Molecular insights and the role of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in the diagnosis of spinal gliomas.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, molecular findings on spinal gliomas have become increasingly important. This study aimed to investigate the role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) in the diagnosis of spinal glioma. METHODS: This study included patients diagnosed with spinal cord glioma who underwent 18F-FDG-PET examination at the Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Hospital between January 2016 and November 2023. The gliomas were divided into two groups, high-grade and low-grade, based on pathological and molecular studies. The maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) of the tumors were quantified and subsequently represented using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Eighteen participants were included in this study. Of the participants, seven had high-grade glioma with an SUVmax of 6.76 ± 0.72, and eleven had low-grade glioma with an SUVmax of 4.02 ± 1.78, and a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The ROC curve delineated an SUVmax cutoff value of 5.650, with an area under the curve (AUC) of approximately 0.909. Based on the cutoff value, the results of the diagnostic performance rendered a sensitivity and negative predictive value of 1.0, whereas the specificity and positive predictive value were 0.909 and 0.875, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that 18F-FDG-PET exhibits a markedly sensitive and negative predictive value in the assessment of spinal gliomas. Additionally, these findings have potential implications for the qualitative assessment of spinal gliomas using 18F-FDG-PET/CT. This imaging modality may be useful for making timely treatment decisions in situations where a detailed diagnosis by molecular analysis is not possible.

Direct Screw Osteosynthesis for an Elderly Osteoporotic Patient With C2 Complex Fracture.

There are various types of C2 fractures, including odontoid fractures, hangman fractures, and complex fractures, which involve the vertebral body or multiple fracture types. The published literature on C2 complex fractures is limited, and treatment strategies have not yet been established. An 80-year-old woman with a history of osteoporosis, brain stroke, and cervical spondylosis fell and sustained a C2 complex fracture. Initial treatment with a cervical collar was unsuccessful and a C2 direct screw osteosynthesis surgery was performed under an image-guided three-dimensional navigation system. The surgical procedure was successfully performed with a surgical time of 83 minutes and a blood loss of 31 ml. Her neck pain improved after surgery. Follow-up CT scans revealed acceptable healing of the fracture four months later. C2 direct screw osteosynthesis is a viable treatment option for C2 complex fractures, particularly in elderly patients who may benefit from early stabilization of the fracture to prevent complications associated with long-term conservative treatment.

Speech-language Pathology Rehabilitation in a Case of Jefferson Fracture Complicated with Lower Cranial Nerve Palsies.

A 68-year-old man presented with a Jefferson fracture leading to lower cranial nerve palsies affecting the ninth, tenth, and twelfth cranial nerves with a traumatic basilar impression. On the X day, the patient underwent occipitocervical posterior fixation surgery; the surgery was uneventful. However, just after the surgery, epipharyngeal palsy and airway obstruction occurred. Consequently, tracheostomy was needed. On the X+8 day, speech-language pathology (SLP) therapy was initiated for decannulation. On the X+21 day, the patient could clear all the checkpoints and was decannulated. On the X+36 day, the patient was discharged home and SLP therapy was continued. On the X+171 day, his SLP therapy was halted. However, the patient continued to complain that he could not speak as fast as before, and his quality of life remained compromised. Some studies reported that lower cranial nerve palsies affecting the ninth to the twelfth cranial nerve occur in conjunction with Jefferson fractures. Thus, SLP therapy is crucial for Jefferson fracture cases.

Breaking Down the Magnonic Wiedemann-Franz Law in the Hydrodynamic Regime.

Recent experiments have shown an indication of a hydrodynamic magnon behavior in ultrapure ferromagnetic insulators; however, its direct observation is still lacking. Here, we derive a set of coupled hydrodynamic equations and study the thermal and spin conductivities for such a magnon fluid. We reveal the drastic breakdown of the magnonic Wiedemann-Franz law as a hallmark of the hydrodynamics regime, which will become key evidence for the experimental realization of an emergent hydrodynamic magnon behavior. Therefore, our results pave the way toward the direct observation of magnon fluids.

Nonequilibrium noise as a probe of pair-tunneling transport in the BCS-BEC crossover.

The detection of elementary carriers in transport phenomena is one of the most important keys to understand nontrivial properties of strongly correlated quantum matter. Here, we propose a method to identify the tunneling current carrier in strongly interacting fermions from nonequilibrium noise in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer to Bose-Einstein condensate crossover. The noise-to-current ratio, the Fano factor, can be a crucial probe for the current carrier. Bringing strongly correlated fermions into contact with a dilute reservoir produces a tunneling current in between. The associated Fano factor increases from one to two as the interaction becomes stronger, reflecting the fact that the dominant conduction channel changes from the quasiparticle tunneling to the pair tunneling.

The usefulness of three-dimensional fusion imaging of spinal arteriovenous malformation by a workstation connected to angiography systems.

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is the most useful technique for diagnosing spinal arteriovenous malformations (AVM). In recent years, with the improvement of imaging capabilities, the usefulness of three-dimensional (3D) imaging by fusing various modalities has been recognized. The use of 3D fusion imaging with a workstation connected to an angiography system has been reported in many cases of intracranial disease, but less frequently for spinal AVM. In this article, we describe two illustrative cases of spinal AVM in which 3D fusion imaging was useful for treatment. Although 3D fusion images using the system have the disadvantage that only a maximum of two images can be fused, it provides spinal surgeons with useful information for preoperative evaluation in a small amount of time.

Surgical management of brain metastasis as a part of systematic metastases from adenoid cystic carcinoma of the external auditory canal: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the external auditory canal (EAC) is a rare tumor that accounts for approximately 5% of all EAC tumors. ACC is generally known as a slow-growing tumor, but patients often experience recurrence or distant metastasis in the long clinical course. While the major pattern of recurrence is pulmonary metastasis, brain metastasis of ACC of the EAC is rare. OBSERVATIONS: The authors describe the case of a 72-year-old male who was diagnosed with ACC of the EAC. Approximately 7 years later, brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intra-axial homogenously enhancing mass lesion that had no direct connection with the skull base in the left frontal lobe. The patient underwent tumor resection and histopathological examination revealed a mixture of cribriform and tubular patterns. The image and pathological characteristics of the tumor were similar to those of primary ACC or ACC from other sites of origin. LESSONS: While patients with ACC of the EAC often experience recurrence or distant metastasis in the long clinical course, they survive for a relatively long period of time, even though an optimal treatment has not been established. The authors therefore recommend surgical resection for brain metastasis of ACC of the EAC to improve neurological symptoms.

Spin Elastodynamic Motive Force.

The spin-motive force (SMF) in a simple ferromagnetic monolayer caused by a surface acoustic wave is studied theoretically via spin-vorticity coupling (SVC). The SMF has two mechanisms. The first is the SVC-driven SMF, which produces the first harmonic electromotive force, and the second is the interplay between the SVC and the magnetoelastic coupling, which produces the dc and second harmonic electromotive forces. We show that these electric voltages induced by a Rayleigh-type surface acoustic wave can be detected in polycrystalline nickel. No sophisticated device structures, noncollinear magnetic structures, or strong spin-orbit materials are used in our approach. Consequently, it is intended to broaden the spectrum of SMF applications considerably.

Two cases of solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma with different clinical features according to the World Health Organization classification: case report and review of the literature.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) and hemangiopericytomas (HPCs) have been classified as one entity by the World Health Organization in 2016 due to gene fusion between NAB2 and STAT6. In the Central Nervous System (CNS), a hypocellular, collagenized tumor with a classic SFT phenotype is considered grade I, whereas more densely cellular tumors mostly corresponding to the HPC phenotype are classified as grade II or III (anaplastic) depending in mitotic count (<5 vs. >5 mitoses per 10 high-power fields). Herein, we report two cases of targeted SFT/HPC in which pathological differences and WHO grading affect clinical features. A 75-year-old woman presented with headache and had an intradural extramedullary tumor at the C1 to C2 level. The tumor was well-circumscribed and attached only to the dura mater. It was totally removed and diagnosed SFT/HPC grade I. In contrast, a 68-year-old woman presented with numbness in the right upper limb and had an intradural extramedullary tumor at the medulla to C3 levels The tumor was irregularly marginated and strongly adherent to the spinal cord and involved the vertebral artery. It was sub totally removed and diagnosed SFT/HPC grade II. To the best of our knowledge, there are only 12 cases of SFT/HPC at the craniocervical junction, including the present two cases, of which four that were adherent to the spinal cord or involved the vertebral artery were grade II or III. Although the location of the tumor was almost the same, there were significant differences in the intraoperative findings according to the WHO grading.

Observation of Gyromagnetic Spin Wave Resonance in NiFe Films.

This Letter demonstrates spin wave resonance (SWR) owing to the gyromagnetic effect by propagating a Rayleigh-type surface acoustic wave (R-SAW) through ferromagnetic thin films. The SWR amplitude in a NiFe film shows a higher-order frequency variation than in a magnetoelastic Ni film. This frequency dependence is well understood in terms of the presence of a gyromagnetic field attributable to the local lattice rotation in the R-SAW. From the frequency dependence of the SWR amplitude, the gyromagnetic SWR could be separated from another SWR caused by a magnetoelastic effect of the ferromagnet.

Valley-Dependent Spin Transport in Monolayer Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides.

We study valley-dependent spin transport theoretically in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides in which a variety of spin and valley physics are expected because of spin-valley coupling. The results show that the spins are valley-selectively excited with appropriate carrier doping and valley polarized spin current (VPSC) is generated. The VPSC leads to the spin-current Hall effect, transverse spin accumulation originating from the Berry curvature in momentum space. The results indicate that spin excitations with spin-valley coupling lead to both valley and spin transport, which is promising for future low-consumption nanodevice applications.

Author Correction: Record thermopower found in an IrMn-based spintronic stack.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Record thermopower found in an IrMn-based spintronic stack.

The Seebeck effect converts thermal gradients into electricity. As an approach to power technologies in the current Internet-of-Things era, on-chip energy harvesting is highly attractive, and to be effective, demands thin film materials with large Seebeck coefficients. In spintronics, the antiferromagnetic metal IrMn has been used as the pinning layer in magnetic tunnel junctions that form building blocks for magnetic random access memories and magnetic sensors. Spin pumping experiments revealed that IrMn Néel temperature is thickness-dependent and approaches room temperature when the layer is thin. Here, we report that the Seebeck coefficient is maximum at the Néel temperature of IrMn of 0.6 to 4.0 nm in thickness in IrMn-based half magnetic tunnel junctions. We obtain a record Seebeck coefficient 390 (±10) µV K-1 at room temperature. Our results demonstrate that IrMn-based magnetic devices could harvest the heat dissipation for magnetic sensors, thus contributing to the Power-of-Things paradigm.

Nonreciprocal Spin Current Generation in Surface-Oxidized Copper Films.

We experimentally demonstrate the nonreciprocal generation of spin current (J_{s}) in a surface-oxidized copper film. The efficiency of conversion is at least 320 times larger than the inverse conversion. This nonreciprocity is due to a novel type of J_{s} generation, which relies on the transfer of angular momentum from the velocity field of free electrons. A gradient in the electrical mobility in the film produces vorticity in the in-plane drift velocity of the free electrons. The inverse process can hardly occur when J_{s} is collinear with the gradient in the electrical mobility.

Spin Seebeck mechanical force.

Electric current has been used to send electricity to far distant places. On the other hand, spin current, a flow of electron spin, can in principle also send angular momentum to distant places. In a magnet, there is a universal spin carrier called a spin wave, a wave-type excitation of magnetization. Since spin waves exhibit a long propagation length, it should be able to send angular momentum that can generate torque and force at a distant place: a new function of magnets. Here we observe mechanical angular momentum transmission and force generation due to spin waves injected into Y3Fe5O12 by the spin-Seebeck effect. The spin-wave current, transmitted through a Y3Fe5O12 micro cantilever, was found to create a mechanical force on the cantilever as a non-local reaction of the spin-Seebeck effect. Spin-wave current can be generated remotely even in open circuits, and it can be used to drive micro mechanical devices.

Dirac surface state-modulated spin dynamics in a ferrimagnetic insulator at room temperature.

This work demonstrates markedly modified spin dynamics of magnetic insulator (MI) by the spin momentum-locked Dirac surface states of the adjacent topological insulator (TI), which can be harnessed for spintronic applications. As the Bi concentration x is systematically tuned in 5-nm-thick (Bi x Sb1-x )2Te3 TI films, the weight of the surface relative to bulk states peaks at x = 0.32 when the chemical potential approaches the Dirac point. At this concentration, the Gilbert damping constant of the precessing magnetization in 10-nm-thick Y3Fe5O12 MI films in the MI/TI heterostructures is enhanced by an order of magnitude, the largest among all concentrations. In addition, the MI acquires additional strong magnetic anisotropy that favors the in-plane orientation with similar Bi concentration dependence. These extraordinary effects of the Dirac surface states distinguish TI from other materials such as heavy metals in modulating spin dynamics of the neighboring magnetic layer.

Effects of mechanical rotation on spin currents.

We study the Pauli-Schrödinger equation in a uniformly rotating frame of reference to describe a coupling of spins and mechanical rotations. The explicit form of the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) with the inertial effects due to the mechanical rotation is presented. We derive equations of motion for a wave packet of electrons in two-dimensional planes subject to the SOI. The solution is a superposition of two cyclotron motions with different frequencies and a circular spin current is created by the mechanical rotation. The magnitude of the spin current is linearly proportional to the lower cyclotron frequency.

Quantitative evaluation of threshold fiber strain that induces reorganization of cytoskeletal actin fiber structure in osteoblastic cells.

The cytoskeletal stress fiber structure plays essential roles in various kinds of cellular functions such as shape maintenance, active motility and mechanosensing, and its structure is dynamically reorganized under each functional process. In known reorganization mechanisms of the stress fibers, a change in its mechanical condition has been suggested as one of the key mediators that affect the reorganization process. Some experimental studies have clarified that tension release in the stress fibers induces fiber depolymerization that is considered to be the initial phase of the reorganization process. However, quantitative mechanical values such as strain or stress that induce depolymerization have still not been evaluated. This study is aimed at the quantitative evaluation of the mechanical value that induces stress fiber depolymerization, to gain a basic understanding of the reorganization phenomenon from a mechanical viewpoint. Osteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1) were cultured on prestretched silicone rubber substrate. Compressive deformation was applied to the cells by uniaxially releasing the prestretched substrate strain and change in the stress fiber structure was observed. The results indicated that the compressive strain magnitude, not in the whole cell body but in the stress fiber itself, is important to induce disassembly of the stress fiber structure. The existence of a threshold strain magnitude for initiating fiber disassembly was also suggested; the threshold strain magnitude was evaluated as approximately -0.20.