This is the third report of the findings of the investigation we made in Tokushima Prefecture as part of a joint research project designed to work up measures against the problems of the elderly with urinary incontinence in rural areas. The project, led by Dr.Kazunori Sugiyama, was commissioned by the National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (Zenkyoren).
The two previously published reports dealt with (1) independence of the elderly in rural community and urination trouble and (2) urinary incontinence in the elderly populace of a rural area.
Of the elderly men living at home, 20.5% was found to have urinary incontinence and a further 14.4% complained about difficulty in urinating. Those who registered an IPSS count of 10 or over accounted for 20.1% of the urinary incontinent persons. The IPSS showed a tendency to go up with advancing age. To be noted was the fact that there is a regional difference in the average score. It was lower in the mountain villages than in the flat-land farming areas. This suggested that the incidence of prostatic hypertrophy may be low in the mountain villages than in the flat-land areas.
In prostate examination, the use of IPSS is helpful in screening for enlargement of the prostate to some extend. More clinically dependable tools are ultrasonography, cystourethroscopy (cystoscopy) and uroflowmetry. However, whether these tools should be introduced for first-line screening is debatable.
In contrast, blood tests that measure levels of PSA and PAP are not only effective but also feasible for mass screening. Thus, the authors would like to recommend their immediate implementation in health screening programs for the elderly.

Objective : To investigate whether the frequency of passive motion exercises during the early period after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair affects the range of motion at three months postoperatively. Methods : We retrospectively evaluated 64 patients with rotator cuff tears who underwent arthroscopic repair. Range of motion (ROM) in forward flexion, abduction, external rotation, and internal rotation were assessed preoperatively and at three months postoperatively. Patients were supervised to wear an axillar pillow for six weeks and to commence passive ROM exercise at seven days postoperatively. Passive ROM exercises for 9 hours per week or more were performed in 41 patients (group A), and 3 hours or less of exercises were performed in 23 patients (group B). Results : There were no statistical differences between the two groups in age or gender proportion. The mean differences from preoperative ROM to postoperative ROM were 4° and 17° (group A and B, respectively) in flexion, 5° and 18° in abduction, -14° and -12° in external rotation, and -3 and -2 spinous processes in internal rotation, and there were no differences in all directions between the two groups. Even when subjects were limited to the patients without shoulder contractures preoperatively, there was no difference between the two groups. Conclusion : Early passive motion exercise for long hours after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair did not give a positive effect on early improvement in ROM. Scar formation and adhesion at the subacromial space may influence this outcome.

  A 59-year-old female was started on oral carbamazepine for her psychological disorder on April 21 2004. Four weeks later, she developed generalized erythemas on the trunk and extremities, and ran a high fever of 38°C. A physical examination showed erythroderma, and laboratory examination revealed liver dysfunction and hypereosinophilia. Three days after admission, a number of small pustules emerged on the erythrodermic backgrounds. The skin lesions were improved by the withdrawal of carbamazepine and systemic prednisolone (50mg per day). However, acute pancreatitis was also developed during the course. HHV-6 IgG was increased up to x1280 on June 17. Also, HHV-6 DNA was detected with two peaks during the therapy. DLST with carbamazepine showed a high titer of stimulation index. This case was unique in the acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP)-like clinical appearance and the development of acute pancreatitis. HHV-6 DNA was increased with double peaks, which might suggest a “re-reactivation” of HHV-6 by carbamazepine.

A 44-year-old woman with Marfan's syndrome presented complaining of severe back pain. Angiography revealed annulo aortic ectasia, aortic regurgitation, acute aoric dissection (DeBakey IIIb) and distal aortic arch aneurysm. One month after admission, she underwent cardiopulmonary bypass was established through the femoral artery, the superior and inferior vena cava. The heart was arrested by aortic cross clamping and retrograde cold (20°C) cardioplegia. At first, a modified Bentall's procedure was done in addition to a Carrel patch procedure. After this procedure, the heart was perfused continuously (300ml/min) with warm (37°C) blood until the end of the cardiopulmonary bypass. The heart recovered a sinus rhythm spontaneously. Subsequently, aortic arch replacement and the elephant trunk method was done with the aid of deep hypothermia and circulatory arrest. The patients is well 1 year after the operation. This technique is useful for patients who require prolonged aortic cross clamping time.

In March 1986, an academic program on family care medicine was started at Jikei University School of Medicine upon consultation with Prof. Masakazu Abe, then President of the Jikei University School of Medicine, and Dr. Tomojiro Nagai, founder of the Medical Practitioners' Association of Japan. The program offers two elective seminars on family care medicine in the spring and summer for 4th and 5th year medical students. The objective was to give students opportunities to visit and observe medical care provided by practitioners, to teach them the importance of the function of family physicians, and to offer them options in their future careers.
The total number of participating students from the first through 20th seminars was 121, with a maximum number of participants per seminar of 11 and a minimum of 3 (average of 6). A total of 37 instructors took part in the program by giving from 1 to 18 seminars per instructor (average of 3.3). We found these seminars to be highly educational not only for the students but also for the instructing physicians.

Chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) complicates 5.7% of thoracic aortic aneurysm. DIC with thoracic aortic aneurysm is characterized by hyperfibrinolysis, but usually shows a stable condition in a state of compensated non-overt DIC with limited hemorrhagic symptoms. However, in some cases, hemorrhage caused by external factors may induce uncompensated overt DIC and lead to serious hemorrhagic tendencies. In the present study, we report a patient with a thoracic aortic aneurysm complicated by DIC who exhibited marked hemorrhagic tendencies. DIC remarkably improved following administration of recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin.

Renal damage caused by hemolysis during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was investigated, and the preventive effects of haptoglobin in regard to this condition was also evaluated. Nineteen patients who underwent open heart surgery were divided into two groups: a control group (n=11) and a haptoglobin group (n=8). In the control group, the level of plasma-free hemoglobin increased significantly after CPB (p<0.01), and this level was strongly correlated with renal tubular leaking enzymes: NAG (r=0.76) and γ-GTP (r=0.81), in the Intensive Care Unit or on the first day after surgery. On the contrary, in the haptoglobin group, in which 4, 000 units of haptoglobin was added in the priming solution of CPB, no increased level of plasma free hemoglobin was observed. Furthermore, leak age of renal tubular enzymes were statistically less (p<0.05). It was concluded that free hemoglobin was a cause of renal damage during CPB and the damage was preventable by the administration of haptoglobin.

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is a serious and increasingly common clinical disorder, but at present, the relationship between left ventricular shape and IMR is not completely understood. Thirty patients with moderate or severe IMR who underwent mitral valve surgery combined with coronary artery bypass grafting were studied retrospectively. Left ventricular shape, left ventricular regional wall motion, hemodynamic index, condition of the coronary artery, severity of IMR and long term results were assessed using ventriculography and angiography. Left ventricular shape at end diastole and end systole were quantified based upon the ratio of the major-to-minor axis and the sphericity index. Hospital mortality rate was 13.3%, 5 years survival rates were 10.5%, and 5-year rate of freedom from congestive heart failure (CHF) were 7.8%. Significant difference between cardiac deaths (n=11) and survivors (n=19) included requiring intensive care admission, requiring intra-aortic balloon pumping, recurrent myocardial infarction, the ratio of the major-minor axis at end diastole, the sphericity index at diastole, and the sphericity index at end systole. Multivariable regression analyses were performed with the Cox proportional hazards model. Significant determinants of survival were the sphericity index at end systole and LV regional wall motion at the site of the anterobasal segment or apex. These findings indicate that the shape of the LV and LV regional wall motion in IMR may be important determinants of prognosis and suggest that surgical attention to shape may be helpful for mitral valve surgery.

We report two cases the first was a 74-year-old woman who had received coronary artery bypass grafting [SVG-to-LAD, SVG-to-Cx, SVG-to-RCA, the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) was mobilized but was unsuitable for the graft] two years previously. Postoperative angiography revealed graft occlusion. Since repeated catheter intervention was not successful, reoperation was performed. A MIDCAB procedure with radial artery graft and proximal anastomosis was performed on the left axillary artery. The operation was successful and there were no complications. Two weeks after the operation, the graft patency was confirmed and she was discharged. The second case was a 64-year-old man who received coronary artery grafting (LITA-to-LAD, SVG-to-Cx and SVG-to-RCA). Two months after the operation, recurrent chest pain was caused by severe stenosis of the LITA anastomotic site. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was performed but was unsuccessful. He received redo CABG in the same manner using the saphenous vein. The postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged 6 days after the operation. This procedure is useful for the patients whose left internal thoracic artery has been used on a previous operation. Good early results were obtained in both patients.

A 62-year-old man was transferred to our institution with ventricular fibrillation. Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) was established and he underwent successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Since his left ventricular function did not recover, he was placed on a left ventricular assist system (LVAS). Under general anesthesia, a 10-cm longitudinal incision was made on the right parasternum. The third and fourth cartilages were completely resected. The pericardium was incised longitudinally. At first, an inflow cannula was insected to the right side of the left atrium. The ascending aorta was then partially excluded and an outflow cannula with a 10mm Gore-Tex prosthesis was anastomosed end-to-side to the aorta with a continuous Gore-Tex suture. After the pump was established, PCPS was gradually discontinued. During 9 days of support, his left ventricular function recovered and subsequently he was weaned from LVAS. Unfortunately, he died two days after LVAS removal. We think this procedure is useful because it is easy to perform, reduces the bleeding, shortens the operating time.