We examined the effects of polyphenols on migratory activity of neutrophils into the hydrogel and their production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Origonol and lychee polyphenol were diluted to medium in wide-range concentrations. Each solution was added on hydrogel, and the mixture of blood and luminol was layered on it in each tube. The ROS production was measured by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence, whereas the cell count in the hydrogel was quantified as migratory activity of neutrophils. The migratory activity of neutrophils was not affected, whereas ROS production of neutrophils was significantly decreased above 100 μg/ml, but increased below the concentration.

Chronic encapsulated intracerebral hematoma (CEIH) is a rare cerebrovascular disease that behaves as a slowly expanding lesion with a gradual onset. It is well established that CEIH is associated with arteriovenous malformations; however, CEIH associated with cavernous malformation (CM) is extremely rare. We herein report a case of CEIH associated with CM, and discuss its pathogenesis. A 12-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of a one week history of progressive headache and nausea. Brain computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed an intracerebral hematoma surrounded by edema in the right frontal lobe. One week later, her headache and nausea worsened, and a brain computed tomography scan revealed the enlargement of hematoma. A right frontal craniotomy was performed. The capsule, mass, and hematoma were totally removed. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of CEIH associated with CM. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the VEGF receptor-1 in the endothelium and fibroblasts. Our findings suggest that the activated VEGF pathway might have positively contributed to development of CEIH in the present patient.
Arteriovenous Malformations ; Brain ; Child ; Craniotomy ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Endothelium ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Frontal Lobe ; Headache ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Nausea ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Objective:
There have been a few reports on the specificity of the meridians and Acupuncture-points. In order to identify the specific effects of the meridians and Acupuncture-points, the functional relations between “the gallbladder Meridian and gallbladder” were investigated using the gallbladder's form as an index.
Materials and Methods:
Ten healthy male adult volunteers participated in the experiments in fasting conditions. The target organ was the gallbladder, and its form was measured with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (Toshiba SSA-90A). The images of the gallbladder form were taken at the point when the major long axis of the cross-section of the gallbladder reached the peak. The cross-sectional area of the gallbladder was measured with the image analyzer. The measurement of the gallbladder form was conducted after 15 minutes lying on the back, taking images for 10 minutes before stimulation, for 30 minutes during and after stimulation, every two to five minutes. The acupuncture stimulation was given at the points of G34, G36, G37, G40 and G44 on the right side of the body. After getting the deqi, 1 minute of sparrow pecking needle technique and 1 minute of leaving needle technique were conducted three times. The effect of the G40 under the egg yolk loading were also investigated.
Results:
1) The stimulation of the G34, G36, G37, and G44 showed no effects on the gallbladder form. 2) The stimulation of the G40 caused the distension of the gallbladder form. 3) The stimulation of the G40 showed the suppressive effect on the contraction of the gallbladder due to the load of egg yolk.
As described above, the results of this study showed that there is an acupuncture-point on the gallbladder meridian to cause the distension of the gallbladder specifically. It suggests the existence of the specificity of acupuncture-point.

In C1–C2 posterior fixation, the C1 lateral mass and C2 pedicle/translaminar screw insertion under spine navigation have been used frequently. To avoid the risk of neurovascular damage in atlantoaxial stabilization, we assessed the safety and effectiveness of a preoperative computed tomography (CT) image-based navigation system with intraoperative independent C1 and C2 vertebral registration. It is ideal when a reference frame can be linked directly to the C1 posterior arch for C1-direct-captured navigation, but there is a mechanical challenge. A new spine clamp-tracker system was implemented recently, which allows reliable C1- and C2- direct-captured navigation in nine patients with traumatic C2 fractures. In this way, there was no misalignment of C1–C2 screws. C1 lateral mass screws were used except for one case, and translaminar screws were primarily used as an anchor for C2. The C1 lateral mass screw locations, which are 19 mm laterally from the C1 posterior arch’s center, are taken to be constant. However, there is one unusual circumstance in which using a C1 laminar hook instead of a C1 lateral mass screw appears to be a beneficial substitute. The increase of surgical accuracy for posterior C1–C2 screw fixation without cost constraints is significantly facilitated by intraoperative C1- and C2-direct-captured navigation with preoperative computed CT images.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a retrospective, multi-institutional, collaborative study to accumulate cases of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium, to clarify its clinicopathologic features, treatment, prognosis and prognostic factors to collate findings to establish future individualized treatment regimens. To our knowledge, this is the largest case study and the first study to statistically analyze the prognosis of this disease. METHODS: At medical institutions participating in the Kansai Clinical Oncology Group/Intergroup, cases diagnosed at a central pathologic review as neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium between 1995 and 2014 were enrolled. We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic features, treatment, prognosis and prognostic factors of this disease. RESULTS: A total of 65 cases were registered from 18 medical institutions in Japan. Of these, 42 (64.6%) cases were diagnosed as neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium based on the central pathological review and thus included in the study. Advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages (stage III and IV) and pure type small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma cases had a significantly worse prognosis. Upon multivariate analysis, only histologic subtypes and surgery were significant prognostic factors. Pure type cases had a significantly worse prognosis compared to mixed type cases and complete surgery cases had a significantly better prognosis compared to cases with no or incomplete surgery. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that complete surgery improves the prognosis of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium. Even among cases with advanced disease stages, if complete surgery is expected to be achieved, clinicians should consider curative surgery to improve the prognosis of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the endometrium.
Carcinoma, Large Cell ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Endometrium ; Female ; Gynecology ; Japan ; Medical Oncology ; Multivariate Analysis ; Obstetrics ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Purpose: To investigate the clinical significance of adaptive radiotherapy (ART) in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Materials and Methods: Eligible patients were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy using IMRT. Planning computed tomography in ART was performed during radiotherapy, and replanning was performed. Since ART was started in May 2011 (ART group), patients who were treated without ART up to April 2011 (non-ART group) were used as the historical control. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate overall survival (OS), locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). LRFS for the primary tumor (LRFS_P) and regional lymph node (LRFS_LN) were also studied for more detailed analysis. Statistical significance was evaluated using the log-rank test for survival. Results: The ART group tended to have higher radiation doses. The median follow-up period was 127 months (range, 10 to 211 months) in the non-ART group and 61.5 months (range, 5 to 129 months) in the ART group. Compared to the non-ART group, the ART group showed significantly higher 5-year PFS (53.8% vs. 81.3%, p = 0.015) and LRFS (61.2% vs. 85.3%, p = 0.024), but not OS (80.7% vs. 80.8%, p = 0.941) and DMFS (84.6% vs. 92.7%, p = 0.255). Five-year LRFS_P was higher in the ART group (61.3% vs. 90.6%, p = 0.005), but LRFS_LN did not show a significant difference (91.9% vs. 96.2%, p = 0.541). Conclusion Although there were differences in the patient backgrounds between the two groups, this study suggests the potential effectiveness of ART in improving locoregional control, especially in the primary tumor.