A 43-year-old woman underwent aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation causing aortitis syndrome. The postoperative course had been uneventful and inflammation was controlled by steroid therapy. She developed a moderate degree of dyspnea with cardiomegaly. Two years after the first aorta valve replacement (AVR), severe aortic regurgitation was observed on both echocardiography and aortography. Dehiscence of the prosthetic valve was suspected and an emergency operation was performed. To secure the reimplanted prosthetic valve, we applied the technique of passing felt-pledgeted sutures through the aortic wall in the vicinity to the right coronary cusp and the noncoronary cusp and others through the left coronary cusp with everting mattress sutures. The postoperative course of the second AVR has been uneventful for two months. Since prosthetic valve detachment can occur even if inflammation of aortitis is well controlled, strict management of inflammation is recommended for a prolonged period to prevent reccurence of aortitis and subsequent valve dehiscence.

1) All students but 1 correctly typed the ABO blood groups, but only 33.2% of students and 63.9% of physicians properly performed cross-matching.
2) Most failures in cross-matching were due to the inability to detect allogeneic antibodies, but 5.2% of students and 2.9% of physicians failed to detect ABO mismatching.
3) Although laboratory practice is suggested to help students to solidify knowledge and comprehend principles, achieving an official goal of residency - gaining competence in performing and interpreting cross-matching independently - appeared difficult.

Background: This study examined the bidirectional and temporal-ordinal relationship between loneliness and back pain. Methods: Data from 7,730 participants in waves 6 (2012–2013), 7 (2014–2015), and 8 (2016–2017) of the national English Longitudinal Study of Ageing were analyzed. Back pain was graded on a scale of 0–10 (0, no discomfort; 10, unbearable pain). Loneliness was measured using the Revised University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale. A targeted minimum loss-based estimator was used to examine the bidirectional longitudinal associations between back pain and loneliness. Results: No loneliness in waves 6 and 7 (relative risk [RR]=0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61–0.94), no loneliness in wave 6 but loneliness in wave 7 (RR=0.58; 95% CI, 0.50–0.68), and loneliness in wave 6 but not in wave 7 (RR=0.69; 95% CI, 0.57–0.86) were associated with significant risk reductions of back pain in wave 8 compared with the scenario of loneliness in waves 6 and 7. Mild back pain in wave 6 but moderate back pain (RR=0.55; 95% CI, 0.35–0.86) or severe back pain in wave 7 (RR=0.49; 95% CI, 0.34–0.72) showed a significant risk reduction of loneliness in wave 8 compared with severe back pain in waves 6 and 7. Conclusion Loneliness may be a risk factor for back pain, and back pain may be a risk factor for loneliness. The results of this study will inform the development of more effective interventions for loneliness and back pain.

Background: No consensus exists regarding which anthropometric measurements are related to bone mineral density (BMD), and this relationship may vary according to sex and age. A large Japanese cohort was analyzed to provide an understanding of the relationship between BMD and anthropometry while adjusting for known confounding factors. Methods: Our cohort included 10,827 participants who underwent multiple medical checkups including distal forearm BMD scans. Participants were stratified into four groups according to age (≥50 years or <50 years) and sex. The BMD values were adjusted for confounding factors, after which single and partial correlation analyses were performed. The prevalence of osteopenia was plotted for each weight index (weight or body mass index [BMI]) class. Results: Cross-sectional studies revealed that weight was more favorably correlated than BMI in the older group (R=0.278 and 0.212 in men and R=0.304 and 0.220 in women, respectively), whereas weight and BMI were weakly correlated in the younger age groups. The prevalence of osteopenia exhibited a negative linear relationship with weight among older women ≥50 years of age, and an accelerated increase was observed with decreasing weight in older men weighing <50 kg and younger women weighing <60 kg. When weight was replaced with BMI, the prevalence was low in most subgroups classified by weight. Conclusions Weight, rather than BMI, was the most important indicator of osteopenia but it might not be predictive of future bone loss.

Forequarter amputation is a rare procedure, performed mainly for patients with malignant bone and soft tissue tumors. The present case involved a 59-year-old man with left scapula chondrosarcoma. Rehabilitation began on the second day after amputation for a left shoulder chondrosarcoma. We performed early mobilization, wound management, mirror therapy for phantom pain, strength training for the remaining muscles, and activities of daily living (ADL)/instrumental ADL (IADL) training for only the remaining upper limb. In addition, we made a shoulder disarticulation prosthesis. Six months after the operation, the International Society of Limb Salvage-Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional score was 36.7％ for 6 items and 73.3％ for 3 items, while the Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand score was 31.7. The patient-reported outcome had a low score because of the lack of an upper limb, including the scapula. However, when he was discharged from the hospital, he gained self-care independence with only the remaining upper limb and resumed fishing as a hobby. We suggest that rehabilitation after forequarter amputation requires careful intervention based on a deep evaluation of the patient's ADL/IADL, hobbies, and quality of life, in accordance with the patient's lifestyle.

Wide resection of malignant bone and soft tissue tumors of the extremities may require resection of muscles, which correspondingly impairs limb movements. We describe a 67-year old man with a malignant soft tissue tumor of the right upper arm. Preoperatively, there was no impairment of right upper extremity function. The patient underwent wide resection of the tumor and triceps muscle. Postoperative rehabilitation included range of motion exercises, residual muscle strength exercises, and activities of daily living (ADL) exercises. One week postoperatively, the patient could independently perform the ADL exercises. Two weeks postoperatively, the patient scored 2 during manual muscle testing (MMT) for elbow extension, indicating a complete range of motion in a gravity-eliminated position. However, the patient could not raise the arm without bending it. Considering the needs of the patient, we prescribed an elbow extension brace to support the upper limb while being raised. With this brace, the patient was able to sustain elbow extension during upper limb elevation. Three months postoperatively, the patient's elbow joint extension remained MMT 2, grip strength was 28 kg, and the International Society of Limb Salvage and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score was 76.7％．Although the triceps muscle was resected, there was no problem with the patient's ADL. However, the patient could not maintain elbow extension in an anti-gravity position while raising the upper limb. In such cases, prescribing an elbow brace may be useful.

Forequarter amputation is a rare procedure, performed mainly for patients with malignant bone and soft tissue tumors. The present case involved a 59-year-old man with left scapula chondrosarcoma. Rehabilitation began on the second day after amputation for a left shoulder chondrosarcoma. We performed early mobilization, wound management, mirror therapy for phantom pain, strength training for the remaining muscles, and activities of daily living (ADL)/instrumental ADL (IADL) training for only the remaining upper limb. In addition, we made a shoulder disarticulation prosthesis. Six months after the operation, the International Society of Limb Salvage-Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional score was 36.7％ for 6 items and 73.3％ for 3 items, while the Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand score was 31.7. The patient-reported outcome had a low score because of the lack of an upper limb, including the scapula. However, when he was discharged from the hospital, he gained self-care independence with only the remaining upper limb and resumed fishing as a hobby. We suggest that rehabilitation after forequarter amputation requires careful intervention based on a deep evaluation of the patient's ADL/IADL, hobbies, and quality of life, in accordance with the patient's lifestyle.

Wide resection of malignant bone and soft tissue tumors of the extremities may require resection of muscles, which correspondingly impairs limb movements. We describe a 67-year old man with a malignant soft tissue tumor of the right upper arm. Preoperatively, there was no impairment of right upper extremity function. The patient underwent wide resection of the tumor and triceps muscle. Postoperative rehabilitation included range of motion exercises, residual muscle strength exercises, and activities of daily living (ADL) exercises. One week postoperatively, the patient could independently perform the ADL exercises. Two weeks postoperatively, the patient scored 2 during manual muscle testing (MMT) for elbow extension, indicating a complete range of motion in a gravity-eliminated position. However, the patient could not raise the arm without bending it. Considering the needs of the patient, we prescribed an elbow extension brace to support the upper limb while being raised. With this brace, the patient was able to sustain elbow extension during upper limb elevation. Three months postoperatively, the patient’s elbow joint extension remained MMT 2, grip strength was 28 kg, and the International Society of Limb Salvage and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score was 76.7％．Although the triceps muscle was resected, there was no problem with the patient’s ADL. However, the patient could not maintain elbow extension in an anti-gravity position while raising the upper limb. In such cases, prescribing an elbow brace may be useful.

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