Effect of nephrostomy sheath size on renal pelvic pressure during endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery: artificial kidney model study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the intrarenal pelvic pressure in endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery using an artificial kidney model. METHODS: An artificial kidney model was created using the Urovac evacuator™. Four sizes of nephrostomy sheaths (MIP-L: 25/26 Fr, MIP-M: 16.5/17.5 Fr, MIP-S: 11/12 Fr, MIP-XS: 8.5/9.5 Fr) and two sizes of ureteral access sheaths (12/14 Fr and 10/12 Fr) were installed into the model. For each combination of nephrostomy and ureteral access sheath, renal pelvic pressure was measured with and without insertion of the retrograde flexible ureteroscope. Irrigation from the nephroscope was adjusted to 40-160 mmHg using an automatic irrigation device, and the irrigation of the ureteroscope was by spontaneous dripping at 80 cmH2O. Conditions were measured six times, and the renal pelvic pressure was compared in different conditions. RESULTS: Without ureteroscope insertion through the ureteral access sheath, the renal pelvic pressure never exceeded 30 mmHg. Meanwhile, when the ureteroscope was inserted, the renal pelvic pressure increased as the nephrostomy sheath and ureteral access sheath became narrower and as the irrigation pressure increased. Intrarenal pelvic pressure exceeded 30 mmHg when the irrigation pressure was increased in 12/14 Fr ureteral access sheath when MIP-XS was used, and in 10/12 Fr ureteral access sheath when MIP-XS and MIP-S were used. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a thin nephrostomy sheath in endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery can lead to increased intrarenal pelvic pressure. Although our results are from an artificial kidney model, special care is suggested to be required when using a retrograde flexible ureteroscope simultaneously in treatment of patients.

[A Case of Metachronous Rupture of Right Testis and Right Epididymis].

The patient was a 15-year-old male. Four months prior to his visit to our department, he was hit in the right scrotum by a baseball, which caused right scrotal swelling and pain. He visited a urologist who prescribed analgesics. During follow up observation, right scrotal hydrocele appeared and a puncture procedure was performed two times. Four months later, while climbing a rope for strength training, his scrotum became entangled by the rope. He immediately felt right scrotal pain and visited a urologist. Two days later, he was referred to our department for a thorough examination. Scrotum ultrasound revealed right scrotal hydroceles and swollen right cauda epididymis. The patient was treated conservatively with pain control. The next day, the pain did not improve, and surgery was decided since testicular rupture could not be completely ruled out. Surgery was performed on the third day. The caudal portion of the right epididymis was injured approximately 2cm, the tunica albuginea had been ruptured and the testicular parenchyma had escaped. The surface of the testicular parenchyma was covered with a thin film, suggesting that 4 months had elapsed since the tunica albuginea injury. The injured area of the epididymis tail was sutured. Subsequently, we removed the remaining testicular parenchyma and restored the tunica albuginea. Twelve months postoperatively, right hydrocele and testicular atrophy were not observed.

Impact of preoperative sarcopenia and myosteatosis on prognosis after radical cystectomy in patients with bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic impact of sarcopenia and myosteatosis on survival after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer between 2010 and 2019, and 123 patients were finally included in this single-center study. Pretreatment computed tomography images at the L3 level were used to calculate skeletal muscle index and skeletal muscle density. Sarcopenia and myosteatosis were diagnosed according to the gender-specific cutoff values of skeletal muscle index and skeletal muscle density used in a previous study. We compared overall survival and cancer-specific survival between patients with and without sarcopenia/myosteatosis. We also performed Cox proportional regression analyses to identify the predictors of overall survival and cancer-specific survival. RESULTS: The median patient age was 74 years, and 20 patients (16%) were female. Thirty-eight patients (31%) died from bladder cancer and 13 (11%) died from other causes. The patients with sarcopenia (n = 48, 39%) and those with myosteatosis (n = 101, 82%) had significantly lower overall survival and cancer-specific survival rates than those without sarcopenia and those without myosteatosis, respectively. In multivariable analysis, in addition to the number of pathological risk factors, both sarcopenia (P < 0.01) and myosteatosis (P = 0.04) were independent significant predictors of poor cancer-specific survival. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, sarcopenia and myosteatosis are independent predictors of poor cancer-specific survival in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. Sarcopenia is also associated with poor overall survival.

[Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Urinary Bladder which was Incidentally Found by MRI : A Case Report].

A 72-year-old female complained of pain in the left hip and consulted a local orthopedic surgeon. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted for the left hip. MRI revealed a subchondral insufficiency fracture of the left femoral head and pointed out a bladder tumor 65 mm in size. Hence, the patient was referred to our department for further examination. Cystoscopy revealed a smooth surface tumor protruding from the left side of the bladder neck. Therefore, transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) was performed. Pathological finding showed spindle-shaped cells surrounded by collagen fibers. Immunostaining demonstrated that CD34 and Bcl-2 were positive. The final diagnosis was a solitary fibrous tumor (SFT). A TURBT was performed 3 years after initial TURBT for recurrence of a 25 mm tumor in the bladder trigone. The pathological diagnosis was SFT. Since the last surgery, which was performed 30 months ago, no recurrence has been observed.

[Acute Scrotal Swelling Caused by IgA Vasculitis : A Case Report].

The patient was a 4-year-old boy. He consulted our hospital's Dermatology Department for diffuse pruritic erythema on his extremities. Toxicoderma was suspected and a topical steroid was prescribed. Nine days later, when the boy was taking a bath, his mother noticed swelling of his scrotum and consulted a local pediatrician. The pediatrician suspected acute scrotal swelling and referred him to our department the same day. Purpura was found on the bilateral scrotum and prepuce ; edema was also present. Physical examination revealed mild tenderness of the bilateral scrotum. Purpura was present from the right inguinal region to the ipsilateral femoral region. Color Doppler ultrasonography confirmed the presence of blood flow in both testes, and edematous changes were found on the scrotal skin. On the basis of the clinical course of the skin lesions as well as physical and ultrasonographic findings, the condition was diagnosed as acute scrotal swelling caused by IgA vasculitis. After four days of rest, significant improvement in scrotal and preputial edema as well as in the right inguinal region was observed.

Three-dimensional mean stone density measurement is superior for predicting extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy success.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of three-dimensional images of stones to measure mean stone density for predicting the outcome of shock wave lithotripsy. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 239 patients who underwent shock wave lithotripsy with pretreatment non-contrast computed tomography. We automatically measured the mean stone density of three-dimensional images of stones using a high-functional viewer. For comparison, mean stone density was also measured by two previously reported techniques using both the abdominal windows and the bone windows on the axial slice at the level of the largest diameter of the stone. We compared the outcome predictive power after the first treatment with outcomes according to measurement by four other methods. We also carried out logistic regression analysis, including mean stone density measured by three-dimensional images. RESULTS: The single treatment success rate was 48.5%. The effect size (14.148) of the mean stone density measured by three-dimensional images was higher than those of the other four manual methods. In addition, the area under the curve (0.6330) of the mean stone density measured by three-dimensional images was significantly higher than those of the other methods. Increasing stone volume (P = 0.002) and increasing mean stone density measured by three-dimensional images (P = 0.023) were significant independent predictors of the treatment outcome on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to compare the predictive powers for shock wave lithotripsy outcome of various mean stone density measuring methods. There is an indication that mean stone density automatically measured by three-dimensional images of stones is more useful than other measuring methods for predicting outcomes of shock wave lithotripsy.

Recurrent stone-forming patients have high visceral fat ratio based on computed tomography images compared to first-time stone-forming patients.

OBJECTIVES: To compare various fat parameters based on computed tomography images between recurrent stone-forming patients and patients forming stones for the first time. METHODS: Included in the present study were 300 patients with upper urinary tract calculi who had undergone active stone removal in our hospital. Using pretreatment computed tomography images, we measured visceral fat area and volume, subcutaneous fat area and volume, visceral fat area ratio and visceral fat volume ratio. We compared patient backgrounds and these fat parameters between those who recurrently formed stones and those who formed stones for the first time. We also performed logistic regression analysis to identify factors that contribute to severe stones. RESULTS: A total of 148 (49.3%) patients were recurrent stone-forming patients. Recurrent stone-forming patients were statistically significantly younger (P < 0.01) and there were more male patients (P < 0.01). In addition, visceral fat area ratio and visceral fat volume ratio in recurrent stone-forming patients were significantly higher than those in first-time stone-forming patients (P = 0.03 and P = 0.01, respectively). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in visceral fat area (P = 0.32), subcutaneous fat area (P = 0.36), visceral fat volume (P = 0.38) or subcutaneous fat volume (P = 0.23). Receiver operating characteristics analysis showed that area under the curve of visceral fat volume ratio (0.583) for recurrent stones was larger than that of visceral fat area ratio (0.571). In multivariate analysis, increasing visceral fat volume ratio was an independent significant predictor of recurrent stones (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Recurrent stone-forming patients have high visceral fat ratios compared to first-time stone-forming patients, shown here for the first time.

[A Case of Giant Testicular Tumor with Pelvic and Inguinal Lymph Nodes Metastasis].

A 51-year-old man visited our hospital since he had noticed remarkable increase in size of left scrotal contents. Computed tomography revealed left testicular swelling, retroperitoneal, pelvic and left inguinal lymph nodes. Serum testicular tumor markers (α fetoprotein, ß-human chorionic gonadotropin, lactate dehydrogenase) were elevated. Low left orchiectomy was performed due to swelling of the left inguinal lymph node. The excised specimen weighed 3,400g. Pathological findings were non-seminoma. Although there was no operation history of scrotal groin, there was metastasis in the left inguinal lymph node ; therefore, the stage of disease was T2N3M1a. According to the postoperative values of tumor markers, his condition was judged as "good prognosis" in the International Germ Cell Consensus Classification (IGCCC), and he underwent 3 courses of bleomycin, etoposide and cis-platin (BEP) therapy. Although the tumor markers decreased to the normal limit and the size of lymph node was remarkably decreased after 2 courses of BEP therapy, one course of EP therapy was added for further reduction of tumor size. For the residual lymph node metastasis, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) was performed. Then pelvic and left inguinal lymph node dissection was performed at a later date. Pathological findings of excised lymph nodes were only necrotic tissue. He is alive without disease recurrence three years after treatment.

Identification of antigenic peptides from novel renal cancer stem-like cell antigen, DNAJB8.

OBJECTIVES: To identify antigenic peptides of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) antigen, DNAJB8, and establish a mouse CSCs-targeting immunotherapy model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To induce DNAJB8-specific immune reaction, we stimulated human CD8+ lymphocytes with antigen-presenting cells pulsed with a cocktail of three candidate HLA-A*24:02 restricted peptides and assessed peptide specific human cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induction. One of the antigenic peptides showed identical amino acid sequence as corresponding mouse DNAJB8. We evaluated CTL induction with the peptide immunization in mouse model. RESULTS: We confirmed peptide-specific interferon-γ secretions and cytotoxic activities of induced human CTLs. In vivo immunization with the peptide to mice, peptide-specific CTL response could be observed in mouse CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, immunization with the peptide showed significant anti-tumor effects compared with negative controls. CONCLUSION: DNAJB8-derived peptide is a novel candidate for CSCs-targeting immunotherapy, and mouse models can be used to evaluate CSCs-targeting immunotherapy.

Upper urinary tract stone disease in patients with poor performance status: active stone removal or conservative management?

BACKGROUND: It remains controversial as to whether active stone removal should be performed in patients with poor performance status because of their short life expectancy and perioperative risks. Our objectives were to evaluate treatment outcomes of active stone removal in patients with poor performance status and to compare life prognosis with those managed conservatively. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 74 patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 3 or 4 treated for upper urinary tract calculi at our four hospitals between January 2009 and March 2016. Patients were classified into either surgical treatment group or conservative management group based on the presence of active stone removal. Stone-free rate and perioperative complications in surgical treatment group were reviewed. In addition, we compared overall survival and stone-specific survival between the two groups. Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to investigate predictors of overall survival and stone-specific survival. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients (70.3%) underwent active stone removal (surgical treatment group) by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (n = 6), ureteroscopy (n = 39), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (n = 6) or nephrectomy (n = 1). The overall stone-free rate was 78.8% and perioperative complication was observed in nine patients (17.3%). Conservative treatment was undergone by 22 patients (29.7%) (conservative management group). Two-year overall survival rates in surgical treatment and conservative management groups were 88.0% and 38.4%, respectively (p < 0.01) and two-year stone-specific survival rates in the two groups were 100.0% and 61.3%, respectively (p < 0.01). On multivariate analysis, stone removal was not significant, but was considered a possible favorable predictor for overall survival (p = 0.07). Moreover, stone removal was the only independent predictor of stone-specific survival (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Active stone removal for patients with poor performance status could be performed safely and effectively. Compared to conservative management, surgical stone treatment achieved longer overall survival and stone-specific survival.

Prognostic factors and risk stratification in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer receiving docetaxel-based chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: While novel drugs have been developed, docetaxel remains one of the standard initial systemic therapies for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients. Despite the excellent anti-tumor effect of docetaxel, its severe adverse effects sometimes distress patients. Therefore, it would be very helpful to predict the efficacy of docetaxel before treatment. The aims of this study were to evaluate the potential value of patient characteristics in predicting overall survival (OS) and to develop a risk classification for CRPC patients treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy. METHODS: This study included 79 patients with CRPC treated with docetaxel. The variables, including patient characteristics at diagnosis and at the start of chemotherapy, were retrospectively collected. Prognostic factors predicting OS were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Risk stratification for overall survival was determined based on the results of multivariate analysis. RESULTS: PSA response ≥50 % was observed in 55 (69.6 %) of all patients, and the median OS was 22.5 months. The multivariate analysis showed that age, serum PSA level at the start of chemotherapy, and Hb were independent prognostic factors for OS. In addition, ECOG performance status (PS) and the CRP-to-albumin ratio were not significant but were considered possible predictors for OS. Risk stratification according to the number of these risk factors could effectively stratify CRPC patients treated with docetaxel in terms of OS. CONCLUSIONS: Age, serum PSA level at the start of chemotherapy, and Hb were identified as independent prognostic factors of OS. ECOG PS and the CRP-to-albumin ratio were not significant, but were considered possible predictors for OS in Japanese CRPC patients treated with docetaxel. Risk stratification based on these factors could be helpful for estimating overall survival.

Postoperative Progress after Stone Removal Following Treatment for Obstructive Acute Pyelonephritis Associated with Urinary Tract Calculi: A Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: We aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors of three outcomes after stone removal following treatment for obstructive acute pyelonephritis (APN) associated with urinary tract calculi: immediate postoperative febrile urinary tract infection (UTI), stone recurrence, and APN recurrence during the follow-up period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 107 patients who underwent stone removal following treatment for obstructive APN associated with urinary tract calculi. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors that contributed to postoperative febrile UTI after stone removal. Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to identify the factors contributing to stone recurrence and APN recurrence during the follow-up period. RESULTS: Postoperative febrile UTI was observed in 23 out of  107 patients (21.5%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that female sex (P = .02) and having multiple stones (P < .01) were independently significant predictors of postoperative febrile UTI. One-year recurrence-free survival rates of stone disease and APN were 76.1% and 82.5%, respectively. Multivariable cox proportional hazard analyses revealed that presence of residual fragments was the only significant risk factor for stone recurrence (P < .01) and marginally significant for APN recurrence (P = .05). CONCLUSION: Patients presenting with obstructive APN  frequently develop postoperative febrile UTI after active stone removal with the risk factors being female sex and having multiple stones. Residual fragments after stone removal in patients with obstructive APN can cause urolithiasis  and APN recurrence, indicating that complete removal of stone fragments ? 4 mm is imperative to the disease management.

Ureteral wall volume at ureteral stone site is a critical predictor for shock wave lithotripsy outcomes: comparison with ureteral wall thickness and area.

Our objectives were to compare measurements of ureteral wall area, ureteral wall volume and ureteral wall thickness for their use in prediction of shock wave lithotripsy outcomes. We retrospectively identified 218 patients that underwent shock wave lithotripsy for ureteral calculi with pretreatment non-contrast computed tomography. We measured ureteral wall thickness, ureteral wall area and ureteral wall volume by high functional viewer. Ureteral wall thickness was defined as the maximum thickness of ureteral wall, and ureteral wall area as the area of ureteral wall around the stone in the maximal stone diameter on axial computed tomography image. Ureteral wall volume was defined as the volume of ureteral wall from the upper to lower edge of the stone. Treatment success was defined as absence of residual fragments within 3 months after the first session. We compared the outcome predictive power among these parameters and logistic regression analysis to identify factors contributing to treatment failure. The treatment success rate was 47.6%. Ureteral wall thickness, ureteral wall area and ureteral wall volume in successful cases were all significantly smaller than those in unsuccessful cases (all p < 0.01). Area under curve of ureteral wall volume was the largest of these parameters and significantly larger than that of ureteral wall thickness (p < 0.01). On multiple logistic regression analysis, ureteral wall volume was the only significant independent predictor of treatment outcome. Ureteral wall volume is a better predictor of shock wave lithotripsy outcome than ureteral wall thickness or ureteral wall area.

Myosteatosis as a novel prognostic biomarker after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.

This study aims to evaluate the influence of myosteatosis on survival of patients after radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer. We retrospectively identified 230 patients who underwent RC for bladder cancer at our three institutions between 2009 and 2018. Digitized free-hand outlines of the left and right psoas muscles were made on axial non-contrast computed tomography images at level L3. To assess myosteatosis, average total psoas density (ATPD) in Hounsfield Units (HU) was also calculated as an average of bilateral psoas muscle density. We compared cancer-specific survival (CSS) between high ATPD and low ATPD groups and performed cox regression hazard analyses to identify the predictors of CSS. Median ATPD was 44 HU (quartile: 39-47 Hounsfield Units). Two-year CSS rate in overall patients was 76.6%. Patients with low ATPD (< 44 HU) had significantly lower CSS rate (P = 0.01) than patients with high ATPD (≥ 44 HU). According to multivariate analysis, significant independent predictors of poor CSS were: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 1 (P = 0.03), decreasing ATPD (P = 0.03), non-urothelial carcinoma (P = 0.01), pT ≥ 3 (P < 0.01), and pN positive (P < 0.01). In conclusion, myosteatosis (low ATPD) could be a novel predictor of prognosis after RC for bladder cancer.

Noncontrast Computed Tomography Parameters for Predicting Shock Wave Lithotripsy Outcome in Upper Urinary Tract Stone Cases.

Kidney stones are a major public health concern with continuously increasing worldwide prevalence. Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is the first line treatment choice for upper urinary tract calculi with ureteroscopy and has advantages of safety and noninvasiveness, but the treatment success rate of SWL is lower than that of other therapies. It is therefore important to identify predictive factors for SWL outcome and select a suitable treatment choice for patients with upper urinary tract calculi. In recent years, computed tomography (CT) has become the gold standard for diagnosis of upper urinary tract calculi. Several factors based on CT images, including skin-to-stone distance, mean stone density, stone heterogeneity index, and variation coefficient of stone density, have been reported to be useful for predicting SWL outcome. In addition, a new method of analysis, CT texture analysis, is reportedly useful for predicting SWL outcomes. This review aims to summarize CT parameters for predicting the outcome of shock wave lithotripsy in stone cases in the upper urinary tract.

Health-related quality of life after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy compared with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

The objective of this study is to compare the quality of life (QOL) outcomes between laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Between July 2007 and July 2013, 229 patients with localized prostate cancer underwent LRP while 105 patients with localized prostate cancer underwent RARP between December 2012 and August 2014. We evaluated their QOL using the 8-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-8) and Expanded Prostate Cancer Index of Prostate (EPIC) questionnaires at preoperative and at postoperative 3, 6 and 12 months. In the LRP and RARP groups, over 80 and 90% of patients answered questionnaires at each follow-up time, respectively. At baseline QOL of EPIC and SF-8, there was no significant difference between LRP and RARP groups. At postoperative 3 months, Physical and Mental Components of SF-8 and Urinary Summary (U), all Urinary Subscales, Sexual Function and Bowel Function of EPIC showed significantly better scores in RARP group than in LRP group. At postoperative 6 and 12 months, there were no differences between LRP and RARP groups in terms of all QOL scores. RARP group showed better scores in SF-8 as well as urinary and sexual function of EPIC at postoperative-3 months. These differences disappeared at postoperative 6 and 12 months.

Variation Coefficient of Stone Density: A Novel Predictor of the Outcome of Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy.

OBJECTIVES: Although previous studies have indicated that stone heterogeneity can affect extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) outcomes, there is no established measurement of stone heterogeneity on CT imagery. We investigated whether variation coefficient of stone density (VCSD) can predict shockwave success. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of 245 patients with urinary calculi who had undergone SWL. We compared the predictive powers of treatment success between VCSD and other parameters associated with CT attenuation. In addition, we performed logistic regression analysis to identify the factors contributing to treatment success. Treatment success was determined within 3 months after first treatment using noncontrast CT. RESULTS: The treatment success rate was 47.8% (117/245 cases). From receiver operating characteristic curves for treatment success, area under curve of VCSD (0.7181) was larger than that of mean stone density (MSD) (0.6384, p = 0.09) and standard deviation of stone density (0.5412, p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that MSD (p = 0.028) and VCSD (p < 0.001) independently predicted the outcome. Categorized by stone location, VCSD was the independent significant predictor for SWL outcomes in both kidney (p = 0.047) and ureteral calculi (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that VCSD can be a novel predictor of SWL success. The development of nomograms or scoring systems, including VCSD, can assist in the decision process for patients and minimize unnecessary delay in treatment of urolithiasis.

Relationship between serum insulin-like growth factor-1 levels and Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether decreased serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels could be a risk factor for dementia in older people. DESIGN: Case control study. SETTING: Showa University Karasuyama Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 436 Japanese elderly subjects: 106 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 103 patients with vascular dementia (VaD), and 227 age-matched controls without dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Serum concentrations of IGF-1 and atherogenic lipoproteins, carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), and plaques were determined. RESULTS: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were positively correlated with serum IGF-1 concentrations as well as mean blood pressure or body mass index and were negatively correlated with age, serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) concentrations, and carotid IMT. Serum IGF-1 concentrations had a significant inverse correlation with carotid IMT. Analysis across the IGF-1 quartiles revealed a threshold effect of low IGF-1 on MMSE score in subjects with the IGF-1 levels of 140 ng/mL or less (50% percentile) versus those with IGF-1 levels greater than 140 ng/mL. Multiple logistic regression concerning AD and VaD retained serum IGF-1 concentrations of 140 ng/mL or less and carotid IMT of 0.9 mm or more. Patients with AD and VaD had significantly lower IGF-1 concentrations and greater mean IMT than nondemented controls. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that decreased serum IGF-1 level and the progression of carotid atherosclerosis could play a role as independent risk factors for dementia.

High prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies and increased high-sensitive C-reactive protein in patients with vascular dementia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationships between Chlamydia pneumoniae infection, carotid atherosclerosis, and dyslipidemia in patients with vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). DESIGN: Case control study. SETTING: Showa University Karasuyama Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty-four elderly subjects: 31 with VaD, 61 with AD, and 32 age-matched controls without dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Presence of antibodies to C. pneumoniae (immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA), the serum concentrations of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and atherogenic lipoproteins, and the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaques were determined. RESULTS: Age; body mass index; systolic and diastolic blood pressures; and fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A(1c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein A-I, B, and E concentrations did not differ significantly between the three groups, but the mean IMT and frequency of atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid arteries, as well as the serum concentrations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), lipoprotein(a), and lipid peroxides were significantly greater in VaD patients than in AD patients or nondemented controls. Hs-CRP concentrations and prevalence of C. pneumoniae IgG and IgA antibodies also were significantly higher in VaD patients than in AD patients and nondemented controls. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that carotid IMT and plaques, LDL-C, lipid peroxides, hs-CRP, and IgG and IgA C. pneumoniae seropositivity were independent risk factors for VaD. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that carotid atherosclerosis, atherogenic lipoproteins, and C. pneumoniae infection (as documented by the IgG and IgA seropositivity together with increased hs-CRP) may be VaD risk factors.

Figure of Merit for Carbon Nanotube Photothermoelectric Detectors.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as promising materials for visible, infrared, and terahertz photodetectors. Further development of these photodetectors requires a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that govern their behavior as well as the establishment of figures of merit for technology applications. Recently, a number of CNT detectors have been shown to operate based on the photothermoelectric effect. Here we present a figure of merit for these detectors, which includes the properties of the material and the device. In addition, we use a suite of experimental characterization methods for the thorough analysis of the electrical, thermoelectric, electrothermal, and photothermal properties of the CNT thin-film devices. Our measurements determine the quantities that enter the figure of merit and allow us to establish a path toward future performance improvements.