MRSA is one of the major nosocomial pathogens, and methicillin-resistance is associated with acquisition of the mecA gene coding for the penicillin-binding protein 2' (PBP2'). MRSA-screen test (Denka Seiken Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) is a slide latex agglutination kit which can detect PBP2' within 15 min. MRSA-screen test was compared with PCR for detection of the mecA gene in order to detect MRSA. S. aureus strains isolated from April to October in 1999 in Gifu Red Cross Hospital were identified as 25 MRSA and 19 MSSA by susceptibility testing to oxacillin by the agar dilution method according to the recommendation of the National Comittee for the Clinical Laboratory Standards. The MRSA screen test and PCR for the mecA gene showed sensitivites of 92.0 and 96.0% and specificities of 89.5 and 94.7%, respectively. It is considered that MRSA-screen is a rapid and reliable test for discrimination of MRSA from MSSA colonies on agar plates.
A patient who presented with trigeminal neuralgia associated with a persistent primitive trigeminal artery (PPTA) is presented. A 62-year-old woman suffering from right orbital pain was admitted to the hospital. Medical treatment for three months was ineffective, and her neuralgia had deteriorated and gradually spread in the maxillary division. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the flow void signal attached to the right trigeminal nerve. Thus, microvascular decompression was performed. The superior cerebellar artery was the responsible artery, and it was transposed to decompress the trigeminal nerve. After this manoeuvre, an artery was identified running parallel to the trigeminal nerve toward Meckel's cave. The artery, which turned out to be a PPTA, communicated with the basilar artery. The PPTA was carefully observed, and it was found not to be the artery causing the neuralgia because it did not compress the nerve at surgical observation. No additional procedure between the PPTA and the trigeminal nerve was performed. The patient's symptom improved dramatically following surgery, and her postoperative course was uneventful. Postoperative three-dimensional computed tomography showed the PPTA. The findings in the present case suggest that transposition of the responsible artery effectively decompresses the root entry zone and assists in determining whether the PPTA is affecting the trigeminal nerve.
A high-speed and low-power consumption phase frequency comparator (PFC) for a phase lock stable oscillator was designed and fabricated with a GaAs MESFET BFL circuit for the first time. The threshold voltage, gate width, and gate length of GaAs MESFET's in the PFC were determined by circuit simulations for a high-speed and low-power operation. The fabrication process used buried p-layer SAINT-FET's with 0.5-µm gate length. The fabricated PFC performed stable phase and frequency comparison up to 600 MHz at only 60 mW. Using dislocation-free wafers, the fabrication yield in the laboratory was more than 90 percent.
Supratentorial dermoid cysts are unusual benign mass lesions in pediatric patients, especially if located in a lateralized position such as in the lateral sulcus. Since these lesions often adhere tightly to circumjacent nerves or vessels, preoperative evaluation is important. Here we report on a pediatric patient with an intrasylvian dermoid cyst who underwent radical microsurgical resection and review the relevant literature.An 8-year-old girl with a cystic space-occupying lesion in the right lateral sulcus was referred to our hospital. The lesion appeared similar to CSF on T1/T2 sequences on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). However, diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI)indicated high diffusion restriction. During the operation, dermal appendage was found within the tumor capsule. Gross total resection was achieved and the patient was discharged without any deficits. Histological findings confirmed the diagnosis of a dermoid cyst.Only three cases of pediatric patients with dermoid cysts located in the lateral sulcus have been described. Due to its rarity and highly variable appearance on MRI, obtaining a differential diagnosis is difficult. Gross total resection should be the surgical goal;nevertheless, adjacent structures must be preserved.Here we described an additional rare case of intrasylvian dermoid cyst in childhood. The appearance of such cysts on DWI can aid with their preoperative diagnosis.
