A study was conducted to determine the effect of water running exercise (WRE) on renal function. The study involved 5 healthy males who performed maximal work by both WRE and bicycle ergometer exercise (BEE), and 6 males who performed head-out water immersion.
The results obtained were as follows;
1) The values of VO₂max and maximum heart rate (HRmax) during WRE and BEE were approximately similar, and blood lactate concentration after exercise was significantly higher then the basal value in both types of exercise, although the value was significantly higher after WRE than after BEE.
2) Compared with the resting values on land, significant decreases in HR and plasma aldosterone (Ald) concentration were noted in head-out water immersion, but plasma antidiuretic hormone (ADH) concentration and urinary volume were not changed significantly from the resting values.
3) The secretion of both plasma ADH and Ald was significantly increased at the end of both types of exercise. However, a larger increase in Ald and ADH was observed after BEE than after WRE.
4) The rate of urine flow was obviously decreased soon after both types of exercise; this was positively correlated with changes in creatinine clearance and negatively correlated with changes in Ald concentration.
The results of the present study suggest that a better venous return is induced by the water pressure and cardiac output during WRE, possibly inducing the release of atrial natriuretic fsctor (ANF) . ANF may inpair the release of ADH and Ald to a greater extent in WRE than in BEE.

In order to elucidate effects of the exercise intensity on purine catabolism, we performed exhausitve exercise (Exh-ex), 80% VO₂max exercise (80%-ex) and 70% VO₂max exercise (70%-ex) test by a bicycle ergometer, and estimated the purine catabolism by the changes in blood ammonia, plasma oxypurines and urinary oxypurines in five healthy male subjects who were given allopurinol. The results were summarized as follows;
1) Plasma oxypurines concentrations (POP) increased gradually after exercise with each intensity. The order of their maximal levels and of cumulative areas under the curves of POP were exh-ex>80%-ex>70%-ex>control, respectively, and that of urinary excretions of oxypurines was exh-ex>80%-ex>70%-ex≥control.
2) Blood ammonia concentrations (BNH₃) increased sharply after exercise with each intensity. The order of their maximal levels was 80%-ex = exh-ex>70%-ex>control, and that of cumulative areas under the curves of BNH₃ was 80%-ex>exh-ex>70%-ex>control.
3) Blood lactate concentrations (BLA) increased sharply after exercise with each intensity. The order of their maximal levels and of cumulative areas under the curves of BLA were exh-ex =80%-ex>70%-ex>control, respectively.
These results suggest that the purine catabolism leading to uric acid production is activated by the physical exercise in the order of increasing intensities. The discrepancy between the increase in ammonia and those in oxypurines suggests that the increased purine catabolic pathway was mediated not only by AMP deamination but also by other factors.

Congenital anomalies of the coronary artery are rare. However, they can cause sudden death because of arrhythmia. We present a case of a 62-year-old man with severe aortic valve regurgitation associated with an anomalous origin of a narrowed right coronary artery (IB₂ according to the Shirani Classification) detected on preoperative coronary three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) . The patient underwent both aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation, and coronary artery bypass. The postoperative course was uneventful.

No abstract available.
Endoscopic Mucosal Resection ; Gastroscopy ; Dissection

We conducted an outpatient escort program as a part of our early exposure curriculum for first-year medical students. Each student escorted one patient at the University of Tsukuba Hospital throughout his or her first visit. This program enabled the students to experience and think about the system of a university hospital from a patient's point of view. We believe that this program is useful to motivate first-year medical students in their future studies.

Students in their 5th and 6th year of University of Tsukuba, School of Medicine, enter into a clinical clerkship. They record medical charts and flow sheets and they present at clinical rounds.
1) From 2000 to 2005, a questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the clinical clerkship in the rheumatology division. We also evaluated the influence of the introduction of infliximab therapy (October 2003) on the students' experience.
2) Evaluation of the clinical clerkship by the students was improved by attending the infliximab ward. Students felt more involved in the treatment of the patients by preparing drip infusion sets, disssolving infliximab, assisting with the drawing of blood and drip infusions, checking of the vital signs every 30 minutes, and recording charts.
3) Students realized the improvement of rheumatoid arthritis with therapy and the changes in the patients' emotional status after the introduction of infliximab.

Prosthetic graft infection after arch replacement surgery is a serious complication that is often resistant to antibiotics. However, graft replacement is difficult and is very invasive. We performed anterior small thoracotomy drainage and intermittent lavage in 2 patients. First, the prosthetic graft was approached via a left third intercostal thoracotomy. After the ablation of infected tissues and cleansing with saline, drains were placed both proximally and distally to the vascular graft. An irrigation withdrawal drain was then implanted in the left thoracic cavity. After surgery, diluted povidone iodine solution, pyoktanin solution, and saline were used for pleural lavage. Case 1 : An 82-year-old man underwent arch replacement for a ruptured aortic arch aneurysm in November 2005. He suffered from high-grade fever from March 2008 and was referred to our hospital from another hospital with a diagnosis of vascular graft infection. A small anterior thoracotomy and drainage were performed on April 9. Pleural lavage with povidone iodine solution was performed 9 days after surgery, then was performed with saline from days 10-13 after surgery. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 30. Case 2 : A 58-year-old man complained of high-grade fever from March 16, 2009. He had undergone arch replacement for an aortic arch aneurysm in 1997. He consulted a physician and was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of vascular graft infection. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was identified by blood culture. A small anterior thoracotomy and drainage were performed on March 24. Immediately after surgery pleural lavage was performed with pyoktanin blue solution changing to povidone iodine on postoperative day 10. Pleural lavage was continued until day 34, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 64. In both cases, drainage and pleural lavage with antibiotic solutions improved the patients' general condition. The infections have not recurred since discharge. Small anterior thoracotomy for graft infection after arch replacement, in addition to being minimally invasive, can avoid the need for a second median sternotomy, and can provide an adequate view of the full length of the arch prosthetic graft.

A 50-year-old man with an extensive thoracic aortic aneurysm underwent staged surgery which consisted of preceding total aortic arch replacement with the frozen elephant trunk technique using J Graft Open Stent Graft^®, followed by open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. During the second operation, the descending aorta was cross clamped along with the preexisting stent graft, and Dacron graft was anastomosed directly to the stent graft using a running 4-0 monofilament suture. The anastomosis site was then covered with a short piece of Dacron graft identical with the stent graft in size to secure hemostasis. We herein discuss our approach in this complex case, focusing on prevention of inadvertent events such as deformation of the preexisting stent graft and unexpected bleeding.

A 64-year-old man under dialysis was referred for surgical treatment of Crawford type I thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. He had a history of idiopathic portal hypertension and chronic total occulusion of supra-renal abdominal aorta and appeared to have massive development of collateral arteries and veins in the abdomen. We chose endovascular repair with debranching of visceral arteries and bypass grafting to bilateral superficial femoral artery considering bleeding from collateral arteries and veins by conventional open surgery. Postoperative CT scan revealed no endoleak and all debranched and bypass grafts were patent. He was discharged with no postoperative complications including paraplegia.

A 58-year-old man was admitted with a complaint of exertional chest discomfort. A mass, 53×55×66 mm in size, was detected in the transverse sinus of the pericardium, just cranial to the inter-atrial septum with enhanced chest CT. We performed resection of the tumor under cardiopulmonary bypass. Histopathological findings showed that the tumor was angiomyolipoma originated from the heart. Angiomyolipoma is a benign tumor, most frequently found in the kidney or liver and usually associated with tuberous sclerosis. Extra-cardiac growth of the cardiac angiomyolipoma is extremely rare, and only few have been reported previously.