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Background and PurposeOur aims were to analyze the characteristics of parkinsonian features and to characterize changes in parkinsonian motor symptoms before and after the cerebrospinal fluid tap test (CSFTT) in idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) patients.MethodsINPH subjects were selected in consecutive order from a prospectively enrolled INPH registry. Fifty-five INPH patients (37 males) having a positive response to the CSFTT constituted the final sample for analysis. The mean age was 73.7±4.7 years. The pre-tap mean Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor (UPDRS-III) score was 24.5±10.2.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the upper and lower body UPDRS-III scores (p=0.174). The parkinsonian signs were asymmetrical in 32 of 55 patients (58.2%). At baseline, the Timed Up and Go Test and 10-meter walking test scores were positively correlated with the total motor score, global bradykinesia score, global rigidity score, upper body score, lower body score, and postural instability/gait difficulties score of UPDRS-III. After the CSFTT, the total motor score, global bradykinesia score, upper body score, and lower body score of UPDRS-III significantly improved (p<0.01). There was a significant decrease in the number of patients with asymmetric parkinsonism (p<0.05).ConclusionsIn the differential diagnosis of elderly patients presenting with asymmetric and upper body parkinsonism, we need to consider a diagnosis of INPH. The association between gait function and parkinsonism severity suggests the involvement of similar circuits producing gait and parkinsonian symptoms in INPH.

Uptake of Mercury from Aqueous Solution by Duckweed: The Effects of pH, Copper and Humic Acid ABSTRACT Studies indicated that duckweed absorbed mercury in water (e.g. lakes) strongly and that after three days it contained up to 2000 ppm of mercury by weight of duckweed. The uptake of mercury was little affected by acidity at pH 4.0 and pH 5.0. The presence of copper ion suppressed the mercury uptake significantly. The presence of 1.0 mM EDTA in solution also suppressed the mercury uptake significantly. Further 10 mg of humic acid in 400 mL solution suppressed the mercury uptake to some degree, probably by complexing the mercury.

A gold nanorod (GNR) based LSPR sensor has been developed for label-free detection of C-reactive protein (CRP). The sensor utilizes a single chain variable fragment (scFv) as a receptor to bind CRP. The results of this effort show that CRP in human serum can be quantitatively detected at lower than 1 ng mL(-1).

Purpose: Gastric cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Northeast Asia. Population-based endoscopic screenings in the region have yielded successful results in early detection of gastric tumors. Endoscopic screening rates are continuously increasing, and there is a need for an automatic computerized diagnostic system to reduce the diagnostic burden. In this study, we developed an algorithm to classify gastric epithelial tumors automatically and assessed its performance in a large series of gastric biopsies and its benefits as an assistance tool. Experimental Design: Using 2,434 whole-slide images, we developed an algorithm based on convolutional neural networks to classify a gastric biopsy image into one of three categories: negative for dysplasia (NFD), tubular adenoma, or carcinoma. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated by using 7,440 biopsy specimens collected prospectively. The impact of algorithm-assisted diagnosis was assessed by six pathologists using 150 gastric biopsy cases. Results: Diagnostic performance evaluated by the AUROC curve in the prospective study was 0.9790 for two-tier classification: negative (NFD) versus positive (all cases except NFD). When limited to epithelial tumors, the sensitivity and specificity were 1.000 and 0.9749. Algorithm-assisted digital image viewer (DV) resulted in 47% reduction in review time per image compared with DV only and 58% decrease to microscopy. Conclusions: Our algorithm has demonstrated high accuracy in classifying epithelial tumors and its benefits as an assistance tool, which can serve as a potential screening aid system in diagnosing gastric biopsy specimens.

A new benzothiazole-based chemosensor BTN (1-((Z)-(((E)-3-methylbenzo[d]thiazol-2(3H)ylidene)hydrazono)methyl)naphthalen-2-ol) was synthesized for the detection of Cu 2+ . BTN could detect Cu 2+ with "off-on" uorescent response from colorless to yellow irrespective of presence of other cations.Limit of detection for Cu 2+ was determined to be 3.3 µM. Binding ratio of BTN and Cu 2+ turned out to be a 1:1 with the analysis of Job plot and ESI-MS. Sensing feature of Cu 2+ by BTN was explained with theoretical calculations, which might be owing to internal charge transfer and chelation-enhanced uorescence processes.

Background/Aims : We used flexible starting doses and early titration of atorvastatin to determine the rate of achievement of a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target for hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods : This study was a multicenter, open-label, prospective trial of atorvastatin therapy in hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes. The patients were divided into three groups according to initial LDL-C levels (130-149, 150-159 and≥160 mg/dL), and 10, 20, and 40 mg of atorvastatin was administered to each group, respectively. If LDL-C did not reach the 100 mg/dL target level at four weeks after initiation of treatment, the doses were increased by one step. Endothelial function tests and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 levels were measured in 41 patients.Results : Groups of 62, 18, and 69 patients were started on 10, 20, and 40 mg of atorvastatin, respectively, and 91% of the patients achieved the LDL-C target after four weeks of treatment. The overall percentage of patients achieving the LDL-C target after eight weeks of treatment was 89.3%: 87.5% in the 10 mg group, 86.4% in the 20 mg group, 93.9% in the 40 mg group, and 66.7% in the 80 mg group. A statistically significant reduction was observed in the mean percentage change in flow-mediated endothelium-dependent dilatation after eight weeks of treatment (p<0.0001).Conclusions : Flexible initial dosing and early aggressive titration of atorvastatin according to LDL-C levels is an efficient and safe strategy for achieving the target level and for improving endothelial dysfunction in hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes.

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