Serum immunoglobulin G antibody titer to Fusobacterium nucleatum is associated with unfavorable outcome after stroke.

Stroke can be a cause of death, while in non-fatal cases it is a common cause of various disabilities resulting from associated brain damage. However, whether a specific periodontal pathogen is associated with increased risk of unfavorable outcome after stroke remains unknown. We examined risk factors for unfavorable outcome following stroke occurrence, including serum antibody titers to periodontal pathogens. The enrolled cohort included 534 patients who had experienced an acute stroke, who were divided into favorable (n = 337) and unfavorable (n = 197) outcome groups according to modified ranking scale (mRS) score determined at 3 months after onset (favorable = score 0 or 1; unfavorable = score 2-6). The associations of risk factors with unfavorable outcome, including serum titers of IgG antibodies to 16 periodontal pathogens, were examined. Logistic regression analysis showed that the initial National Institutes of Health stroke scale score [odds ratio (OR) = 1·24, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1·18-1·31, P < 0·001] and C-reactive protein (OR = 1·29, 95% CI = 1·10-1·51, P = 0·002) were independently associated with unfavorable outcome after stroke. Following adjustment with those, detection of the antibody for Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 10953 in serum remained an independent predictor of unfavorable outcome (OR = 3·12, 95% CI = 1·55-6·29, P = 0·002). Determination of the antibody titer to F. nucleatum ATCC 10953 in serum may be useful as a predictor of unfavorable outcome after stroke.

Randomized clinical trial of landiolol hydrochloride for the prevention of atrial fibrillation and postoperative complications after oesophagectomy for cancer.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation is common after oesophageal surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether landiolol hydrochloride was effective and safe in the prevention of atrial fibrillation after oesophagectomy, and to see whether a reduction in incidence of atrial fibrillation would reduce other postoperative complications. METHODS: This single-centre study enrolled patients scheduled for transthoracic oesophagectomy in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial between March 2013 and January 2016. Enrolled patients were randomized with a 1 : 1 parallel allocation ratio to either landiolol prophylaxis or placebo. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of atrial fibrillation after oesophagectomy. Secondary endpoints were incidence of postoperative complications, and effects on haemodynamic and inflammatory indices. RESULTS: One hundred patients were enrolled, 50 in each group. Postoperative atrial fibrillation occurred in 15 patients (30 per cent) receiving placebo versus five (10 per cent) receiving landiolol (P = 0·012). The overall incidence of postoperative complications was significantly lower in the landiolol group (P = 0·046). In the landiolol group, postoperative heart rate was suppressed effectively, but the decrease in BP was not harmful. The interleukin 6 level was significantly lower on days 3 and 5 after surgery in the landiolol group (P = 0·001 and P = 0·002 respectively). CONCLUSION: Landiolol was effective and safe in preventing atrial fibrillation after oesophagectomy. Registration number: UMIN000010648 (http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/).

Phase I/II study of divided-dose docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SCCE) has a poor prognosis compared with other gastrointestinal cancers. Many patients present with locoregional unresectable or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. For these patients with metastatic esophageal cancer, chemotherapy is generally indicated. The aim of this phase I/II study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combined use of docetaxel, cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)(DCF) in patients with recurrent/metastatic SCCE. This study adopted divided doses of docetaxel and CDDP in order to reduce the toxicities of the treatment. The dose of docetaxel was escalated using the following protocol in the phase I stage: level 1, 30 mg/m2; level 2, 35 mg/m2 and level 3, 40 mg/m2, which was intravenously infused for 2 hours on days 1 and 8. CDDP was administered at a dose of 12 mg/m2 infused for 4 hours on days 1-5. The 5-FU was administered at a dose of 600 mg/m2 continuously infused from day 1 to 5. This regimen was repeated every 4 weeks. The study subjects were nine patients (phase I) and 48 patients (phase II). The recommended dose was determined as level 3 in phase I. In the phase II stage, the overall response rate was 62.5%, with a complete response rate of 12.5%. The median progression-free survival was 6 months, and the median overall survival was 13 months. Grade 3/4 toxicities of leukopenia, neutropenia and febrile neutropenia occurred in 64.6%, 68.8% and 14.6% of the patients, while grade 3/4 non-hematological toxicities were relatively rare. No treatment-related death was recorded. This modified DCF regimen with divided doses can be a tolerable and useful regimen of definitive chemotherapy for unresectable SCCE because of its high efficacy, although adequate care for severe neutropenia must be administered.

The identification of raft-derived tau-associated vesicles that are incorporated into immature tangles and paired helical filaments.

AIMS: Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), a cardinal pathological feature of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) are primarily composed of hyper-phosphorylated tau protein. Recently, several other molecules, including flotillin-1, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5), have also been revealed as constituents of NFTs. Flotillin-1 and PtdIns(4,5)P2 are considered markers of raft microdomains, whereas CDK5 is a tau kinase. Therefore, we hypothesized that NFTs have a relationship with raft domains and the tau phosphorylation that occurs within NFTs. METHODS: We investigated six cases of AD, six cases of other neurodegenerative diseases with NFTs and three control cases. We analysed the PtdIns(4,5)P2-immunopositive material in detail, using super-resolution microscopy and electron microscopy to elucidate its pattern of expression. We also investigated the spatial relationship between the PtdIns(4,5)P2-immunopositive material and tau kinases through double immunofluorescence analysis. RESULTS: Pretangles contained either paired helical filaments (PHFs) or PtdIns(4,5)P2-immunopositive small vesicles (approximately 1 µm in diameter) with nearly identical topology to granulovacuolar degeneration (GVD) bodies. Various combinations of these vesicles and GVD bodies, the latter of which are pathological hallmarks observed within the neurons of AD patients, were found concurrently in neurons. These vesicles and GVD bodies were both immunopositive not only for PtdIns(4,5)P2, but also for several tau kinases such as glycogen synthase kinase-3ß and spleen tyrosine kinase. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that clusters of raft-derived vesicles that resemble GVD bodies are substructures of pretangles other than PHFs. These tau kinase-bearing vesicles are likely involved in the modification of tau protein and in NFT formation.

Randomized clinical trial comparing long-term quality of life for Billroth I versus Roux-en-Y reconstruction after distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients' quality of life (QoL) deteriorates remarkably after gastrectomy. Billroth I reconstruction following distal gastrectomy has the physiological advantage of allowing food to pass through the duodenum. It was hypothesized that Billroth I reconstruction would be superior to Roux-en-Y reconstruction in terms of long-term QoL after distal gastrectomy. This study compared two reconstructions in a multicentre prospective randomized clinical trial to identify the optimal reconstruction procedure. METHODS: Between January 2009 and September 2010, patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer were randomized during surgery to Billroth I or Roux-en-Y reconstruction. The primary endpoint was assessment of QoL using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Gastric (FACT-Ga) questionnaire 36 months after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 122 patients were enrolled in the study, 60 to Billroth I and 62 to Roux-en-Y reconstruction. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of postoperative complications or mortality, and no significant differences in FACT-Ga total score (P = 0·496). Symptom scales such as epigastric fullness (heaviness), diarrhoea and fatigue were significantly better in the Billroth I group at 36 months after gastrectomy (heaviness, P = 0·040; diarrhoea, P = 0·046; fatigue, P = 0·029). The rate of weight loss in the third year was lower for patients in the Billroth I group (P = 0·046). CONCLUSION: The choice of anastomotic reconstruction after distal gastrectomy resulted in no difference in long-term QoL in patients with gastric cancer. REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01065688 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Ratio of low serum zinc levels in elderly Japanese people living in the central part of Japan.

OBJECTIVE: Elderly patients often have impaired taste, nausea, anorexia and delayed healing of decubitus. In many of these patients, serum zinc levels are low and they respond to zinc supplementation. To date, no epidemics of zinc deficiency have been reported in Japan. We studied the prevalence of zinc deficiency and its causative factors in a typical local town in Japan. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Nagano Prefecture (central Japan). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Serum zinc levels were measured in 1009 habitants (18-96 years old) who participated in an annual mass health examination program of the City in 2003. Of all subjects, 86 with low serum zinc (<65 microg/dl) or high zinc (> or =90 microg/dl) levels were randomly selected, and a dietary survey using 24-h recalling methods for 2 consecutive days was performed in 2004. Among them, blood was collected in the morning from 50 subjects (26-94 years old). RESULTS: The percentage of those with low serum zinc levels (2.5th percentile of Americans) was 37.9% in the elderly (> or =60 years old). The age-adjusted prevalence of low serum zinc was 21.1% in the aged population. A positive correlation was detected between zinc intake and serum zinc levels in elderly subjects (> or =60 years old). CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of zinc deficiency in adult inhabitants in central Japan rises with age. The deficiency correlates with dietary zinc intake.

Resting metabolic rate of Vietnamese adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the FAO/WHO/UNU equations for predicting resting metabolic rate (RMR) in Vietnamese adolescents. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study involving healthy subjects was carried out at the Basic Nutrition Department, National Institute of Nutrition, Vietnam. The RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry and anthropometric indices were recorded. Equations derived by linear regression of RMR and body weight were compared to the FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) predictive equations. SUBJECTS: A total of 110 subjects who had normal body mass index (5-85 percentile) and divided into two groups by sex. RESULTS: Mean RMRs (MJ/kg/day) were 0.1146+/-0.0054 for males and 0.1062+/-0.0103 for females. Compared to the FAO/WHO/UNU equation, our findings were 7.8% and 11.7% lower in the two groups, respectively (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the FAO/WHO/UNU equations may overestimate RMR in Vietnamese adolescents. Further studies on establishing reference of daily energy needs for Vietnamese adolescents should be carried out.

Carcinoembryonic antigen-specific suicide gene therapy of cytosine deaminase/5-fluorocytosine enhanced by the cre/loxP system in the orthotopic gastric carcinoma model.

Tumor-specific gene delivery is crucial to achieving successful effects in suicide gene therapy. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) promoter has been widely used for this purpose, but the expression level of tumor-specific promoters such as CEA promoter is generally low. In the previous study, we used the Cre/loxP system and showed that LacZ expression by the CEA promoter was remarkably enhanced and maintained its specificity using the Cre/loxP regulation system. In this study, the Cre/loxP system was first applied to augmentation of selective expression of the cytosine deaminase (CD) gene as a suicide gene therapy in CEA-producing cells. The double infection with AxCEANCre expressing Cre recombinase under the control of the CEA promoter and AxCALNLCD expressing the CD gene under the control of the CAG promoter by the Cre switching system rendered CEA-producing tumor cells 13-fold more sensitive to 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) compared with the single infection with AxCEACD expressing CD gene driven by the CEA promoter. The therapeutic efficacy of the enhanced CD/5-FC suicide gene therapy was evaluated in orthotopic implantation models of human gastric carcinoma. Adenovirus vectors (1 x 10(9) plaque-forming units) were administered i.p. into mice three times, and then 5-FC was administered i.p. for the next 10 days. Tumor volume and weight in mice treated with AxCEANCre and AxCALNLCD/5-FC were significantly reduced as compared with those in mice treated not only with Mock (AxCALacZ) but also with AxCEACD/5-FC (P < 0.0001). This beneficial effect on tumor burden was also reflected in the overall survival. The survival periods of the mice treated with AxCEANCre and AxCALNLCD/5-FC were longer than those of mice treated with Mock or AxCEACD/5-FC (P < 0.01). These results suggested that application of the Cre/loxP system could provide a new approach for enhanced selective suicide gene therapy of CD/5-FC for the treatment of advanced gastric carcinoma.

Prevalence of dental caries and sugar consumption among 6-12-y-old schoolchildren in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of dental caries and the level of sugar consumption among 6-12-y-old schoolchildren in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines. DESIGN: A Cross-sectional study as a baseline survey for a later intervention program. A questionnaire was distributed to obtain information on dental history and total consumption of food with sugar. Caries were diagnosed based on the WHO recommendation. RESULTS: A total of 1200 schoolchildren, aged 6-12 y were included. The prevalence of dental caries in primary dentition was 71.7% and in the permanent dentition, 68.2%. The mean total decayed, extracted due to caries and filled primary teeth (DMFT) and decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) were 4.12 (s.d. 4.03) and 2.40 (s.d. 2.57), respectively. As age increased the mean DMFT increased. Majority (70%) had tooth brushing practices, and less than half (42.5%) had a dental visit only when necessary. Their sugar intake was twice more than the WHO recommendation with a mean daily total intake of 59 g per person. Most common sources of dietary sugar were hard candies (89%), banana cue (84.9%), camote cue (84.9%) and soft drinks (84.4%). No significant correlation was found between sugar intake and dental caries. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that dental caries is highly prevalent and increase with augmented sugar consumption. This maybe due to a widespread neglect of oral health and an increased availability of refined sugary products. Caries rates mirrored those of the developing countries with untreated lesions dominating all ages. The high level of untreated caries in all age groups is a cause for concern.

FAO/WHO/UNU equations overestimate resting metabolic rate in Vietnamese adults.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the FAO/WHO/UNU equations for predicting resting metabolic rate (RMR) in Vietnamese adults. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study with healthy subjects was carried out at the Basic Nutrition Department, National Institute of Nutrition, Vietnam. RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry, and anthropometric indices were recorded. Equations derived by linear regression of RMR vs body weight were compared to the FAO/WHO/UNU 1985 predictive equations. SUBJECTS: A total of 188 subjects (98 males and 90 females) had a normal body mass index (BMI) and were divided into four groups by sex and age (male and female subjects 18-29 and 30-60 y old). RESULTS: Mean RMR (MJ/kg/day) in males was lightly significant by higher than that in female subjects in the 18-29 y old age group (0.1074+/-0.0100 vs 0.0965+/-0.0123) and the same result was seen in the 30-60 y old group (0.1018+/-0.0114 vs 0.0922+/-0.0129). However, differences were not statistically significant in the two age groups. Compared to the FAO/WHO/UNU equation, our findings were 7.4, 9.0, 11.7, and 13.5% lower in the four groups, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the FAO/WHO/UNU equations may overestimate RMR in Vietnamese adults. Further studies examining the relationship between body weight and RMR are needed, and establishing new predictive equations for RMR in Vietnamese should be a priority.

Overexpression of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase enhances the sensitivity to 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine in tumour cells in vitro and in vivo.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'-DFUR), a prodrug of 5-FU, are representative of the chemotherapeutic agents for colorectal adenocarcinomas. Pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (PyNPase) catalyses the conversion of 5'-DFUR to 5-FU, the activated form. Murine adenocarcinoma CT26 cells were transfected with human PyNPase cDNA. The engineered transfectants producing PyNPase augmented the response to 5'-DFUR in vitro and in vivo. Animals were administered by means of intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, and not orally, in order to obtain a better efficiency of absorption. The tumours of the transfected cells nearly all disappeared, even following treatment with quite a small amount of the anticancer agent. The animals injected with the tranfected cells were protected against subsequent challenge with the parental tumour cell line. These findings demonstrate that PyNPase gene transfection increases the sensitivity to 5'-DFUR, and thereby decreases the toxicity of the agent.

Evaluation of MTX/5-FU sequential chemotherapy utilized MTT assay for gastrointestinal cancer.

Fresh human gastrointestinal cancer cells are more resistant to anticancer drugs compared to other cancer cells, and the selection of anticancer drugs for cancer chemotherapy is important. In the present study, it is demonstrated that MTX enhanced the chemosensitivity of 5-FU, especially, in the tumor cells with less than 70% inhibition ratio by the MTT assay. It has been reported that MTX/5-FU sequential chemotherapy was one of the effective chemotherapies against gastric cancer and colon cancer, and it is possible to anticipate the efficacy of MTX/5-FU sequential chemotherapy by the MTT assays.

In vitro antitumor activity of 4'-O-tetrahydropyranyladriamycin on human gastric cancer cells.

The antitumor activity of 4'-O-tetrahydropyranyladriamycin (THP-ADM) was assessed in established gastric cancer cell lines, including MKN-28, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma and KATO-III, signet ring cell carcinoma and freshly excised human gastric cancer cells, using the MTT assay. The inhibition rates of THP-ADM were identical to those of adriamycin (ADM) in established gastric cancer cell lines, and the chemosensitivity of MKN-28 was higher than KATO-III. In fresh human gastric cancer cells obtained from 27 patients the inhibition rates of THP-ADM were identical to those of ADM, and there was a significant correlation of inhibition rates ADM and THP-ADM. These results indicate that THP-ADM should be a potent candidate to replace ADM in cancer chemotherapy.

Multidisciplinary treatment for gastric cancer patients by chemoimmunotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric cancer is a virulent disease with a poor prognosis despite multidisciplinary treatment. The present study was designed to clarify the clinical effects of chemoimmunotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer. METHODOLOGY: The enrolled gastric cancer patients had distant metastases including liver (n = 2) and peritoneal dissemination (n = 21). The patients had received the chemotherapy according to the results of chemosensitivity test and adoptive immunotherapy by activated killer cells. RESULTS: There were no severe toxicities, except fever and mild myelo-suppression. Four patients had complete response (17.4%) and 10 patients had partial response (43.5%). The performance status was improved in responders (p < 0.01, from 2.6 +/- 0.5 to 1.4 +/- 0.7); however, this was not changed in non-responders (from 2.2 +/- 0.9 to 2.0 +/- 1.2). The survival of responders was longer than that of non-responders (p < 0.05, 198 +/- 69 days vs. 104 +/- 68 days). CONCLUSIONS: It was clarified that responders by chemoimmunotherapy had a good quality of life and longer survival.

Improvement of anti-Hu-associated paraneoplastic sensory neuropathy after chemoradiotherapy in a small cell lung cancer patient.

A 66-year-old man developed progressive painful dysesthesia in his hands and feet over 3 months. His vibration sense was impaired and sensory nerve action potentials of the limbs were not evoked. Biopsy of the peroneal nerve revealed sensory neuropathy. Positive anti-Hu antibody facilitated delineation of a right hilar mass and a metastatic lymph node in thoracic CT scan. He was diagnosed as small cell lung cancer associated with paraneoplastic sensory neuropathy. A complete response was achieved through chemotherapy (carboplatin and etoposide) and subsequent radiation therapy. Notably, his neurological conditions, although not changed during the hospitalization, gradually improved afterwards.

P-glycoprotein expression and chemosensitivity in highly purified fresh human gastrointestinal cancer cells.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Colorectal cancer is one of the tumors most refractory to treatment by chemotherapy. One of the major problems associated with cancer chemotherapy is drug-resistance of tumor cells, and resistance to doxorubicin (DOX) is mainly due to the effect of P-glycoprotein. We have tried to prove the correlation between P-glycoprotein expression and DOX-sensitivity in highly purified fresh human colorectal cancer and, moreover, to prove the differentiation of P-glycoprotein expression between the different kinds of cancers, including gastric cancer. METHODOLOGY: The present study was designed to quantify P-glycoprotein expression by flow cytometry, and DOX-sensitivity by MTT assay in highly purified fresh human tumor cells obtained from 29 cancer patients including 13 colorectal cancers and 16 gastric cancers. RESULTS: DOX-sensitivity decreased in proportion to P-glycoprotein expression in colorectal cancer. P-glycoprotein expression in colorectal cancer was higher than that in gastric cancer. Particularly, P-glycoprotein expression in colorectal cancer in the DOX low-sensitivity group was higher than in the DOX high-sensitivity group. CONCLUSIONS: The chemotherapeutic management of patients with colorectal cancer might be more effective if we can circumvent the effect of P-glycoprotein.

Clinical evaluation of hepatic arterial infusion of low dose-CDDP and 5-FU with hyperthermotherapy: a preliminary study for liver metastases from esophageal and gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The prognosis for gastric and esophageal cancer patients with liver metastases remains very poor. In most cases, liver metastasis is unresectable because of its number, size and location and therefore, other approaches need to be considered. METHODOLOGY: In this study we examined 4 patients. We showed the therapeutic benefits of employing hepatic arterial infusion of low-dose CDDP and 5-FU combined with hyperthermia for the treatment of liver metastases of gastric and esophageal cancer. RESULTS: All patients showed partial response, and bone marrow toxicities and gastrointestinal toxicities were extremely slight while liver toxicities were not observed at all. Moreover, 3 of the patients excluding patient 3 who had metastatic lesions other than liver metastases have still been alive for more than 17 months (17-28 months) maintaining a good quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, it is suggested that the merits of both low dose-FP and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy contribute to ideal clinical effects, and that hyperthermotherapy could enhance clinical responses without potentiating any toxicities. However, this is just a preliminary study, and therefore, a prospective randomized control study is necessary to evaluate the efficiency of this therapy.

Neutrophil functions and cytokine production in patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: One of the most important factors in the prevention of postoperative infection is the patient's own capacity to protect against infection. Neutrophils play a major role in this protection through phagocytosis and superoxide generation. Inflammatory cytokines are suitable for estimating the degree of surgical stress. The present study was designed to elucidate whether neutrophil functions are impaired in gastric cancer patients, and are related with cytokine production after surgery. METHODOLOGY: Phagocytosis and superoxide generation by neutrophils was studied in 84 patients with gastric cancer by flow cytometry. IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha were studied in 18 patients with gastric cancer by enzyme-linked immunosolubent assay. RESULTS: In gastric cancer patients phagocytosis was not impaired, whereas superoxide generation was lower than benign diseases and it was inhibited relative to the clinical stage. Moreover, superoxide generation was correlated with the nutritional parameters and was more suppressed in 7 patients who suffered from postoperative infection than in 40 patients whose postoperative course were uneventful. The fluctuation of superoxide generation correlated well with the serum cytokine levels in the postoperative course and its correlation was clarified in vitro. Nine patients with gastric cancer received intravenous hyperalimentation, and their superoxide generation was increased. CONCLUSIONS: Superoxide generation by neutrophils was suppressed in gastric cancer patients and it is suggested that nutritional support prevents postoperative infection via the augmentation of superoxide generation.

Follow-up of clinical efficacy of iontophoresis therapy for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

A great variety of therapies have been attempted for PHN, including pharmacotherapy and physical therapy. However, there has been no decisive treatment, and reports of the clinical efficacy of all available therapies have been rather controversial. Almost all studies conducted so far have looked only at short-term therapeutic efficacy, and only a few investigators have conducted long-term observations or studies on long-term outcome. We followed up the clinical efficacy of iontophoresis therapy using lidocaine and methylprednisolone in 197 PHN patients. Monitoring conducted for an average of 4 years after completion of the treatment showed that pain remained unchanged or improved compared to pain observed upon completion of the treatment in 90.4% of patients. Although 42.6% of patients were still continuing some treatment, 90.9% were found to be able to take care of themselves. Findings obtained were reviewed and discussed from various viewpoints. Our findings showed that iontophoresis therapy is not only effective at the end of the treatment, but its efficacy is maintained over a long period of time, indicating that it is clinically very useful for the treatment of PHN.

[A case of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (P102L) accompanied by optic atrophy].

We report a patient with Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS102) who developed optic atrophy. He had been complaining of slowly progressive postural unsteadiness and pain in both legs for 3 years. Visual acuity subacutely worsened in the last half year. His father and two aunts, who already died, had been diagnosed to have dementia. It is uncertain whether they had optic atrophy or not. He was alert but apathetic. Neurological examination revealed cerebellar ataxia, painful dysesthesia and loss of deep tendon reflexes in the lower limbs. Fundoscopic examination revealed bilateral optic atrophy without retinal degeneration, which has never been reported in GSS. A brain MRI showed mild atrophy of cerebellar hemispheres without signal abnormalities of optic nerves. DNA analysis of prion gene revealed point mutation at codon 102 (P102L), which was relatively common mutation in GSS. Other mutations were not found. Only two patients of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with optic atrophy have been reported. This case seems to be important to investigate why optic tracts are generally spared in prion disease.