A total of 147 subjects presenting with common colds were discussed in the context of traditional Japanese medicine. Using diagnoses and treatment based on traditional Japanese medicine, the subjects were divided into three groups, including wind-cold and wind-heat, and were prescribed herbal medicines. The subjects were compared in terms of time-of-onset, complaints, subjective and objective symptoms, and constitution.1) Wind-cold was observed in 42.9% of their cases, mostly treated with kakkonto/keishito. This type of common cold occurred frequently during winter but was less common in summer. Many patients were found to have a weak stomach and/or an excessive sensitivity to cold. Typical symptoms were chills (often the chief complaint) and cold sensations in the limbs, both of which are external cold symptoms. There were no objective symptoms other than a floating pulse. 2) The percentage of wind-heat colds was 46.3%. Gingyosan was frequently used. This type of common cold occurred more frequently in spring, but was also seen in autumn. Slightly more subjects were sensitive to heat and/or had a healthy constitution. Symptoms were extensive, including external/internal heat symptoms, such as pharyngeal pain (often the chief complaint), redness of the pharynx, hot sensation, feverishness, dry mouth favoring cold water, and dryness symptoms and, less often, cold state symptoms. 3) The remaining subjects, accounting for 10.9%, were regarded as a complex of cold and heat states, and were treated with kufugedokuto.

A 31-year-old man fell into syncope caused by compression by a machine in his factory. He was taken to the nearest hospital at once for treatment. His chest X-ray seemed normal and his general condition improved. He received no medical treatment and was allowed to return home. Two days later, he went to the hospital for further investigation, and contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) was performed. Chest CT showed aortic dissection from the ascending aorta to the aortic arch. Therefore, he was admitted for bed rest with antihypertensive therapy. He was discharged on the 35th day after the accident. However, the diameter of the ascending aorta was found to have become dilated, and so he underwent ascending aorta and hemiarch replacement at our hospital. His postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged on the 16th postoperative day. We report a rare case of an acute aortic dissection caused by blunt chest trauma.

The aim of this study was to examine the changes in natural killer (NK) cell activity, pulse rate, and pain intensity among older adults before and after acupuncture treatment.

To determine whether any difference exists in the skin-temperature responses of the lower limbs to hot-stone application relative to one-site and three-site abdominal application.

Subclavian artery aneurysm (SCAA), a peripheral arterial aneurysm, is a rare entity. The surgical procedure and approach depend on the location of the aneurysm. We present a case of the endovascular therapy combined with cross axillary bypass. The patient was a 75-year-old man with a small abdominal aortic aneurysm. Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) revealed an intrathoracic right SCAA 38 mm in diameter. The operation was performed successfully under general anesthesia. After cross bypass of bilateral axillary artery, the orifice of the right subclavian artery was covered with a stent-graft inserted into the right common carotid artery-brachiocephalic artery and the right subclavian artery was occluded with coils distal to the aneurysm. Post operation angiogram showed complete exclusion of the SCAA and patency of the right common carotid and right vertebral artery. We thought this hybrid treatment for the intrathoracic SCAA could be a useful surgical strategy.

The patient was a 74-year-old woman who had undergone mitral valve replacement with a mechanical valve for rheumatic mitral valve stenosis at age 60. She was scheduled for aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis. However, she had significantly worsening anemia before the operation. Capsule endoscopy showed angiodysplasia with bleeding in her small intestine, which was considered the cause of the anemia. Because of progressive anemia, we tried embolization under angiography. However, there was no evidence of extravasation. Neither melena nor exacerbation of anemia was observed, and she underwent aortic valve replacement. She was discharged on postoperative day 22 without gastrointestinal bleeding. Heyde syndrome is aortic valve stenosis associated with gastrointestinal bleeding induced by von Willebrand disease and angiodysplasia in small intestine. Molecular multimeric analysis of von Willebrand factor and the existence of angiodysplasia with hemorrhage of the digestive tract are important for definitive diagnosis. Capsule endoscopy, which is a general examination, is more useful for diagnosis than molecular multimeric analysis of von Willebrand factor. Aortic valve replacement is the only therapeutic option for Heyde syndrome. It is important to decide the appropriate timing of AVR with cardiopulmonary bypass.

We report a case of type A acute aortic dissection in an elderly woman with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who underwent replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch and later required aortic root replacement for redissection of the aortic root one month after her initial surgery. She was an 86-year-old woman with severe mitral regurgitation, and surgery was contraindicated because of her age and ITP. In October 2014, the patient presented with back pain. Computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis of her condition as type A acute aortic dissection, and she was immediately transferred to our hospital. Because echocardiography showed severe aortic regurgitation, severe mitral regurgitation, and moderate tricuspid regurgitation, we performed replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch, mitral valve repair, and tricuspid annuloplasty. We used Bioglue to fuse the false lumen of the type A acute aortic dissection and used a Teflon felt sandwich for the proximal anastomosis technique. Respiratory support was discontinued 91 h after her first operation ; however, 30 days after surgery, she developed a to-and-fro murmur-a sign of the progression of heart failure. Echocardiography showed aggravation of aortic regurgitation, and computed tomography showed aortic root redissection ; therefore, 39 days after the initial surgery, we performed aortic root replacement. During the operation, we found the entry under the proximal anastomosis with an almost semicircle form at the right coronary cusp to the noncoronary cusp, and the dissection extended close to the right coronary artery ; thus, we performed bypass to the right coronary artery. Pathologic findings did not establish a causal association between the redissection and Bioglue, and we believed the fragility of the tissue and the selection of the surgical procedure to be the cause of redissection. The patient was transferred to another hospital when she was able to walk and eat, which was 121 days after her first operation. The patient required 50 units of platelet transfusion during her first and second operations, but her bleeding was easily controlled during surgery. She needed two procedures of pericardium drainage for pericardiac effusion and cardiac tamponade, which may relate to ITP. The diagnosis of redissection of the aortic root was made 30 days after the patient's first operation, on the basis of exacerbation of the to-and-fro murmur. Here, we emphasize the clinical importance of basic observations over time, such as auscultation, that are liable to be overlooked in the intensive care unit.

We report a case of successful anatomical reconstruction with omentopexy of an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a patient with a previous history of coronary artery bypass grafting with the right gastroepiploic artery. A 60-year-old man was referred to our institute because of fever and abdominal pain during hemodialysis for chronic renal failure. Antibiotic therapy was started after computed tomography revealed an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm. After infection control, surgical treatment was scheduled. At surgery, left axillo-bifemoral bypass was performed first, because it was unclear whether the omentum was large enough for omentopexy. At laparotomy, adequate omentum and infective AAA were confirmed. AAA repair using a rifampicin-soaked graft, and omentopexy were performed. Enterobacter aerogenes was detected from the resected aortic wall. After the operation, intravenous antibiotic was used for 25 days until CRP was normalized. One year follow-up showed no sign of re-infection.

Objective: There are few reports of the long-term outcomes of elderlypatients with prostate cancer. We analyzed data from our institution from the past 12years, including the patient history, treatment methods, and prognosis of patients withprostate cancer aged 80 years or more.

Patients and Methods: A total of 179 cases of prostate cancer in patientsaged 80 years or more were retrospectively evaluated. We divided them chronologically intogroups A, B, C, and D: Group A included 40 cases from 2002–2004; Group B, 48 cases from2005–2007; Group C, 46 cases from 2008–2010; and Group D, 45 cases from 2011–2013.

Results: Sixty-one (30%) patients changed treatment course. Interestingly,no cancer deaths occurred in the patients who changed treatment course. Although 14 (7.8%)cancer deaths occurred (A: B: C: D = 4: 4: 6: 0, respectively), all occurred in 2011 orlater.

Conclusion: In our study, over 50 patients who underwent treatment survivedfor 5 years or more. By treating prostate cancer in elderly patients when appropriate, wecan lower the mortality rate due to prostate cancer. Our results support the activetreatment of prostate cancer in elderly patients.

We report a case of chronic mesenteric ischemia associated with severe aortic valve regurgitation and stenosis (ASR). The patient was a 76-year-old man who had been given a diagnosis of ASR in his 40s. He gradually developed heart failure and chronic kidney disorder due to deterioration of ASR. He had started hemodialysis 1 year before admission and had complained of abdominal pain after meals and weight loss during that period. He was admitted to the Department of Cardiology in our hospital for evaluation of ASR. Severe ASR with low output syndrome (C. I. 2.00 L/min/m²) were confirmed by cardiac catheter examination. In addition, abdominal angiography revealed total occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and severe stenosis of the celiac artery (CA). We considered that low cardiac output due to severe ASR had exacerbated the mesenteric ischemia. We performed AVR and abdominal aorta-SMA bypass at the same time to prevent acute mesenteric ischemia in the perioperative period. The combination of valvular disease and CMI is very rare. This is the first report in Japan of simultaneous valve replacement and mesenteric artery revascularization.