【Background】From the time of establishment, management system of palliative care unit of cancer cooperation hospital in this community was created by consultation with regional home care agency. At the time of the current three－year establishment, its role is regarded as “acute palliative care unit with a hospice function”. In addition to the hospice function to perform hospice care for terminal cancer patients, with the aim of palliative care from early stage, it is an emphasis on functionality of acute palliative care unit (1.Symptom relief, 2.Decision support to patients and their families, 3.Adjustment and movement of the location of the medical treatment, 4.Adjustment of the support system at home care is difficult.) as a “second home” in the region for the “community hospice”. 【Result】As a result, over three years, hospitalized patient number, home transition number of patients, home transition rate, number of patients dying at home and home mortality were increased, but the average length of stay, readmission rates were reduced. 【Conclusion】In OPTIM－study, it is said that the ability to medical and welfare professionals involved in palliative care in the region is "meet" the opportunity, to be able to maximize the ability of the community, our palliative care unit establishment has become the opportunities in this community, cooperation with home care agencies deepened.

Introduction: We experienced a case of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis with intra-abdominal free air following steroid therapy for an end-stage brain tumor. Case: The patient was a 67-year-old man. He had received surgery and chemotherapy for the brain tumor, but the disease progressed and his consciousness deteriorated. Eventually, he developed aspiration pneumonia and was hospitalized. His consciousness level remained poor even after the pneumonia improved. His survival prognosis was considered to be approximately 1 month, and he was transferred to a palliative care ward. After the transfer, administration of betamethasone 8 mg/day was started for the purpose of improving his level of consciousness. Temporary improvement was observed, and administration of this drug was continued with dose adjustments, as appropriate. Six weeks after the start of betamethasone administration, when his consciousness level again deteriorated, aspiration began to recur. Chest X-rays, obtained to assess pneumonia, showed intra-abdominal free air. Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis was confirmed by computed tomography. He had few abdominal symptoms, and was managed conservatively. He died of respiratory failure. Conclusion: Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis is mostly secondary, and steroid therapy is considered to be one of the causes. But follow-up observation is often conservative, and judgment of discontinuation of steroid needs to be made in consideration of its effect and prognosis is there.

Two patients with spondylosis deformans and three patients with psychosomatic disease were treated by partial bathing with artificial spring of sodium sulfate. Fifteen minutes a day of bathing in artificial spring water prepared by dissolving 1000mg of sodium sulfate into 1 liter of 38°C-tap water was continued for one month.
Based on the findings on thermography, temperature changes were classified into four types. Correlation was found in three types as follows: p<0.01 in the crossing type, p<0.01 in the converging type, p<0.001 and p<0.05 in the ascending type. No correlation was found in the diffusing type. Plethysmography revealed a significant difference in the converging type and also a difference of p<0.01 in the diffusing type. MCV disclosed a slower change in temperature on the affected side than on the normal side. Blood gas analysis revealed a slight increase in PO₂, SATO₂ after one month of bathing. Subjective symptoms were improved from point 9 to point 3 to 4 on the VAS scale. Numbness changed from the trembling stage to the slightly smarting sensation stage. Psychroesthesia disappeared from all patients.
A combination of nerve block therapy and warm bath cure with sodium sulfate brought good therapeutic results in patients with chronic pain including psychosomatic disease.

Introduction：There are various problems in order to perform the Animal-Assisted Therapy（AAT）in the Palliative Care Unit（PCU）of a general hospital, a manual for carrying out is required. Methods：In our hospital PCU, implementation manual has been created by the cooperation of university of research institutes, health center of administrative agency, and the infection control team of our hospital. Results：1st AAT was held in February 2011. Then, at a pace of once a month, AAT was held a total of 35 times until March 2013. During the AAT, therapy dog, handler, doctor, nurses, ward volunteers, health center veterinarian played the role of each as a team. The evaluation meeting held after, in addition to the evaluation and reaction of participants, evaluation of environmental health and compliance with procedure were also performed, implementation report has been submitted to the health center. Discussion：In order to perform the AAT in PCU in general hospital, there are problems such as infection, environment and health. In the practice, by obtaining cooperation experts each, it was possible to create an implementation manual by perspective multicenter multiple sectors. This manual would be helpful to perform the AAT in each facility.

　　The first patient was a 33-year-old man with a history of fatty liver disease. Dynamic computerized tomography of a lesion in liver segment IV showed faint staining in the arterial phase and high signal intensity in the portal venous and equilibrium phases. The second patient was a 57-year-old woman also with a history of fatty liver disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a lesion in segment II in T1 out of phase revealed geographic morphology and high signal intensity. Furthermore, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI showed accumulation in the lesion in the hepatobiliary phase. In both cases, an aberrant left gastric vein and focal fat sparing area was diagnosed. Venous inflow to the liver other than via the portal vein may cause fatty degeneration of liver parenchymal cells or focal fat sparing due to imbalanced intrahepatic blood flow. In the present cases, imaging revealed a focal fat sparing area with an aberrant left gastric vein. Focal fat sparing area with aberrant inflow vessel identified in the background of fatty liver does not require biopsy or surgery. Therefore, further detailed evaluation of such images is warranted.

Congenital anomalies of the coronary artery are rare. However, they can cause sudden death because of arrhythmia. We present a case of a 62-year-old man with severe aortic valve regurgitation associated with an anomalous origin of a narrowed right coronary artery (IB₂ according to the Shirani Classification) detected on preoperative coronary three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) . The patient underwent both aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation, and coronary artery bypass. The postoperative course was uneventful.

High fat diet consumption induces fat accumulation in the liver. An understanding of when liver fat accumulation begins is important for exploring the mechanisms underlying fatty liver. The aim of this study was to investigate the processes of fat accumulation in the liver during high fat diet consumption with or without exercise using computed tomography (CT). Male 6 week old C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to the normal diet or high fat diet group. After 6 weeks, mice in the high-fat diet group were further divided into voluntary wheel exercise (HFD+Ex) and no exercise (HFD) groups. We measured body weight, food intake and locomotor activity in all mice. Liver fat accumulation was measured by CT scan weekly. Blood and tissue sampling was performed at the end of the experimental period. Following the 6 week exercise period, total body, mesenteric fat and liver weight in the HFD+Ex group were significantly lower than those in the HFD group. Alanine aminotransferase levels improved in HFD+Ex mice compared with those of HFD mice. The hounsfield unit value in HFD mice decreased between 3 and 8 weeks, suggesting that liver fat accumulation accelerated during this period. In contrast this decrease was not observed one week after exercise in HFD+Ex mice. These results suggest that liver fat accumulation estimated by CT was not observed until the 3rd week of high fat feeding while the effects of voluntary wheel exercise appeared immediately.

We encountered a case where opioids were effective for excessive sweating caused by secondary generalized hyperhidrosis associated with cancer. ​​A 64-year-old woman diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma was admitted to the palliative care unit with right hip pain caused by bone metastasis and sudden excessive sweating. An increased dose of fentanyl transdermal patch provided pain relief. Excessive sweating seemed to have occurred due to neoplastic fever initially, but antipyretic analgesics and steroids were ineffective. Prophylactic use of immediate-release oxycodone provided excessive sweating relief. Finally, we consider that hypothalamus and fentanyl transdermal patch were involved in excessive sweating. Opioids may suppress sweating by acting on the hypothalamus.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The therapeutic effect of mesalamine is considered to be dose-dependent; however, no consensus has been reached regarding the optimal doses for individual patients. This study aimed to provide new insight for dose optimization using two doses of pH-dependent release mesalamine for induction of remission of moderately active ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: In a multicenter, double-blind, randomized study, 110 patients with moderately active UC were assigned to two groups after treatment with a constant dose of mesalamine. Fifty-five patients were treated with a pH-dependent release formulation of 3.6 or 4.8 g/day for 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was a decrease in the UC disease activity index (UCDAI) adjusted by covariates. RESULTS: In the full analysis set (n=110), the mean decrease in UCDAI was 3.1 in the 3.6 g/day group and 3.4 in the 4.8 g/day group (P>0.05). In a subgroup analysis, the effectiveness of the 4.8 g/day dose was greater in particular populations, such as those who had been previously treated with a lower dose of mesalamine and those with more severe disease. The safety was comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that treatment with pH-dependent release mesalamine at either 3.6 or 4.8 g/day was effective and safe for the induction of remission in patients with moderately active UC. However, the patients receiving mesalamine at 2.4 g/day but in whom the therapeutic effect is not sufficient and having more severe symptoms (UCDAI 9-10), benefit from higher doses of mesalamine compared to others.
Colitis, Ulcerative* ; Consensus ; Double-Blind Method ; Humans ; Mesalamine* ; Remission Induction ; Ulcer*

  Our palliative care team intervened in a patient with sciatica resulting from metastasis to sacral bone after surgery for rectal cancer. Rapid pain control and a change in the route of rescue drug administration from the stoma were needed. Partial opioid rotation was performed. The dose of 25.2 mg in 72 hours in a transdermal fentanyl patch decreased to 16.8 mg in 72 hours, and the dose of 3.6mg in an hour by continuous intravenous injection of morphine was added. The change in the rescue root to intravenous administration by a patient-controlled analgesia pump gave the patient relief from his pain. He was able to attend his daughter's wedding. His family were all pleased with the relief provided. The advantages of this partial opioid rotation are summed up in the following three points: (1) The required time is relatively short; (2) It can be expedient for analgesia due to the addition of different opioids; and (3) The partial opioid rotation produces fewer adverse effects than a full opioid rotation. Adjustment of the amount of drugs for pain relief in cancer patients is important with the situations of the patient and the family taken into consideration fully.