We present a case of juvenile type dermatomyositis and severe retinopathy. A 10-year-old girl presented with progressive weakness of proximal muscles, generalized rash, including heliotrope-type eyelid erythema, and bilateral visual disturbance. Laboratory data showed a markedly elevated serum creatine kinase and electromyography revealed a myogenic pathology. Funduscopic examination showed numerous cotton wool spots and macular edema. She developed massive rhabdomyolysis, generalized skin lesions, systemic edema, renal failure, and respiratory failure. After she received steroid pulse therapy, plasma exchange, and high-dose immunoglobulin, her general condition and visual symptoms improved. She remained well when we followed up her condition 5 years after the discharge.

Sudden death (SD), which unexpectedy occurs in the middle aged and the elderly, is a subject worth studying. Much about the cause of the demise remains shrouded in mystery from the standpoint of medicine and has a significantly great impact on the community.
We conducted a fact-finding survey of SD by gathering data on dead-on-arrival (DOA) cases stored by five general hospitals affiliated with the National Welfare Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives. Examined were 292 DOAs that were registered between January 1993 and December 1993 and autopsy findings of 45 cases obtained from one of the hospitals over the past eight years. The results are summed up as follows:
(1) The largest number of DOA cases was found in the age group of 70 to 79 years. About half of the total number was accounted for by people older than 70.
(2) Cardiovascular disease topped the list of causative and basal ailments that might have led to SD. Especially ischemic heart disease was evident in many cases.
(3) In many cases, death occurred during sleep or at rest.
(4) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed according to rule on most of the victims, but the priamry resuscitation ratio came out at 26%.
From these observations, we concluded that for the prediction and prevention of SD and DOA it is necessary to work on measures to help prevent and cure ischemic heart disease.

To clarify a mechanism of psychologic relaxation by artificial hot spring, the effect of hot spring bathing on psychologic sweating was studied in 11 healthy subjects (1 female and 10 males, age 26±5.7 years). After lying in the supine position for 5 minutes, the subjects were asked to take a bath with plain water or artificial hot spring for 5 minutes in the sitting position. The temperature of the bath was 40°C. To prepare the artificial hot spring, sodium sulfate tablet (Tsumura & Co.) was solved in 200L of plain water. For the measurement of psychologic sweating, Perspiro (Suzuken, Co. Ltd) was used. Sensor was attached to the first finger by biphasic adhesive tape. The psychologic sweating was induced by deep respiration, mental arithmetic, hand grip, blood pressure measurement and blood sampling. There were no statistical significant differences of CV value, heart rate, blood pressures, catecholamine values and serum β endorphin levels before and after the bathing. The psychologic sweating markedly decreased after the bathing (11.5±19.6 to 1.1±2.7 for plain water bathing, 14.9±21.9 to 1.6±5.1 for artificial hot spring, N. S.).
The decrease in psychologic sweating after bathing suggests the action of psychologic relaxation by bathing.

A 78-year-old woman who had a history of left deep venous thrombosis was referred to our hospital with a sudden hemoptysis. Thoracic computed tomography showed a solitary pulmonary nodule in the right lower lobe. Based on her medical history of deep venous thrombosis, she was tentatively diagnosed as having pulmonary embolism and successfully treated by inserting an inferior vena cava filter and anticoagulant therapy with warfarin [Please confirm whether previous sentence is correct]. However, the lung nodule on thoracic computed tomography was still depicted four months later. With suspicion of a malignant tumor, including possible lung cancer, a right segmentectomy was performed. Pathological assessment of the resected specimen showed the tumor was derived from the right bronchial wall, but was not ruptured into the intratracheal lumen, as well as coexistence with intraalveolar hemorrhage near the tumor. The lung nodule was diagnosed as bronchial schwannoma. Thus, the origin of the hemoptysis was found to be pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis, and not by bronchial schwannoma, which was also present in the lung.

Root rot is one of the major diseases of Panax ginseng cultivated in northeastern farmlands. This study aims to identify pathogens that causing ginseng root rot disease, verify inhibiting effects of perilla crude extracts on the pathogens and present the basis for control of ginseng root rot. The species of root rot pathogens was isolated using the tissue isolation. The morphological analysis showed that the strain contained two forms of conidia, one was sickle-shaped or columnar and the other was large oval. There were obvious separations in the conidia. Based on the molecular analysis, sequence of 18s rDNA from this strain showed 100% homology with that of Fusarium oxysporum JF807402.1 by Blast. The results confirmed that F. oxysporum was the pathogenic strain for root rot of ginseng cultivated in farmlands. Inhibiting effects of perilla crude extracts were evaluated by the method of Oxford cup. The results indicated that 0.50 g•L⁻¹ of the perilla crude extract showed better sensitivity on the pathogenic strain, and its bacteriostatic diameters were 11.75 mm. The species of root rot pathogens of ginseng cultivated in farmlands was confirmed in this study. Our results presented materials for exploitation of botanical pesticide against root rot, and guaranteed the successful development of ginseng cultivated in farmland.

This study has revealed the change of the soil micro-ecology of farmlands, which used for ginseng cultivation, brought by comprehensive soil improvement. The process of soil improvement was described as follows： soil was sterilized using trichloronitromethane, and then perilla seeds were planted. After growing up, the perillas were turned over into the field and fermented, then organic fertilizer was added. Rotary tillages were carried out during the intervals. Physical and chemical properties of treated soil were measured, as well as microbial diversity, which was illustrated using 16s high through-put sequencing. The survival rate and growth data of ginseng seedlings were recorded. The analysis showed that after improvement, the soil organic matter content was increased and soil bulk density was decreased, compare to the controls, and the fertility in 0-20 cm of soil layer was increased in the treatment. Additionally, the soil microbial diversity was changed greatly. In detail, alpha diversity of the soil decreased after soil improvement while the beta diversity increased. In order to verify the achievement of soil improvement, ginseng seedlings were planted. Compared to the untreated land blocks, the survival rate of ginseng on improved blocks was increased up to 21.4%, and the ginseng physiological index were all better than the controls. Results showed that comprehensive soil improvements including soil sterilization, green manure planting and organic fertilization application effectively improved the soil micro-ecology in farmlands. This study will pave the way for the future standardization of ginseng cultivation on farmlands.