A Case of a Ruptured Aneurysm at the Supracallosal Portion (A4-A5) of the Bihemispheric Anterior Cerebral Artery Treated with Endovascular Surgery.

Objective: To report our experience on a rare case of a ruptured aneurysm at the supracallosal portion (A4-A5) of the bihemispheric anterior cerebral artery (ACA), an ACA anomaly, and present that endovascular surgery was a good treatment even for peripheral cerebral aneurysm. Case Presentation: A 53-year-old woman experienced a sudden onset of severe headache and vomiting. Plain CT scan revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage and hematoma in the supracallosal area. Cerebral angiography showed that the left pericallosal artery supplied blood to the bilateral parietal lobes through the bihemispheric artery. A saccular aneurysm was found at the supracallosal portion of the left bihemispheric ACA. Coil embolization of the cerebral aneurysm was performed completely. Conclusion: Several reports have demonstrated an aneurysm with bihemispheric ACA, all treated by neck clipping. In this case, endovascular treatment for intracranial peripheral cerebral aneurysms becomes possible, and treatment indications are said to expand.

Growth, reproductive performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality in F1 and F2 progenies of somatic cell-cloned pigs.

The objective of this study was to examine the health and meat production of cloned sows and their progenies in order to demonstrate the application of somatic cell cloning to the pig industry. This study compared the growth, reproductive performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of Landrace cloned sows, F1 progenies and F2 progenies. We measured their body weight, growth rate and feed conversion and performed a pathological analysis of their anatomy to detect abnormalities. Three of the five cloned pigs were used for a growth test. Cloned pigs grew normally and had characteristics similar to those of the control purebred Landrace pigs. Two cloned gilts were bred with a Landrace boar and used for a progeny test. F1 progenies had characteristics similar to those of the controls. Two of the F1 progeny gilts were bred with a Duroc or Large White boar and used for the progeny test. F2 progenies grew normally. There were no biological differences in growth, carcass characteristics and amino acid composition among cloned sows, F1 progenies, F2 progenies and conventional pigs. The cloned sows and F1 progenies showed normal reproductive performance. No specific abnormalities were observed by pathological analysis, with the exception of periarteritis in the F1 progenies. All pigs had a normal karyotype. These results demonstrate that cloned female pigs and their progenies have similar growth, reproductive performance and carcass quality characteristics and that somatic cell cloning could be a useful technique for conserving superior pig breeds in conventional meat production.

[The development of three dimensional video microscope system for clinical application in neurosurgery].

OBJECTIVE: The employment of surgical microscopy in the field of neurosurgery has significantly contributed not only to the advancement of surgical technique, but also the operative outcome as well. This technology has allowed surgeons to meet the demands for increasingly difficult levels of surgery, which usually require a long operative time. However, the surgeon and the assistant are restricted in their posture for a long time, leading to excessive muscular and ocular stress. To solve these problems, we have developed and clinically applied a three dimensional video microscope system for surgery, using a two binocular camera method, that allows surgical procedures to be performed over a video monitor. METHOD: Two 3CCD cameras were installed on the assistant's lens attachment and the camera lens attachment of the microscope for neurosurgery, manufactured by Carl Zeiss Co., Ltd. The surgery was performed by viewing the three dimensional picture on the monitor, which was created by processing the images from the cameras by a time-division method. In November 1998, the prototype was completed and, with numerous modifications, its clinical application has become possible. Currently, we have used it in 42 clinical cases. RESULTS: 1) Instead of viewing the surgical field through a conventional surgical microscope, the surgeon and the assistant were able to perform microsurgery by viewing the stereoscopic vision on the video monitor, through polarized glasses. 2) The assistant is provided with a separate video monitor, so that the assistant can freely adjust the angle of vision 90-180 degrees, according to where he stands. 3) The nurses, resident surgeons and students can view the same three dimensional images displayed to the surgeon. This effectively contributes to the educational environment. CONCLUSION: Even during a long surgical procedure, the posture of surgeon and assistant became less restricted since there was no need to look through the eyepiece of the microscope and led to significant decrease in physical fatigue and ocular strain. In the 42 clinical trials, the operation proceeded uneventfully, without any serious complications.