Background: Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is a common medical condition with significant adverse effects; however, it remains undiagnosed in many individuals. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of SAS in fatigued subjects and to elucidate the factors associated with SAS.
Methods: From March 2008 to March 2011, a cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in patients with persistent (≥1 month) fatigue. Patients with known causes of persistent fatigue were excluded. Data on patient characteristics (e. g., blood pressure, neck circumference, etc.) and overnight pulse oximetry were collected. SAS was defined as a 3% oxygen desaturation index (ODI) of 15 or more.
Results: Among 46 subjects, the prevalence of SAS was 6.5% (95% CI, 1.4-17.9%). SAS was significantly more prevalent in patients with high systolic blood pressure (≥140 mmHg) than in patients with normal systolic blood pressure (<140 mmHg) (33.3% vs. 2.8%, P=0.049). Even after adjustment for age and sex, high systolic blood pressure showed a statistically significant association with SAS.
Conclusions: Promoting awareness about SAS could be necessary in patients with persistent fatigue, especially in patients with high systolic blood pressure.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate diagnostic characteristics to distinguish bacterial meningitis (BM) from aseptic meningitis (AM) in meningitis patients. Indicators from the initial consultation were combined with a measure of time since the onset of fever.
Methods: This was a retrospective chart review. We examined the sensitivity and specificity of the clinical information for BM. The diagnostic characteristics for BM were analyzed by considering the duration of fever for each patient at consultation, together with the presence or absence of changes in their mental status.The study examined 117 inpatients diagnosed with meningitis in their clinical record at the time of admission. The patients were admitted into two emergency hospitals in Japan between 2001 and 2011. Meningitis was defined as the presence of five or more cells per mm³ of CSF.
Results: Twenty-five patients were diagnosed with BM and 92 patients with AM. There was no single clinical symptom that could distinguish BM from AM in patients suspected of meningitis. The sensitivity and specificity of the clinical information for fever duration and disturbance of consciousness at consultation were 95.0% and 40.3%, respectively, for BM patients with disturbance of consciousness or with duration of fever less than three days. Thus, the proportion of BM patients without disturbance of consciousness for three or more days after fever onset was only 5%.
Conclusions: Patients without disturbance of consciousness for three or more days after fever onset are rarely suffering from BM.

Introduction : To reveal patients' impressions of physicians working short-term in community clinics, and to explore methods for physicians to work short-term in community clinics.
Methods : We conducted a qualitative analysis of recordings of individual interviews performed on patients in community clinics using a partially revised SCAT (Steps for Coding and Theorization) method.
Results : Patients indicated that they felt reassured by the constant presence of a chief physician at community clinics. They expected care within the scope of primary care, but were not expecting every element within this scope to be met. Patients had the attitude of accepting the current situation and were selecting how to receive medical care from the available options based on their personal priorities.
Conclusion : Physicians working short-term in community clinics were satisfying a portion of the patients' needs. Providing care within the scope of primary care and taking the initiative in getting to know patients are essential elements for physicians working short-term in community clinics.

Medical students must have motivation to participate in medical care during clinical clerkships. How much interest students have in each department might be a factor in making them more active in clerkships. To make clerkships more effective, we performed a questionnaire survey to investigate the relationship between students' interest in each department and their eagerness in clinical clerkships and to investigate factors to increase their eagerness.
1) Questionnaires were distributed to 92 sixth-year medical students at the University of Tsukuba. The questionnaire consisted of 6-point Likert scales of 4 specific student attitudes in clerkships. We asked the same questions about clerkships at medical departments that each student found more or less interesting.
2) We asked the students to report anecdotes about when they were motivated to learn more in the clerkships. We grouped similar answers into categories.
3) The response rate was 94%. The students were more eager in departments they found more interesting than in departments they found less interesting.
4) Thirty-eight students reported a total of 56 anecdotes. Among the categories, questions or words of encouragement from patients were mentioned in 29 anecdotes, and devoted faculty members were mentioned in 9 anecdotes.
5) These results suggest that medical students' eagerness in clinical clerkships could be increased by deepening their interest in medical departments and by improving communication with patients and physicians.

Background: A depressive state for residents during residency training is a serious problem. Enhancement of senior doctor's support is considered to be one preventive measure, but it is uncertain whether onset of a new depressive state during training is related to senior doctors' support.
Methods: A dual questionnaire survey was conducted in 2003 on 608 first-year residents at 40 teaching hospitals in Japan. Residents who had not been in a depressive state at the time of the first survey-using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale, but were in a depressive state at the time of the second survey were defined as “residents in a new-onset depressive state.” The degree of senior doctors' support was assessed with Senior Doctor's Support Scale (SDSS), then adjusted OR and 95% CI of the residents in a new-onset depressive state were computed with a multivariate logistic regression model.
Results: 82 residents (24.4%) were determined to be “residents in the new-onset depressive state.” The mean CES-D Score of Low SDSS Score Group (n=24), Middle SDSS Score Group (n=100), and High SDSS Score Group (n=152) were 20.0 (SD=9.9), 13.8 (SD=8.7), and 11.0 (SD=8.0), respectively (p<0.001). With logistic regression, residents who could fall into a depressive state during residency training were considered to be those who achieve middle SDSS Score (OR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.45-4.80) and low SDSS score (OR: 17.89, 95% CI: 4.83-66.30).
Conclusion: Because onset of residents' depressive state is related to senior doctors' support, we should enhance support during residency training.

Background: Activity in international conferences is essential for the academic progress of primary care in Japan. We aimed to clarify the obstacles Japanese university-based primary care physicians face in attending and presenting at international conferences.
Methods: We conducted a questionnaire of 10 residents and 22 physicians in the Department of General Medicine and Primary Care at the University of Tsukuba.
Results: The primary obstacle preventing conference attendance was English language skills. A secondary obstacle was insufficient time off work.
Conclusions: Additional support in English language skills and time off work is necessary to promote attendance at international conferences.

1) We evaluated the clinical experiences of 102 medical students who completed clinical clerkships at the University of Tsukuba, by analyzing their self-assessments on the clinical evaluation form normally used for the postgraduate residency program.
2) The medical students participated in the management of a broad range of diseases. However, in most cases, their participation was only partial.
3) To improve the continuity between the undergraduate and postgraduate medical education systems, it is important to expand the amount of hands-on participation of medical students in medical practice.