A 62-year-old man with chronic renal failure had impending rupture of a right internal iliac aneurysm. He had a rate blood type (Type:AB and Rh+. Antibody: anti-Fya, anti-E, and anti-P1), so homologous blood transfusion seemed impossible. While blood pressure was reduced by bed rest and drug administration, 800ml of autologous blood was obtained within four weeks before operation. Furthermore the intraoperative autotransfusion method was used. Aneurysmectomy was successfully performed without homologous blood transfusion.

Metabolic syndrome develops because of an accumulation of intra-abdominal fat. In Kampo medicine, an abdominal examination is commonly performed for the diagnosis of diseases. Thus, we examined the relationship between metabolic syndrome and abdominal tension. Our subjects were 999 people (619 males and 380 females) who underwent regular physical check-ups. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 14.5% (21.3% of males and 3.4% of females) and the prevalence rate of subjects with metabolic and pre-metabolic syndromes was 40.8% (55.9% of males and 16.3% of females). In addition, abdominal examinations detected 19.1% of hyperfunction, 64.6% of intermediate function, and 16.3% of hypofunction. Almost subjects with abdominal hyperfunction were classified as metabolic or pre-metabolic syndrome, and neither metabolic nor pre-metabolic syndrome was present in subjects with abdominal hypofunction. In conclusion, assessment of abdominal tension may become an additional valuable screening method for metabolic syndrome.
Syndrome ; Metabolic syndrome ; hypofunction ; hyperfunction ; Abdominal

We reported nine cases of metastatic skin carcinoma experienced at the Department of Dermatology, Obihiro Kosei Hospital during the period from April 1991 to March 1993. Lung was the most common primary lesion (four out of nine cases), followed by uterus (two) and stomach, breast, and kidney (one each). The clinical features of the metastases were classified into nodular (five cases), inflammatory (one case) and sclerotic (three cases) types. Peculiar zoster-like inflammation was seen in metastatic gastric cancer. Pathologically, adenocarcinoma was more common than squamous cell carcinoma. The average interval between the diagnosis of the primary cancers and the development of the skin metastases was about 30±25 months. The average life span after the detection of the skin metastases was 6.8±5.6 months. Poor prognosis of skin metastasis was thus reconfirmed.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) neutralizing antibody (NT) titer was examined against the sera from 7 giant pandas aged between 8 to 21 years housed at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding,China.Anti-CDV NT titer against the Onderstepoort strain showed a wide range from × 2 to×256 (median=16),even though the ani-mals had been receiving an attenuated live vaccine made from an anonymous domestic CDV strain twice a year since 2003.A single administration of attenuated morbillivirus antigen often be enough to give corresponding host a steady immunogenicity.Anti-CDV-NT variation in the giant panda suggests some deficiency in the relationship between the vaccine and the host.

Methods: A total of 14 patients with unilateral radicular symptoms and five healthy subjects were subjected to simultaneous apparent T2 mapping and neurography with nerve-sheath signal increased with inked rest-tissue rapid acquisition of relaxation enhancement signaling (SHINKEI-Quant) using a 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score for neck pain and upper arm pain was used to evaluate clinical symptoms. T2 relaxation times of the cervical dorsal root ganglia of the brachial plexus were measured bilaterally from C4 to C8 in patients with radicular symptoms and from C5 to C8 in healthy controls. The T2 ratio was calculated as the affected side to unaffected side. Results: When comparing nerve roots bilaterally at each spinal level, no significant differences in T2 relaxation times were found between patients and healthy subjects. However, T2 relaxation times of nerve roots in the patients with unilateral radicular symptoms were significantly prolonged on the involved side compared with the uninvolved side (p<0.05). The VAS score for upper arm pain was not significantly correlated with the T2 relaxation times, but was positively correlated with the T2 ratio. Conclusions In patients with cervical radiculopathy, the SHINKEI-Quant technique can be used to quantitatively evaluate the compressed cervical nerve roots. The VAS score for upper arm pain was positively correlated with the T2 ratio. This suggests that the SHINKEI-Quant is a potential tool for the diagnosis of cervical nerve entrapment.

Purpose: In this multicenter retrospective observational study, we examined the early effects of romosozumab in patients with severe osteoporosis in terms of time-course changes in bone metabolism marker, improvement in bone density, and adverse effects. Materials and Methods: Patients with severe osteoporosis were included. We investigated the progress of TRACP 5b and P1NP before and 1–2 months after the administration of romosozumab. We also investigated the bone density of lumbar spine, femoral neck, and the entire femur, measured by the DXA method, before and 5–7 months after the administration of romosozumab. Results: A total of 70 patients (7 males and 63 females, age 75.0±3.6 years) participated in this study. Significant improvements in TRACP 5b and P1NP levels were observed before and 1–2 months after romosozumab administration. The average bone density of lumbar spine, femoral neck, and the entire femur were measured before and 5–7 months after romosozumab administration;and a significant increase only observed in the lumbar spine. Conclusion Consistent with the findings of previous clinical studies, romosozumab has both bone formation-enhancing and bone resorption effects (dual effect). In addition, romosozumab also demonstrated improvement in bone density from the early phase after the administration, though the result was only seen in the lumbar spine.

Purpose: In this multicenter retrospective observational study, we examined the early effects of romosozumab in patients with severe osteoporosis in terms of time-course changes in bone metabolism marker, improvement in bone density, and adverse effects. Materials and Methods: Patients with severe osteoporosis were included. We investigated the progress of TRACP 5b and P1NP before and 1–2 months after the administration of romosozumab. We also investigated the bone density of lumbar spine, femoral neck, and the entire femur, measured by the DXA method, before and 5–7 months after the administration of romosozumab. Results: A total of 70 patients (7 males and 63 females, age 75.0±3.6 years) participated in this study. Significant improvements in TRACP 5b and P1NP levels were observed before and 1–2 months after romosozumab administration. The average bone density of lumbar spine, femoral neck, and the entire femur were measured before and 5–7 months after romosozumab administration;and a significant increase only observed in the lumbar spine. Conclusion Consistent with the findings of previous clinical studies, romosozumab has both bone formation-enhancing and bone resorption effects (dual effect). In addition, romosozumab also demonstrated improvement in bone density from the early phase after the administration, though the result was only seen in the lumbar spine.

We investigated the actual condition of patients treated by acupuncture and moxibution in Ibaragi Prefecture.
Subjects were 1823 patients (846 men, 977 women) under the treatment of 14 acupuncture clinics in September to November, 1985.
We prepared the evaluated list that consisted of 11 levels of activities of daily life and 8 degrees of pain.
In every treatment, we wrote down the patient's clinical progress in relation with the list.
The following results were obtained
1. There were many patients in thier forties and fifties.
2. There were many patients who received only one treatment.
3. The chief complaints were low back pains (509 patients), shoulder discomfort (273) knee joint pain (132), etc.
4. Most of the patients could still go on with thier daily lives in spite of the pains.
5. The effects of treatment were rated as follows; better 69.5%, no change 23.9%, worse 5.9%.

Objective: To treat vertebral fractures with posterior wall injury in the elderly, vertebral bone grafting is generally performed through a posterior transpedicular approach, combined with pedicle screw fixation. An autologous bone is ideal to treat this disorder. However, harvesting autologous bones from the elderly with osteoporosis is limited by the amount and quality of available autologous bone. Thus, we developed a bone-grafting substitute. The newly developed unidirectional porous β-tricalcium phosphate, with a porosity of 57% (UDPTCP; Affinos®, Kuraray Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), is used in the bone-grafting procedure. This is the first report of UDPTCP used as an artificial bone graft in patients with an acute vertebral burst fracture.Materials and Methods: UDPTCP (mean: 4.2 g) was implanted through the pedicle, and posterior instrumentation was achieved with pedicle screws in five elderly patients. Resorption of UDPTCP and substitution with the autologous bone were evaluated on computed tomography (CT) and plain X-ray performed immediately and at 3, 6, and 12 months after the operation.Results: In case 1, the pedicle screws did not loosen, and UDPTCP was completely resorbed and replaced with the autologous bone at 3 postoperative months. In the other four cases, although the pedicle screws or the caudal part loosened because of osteoporosis, resorption of UDPTCP was observed at 3 postoperative months. At 6 postoperative months, progressive substitution with the autologous bone was confirmed, and at 12 postoperative months, formation of the good autologous bone was confirmed.Conclusion: This preliminary case series demonstrated that the newly developed UDPTCP shows good clinical potential as a bone-graft substitute for acute vertebral burst fractures in the elderly, including patients with osteoporosis.