Relationship between tumor cell infiltration and 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence signals after resection of MR-enhancing lesions and its prognostic significance in glioblastoma.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the degree of tumor cell infiltration in the tumor cavity and ventricle wall based on fluorescent signals of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) after removal of the magnetic resonance (MR)-enhancing area and analyzed its prognostic significance in glioblastoma. METHODS: Twenty-five newly developed isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype glioblastomas with complete resection both of MR-enhancing lesions and strong purple fluorescence on resection cavity were retrospectively analyzed. The fluorescent signals of 5-ALA were divided into strong purple, vague pink, and blue colors. The pathologic findings were classified into massively infiltrating tumor cells, infiltrating tumor cells, suspicious single-cell infiltration, and normal-appearing cells. The pathological findings were analyzed according to the fluorescent signals in the resection cavity and ventricle wall. RESULTS: There was no correlation between fluorescent signals and infiltrating tumor cells in the resection cavity (p = 0.199) and ventricle wall (p = 0.704) after resection of the MR-enhancing lesion. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) were 12.5 (± 2.1) and 21.1 (± 3.5) months, respectively. In univariate analysis, the presence of definitive infiltrating tumor cells in the resection cavity and ventricle wall was significantly related to the PFS (p = 0.002) and OS (p = 0.027). In multivariate analysis, the absence of definitive infiltrating tumor cells improved PFS (hazard ratio: 0.184; 95% CI: 0.049-0.690, p = 0.012) and OS (hazard ratio: 0.124; 95% CI: 0.015-0.998, p = 0.050). CONCLUSIONS: After resection both of the MR-enhancing lesions and strong purple fluorescence on resection cavity, there was no correlation between remnant fluorescent signals and infiltrating tumor cells. The remnant definitive infiltrating tumor cells in the resection cavity and ventricle wall significantly influenced the prognosis of patients with glioblastoma. Aggressive surgical removal of infiltrating tumor cells may improve their prognosis.

Lunate morphology as a risk factor of idiopathic ulnar impaction syndrome.

AIMS: Positive ulnar variance is an established risk factor for idiopathic ulnar impaction syndrome (UIS). However, not all patients with positive ulnar variance develop symptomatic UIS and other factors, including the morphology of the lunate, may be involved. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between lunate morphology and idiopathic UIS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cohort of 95 patients with idiopathic UIS (UIS group) was compared with 95 asymptomatic controls with positive ulnar variance. The shape of the lunate was measured using the capitate-triquetrum distance (CTD), ulnar coverage ratio (UCR), radiolunate distance and radiolunate angle. The association of radiographic parameters and lunate types with the development of UIS was investigated in univariable and multivariable analyses. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to estimate a cutoff for any statistically significant variables. RESULTS: The proportion of type II lunates, which have a medial hamate facet, were significantly higher in the UIS group than in the control group in the univariable analysis (p = 0.001). CTD (odds ratio (OR) 1.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11 to 2.06; p = 0.008) and UCR (OR 44.78; 95% CI 5.35 to 374.90; p = 0.002) showed a positive association with UIS in the multivariable analysis. Estimated cutoff values were 2.5 mm for the CTD (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.65) and 0.4 for the UCR (AUC = 0.64). CONCLUSION: The proportion of type II lunates was greater in the UIS group than in the control group. A large UCR, which represents the broad base of the lunate, was positively associated with the development of idiopathic UIS. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:1508-14.

Relationship between tumor cell infiltration and 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence signals after resection of MR-enhancing lesions and its prognostic significance in glioblastoma

Purpose This study investigated the degree of tumor cell infiltration in the tumor cavity and ventricle wall based on fluorescent signals of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) after removal of the magnetic resonance (MR)-enhancing area and analyzed its prognostic significance in glioblastoma. Methods Twenty-five newly developed isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-wildtype glioblastomas with complete resection both of MR-enhancing lesions and strong purple fluorescence on resection cavity were retrospectively analyzed. The fluorescent signals of 5-ALA were divided into strong purple, vague pink, and blue colors. The pathologic findings were classified into massively infiltrating tumor cells, infiltrating tumor cells, suspicious single-cell infiltration, and normal-appearing cells. The pathological findings were analyzed according to the fluorescent signals in the resection cavity and ventricle wall. Results There was no correlation between fluorescent signals and infiltrating tumor cells in the resection cavity (p = 0.199) and ventricle wall (p = 0.704) after resection of the MR-enhancing lesion. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) were 12.5 (± 2.1) and 21.1 (± 3.5) months, respectively. In univariate analysis, the presence of definitive infiltrating tumor cells in the resection cavity and ventricle wall was significantly related to the PFS (p = 0.002) and OS (p = 0.027). In multivariate analysis, the absence of definitive infiltrating tumor cells improved PFS (hazard ratio: 0.184; 95% CI: 0.049–0.690, p = 0.012) and OS (hazard ratio: 0.124; 95% CI: 0.015–0.998, p = 0.050). Conclusions After resection both of the MR-enhancing lesions and strong purple fluorescence on resection cavity, there was no correlation between remnant fluorescent signals and infiltrating tumor cells (AU)

Pump efficiency improvement of a C-band tunable fiber laser using optical circulator and tunable fiber gratings.

We propose and demonstrate a tunable fiber laser based on an optical circulator (OC) and two tunable fiber Bragg gratings (TFBGs). The OC acts as a pump power router to improve the pumping efficiency, and a 4% increase in overall conversion efficiency has been observed. The combined tuning spectra range of two TFBGs could cover the entire C-band spectrum from 1530 to 1560 nm. Stable laser output power above 10 dBm is obtained using 1.9 m of erbium-doped fiber and TFBGs with 50% reflectivity. With power equalization by using variable optical attenuators, the power variation is less than 0.1 dB in the whole C band with narrow linewidth of 0.05 nm. A signal-to-noise ratio of 60 dB and a continuous tuning resolution of 0.5 nm have been achieved. The TFBG-based tunable fiber laser can be a promising light source for WDM transmission and fiber sensor applications.

Artekeiskeanin A: a new coumarin-monoterpene ether from Artemisia keiskeana.

A new coumarin-monoterpene ether, artekeiskeanin A (1) and two known coumarins, dracunculin (2) and scopoletin (3) were isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia keiskeana. The structure of 1 was determined to be 7-(trans-8-oxogeranyloxy)-6-methoxycoumarin on the basis of spectroscopic studies.

Subcapsular hematoma as a complication of acute pyelonephritis: a case report.

A case of subcapsular hematoma, a rare complication of acute pyelonephritis (APN) is described. A 60-year-old diabetic woman was admitted with a 3 day history of fever and left flank pain due to acute pyelonephritis. On the third day in hospital, left flank pain worsened despite use of antibiotics available for the treatments of APN and hemoglobin rapidly decreased from 11.1 to 7.9 g/dL. Ultrasonography and abdominal CT showed left subcapsular hematoma. Renal angiography demonstrated an ovoid avascular zone between the capsular artery and parenchyme of the left kidney with no evidence of tumors or vascular abnormalities, such as arteriovenous malformation or fistula. Subsequent percutaneous drainage of this subcapsular hematoma was performed and showed old blood-colored drainage. Hereby, the possibility of subcapsular renal hematoma in the course of acute pyelonephritis is stressed as a rare complication.