Since April 1992 we have introduced a beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) inhalation therapy with a large spacer for patients with bronchial asthma who were admitted to the internal medicine department of our hospital because of the exacerbation of asthma.
To find out the effect of this BDP inhalation therapy, we investigated the number of emergency room visits by the patients with bronchial asthma who had been admitted to our hospital with asthmatic attacks before and after the introduction of the new therapy.
From April 1991 to March 1994, the proportion of asthma patients decreased significantly (p<0.05): from April 1991 to March 1992 (before the introduction of the BDP inhalation therapy) 10.4±3.0%; from April 1992 to March 1993 5.3±1.4%, from April 1993 to March 1994 3.7±1.4%.
We checked the inhalation technique of 21 patients who visited our hospital regularly during the same period. The BDP therapy could decrease the number of emergency-room visits by 10 patients whose inhalation technique was imperfect, as well as by the other 11 patients whose inhalation technique was perfect.

The very first session of the symposium on ‘cancer and acupuncture’ was held at the 53^rd Annual Conference of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (JSAM). It suggested the efficacy and potential of acupuncture and moxibustion not only for cancer but also for cancer patients. This is the second session for further discussion. In recent years, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for cancer patients has come to the world's attention, and many reports about its expediency and beneficial effect have been conducted in Japan and in the world. However, the adaptation range of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for cancer is still limited because there is not enough evidence, so compilations of more sufficient case reports or research for presentation and effects in preventing relapse of cancer are required to prove its reliability. Acupuncture and moxibustion are used as one of the medical treatments directed at relieving symptoms and life-sustaining treatment in hospitals today. Earlier, frequent acupuncture treatment led to significant efficacy for cancer patients, and it is also reported that the number of lymphocytes increases in sequential acupuncture treatment but the number tends to return in a short time after cessation of treatment. Sequential autonomic immune therapy over a long term revealed several significant effects as follows; lymphocyte activation while the lymphocyte count remained, increase of cytokine (IL 12, IFNγ, TNFα, etc.) production and Th 1, Th 1/Th 2, immunostimulatory activity effect, reduction of tumor markers down to or close to normal, reduction or resolve of malignant neoplasm and recurrence prevention for unoperated cancer patients, QOL improvement with symptoms relief and life prolongation. In this seminar, it suggested that acupuncture and moxibustion are potential and appropriate treatments for cancer and further research in this field is required.

This is the third symposium on 'cancer and acupuncture and moxibustion'. Many physicians and intellectuals are skeptical of the use of Western medicine for cancer patients, which often lead to serious adverse events. Acupuncture and moxibustion, which is capable of improving quality of life (QOL) and activating immunity with minimal side effects is also expected to have beneficial effects on various stages of cancer patients, such as prevention of development or recurrence of cancer and palliative care. In fact, evidence has recently accumulated in the field. Dr. Fukuda, Associate Professor of Meiji University of Integrative Medicine, who reported the usefulness of acupuncture and moxibustion in palliative care in the first symposium and bibliographical information in the second has reported this time on the topic of safety and effectiveness of acupuncture on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Dr. Kurokawa from the National Defense Medical College reported the effectiveness of acupuncture on physical and psychological symptoms, QOL, prevention of adverse events, and pre-and post-operative disorders in cancer patients. Dr. Kouchi from Saitama Medical School reported on the usefulness of acupuncture in the university hospital and factors which influence the effect. Dr. Nakamura from Morinomiya University presented a case with chemotherapy-related symptoms who had been cared for with a long-term application of moxibustion. In contrast to these reports on the efficacy of the acupuncture for chemotherapy-and radiotherapy-induced side effects, Dr. Magara from Somon Hachipuji Clinic, who had consistently reported a preventive effect of autonomic immune therapy that involves acupuncture without Western clinical treatment from the first symposium, this time presented topics regarding improvement in the immunity by increasing various cytokines, the possibility of reduction of a tumor even in a case of advanced cancer that cannot be treated with a surgical approach, reduction of the recurrence rate among cases who were treated with his approach as compared with those under conventional approaches. He insisted we should concentrate our efforts on research on preventing the recurrence of cancer with approaches that activates the natural healing process of human beings.
We concluded that clinical trials with a larger sample are needed to clearly identify the usefulness of acupuncture and moxibustion for cancer patients.

Objective: Treatment of tinea unguium with topical drugs alone is difficult, and medication with oral terbinafine hydrochloride is necessary in many cases.  Since Trychophyton infects the nails in not only men but also women at a reproductive age, the influence on a fetus of the drug ingested during early pregnancy is a matter of concern of many women.  The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of oral terbinafine hydrochloride on fetuses.
Methods: The outcomes were investigated in pregnant women who ingested terbinafine hydrochloride and visited the ‘Outpatient Services for Consultation on Pregnancy and Drugs (Teratology Information Services)’ of Toranomon Hospital, and cases were collected.
Results: Fifteen pregnant women ingested the drug during the organogenic period, in which the teratogenic risk is the highest.  All 15 pregnant women gave birth to healthy babies.
Conclusion: This is the first survey concerning newborns delivered by women who ingested terbinafine hydrochloride during pregnancy in Japan.  All investigated women gave birth to healthy babies, and the incidence of congenital abnormalities did not markedly exceed that in the general population.  Since the number of cases was small, it is necessary to perform a cohort study to investigate details of the safety for fetuses.

Objective: Novel antipsychotic agents less frequently cause extrapyramidal side effects compared to conventional antipsychotic agents, contributing to improvement in the QOL.  Recently, these agents have also been increasingly prescribed to females who may become pregnant.  In Japan, no epidemiological survey regarding the application of novel antipsychotic agents in pregnant women has been published.  In this study, we investigated the influence on fetuses in pregnant women receiving novel antipsychotic agents.
Methods: In pregnant women on novel antipsychotic agents who consulted the Pregnancy and Drug Consultation Outpatient Clinic of Toranomon Hospital, the outcome of pregnancy was confirmed.
Results: Twenty-nine pregnant women took novel antipsychotic agents in the organogenesis phase, in which the risk of teratogenicity is the highest.  The agents consisted of olanzapine in 8 patients, risperidone in 11, quetiapine fumarate in 7, and perospirone hydrochloride hydrate in 4.  The outcomes of pregnancy were full-term delivery in 24 patients, premature delivery in 1, spontaneous abortion in 2, and artificial abortion in 2.  Of the 29 patients, 15 (60%) had continuously taken these agents until delivery.  All 25 neonates were healthy without malformation.
Conclusion: This report describes the first prospective survey in Japan regarding infants delivered by pregnant women receiving novel antipsychotic agents.  All patients delivered healthy neonates; the incidence of congenital anomalies did not exceed that in the general population.  This survey included a small number of patients; cohort studies should be conducted to evaluate the safety in fetuses.

Recent evidence indicates that the voltage (cyclic activation and deactivation of membrane ion channels) and Ca2+ clocks (rhythmic spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release) jointly regulate sinoatrial node (SAN) automaticity. Since the intact SAN is a heterogeneous structure that includes multiple different cell types interacting with each other, the relative importance of the voltage and Ca2+ clocks for pacemaking may be variable in different regions of the SAN. Recently, we performed optical mapping in isolated and Langendorff-perfused canine right atria. We mapped the intracellular calcium (Cai) and membrane potentials of the intact SAN simultaneously. Using previously described criteria of the timing of the late diastolic Cai elevation (LDCAE) relative to the action potential upstroke to detect Ca2+ clock activity, we demonstrated that the sinus rate increased and the leading pacemaker shifted to the superior SAN with the robust LDCAE during beta-adrenergic stimulation. We also showed that the LDCAE was caused by spontaneous diastolic SR Ca2+ release and was closely related with heart rate changes. We conclude that the Ca2+ and voltage clocks work synergistically to generate SAN automaticity.
Action Potentials ; Calcium ; Heart Rate ; Membrane Potentials ; Membranes ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum ; Sinoatrial Node ; Sympathetic Nervous System

　　Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is performed after oxygen therapy and breathing therapy. The usefulness of HBO therapy in emergency treatment has been reported. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of HBO for CO poisoning that was performed at our hospital over the past 5 years. Subjects were 23 patients who had HBO therapy for CO poisoning in the period January 2008-November 2013. The male to female ratio of the cases was 14:9 and the mean age was 54.6±20.8 years. The cause was suicide in 39.1% of cases and accident in 60.9%. The mean number of treatments was 5.4±6.8. The atmosphere absolute was 2ATA:2.8ATA=12:11. The ratio of direct conveyance of the patient to our hospital to indirect conveyance of the patient from another hospital was 15:8. The effectiveness of HBO therapy at the time of discharge was 73.9%. However, delayed neuropsychiatric sequelae (DNS) was detected in 3 of the 23 cases of CO poisoning. No correlations were found between elapsed time after CO inhalation and various blood parameters. However, time to start of therapy is important for DNS, and our results suggest that early treatment at a hospital with a hyperbaric chamber is necessary.

In recent years, we have been told that the western medicine has developed the techniques of treatments on cancer, but the truth is that very few practical accomplishments has been made, while death rate from cancer has been steadily increasing. Although acupuncture has been thought to be ineffective in the treatments of cancer, nowadays we find some reports concerning its effectiveness in palliative cares, improvements of quality of life (QOL) and cancer regressions. Thus, this symposium was planned to investigate this theme. There were reports from appointed speakers on the acupuncturists' feelings of swung back and forth between joy and despair when treating patients with cancer, the experiences in treating her parents who died of lung cancer, and the patients who failed or rejected to be treated in western medicine but successfully treated using acupuncture eventually.
A panelist who practices acupuncture treatments in a hospital reported the effectiveness and indications on combined application of acupuncture and standard treatments for the patients in the terminal stage of cancer. He also reported that no correlation had been found between effective rates and duration (frequency) of treatments neither between stages (duration) of disorders and efficacy. Furthermore, if the environment of acupuncture treatment is well organized, he mentioned that acupuncture can produce a good deal of effect even in patients with terminal stage. He also reported that acupuncture will be able to influence on the physiology in autonomic nervous system, leading to the hyperactivity of parasympathetic nerve.
A panelist who practices his acupuncture treatments based on the theory of Professor Abo reported the effectiveness of acupuncture in improving QOL and in prolonging one's life. He showed an actual situation of the patient with scirrhous carcinoma who had prolonged his life for a long period using acupuncture treatment. He also demonstrated that radiotherapy, one of the three major medical treatments for cancer, will deprive the resistance of the patients.
A panelist who advocates salutogenesis demonstrated the possibility of the direct effectiveness of acupuncture treatment on cancer because acupuncture has significant effects in alleviating pains and enhancing the power of restoring human energy in patients with cancer. He mentioned the limitation of the treatments using “a theory of pathogenesis (modern medicine)” and the importance of the treatments using “a theory of salutogenesis (traditional medicine)”, and emphasized the necessity of acupuncture treatments as well as supplemental agents, and the importance of psychological approaches toward the mind of patients.
In this symposium, the efficacy of acupuncture treatments as palliative cares was indicated. Although there are few convincing evidences, the efficacy of acupuncture treatments as one of treatment methods for cancer may be demonstrated. Further integrative researches on the efficacy of acupuncture in patients with cancer are needed.

Right sided infective endocarditis (RSIE) is uncommon. Patients are traditionally treated with antibiotics alone, and indications for operation are not clearly established. A 23-years-old man who developed fever and general fatigue was referred to our hospital on the suspicion of RSIE. A ventricular septal defect (VSD) and untreated dental caries had been previously diagnosed. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed vegetation on the tricuspid valve and severe regurgitation. The tricuspid valve was repaired ; the anterosuperior leaflet was partially resected and repaired with fresh autologous pericardium and the use of synthetic chordae. Recurrence of infection and tricuspid valve regurgitation were not observed for 1 year after this operation.

The case is that of a 90-years-old man. A previous doctor performed abdominal graft replacement for an abdominal aortic aneurysm 5 years earlier and continued outpatient CT follow-up. Follow-up CT showed the right aortic arch and dilation of the thoracic aortic aneurysm, and the patient was referred to our hospital. Contrast-enhanced CT showed an aortic arch aneurysm ; the aneurysm diameter was 62 mm in major axis and 60 mm in minor axis, which was judged to be suitable for surgery. It was a rare right-sided aortic arch with no congenital heart malformation and no situs inversus. Endovascular treatment was considered because he was 90 years old and very elderly, but there were concerns about the risk of embolism, irregular manipulation and central landing. For the surgical method, we selected total arch replacement using a frozen elephant trunk technique. We succeeded in avoiding serious complications by selecting an appropriate treatment method through careful evaluation.