A brainstem anosognosia of hemiparesis

A woman had anosognosia for hemiplegia as a manifestation of brainstem infarction. She had no mental or neuropsychological disturbances, and had involvement of the brainstem in the frontal/parietal-subcortical circuits to the right cerebral hemisphere. Brainstem lesions that disrupt frontal/parietal-subcortical areas may affect anosognosia for hemiplegia

Camptocormia in Parkinson's Disease

Objectives. Abnormalities of posture represent one of the main features of Parkinson's disease (PD). Among them, camptocormia has been considered as rare in PD. We investigated frequency and clinical features of camptocormia in PD patients. Methods. 153 PD patients (mean 68.5 ± 10.7 years old, duration 5.9 ± 2.4 years) outpatiently recruited. After neurologic examination, patients were rated on the Unified PD Rating Scale motor scale (UPDRS Part III), minimental state examination (MMSE). Also we evaluated patients with camptocormia by MRI. Of the 153 PD patients, 27 had camptocormia (mean age, 67.9 ± 7.9 years old; disease duration, 6.1 ± 3.9 years). For further evaluation, we recruited age- and sex-matched 27 PD patients without camptocormia (11 men and 16 women; mean age ±  SD, 69.2 ± 10.1 years, duration 6.0 ± 2.7 years) These selected 54 patients completed several self-assessments. Lumbar and thoracic paraspinal muscles were studied by EMG. Results. There were no significant differences in age, duration, severity, and drug dose between patients with and without camptocormia. Analysis of NMSS subitems indicated that PD patients tended to show lower scores for sleep/fatigue, attention/memory, and miscellaneous items. Conclusions. We found significant differences concerning nonmotor signs and symptoms evaluated by FAB, PDQ-8, FSQ, VAS-F, and NMSS between patients with and without camptocormia. Our findings indicate that camptocormia is a relatively common sign in PD and that patients with camptocormia scores on the PDQ-8 compared with PD patients without camptocormia. This suggests that improvements in camptocormia of PD patients may improve their QOL

Further Evidence for the ~ 9 s Pulsation in LS 5039 from NuSTAR and ASCA

The present study aims to reinforce the evidence for the ~9 s pulsation in the gamma-ray binary LS 5039, derived with a Suzaku observation in 2007 and that with NuSTAR in 2016 (Yoneda et al 2000). Through a reanalysis of the NuSTAR data incorporating the orbital Doppler correction, the 9.0538 s pulsation was confirmed successfully even in the 3--10 keV range, where it was undetectable previously. This was attained by perceiving an energy-dependent drift in the pulse phase below 10 keV, and correcting the pulse timing of individual photons for that effect. Similarly, an archival 0.7--12 keV data set of LS 5039, taken with the ASCA GIS in 1999 October, was analyzed. The data showed possible periodicity at about 8.882 s, but again the energy-dependent phase drift was noticed below 10 keV. By correcting for this effect, and for the orbital Doppler delays in the LS 5039 system, the 2.8--12 keV periodicity became statistically significant at 8.891+- 0.001 s. The periods measured with ASCA, Suzaku, and NuSTAR approximately follow an average period derivative of dP/dt = 3.0 e-10 s/s. These results provide further evidence for the pulsation in this object, and strengthen the scenario by (Yoneda et al 2000), that the compact object in LS 5039 is a strongly magnetized neutron star.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Novel magnetic resonance imaging evaluation for valgus instability of the knee caused by medial collateral ligament injury

Instability of the knee after the medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury is usually assessed with the manual valgus stress test, even though, in recent years, it has become possible to apply magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the assessment of the damage of the ligament. The valgus instability of 24 patients (12 isolated injuries and 12 multiple ligament injuries) who suffered MCL injury between 1993 and 1998 was evaluated with the Hughston and Eilers classification, which involves radiographic assessment under manual valgus stress to the injured knees. We developed a novel system for classifying the degree of injury to the MCL by calculating the percentage of injured area based on MRI and investigated the relationship between this novel MRI classification and the magnitude of valgus instability by the Hughston and Eilers classification. There was a significant correlation between the 2 classifications (p=0.0006). On the other hand, the results using other MRI based classification systems, such as the Mink and Deutsch classificaiton and the Petermann classification, were not correlated with the findings by the Hughston and Eilers classification in these cases (p0.05). Since MRI is capable of assessing the injured ligament in clinical practice, this novel classification system would be useful for evaluating the stability of the knee and choosing an appropriate treatment following MCL injury.</p

Surgical Treatment for Skeletal Metastases From Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Experience With 23 Lesions in 20 Patients

Purpose. This paper reports the procedures and the clinical results of a series of surgical treatments for skeletal metastases from soft tissue sarcomas

α-Naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) Induced Cholestasis in Rats

In order to distinguish the disorder of bile acid and cholesterol metabolism in α-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced cholestasis, we examined changes in bile acid levels and compositions in bile, serum, feces and urine, as well as cholesterol levels in bile, serum, liver and feces in Wistar male rats (10-13 weeks) after a single oral administration of 100 mg/kg of ANIT. The bile flow and the biliary secretions of cholesterol, phospholipids and bile acids markedly decreased on days 1 and 2 but increased over the normal values on day 4 and then returned to the normal ranges. The fecal excretion of bile acids decreased after the treatment and remained low by day 4 but markedly increased thereafter. The urinary excretion of bile acids changed almost in parallel with serum bile acid level, increasing to 37 mg/day on day 2, 28 mg/day on days 3-4 but to a trace on days 5-6. The urinary bile acids on day 2 mainly consisted of cholic acid while those on days 3-4 and biliary bile acids on day 4 were mostly β-muricholic acid. The serum cholesterol level markedly increased maximally on day 2 and decreased thereafter. The fecal excretion of sterols, cholesterol and coprostanol, decreased on days 1-2 but rather increased thereafter. These data suggest that the cholestasis induced by ANIT is very similar to that in bile duct ligated rats for a short period but not to those ligated for long periods. In addition, the present data suggest that the bile acid independent bile flow is impaired and the daily synthesis of bile acids, especially β-muricholic acid, is increased in the ANIT induced cholestasis

The Measurement of Blood Coagulation Process in Extracorporeal Circuit Using LED Photoacoustic Imaging

Blood coagulation is measured by using a pressure sensor in a blood circuit, but it is not quick responsive because it is detected by pressure rise caused by coagulation. In this study, we have investigated a method to detect blood clotting at an early stage using photoacoustic imaging, which is thought to be more sensitive. The LED with a wavelength of 850 nm was used as a photoacoustic light source. An ultrasonic wave generated by thermal expansion of mouse blood sealed in a microtube was observed, and also many ripples were observed with time and the coagulation of blood progressed. It was also observed that the waveform considered to correspond to coagulation of blood broadens with time. It was found from the above that there is a possibility that the state of blood clotting can be observed from outside the circuit of the extracorporeal circulation device by using the LED as a light source

Transcutaneous Electrical Retinal Stimulation Therapy for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

This reports the preliminary outcome of a transpalpebral electrical retinal stimulation therapy for age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)