A Small Dorsal Pontine Infarction Presenting with Total Gaze Palsy Including Vertical Saccades and Pursuit

A small localized infarction in the dorsal pontine area can cause various eye-movement disturbances, such as abducens palsy, horizontal conjugate gaze palsy, internuclear ophthalmoplegia, and one-and-a-half syndrome. However, complete loss of vertical saccades and pursuit with horizontal gaze palsy has not been reported previously in a patient with a small pontine lesion. We report a 67-year-old man with a small dorsal caudal pontine infarct who exhibited total horizontal gaze palsy as well as loss of vertical saccades and pursuit

Hepatoprotective and Antioxidative Activities of Cornus officinalis against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice

The fruit of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. is commonly prescribed in Asian countries as a tonic formula. In this study, the hepatoprotective effect of ethanolic extracts of the fruit of C. officinalis (ECO) was investigated in a mouse model of acetaminophen- (APAP-) induced liver injury. Pretreatment of mice with ECO (100, 250, and 500 mg/kg for 7 days) significantly prevented the APAP (200 mg/kg) induced hepatic damage as indicated by the serum marker enzymes (AST, ALT, and LDH). Parallel to these changes, ECO treatment also prevented APAP-induced oxidative stress in the mice liver by inhibiting lipid peroxidation (MDA) and restoring the levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and HO-1) and glutathione. Liver injury and collagen accumulation were assessed using histological studies by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Our results indicate that ECO can prevent hepatic injuries associated with APAP-induced hepatotoxicity by preventing or alleviating oxidative stress

Crotonis Fructus

Introduction. Crotonis fructus (CF) is the mature fruit of Croton tiglium L. and has been used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disturbance in Asia. It is well known that the main component of CF is croton oil (CO). The present study is to investigate the effects of CF extracts (CFE) and CO on lipolysis in OP9 adipocytes. Methods. Glycerol release to the culture supernatants was used as a marker of adipocyte lipolysis. Results. Treatment with various concentrations of CFE and CO stimulates glycerol release in a dose-dependent manner. The increase in glycerol release by CFE is more potent than isoproterenol, which is a β-adrenergic agonist as a positive control in our system. The increased lipolysis by CFE and CO was accompanied by an increase of phosphorylated hormone sensitive lipase (pHSL) but not nonphosphorylated HSL protein and mRNA. Pretreatment with H89, which is a protein kinase A inhibitor, significantly abolished the CFE- and CO-induced glycerol release in OP9 adipocytes. These results suggest that CFE and CO may be a candidate for the development of a lipolysis-stimulating agent in adipocytes

A Multi-institutional Study on Histopathological Characteristics of Surgically Treated Renal Tumors: the Importance of Tumor Size

PURPOSE: The incidence of accidentally detected small renal tumors is increasing throughout the world. In this multi-institutional study performed in Korea, histopathological characteristics of contemporarily surgically removed renal tumors were reviewed with emphasis on tumor size. MATERIALS and METHODS: Between January 1995 and May 2005, 1,702 patients with a mean age of 55 years underwent surgical treatment at 14 training hospitals in Korea for radiologically suspected malignant renal tumors. Clinicopathological factors and patient survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 1,702 tumors, 91.7% were malignant and 8.3% were benign. The percentage of benign tumors was significantly greater among those 4cm (4.5%) (p or = T3 was significantly less among tumors 4cm (26.8%) (p or = 3 was also significantly less among tumors 4cm (50.9%) (p < 0.001). The 5-year cancer-specific survival rate was 82.7%, and T stage (p < 0.001), N stage (p < 0.001), M stage (p = 0.025), and Fuhrman's nuclear (p < 0.001) grade were the only independent predictors of cancer-specific survival. CONCLUSION: In renal tumors, small tumor size is prognostic for favorable postsurgical histopathologies such as benign tumors, low T stages, and low Fuhrman's nuclear grades. Our observations are expected to facilitate urologists to adopt function-preserving approach in the planning of surgery for small renal tumors with favorable predicted outcomes.ope

Postoperative Brain Swelling after Resection of Olfactory Groove Meningiomas

Objective : Postoperative brain swelling after resection of olfactory groove meningiomas by bifrontal interhemispheric transbasal approach is a knotty subject. Pathogenesis and predictive factors were investigated to prevent the problem. Methods : Eighteen patients of olfactory groove meningiomas who had undergone surgery were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed using their clinical and radiological data. Bifrontal interhemispheric transbasal approach was used in all patients. Magnetic resonance imaging and transfemoral cerebral angiography were available for investigation in 18 and 14 patients respectively. Postoperative clinical course, tumor volume, peritumoral edema, tumor supplying vessels, and venous drainage patterns were carefully investigated in relation to postoperative brain swelling. Results : Seven patients (39%) developed clinically overt brain swelling after surgery. Among them, 4 patients had to undergo decompression surgery. In three patients, attempted bone flap removal was done by way of prevention of increased intracranial pressure resulted from intractable brain swelling and two of them eventually developed brain swelling which could be recovered without sequellae. Abnormal frontal base venous channel observed in preoperative angiography was significant predictive factor for postoperative brain swelling (p=0.031). However, tumor volume, peritumoral edema, and existence of pial tumor supplying vessels from anterior cerebral arteries were failed to show statistical significances. Conclusion : To prevent postoperative brain swelling in olfactory groove meningioma surgery, unilateral approach to preserve frontal base venous channels or temporary bone flap removal is recommended when it is indicated

Research Note: Evaluation of the cross protective efficacy of a subtype B aMPV vaccine against virulent subtype A aMPV by different administration routes

ABSTRACT: Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) causes respiratory and reproductive diseases in birds, including chickens. In the chicken industry, live vaccines against aMPV subtypes A and B, which are the major aMPV subtypes, are widely used to control disease caused by aMPV. In this study, we evaluated the cross protective efficacy of a live aMPV subtype B vaccine administered via 3 different routes (nasal, spray, and oral) against virulent aMPV subtype A in chickens. At 3 wk after vaccination of 1-wk-old specific-pathogen-free chickens, we measured the serological responses. On the same day, we challenged the birds with aMPV subtype A. Protection was evaluated by viral gene detection and histopathological examination at 3 and 5 days postchallenge. Although there were differences in the serological responses according to administration route, all vaccinated birds showed complete protection at 5 days postchallenge. Regardless of administration route, genome of challenge virus was not detected in vaccinated group, and there were significant differences between vaccinated birds and control group. Overall, our results demonstrated that a subtype B aMPV vaccine can provide cross protection against virulent subtype A aMPV in chickens

Effect of Measurement System Configuration and Operating Conditions on 2D Material-Based Gas Sensor Sensitivity

Gas sensors applied in real-time detection of toxic gas leakage, air pollution, and respiration patterns require a reliable test platform to evaluate their characteristics, such as sensitivity and detection limits. However, securing reliable characteristics of a gas sensor is difficult, owing to the structural difference between the gas sensor measurement platform and the difference in measurement methods. This study investigates the effect of measurement conditions and system configurations on the sensitivity of two-dimensional (2D) material-based gas sensors. Herein, we developed a testbed to evaluate the response characteristics of MoS2-based gas sensors under a NO2 gas flow, which allows variations in their system configurations. Additionally, we demonstrated that the distance between the gas inlet and the sensor and gas inlet orientation influences the sensor performance. As the distance to the 2D gas sensor surface decreased from 4 to 2 mm, the sensitivity of the sensor improved to 9.20%. Furthermore, when the gas inlet orientation was perpendicular to the gas sensor surface, the sensitivity of the sensor was the maximum (4.29%). To attain the optimum operating conditions of the MoS2-based gas sensor, the effects of measurement conditions, such as gas concentration and temperature, on the sensitivity of the gas sensor were investigated