It has often been pointed out that introduction of early rehabilitation programs may convey a considerable risk of cerebral hypoperfusion, presumably due to dysautoregulation. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured in six patients with cerebrovascular disease using ^99mTc-hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime single photon emission computed tomography (99^mTc-HM-PAO-SPECT) to investigate whether warm bathing with CO₂ bubble stimulation (CO₂ bathing) can be applied to early rehabilitation programs. The subjects comprised two patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage, two with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, and two with cerebral infarction. CO₂ bubble stimulation was produced by dissolving 100g of commercially available CO₂ bubble forming tablets in 300L of warm water (41°C) and a course consisting of 10 minutes of CO₂ bathing was applied for seven days. Vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse rate, and body temperatures at the axilla and the external auditory canal adjacent to the ear drum were checked during each bathing. CBF measurements and routine laboratory examinations were made before and after the seven-day course of CO₂ bathing. Student-t test was used for statistical analysis.
No definite changes were shown in vital signs before and after CO₂ bathing. A significant decrease in WBC counts was observed after CO₂ bathing, but there were no changes in values of C-reactive protein. Although no significant changes in hemisphere CBF were identified, actual values of regional CBF in the unaffected hemisphere tended to increase in two patients.
These results suggest that CO₂ bathing produces no adverse effects on cerebral perfusion and can be applied safely to early rehabilitation programs.

Background/Aims: Although certain allergic diseases have been reported to be associated with the prevalence of functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it is unclear whether the presence of multiple allergic diseases further increases the prevalence of FD and IBS.The aim of this study is to determine this issue in young people. Methods: A cohort of 8923 Japanese university students was enrolled and diagnoses of FD and IBS were confirmed using Rome III criteria.Allergic disorders diagnosed at medical institutions were obtained by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of FD, IBS, and their overlap was found to be 1.9%, 6.5%, and 1.1%, respectively. Pollen allergy was independently positively correlated with FD, IBS, and overlap of FD and IBS. Allergic rhinitis was positively linked to IBS. Drug allergy was positively associated with FD. The presence of multiple allergic diseases was positively correlated with FD and IBS (FD: adjusted OR for 2 allergic diseases: 1.95 [95% CI, 1.24-2.98], P for trend = 0.003; and IBS: adjusted OR for 1 allergic disease: 1.40 [95% CI, 1.15-1.69], 2 allergic diseases 1.47 [95% CI, 1.12-1.91], and 3 or more allergic diseases: 2.22 [95% CI, 1.45-3.28], P for trend = 0.001). Additionally, the concomitant existence of multiple allergic diseases was also demonstrated to have a trend that correlated with the overlap of FD and IBS (P for trend = 0.018). Conclusion Allergic disease multimorbidity is positively correlated with the prevalence of FD and IBS in a young population.

Cisternography was performed using three weighted imaging techniques─constructive interference in steady state (CISS), sampling perfection with application optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolution (T2-SPACE), and T2-weighted imaging─in 15 patients with no history of intracranial lesions to determine which techniques are useful in diagnosis. Images were acquired using 1.5T and 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. The contrastnoise ratio (CNR) and the presence and number of artifacts were evaluated. CNR was highest for T2-SPACE and CISS. There were no significant differences in artifacts between the techniques with 1.5T MRI but significantly more artifacts in CISS images with 3.0T MRI. In conclusion, T2-SPACE imaging can produce cisternographic images with high contrast and few artifacts.