The rs1333049 polymorphism on locus 9p21.3 and extreme longevity in Spanish and Japanese cohorts

GeroScience - The rs1333049 (G/C) polymorphism located on chromosome 9p21.3 is a candidate to influence extreme longevity owing to its association with age-related diseases, notably coronary artery...     

Accuracy of metabolic volume and total glycolysis among six threshold-based target segmentation algorithms

Annals of Nuclear Medicine - This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of six threshold-based segmentation methods with different target-to-background ratios (TBR), images with different voxel...     

Strength estimation of a moving 125Iodine source during implantation in brachytherapy: application to linked sources

This study sought to demonstrate the feasibility of estimating the source strength during implantation in brachytherapy. The requirement for measuring the strengths of the linked sources was investigated. The utilized sources were ¹²⁵I with air kerma strengths of 8.38–8.63 U (μGy m² h^–1). Measurements were performed with a plastic scintillator (80 mm × 50 mm × 20 mm in thickness). For a source-to-source distance of 10.5 mm and at source speeds of up to 200 mm s^–1, a counting time of 10 ms and a detector-to-needle distance of 5 mm were found to be the appropriate measurement conditions. The combined standard uncertainty (CSU) with the coverage factor of 1 (k = 1) was ∼15% when using a grid to decrease the interference by the neighboring sources. Without the grid, the CSU (k = 1) was ∼5%, and an 8% overestimation due to the neighboring sources was found to potentially cause additional uncertainty. In order to improve the accuracy in estimating source strength, it is recommended that the measurment conditions should be optimized by considering the tradeoff between the overestimation due to the neighboring sources and the intensity of the measured value, which influences the random error.     

Severe unilateral scissor bite and bimaxillary protrusion treated by horseshoe Le Fort I osteotomy combined with mid-alveolar osteotomy

This report describes an orthognathic surgical case employing horseshoe Le Fort I osteotomy (HLFO) combined with mid-alveolar osteotomy and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO) for a patient with severe unilateral scissor bite and bimaxillary protrusion. A female patient (aged 26 years, 2 months) presented with a chief complaint of dysmasesis caused by scissor bite on the right side. The clinical examination revealed difficulty in lip closure and a convex profile. Overerupted right maxillary premolars and molars and lingual tipping of the right mandibular premolars and molars were indicated before treatment. After 3 months of presurgical orthodontic treatment, two-jaw surgery involving a combination of HLFO with mid-alveolar osteotomy and BSSRO was performed. A good interdigitation in the right side was established by superior-posterior-medial movement of the dento-alveolar segment of the maxilla. Next, both the maxilla and mandible were moved superiorly and posteriorly to correct the improper lip protrusion, thereby improving the patient''s profile. Our results suggest that this new orthognathic surgery technique—achieved by combining HLFO with mid-alveolar osteotomy and BSSRO—is effective for adult patients exhibiting severe unilateral scissor bite and bimaxillary protrusion.     

Prevalence of fatty liver in Japanese children and relationship to obesity

The prevalence of fatty liver in children is unknown and its relationship to obesity is poorly defined. The present study of 810 northern Japanese children (4–12 years old) determined the prevalence of fatty liver in the pediatric population and its relationship to obesity. Diagnosis of fatty liver was based on established real-time ultrasonographic criteria. The overall prevalence of fatty liver was 2.6% and was higher for boys (3.4%) than for girls (1.8%), although not statistically significant (P=0.15). Fatty liver was found in children as young as 6 years of age. There was no significant association between the prevalence of fatty liver and height (physical growth). There was a strong positive correlation between fatty liver prevalence and established obesity indices: Rohrer's index-² linear trend =59.2,P<0.0001; body mass index-² linear trend =91.6,P<0.0001; and age-gender-adjusted Japanese standard index of weight for height-² linear trend =93.2,P<0.0001. However, direct measurement of abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness by ultrasonography was the best predictor of fatty liver: ² linear trend =159,P<0.0001. These results indicate that fatty liver may develop very early in life, and there is a direct relationship between degree of obesity and fatty liver in children.     

Correlation of ratio of serum pepsinogen I and II with prevalence of gastric cancer and adenoma in Japanese subjects

Objective: Gastric cancer (GC) and adenoma (GA) are reported to be related to atrophic gastritis, in which the serum pepsinogen (PG) I level and the PGI/PGII ratio (I/II ratio) are reduced. To verify that the finding of a low PG level increases the risk for GC and GA, we investigated the correlation between low PG levels and the prevalence of GC and GA in individuals.
Methods: The 2,039 subjects (734 Japanese men, mean age 68.5 yr, and 1,305 women, mean age 66.7 yr), selected from among 10,996 local residents who underwent health check-ups based on reductions in their serum PG levels, underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Results: Gastrointestinal endoscopy detected 21 GCs and 15 GAs. The prevalence of GC was higher than that in the residents without low serum PG. The percentage of early stage of GC (90%) was significantly higher than that of GC detected in unscreened residents (56.9%). The prevalence of GC in men was closely and significantly correlated with the I/II ratio (  r = 0.935  ,   p = 0.0063  ), whereas there was less correlation with age (  r = 0.842  ,   p = 0.0734  ). The prevalence of GA was also closely and significantly correlated with the I/II ratio in men (  r = 0.881  ,   p = 0.0203  ), but not with age (  r = 0.163  ,   p = 0.7928  ). In women the prevalence of GC (r 5 0.744,   p = 0.090  ) and GA (  r = 0.678  ,   p = 0.1392  ) did not correlate as strongly with the I/II ratio, although the highest prevalence was seen in the group with the lowest I/II ratio.
Conclusion: Our study verified that a low I/II ratio signifies a high risk for GC and GA and that measuring serum PG levels can be used as a screening method for GC and GA.     

An anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma with periventricular extension: An autopsy case report and review of the literature

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (PXAs) are rare low-grade astrocytic tumors that typically present as superficial nodular cystic tumors of the cerebrum attached to the leptomeninx. Histologically, they are pleomorphic, hypercellular glial neoplasms. Despite the presence of microscopic pleomorphism, patients’ postoperative prognosis is generally good. Anaplastic PXAs (APXAs) have a high mitotic index and patients with APXAs have a worse prognosis than patients with PXAs. Here, we report an autopsy case of APXA initially diagnosed as PXA. After gross total resection, the tumor recurred and was diagnosed as an APXA; thereafter, the patient died. An autopsy revealed that the tumor had relapsed at the primary site and had spread to the leptomeningeal space while concurrently invading the cerebrum including the periventricular area forming multifocal lesions. The histological findings of the autopsy were similar to those for epithelioid glioblastoma (EGBM) and small cell glioblastoma (SCGBM). In particular, the periventricular area with multifocal lesions was composed of SCGBM-like cells. It has been shown that multifocal lesions are frequently identified in patients with SCGBM. This is the first histopathologically confirmed case of APXA-related tumor presenting with periventricular extension and multifocal lesion formation. The periventricular extension might be a feature of PXAs and APXAs. However, suspected periventricular spread on imaging in past cases of PXAs and APXAs might instead represent the malignant transformation of these tumors to glioblastoma-like high-grade tumors, which often show SCGBM-like histological patterns.     

Tumor lysis syndrome as a risk factor for posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in children with hematological malignancies

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a neurological disorder characterized by seizures, altered mental status and visual disorders, along with characteristic radiological findings. It is strongly related to hypertension induced by steroids and other immunosuppressive agents. There are an increasing number of reports regarding PRES arising during the course of chemotherapy for hematological malignancies. To clarify the risk factors for this phenomenon, we retrospectively analyzed pediatric patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies. Of 161 patients, six patients (3.7 %) developed PRES with characteristic clinical and radiographic findings. Univariate analysis revealed that tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) was a significant risk factor for the onset of PRES. TLS is a significant risk factor for the development of PRES in pediatric patients receiving chemotherapy for hematological malignancies.