A 74-year-old man with very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was scheduled for elective total arch replacement for a distal arch saccular aneurysm. Postoperative respiratory failure was anticipated because of a marked reduction in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV_1.0 - less than 0.5l). Through median sternotomy, total arch replacement using selective cerebral perfusion was completed uneventfully. Postoperative respiratory condition was stable. Therefore, the patient was extubated on postoperative day 2 (POD2). However, as the respiratory condition started getting worse, respiratory therapy external (RTX) was introduced to assist ventilation. Additionally, non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) with BiPAP was used on POD3 and management with both RTX and NPPV was continued during the remainder of the intensive care unit stay. As a result, we were able to avoid re-intubation. In conclusion, assisted ventilation supplemented by RTX and NPPV was useful for the prevention of postoperative respiratory failure in a patient with very severe COPD undergoing total arch replacement.

We describe the case of a 59-year-old man who developed constrictive epicarditis 2 months after an episode of acute pericarditis. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated parietal pericarditis and epicarditis. Through a median sternotomy, a markedly thickened parietal epicardium was noted which was removed where possible. After this procedure, however, no improvement of the hemodynamic parameters was observed. We attempted removal of the epicardium, but the procedure had to be abandoned due to myocardial injuries and bleeding. Multiple longitudinal and transverse incisions were carefully performed on the thickened epicardium, following which relief of constriction along with a remarkable improvement of the hemodynamic status was achived. Although the dip and plateau pattern was persisted, cardiac index increased from 2.2 to 2.9 l/min/m² and the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure decreased from 20 to 13 mmHg. Patient's postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged on postoperative day 22.

Pulmonary artery (PA) aneurysm is rare, but its true incidence is unclear, because most cases remain asymptomatic. The need for surgical treatment is controversial. We report two cases of surgical treatment of PA aneurysm associated with pulmonary valve (PV) disease in adults. Case1: A 54-year-old woman. She underwent pulmonary valvotomy for pulmonary stenosis (PS) at age 22. She had suffered from palpitations and dyspnea on effort recently. Then progressive changes of pulmonary stenosis-regurgitation (PSR) occurred. After further examinations, she was diagnosed as having PA aneurysm and right ventricular dysfunction with PSR, tricuspid regurgitation and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. We performed PV replacement, PA aneurysmo-plasty, tricuspid annuloplasty, cryo-MAZE procedure. Case2: A 70-year-old man sufferd recently from dyspnea on effort. The dilatation of the pulmonary artery was pointed out on chest X-ray. PA aneurysm and PS with ventricular arrhythmia were diagnosed. We performed PV commissurotomy and PA aneurysmo-plasty. There were no significant findings of high PA pressure in either case. PA with pulmonary valve disease in the presence of low pulmonary pressure have low risk of rupture and dissection. Surgical treatments are recommended when right ventricular dysfunction or ventricular arrhythmia secondary to pulmonary valve disease is present.

Medical students in the second to fifth years evaluated all classroom lectures and laboratories in 1998. To clarify the faculty's opinions on student evaluations, in 2000 a questionnaire survey was given to 420 members of the teaching staff, of whom 137 (33%) responded. One hundred three (81.1%) instructors immediately checked the questionnaires after the classroom lecture or laboratory session, of whom 100 reported that the questionnaires were helpful for preparing subsequent lectures. One hundred nine faculty members replied that student evaluations of faculty teaching were meaningful, and 109 supported similar surveys in the future. Although conducting surveys of many students requires considerable time and cost, an effective feedback system plays an important role for both faculty and students.

We present the case of a patient with primary ciliary dyskinesia who later developed clinically probable multiple system atrophy. Multiple system atrophy is a sporadic neurodegenerative disorder clinically characterised by various combinations of parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, autonomic failure, and pyramidal sign. Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a genetically heterogeneous disorder of motile cilia and results in chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic otitis media, situs inversus, and male infertility. Most of the causative genes for primary ciliary dyskinesia encode proteins that are part of the heavy or intermediate chain of axonemal dynein in ciliary outer dynein arms. We hypothesised that axonemal dynein dysfunction in primary ciliary dyskinesia results in reduced autophagy, accompanied by impaired cytoplasmic dynein function, which in turn accelerates -synucleinopathy in multiple system atrophy. Furthermore, we contemplated a potential association between primary cilia and neuronal function. Although it is not yet clear if a causal link between multiple system atrophy and primary ciliary dyskinesia exists, further investigation into the relationship between axonemal dynein dysfunction in primary ciliary dyskinesia and α-synucleinopathy should be conducted.

Hyperextension injuries of the ankylosed thoracolumbar spine, particularly those with preexisting kyphotic deformity, present significant therapeutic challenges. The authors viewed that such injuries without displacement or fractures of the posterior elements are reasonable candidates for standalone percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). In such cases, the posterior tension band is spared; thus, fractures are unstable not in the lateral direction, which would lead to the translation of the fracture, but in the vertical direction. Such vertical instability of the fracture can be stabilized if the open mouth-type vertebral cleft is adequately filled with a sufficiently large amount of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement. Our three patients receiving standalone PVP received injections of 12 mL, 16.5 mL, and 18 mL of PMMA cement. This minimally invasive surgical procedure achieved both short-term (immediate pain relief and mobilization) and long-term (fracture healing) goals.

Purpose: The current study aimed to investigate the morphology of the true acetabulum in developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) with high dislocation. A secondary was to evaluate the acetabular cup placement in patients with high dislocation who were treated with total hip arthroplasty (THA). Materials and Methods: Using a retrospective design, 23 hips with DDH with high dislocation in patients who were treated with THA were included in this study. We measured the depth, width and thickness of the anterior and posterior walls of the original acetabulum using preoperative computed tomography images and investigated the cup size applied in these cases. Results: The mean depth and width of the acetabulum was 18.4 and 16.2 mm proximal end, 18.4 and 24.3 mm in the middle, and 15.8 and 27.6 mm at the distal part. Mean thickness of the anterior and posterior walls was 10.9 and 23.9 mm at the proximal end, 10.3 and 22.2 mm in the middle, and 10.9 and 22.7 mm at the distal part. A 42-mm cup was using in one hip, a 46-mm cup in three hips, a 48-mm cup in 13 hips, and a 50-mm cup in six hips. Conclusion In patients with Crowe IV DDH, the morphology of the acetabulum comprises a triangle that broadens from proximal to distal points, with a relatively thick posterior wall. Reaming the acetabulum posteriorly and inferiorly may enable the placement of a relatively larger cup to achieve stable fixation.

No abstract available.
Humans ; Paresis* ; Tongue*

Objectives: Several studies have reported that the secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) concentration in saliva is an indicator of psychological stress. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between S-IgA and the stress from academic examinations. Methods: S-IgA levels in 10 medical student volunteers from the second year course between May 4 and July 13, 2000 were examined using the ELISA method. Results: There was a tendency for S-IgA in saliva to be higher on the day before academic examinations and during them, and lower on the days between these examinations. Conclusions: It may be possible to use this measurement to monitor psychological stress in students and workers.
Upper case ess ; Immunoglobulin A measurement ; Saliva ; Stress bismuth subsalicylate ; Daily