We describe successful surgical treatment of blow-out type left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) that suddenly occurred in a 66-year-old man 6 days after antero-lateral acute myocardial infarction. Immediate use of a percutaneous cardiopulmonary support system (PCPS) and intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) successfully resuscitated the patient, followed by emergency operation for the beating heart under PCPS and IABP. The actively bleeding site, located at the antero-lateral wall, was gently approximated by large bites of mattress suture with pledgets to close the rupture site, and the site was then additionally covered with oxycel and fibrin glue. The infarct area was finally widely covered with a large patch of equine pericardium. This simple surgical method for the beating heart under PCPS and IABP can provide a prompt and less invasive surgical cure for critically ill patients with blow-out type LVFWR.

Objective : To evaluate the effect of beraprost sodium (beraprost) on the vascular events occurring in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled, randomized trials.
Design : Meta-analysis
Methods : Among the clinical trials of beraprost in patients with intermittent claudication associated with PAD, placebo-controlled, randomized trials with vascular events as outcome measures were selected. Two trials met the criteria, each of which was a comparative trial of beraprost (40 μg t.i.d.) and placebo (t.i.d.), with a six-month follow-up period.
Results : With both trials combined, the analysis included 594 patients in the beraprost group and 590 in the placebo group. The risk ratio was 0.608 (95%CI : 0.41 to 0.90, p =0.012), demonstrating the efficacy of beraprost on all vascular events. The risk ratio for lower limb deterioration was 0.598 (95% CI : 0.34 to 1.06, p =0.079), which was similar to that for all vascular events. A statistically insignificant but similar result was also obtained for cardio/cerebrovascular events with a risk ratio of 0.619 (95%CI : 0.36 to 1.07, p = 0.085). Heterogeneity between the two studies was not found for any of the events.
Conclusion : The results demonstrated the efficacy of beraprost on the vascular events in patients with PAD. The potential benefit of beraprost on vascular events will require evaluation in a larger prospective investigation.

Mycotic aortic aneurysm is a rare disease which is caused by bacterial infection of the aortic wall, grows rapidly with subsequent rupture and has high mortality. We report a case of successful anatomical reconstruction for mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm with infectious abcess. A 59-year-old man who was found to have an impending rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm underwent emergency anatomical reconstruction. At operation, an active infectious abcess was noted around the abdominal aorta. Successful management of this disease depends on early accurate preoperative diagnosis, complete resection and debridment of infected tissues, anatomical graft replacement and adjuvant antibiotic chemotherapy.

We evaluated the clinical effects of acupuncture/moxibustion therapy in 7 patients with vertigo that was uncontrollable with western medicine. The observation period was 6-15 months. The 7 patients consisted of 1 male and 6 females aged 29-73 years (mean, 44.7 years). More than 4 courses or more of acupuncture/moxibustion treatment (acupuncture + warm moxibustion) were performed in each patient, and the effects were evaluated based on the results of a daily living disability questionnaire before and after treatment. In practice, these effects were classified into 4 grades (cure, improvement, no change, aggravation). Cure was observed in1patient, improvement in 5 patients, and no change in1patient, indicating this therapy was effective in 85% of the patients. None of the patients showed aggravation of their condition. In addition, no adverse effects were observed.Our results suggest that acupuncture/moxibustion therapy has certain effects on intractable vertigo. Therefore, in patients with vertigo who do not respond to western medical care, such as the administration of anti-vertigo drugs, a beneficial effect of acupuncture/moxibustion as a complementary therapy can be expected.
Acupuncture ; Therapeutic procedure ; Vertigo ; Patients ; Effective

INTRODUCTIONThis study aims to compare the long-term efficacy of 25-gauge vitrectomy to that of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) for the treatment of macular edema (ME) secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).

MATERIALS AND METHODSThe medical records of 46 eyes of 46 consecutive patients were reviewed. Twenty-seven eyes underwent 25-gauge vitrectomy (VIT Group) and 19 eyes received 1.25 mg of IVB (IVB Group). The best-corrected visual acuities (BCVAs) in logarithm of minimum angle resolution units and central macular thicknesses (CMTs) were evaluated before and 3, 6, and 12 months after the initial treatment.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference in the pre-treatment BCVA and CMT between the 2 groups. In the VIT Group, the preoperative BCVA was 0.59 and the CMT was 587.3 μm and the BCVA was 0.35 and the CMT was 286.6 μm, 12 months after the vitrectomy. Both values were significantly (P <0.05) better at 12 months than the preoperative values. In the IVB Group, the average number of IVB was 2.4 during the 1-year period. The BCVA was 0.69 and the CMT was 590.9 μm before the IVB, and the BCVA was 0.36 and the CMT was 360.1 μm, 12 months after the initial IVB. The improvements of these 2 parameters were significant (P <0.05) at 12 months after the initial IVB. The differences in the BCVA and CMT at 12 months between the 2 groups were not significant.

CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that the 25-gauge vitrectomy and IVB have similar effects in improving the BCVA and CMT in eyes with ME secondary to BRVO. However, IVB often required several injections to preserve the improvement.

Aged ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; therapeutic use ; Bevacizumab ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Macula Lutea ; pathology ; Macular Edema ; etiology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retinal Vein Occlusion ; complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy ; methods

OBJECTIVEExposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is considered to have culminated between 1950 and 1970 in Japan, and exposure through diet, the major exposure route, has decreased significantly over the last 10 years. The primary goal of the present study was to investigate the long-term trends and congener profiles of serum and dietary levels of PCBs using historical samples.

METHODSUsing banked samples collected in 1980, 1995, and 2003 surveys, we determined the daily intakes and serum concentrations of 13 PCB congeners (#74, #99, #118, #138, #146, #153, #156, #163, #164, #170, #180, #182, and #187) in women.

RESULTSThe total daily PCB intake [ng/day, geometric mean (geometric standard deviation)] decreased significantly from 523 (2.5) in 1980 to 63 (3.2) in 2003. The serum total PCB level (ng/g lipid) in women <40 years of age decreased significantly from 185 (1.8) in 1980 to 68 (1.8) in 2003. In contrast, the level in women >50 years of age increased significantly from 125 (1.7) in 1980 to 242 (1.7) in 2003. Specifically, the serum concentrations of hexa (#138, #146, #153, #156, #163, and #164) and hepta (#170, #180, #182, and #187) congeners increased significantly. A comparison of the serum PCB levels of women born from 1940 to 1953 revealed that their serum total PCB level was significantly higher in the 2003 survey [242 (1.7), n = 9] than in the 1995 [128 (2.0), n = 17] surveys. This increase in the total PCB level was attributable to increases in the hepta congener groups.

CONCLUSIONPresent results suggest a decreased rate of elimination of hepta congeners with aging in females, rather than a birth-generation phenomenon.

Advances in information and communication technology (ICT)-especially, the spread of social networking services (SNSs)-have facilitated the dissemination of information and an explosion of health information lacking scientific evidence. Therefore, we believe that community pharmacies are the most suitable bases for distributing health information. In 2019, we launched the health support pharmacy “Toyonaka Model” in collaboration with the pharmaceutical association, municipal government, and university. Touch-panel digital signage (DS) was used for real-time distribution of ever-changing information and a rapid grasp of pharmacy users’ responses to various types of information. Between September 2019 and August 2021, one DS was installed in a pharmacy in each of Toyonaka City’s seven areas along with 14 questions on the usefulness of the delivered information. Respondents answered the 14 questions by a tablet or questionnaire; touch logs for DS were collected. When a pharmacy user consulted with a pharmacist about information delivered via DS, the contents were recorded and described by the pharmacist on a 4-point scale (e.g., “inquiry only,” “went through to execution”). From the 850 completed questionnaires and 61,565 touches, 88.7% of the respondents indicated that the information was useful, and 90.0% expressed interest in receiving more health information in the future. Thus, health information provided by DS may be useful to pharmacy users, as demonstrated by 113 cases in which the pharmacist was consulted regarding such information. In 62 of these cases, there were indications that the DS information might have influenced users’ behavior and intended actions.