Testicular seminoma after the complete remission of extragonadal yolk sac tumor : a case report

BACKGROUND: Between 2% and 5% of malignant germ-cell tumors in men arise at extragonadal sites. Of extragonadal germ cell tumors, testicular carcinoma in situ (CIS) are present in 31–42% of cases, and CIS are reported to have low sensitivity to chemotherapy in spite of the various morphology and to have a high likelihood of developing into testicular tumors. A testicular biopsy may thus be highly advisable when evaluating an extragonadal germ cell tumor. CASE PRESENTATION: A 36-year-old man was diagnosed as having an extragonadal non-seminomatous germ cell tumor, that was treated by cisplatin-based chemotherapy, leading to a complete remission. In the meantime, testicular tumors were not detected by means of ultrasonography. About 4 years later, a right testicular tumor was found, and orchiectomy was carried out. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of seminoma. CONCLUSIONS: We herein report a case of metachronous occurrence of an extragonadal and gonadal germ cell tumor. In the evaluation of an extragonadal germ cell tumor, a histological examination should be included since ultrasonography is not sufficient to detect CIS or minute lesions of the testis

Ectopic thyroid in an adrenal mass: a case report

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to explain ectopic thyroid beneath the diaphragm because during the development the thyroid descends from the tongue to the anterior of the trachea. A few cases of ectopic lesions have been reported in the literature for abdominal organs including the adrenal glands, but the mechanism by which the thyroid components migrate into the abdomen has been poorly understood. CASE PRESENTATION: A 54-year-old woman was diagnosed as having an adrenal mass. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was carried out. Microscopically, the mass was composed of normal adrenal and ectopic thyroid tissues. CONCLUSION: We herein describe the fourth case reported of ectopic thyroid in the adrenal gland

Studies on Grass Productivity of Steep Mountainous Grassland (IV) A Comparison of Grass-Ladino Clover Mixures as Pastures for Young Steers on Steep Mountainous Grassland

急傾斜山地草地の不耕起造成用草種としてのオーチャードグラス,トールフェスク,レッドトップの各草地にラジノクローバを混播した時の家畜の生産性と草地植生の影響を調査し,急傾斜山地草地におけるラジノクローバ混播に関する知見をうるために,1970年と1971年の2か年間,黒毛和種若令去勢牛を用いて放牧実験を行なった. 得られた結果の概要は次のとおりである. 1)放牧期間中の1目1頭当たり増体量の2か年間の平均はオーチャードグラス・クローバ草地620g,卜ールフェスク・クローバ草地621g,レッドトップ・クローバ草地615gであった. 2)イネ科単播草地ヘクローバを混播することによって増体盤の増加がみとめられた. 3)オーチャードグラスとトールフェスク草地ではクローバの混播により裸地が著しく減少したが,レッドトップ草地では余り影響がみられなかった. 4)レッドトップ・クローバ草地ではクローバが優勢化しやすく放牧牛に鼓脹症の発生がみられた. 5)肥沃条件下ではレッドトップにラジノクローバを混播することは余りこのましくない

Langerhans cell histiocytosis on the penis: a case report

BACKGROUND: Langerhans cell histiocytosis affects mainly young children and features an accumulation of CD1a+ dendritic Langerhans cells in the bone, skin, and other organs. A few cases of Langerhans cell histiocytosis on the penis have been reported in the literature. We present a case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis on the penis and review the similar cases in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 13-year-old boy who had a history of lymph node, femur bone, and pituitary-thalmic axis lesions from Langerhans cell histiocytosis who noticed a painful nodule on the prepuce of his penis. The histological and immunohistochemical examination fulfilled the criteria of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. CONCLUSION: We herein describe the case reported of Langerhans cell histiocytosis on the penis

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Over the Frontal Polar Area on Motor and Executive Functions in Parkinson’s Disease; A Pilot Study

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with motor and non-motor symptoms due to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. The current pharmacological treatments induce complications associated with long-term use. However, current stimulation techniques for PD treatment, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), are too invasive. In this context, non-invasive brain stimulation including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be a safe and effective alternative treatment for PD. We previously reported that anodal tDCS over the frontal polar area (FPA) improved motor functions in heathy subjects. Therefore, in the present study, effects of tDCS over the FPA on motor and cognitive functions of PD patients were analyzed. Nine PD patients (3 men and 6 women) participated in this cross over study with three tDCS protocols; anodal, cathodal or sham tDCS over the FPA. Each tDCS protocol was applied for 1 week (5 times/week). Before and after each protocol, motor and cognitive functions of the patients were assessed using Unified PD Rating Scale [UPDRS (part III: motor examination)], Fugl Meyer Assessment set (FMA), Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function (STEF) and Trail Making Test A (TMT-A). The results indicated that anodal stimulation significantly decreased scores of motor disability in UPDRS-III compared with sham and cathodal stimulation, and significantly increased scores of motor functions in FMA compared with sham stimulation. Furthermore, anodal stimulation significantly decreased time to complete a motor task requiring high dexterity in STEF compared with those requiring low and medium levels of dexterity. In addition, anodal stimulation significantly decreased time to complete the TMT-A task, which requires executive functions, compared with sham stimulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical research reporting that tDCS over the FPA successfully improved the motor and non-motor functions in PD patients. These findings suggest that tDCS over the FPA might be a useful alternative for the treatment of PD patients

The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna; DECIGO

DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) is the future Japanese space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to open a new window of observation for gravitational wave astronomy especially between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz, revealing various mysteries of the universe such as dark energy, formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and inflation of the universe. The pre-conceptual design of DECIGO consists of three drag-free spacecraft, whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry– Perot Michelson interferometer. We plan to launch two missions, DECIGO pathfinder and pre- DECIGO first and finally DECIGO in 2024

DECIGO pathfinder

DECIGO pathfinder (DPF) is a milestone satellite mission for DECIGO (DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) which is a future space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to provide us fruitful insights into the universe, in particular about dark energy, a formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and the inflation of the universe. Since DECIGO will be an extremely large mission which will formed by three drag-free spacecraft with 1000m separation, it is significant to gain the technical feasibility of DECIGO before its planned launch in 2024. Thus, we are planning to launch two milestone missions: DPF and pre-DECIGO. The conceptual design and current status of the first milestone mission, DPF, are reviewed in this article