Introduction

  In Sri Lanka, there was ethnic violence in the form of armed conflict that lasted 26 years from 1983 through 2009. The conflict between two ethnic groups were bogged down by terrorism or by foreign military intervention. It destroyed the life of inhabitants and it is thought to have inhibited the health and growth of children.

  A case study was conducted in Sri Lanka to establish the effects of the armed conflict on children’s health, soon after the conflict ended. The case study was aimed at using the result for planning health administration.

Methods

  400 participants aged 12 and above were selected from 10 schools of two out of 11 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in Trincomalee District in Sri Lanka. 10 schools were classified into two DS Divisions, severely devastated and less devastated. Each participant was assessed, using anthropometric techniques and questionnaires including GHQ-12.　Reliability of the questions was confirmed through back translation and the use of an English-Tamil questionnaire. The mean values of the anthropometric measurements, the mean values of score by factor analysis of GHQ-12 response, and various items of social environment were compared between the two regions. These different significances were tested using F-test, t-test and Chi-square test.

Results

  　In comparisons between two regions, body weight, height and BMI among participants in severely affected region were significantly lower. Additionally, susceptibility to infectious and endemic diseases in severely affected were significantly increased.

  Four characteristics of mental health were identified, but there was no significant difference about the state of depression between the two regions.

Conclusion

  Children in conflict zones are susceptible not only to malnutrition, but also infectious diseases caused by unhygienic living conditions. The application of simple anthropometric techniques and relevant knowledge and food distribution are important in evaluating and responding to these children’s health problems.

Aneurysms of the inferior left ventricular wall comprise only a small fraction of all aneurysms that have been reported in surgical series. Pseudo-false ventricular aneurysm is very rare and communicates with the left ventricule through a small orifice, and its wall contains myocardial tissue, unlike false ventricular aneurysm. A 53-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with chest pain. Echocardiography revealed left ventricular aneurysm, and the coronary arteriography subsequently revealed a complete occlusion of right coronary #2 and 75% and 90% stenosis of left anterior descending artery #7 and #8, respectively. Left ventriculography revealed an aneurysm of the inferior left ventricular wall, which communicated with the left ventricle through a small orifice and exhibited contraction. Surgical repair was indicated. Endoventricular circular patch repair (Dor operation) of the aneurysm of the inferior left ventricular wall and coronary artery bypass grafting to the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery were simultaneously performed under cardiopulmonary bypass with moderate hypothermia. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 22th day after surgery. Pseudo-false ventricular aneurysm of the inferior left ventricular wall was diagnosed by pathologic examination.

OBJECTIVETo assess intake of folate/folic acid and food sources in Japanese female dietitians.

SUBJECTS AND METHODSWe evaluated folate consumption based on four season 7 consecutive day weighed diet records (WDRs) provided by 80 Japanese female dietitians and compared the results with data from a national survey. We then selected informative foods for folate intake on the basis of 2,240 WDRs according to contribution and multiple regression analyses.

RESULTSDaily folate consumption (mean±SD) among Japanese dietitians was 413±158 μg from raw foods and 343±128 μg from cooked foods. Average residual rate after cooking was 84±8%. Folate intake in summer was lower than that in other seasons by analysis of variance. According to contribution and multiple regression analyses, the major contributors were vegetables, fruit and green tea.

CONCLUSIONSDaily folate intake among Japanese female dietitians was far greater than the 200 μg recommended daily allowance for the Japanese. Irrespective of selection methods and raw/cooked foods, major folate sources were found to be green tea along with vegetables and fruit.

Objective: The survival benefits of retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy (RLNA) for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remain controversial because clinical behaviors differ among subtypes. The purpose of the present study was to clarify whether RLNA increases the survival rate of advanced high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). Methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of 3,227 patients with EOC treated between 1986 and 2017 at 14 institutions. Among them, 335 patients with stage IIB-IV HGSC who underwent optimal cytoreduction (residual tumor of <1 cm) were included. Patients were divided into the RLNA group (n=170) and non-RLNA group (n=165). All pathological slides were assessed based on a central pathological review. Oncologic outcomes were compared between the two groups in the original and weighted cohorts adjusted with the inverse probability of treatment weighting. Results: The median observation period was 49.8 (0.5–241.5) months. Overall, 219 (65%) out of 335 patients had recurrence or progression, while 146 (44%) died of the disease. In the original cohort, RLNA was a significant prognostic factor for longer progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio [HR]=0.741; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.558–0.985) and overall survival (OS) (HR=0.652; 95% CI=0.459–0.927). In the weighted cohort in which all variables were well balanced as standardized differences decreased, RLNA was also a significant prognostic factor for more favorable oncologic outcomes (PFS, adjusted HR=0.742; 95% CI=0.613–0.899) and OS, adjusted HR=0.620; 95% CI=0.488–0.787). Conclusion The present study demonstrated that RLNA for stage III-IV HGSC with no residual tumor after primary debulking surgery contributed to better oncologic outcomes.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The administration of liquid nutrients to patients is often accompanied by complications such as gastroesophageal reflux. To prevent gastroesophageal reflux, high-viscosity liquid meals are used widely, however, it still remains controversial whether high-viscosity liquid meals have any effect on the rate of gastric emptying. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining whether high-viscosity liquid meals had any effect on the rate of gastric emptying and mosapride might accelerate the rate of gastric emptying of high-viscosity liquid meals. METHODS: Six healthy male volunteers underwent 3 tests at intervals of > 1 week. After fasting for > 8 hours, each subject received one of three test meals (liquid meal only, high-viscosity liquid meal [liquid meal plus pectin] only, or high-viscosity liquid meal 30 minutes after intake of mosapride). A 13C-acetic acid breath test was performed, which monitored the rate of gastric emptying for 4 hours. Using the Oridion Research Software (beta version), breath test parameters were calculated. The study parameters were examined for all the 3 test conditions and compared using the Freidman test. RESULTS: Gastric emptying was significantly delayed following intake of a high-viscosity liquid meal alone as compared with a liquid meal alone; however, intake of mosapride prior to a high-viscosity liquid meal was associated with a significantly accelerated rate of gastric emptying as compared with a high-viscosity liquid meal alone. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that high-viscosity liquid meals delayed gastric emptying: however, mosapride recovered the delayed rate of gastric emptying by high-viscosity liquid meals.
Benzamides ; Breath Tests ; Cross-Over Studies ; Fasting ; Gastric Emptying ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Humans ; Male ; Meals ; Morpholines ; Pectins

No abstract available.
Carcinosarcoma*

BACKGROUND: The burden of dementia is growing rapidly and has become a medical and social problem in Japan. Prospective cohort studies have been considered an effective methodology to clarify the risk factors and the etiology of dementia. We aimed to perform a large-scale dementia cohort study to elucidate environmental and genetic risk factors for dementia, as well as their interaction. METHODS: The Japan Prospective Studies Collaboration for Aging and Dementia (JPSC-AD) is a multisite, population-based prospective cohort study of dementia, which was designed to enroll approximately 10,000 community-dwelling residents aged 65 years or older from 8 sites in Japan and to follow them up prospectively for at least 5 years. Baseline exposure data, including lifestyles, medical information, diets, physical activities, blood pressure, cognitive function, blood test, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and DNA samples, were collected with a pre-specified protocol and standardized measurement methods. The primary outcome was the development of dementia and its subtypes. The diagnosis of dementia was adjudicated by an endpoint adjudication committee using standard criteria and clinical information according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Revised Edition. For brain MRI, three-dimensional acquisition of T1-weighted images was performed. Individual participant data were pooled for data analyses. RESULTS: The baseline survey was conducted from 2016 to 2018. The follow-up surveys are ongoing. A total of 11,410 individuals aged 65 years or older participated in the study. The mean age was 74.4 years, and 41.9% were male. The prevalence of dementia at baseline was 8.5% in overall participants. However, it was 16.4% among three sites where additional home visit and/or nursing home visit surveys were performed. Approximately two-thirds of dementia cases at baseline were Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSIONS The prospective cohort data from the JPSC-AD will provide valuable insights regarding the risk factors and etiology of dementia as well as for the development of predictive models and diagnostic markers for the future onset of dementia. The findings of this study will improve our understanding of dementia and provide helpful information to establish effective preventive strategies for dementia in Japan.
Aged ; Alzheimer Disease/genetics* ; Dementia/genetics* ; Environment ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors