A 64-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with sudden chest and back pain. Computed tomography showed acute type A aortic dissection complicated with malperfusion of the left main coronary artery (LMT). Immediately after the CT, the patient went into sudden shock. Electrocardiogram showed ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Percutaneous cardio-pulmonary support was administered and coronary arteriogram (CAG) was performed. CAG revealed LMT stenosis and intravascular ultrasound showed mobile intimal flap at the LMT. Percutaneous coronary intervention of the LMT was performed. The patient recovered from shock and was treated with ascending aorta replacement with CABG. The patient was discharged from the hospital without any major complication.

In order to find an effective way to detect bacteria responsible for respiratory tract infections in children, we first examined as pharyngeal swabs, epi-pharyngeal swabs and nasal aspirates obtained from children hospitalized at our pediatric service during these five months from December 1997 to April 1998. In the rate of bacterial infection, it was found that nasal aspirates came out on top with 92.6%(25/27), followed by epipharyngeal swabs with 71.6%(53/74) and pharyngeal swabs with 26.2%(38/145). Single-species bacteria were found in 78.9%(30/38) of pharyngeal swabs, where as 45.3% of epi-pharyngeal swabs (24/53) and 52.0% of nasal aspirates (13/25) proved mixed infections with two-or three-defferent species. Thus it was suggested that nasal aspirates and epi-pharyngeal swabs would be far more adequate than pharyngeal swabs to detect bacteria with accuracy.
Next, based on the efficiency of bacterial detection, we compared culture media for the specimen obtained from in-patients and out-patients at our pediatric service. The rate of isolation of gram-negative rods was as low as 0.3%(1 of 314 strains) even when BTB agar plate, a selective medium for these bacteria, was employed. The sensitivety was not much different from those observed with nonselective blood agar plate. These results suggest that the conventional blood agar media can substitute for the more expensive type of BTB agar medium for the diagnosis of infections diseases of the airwaysin children.

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to examine quantitative activity and determine characteristics using an activity meter in community-dwelling frail elderly people.
Methods : We monitored 25 community-dwelling elderly of support-requiring condition level1 and 2 by attaching activity monitoring evaluation system (A-MES) and measured physical activity (PA) over 24 hours as well as body information, care information, everyday life function.
We examined according to sex / care category using obtained results.
Results : Women's standing position time and walk time were significantly longer, and men's daytime lying position and sitting position time were significantly longer.
Also, in persons of support-required condition level 2 there was a significantly higher number of posture changes from sitting position to daytime lying position.
It was suggested that a quantitative evaluation of the PA could lead to discovery of activity decrease in home life in association with each PA item and low rank criteria of the functional independence measure (FIM).
Securing of enough walk time and shortening of the lying position time in the daytime tend to be important for self-care ability and maintenance of locomotiveness.
Conclusion : It was suggested that the evaluation of shortening the lying position time in the daytime and increasing the amount of position changes will supplement a decrease of the PA, which is related to preventing decrease in activity.

Introduction: The present study was conducted to identify the influence of self-efficacy score and having an action plan on “stages of change” for exercise after one year.
Methods: Physical functions and psychological factors at baseline and after one year in 105 elderly individuals who participated in a preventive care program. The subjects were classified into four groups by using the stages of change scale for physical activity.
The cause related to impact on physical activity and action stage change (stage) after one year later with having or not having action plan for preventive care program in elderly at home in community as well as sense of self efficacy was investigated.
Results: Self-efficacy scored significantly higher in the usual activity group with continuity of stage activity both at baseline and one year later. The relative risk of having an action plan at baseline for exercise after one year was 2 . 90 (95% CI: 1.52-5.55). This value significantly influenced the maintenance of physical activity after one year.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that showing an action plan was effective in maintenance of physical activity.

Abstract: We report a case of intractable pain in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that was successfully managed by administering a fentanyl transdermal patch. Case: A 75-year-old man was diagnosed with ALS in 2013 after he became aware of difficulty in walking and systemic pain since 2010. In 2019, he underwent gastrostomy and tracheostomy, and intractable generalized pain necessitated the administration of morphine hydrochloride six times a day; however, it could not provide adequate pain relief. Later, morphine was replaced with a fentanyl patch under a very strict safe-monitored setting and the pain became bearable. Discussion: Although high-level evidence is lacking, pain experts have reported the effectiveness of morphine for intractable pain in patients with ALS. Frequent short-acting morphine dosing is often burdensome due to the complexity of its administration and it also causes end-of-dose pain. A fentanyl patch may possibly improve these drawbacks.

BACKGROUND: Body mass-independent parameters might be more appropriate for assessing cardiometabolic abnormalities than weight-dependent indices in Asians who have relatively high visceral adiposity but low body fat. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-measured trunk-to-peripheral fat ratio is one such body mass-independent index. However, there are no reports on relationships between DXA-measured regional fat ratio and cardiometabolic risk factors targeting elderly Asian men. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data of 597 elderly men who participated in the baseline survey of the Fujiwara-kyo Osteoporosis Risk in Men (FORMEN) study, a community-based single-center prospective cohort study conducted in Japan. Whole-body fat and regional fat were measured with a DXA scanner. Trunk-to-appendicular fat ratio (TAR) was calculated as trunk fat divided by appendicular fat (sum of arm and leg fat), and trunk-to-leg fat ratio (TLR) as trunk fat divided by leg fat. RESULTS: Both TAR and TLR in the group of men who used ≥ 1 medication for hypertension, dyslipidemia, or diabetes ("user group"; N = 347) were significantly larger than those who did not use such medication ("non-user group"; N = 250) (P < 0.05). After adjusting for potential confounding factors including whole-body fat, both TAR and TLR were significantly associated with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting serum insulin, and the insulin resistance index in the non-user group and non-overweight men in the non-user group (N = 199). CONCLUSION The trunk-to-peripheral fat ratio was associated with cardiometabolic risk factors independently of whole-body fat mass. Parameters of the fat ratio may be useful for assessing cardiometabolic risk factors, particularly in underweight to normal-weight populations.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Adiposity/physiology* ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Cardiometabolic Risk Factors ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat/diagnostic imaging* ; Japan ; Male ; Osteoporosis/etiology* ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Thorax/diagnostic imaging*

BACKGROUND: The Fujiwara-kyo Osteoporosis Risk in Men (FORMEN) study was launched to investigate risk factors for osteoporotic fractures, interactions of osteoporosis with other non-communicable chronic diseases, and effects of fracture on QOL and mortality. METHODS: FORMEN baseline study participants (in 2007 and 2008) included 2012 community-dwelling men (aged 65-93 years) in Nara prefecture, Japan. Clinical follow-up surveys were conducted 5 and 10 years after the baseline survey, and 1539 and 906 men completed them, respectively. Supplemental mail, telephone, and visit surveys were conducted with non-participants to obtain outcome information. Survival and fracture outcomes were determined for 2006 men, with 566 deaths identified and 1233 men remaining in the cohort at 10-year follow-up. COMMENTS The baseline survey covered a wide range of bone health-related indices including bone mineral density, trabecular microarchitecture assessment, vertebral imaging for detecting vertebral fractures, and biochemical markers of bone turnover, as well as comprehensive geriatric assessment items. Follow-up surveys were conducted to obtain outcomes including osteoporotic fracture, cardiovascular diseases, initiation of long-term care, and mortality. A complete list of publications relating to the FORMEN study can be found at https://www.med.kindai.ac.jp/pubheal/FORMEN/Publications.html .
Aged ; Bone Density ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Geriatric Assessment ; Humans ; Independent Living ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Long-Term Care/statistics & numerical data* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis/etiology* ; Osteoporotic Fractures/etiology* ; Risk Factors