X-ray Diffraction Analysis to Explore Molecular Traces of Eccentric Contraction on Rat Skeletal Muscle Parallelly Evaluated with Signal Protein Phosphorylation Levels.

We performed X-ray diffraction analyses on rat plantaris muscle to determine if there are strain-specific structural changes at the molecular level after eccentric contraction (ECC). ECC was elicited in situ by supramaximal electrical stimulation through the tibial nerve. One hour after a series of ECC sessions, the structural changes that remained in the sarcomere were evaluated using X-ray diffraction. Proteins involved in cell signaling pathways in the muscle were also examined. ECC elicited by 100, 75, and 50 Hz stimulation respectively developed peak tension of 1.34, 1.12 and 0.79 times the isometric maximal tetanus tension. The series of ECC sessions phosphorylated the forkhead box O proteins (FoxO) in a tension-time integral-dependent manner, as well as phosphorylated the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and a protein in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in a maximal tension dependent manner. Compared to isometric contractions, ECC was more efficient in phosphorylating the signaling proteins. X-ray diffraction revealed that the myofilament lattice was preserved even after intense ECC stimulation at 100 Hz. Additionally, ECC < 75 Hz preserved the molecular alignment of myoproteins along the myofilaments, while 75-Hz stimulation induced a slight but significant decrease in the intensity of meridional troponin reflection at 1/38 nm-1, and of myosin reflection at 1/14.4 nm-1. These two reflections demonstrated no appreciable decrease with triple repetitions of the standard series of ECC sessions at 50 Hz, suggesting that the intensity decrease depended on the instantaneous maximal tension development rather than the total load of contraction, and was more likely linked with the phosphorylation of MAPK and mTOR signaling proteins.

Spontaneous improvement of secondary empty sella syndrome due to re-expansion of an intrasellar cyst: A case report.

BACKGROUND: In patients with secondary empty sella syndrome (ESS), optic nerve herniation into the sella turcica is caused by shrinkage of the mass lesion at the sella turcica, resulting in visual disturbance. ESS is often surgically treated using chiasmapexy. Here, we report the first case of spontaneous improvement in a patient with ESS. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 69-year-old woman presented with a month-long history of visual disturbance in the right eye, poor visual acuity, and quadrantanopia in her upper temporal visual field. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed herniation of her right optic nerve and gyrus rectus into the sella turcica. The visual disturbance gradually improved, and the patient's vision became almost normal after a month without any treatment. On repeated MR imaging, it was observed that the herniation of the right optic nerve and gyrus rectus disappeared due to an intrasellar cyst re-expansion. The secondary ESS caused by the shrinkage of the intrasellar cyst resulted in the visual disturbance and re-expansion of the cyst resulted in spontaneous improvement of symptoms. The visual disturbance did not recur for a year. CONCLUSION: Patients with secondary ESS without severe symptoms may be followed up conservatively. However, surgical treatment should be applied if symptoms deteriorate or do not improve.

[A mixed germ cell tumor that underwent dramatic size changes].

This report describes a mixed germ cell tumor that underwent dramatic size changes. A 12-year-old boy presented to our hospital with a headache that had persisted for two months. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a pineal tumor and hydrocephalus. The patient required external ventricular drainage and underwent two endoscopic biopsies. His evaluation involved a total of nine computed tomography (CT) scans prior to the second biopsy;the tumor size had decreased before the second endoscopic biopsy. The tumor consisted of both a germinoma and a teratoma component. The patient was treated with three courses of carboplatin-etoposide (CBDCA-VP) chemotherapy and whole-ventricle radiotherapy (32.1 Gy). However, during the adjuvant therapy, the tumor size increased, necessitating total tumor resection. We speculate that the tumor's initial size reduction was caused by leakage of the cyst component and exposure to the brain CT irradiation. The tumor's subsequent increase in size was due to the recollection of the cystic components and intracranial growing teratoma syndrome (iGTS). Therefore, frequent brain CTs and angiography should be avoided before definitive pathological diagnosis is achieved. Further, the tumor size should be considered, with surgical resection being performed at the optimal time.

Chronic encapsulated intracerebral hematoma: Three case reports and a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Chronic encapsulated intracerebral hematoma (CEIH) is one type of intracerebral hematoma that sometimes grows progressively while forming a capsule and presenting with neurological deficits. Although many cases of CEIH have been reported, correct preoperative diagnosis is very difficult. Only around 20% of cases are diagnosed preoperatively. CASE DESCRIPTION: We encountered three cases of CEIH in which causes were unidentified and difficult to diagnose. All three cases were treated surgically. In the first case, a 59-year-old male was diagnosed preoperatively with metastatic brain tumor. In the second case, a 62-year-old female was diagnosed preoperatively with glioblastoma. The third case involved a 58-year-old female diagnosed preoperatively with CEIH. CONCLUSION: We should keep in mind that CEIH is a differential diagnosis for intracerebral space-occupying lesions. This report describes these three cases and discusses imaging findings and characteristics of CEIH.

Prediction of cerebral vasospasm using early stage transcranial Doppler.

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is widely used to monitor vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), but its ability to predict the future occurrence of the symptomatic vasospasm (SVS) remains controversial. We investigated the utility of TCD for predicting the future occurrence of SVS after SAH in 45 patients with aneurysmal SAH. TCD was performed on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 after SAH. The mean flow velocity (MFV) of the horizontal portion of the middle cerebral artery (M1) was recorded. SVS occurred in 24.4% of patients (n = 11). MFV of M1 increased progressively in patients with SVS, but did not increase in patients without SVS. The mean MFV values were significantly higher in patients with SVS than in patients without SVS (p = 0.031). The mean MFV value on day 3 was already significantly higher in patients with SVS than in patients without SVS (88.5 cm/sec versus 62.7 cm/sec, respectively) (p = 0.018). The receiver operating characteristic curve of MFV on day 3 showed the threshold of 72.5 cm/sec for predictive value of SVS in the future (sensitivity 71.4%, specificity 68.1%, and accuracy 82.3%). Increased MFV of M1 during the early stage of SAH may predict the future occurrence of SVS. The threshold value of 72.5 cm/sec MFV of M1 on SAH day 3 was one of the best predictor of future SVS. To prevent delayed cerebral ischemia, aggressive treatment for vasospasm is needed for patients with increased MFV in the early stages of SAH.

Microbleeds as a prognostic factor for acute subdural hematoma.

This study investigated the frequency of poor outcome at discharge of acute subdural hematoma (SDH) patients with and without microbleeds. We retrospectively examined the records of 37 patients with acute SDH who were surgically treated with hematoma removal and received magnetic resonance (MR) imaging within 2 weeks of head injury onset. MR images were used to determine the presence or absence of microbleeds and contusional hemorrhage (CH). Patient outcome was categorized as good (moderate disability or good recovery) or poor (severely disability, vegetative state, or dead) according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale at discharge. Microbleeds were found in 23 patients (62%) and CH was found in 26 patients (70%). Fifteen patients (41%) had both microbleeds and CH. Poor outcome at discharge was more common in SDH patients with both microbleeds and CH than in SDH patients with neither microbleeds nor CH (14/15, 93% vs. 14/22, 64%; p = 0.04). Poor outcome at discharge was more common in SDH patients under 60 years of age with microbleeds (6/8, 75%) than patients under 60 years of age without microbleeds (0/4, 0%; p = 0.03). The location of the microbleed was not related to the outcome at discharge. These results suggest that the presence of microbleeds and CH on MR images may indicate poor prognosis in patients with acute SDH.

Ruptured distal accessory anterior cerebral artery aneurysm--case report.

A 48-year-old man presented with an extremely rare aneurysm arising from an accessory anterior cerebral artery (ACA) manifesting as sudden onset of headache lasting for 5 days. Neurological examination on admission revealed no abnormalities. Computed tomography showed subarachnoid hemorrhage of the interhemispheric fissure and intraparenchymal hematoma of the left cingulate gyrus. Magnetic resonance and cerebral angiography revealed a saccular aneurysm of the distal portion of the accessory ACA classified as the bihemispheric type. Neck clipping of the aneurysm was performed via an interhemispheric approach 17 days after symptom onset. The patient made a good postoperative recovery without neurological deficit. Distal accessory ACA aneurysms tend to arise from the first bifurcation and supply parietal branches. The aneurysms tend to occur on the bihemispheric type of distal accessory ACA. Hemodynamic stress may contribute to formation or development of these aneurysms.

Freehand technique for putaminal hemorrhage--technical note.

We designed a new endoscopic surgical procedure for putaminal hemorrhage (freehand technique) and evaluated its effectiveness and safety in patients with putaminal hemorrhage. Computed tomography (CT) data sets from 40 healthy patients were used. The CT data were transformed into three-dimensional images using AZE VirtualPlace(TM) Plus. The nasion and external auditory foramen were the intraoperative reference points. The median point from medial of the globus pallidus to the insula was the target point. The location of the burr hole point was 80-125 mm above and 27.5 mm lateral to the nasion, and the direction was parallel to the midline and a line drawn from the burr hole to the ipsilateral external auditory foramen. This point was used for 15 patients with putaminal hemorrhage. In all cases, only one puncture was required, and there were no complications. The median surgical time was 91.7 minutes, and the median hematoma removal rate was 95.9%. No recurrent bleeding or operative complications occurred. The freehand technique is a simple and safe technique for patients with putaminal hemorrhage. We believe that this technique of endoscopic hematoma evacuation may provide a less-invasive method for treating patients with putaminal hemorrhage.

[Perioperative management for cardiovascular operations in two patients with cold agglutinin disease].

Cold agglutinin (CA) reacts reversibly with red blood cells at a low temperature and may cause thromboembolism of various organs. Therefore, special consideration is required in patients with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) undergoing cardiovascular surgery requiring hypothermia. Case 1: A 71-year-old man with elevated CA was scheduled to undergo total aortic arch replacement. Preoperatively, the patient received double filtration plasmapheresis to reduce CAs. The operation was performed at a higher temperature than the patient's thermal amplitude (TA) of 30 degrees C. Case 2: A 72-year-old man with CAD underwent a coronary artery bypass grafting. The patient's TA was 32 degrees C. The operation was performed on the beating heart with normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. We performed an agglutination test at the temperature of 24 degrees C using the blood sample from the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit and no signs of agglutination were found. In both cases, no symptom of microembolism due to cold agglutination was recognized. This may indicate the possibility that the clinical risk is smaller than the risk recognized in vitro analysis. However, no safety standards for perioperative management of patients with CA are clearly established. Generally, it is more important to figure out the TA and to prevent the low-temperature exposure below the TA. In cases of normothermic procedures, further consideration for cerebral and myocardial protection is important.

Extraneural metastasis of high grade glioma without simultaneous central nervous system recurrence: case report.

A 21-year-old man presented with extraneural metastases to the peritoneum, pleura, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and other organs from a pulvinar high grade glioma. He had undergone a shunt operation and three tumor removals during a 6-year period. He also received radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy with 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride and interferon-beta. Two and a half years after the last surgery, extraneural metastasis to the peritoneal cavity was discovered. He died 13 months after the occurrence of extraneural metastases and 10 years after the initial diagnosis. Autopsy revealed tumor masses in the peritoneum, pleura, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and other organs, but no recurrent tumor of the primary lesion or metastases to other areas in the central nervous system. Systemic metastases from primary intracranial tumors are rare, but are likely to become more frequent as the prognosis of patients with brain tumors improves and the duration of survival lengthens.

[A case of subdural hematoma associated with dural metastasis of lung cancer].

A 62-year-old male developed headache, restlessness and left hemiparesis three months after being diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Computed tomography on admission revealed a crescent-shaped, mixed intensity area in the right fronto-parietal subdural region and multiple tumors in the brain parenchyma. Under a diagnosis of chronic subdural hematoma and multiple brain metastases due to lung carcinoma, burr hole irrigation was performed. Adenocarcinoma cells were found in the dura matter and hematoma. Nontraumatic chronic subdural hematoma secondary to dural metastasis is a very rare condition. Only 52 cases of such spontaneous subdural hematoma have been reported. We describe the clinical features and discuss the mechanism referring to the pertinent literature.

[A case of a pediatric patient with tuberous sclerosis (Bourneville-Pringle disease) and frequent epileptic seizure for intensive dental treatment under general anesthesia].

Tuberous sclerosis (Bourneville-Pringle disease) is a rare disease with a triad of mental retardation, epilepsy, and facial spot. Management of the patients with tuberous sclerosis under general anesthesia has been previously reported. However, there are few case reports about management under general anesthesia of a pediatric patient with tuberous sclerosis with frequent epileptic seizure. Here, we report a case of a pediatric patient with tuberous sclerosis and frequent epileptic seizure who underwent intensive dental treatment under general anesthesia with careful management of epilepsy. The patient was discharged on the day of surgery without any complications. In this case report, we discussed the appropriate assessment of the complications of tuberous sclerosis; such as, of central nervous, circulatory, respiratory, endocrine, and urinary systems including the management of general anesthesia.

Resection of arteriovenous malformation in the middle cerebellar peduncle by a posterior transpetrosal approach: illustration of a case and correlative microsurgical anatomy.

BACKGROUND: Lesions located in the posterolateral brain stem, particularly the middle cerebellar peduncle, have presented surgeons with a challenge associated with significant morbidity. METHODS: We present a case of a 20-year-old woman who had a hematoma in the right middle cerebellar peduncle with a ventricular rupture. Angiography revealed an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) located in the same portion, extending from the lateral surface near the entry zone of the trigeminal nerve to the paraventricular area of the fourth ventricle, which was completely resected through a posterior transpetrosal approach. We also describe the microsurgical anatomy of this region in a cadaveric specimen, presenting the anatomic landscape at the target when approaching through this route. RESULTS: The patient's postoperative course was uneventful and her neurologic deficits progressively but gradually improved. When a lesion exists at or close to the surface of the middle cerebellar peduncle, the best approach, in our estimation, is a transpetrosal approach because the lesion can be approached perpendicularly with a short working distance, various angles for dissection are available, and minimal retraction of the temporal lobe and cerebellum is required. CONCLUSION: An AVM embedded in the middle cerebellar peduncle can be successfully resected using a posterior transpetrosal approach, though we concede this approach is slightly labor-intensive and time-consuming.

[Autopsy findings of meningitis associated with multiple brain infarctions in two adult patients].

Cerebrovascular complications of meningitis have been extensively documented in the literature. It is little known, however, that paroxysmal, devastating, and potentially fatal complications can occur when the early signs of infection are subtle and missed. We describe the clinical course and neuropathological findings of the occurrence of brain infarctions during two atypical clinical courses of meningitis. In one patient, it was due to Serratia marcescens detected only by an autopsy specimen, and in the other, it was due to Aspergillus detected by a surgical biopsy. Death followed multiple, extensive, and progressively multiplicative infarctions in the basal ganglia, brainstem, and cerebral cortices. Autopsies revealed that the infarctions were caused by severe inflammatory change in the vascular walls, mainly of the arteries of the skull base, including the basilar and carotid arteries. Thrombus formation was also recognized in the lumen of several arteries. A number of characteristic Aspergillus hyphae were recognized in the arterial wall of one patient. Meningitis, which may be associated with severe vasculitis and lead to cerebral infarction, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of these conditions. Early diagnosis and initiation of vigorous therapy should be stressed for therapeutic success.

Evaluation of basic performance and applicability of a newly developed in vivo nitric oxide sensor.

Direct measurement of nitric oxide (NO) is of great importance and value for both in vitro and in vivo studies on dynamic NO bioactivity. Here, we evaluated the basic performance of a newly developed NO sensor (Innovative Instruments, Inc.). Unlike other NO sensors, the new NO sensor has a highly durable, gas-permeable coating and is affected much less by electrical interference due to its integrated structure where working and reference electrodes are combined in a single element. Calibration with NO gas showed high sensitivity of about 580 pA per nmol-NO l(-1) (the detection limit 0.08 nmol-NO l(-1), S/N = 3). This sensor also showed high selectivity (25,000 times and more) to NO, compared with NO-related reagents such as L-arginine, N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine, acetylcholine, nitroglycerin (NTG) and tetrahydrobiopterin as well as dissolved oxygen. As an in vivo application, the sensor was located in the anaesthetized rat abdominal aorta to measure NTG-derived plasma NO. lntra-aortic infusion of 0.5 mg NTG caused a measurable increase in plasma NO level (2.0 +/- 2.2 nmol l(-1), mean +/- SD, n = 3). In conclusion, the new NO sensor demonstrated a satisfying performance for both in vitro and in vivo applications.