Background: In our hospital, a mini-lecture is given before a social gathering during “Cancer Salon-”
Purpose: To examine Significance of the mini-lecture.
Method: The results of a questionnaire survey of the participants were summarized.
Results: The mini-lectures were performed by multidisciplinary persons. The survey found that a significantly large number of the participants felt the mini-lectures by persons other than medical doctors were helpful (p=0.021).
Discussion: Mini-lectures are valuable in that they provide not only information but also “create an atmosphere” of the following meeting. In addition, to receive a favorable assessment from the audience, it is important for the speakers, even the doctors, to understand the feelings of the participants, and take part in the subsequent get-together without formality.
Conclusion: The mini-lecture creates an atmosphere toward the social gatherings, and leads the speakers to adapt to the occasion with the participants.

In Japan, there are insufficient measures to ensure that women can maintain good health while working. In addition, many women have limited health literacy, making it difficult for them to access information on physical and mental health problems that are specific to them. In this context, it is essential for pharmacists to become the first point of contact for women seeking information about their physical health, as they are familiar with healthcare providers in the community. To address this issue, we organized a Women's Health Care Cafe for pharmacy students to provide them with an opportunity to learn about women's health.

A retrospective review was performed on 43 patients on hemodialysis undergoing valve surgery between May 1999 and August 2004. Ages ranged from 36 to 80 years (mean, 63.8 years). Twenty aortic, 9 mitral, 8 aortic and mitral and 6 valvuloplasties were performed. Twenty-three aortic mechanical valves, 5 aortic bioprosthetic valves, 13 mitral mechanical valves and 4 mitral bioprosthetic valves were implanted. Twenty-five of the 28 aortic valve replacement were hypoplasia of the aortic valve ring. There were 3 hospital deaths (heart failure, pneumonia and sepsis). There were 10 late deaths (2 heart failure, 2 pneumonia, wound infection, cerebral infarction, 2 cancer, arteriosclerosis obliterans and unknown death). Survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was 81%, 74% and 47%. There were three documented major bleedings or thromboembolisms in the 29 patients with mechanical valves (10%) and none in the 9 patients with bioprosthetic valves (0% no significance). Three reoperations were performed for premature degeneration of bioprosthetic valve (19, 24 and 50 months) due to accelerated calcification. These results demonstrate that the prosthetic valve-related major bleedings and strokes in hemodialysis patients are similar for both mechanical and bioprosthetic valves, and that bioprosthetic valves will undergo premature degeneration. Therefore, preference should be given to mechanical valve prostheses in hemodialysis patients.

Endoventricular circular patch plasty (the Dor procedure) has been demonstrated to improve outcome in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, in some of them congestive heart failure (CHF) occurred during follow-up. This study examined the effects of the Dor procedure on the long-term survival and predictors of CHF after this procedure. Hemodynamic and clinical results were analyzed and predictors of CHF were examined. Postoperative ESVI in the CHF group was larger than that in the non-CHF group. The delayed MR rate was greater following the CHF group (82.4%) compared to the non-CHF group (19.2%). Despite mitral valve repair (N=8), 3 patients had delayed MR. All of them were greater than MR³. Hemodynamic and clinical results were improved by the Dor procedure. However, cardiac events were usually occurred during the follow-up. The predictor of CHF was delayed MR. Therefore, patients with preoperative MR should be treated. If preoperative MR is greater than 3, there will be MR recurrence cases after MVP only. Therefore, patients with preoperative MR (3 or 4) should be treated by alternative surgical procedures.

Diagnosis of cardiac rupture caused by blunt trauma is sometimes difficult when multi-organ injuries are associated with profound shock. Only prompt diagnosis and urgent treatment can save the patients. We have encountered 16 cases of blunt cardiac rupture, including 4 that survived in the past 10 years. All cases of cardiopulmonary arrest on arrival were unable to be resuscitated. Also, all cases of profound hemorrhagic shock caused by multi-organ injury succumbed. Among the cases in which the region of cardiac rupture was identified, only cases of injury to the right heart chambers were saved. No case of rupture in the left heart chambers survived. It is definitely important to suspect cardiac injury and make a prompt diagnosis to save patients with blunt chest trauma. Ultrasonic cardiography is highly effective for urgent diagnosis of cardiac rupture because it can be performed readily, noninvasively and, therefore, repeatedly.