Emphysema with bronchial asthma (BA) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes severe respiratory dysfunction and severely limits a patient's daily activities. This paper reports the case of a COPD patient whose respiratory symptoms were successfully improved with acupuncture. In July 1998, a 69-year-old male visited the Department of Respiratory Internal Medicine at Gifu University Hospital, complaining of dyspnea on exercise, and asthma attacks. His general condition had worsened despite strictly controlled medication and home oxygen therapy (HOT). Acupuncture was thus added to these treatments from ******. Before initiating the acupuncture treatment, the severity of dyspnea in the patient was diagnosed as level III (Severe), according to the GOLD classification. Spirometry showed severely disturbed respiratory function (%VC: 90.7%, FEV₁%: 35.1%, %FEV₁: 38.2%, V 25: 0.20 L/S). The basic combination of meridian points used in this case included LU 1 (Zhongfu), LU 5 (Chize), LU 9 (Taiyan), CV 4 (Guanyuan), CV 12 (Zhongwan), CV 22 (Tiantu), ST 40 (Fenglong), BL 13 (Feishu), BL 23 (Shenshu) and KI 3 (Fuliu). The patient received acupuncture treatments once a week for 10 weeks. Respiratory function and symptoms were measured. After 10 weeks of acupuncture treatment, asthma attacks, walking distance, the Borg scale and respiratory functions were significantly improved compared with the baseline. This suggests that acupuncture treatment was effective in treating advanced cases of both asthma and COPD.

Increased emphasis on community-based education in medicine requires close collaboration with and cooperation from general practitioners. This study examined what motivates community physicians to participate in office-based education, to explore the most appropriate method for recognizing physicians' efforts and keeping them motivated with their precepting role. A large majority of respondents to a questionnaire survey thought that the opportunity to learn from their own teaching was an important reward. When the preceptors were asked what support would be most appropriate, a teaching certification plaque, continuing medical education courses, and a title were ranked highest, while financial reward was listed as the least important. Considered most essential by community preceptors were constructive feedback from students, medical-school instructors' understanding of the importance of community-based medicine, and the instructors' enthusiastic promotion of primary-care education.

[Aim] Diffuse pan-bronchiolitis (DPB) causes severe respiratory dysfunction and severely limits a patient's daily activities. Case: This paper reports a case of a DPB patient whose respiratory symptoms were successfully improved by acupuncture. In a case report in January 2002, a 62-year-old male visited the Department of Respiratory Internal Medicine at Gifu University Hospital, complaining of cough, pumlent sputum and dyspnea on exercise. His general condition had worsened despite ordinary medical treatment. Thus acupuncture was added to the treatment in August, 2001. Intervention: The patient received acupuncture treatments once a week for 50 weeks. The acupuncture treatment was based on the Chinese medicine theory. Measurements: Outcome measures were respiratory symptoms using the Fletcher-Hugh-Jones (F-H-J) classification, 6-minute walking distance (6 MWD), blood test, arterial blood gas and pulmonary function tests. Computed tomography (CT) was assessed. Each evaluation was done after 15 weeks and 50 weeks later.
[Results] After 15 weeks of acupuncture treatment, cough, pumlent sputum, walking distance, the Borg scale and respiratory function were significantly improved compared with the baseline. Moreover, the effect of the acupuncture treatment continued for 50 weeks.
[Conclusion] This suggests that acupuncture treatment was effective in treating the advanced case of DPB.

[Objective]There are few reports of inpatients who received acupuncture treatment in departments of internal medicine in Japan. The aim of this analysis is to clarify such information by reviewing patients who received acupuncture treatment during admission to our department of internal medicine at Gifu University Hospital. Our department is organized into three subdepartments of cardiology, respirology, and nephrology.
[Methods]We surveyed the chief complaint for acupuncture treatment, basic disease for admission and the number and period of acupuncture treatment of inpatients who received acupuncture treatment in our department from July 2004 through March 2007.
[Results]Two hundred and sixty-six patients received acupuncture treatment and they had 429 symptoms.
The chief complaint was the side effects of chemotherapy for cancer treatment (n = 84), that is, nausea, anorexia, dysethesia and so on. Other symptoms were dyspnea or shortness of breath (n = 49), pain originating from cancer (n = 38), pain originating from skeletal muscle (n = 38), anorexia (n = 25), and general fatigue (n = 18). Several symptoms were cough, edema, constipation or diarrhea, conscious disturbance, insomnia, paralysis, etc.
Of the chief complaints, 86.4%were closely connected with diseases or treatments for admission.
The mean number of patients who received acupuncture was 10.0/day. This was equal to about 20%of all patients (53beds) per day in our department.
[Conclusion]There were many patients whose chief complaints for acupuncture were closely connected with disease for admission. It is suggested that acupuncture treatment is accepted as one of treatments of internal medicine for inpatients in our department.

No abstract available.
Acanthosis Nigricans* ; Hyperandrogenism* ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen*

No abstract available.
Acanthosis Nigricans* ; Hyperandrogenism* ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen*

Methods: We enrolled patients who underwent microscopic FMD with outer dural layer resection for CMI. The distance from the tip of the cerebellar tonsil to the C2 vertebral endplate on sagittal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was defined as the tonsillar distance (TD). Patients who showed a >20% syrinx diameter reduction on the 1-year follow-up MRI were defined as the syrinx reduction group while the others were categorized in the syrinx nonreduction group. Patients with syringomyelia were categorized into the clinically improved and unimproved groups using the Chicago Chiari Outcome Scale. The imaging and clinical parameters were evaluated pre- and postoperatively. Results: This study included 25 patients of whom 19 (76.0%) had syringomyelia. At the 1-year follow-up, the syrinx diameter had decreased in 11 patients (57.8%). The increased TD significantly differed between the syrinx reduction and nonreduction groups. At the 1-year follow-up, 12 and seven patients with syringomyelia were categorized into the clinically improved and unimproved groups, respectively. The clinically improved and unimproved groups showed significant differences in the mean age and increased TD. Conclusions Postoperative syrinx reduction was significantly correlated with the upward shifting of the cerebellar tonsil in patients with CMI. Our quantitative evaluation of the alterations in hindbrain position after FMD was easily performed and reflects the clinical outcomes.

Methods: We evaluated 100 consecutive surgical patients with CM and divided them into the following groups: 80s (34 patients; mean age, 83.9 years), 70s (33 patients; mean age, 73.9 years), and 69 or younger (33 patients; mean age, 60.9 years). The clinical symptoms and physical signs were evaluated and recorded. Results: Although the recovery rate decreased with increasing age, all groups demonstrated a significant improvement in clinical symptoms relative to preoperative values. The Hoffman sign and hyperreflexia of the triceps tendon were, respectively, present in 82% and 88% of patients in the 80s group, 74% and 64% of those in the 70s group, and 69% and 82% of those in the 69 or younger group, with no significant difference among the groups. In contrast, the rates of hyperreflexia of the patellar and Achilles tendons were, respectively, 59% and 32% in the 80s group, 85% and 48% in the 70s group, and 91% and 70% in the 69 or younger group, with significant differences. Conclusions The positivity rate of the lower extremity hyperreflexia decreased significantly with increasing age in patients with CM. The absence of hyperreflexia, particularly lower extremity, is not uncommon in elderly patients with suspected CM.