[LOCALIZED AMYLOIDOSIS OF THE RENAL SINUS: A CASE REPORT].

An 80-year-old man was accidentally diagnosed with a left renal pelvic tumor by computed tomography (CT), and visited our hospital. A tumorous lesion with an inhomogeneous contrast effect occupying the left renal pelvis was confirmed by the contrast-enhanced CT scan, and enlargement of multiple lymph nodes around the aorta and inferior vena cava was recognized. Urine cytology of the left renal pelvis was pseudo-positive. In the preoperative diagnosis of left renal pelvic carcinoma cT3N2M0, left nephroureterectomy and lymph node dissection were performed. Pathological findings revealed an amyloid tumor confined to the renal sinus and diagnosed as localized amyloidosis.

Trading experience modulates anterior insula to reduce the endowment effect.

People often demand a greater price when selling goods that they own than they would pay to purchase the same goods-a well-known economic bias called the endowment effect. The endowment effect has been found to be muted among experienced traders, but little is known about how trading experience reduces the endowment effect. We show that when selling, experienced traders exhibit lower right anterior insula activity, but no differences in nucleus accumbens or orbitofrontal activation, compared with inexperienced traders. Furthermore, insula activation mediates the effect of experience on the endowment effect. Similar results are obtained for inexperienced traders who are incentivized to gain trading experience. This finding indicates that frequent trading likely mitigates the endowment effect indirectly by modifying negative affective responses in the context of selling.

A Slow Stream Is Pathophysiologically Related to a Poor Response to α1-Adrenoceptor Therapy in the Treatment of Storage Symptoms Associated With Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the etiology of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms during secondary treatment following initial unsuccessful therapy with α1-blockers in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)/OAB patients. METHODS: BPH/OAB patients were selected if urinary urgency did not improve with initial α1-blocker therapy and if dose escalation was required as secondary treatment for a period of 8 weeks. The overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and uroflowmetry were evaluated. On the basis of the OABSS at the end of secondary therapy, we divided patients into two groups: patients in whom OAB symptoms improved ("resolved OAB group") and patients in whom OAB symptoms persisted ("persistent OAB group"). Differences in subjective symptoms and objective parameters between the groups were analyzed. RESULTS: OAB symptoms improved in 33 of 79 patients (42%) after secondary treatment. The changes in the total OABSS and International Prostate Symptom Score from the beginning of the secondary treatment were -2.15 and -3.97, respectively, in the resolved OAB group, indicating a significant decrease in the OABSS compared to that in the persistent OAB group (-0.91 and -1.11, respectively). The change in average flow rate (Qave; +1.34) from the beginning of secondary treatment in the resolved OAB group was significantly greater than the change in the persistent OAB group (+0.58). Improvements in urgency and Qave were significantly correlated (r = -0.264, P = .031). CONCLUSION: Improvement in urinary stream contributed to the resolution of OAB symptoms in BPH/OAB patients. In the management of OAB symptoms in BPH/OAB patients, examination and therapy for both urinary stream and OAB symptoms could be substantially important.

Effect of incubation atmosphere on the production and composition of staphylococcal biofilms.

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are pathogenic bacteria that often cause invasive infections in humans. In this study, we characterized the composition and growth characteristics of staphylococcal biofilms under various incubation atmospheres. We assessed the effect of incubation atmosphere (aerobic, 5% CO2, anaerobic, and microaerobic) on the biofilm production capabilities of S. aureus strains isolated from healthy volunteers and from patients with catheter-related bloodstream infection. In addition, the composition of S. aureus and S. epidermidis biofilms was determined by assessment of biofilm degradation after treatment with DNase I, proteinase K, and dispersin B. The strains obtained from healthy volunteers and patients showed similar biofilm formation capabilities. Biofilms of S. aureus were rich in proteins when developed under ambient atmospheric conditions, 5% CO2, and microaerobic condition, whereas S. epidermidis biofilms contained large amounts of poly-ß (1, 6)-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine when developed under ambient atmospheric conditions and microaerobic condition. The biofilm-producing capability of S. epidermidis was considerably higher than that of S. aureus under aerobic condition. Staphylococcal isolates obtained from healthy individuals and patients with catheter-related infections have similar biofilm-forming capabilities. Under microaerobic conditions, S. aureus and S. epidermidis form protein-rich and poly-ß (1, 6)-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-rich biofilms, respectively. These components may play an important role in the development of biofilms inside the body and may be the target molecules to prevent catheter-related infections caused by these organisms.

Molecular structure of La3+-induced methanol dehydrogenase-like protein in Methylobacterium radiotolerans.

La(3+) and not Ca(2+) increases methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) activity in Methylobacterium radiotolerans NBRC15690. La(3+)- and Ca(2+)-MDH-like proteins were found to be homodimeric (α(2)) and heterotetrameric (α(2)ß(2)), respectively. N-terminal amino acid sequences of these proteins revealed that La(3+)- and Ca(2+)-MDH-like proteins were encoded by xoxF and mxaFI, respectively.

In vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of TAK-456, a novel oral triazole with a broad antifungal spectrum.

TAK-456 is a novel oral triazole compound with potent and broad-spectrum in vitro antifungal activity and strong in vivo efficacy against Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. TAK-456 inhibited sterol synthesis of C. albicans and A. fumigatus by 50% at 3 to 11 ng/ml. TAK-456 showed strong in vitro activity against clinical isolates of Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., and Cryptococcus neoformans, except for Candida glabrata. The MICs at which 90% of the isolates tested were inhibited byTAK-456, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B were 0.25, 4, 0.5, 0.13, and 0.5 microg/ml, respectively, for clinical isolates of C. albicans and 1, >64, 0.5, 0.5, and 0.5 microg/ml, respectively, for clinical isolates of A. fumigatus. Therapeutic activities of TAK-456 and reference triazoles against systemic lethal infections caused by C. albicans and A. fumigatus in mice were investigated by orally administering drugs once daily for 5 days, and efficacies of the compounds were evaluated by the prolongation of survival. In normal mice, TAK-456 and fluconazole were effective against infection caused by fluconazole-susceptible C. albicans at a dose of 1 mg/kg. In transiently neutropenic mice, therapeutic activity of TAK-456 at 1 mg/kg of body weight against infection with the same strain was stronger than those at 1 mg/kg of fluconazole. TAK-456 was effective against infections with two strains of fluconazole-resistant C. albicans at a dose of 10 mg/kg. TAK-456 also expressed activities similar to or higher than those of itraconazole against the infections caused by two strains of A. fumigatus in neutropenic mice at a dose of 10 mg/kg. These results suggest that TAK-456 is a promising candidate for development for the treatment of candidiasis and aspergillosis in humans.