Without exception, each nidus was accompanied by a PDCN, which connected not only to the nidus, feeding arteries, and draining veins, via arterioles and venules, but also to normal capillaries, arterioles, and venules. The PDCN should be considered in studies aimed at gaining an understanding of the mechanisms underlying the intraoperative and postoperative bleeding, growth, and recurrence of surgically treated cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

Electroencephalographic (EEG) and heart rate (HR) responses to repeated 8-h exposure for 6 weeks to trichloroethylene (TRI) vapor of 50, 100 and 300ppm were examined in freely moving rats with chro nically implanted electrodes for polygraphic recordings. Exposure to all the TRI levels significantly decreased amount of time spent in wakefulness (W) during the exposure period. Exposure to 100ppm and higher levels significantly decreased the time-averaged HR during the post-exposure period. The HRs during the stages of slow-wave sleep (SWS) and paradoxical sleep (PS) were significantly lowered after cessation of exposure to 50 ppm. When compared with the previously reported responses to short-term exposure to TRI (Arito H, et al. Arch Toxicol 1993; 67: 193-199), significant changes in wakefulness-sleep and HR elicited by the long-term exposure appeared at lower exposure levels. The EEG and HR effects of long-term exposure to TRI of 50 ppm or higher levels are discussed for their causative factors on the basis of the reported findings and for validity of the ongoing biological exposure limit value of TRI with reference to documentations enlisted for ACGIH's TLV of 50ppm (ACGIH. Documentation of the threshold limit values and biological exposure indices, 5th ed. 1986: 595-597).

SynopsisThe solubility of carboxylated polymer emulsions in an aqueous alkaline solution was studied. The alkali solubility was shown to depend on the degree of carboxylation, the hydrophilic nature of the noncarboxylic main components, the degree of polymerization, the glass transition temperature, the chain configuration, and the dissolution temperature. Emulsions of the copolymer containing acrylic acid units showed considerably different dissolution behavior from those containing methacrylic acid units, possibly owing to the difference in the distribution state of carboxylic units inside the particle. It is deduced that methacrylic acid units are distributed more homogeneously inside the particle than acrylic acid units.

Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) can cause large cerebral vessel occlusion. Many reports suggested that mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is effective and useful for early diagnosis from the histopathological findings of thrombus. We present the case of a 62-year-old man, with a history of prosthetic aortic valve replacement and pulmonary vein isolation for his atrial fibrillation, who developed a high fever and an acute neurological deficit, with left hemiplegia and speech disorder. He was diagnosed as having an acute right middle cerebral artery embolism and underwent an MT. The embolic source was found to be a PVE vegetation. However, histopathological analysis of the thrombus could not detect the actual diagnosis. Although he was treated for bacterial endocarditis, his blood culture revealed a rare fungal infection with Exophiala dermatitidis not until >3 weeks after admission. Subsequently, a ß-D-glucan assay also indicated elevated levels. Although he underwent an aortic valve replacement on day 36, MRI showed multiple minor embolic strokes till that day. Early diagnosis of fungal endocarditis and detection of the causative pathogen are still challenging, and the disease has a high risk of occurrence of early and repeated embolic stroke. In addition to clinical findings and pathological studies, ß-D-glucan assay might be a good tool for the diagnosis and evaluation of fungal endocarditis.