No abstract available.
Humans ; Paresis* ; Tongue*

A statistical study on effects of laser-puncture was carried out. In addition, an attempt was made to compare between the effect of acupuncture and this method. The treatments were under-taken for various chronic and acute cases with pain. In the laser-puncture treatment, two types of laser (i, e. low energy 10mW laser and 70mW sharp laser) were used. Laser-beam was given to 20-30 points which were located in painful areas, innervating nerve areas and remote areas for 40 sec for each.
In the open study, 10mW laser-puncture was effective (including ‘rather effective’) in 64% of the cases, and 70mW laser-puncture 73%. In the blind test, ‘the day’ evaluation showed that the laser-punctures were more effective than placebo treatment: 10mW laser-puncture was effective in 80% of the cases, and placebo in 67%. 70mW laser-puncture was effective in 87% of them, and placebo in 80%. In situ acupuncture was effective in 97%, and no effect was seen in 7%.
Only ‘the day’ evaluation in the open study showed that 70mW laser-puncture was more effective than 10mW one. In the blind best, 10mW and 70mW laser-puncture were more effective than placebo, and in situ acupuncture was more effective than the laser-punctures, but there were no significant differences among the three treatmets.

OBJECTIVESThe present study investigated the involvement of oxidative stress in the degeneration of the cerebellum during methylmercury (MeHg) intoxication and the protective effect of α-tocopherol (Vit E) against MeHg toxicity.

METHODSAfter 5 mg/kg of MeHg was administered to Wistar rats for 12 consecutive days, the cerebellum were examined histopathologically. In addition, the same amount of MeHg was administered to 3 different groups of Wistar rats: rats with a Vit E-deficient diet, rats fed 150 mg/kg of Vit E for 20 consecutive days after initial MeHg administration, and rats with an ordinary diet.

RESULTSPositive immunoreactivity against anti-hydroxynonenal (HNE), a marker of lipid peroxidation, was observed in the cerebellum after MeHg administration. Levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), another marker of lipid peroxidation, and those of protein carbonyl, a biomarker for protein oxidation, increased after MeHg administration. In the rats with MeHg and a Vit E-deficient diet, mortality and prevalence of piloerection significantly increased, and in the rats with MeHg and Vit E, mortality, piloerection, retracted and crossed hind leg, and ataxic gait significantly decreased, compared with the rats with MeHg alone. The levels of NO(2) (-) and NO(3) (-) in the serum significantly increased in the rats with MeHg alone 14 days after the initial MeHg administration, but were significantly suppressed by Vit E administration.

CONCLUSIONSOxidative stress, especially lipid peroxidation, may play an important role in the cerebellar degeneration process during MeHg intoxication and Vit E may play a protective role against MeHg toxicity as an effective antioxidant.

BACKGROUND: Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a rare causative pathogen of brain abscess that is often found in immunocompromised patients. Although patients with supratentorial listerial abscesses showed a longer survival with surgical drainage, the standard therapy for patients with subtentorial lesions has not been established. CASE REPORT: We report herein a patient with supra- and subtentorial brain abscesses caused by L. monocytogenes infection. These abscesses did not respond to antibiotics, and his symptoms gradually worsened. Drainage was not indicated for subtentorial lesions, and the patient was additionally treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which dramatically reduced the volume of abscesses and improved the symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of drastic therapy for a patient with listerial brain abscesses involving combined antibiotics and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The findings suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a good option for treating patients with deep-seated listerial abscesses and for who surgical drainage is not indicated.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anti-Infective Agents* ; Brain Abscess* ; Drainage ; Humans ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation* ; Immunocompromised Host ; Listeria monocytogenes

Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is a rare primary cardiac tumor that usually involves an aortic or mitral heart valve. We encountered a case of a 32-year-old woman, who presented with syncope and was found to have multiple PFEs involving all four heart valves during surgery. The echocardiography was performed and showed two mobile masses near the tricuspid and mitral valves. Moreover, the enhanced computed tomography (CT) showed thickened aortic cusps, which may indicate the possibility of heart tumor. Intraoperatively, we first found multiple tumors at each cusp of the aortic valve, ranging in size from 5 to 10 mm which were excised without injury of aortic cusps themselves. These showed a sea anemone-like appearance and were suspected to represent PFE. We then observed the tricuspid and mitral valves, and both valves showed tumors of similar appearance in each cusp. Furthermore, we found a tumor at the pulmonary valve, even though there had been no evidence of its presence on echocardiography or CT. We confirmed that these masses were PFEs by histological study after the operation. We should keep in mind that PFE can develop in multiple valves. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of multiple PFEs involving all four heart valves.