Changes of Functional MRI Findings in a Patient Whose Pathological Gambling Improved with Fluvoxamine

Legalized gambling is a growing industry, and is probably a factor in the presently increasing prevalence of pathological gambling. We present a case of a 36-year-old pathological gambler who was treated with fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and who was assessed by functional MRI before and after drug administration. During activation periods, the pathological gambler was shown cards as stimuli, and fMRI results in several brain regions showed differential effects before and after medication and a maintenance period. This case demonstrates that the treatment response to fluvoxamine in a pathological gambler was observed not only by subjective self-report, but also by objective fMRI results. Therefore, fMRI may be a useful tool in the diagnosis and prediction of treatment response in patients afflicted with pathological gambling

Extreme Duplication-type, Nonseparated Fenestration of the Basilar Artery in a Patient with Pontine Infarction: Confirmation with Virtual Arterial Endoscopy

We present a case of a 55-year-old woman with pontine infarction and fenestration of the basilar artery that was demonstrated using virtual endoscopy. The patient had motor weakness of the right side with sudden onset. Diffusion- and T2-weighted MR images revealed high signal intensities in the left pontine regions, and an MR angiographic examination showed the double-lumen sign of the basilar artery. An extensive duplication-type, nonseparated fenestration of the basilar artery was diagnosed by virtual endoscopy and craniocaudal communications with discrete openings were observed. We report a case of a patient with basilar artery fenestration and associated brainstem infarction

Comparison of Renal Damage by Iodinated Contrast or Gadolinium in an Acute Renal Failure Rat Model Based on Serum Creatinine Levels and Apoptosis Degree

This study was undertaken to compare renal damage, as determined by serum creatinine and degree of apoptosis, caused by iodinated contrast or gadolinium in an acute renal failure (ARF) rat model. Rats were divided into three groups; controls (n=3), a CT contrast medium group (n=9), and an MR contrast medium group (n=9). The CT and MR groups were further subdivided into three groups, namely, low, standard, and high dose subgroups. Renal function was evaluated by determining serum creatinine levels; before ARF, and 48 hr after ARF and contrast administration. Apoptosis was assayed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferasemediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). No significant creatinine level differences were observed between the CT and MR groups (p=0.116). Degrees of apoptosis in the renal cortex and medulla were more severe in the CT contrast medium group than in the control or MR contrast medium group (p<0.05). The study shows that CT contrast medium did not aggravate renal function more so than MR contrast medium in this ARF rat model. However, apoptosis examination in the renal cortex and medulla indicated that CT contrast medium induced more severe apoptosis than MR contrast medium (p<0.05). We conclude that CT contrast medium can be used for renal imaging studies when subjects are well hydrated and preventive medication is administered

Liver X receptor is a therapeutic target for photoaging and chronological skin aging

Liver X receptors (LXRalpha and -beta) are liposensors that exert their metabolic effects by orchestrating the expression of macrophage genes involved in lipid metabolism and inflammation. LXRs are also expressed in other tissues, including skin, where their natural oxysterol ligands induce keratinocyte differentiation and improve epidermal barrier function. To extend the potential use of LXR ligands to dermatological indications, we explored the possibility of using LXR as a target for skin aging. We demonstrate that LXR signaling is down-regulated in cell-based models of photoaging, i.e. UV-activated keratinocytes and TNFalpha-activated dermal fibroblasts. We show that a synthetic LXR ligand inhibits the expression of cytokines and metalloproteinases in these in vitro models, thus indicating its potential in decreasing cutaneous inflammation associated with the etiology of photoaging. Furthermore, a synthetic LXR ligand induces the expression of differentiation markers, ceramide biosynthesis enzymes, and lipid synthesis and transport genes in keratinocytes. Remarkably, LXRbeta-null mouse skin showed some of the molecular defects that are observed in chronologically aged human skin. Finally, we demonstrate that a synthetic LXR agonist inhibits UV-induced photodamage and skin wrinkle formation in a murine model of photoaging. Therefore, the ability of an LXR ligand to modulate multiple pathways underlying the etiology of skin aging suggests that LXR is a novel target for developing potential therapeutics for photoaging and chronological skin aging indications

The Yuan-Tseh Lee Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy

The Yuan-Tseh Lee Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy (AMiBA) is the first interferometer dedicated to studying the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation at 3mm wavelength. The choice of 3mm was made to minimize the contributions from foreground synchrotron radiation and Galactic dust emission. The initial configuration of seven 0.6m telescopes mounted on a 6-m hexapod platform was dedicated in October 2006 on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Scientific operations began with the detection of a number of clusters of galaxies via the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. We compare our data with Subaru weak lensing data in order to study the structure of dark matter. We also compare our data with X-ray data in order to derive the Hubble constant.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ (13 pages, 7 figures); a version with high resolution figures available at http://www.asiaa.sinica.edu.tw/~keiichi/upfiles/AMiBA7/pho_highreso.pd

Clinical Significance of Crescent Formation in IgA Nephropathy – a Multicenter Validation Study

Background/Aims: Additional validation study was warranted to confirm the clinical significance of C score, which was recently added to the Oxford classification for immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study in four hospitals in Korea. Patients who had biopsied glomeruli less than eight or inadequate follow-up information were excluded. Clinicopathologic parameters, including the degree of cellular or fibrocellular crescents, were collected and included in multivariable models for Cox regression analysis. The main outcome was a composite renal outcome, defined as a merge of progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and halving of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline. Results: Among included 3,380 biopsy-confirmed IgAN patients, there were 664 (19.6%) patients with C1 and 60 (1.8%) patients with C2 scores in the study population. Although C0 and C1 patients shared similar baseline characteristics, C2 patients frequently had more clinicopathologic risk factors for poor prognosis of IgAN. Both C1 [adjusted HR 1.33 (1.11-1.58), P=0.002] and C2 [adjusted HR 2.24 (1.46-3.43), P&#x3c; 0.001] scores were associated with an increased risk of the composite outcome. C2 was a strong predictive parameter associated with both progression to ESRD and halving of eGFR, whereas C1 was mainly associated with the increased risk of halving of eGFR. Notably, the proportion of crescent showed a linear association with the risk of adverse renal outcome. Conclusion: The C score in the Oxford classification is a valid predictive parameter for IgAN prognosis. Additional clinical attention is necessary for IgAN patients with identified cellular or fibrocellular crescents