This is a case report of a 40-year-old man with leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava. He had suffered from shortness of breath and edema on lower limbs over several months. Clinical examinations including UCG, CT and MRI revealed the mass in the right atrium. The stalk of mass was located near junction of the right atrium and inferior vena cava by cavography. He was operated upon using extracorporeal circulation. The tumor originated from inferior vena cava, measuring 8.5×5.5×4.8cm in size, 130g in weight, was successfully removed. Partial defect of anterior wall on the inferior vena cava was reconstructed using Gore-Tex patch. Histologically, the tumor was composed of the spindled cells with arranged bundles. Immunohistochemically, they were positive for Dessmin and Vimentin. Seven months after the surgery, he has been followed at OPD. In review of the Japanese literature to our knowledge, only 14 cases were reported including this case.

Background: The options for stabilization appliance therapy for masticatory muscle pain include soft occlusal and hard stabilization appliances. A previous study suggested that hard stabilization appliance therapy was effective for patients with local myalgia who developed long facets on their occlusal appliances. The objective of this study was to identify patients in whom a soft occlusal appliance should be used to treat masticatory muscle pain by analyzing the type of muscle pain present and patient factors that influenced the effectiveness of this treatment. Methods: The study included 42 patients diagnosed with local myalgia or myofascial pain according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders Diagnostic Decision Tree. The analysis of patient factors included variables believed to be associated with temporomandibular disorders. First, a temporary screening appliance was used for 2 weeks to assess each patient for bruxism during sleep. Soft appliance therapy was then started. For each patient, the effectiveness of the appliance was evaluated according to the intensity of tenderness during muscle palpation and the treatment satisfaction score at one month after starting treatment. Results: Data from 37 of the 42 patients were available for analysis. Twenty-five patients reported satisfaction with the appliance. In logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for reduction of facet length was 1.998. Nineteen patients showed at least a 30% improvement in the visual analog scale score. The odds ratio for local myalgia was 18.148. Conclusion Soft appliance therapy may be used in patients with local myalgia. Moreover, patients who develop short facets on the appliance surface are likely to be satisfied with soft appliance therapy. Soft appliance therapy may be appropriate for patients with local myalgia who develop short facets on their occlusal appliance.

BACKGROUND: Aging is a process that increases oxidative stress. Increased oxidative stress leads to the development of atherosclerosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria contribute to energy production that might have a beneficial influence on maintaining muscle strength. Therefore, the height-related single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs17081935, which is also reported to be associated with mitochondrial metabolism, might be associated with reduced muscle strength and this association might be affected by atherosclerosis status. To clarify those associations, a cross-sectional study of 1374 elderly Japanese individuals aged 60-89 years was conducted. METHODS: Logistic regression was used to clarify the association between rs17081935 and reduced handgrip strength. Since atherosclerosis might affect handgrip strength, participants were stratified by atherosclerosis status. Reduced handgrip strength was defined as being in the lowest quintile of handgrip strength (< 25.6 kg for men and < 16.1 kg for women). RESULTS: No significant associations were found between a minor allele of rs17081935 and reduced handgrip strength among elderly participants without atherosclerosis. A significant inverse association was observed among elderly participants with atherosclerosis. After adjusting for known cardiovascular risk factors and height, the adjusted odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for reduced handgrip strength and a minor allele of rs17081935 were 1.13 (0.86, 1.43) for elderly participants without atherosclerosis and 0.55 (0.36, 0.86) for those with atherosclerosis, respectively. CONCLUSION A minor allele of the height-related SNP rs17081935 was significantly inversely associated with reduced handgrip strength among older individuals with atherosclerosis, but not among those without atherosclerosis.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Atherosclerosis/epidemiology* ; Body Height ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Prevalence