We employed the Meridian Test to study the effects of acupuncture on m otor organ diseases and medical expenses of workers in a company, where health promotion is a priority. Our two-month trial was done at one factory which employs mainly physical labor workers. Acupuncture treatments were given for pain in the neckshoulder, knee and lumbar regions. After 8 weeks of our treatment, 83% of neck-shoulder pain cases, 77% of lumbar pain cases, and 88% of knee pain cases reported that their pain was reduced more than 50%. The results of a mental test (POMS test) showed a significant decrease in tension, depression, anger, fatigue and mental confusion. In terms of acupuncture treatment, numbers of visits to conventional hospitals were significantly decreased and average medical expenses were reduced to about 30%. These reductions continued for the next 3 months. Acupuncture treatment using the Meridian Test could benefit corporations where health promotion of workers is an urgent priority.

Case reports of traumatic aortic regurgitation are rare. We report a case of a 62-year-old man injured by falling from a paraglider. After recovering from multiple injuries and discharge, he began to suffer from dyspnea. Severe aortic regurgitation and pseudoaneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva were diagnosed by ultrasound cardio graphy (UCG) and multi-detector-row computer tomography (MDCT). After cardiac failure was controlled, we operated. The commissure between the left and the right coronary cusps was detached from the aortic wall, and a modified Bentall operation was performed. The patient recovered well and was discharged uneventfully.

Kinki University School of Medicine introduced clerkships for undergraduate clinical training in 1999. Clinical clerkships are performed for the first 8 weeks of the sixth academic year. In 1999 and 2000 we conducted questionnaire surveys asking students about this system. The teaching staff encourages students to participate extensively in clinical situations, which reflects the consensus about this system. We also performed similar surveys of nurses and teaching staff. Clinical clerkships did not increase the incidence of problems between patients and medical staff. Many students felt their motivation to be a physician was increased. Although the findings of these questionnaire surveys indicate that our clerkship system works successfully, they also revealed some problems for sixth-year students. Although we recognize the significance of this system for undergraduate clinical training, further improvement is required.