[Purpose] This study was carried out to examine the effects of the locomotive syndrome prevention program implemented by our hospital. [Subjects] Thirty-four individuals (3 males and 31 females; mean age, 72.2±6.9 years) who participated in the exercise class held under the program from 2010 to 2011 were enrolled in the study. [Methods] We examined their bodily functions and the self-assessment checklists for locomotion and exercise habit at the beginning of, at the end of, and six months after the class, and made a comparison between the results obtained on the three occasions. The bodily function examinations included tests of grip strength, 10-m fast-paced walk, tandem gait, 30-sec chair-stand (CS-30), timed “up and go” and one-leg stance with their eyes open. The lower limb length to height ratio was calculated in percentage. [Results] A good deal of improvement was observed in all of the bodily functions tested except for the grip strength. The follow-up survey which was taken six years after the class ended showed a significant improvement in the 10-m fastest walk, lower limb length ratio, and CS-30. The average number of locomotion-syndrome-positive items on the locomotion checklist decreased from 2.5 at the beginning of the exercise class to 1.7 at the end of the exercise class, though the difference was not so significant. The number further decreased six months after the class ended. It was also shown that an increasing number of subjects took exercise more frequently. [Conclusion] The abovementioned results suggested that our program was effective in preventing locomotive syndrome.

　　A soundcell is defined as a musical unit of meaning with short period of phrase. The soundcell method (SCM) is a musical procedure that decomposes a musical piece into several soundcells and subsequently recomposes the original music with the soundcells arbitrarily scattered. The present investigation aimed to assess cognitive function in the elderly using the SCM. An electronic system realizing the concept and methodology of the SCM was developed, and SCM examination with the school song “Furusato” as the musical piece was performed on18aged females. Four clinical tests were also carried out before or after the SCM examination to screen cognitive function: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Kana Pick-out Test, and Trail Making Tests A and B. The performance in the SCM examination was compared with the score in the clinical tests. The scores in all four clinical tests were significantly different between subjects who passed and failed the SCM examination. The individuals who passed the SCM examination were not suspected of dementia on the basis of the MMSE and seemed to execute successfully the Kana Pick-out Test. The number of acts and mean act time in the SCM examination were strongly correlated not only with the total score in the MMSE but also with the scores of the two sub-items: attention/calculation and memory recall. The results suggest that the SCM reflects a subject's short-term and recent memory and provides useful supplementary information for early diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease since impairment of memory is frequently observed in the early stage of the diseases. In addition, most subjects enjoyed the SCM examination incorporating the element of musical amusement. The SCM is thus expected to allow repetitive and participatory assessment of cognitive function without imposing a large psychological burden on the subject.

An 83-year-old man was transferred to our hospital with cardiac tamponade and suspected cardiac tumor detected by enhanced CT. Coronary angiography showed a coronary aneurysm of 50 mm ID on the left circumflex artery. An emergency surgery was performed to excise the aneurysm, and a fresh thrombus occupying the efferent artery was observed. Both the afferent and efferent vessels were closed by suture. The patient made an otherwise uneventful recovery. This case featured a fresh red thrombus formed in fistulous outflow of the coronary aneurysm that seemed a direct cause of rupture.

We report 3 surgical cases of aortic graft replacement with reconstruction of an aberrant subclavian artery (ASA) for Kommerell diverticulum (KD) and ASA. Cases 1 and 2 both had a right aortic arch, KD and a left ASA. In these 2 cases, we performed distal aortic arch replacement and in-situ reconstruction of the left ASA via a right thoracotomy. Case 3 had an aortic arch aneurysm, KD and a right ASA. In this patient, we chose median sternotomy and total aortic arch replacement, using 2 pieces of artificial grafts with 1 and 4 branches, respectively. The right ASA was reconstructed by end-to-side anastomosis between the right axillary artery and the side branch of the graft with 1 branch. In all 3 cases, cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermia with a rectal temperature under 18°C were used in aortic graft replacement. In addition to deep hypothermia, either antegrade or retrograde cerebral perfusion was introduced, depending on the surgical situation, to provide additional brain protection. Selective ASA perfusion was performed in all patients during aortic graft replacement. In Case 1, aortic anastomosis was achieved while clamping, and cerebral perfusion was maintained via a cannula for aortic return at the ascending aorta. In Cases 2 and 3, aortic anastomosis was performed under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest, using retrograde and antegrade cerebral perfusion respectively in Cases 2 and 3. The postoperative course was uneventful in all 3 patients.

This case report describes a 20-year-old man, who was a drug abuser, and was treated surgically for tricuspid valve endocarditis. He presented with fever, caused by tricuspid valve endocarditis with a lung abscess. Blood culture detected Staphylococcus aureus and cardiac ultrasonography showed tricuspid insufficiency and tricuspid valve vegetation. He was treated with intravenous antibacterial agents, but the inflammation signs did not improve. He had a large number of puncture scars, as a consequence of self-injection of drugs in his lower arm. He underwent tricuspid valve plasty, and recovered successfully. He was discharged 2 weeks after surgery, and we instructed him to return for follow-up examination in our hospital. However, he did not return to our hospital because he was arrested for drug possession. In such cases, it is necessary to consider the operative method relative to reuse of drugs in the postoperative management of medication.

This study was designed to evaluate the late changes of coronary bypass grafts in 60 patients who had undergone coronary bypass surgery and postoperative angiography in the period from 1994 to 1999. Angiography was performed at mean intervals of 84 months and a total of 134 grafts and 162 anastomoses were visualized. The Left internal thoracic artery and saphenous vein had a patency of 85% and 82%, there was not statistically significant. In this series, late graft function did not relate to the site of implantation, that was mainly due to excellent results of saphenous vein grafts. With increasing proximal stenosis severity (under 75% versus over 90%), there was an increase in patency rates and this relationship was statistically significant (p=0.0005). That was why about 20% of the grafts to moderately stenotic target vessels had occluded within 1 month after surgery. Ten patients among these 60 had cardiac symptoms, 6 were due to graft failure and the other 4 were due to new lesions in the right coronary artery. In the other 12 patients new coronary artery lesions without cardiac symptoms had been detected. Periodic coronary examinations should be recommended for the patients after surgery, regardless of the absence of symptoms.

We report a case of successful operation for multiple giant aneurysms with a right coronary artery fistula from the right coronary artery to the left atrium. A 35-years-old woman was found to have a right coronary artery aneurysm with a maximum diameter of 85mm, and two other coronary artery aneurysms with maximum diameters of 40 mm along the coronary fistula, which arose from the proximal right coronary artery, traversed the root of the left atrium, and drained into the left atrium. Surgical treatment was indicated to relieve symptoms and to prevent possible rupture of the aneurysms. She underwent resection of coronary artery aneurysms, closure of orifices of the fistula and coronary bypass grafting to the right coronary artery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged in good condition.

Strenuous exercise induces upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), whereas moderate exercise prevents URTI. This study aimed to assess the incidence of URTI and the association between URTI episodes and exercise duration in Japanese collegiate athletes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,740 participants; 1,235 responses were eligible for analysis. Participants were classified into three groups: control group (weekly total exercise duration <60 min, n=405), exercise group (weekly total exercise duration >60 min, n=193), and athlete group (joined a sports club and weekly exercise frequency >5 days, n=637). We requested the following information from participants: basic characteristics, incidence of URTI symptoms (fever, runny or plugged nose, sore throat, and cough) or influenza for each month over the past year, day of the week exercise is typically performed, and duration of exercise per week. The incidence of URTI episodes per year was significantly lower in the athlete group (2.0 ± 2.4 episodes) compared to the control group (2.6 ± 2.4 episodes, p<0.001). The incidence of URTI episodes did not significantly differ between the control group and exercise group (2.9 ± 2.9 episodes, p=0.607). Although the frequency of URTI episodes and exercise duration were not significantly associated among male athletes (p=0.209), they were positively associated in female athletes (p=0.027). These results indicate that Japanese collegiate athletes experience fewer URTI episodes than non-athletes, but athletes who exercise for long durations may frequently experience URTI, particularly female athletes.

We report two cases of pseudoaneurysms occurring at the anastomotic sites that had to be repaired several times after the original Bentall and Cabrol procedure. Case 1. A 62-year-old man had surgery to repair pseudoaneurysms at the anastomotic sites of the distal ascending aorta and right coronary artery 22 years after undergoing the original Bentall procedure. The anastomosis of the left coronary artery was normal at the time of the operation ; however, he was given a diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomotic site of the left coronary artery 2 years after the operation. Case 2. A 61-year-old man with Marfan syndrome underwent surgery twice to repair pseudoaneurysms at the anastomotic sites of the aortic annulus and the left coronary artery 2 and 11 years, respectively, after the original Cabrol procedure. In addition, 23 years after the Cabrol procedure, he was given a diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm at the anastomotic site of the distal ascending aorta. Their pseudoaneurysms were successfully treated by the reanastomosis of new grafts. Computed tomography detected no recurrence of the pseudoaneurysm in the follow-up period. However, continual close observation for the recurrence of a pseudoaneurysm in the remaining anastomotic sites is necessary.

Enterovesical fistula is a relatively uncommon complication of colorectal and pelvic malignancies, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, radiotherapy, and trauma in Asian countries. A case of vesico-ileosigmoidal fistula and a literature review of this disease in Japan are presented. A 70-yr-old male was referred with complaints of urinary pain and pneumaturia. On admission, urinary tract infection and pneumaturia were presented. A barium enema demonstrated multiple diverticulum in his sigmoid colon and the passage of contrast medium into the bladder and ileum. Under the diagnosis of vesico-ileosigmoidal fistula due to suspected diverticulitis of the sigmoid colon, sigmoidectomy and partial resection of the ileum with partial cystectomy were performed. The histopathology revealed diverticulosis of the sigmoid colon with diverticulitis and development of a vesico-ileosigmoidal fistula. No malignant findings were observed. Until the year 2000, a total of 173 cases of vesico-sigmoidal fistula caused by diverticulitis had been reported in Japan. Pneumaturia and fecaluria are the most common types, presenting symptoms in 63% of the cases. Computed tomography, with a sensitivity of 40% to 100%, is the most commonly used diagnostic study. For patients with vesico-sigmoidal fistula, resection of the diseased sigmoid colon and partial cystectomy with primary anastomosis are the safest and most acceptable procedures, leading to the best results.
Aged ; Anastomosis, Surgical ; Bladder Fistula/*etiology/*pathology/surgery ; Colon, Sigmoid/pathology ; Cystectomy ; Diverticulitis/*complications/*pathology/surgery ; Human ; Ileum/pathology ; Male