We purified a novel angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor from fish sauce Ishiru prepared from squid, and identified it as the tripeptide Leu-Ala-Arg (LAR). IC₅₀ of this ACE inhibitor was 2.5 μM, demonstrating high potency among peptides previously purified from fish sauces. Moreover, LAR acted as an antihypertensive peptide, reducing systolic blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

An 83-year-old man was transferred to our hospital with cardiac tamponade and suspected cardiac tumor detected by enhanced CT. Coronary angiography showed a coronary aneurysm of 50 mm ID on the left circumflex artery. An emergency surgery was performed to excise the aneurysm, and a fresh thrombus occupying the efferent artery was observed. Both the afferent and efferent vessels were closed by suture. The patient made an otherwise uneventful recovery. This case featured a fresh red thrombus formed in fistulous outflow of the coronary aneurysm that seemed a direct cause of rupture.

Introduction: We investigated the end-of-life care preferences of patients with mild dementia and compared them with the hopes of caregivers regarding end-of-life care for patients.Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among outpatients with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their family caregivers who visited the Medical Center for Dementia.Results: We analyzed 50 pairs of dementia patients and their family caregivers. Of people with dementia, 24 respondents (48.0%) preferred "antibiotics and infusions for pneumonia" at the end of life. Eleven respondents (22.0%) preferred "central parenteral nutrition". Eight respondents (16.0%) preferred "resuscitation". For each end-of-life care item, the concordance rate between patients and caregivers on "prefer" / "do not prefer" was 0%-76%. Patients and their families who discussed end-of-life care had a significantly higher concordance rate for "resuscitation" preference than those who did not.Conclusion: For patients and their families to be able to make decisions they do not regret, it is important to promote discussions about end-of-life medical care before the patient's condition becomes severe.

We report two cases of pseudoaneurysms occurring at the anastomotic sites that had to be repaired several times after the original Bentall and Cabrol procedure. Case 1. A 62-year-old man had surgery to repair pseudoaneurysms at the anastomotic sites of the distal ascending aorta and right coronary artery 22 years after undergoing the original Bentall procedure. The anastomosis of the left coronary artery was normal at the time of the operation ; however, he was given a diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomotic site of the left coronary artery 2 years after the operation. Case 2. A 61-year-old man with Marfan syndrome underwent surgery twice to repair pseudoaneurysms at the anastomotic sites of the aortic annulus and the left coronary artery 2 and 11 years, respectively, after the original Cabrol procedure. In addition, 23 years after the Cabrol procedure, he was given a diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomotic site of the distal ascending aorta. Their pseudoaneurysms were successfully treated by the reanastomosis of new grafts. Computed tomography detected no recurrence of the pseudoaneurysm in the follow-up period. However, continual close observation for the recurrence of a pseudoaneurysm in the remaining anastomotic sites is necessary.

This case report describes a 20-year-old man, who was a drug abuser, and was treated surgically for tricuspid valve endocarditis. He presented with fever, caused by tricuspid valve endocarditis with a lung abscess. Blood culture detected Staphylococcus aureus and cardiac ultrasonography showed tricuspid insufficiency and tricuspid valve vegetation. He was treated with intravenous antibacterial agents, but the inflammation signs did not improve. He had a large number of puncture scars, as a consequence of self-injection of drugs in his lower arm. He underwent tricuspid valve plasty, and recovered successfully. He was discharged 2 weeks after surgery, and we instructed him to return for follow-up examination in our hospital. However, he did not return to our hospital because he was arrested for drug possession. In such cases, it is necessary to consider the operative method relative to reuse of drugs in the postoperative management of medication.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Despite improvements in endoscopic hemostasis and pharmacological therapies, upper gastrointestinal (UGI) ulcers repeatedly bleed in 10% to 20% of patients, and those without early endoscopic reintervention or definitive surgery might be at a high risk for mortality. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for intractability to initial endoscopic hemostasis. METHODS: We analyzed intractability among 428 patients who underwent emergency endoscopy for bleeding UGI ulcers within 24 hours of arrival at the hospital. RESULTS: Durable hemostasis was achieved in 354 patients by using initial endoscopic procedures. Sixty-nine patients with Forrest types Ia, Ib, IIa, and IIb at the second-look endoscopy were considered intractable to the initial endoscopic hemostasis. Multivariate analysis indicated that age > or =70 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07 to 4.03), shock on admission (OR, 5.26; 95% CI, 2.43 to 11.6), hemoglobin <8.0 mg/dL (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.39 to 5.91), serum albumin <3.3 g/dL (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.07 to 4.89), exposed vessels with a diameter of > or =2 mm on the bottom of ulcers (OR, 4.38; 95% CI, 1.25 to 7.01), and Forrest type Ia and Ib (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.33 to 3.00) predicted intractable endoscopic hemostasis. CONCLUSIONS: Various factors contribute to intractable endoscopic hemostasis. Careful observation after endoscopic hemostasis is important for patients at a high risk for incomplete hemostasis.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Emergencies ; Endoscopy ; Hematemesis ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis ; Hemostasis, Endoscopic* ; Humans ; Melena ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Peptic Ulcer* ; Risk Factors ; Serum Albumin ; Shock ; Ulcer