestation (GW) decreased to 15.0 +/- 7.90% at post-infusion status (5.4 +/- 0.5 GW). Pre-infusion percentages of CD56+ CD16- cells (3.5 +/- 2.1%) and CD56+ CD16- cells (16.8 +/- 8.8%) decreased to 3.0 +/- 2.2% and 11.1 +/- 6.9%, respectively, after MIVIg treatment. CONCLUSIONS: MIVIg treatment was effective in all 14 pregnancies from RSA women of unexplained etiology, excluding 4 abortions with chromosome abnormality. Peripheral NK cell activity and subsets were suppressed by MIVIg treatment.     

Predictors of seminal vesicle invasion before radical prostatectomy

AIM: To predict whether or not seminal vesicle invasion is present before radical prostatectomy, the relationships between clinical parameters and seminal vesicle invasion were analyzed. METHODS: A review was conducted of 187 patients who had been clinically diagnosed with stages A(2), B(0), B(1), B(2) or C prostate cancer and who had undergone radical prostatectomy without neoadjuvant therapy. The parameters analyzed for potential predictors of seminal vesicle invasion before radical prostatectomy included age, clinical stage, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at biopsy, tumor differentiation of biopsy specimens and percentage of cancer positive cores by biopsy. For percentage of cancer positive cores by biopsy, 143 of 187 patients who underwent transrectal sextant biopsy or more than six transrectal ultrasound guided core biopsies were evaluated. These parameters were subjected to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify predictors for seminal vesicle invasion. RESULTS: The median age was 66.8 years (range 51-77 years). Of 187 patients, 27 (14.4%) had seminal vesicle invasion confirmed pathologically. There were significant differences in all parameters except for age between patients with positive and negative seminal vesicle invasion on univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that serum PSA level, tumor differentiation of biopsy specimens and percentage of cancer positive cores were significant independent predictors of seminal vesicle invasion. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed serum PSA level, tumor differentiation of biopsy specimens and percentage of cancer positive cores by biopsy before radical prostatectomy may be useful predictors for seminal vesicle invasion.     

Significance of tubuloreticular structures forming in Daudi cells cultured with sera from mothers bearing infants with neonatal lupus erythematosus

It is known that infants with neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) may be born to mothers whose sera are positive for the anti-Ro/SSA antibody. However, women who have this antibody do not always give birth to children with NLE. We have demonstrated tubuloreticular structures in vascular endothelial cells in the skin lesions of infants with NLE. Tubuloreticular structures could no longer be detected at the site of the lesions once the annular erythema had resolved, and the anti-Ro/SSA antibody test had become negative. The probability of a child being born with NLE was assessed by observing whether tubuloreticular structures were formed in Daudi cells cultured with sera from eight mothers who were anti-Ro/SSA antibody positive. Tubuloreticular structures formed in Daudi cells cultured with sera from four mothers who bore infants with NLE, but not in Daudi cells cultured with sera from four other mothers who bore normal infants. These results suggest that women who are positive for the anti-Ro/SSA antibody have a higher risk of bearing infants with NLE if tubuloreticular structures are formed in Daudi cells cultured with sera from these women, whereas this risk is lower if tubuloreticular structures do not develop in Daudi cells.