A 49-year-old man complaining of nausea and vomiting was admitted to our hospital for the examinations. Blood tests demonstrated anemia due to iron deficiency and slightly elevated D-dimer. Colonoscopy defected early stage sigmoid colon cancer. Enhanced systemic computed tomography revealed that a 5-cm-long mass was growing along the descending aortic lumen and that multi-embolism had occurred in the peripheral arteries. The limited graft replacement of the descending aorta was carried out under cardiopulmonary bypass to prevent recurrent embolism. Histologically, the mass was a blood clot. In addition, the thickened endothelial lining and slight atheromatous degeneration was detected in the resected aortic wall. The patient was discharged after endoscopic mucosal resection for the sigmoid colon cancer. During the two-year follow-up period, despite no anticoagulation, the patient has developed no thrombus in the aorta and suffered no embolic events.

A 63-year-old woman, in whom a continuous heart murmur had been pointed out previously, complained of congestive heart failure. The patient had undergone surgical treatment for skin cancer on the anterior chest wall, and an autologous skin graft, which partly covered the lower sternum, had been implanted. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was diagnosed by an enhanced chest computed tomography (CT), ultrasonic cardiography and catheterization study. The duct was 4mm in diameter and 5mm long. The Qp/Qs was 1.65 and the L-R shunt rate was 39%. The auto-skin graft was untouched and the heart was approached with a reverse T-shaped partial sternotomy. Normothermic circulatory support with cardiopulmonary bypass was established. The PDA was closed through a left pulmonary arteriotomy with a 0.4-mm-thick PTFE patch. Without clamping the calcified aorta, a balloon catheter was advanced into the aorta through the duct to block the arterial back flow. The follow-up has been conducted with enhanced CT every 6 months and the closed duct has been confirmed.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the association between psychological distress and oral health status/oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL) in Japanese community-dwelling people. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Nagasaki Islands Study. A total of 1183 (455 men and 728 women) has been analyzed in this study. Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Oral health status was measured by dental examination. The OHQoL was measured using the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). We defined the total score of ≥5 points on the K6 as high psychological distress (high-K6 group). RESULTS: The multiple linear regression analysis to identify the GOHAI showed that gender, K6, the total number of teeth, the number of dental caries, and visiting a dental clinic within the past 6 months significantly associated with the GOHAI. Among all of these variables, high-K6 (≥ 5) was a substantial contributing factor of the GOHAI (β = - 0.23, 95% Cl - 2.31 to -1.41, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS It is likely that the individual with high psychological distress was strongly related to poor OHQoL even in the general population.
Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dental Caries/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Independent Living/statistics & numerical data* ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oral Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Quality of Life/psychology* ; Sex Factors ; Stress, Psychological/epidemiology*

BACKGROUND: Aging is a process that increases oxidative stress. Increased oxidative stress leads to the development of atherosclerosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria contribute to energy production that might have a beneficial influence on maintaining muscle strength. Therefore, the height-related single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs17081935, which is also reported to be associated with mitochondrial metabolism, might be associated with reduced muscle strength and this association might be affected by atherosclerosis status. To clarify those associations, a cross-sectional study of 1374 elderly Japanese individuals aged 60-89 years was conducted. METHODS: Logistic regression was used to clarify the association between rs17081935 and reduced handgrip strength. Since atherosclerosis might affect handgrip strength, participants were stratified by atherosclerosis status. Reduced handgrip strength was defined as being in the lowest quintile of handgrip strength (< 25.6 kg for men and < 16.1 kg for women). RESULTS: No significant associations were found between a minor allele of rs17081935 and reduced handgrip strength among elderly participants without atherosclerosis. A significant inverse association was observed among elderly participants with atherosclerosis. After adjusting for known cardiovascular risk factors and height, the adjusted odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for reduced handgrip strength and a minor allele of rs17081935 were 1.13 (0.86, 1.43) for elderly participants without atherosclerosis and 0.55 (0.36, 0.86) for those with atherosclerosis, respectively. CONCLUSION A minor allele of the height-related SNP rs17081935 was significantly inversely associated with reduced handgrip strength among older individuals with atherosclerosis, but not among those without atherosclerosis.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Atherosclerosis/epidemiology* ; Body Height ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Prevalence