During the 13-year period from 1979 Jan. to 1992 Apr., 93 patients with carcinomas of the biliary tract including the ampulla of Vater and the pancreas were surgically treated at Kumiai General Hospital in the northern Hida district of Gifu Prefecture. In these 93 patients, 31 were diagnosed as suffering from carcinomas of the extrahepatic bile duct; 19, gallbladder carcinomas; 5, carcinomas of the ampulla of Vater and 38, pancreatic carcinomas. But the majority of these patients were classified into the far-advanced stages in accordance with the Japanese stage classification. Resectability was 58.1% in carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile duct, 42.1% in gallbladder carcinoma, 100% in periampullary carcinoma and 31.5% in pancreatic carcinoma and their survival rates were discouragingly low. To improve the postoperative results, it should be advocated that early diagnosis and treatment are most important for biliary tract carcinoma of m and fm in pathological depth, gallbladder carcinoma of m and pm in depth and small pancreatic carcinoma smaller than 2 cm.

　　We report a case of accessory breast cancer in the right axillary region. A 67-year-old woman visited our department complaining of a lump in the right underarm. We suspected cancer of an accessory breast from the findings of mammography and ultrasonography; a histological diagnosis of breast cancer was obtained by needle biopsy. With a preoperative diagnosis of accessorybreast cancer accompanied by ipsilateral axillary nodal involvement, the patient underwent wide local resection of the right axillary region with lymph-node dissection (level II). Histopathological findings of the resected specimen revealed that the tumor was composed of solid tubular carcinoma with intraductal component, with normal breast tissue in the region adjacent to the tumor. A diagnosis of right axillary accessory breast cancer (pT2, N1, pStage IIb) was confirmed. Postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy were administered. At present, 18 months after surgery, no sign of recurrence has been observed.

　　We report the first case in the Japanese literature of toxic shock syndrome following incisional hernia repair. We performed incisional hernia repair in a 54-year-old man with a BMI of 32.6 kg/m2 who underwent sigmoidectomy for cancer of the sigmoid colon one and half years earlier. Postoperative course was complicated by subcutaneous hemorrhage, which resolved with conservative management, and he was discharged on the 9th postoperative day. However, 3 days after discharge, he was readmitted with shock, high fever, diarrhea, vomiting, somnolence, and acute renal failure. He was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome (TSS) due to TSS toxin-1 produced by MRSA infection of the subcutaneous hematoma. Drainage was performed and vancomycin, clindamycin, and gamma-globulin therapy were administered, with intensive supportive care. Treatment was successful and he was discharged 24 days after admission.

A 75-year-old woman suffered from chest compression on effort. Detailed examinations showed aortic valve stenosis and unusual separation of the left coronary artery from the aorta. Surgical exposure revealed that the aortic valve was composed of 3 cusps. Two of 3 cusps were calcified, and another small cusp had fused to the aortic wall. Fusion of the cusp produced a cyst with a hole that was 1.5mm in diameter. Excision of the cyst disclosed the normal orifice of the left coronary artery. The aortic valve was resected and replaced with an artificial valve. Her postoperative course was uneventful, without any angina pectoris.

Taking charge of in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer in the laboratory per se amounts to a form of clinical support. To infertile patients, it would be of great benefit if laboratory technicians make direct contact with them and give a full account of the procedure.The apprehensions entertained by them regarding infertility treatment would be removed by hearing what they want to know.In hopes of dispelling the patients' fears and doubts, we have recently started to dialogue with the patients. The face-to-face interview has made us feel confident in what we are doing aside from the lab work and feel a sense of responsibility. Moreover, we have become aware of the need to further devote ourselves to reproductive medicine in order to improve the treatment outcome.One third of the questions frequently asked by patients concerns the quality of embryos and the risk of birth defects, which are issues that challenge us involved in reproductive medicine. To give answers to these and other questions most aptly, it is necessary to share all the up-to-date information, data and knowledge among members of the staff concerned.As the tasks to be grappled with fromnow on, there are problems with unsuccessful cases after repeated IVF trials and an increasing number of patients rangingin age from 45 to 49 years. Where the infertility treatment stops is yet to bedecided in the case of elder women.For providing information and psychological support sought by patients, we keenly felt that there is a necessity to establish a closer collaborative inter-departmental relationship.
Clinical ; Fertilization ; Laboratory culture ; Support ; therapeutic aspects

This article describes the end of life of seven people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) under the care of a hospice. The reasons for admission to hospice were for the management of distressing symptoms and the support of families who were unable to continue care at home because of the increased burden of care and/or illness of families. The sufferings experienced by the patients with ALS included disability due to muscle weakness(100%), pain(100%), discomfort (100%), dyspnea (71%), difficulties in communication (71%), drooling (43%), insomnia (43%), loneliness (43%), swallowing difficulties (28%), clenching the mucosa inside the cheek (28%), anxiety (28%), the perception of being a burden to the family (28%), and concerns as to why they had developed ALS (28%). Opioid medication was effective in the management of dyspnea, pain and discomfort. The results showed that special attention should be paid to frequent changing of the patient's position during nursing care, including the passive movement of joints and massage. The use of communication aids was essential to allow people with ALS to communicate effectively and, together with support of joy of the patients and family, the quality of life could be improved. End of life care within a hospice is a useful alternative option for persons with ALS, extending hospice care in Japan from people with advanced cancer to other disease groups. Palliat Care Res 2010; 5(2): 137-143

Accurate evaluation of disease activity is essential for choosing an appropriate treatment and follow-up plan for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Endoscopy is required for accurately evaluating disease activity, but the procedures are sometimes invasive and burdensome to patients. Therefore, alternative non-invasive methods for evaluating or predicting disease activity including mucosal status are desirable. Fecal calprotectin (Fcal) is the most widely used fecal marker for IBD, and many articles have described the performance of the marker in predicting disease activity, mucosal healing (MH), treatment efficacy, and risk of relapse. Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) can quantify the concentration of hemoglobin in stool and was originally used for the screening of colorectal cancer. We recently reported that FIT is also a useful biomarker for IBD. A direct comparison between the use of Fcal and FIT showed that both methods predicted MH in ulcerative colitis equally well. However, in the case of Crohn's disease, FIT was less sensitive to lesions in the small intestine, compared to Fcal. FIT holds several advantages over Fcal in regards to user-friendliness, including a lower cost, easy and clean handling, and the ability to make rapid measurements by using an automated measurement system. However, there is insufficient data to support the application of FIT in IBD. Further studies into the use of FIT for evaluating the inflammatory status of IBD are warranted.
Colitis, Ulcerative ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Crohn Disease ; Endoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases* ; Intestine, Small ; Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex* ; Mass Screening ; Recurrence ; Treatment Outcome

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. PURPOSE: To evaluate the surgical results of computer-assisted C1-C2 transarticular screw fixation for atlantoaxial instability and the usefulness of the navigation system. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: We used a computed tomography (CT)-based computer navigation system in planning and screw insertion in Magerl's procedure, which provides the most rigid atlantoaxial fusion, to avoid risk of vertebral artery (VA) tear by avoiding high-riding VA during screw insertion. METHODS: Twenty patients who underwent atlantoaxial fusion under the CT-based navigation system were studied. The mean observation period was 33.5 months. The evaluated items included the existence of VA stenosis by preoperative magnetic resonance angiography, surgical time, blood loss volume, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and Ranawat's pain criteria before surgery and at final follow-up, postoperative screw position evaluated by CT, and bony fusion. RESULTS: The mean operation time was 205 minutes, with the mean blood loss volume of 242 ml. The mean JOA score was 11.6 points before surgery and 13.7 at final follow-up. Occipital and/or cervical pain presented before operation was remitted or resolved in all patients. Evaluation of screw insertion by CT revealed correct penetration to atlantoaxial joints, with a perforation rate of 2.6%. There was no complication, including VA tear, and all patients who were followed-up during one year or more after surgery achieved bony fusion. Some subjects who appeared inappropriate for surgery from CT images were assessed as eligible for surgery based on the evaluation results obtained using the navigation system. CONCLUSIONS: It was demonstrated that the CT-based navigation system is an effective support device for Magerl's procedure.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Atlanto-Axial Joint ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Neck Pain ; Operative Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Vertebral Artery

The purpose of this case report was to report a rare case of pyogenic spondylodiscitis caused by Campylobacter fetus. A 37-year-old male presented with fever and low back pain. By lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), no abnormal finding was observed at the first presentation. However, low back pain was aggravated, and fever did not improve. Thus, lumbar MRI was repeated on the 26 day after the onset of symptoms, showing abnormal signals at vertebrae and disc spaces, and pyogenic spondylitis was diagnosed. The possibility of pyogenic spondylodiscitis should be taken into account if a patient presents with low back pain and fever, and areas of low signal intensity on a T1-weighted MRI should be carefully examined. When initial MRI does not reveal abnormal findings, repeated MRI after one or two weeks or, more favorably, immediate gadolinium enhancement MRI, are important for patients who have persistent low back pain and fever.
Adult ; Campylobacter ; Campylobacter fetus ; Discitis ; Early Diagnosis ; Fever ; Gadolinium ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Male ; Spine ; Spondylitis