Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive objective diagnostic technique that has become a powerful method for the clinical assessment of diabetic macular edema. It is a very useful imaging technique to diagnose and follow-up diabetic macular edema (DME). The present paper aims to present an overview of the principles,progress, and uses of OCT in the diagnosis and management of DME.

AIM: To evaluate the surgical efficacy of vitrectomy for diabetic macular edema (DME) at one year's follow-up.METHODS: The surgical outcomes in 116 consecutive eyes of 89 patients who had vitrectomy for diabetic macular edema were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. All the patients were followed up for one year or longer postoperatively.RESULTS: The one year postoperative mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (0.428± 0.387) was significantly better than the mean preoperative BCVA (0.285±0.249;Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P＜0.0001). In 41 eyes with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), mean BCVA improved significantly from 0.291± 0.201 preoperatively to 0.45± 0.41 at one year of follow-up (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P=0.0171). In 75 eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), mean BCVA improved significantly from 0.282± 0.272 preoperatively to 0.416± 0.376at one year of follow-up (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P＜0.0001). The stage of diabetic retinopathy did not influence final visual acuity. Macular edema resolved in 74 of 116 eyes (63.8%) after the surgery. BCVA improved by 2 or more lines in 53 eyes (45.7%), remained unchanged in 39 eyes (33.6%), and exacerbated by 2 or more lines after the surgery in 24 eyes (20.7%). The intraoperative and postoperative complications included iatrogenic retinal tears (9 eyes), vitreous hemorrhage (10 eyes), neovascular glaucoma (6 eyes), hard exudates deposition in the center of macula (18 eyes), macular atrophy (19 eyes) and epiretinal membrane (3 eyes). Among these complications,exacerbation of BCVA by 2 or more lines occurred due to neovascular glaucoma (4 eyes), macular atrophy (10 eyes), hard exudates deposition (9 eyes) and epiretinal membrane (1 eyes).CONCLUSIONS: Vitrectomy is an effective procedure for improving visual acuity and reducing macular edema in eyes with DME. However, careful preoperative examinations and adequate surgical techniques are imperative to avoid severe complications of this treatment.

Purpose: To investigate the characteristics of sudden abdominal condition change that occur in a palliative care unit, we evaluated the association between these conditions and family acceptance at time of death. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of 30 terminally ill cancer patients who died of sudden abdominal condition change in our unit between January 2010 and March 2013. We focused particularly on the course of sudden change, symptom relief, explanation of the condition, and family acceptance at time of death. Results: The average time from onset of sudden change in abdominal condition until death was 20.6 hours and the median was 13 hours. Of the 30 total cases, 23 occurred in less than 24 hours. Frequent symptoms during the sudden change were abdominal pain in 28 patients, decreased blood pressure in 21, lowering of consciousness in 12 and disturbed behavior/excitement in 10. Impending symptoms were observed in 18 patients. For patients with good acceptance by family at time of death (21 patients), symptom relief was significantly better, frequency of disturbed behavior/excitement was significantly less, and prior specific explanation was significantly frequent, compared to the poor acceptance group (9 patients). The good acceptance group tended to be have a longer hospital stay, as well as longer time between sudden change and death. Conclusions: Death by sudden abdominal condition change came within 24 hours in a majority of cases. We consider that prior detailed explanation and improving symptom relief helps improve family acceptance.

Objectives: A cancer salon was established at Jichi Medical University Hospital in April 2014 operated based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle. This study aims to understand the actual situation of the cancer salon and outcomes of participants, and utilize the information for optimal administration. Methods: The cancer salon was open to the public and conducted in our hospital. The program consisted of mini-lectures, relaxation, and interaction with the participants. We conducted a questionnaire survey for the participants. Results: We held 11 sessions from April 2014 to March 2015. The total number of participants was 369, and the average number of participants per session was 34 (22-50). Participants mainly consisted of patients and families who received care in our hospital. A high percentage of participants were women in their 60’s, patients who were newly diagnosed cancer within 3 years, or patients with breast cancer. Participants’ satisfaction tended to be high in lectures and relaxation, and there was a tendency for anxiety to be alleviated in their psychological state. Discussion: We must challenge that we refine quantitative evaluation methods and develop the system of assessment of detailed needs and provide appropriate support. Furthermore, we would like to propagate this system to the area around our hospital, support the development of cancer salons at other medical institutions, collaborate with them, and contribute to the creation of an inclusive society.

A 62-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of dextrocardia on her chest X-ray film. She had been in good health though the X-ray abnormality had been pointed out from her childhood. Echocardiogram, magnetic resonance imaging, and cardiac catheterization revealed situs inversus, congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, and severe tricuspid valve (systemic atrioventricular valve) regurgitation with mild systemic ventricular dysfunction. The surgeon stood on the patient's left side during the operation. On cardiopulmonary bypass, the tricuspid valve, facing almost dorsally, was exposed through a superior transseptal approach. Tricuspid valve replacement with a mechanical valve was performed with leaflet preservation. Systemic ventricular function is preserved at one year after operation.

OBJECTIVE: (1) To estimate the prevalence of cancer as an cause of abdominal pain, (2) to identify useful information of history and physical examination, (3) to assess performance of potential screening tests, and (4) to formulate an efficient algorithm for distinguishing patients with cancer.
DESIGN: Prospective observational study.
SETTING: General medical outpatient clinic in a university teaching hospital.
PARTICIPANTS: 470 outpatients (men, 216; women, 254; mean age±standard deviation, 44.6±16.5; age range, 16 to 89) complaining of abdominal pain at their first visits.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A cancer causing abdominal pain was found in 18 patients (3.8%) . These 18 patients with cancer and the remaining 452 patients without cancer were compared regarding clinical findings. Findings significantly more common in patients with cancer were: age of 40 years or over; unexplained weight loss; insidious onset; and duration of pain longer than one preceding month without relief. Among recorded physical findings, countenance reflecting severe pain, fever, and abdominal tenderness were significantly associated with cancer. Elevation of LDH, WBC, CRP, ESR, and CEA were moderately useful discriminators for patients with and without cancer. The logistic regression analysis with complete clinical data set covering history, physical examination and laboratory tests showed that the only findings significantly associated with cancer were unexplained weight loss (odds ratio: 18.9, 95% CI 1.5-20.1), duration of pain over one month (odds ratio: 24.8, 95% CI 1.6-27.9), countenance of severe pain (odds ratio: 159.1, 95% CI 4.5-162.1), and WBC>10, 000 (odds ratio: 22.3, 95% CI 1.1-31.0) .
CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the value of the combined use of history, physical and selected laboratory findings in detecting cancer among patients with abdominal pain. Application of such selected criteria holds the promise of more efficient care with judicious and effective use of endoscopy or sonography without lowering the quality of care.

  The patient was a woman in her 80s, who was referred to the palliative care team in our hospital for pain due to bone metastases from lung cancer. Although gabapentin and ifenprodil tartrate were administrated in addition to opioids and loxoprofen sodium, and the dose of opioids was increased, pain was not relieved remarkably. A switch from gabapentin to pregabalin brought remarkable pain relief. Before the internal use of pregabalin, the patient was often seen lyiing in bed because of pain. However, by pregabalin, she began to walk, pushing her wheelchair and smile often. Her ability to perform the basic activities of daily living was improved. The switch from gabapentin to pregabalin was one effective option when an analgesic adjuvant for cancer pain was chosen.

　　Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a spindle-shaped facultatively anaerobic Gram-negative rod in the oral cavity of dogs and cats. C. canimorsus rarely infects humans through an animal bite or scratch. However, it leads to severe sepsis once infection occurs, and the fatality rate is estimated to be up to 30%. The patient was a 56-year-old man with fatigue and fever. Sepsis with thrombocytopenia was suspected from the blood examination results. We decided to conduct microscopic examination of a non-stained peripheral blood smear and identified bacteria; therefore, Gram stain was immediately performed and spindle-shaped Gram-negative bacilli were detected. Additionally, the patient had a history of a bite and scratch by his cat. We suspected C. canimorsus infection from the microscopic examination findings and history. Moreover, we determined early that the pathogenic bacterium was C. canimorsus by blood culture. With immediate and proper treatment based on these results, we could rescue this septic patient with disseminated intravascular coagulation. Microscopic examination of non-stained peripheral blood smear is helpful for the early diagnosis of C. canimorsus infection.

OBJECTIVETo review articles aiming to present an overview of the principles, progress, uses and limitations of laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in posterior fundus circulation research.

DATA SOURCESThe data used in this review was obtained mainly from the studies reported in PubMed using the key terms "laser speckle", "ocular blood flowmetry" and "retinal imaging".

STUDY SELECTIONRelevant literatures on studies of LSFG were selected.

RESULTSLSFG is a unique, noninvasive imaging instrument to quantitatively visualize posterior fundus circulation in vivo. This review delineates the LSFG principles and development, demonstrates its extensive applicability for measurement of retina, choroid and optic nerve head circulation, compares it with other retinal imaging technologies and discusses unresolved issues.

CONCLUSIONSLSFG is a noninvasive, two-dimensional objective diagnostic technique that has become a powerful method for the clinical and scientific assessment of posterior fundus circulation. Further studies may help to develop a more comprehensive evidence-based measurement and facilitate the correlation with other methods for chorioretinal circulation assessment.

Androgens play a central role in prostate cancer pathogenesis, and hence most of the patients respond to androgen deprivation therapies. However, patients tend to relapse with aggressive prostate cancer, which has been termed as hormone refractory. To identify the proteins that mediate progression to the hormone-refractory state, we used protein-chip technology for mass profiling of patients' sera. This study included 16 patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer who were initially treated with androgen deprivation therapy. Serum samples were collected from each patient at five time points: point A, pre-treatment; point B, at the nadir of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level; point C, PSA failure; point D, the early hormone-refractory phase; and point E, the late hormone-refractory phase. Using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, we performed protein mass profiling of the patients' sera and identified a 6 640-Da peak that increased with disease progression. Target proteins were partially purified, and by amino acid sequencing the peak was identified as a fragment of apolipoprotein C-I (ApoC-I). Serum ApoC-I protein levels increased with disease progression. On immunohistochemical analysis, the ApoC-I protein was found localized to the cytoplasm of the hormone-refractory cancer cells. In this study, we showed an increase in serum ApoC-I protein levels in prostate cancer patients during their progression to the hormone-refractory state, which suggests that ApoC-I protein is related to progression of prostate cancer. However, as the exact role of ApoC-I in prostate cancer pathogenesis is unclear, further research is required.
Aged ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal ; therapeutic use ; Apolipoprotein C-I ; analysis ; blood ; isolation & purification ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line ; Disease Progression ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Protein Array Analysis ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization