Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging disease that is endemic in East Asia. The SFTS virus (SFTSV) is transmitted to other organisms by infected ticks and is endemic to Nagasaki in western Japan. However, epidemiological information regarding SFTSV in Nagasaki ticks has not been elucidated. In this study, we first examined the sensitivities of SFTSV gene detection by real-time RT-PCR and virus isolation in cultured cells and mice. These methods could detect SFTSV in the samples containing more than 4 × 10⁰ ffu. Next, we attempted to isolate SFTSV and to detect viral gene in 2,222 nymph and adult ticks collected from May to August 2013 among seven regions of Nagasaki. However, neither virus isolation nor viral gene detection were confirmed in those tick pools. SFTSV positivity rates are considered very low in ticks and viral loads in ticks are also very limited. Further investigation by increasing the number of ticks and including larval samples in the investigation, as well as improved detection methods, may be required to find SFTSV-positive ticks in this region.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging disease endemic in East Asia. Transmitted to other organisms by infected ticks, the SFTS virus (SFTSV) and is endemic to Nagasaki in western Japan. However, epidemiological information regarding SFTSV in Nagasaki ticks has not been available to date. In this study, we began by examining the sensitivities of SFTSV gene detection by real-time RT-PCR and virus isolation in cultured cells and mice. These methods could detect SFTSV in the samples containing more than 4 × 10⁰ ffu. Next, we attempted to isolate SFTSV and to detect viral gene in 2,222 nymph and adult ticks collected from May to August 2013 among seven regions of Nagasaki. However, neither virus isolation nor viral gene detection were confirmed in the tick pools. SFTSV positivity rates are considered to be very low in ticks, and viral loads are also very limited. Further investigations increasing the number of ticks and including larval samples as well as improved detection methods, may be required to find SFTSV-positive ticks in this region.

Bilateral lesions damaging the primary auditory cortex or the auditory radiation may cause auditory agnosia. We describe a 67-year-old woman with auditory agnosia after bilateral thalamic hemorrhage. Initially, she showed subcortical deafness for words and environmental sounds. Pure tone audiometry showed a moderate-to-severe hearing loss (mean hearing level, right 56 dB ; left 57 dB), while the recording of auditory brainstem response was normal. Brain CT demonstrated a hematoma in the left thalamus and a narrow low density area suggesting a sequel of the right thalamic hemorrhage. Hearing training was begun using sound sources that were easily recognizable for the patient. Her recognition was better for words than for individual Japanese vowel or consonant-vowel sounds, and the use of lip reading contributed to her better recognition of words. After 2 months, she was able to communicate with medical staff and family members in daily conversation.

The aim of this study is to clarify the present situation of activities of continuing medical education (CME) for the primary care physicians to whom the leading hospitals, such as universities and clinical trainee hospitals perform CME in their regions. A questionaire was designed for main 4 parts, as following: 1) On the purpose of CME for the physicians. 2) On the organization (office) managing CME in the hospitals. 3) On the strategies of CME. 4) On the evaluation of CME. Answers to a questionaire were replied from 234 institutions (58.1%). Analyzing the results, we recognized that the leading hospitals actively carried out CME for the primary care physicians in the community. Furthermore, conversion to experiential learning from passive learning and establishment of evaluation methods should be promoted in CME.

This report takes up a 65-year-old woman. Suspecting a tumorous superior fovea in the left clavicle, she consulted with our hospital’s Department of Otolaryngology. As a result of the lymph node biopsy performed at the department, she was diagnosed as having moderately differentiated tubular carcinoma. CT scanning revealed a number of swollen lymph nodes and parietal tylosis in the sigmoid colon. Endoscopy produced no abnormalities in the upper digestive tract, but an endoscopic check of the lower digestive tract revealed an all-around Type II tumor. The ailment was pathohistologically identified as tubular carcinoma. That said, the patient was diagnosed as suffering from sigmoid colon accompanying Virchow lymph node metastasis. Then, sigmoidostomy and the dissection of the D3 lymph node were performed. Pathohistological diagnosis revealed moderately differentiated tubular carcinoma, SE, N3, HO, PO, M1 (Virchow lymph node metastasis), Stage IV. Chemotherapy was postoperatively initiated with mFOLFOX6.

Because new media have come onstage in the information technology period, also self-learning methods have been diversified. Recently, small group discussion such as clinical conference using the mailing list is lively performed among the primary care physicians, and it is considered to be useful for continuing medical education. To promote the mailing list for continuing medical education, we present as follows; 1) present situation: to show a good example of TFC-ML (total family care-mailing list), 2) usefulness: to know new medical knowledge, new medical information and literatures etc., to discuss clinical cases. 3) issues: a role of moderator, excess of information, correspondence with slander, 4) future: to reevaluate usefulness for continuing medical education. We would like to expect effectiveness of mailing list for continuing medical education.

OBJECTIVESTo verify whether the concentrations of arsenic (As) and its compounds in the air (referred to here as arsenic concentrations) affect the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) associated with lung cancer.

METHODSUsing monitoring survey data on arsenic concentrations published by the Ministry of the Environment, we classified the municipalities for which arsenic concentrations were measured (measured municipalities) into ten groups according to the average arsenic concentration. We then determined the SMR of lung cancer, stomach cancer, pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease and cardiac disease for each group using socio-demographic data, such as the national census and demographic trends. The relationships between these factors were compared and investigated by statistical means.

RESULTSNo effect of arsenic concentrations on stomach cancer, cerebrovascular disease or cardiac disease was observed, and while significant differences in pneumonia were observed among several of the male subjects, there were no significant effects of arsenic concentration. However, lung cancer and arsenic concentration showed a significantly positive correlation for both males and females (males: Spearman r = 0.709, P < 0.05; females: Spearman r = 0.758, P < 0.05). The probability of type alpha error was less than 5% in areas with more than 1.77 ng As/m(3) (71st percentile) and less than 1% in areas with more than 2.70 ng As/m(3) (91st percentile). These results confirm that the SMR of lung cancer tends to be higher than the national average in areas of higher arsenic concentrations.

CONCLUSIONSThe SMR of lung cancer is significantly higher in areas with arsenic concentrations of 1.77 ng/m(3) or more.

  A 86-year-old woman visited us, complaining about sharp abdominal pain she had very morning when she got up. Ultrasound and computer tomography scans of the abdomen revealed notable parietal hypertrophy and swelling of the gallbladder. The old woman was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis and immediately admitted to the hospital. Her condition did not improve on conservative management. Percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) was performed. The bile thus aspirated was bloody, which led us to suspect necrotizing cholecystitis. Emergency cholecystectomy was done. The abdominal operation found the gallbladder wandering with a torsion of 360 degrees around the gallbladder neck as the axis and the leakage of bile in the abdominal cavity from what could be presumed to be the area where the PTGBD was placed. After the torsion was corrected, the gallbladder was surgically removed. Neither gallstones nor tumors were found in it. There were signs of hemorrhagic necrosis in the mucus membrane. The patient made good progress after the operation and was discharged on the 15th hospital day. Torsion of the gallbladder is a comparatively rare entity and its symptoms are not always specific. Therefore, it defies preoperative diagnosis. In this paper, we report our experience with a case of this disease which presented characteristic radiographic images and discuss the treatment strategies including PTGBD.

　　Case I was a 85-year-old woman. She was referred to us as her serum CEA level was found as high as 9.2ng/ml at a clinic in her neighborhood. CT and ultrasound scans revealed a cystic tumor in the appendix area. A barium enema examination showed a tubercular lesion in the subcecal area. The surface of the lesion was flat and smooth. The vermiform appendix was not scanned with the contrast medium.　　She was diagnosed with mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix. Partial cecotomy was performed. The postoperative serum CEA fell to a normal level of 4.7ng/ml.　　Case II was also a woman . The 74- year-old inpatient was being treated for high blood pressure and hyperlipemia when her serum CEA level was found elevated to 12.3ng/ml. CT and ultrasonograph examinations revealed a cystic tumor in the appendix area. A barium enema examination showed a mucocele-like tubercle in the appendix. The patient was diagnosed with mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix and partial cecotomy was performed. The CEA level was normalized postoperatively with 1.5ng/ml.　　The pathologic tests confirmed either of these two cases was mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix. Immunohistochemical staining showed a CEA positive.