Incidental Germinoma of the Basal Ganglia : A Neuropathologic Study

Neuropathologic findings of a case of an incipient germinoma in the basal ganglia incidentally found in a twelve-year-old boy who died of an accidental head trauma are described. Germinoma cells, in groups or singly, infiltrated mainly into the anterior part of the lateral division of the globus pallidus, and also into the anterior limb of the internal capsule, putamen, nucleus basalis of Meynert, anterior commissure, and the head of the caudate nucleus of the left cerebral hemisphere. Fundamental cerebral structures were well preserved. Tumor cells were positively stained for placental alkaline phosphatase by the PAP method, and could easily be discriminated from remaining nerve cells

Synthesis and characterization of silica gel from siliceous sands of southern Tunisia

The present work aimed to achieve valorization of Albian sands for the preparation of sodium silicates that are commonly used as a precursor to prepare silica gel. A siliceous sand sample was mixed with sodium carbonate and heated at a high temperature (1060 °C) to prepare sodium silicates. The sodium silicates were dissolved in distilled water to obtain high quality sodium silicate solution. Hydrochloric acid was then slowly added to the hydrated sodium silicates to obtain silica gel. The collected raw siliceous sands, as well as the prepared silica gels, were characterized by different techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal analysis (DSC). XRF confirmed that the detrital sand deposits of southern Tunisia contain high amounts of silica, with content ranging from 88.8% to 97.5%. The internal porosity varied between 17% and 22%, and the specific surface area was less than 5 m2/g. After the treatment described above, it was observed that the porosity of the obtained silica gel reached 57% and the specific surface area exceeded 340 m2/g. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms showed that the prepared silica gels are microporous and mesoporous materials with high adsorption capacities. These results suggest that the obtained silica gels are promising materials for numerous environmental applications

White Patchy Materials Formed in a Scoriacious Road-cut Profile on Miyake Island(Plant Production Science Soil Science)

Sulfurous gas, sulfur or sulfates are frequently contained in volcanic ejecta. We found white patchy materials (WPM) in a road-cut profile on Miyake Island, Japan. The layer containing WPM consists of scoria deposit in 1874. The major materials we identified in the WPM were CaSO_4・2H_2O and amorphous silica according to X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analyses. A possible process for crystallization of CaSO_4・2H_2O in the WPM is the dissolution of CaSO_4・2H_2O contained in the overlying 2000 ash and its re-precipitation on the surface of the scoriacious road-cut profile. Emission of sulfur dioxide gas, converted to sulfuric acid in water, has been so abundant since the 2000 eruption that we further examined reaction products between crushed scoria and dilute H_2SO_4 (0.1-2.5mol L^). CaSO_4・2H_2O was also identified in the reaction products as well as alunogen, iron sulfate, etc. Because alunogen is highly soluble in water, CaSO_4・2H_2O was the major crystalline product after rinsing with water

Neuropathologic Studies of Acute Multiple Sclerosis Mimicking Acute Encephalitis

Neuropathologic findings of acute multiple sclerosis mimicking acute encephalitis were described. The patient was a 42-year-old man with acute febrile encephalitic symptoms and signs such as high fever, unconsciousness and convulsive seizures, and a monophasic course of 18 days duration. Pathologically, numerous inflammatory demyelinating lesions were scattered mainly in the cerebral and cerebellar white matter, the internal capsules, the putamen, the brainstem and the optic nerves. In particular, the demyelinating lesions of the brainstem were extensive and confluent, whereas those in the right occipital lobe were small and perivenous, reminiscent of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Axons in these demyelinating lesions were well preserved, with a considerable number of macrophages and partial proliferation of protoplasmic astrocytes. There were no demyelinating lesions of concentric sclerosis type, which may occur in cases with acute multiple sclerosis. Pathological features in this case were typical of acute multiple sclerosis despite the symptoms and signs mimicking acute encephalitis and a clinical course of only 18 days duration

Long‑term effect of sitagliptin on endothelial function in type 2 diabetes : a sub‑analysis of the PROLOGUE study

Background: As a sub-analysis of the PROLOGUE study, we evaluated the long-term effect of sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor, on endothelial function in the conduit brachial artery in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In the PROLOGUE study, patients were randomly assigned to either add-on sitagliptin treatment (sitagliptin group) or continued conventional antihyperglycemic treatment (conventional group). Among the 463 participants in the PROLOGUE study, FMD was measured in 17 patients in the sitagliptin group and 18 patients in the conventional group at the beginning and after 12 and 24 months of treatment. Results: HbA1c levels were significantly decreased after 12 and 24 months of treatment compared to baseline values in both groups (7.0 ± 0.4 vs. 6.6 ± 0.3 and 6.6 ± 0.4 % in the sitagliptin group; 7.0 ± 0.6 vs. 6.6 ± 0.7 and 6.6 ± 0.7 % in the conventional group; P < 0.05, respectively). There was no significant difference between FMD values at baseline and after 12 and 24 months in the sitagliptin group (4.3 ± 2.6 vs. 4.4 ± 2.1 and 4.4 ± 2.3 %, P = 1.0, respectively). Although FMD had a tendency to increase from 4.3 ± 2.4 % at baseline to 5.2 ± 1.9 % after 12 months and 5.1 ± 2.2 % after 24 months in the conventional group, there was no significant difference between FMD values at baseline and after 12 and 24 months (P = 0.36 and 0.33, respectively). Conclusions: Add-on sitagliptin to conventional antihyperglycemic drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes did not alter endothelial function in the conduit brachial artery measured by FMD during a 2-year study period. Sitagliptin may be used without concern for an adverse effect on endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes

Myocardial Impairment Detected by Late Gadolinium Enhancement in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Comparison with 99mTc-MIBI/Tetrofosmin and 123I-BMIPP SPECT

Purpose: Myocardial fibrosis is considered to be an important factor in myocardial dysfunction and sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The purpose of this study was to compare myocardial fibrosis detected by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac MRI with myocardial perfusion and fatty acid metabolism assessed by single photon emission computed tomography in HCM.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 20 consecutive HCM patients (female, 7; mean age, 53.4 years) who underwent LGE, technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile/tetrofosmin (99mTc-MIBI/tetrofosmin), and iodine-123 beta-methyl-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (123I-BMIPP) imaging. We calculated the myocardium-to-lumen signal ratio (M/L) for LGE in 17 segments based on the American Heart Association statement. Scoring of 99mTc-MIBI/tetrofosmin (PI) and 123I-BMIPP (BM) was performed for each segment using a 5-point scale (0, normal; 4, highly decreased).Results: Nineteen of 20 patients (95%) and 153 of 340 segments (45%) showed LGE. M/Ls were 0.42ｱ・.16, 0.55ｱ・.17, and 0.65ｱ・.24 in PI0/BM0, PI0/BM1-4 and PI1-4/BM1-4, respectively. All M/Ls were significantly higher than that of a normal control (0.34ｱ・.14) (p<0.001).Conclusions: Myocardial fibrosis in HCM can occur despite normal perfusion and fatty acid metabolism, and is more strongly associated with disorders of fatty acid metabolism than with perfusion abnormalities. M/L may be a useful indicator of disease severity