The muscle fiber-capillary barrier consists of the capillary endothelium and the interstitium. Thinning of the barrier is physiologically significant for gas exchange in skeletal muscle because it shortens the diffusion distance of gases. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of endurance training on the ultrastructure of the muscle fiber-capillary barrier in soleus muscle of growing rats. Seventeen male Fischer 344 rats, aged 5 weeks, were assigned to either an exercisetrained group (ET, n=5), a paired-weight sedentary group (PWS, n=6), or a sedentary group (S, n=6), and matched as closely as possible with regard to body mass and Vo_2max. The ET group performed a treadmill running program for 5 days/week for 10 weeks. The ET and S rats were freely fed rat chow and water. The PWS rats had their food intake restricted so that their mean body mass would be the same as that of the ET rats. After the training period, the diffusion distance in the ET group was significantly shorter than that in the PWS and S groups. There were no differ-ences in the thicknesses of the capillary endothelium among the three groups, but the interstitium was significantly thinner in the ET group than in the PWS and S groups. The degree of decrease in the interstitium thicknesses in the ET group was almost equal to that of the diffusion distance. Therefore it was identified that endurance training shortens the diffusion distance, which depends on thinning of the interstitium. These results suggest that morphological adaptation to endurance training partly contributes to the improvement of gas exchange in the muscle and aerobic work capacity.

A study was conducted to determine non-invasively the effects of endurance training on the size of the inferior vena cava in humans. Twelve healthy male subjects were assigned to either an exercise-trained group (ET, n=7) or a sedentary control group (S, n=5) . The ET group underwent cycle-endurance training for 8 weeks (80%Vo₂max, 40 min/day, 4 days/week) . The S group led normal lives during the 8-week period. Before and after the training period, cross-sectional areas (CSA) of the inferior vena cava and the ascending and abdominal aorta were measured by echography. The CSA of the inferior vena cava after training was significantly larger than that before training in the ET group. There was no significant difference in the S group. These results indicate that the inferior versa cava can be morphologically altered as an adaptive response to endurance training. We consider that this adaptation partly contributes to the improvement in the efficiency of venous return from exercising muscles to the heart. Although the present training also increased the CSA of the aorta, the degree of change was smaller than that seen in the inferior vena cava, implying that the factors of adaptation and adaptability to endurance training in the inferior vena cava differ from those in the aorta.

Constrictive pericarditis is usually a chronic inflammatory process. We encountered a case of acute constrictive pericarditis caused by infectious pericarditis in a patient receiving pericardial drainage for pericardial effusion. We performed emergency pericardiectomy and primary closure in the active phase of infection. An 82-year-old man was referred to our hospital for investigation and management of pericardial effusion. The patient was admitted, and continuous pericardial drainage was performed. After 2 days of drainage, he had fever, and after 7 days, there was purulent exudate in the drain tube. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was identified by culture of the purulent exudate. Despite administration of antibiotics, he developed malaise, anorexia, and generalized edema, and he also began to suffer from dyspnea. Computed tomography demonstrated infected pericardial effusion, while a right ventricular pressure study showed a “dip and plateau” pattern. Pericardial drainage and irrigation were done via a small subxyphoid skin insicion. However, his hemodynamics did not improve and oliguria was noted. Because more extensive drainage was necessary, we performed emergency on-pump beating pericardiectomy via median sternotomy. Along with administration of antibiotics, continuous mediastinal irrigation with saline was done via mediastinal, pericardial, and chest drain tubes for 7 days after the operation. His postoperative course was relatively uneventful, and he was discharged after recovery.

Recent remarkable advances in medical computer technology have allowed earlier and more accurate diagnosis. These improvements in diagnosis have led to the wider recognition of the importance of computer literacy and teaching medical students to use computers. However, establishing a well-defined course for teaching computer science is difficult because of the rapid advances in computer technology. In this paper we present an outline of an educational program and practical exercises for the development of computer literacy which were introduced at Iwate Medical University in 1998.

The following analgesic effects have resulted from irradiating each finger joint (DIP, PIP, and MCP) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis for 20 seconds using the semiconductor laser, “uni-Laser” (10mw, 790nm) from ITO company.
1) Comparison of the post-exposure state with the pre-exposure state in the open test
i) Of 13 cases of joint pain, 7 cases showed improvement and 6 cases showed no change with no case showing aggravation.
ii) Duration of analgesic effect was less than 48 hours in 2 cases, less than 72 hours in 1 case, and more than 96 hours in 3 cases.
2) Comparison of the post-exposure state with the pre-exposure state in the single blind test on a total of 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Twelve patients were exposed to the irradiation twice per week, 10 times a session (irradiated group) and 13 were exposed to the dummy of the above (control group).
i) The irradiated group improved considerably in the number of painful joints, frequency of joint pain, and grasping power. The rate of improvement was superior to that of the control group (P<0.05).
ii) No significant improvement in duration of morning stiffness was shown in either group.

A 69-year-old man, who had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting using the right gastroepiploic artery 2 years previously, was hospitalized with acute epigastralgia. Gastroscopy showed an early gastric cancer in the greater curvature of the corpus and ultrasonography of the abdomen revealed acute cholecystitis due to a stone impacted in the cystic duct. The subtotal gastrectomy and the cholecystectomy with preservation of the right gastroepiploic artery graft were performed. The surgical margin of the resected specimen was negative for cancer. The postoperative course was uneventful. After coronary artery bypass grafting using the right gastroepiploic artery, annual gastroscopy is recommended.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Noninvasive liver fibrosis evaluation was performed in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We used a quantitative method based on the hepatic volume acquired from gadoxetate disodium-enhanced (Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosing advanced fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. METHODS: A total of 130 patients who were diagnosed with NAFLD and underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI were retrospectively included. Histological data were available for 118 patients. Hepatic volumetric parameters, including the left hepatic lobe to right hepatic lobe volume ratio (L/R ratio), were measured. The usefulness of the L/R ratio for diagnosing fibrosis ≥F3–4 and F4 was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify variables (age, body mass index, serum fibrosis markers, and histological features) that were associated with the L/R ratio. RESULTS: The L/R ratio demonstrated good performance in differentiating advanced fibrosis (AUROC, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.72 to 0.88) from cirrhosis (AUROC, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.75 to 0.99). Multiple regression analysis showed that only fibrosis was significantly associated with the L/R ratio (coefficient, 0.121; p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The L/R ratio, which is not influenced by pathological parameters other than fibrosis, is useful for diagnosing cirrhosis in patients with NAFLD.
Body Mass Index ; Fibrosis* ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methods ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve

A case of clinical1y unsuspected nonspecific inflammatory aortic regurgitation is reported. A 69-year-old female patient underwent aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation. Pathological examination of resected aortic valve showed abscess formation and inflammatory granulation tissue in the non-coronary cusp. Therefore, we diagnosed nonspecific inflammatory aortic regurgitation. It is generally considered that the use of prednisolone for vasculitis syndrome is effective ; however, for nonspecific inflammatory aortic regurgitation its use has not been established. Prednisolone treatment could be an option for nonspecific inflammatory aortic regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: Pyrethroid (PYR) insecticides are widely used for controlling various pests. There are two types that differ in terms of usage: agricultural-purpose PYR (agriculture-PYR) and hygiene purpose PYR (hygiene-PYRs). Few studies exist on the exposure to these chemicals in small children. In this study, we conducted biomonitoring of urinary pyrethroid metabolites in 1.5-year-old children throughout the year. METHODS: Study subjects were 1075 children participating in an Aichi regional sub-cohort of the Japan Environment and Children's Study as of 18-month health check-up. The concentrations of four specific hygiene-PYR metabolites including 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-1,4-benzenedimethanol (HOCH₂-FB-Al), and five common metabolites of hygiene- and agriculture-PYRs including 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3PBA) and cis- and trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (DCCA), were measured in urine samples extracted from soiled diapers using a triple quadrupole gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. RESULTS: The highest detection frequencies were for 3PBA, followed by DCCA, 1R-trans-chrysanthemum dicarboxylic acid, and HOCH₂-FB-Al. Among the six metabolites, urinary concentrations were seasonally varied. However, this variation was not observed in the most studied PYR metabolite, 3PBA. Spearman's correlation analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation between FB-Al and DCCA (r = 0.56) and HOCH₂-FB-Al and 4-methoxymethyl-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzyl alcohol (r = 0.60). CONCLUSIONS This biomonitoring survey found widespread and seasonally specific exposure to multiple hygiene- and agriculture-PYRs in 1.5-year-old Japanese children.
Agriculture ; Child, Preschool ; Environmental Exposure/analysis* ; Humans ; Infant ; Insecticides ; Japan ; Mass Spectrometry ; Pyrethrins/urine*