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Because of its low toxicity, bismuth is considered to be a "green metal" and has received increasing attention in chemistry and materials science. To understand the chemical bonding of bismuth, here we report a joint experimental and theoretical study on a series of bismuth-doped boron clusters, BiBn- (n = 6-8). Well-resolved photoelectron spectra are obtained and are used to understand the structures and bonding of BiBn- in conjunction with theoretical calculations. Global minimum searches find that all three BiBn- clusters have planar structures with the Bi atom bonded to the edge of the planar Bn moiety via two Bi-B σ bonds as well as π bonding by the 6pz orbital. BiB6- is found to consist of a double-chain B6 with a terminal Bi atom. Both BiB7- and BiB8- are composed of a Bi atom bonded to the planar global minima of the B7- and B8- clusters. Chemical bonding analyses reveal that BiB6- is doubly antiaromatic, whereas BiB7- and BiB8- are doubly aromatic. In the neutral BiBn (n = 6-8) clusters, except BiB6 which has a planar structure similar to the anion, the global minima of both BiB7 and BiB8 are found to be half-sandwich-type structures due to the high stability of the doubly aromatic B73- and B82- molecular wheel ligands.

The skin, which is the largest organ of the human body, is in direct contact with pollutants in the surrounding atmosphere. Meanwhile, 1-nitropyrene (1-NP), the most abundant nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon found in particulate matter, is known to have carcinogenic effects; however, studies on its toxicity in human and canine skin are still needed. In this study, we investigated 1-NP-induced apoptosis and inflammatory pathways in HaCaT cells. In addition, we also measured the cytoprotective effect of methyl gallate (MG), which is widely distributed in medicinal and edible plants and is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. MG inhibited 1-NP-induced cell death and apoptosis pathways, including the cleavage of PARP and activation of caspase-3, -7, and -9. MG also suppressed 1-NP-induced COX-2 expression and phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and MAPK kinases (MAPKKs). Our findings suggest that 1-NP induces skin toxicity in human and canine through apoptosis and inflammatory responses, and moreover, that this can be prevented by treatment with MG.

Physical homogenization was applied to the production of a starch-lipid complex formed through a hydrophobic interaction between amylose and fatty acid molecules. In addition, vegetable oils as a source of fatty acids and wheat starch as a source of amylose molecules were used to produce the starch-lipid complex. The complex index was significantly (p

Enzymatic hydrolysis and self-assembly are considered promising methods for preparation of starch nanoparticles (SNPs) because they are environmentally friendly, and time- and cost-effective. These methods are based on the self-assembly of short-chain glucans released from the α-1,6 bonds in amylopectin. Since their discovery, many studies have described the structural and physicochemical properties of self-assembled SNPs. Self-assembled SNPs can be prepared by two methods: using only the soluble portion containing the short-chain glucans, or using the whole hydrolyzate including both insoluble and soluble fractions. Although the structural and physical properties of self-assembled SNPs can be attributed to the composition of the hydrolyzates that participate in self-assembly, this aspect has not yet been discussed. This review focuses on SNPs self-assembled with only soluble short-chain glucans and addresses their characteristics, including formation mechanisms as well as structural and physicochemical properties, compared with SNPs prepared with total hydrolyzates.

Because of its low toxicity, bismuth is considered to be a "green metal" and has received increasing attention in chemistry and materials science. To understand the chemical bonding of bismuth, here we report a joint experimental and theoretical study on a series of bismuth-doped boron clusters, BiB

Physicochemical properties of acetylated (AC), cross-linked (CL), and hydroxypropylated (HP) chestnut starches were investigated. Modified chestnut starch showed low RS and amylose contents. AC revealed the highest solubility and HP showed the highest swelling power at 60 °C. CL showed the lowest solubility and swelling power at both 60 and 90 °C. AC and HP showed a lower pasting temperature and higher peak viscosity than native chestnut starch (NC). Modified chestnut starch formed gels at higher solid content than NC. CL had the lowest freeze-thaw stability, and AC and HP showed the strongest tolerance to freeze-thaw cycles. Amylopectin melting enthalpy of NC dramatically increased over the first 2 days and continued increasing gradually until day 24. On the other hand, all the modified chestnut starches showed a slight increase in amylopectin melting enthalpy, indicating retarded retrogradation. CL showed the lowest degree of retrogradation, followed by HP, AC, and NC.

This is a case of a 56-year-old man with Castleman disease (CD) who improved after kidney transplantation (KTP). CD is an uncommon lymphoproliferative disorder that was found incidentally on biopsy during dialysis in the current patient and was followed up without further treatment. However, the lesion showed improvement after KTP. Therefore, active KTP can be considered even if CD is one of the lymphoproliferative disorders that can occur as a complication after KTP.

Borophenes are atom-thin boron layers that can be grown on coinage metal substrates and have become an important class of synthetic 2D nanomaterials. The interactions between boron and substrates are critical to understand the growth mechanisms of borophenes. Here, we report an investigation of copper-boron interactions in the Cu2B8− bimetallic cluster using photoelectron spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. Well-resolved photoelectron spectra are obtained at several photon energies and are combined with theoretical calculations to elucidate the structures and bonding of Cu2B8−. Global minimum searches reveal that Cu2B8− consists of a Cu2 dimer atop a B8 molecular wheel with a long Cu–Cu bond length close to that in Cu2+. Chemical bonding analyses indicate that there is clear charge transfer from Cu2 to B8, and the Cu2B8− cluster can be viewed as a [Cu2+]-borozene complex, [Cu2+][B82–]. In the neutral cluster, no Cu–Cu bond exists and Cu2B8 consists of two Cu+ centers interacting with doubly aromatic B82− borozene. The charge transfer interactions between Cu and boron in the Cu2B8− cluster are analogous to charge transfer from the copper substrate to the first borophene layer recently reported to be critical in the growth of bilayer borophenes on a Cu(111) substrate.

Retrogradation properties and kinetics of rice cakes with the addition of glycerol (GLY) and sucrose fatty acid ester (SE) were investigated. In hardness, both rice cakes with glycerol (RGLY) and rice cakes with sucrose fatty acid ester (RSE) showed lower initial hardening compared with the control for up to 5 days. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of RSE showed a B+V-type pattern, and the relative crystallinity showed that GLY and SE lowered the initial and final crystallization of rice cake. Both GLY and SE affected the retrogradation enthalpy, glass transition temperature, and ice melting enthalpy in differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). However, 1H NMR relaxation time (T2) of rice cake decreased regardless of additives. From these results, the addition of glycerol and sucrose stearate inhibits the retrogradation process of rice cakes, which will solve industrial problems. Applying the Avrami equation for retrogradation kinetics of rice cake was suitable in XRD and DSC with high coefficient of determination (0.9 &lt, R2). Meanwhile, the other retrogradation index improved the R2 when the exponential rise to maximum equation was used. This suggests that there is an alternative of Avrami equation to predict the retrogradation.

The objective of this study was to characterize dry heat-induced wheat starch–pectin hydrolysate (WST/PH) complexes to develop the retrogradation-retarded starch. Native (N-) and protease-treated (P-) WST were used as starch sources. Pectin hydrolysates were mixed independently with N-WST and P-WST to a mixing ratio of 49:1 (based on total solid contents), followed by drying below 10% moisture and dry heat treatment at 130 °C for 4 h. The molar degrees of substitution (MS) was higher for WST/PH complexes than its mixtures, and apparent amylose contents decreased with their MS. Relative to WST/PH mixtures, solubilities were higher for WST/PH complexes, while swelling powers didn’t differ. WST/PH complexes showed the lower degree of retrogradation, setback viscosities, slowly gelling tendency, and syneresis. These phenomena were more pronounced in WST/PH mixtures and complexes prepared with P-WST. Overall results suggest that dry heat-induced WST/PH complexes could be a potential retrogradation-retarded starch to replace chemically-modified starches.

Analytical methods including solvent extraction followed by gas chromatography/ion-trap (GC/IT) with scan and MS/MS mode, a GC/mass selective detector (GC/MSD), and liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometers (LC/MS/MS) were optimized to identify and quantify terbutryn. The spike recovery was 96.5% using GC/IT with scan mode and 103.5% with MS/MS mode, 90.3% by GC/MSD, and 92.5% by LC/MS/MS. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.0015 mg/kg by GC/IT with scan, 0.026 mg/kg with MS/MS mode, 0.015 mg/kg with GC/MSD, and 0.026 mg/kg by LC/MS/MS. Of the four methods, GC/IT with scan mode was determined to be the most sensitive (with LOD: 0.0015 mg/kg and limit of quantitation (LOQ): 0.0047 mg/kg), rapid (retention time: 9.6 min) and the most precise method (relative standard deviation: 17%) for the quantification of terbutryn. GC/IT with scan mode proved to be the more sensitive analytical method for terbutryn than other methods in this study, showing better accuracy and rapid analysis.

The effect of fermented spinach extracts on color development in cured meats was investigated in this study. The pH values of raw cured meats without addition of fermented spinach extract or nitrite (negative control) were higher (p

Erythorbyl laurate (EL) can be produced via lipase-catalyzed esterification between erythorbic acid and lauric acid. In this study, we evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of EL in the early stage of atherosclerosis. EL suppressed tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced monocyte adhesion to vascular endothelial cells and expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Additionally, EL suppressed TNF-α-induced p65/IκB kinase (IKK)/IκB phosphorylation in HUVECs. Western blot analysis of cytosolic and nuclear cell fractions and immunofluorescence showed that EL suppressed TNF-α-induced translocation of p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. EL also inhibited phosphorylation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2, p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) 1/2 in HUVECs. EL suppressed TNF-α-induced phosphorylation of Akt, IRAK1, and TAK1 in HUVECs. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that EL significantly suppressed TNF-α-induced interleukin (IL)1B, IL6, TNFA, and CCL2 mRNA expression in HUVECs. Additionally, oral administration of EL suppressed TNF-α-induced IL6 and TNFA expression in the mouse aorta. EL could represent a promising functional nutrient that can be ingested for the prevention of vascular inflammation via decreased monocyte infiltration to the vascular endothelium and suppression of inflammatory nuclear factor (NF)-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathways.

Millimeter waves are electric waves between 30 and 300 GHz. They are known to affect microbial growth. Here, the effects of millimeter waves on the microbiological and physicochemical properties of Makgeolli irradiated during fermentation were investigated. Millimeter waves at 60 and 70 GHz were used, and the fermentation was carried out at 30°C. The numbers of both lactic acid bacteria and yeasts have changed with similar pattern each then during the fermentation, but the effect of milimeter wave treatment was not critical as growth patterns were independent of both irradiation period and wave frequency. Furthermore, pH and total acidity did not change during fermentation. Although irradiation drastically increased sugar production during the initial stage of fermentation, the change was not frequency dependent. At the end of fermentation, the alcohol content in irradiated Makgeolli was definitely higher than that in un-irradiated Makgeolli, and the difference was frequency dependent.

Based on the current thermal processing conditions for rice noodles (80–85 °C for 20–30 min), we used response surface methodology to find brown rice (BR) noodle processing conditions that maximize the noodles antioxidant activity, digestibility, and gelatinization. The experiments were designed according to the central composite design, including two independent variables (temperature and time) and six dependent variables [total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging activities, digestibility, and gelatinization]. Antioxidant activities decreased but digestibility and gelatinization increased with increasing temperature and time. All dependent variables suggested a quadratic model except TFC, but the probability of TPC was not applicable (0.1505), and DPPH radical scavenging activity showed a relatively low R 2 (0.6750). Therefore, we applied the other three dependent variables (ABTS radical scavenging activity, digestibility, and gelatinization) to the 3D response surface and proposed three optimum conditions: (1) for antioxidant activity (70 °C, 22.95 min), (2) for digestibility and gelatinization (88.18 °C, 34.89 min), and (3) for all three variables (88.5 °C, 40 min). In a validation test, all dependent variables showed values within a 5 % error range except TFC. These results show the optimum processing conditions for BR noodles to maximize antioxidant activity and provide sustainability in BR noodle processing.

This study investigated the effect of added freeze-dried mulberry fruit juice (FDMJ) (1, 3 and 5%) on the antioxidant activity and fermented characteristic of yogurt during refrigerated storage. A decrease in pH of yogurt and increase in acidity was observed during fermentation. The yogurts with FDMJ exhibited faster rate of pH reduction than control. Initial lactic acid bacteria count of yogurt was 6.49-6.94 Log CFU/g and increased above 9 Log CFU/g in control and 1% in FDMJ yogurt for 24 h. The total polyphenol and anthocyanin content of FDMJ yogurt was higher than that of control due to the presence of phytochemical contents in mulberry. Moreover, antioxidant activity such as DPPH and reducing power was highest 5% FDMJ yogurt. During cold storage, pH decreased or remained constant in all yogurts with values ranging from 4.08 to 4.78 units. In sensory evaluation, the score of 1% FDMJ yogurt was ranked higher when compared with other yogurts. It is proposed that mulberry fruit juice powder can be used to improve sensory evaluation and enhance functionality of yogurt.

The effects of sea tangle, sea mustard, hijiki, and glasswort were investigated based on the proximate composition, salinity, cooking loss, emulsion stability, pH, color, texture profile analysis, apparent viscosity, and sensory characteristics of reduced-salt (NaCl) meat batter and frankfurters. The moisture content, salinity, lightness of the meat batter and frankfurter, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of the reduced-salt frankfurters with sea weeds were lower than the control without seaweed (p0.05). The moisture content, salinity, cooking loss, lightness, redness, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of treatments with sea tangle and with sea mustard were lower than the control (p

The characteristics of frozen rice cakes after thawing them using different methods, such as standing at room temperature (NT), running water (RWT), pan-grill (PT), steam (ST), microwave (MWT), and superheated steam thawing (SHST), were compared. Frozen rice cakes treated by MWT or SHST showed the shortest thawing time of 3 min. The MWT treatment showed the largest thawing loss, while the ST treatment showed the highest moisture content. The ST, RWT, and MWT treatments showed the highest water activity values. The NT treatment exhibited the highest hardness values, whereas the ST treatment showed the lowest values, possibly due to the adverse effects of high temperature on them. Sensory evaluation showed differences in appearance, moistness, and tenderness according to the thawing method, but there was no significant difference in overall acceptability. This study suggests that the qualities of frozen rice cakes varied depending on the different thawing methods.

Effects of milling methods and organic acids treatments on rheological properties of rice flour were investigated. The average particle-size of wet-milled rice flour was lower and showed lower pasting temperature, peak viscosity, and storage modulus values than those of dry-milled rice flour. Wet-milled rice flour treated with citric acid showed significantly low viscosity and viscoelastic properties, as the concentration of citric acid increased, whereas wet-milled rice flour treated with acetic acid was not significantly affected by the acetic acid concentration. Rheological property of baekseolgi (Korean rice cake) made with wet-milled citric-acid-treated rice flour showed a similar trend in viscoelasticity, wherein citric acid treatment lowered the hardness of the rice. However, cohesiveness increased with increasing citric acid concentration. Overall, milling method affected the particle size, which influenced the viscosity and heat stability, whereas citric acid treatment affected the rheological properties of rice flour. These results are expected to contribute to the development of an appropriate method for rice flour application.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing is an attractive non-thermal technique because of its potential to achieve interesting functional effects. In spite of the rapid expansion of HHP application to food systems, limited information is available on effects of HHP on modification of starch and their struc- tural and physicochemical properties. Therefore, functional roles of HHP in starch modification such as acid-hydrolysis, hydroxypropylation, acetylation, cross-linking and cationization of starch, as well as physicochemical properties of HHP-assisted modified starches were reviewed. HHP-assisted modified starches revealed similar or different physicochemical properties compared to conventionally modified starches, suggesting the consideration of HHP as a processing parameter for hydrolysis and modification of starch. Moreover, HHP-assisted starch modification would be an attractive technology and can be ef- fectively used in starch industry with relatively low cost and short reaction time.

Retrogradation kinetics of chestnut starches from three different regions of Korea were investigated during storage at 4 °C. The retrogradation properties were determined using four DSC characteristics: glass transition temperature (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ {\text{T}}_{\text{g}}^{\prime } $$\end{document}Tg′), ice melting enthalpy (ΔHi), amylopectin melting enthalpy (∆Hr) and degree of retrogradation (DR). The Gongju (GJ) starch showed the highest gelatinization enthalpy (∆Hg) value, followed by Gwangyang (GY) and Hadong (HD). \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ {\text{T}}_{\text{g}}^{\prime } $$\end{document}Tg′ of all samples gradually increased with increasing storage time, while ∆Hi decreased as the storage time increased. ∆Hr of all samples significantly increased after 2 days of storage. DR, calculated based on ∆Hg and ∆Hr, showed a similar tendency with ∆Hr. The retrogradation rates of three chestnut starches were analyzed using the Avrami equation, and the time constants (1/k) were obtained. GY, GJ and HD showed the fastest retrogradation rate in \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ {\text{T}}_{\text{g}}^{\prime } $$\end{document}Tg′, ∆Hi, and ∆Hr, respectively suggesting that each sample experienced different retrogradation kinetics in different region.

Cationic dextrins were prepared through substitution reaction of dextrin with low and high addition levels of 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (ETMAC), respectively. Conventional cationization reactions were carried out for 5 h under continued stirring. UHP-assisted cationization reactions were conducted at three pressurization levels of 100, 300 and 500 MPa for a pressure holding time of 30 min. Degree of substitution (DS) of UHP-assisted cationic dextrins ranged from 0.58 to 1.51, and in general, their DS values were enhanced with increasing pressure levels. FT-IR and 13 C NMR spectra indicated the presence of C N bond, which provided clear evidence about incorporation of cationic moieties onto dextrin molecules. In flocculation test, UHP-assisted cationic dextrin revealed higher flocculating activity. Overall results suggested that UHP-assisted cationization reaction could modulate reactivity and flocculating activity of dextrin by controlling pressure levels and reaction mixture compositions, and cationic dextrins likely possessed a higher potential to replace synthetic polymer-based flocculants.

Leuconostoc garlicum KCCM 43211 isolated from traditional Korean fermented food is an intensive producer of exopolysaccharide (EPS). Here we report the first complete genome sequence of L. garlicum KCCM 43211. The genome sequence displayed that this strain contains genes involved in production of EPS possibly composed of glucose monomers. An uncharacterized EPS from the L. garlicum KCCM 43211 strains was also produced during fermentation in the sucrose medium. The MALDI-TOF results displayed the typical mass spectrometry pattern of dextran. This uncharacterized EPS may have use in commercial prebiotics, food additives, and medical purposes. The complete genome sequence of L. garlicum KCCM 43211 will provide valuable information for strain engineering based on the genetic information.

Many studies have been conducted to promote germination in brown rice in order to improve its nutritional value in terms of enzymes, protein quality, and micronutrient content. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of millimeter wave on germination. Millimeter wave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with frequency between 30 and 300 GHz, and is also called ‘biomicrowave’. Millimeter wave significantly stimulated germination. Total polyphenol content and DPPH radical scavenging activity also increased, especially at high frequency and prolonged dose. However, γ-aminobutyric acid content was diminished.

Au-buffered WO3 thin films were deposited on quartz glass using a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering method and their optical, structural and photocatalytic properties were investigated. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared thin films was evaluated by measuring the photodecomposition of methylene blue. The presence of the Au buffer layer improved photodegradation efficiency by about 50%, red-shifted the absorption edge to a longer wavelength, and increased the film surface roughness. Photoexcited charges were separated by surface plasmon resonance at Au nanoparticles.

Human anisakiasis is a disease caused by an infestation of the third stage larvae of family anisakidae. The ingested larvae invade the gastrointestinal wall, causing clinical symptoms that include abdomen pain, nausea, and vomiting. Although enteric anisakiasis is extremely rare, it can induce intestinal obstruction. We report a case in which emergency surgery was needed due to intestinal obstruction that coincided with symptoms related to anisakiasis, along with a brief literature review.

Corn starches with 2 mol/l hydrochloric acid (HCl), 2 mol/l sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) and 2 mol/l oxalic acid (C 2 H 2 O 4 ) were pressurized at 600 MPa for 30 min. Corn starch with C 2 H 2 O 4 formed a gel after ultra-high-pressure (UHP) treatment. Corn starch with HCl showed partial disintegration but starch with H 2 SO 4 maintained its shape. Corn starch with HCl showed higher (0.42–0.47) degree of hydrolysis compared to starch with C 2 H 2 O 4 (about 0.14) and H 2 SO 4 (0.13–0.14) regardless of increasing starch concentration up to 20 g/100 g sample. Main component of starch hydrolysate was maltose for HCl and oligosaccharides for H 2 SO 4 and C 2 H 2 O 4 . Crystallinity of starch with HCl decreased with decreasing starch concentration as observed by both differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction. Therefore, UHP can be used for nonthermal starch hydrolysis and HCl would be a good catalyst for UHP starch hydrolysis compared to H 2 SO 4 and C 2 H 2 O 4 . This work provides a potential of nonthermal UHP processing for new starch hydrolysis method.

This study identifies the relationship between leisure facilitators and serious leisure of female college soccer participants. To this end, data were collected from a total of 223 surveys from participants in female college soccer participants. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted using SPSS and AMOS program. Frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed. All tests were performed using a .05 significance level. The results of this study were as follows. First, intrapersonal facilitators of leisure facilitators had a positive effect on serious leisure. Second, interpersonal facilitators of leisure facilitators had a positive effect on serious leisure. Third, structural facilitators of leisure facilitators had a positive effect on serious leisure.

Received: 26 October 2010, Accepted: 11 January 2011 Corresponding author: Ji Hye Suk Department of Internal Medicine, Maryknoll Medical Center, 4-12 Daecheong-dong, Jung-gu, Busan 600-730, Korea Tel: +82-51-461-2693, Fax: +82-51-465-7470, E-mail: Jihyesuk@gmail.com Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) by complicating rapid correction of severe hyponatremia has been widely reported. Additionally, CPM was occasionally reported among patients with post-liver transplantation, burns, chronic renal failure with dialysis, or other diseases associated with or not associated with other electrolyte changes or hyperosmolarity. However, there have been a few reports of CPM occurring in diabetic patients without documented electrolyte changes. This report is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of CPM in type 2 diabetic patients without electrolyte changes in Korea. A 40-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus with abruptly developed dysarthria and ataxia was admitted to our facility. He suffered from poor glucose control and multiple diabetic complications. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a well-defined bilateral symmetric hyperintense lesion in the central portion of the pons on T2and diffusion-weighted images, which was consistent with CPM. After the patient’s blood glucose and blood pressure normalized, his dysarthria and ataxia improved. Six months after discharge, follow-up MRI showed a persistent, but greatly reduced symmetric lesion in the central pons. It is certainly possible for CPM to be overlooked clinically in diabetic patients, but more cases could be diagnosed if careful attention was paid to this syndrome. (Endocrinol Metab 26:263-267, 2011)

Purpose: The aims of this study were to analyze the results of carotid artery stenting using distal protection with FilterWire, and evaluate the effectiveness of FilterWire for distal embolic protection. Materials and Methods: Between June and December in 2004, elective carotid artery stenting using FilterWire was attempted in 25 lesions of 24 consecutive patients. All patients were symptomatic, with recurrent transient ischemic attacks (TIA) or a stroke. The cerebral ischemic lesions of embolic origin were evaluated before and after the procedure using magnetic resonance imaging, including diffusion-weighted images. Both preand post-procedural 99mcTc-ECD SPECT were performed to assess the cerebral blood flows. Any visible debris within the FilterWire was sent for histological/cytological analyses. Results: Technical success was achieved all 25 cases. The mean pre-procedural stenosis was 89% (range 70-100%), and that immediately after stent placement was nearly 0%. With the exception of only one major stroke (1/25, 4%), no periprocedural complications were encountered. On the diffusion weighted images, new lesions were observed in four patients (4/25, 16%), but these were clinically silent. FilterWire-related transient spasm occurred in eight of the 25 procedures (32%). Conclusion: Carotid artery stenting, with FireWire distal protection, seems technically feasible, safe and effective in preventing procedural related embolic complications.

Purpose: We wanted to describe several new techniques of intracranial stenting that are helpful for navigating the stent delivery system in the tortuous carotid or vertebral arteries. Materials and Methods: Between May 1998 and June 2004, 65 patients with 73 symptomatic, stenotic intracranial arteries (more than 50%) were successfully treated with stent-assisted angioplasty. In eleven of the total cases, the standard technique failed to navigate the stent delivery system into the objective lesion because of the tortuous path of the carotid or vertebral arteries. In these cases, several new techniques were used to overcome the vessels' tortuous path. The several new techniques were 1) the waiting method (20-30 minutes) after advancement of microwire across the lesion; 2) the double wires technique using an additional microwire; and 3) the coaxial double guiding catheters technique using an additional smaller guiding catheter. Five lesions were located in the middle cerebral arteries, four were in the supraclinoid internal carotid arteries, and two were in the distal vertebral arteries. Results: In all difficult cases, intracranial artery stenting was performed successfully by using the several new techniques. The waiting method made smooth stent navigation possible in 5 cases, the double wire technique was successful in 4 cases and the coaxial double guiding catheter technique was successful in 2 case. There was no complication related to the new techniques. Conclusion: In difficult cases where the standard technique failed to navigate the stent delivery system into the objective lesion because of the vessels' tortuous path, these new techniques for intracranial stent navigation were usefully implemented.