This study investigated whether significant coronary artery stenosis in 231 consecutive unstable angina patients can be diagnosed by thoroughgoing history-taking initial electorocardiography and symptom- or sign-limited treadmill exercise ECG after medication. The unstable angina patients were divided into those with accelerated angina, those with new-onset effort angina and those with angina at rest based on the findings of detailed inquiry. Initial ECG showed that the sensitivity and specificity of detecting significant coronary artery stenosis in all patients were 55.2% and 63.2%, respectively. In accelerated angina, sensitivity and specificity were 52.2% and 50.0%, respectively. In new-onset effort angina, sensitivity and specificity were 46.7% and 57.1%, respectively. In angina at rest, sensitivity and specificity were 69.0% and 68.3%, respectively. Initial ECG provided valuable diagnostic information about angina at rest. Treadmill exercise ECG offered 66.0% sensitivity and 89.2% specificity in all patients, respectively. In accelerated angina, sensitivity and specificity were 80.0% and 66.7%, respectively. In new-onset effort angina, sensitivity and specificity were 70.8% and 87.8%, respectively. In angina at rest, sensitivity and specificity were 48.3% and 91.4%, respectively. Thus, treadmill exercise electrocardiograms provided valuable diagnostic information in the case of unstable angina, especially accelerated angina and new-onset effort angina. For patients with angina at rest, this testing was very useful for excluding significant coronary artery stenosis.
In conclusion, detailed inquiry, initial ECG and symptom- or sign-limited treadmill exercise ECG after medical stabilization proved to be of great value for diagnosing unstable angina patients with significant coronary artery stenosis.

1)Continuing medical education (CME) systems were researched in 10 countries. In all countries but one CME is mandatory. Only Spain has voluntary CME, as does Japan.
2)The traditional CME systems in many countries were changed after 2000. We believe this change reflects a global revolution associated with a new wave of medical risk management.
3)To provide better medical services, we must keep improving Japan's CME system. Such improvement is an important responsibility to society.

OBJECTIVE: Today in United States, about one in eight women have been affected with breast cancer over their lifetime. Up to today, some various prediction models using SEER (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results) datasets have been proposed in past studies. However, appropriate methods for predicting the 5 years survival rate of breast cancer have not established. In this study, we evaluate those models to predict the survival rate of breast cancer patients. METHODS: Five data mining algorithms (Artificial Neural Network, Naive Bayes , Decision Trees (ID3) and Decision Trees(J48)) besides a most generally used statistical method (Logistic Regression) were used to evaluate the prediction models using a dataset (37,256 follow-up cases from 1992 to 1997). We also used 10-fold cross-validation methods to assess the unbiased estimate of the five prediction models for comparison of performance of each method. RESULTS: The accuracy was 85.8+/-0.2%, 84.3+/-1.4%, 83.9+/-0.2%, 82.3+/-0.2%, 75.1+/-0.2% for the Logistic Regression, Artificial Neural, Naive Bayes, Decision Trees (ID3), Decision Trees(J48), respectively. Although the accuracy of Logistic Regression showed the highest performances, the Decision Trees (J48) was the lowest one. CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of Logistic Regression was the best performances, on the other hand Decision Trees (J48) was the worst. Artificial Neural Network indicated relatively high performance.
Bays ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Data Mining* ; Dataset ; Decision Trees ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; SEER Program ; Survival Rate ; United States

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The level of serum albumin is an index of nourishment care and management. However, the distribution and correlates of serum albumin levels among individuals with motor disorders have not been reported until now. Therefore, we examined the distribution and correlates of serum albumin levels among individuals with motor disorders. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional study on 249 individuals with motor disabilities (144 men, mean age: 51.4 years; 105 women, mean age: 51.4 years) was conducted at five institutions in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan in 2008. The results were compared with data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey. RESULTS: The mean serum albumin levels were 4.0 ± 0.4 g/dL for men and 3.8 ± 0.5 g/dL for women. Overall, 17 (11.8%) men and 25 (23.8%) women had hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin level ≤ 3.5 g/dL); these proportions were greater than those among healthy Japanese adults (≤ 1%). Low serum albumin level was related with female sex, older age, low calf circumference, low relative daily energy intake, low hemoglobin (Hb), low blood platelet count, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low HbA1c, and high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The strongest correlates, based on standardized betas, were Hb (0.321), CRP (-0.279), and HDL-C (0.279) levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia is higher in individuals with motor disabilities than in healthy individuals and that inflammation is a strong negative correlate of serum albumin levels. Therefore, inflammation should be examined for the assessment of hypoalbuminemia among institutionalized individuals with motor disabilities.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cholesterol ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Energy Intake ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Inflammation ; Japan* ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Motor Disorders* ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutritional Status ; Platelet Count ; Prevalence ; Serum Albumin*

BACKGROUNDThere are few longitudinal studies on the associations of obesity with hypertension in young adults.

OBJECTIVESTo analyze longitudinally to what extent weight gain associates with hypertension in young adults.

METHODSThe subjects of this study consisted of 6,178 university students (male 4,098; female 2,080). The associations of hypertension with body type change were longitudinally examined by using the records of health examinations while at university. The prevalence ratios (PRs) for hypertension in their senior year were calculated on groups that changed toward obese against those that changed toward underweight. The logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for hypertension in their senior year of each factor. The analyses were conducted on (i) all subjects, (ii) non-hypertensive subjects in their freshman year, and (iii) by schools, in order to take into account physical activities.

RESULTSThe PRs of hypertension in subjects changed toward obese from their freshmen to seniors against ones toward underweight were 1.47 (95% CI; 1.00-2.15) for males and 3.50 (0.93-13.22) for females. In analyses limited to non-hypertensive subjects in their freshman year, results were similar to those of all subjects. The analyses by school also showed similar results to those including all subjects. In logistic regression analyses, although the factor most strongly associated with hypertension was body type in their senior year, the body type in their freshman still showed significant association with hypertension after the adjustment of senior year body type and hypertension in freshman year. The ORs for hypertension in obese subjects to normal weight ones in their senior year were 9.13 (95% CI; 5.77-14.45) for males and 22.59 (5.69-89.67) for females after adjusted by hypertension in freshman, body type in freshman and school.

CONCLUSIONSThese data suggest that the increase of BMI is linked to hypertension in university students.

Background/Aims: Natural history of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO), a rare disease characterized by episodes of non-mechanical obstruction, is unclear in adults. This study evaluates the clinical course of CIPO and palliative care needs of patients. Methods: From October 2010 to September 2021, 74 patients who underwent cine MRI and had a definitive diagnosis of CIPO were prospectively included. We investigated disease etiology and outcomes, age at onset, nutritional status at consultation (body mass index and serum albumin), hydrogen breath test results, and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) during the disease course. Results: Forty-seven patients (64%) were women, with a mean age of 44 years at onset and 49 years at diagnosis. Primary CIPO was observed in 48 patients (65%). Secondary CIPO was observed in 26 cases (35%), of whom 18 (69%) had scleroderma. The mean body mass index, serum albumin level, and hydrogen breath test positivity rate were 17 kg/m2 , 3.8 mg/dL, and 60%, respectively. TPN and invasive decompression therapy were required by 23 (31%) and 18 (24%) patients, respectively. Intestinal sterilization was performed in 51 (69%) patients and was effective in 33 (65%); of these, 28 (85%) were taking metronidazole. Seven (9%) patients used opioids. There were 9 deaths (12%), including 5 (56%) from infection and 2 (22%) from suicide. Of the deaths, 6 (67%) and 4 (44%) underwent TPN management and decompression therapy, respectively. Fifty-one patients (69%) wanted palliative care. Conclusion CIPO is a rare, severe, and under-recognized disease. Standardization of treatment strategies, including palliative care and psychiatric interventions, is desired.

Background/Aims: The precise incidence of symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) and its effects on the quality of life (QOL) remain unclear, particularly in Asian patients with right-sided SUDD. We assess the prevalence of SUDD and its impact on QOL in a real-world population. Methods: Five institutional cohorts of patients who received outpatient treatment for unexplained abdominal symptoms from January 15, 2020 to March 31, 2022, were included. All patients underwent colonoscopy. SUDD was defined as the presence of recurrent abdominal symptoms, particularly pain in the lower right or left quadrant lasting > 24 hours in patients with diverticulosis at the site of pain. The 36-item short-form health survey was used to assess QOL. Results: Diverticula were identified in 108 of 361 patients. Among these 108 patients, 31% had SUDD, which was right-sided in 39% of cases.Of the 50 patients with right-sided diverticula, 36% had SUDD, as did 15 of 35 patients with left-sided diverticula (43%). Among the 33 patients with SUDD, diverticula were right-sided, left-sided, and bilateral in 39%, 45%, and 15% of patients, respectively. Diarrhea was more frequent in the SUDD group than in the non-SUDD group. Patients with SUDD had significantly lower physical, mental, and role/social component scores than those without SUDD. Conclusions It is important to recognize that patients with SUDD account for as high as 31% of outpatients with unexplained abdominal symptoms; these patients have diarrhea and a low QOL. The presence of right-sided SUDD was characteristic of Asian patients.

BACKGROUND: Sex- and age-specific impacts of cardiovascular risk factors on the development of dementia have not been well evaluated. We investigated these impacts of smoking, overweight/obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus on the risk of disabling dementia. METHODS: The study participants were 25,029 (10,134 men and 14,895 women) Japanese aged 40-74 years without disabling dementia at baseline (2008-2013). They were assessed on smoking status (non-current or current), overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥25 kg/m² and ≥30 kg/m², respectively), hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg or any antihypertensive medication use), and diabetes mellitus (a fasting serum glucose ≥126 mg/dL, non-fasting glucose ≥200 mg/dL, hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5% by the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program or glucose-lowering medication use) at baseline. Disabling dementia was identified as the level of care required ≥1 and cognitive disability grade ≥IIa according to the National Long-term Care Insurance Database. We used a Cox proportional regression model to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of disabling dementia according to the cardiovascular risk factors and calculated the population attributable fractions (PAFs). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 9.1 years, 1,322 (606 men and 716 women) developed disabling dementia. Current smoking and hypertension were associated with a higher risk of disabling dementia in both sexes, whereas overweight or obesity was not associated with the risk in either sex. Diabetes mellitus was associated with a higher risk only in women (p for sex interaction = 0.04). The significant PAFs were 13% for smoking and 14% for hypertension in men and 3% for smoking, 12% for hypertension, and 5% for diabetes mellitus in women. The total PAFs of the significant risk factors were 28% in men and 20% in women. When stratified by age, hypertension in midlife (40-64 years) was associated with the increased risk in men, while diabetes mellitus in later-life (65-74 years) was so in women. CONCLUSIONS A substantial burden of disabling dementia was attributable to smoking, and hypertension in both sexes and diabetes mellitus in women, which may require the management of these cardiovascular risk factors to prevent dementia.
Male ; Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Overweight/complications* ; East Asian People ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; Hypertension/etiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus/etiology* ; Obesity/etiology* ; Smoking/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Age Factors ; Dementia/etiology*

Objective: As a minimal invasive surgery for the treatment of thumb carpometacarpal joint (trapeziometacarpal [TMC]) arthritis, we performed an arthroscopic synovectomy for Eaton stage II to IV arthritis.Patients and Methods: We included patients who were effectively treated with a corticosteroid injection, experienced recurrence of TMC pain, and had no major instability of the TMC. Surgery was performed in 17 female patients. Synovectomy was performed, when possible, using radiofrequency and a shaver. The mean follow-up period was 27.2 months.Results: Two patients required additional surgery; however, 15 patients were satisfied with the outcome. The mean visual analogue scale score improved from 8.8 preoperatively to 2.2 postoperatively.Conclusion: Arthroscopic synovectomy is indicated to be an effective treatment for stage II to IV TMC arthritis. The goal of this treatment was to relieve severe pain minimally invasively. Furthermore, if symptoms remain or reoccur, another curative procedure can be chosen.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption is a prevalent behavior that is bi-directionally related to the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, the effect of daily alcohol consumption on glucose levels in real-world situations in the general population has not been well elucidated. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between alcohol consumption and all-day and time-specific glucose levels among non-diabetic individuals. METHODS: We investigated 913 non-diabetic males and females, aged 40-69 years, during 2018-2020 from four communities across Japan. The daily alcohol consumption was assessed using a self-report questionnaire. All-day and time-specific average glucose levels were estimated from the interstitial glucose concentrations measured using the Flash glucose monitoring system for a median duration of 13 days. Furthermore, we investigated the association between all-day and time-specific average glucose levels and habitual daily alcohol consumption levels, using never drinkers as the reference, and performed multiple linear regression analyses after adjusting for age, community, and other diabetes risk factors for males and females separately. RESULTS: All-day average glucose levels did not vary according to alcohol consumption categories in both males and females. However, for males, the average glucose levels between 5:00 and 11:00 h and between 11:00 and 17:00 h were higher in moderate and heavy drinkers than in never drinkers, with the difference values of 4.6 and 4.7 mg/dL for moderate drinkers, and 5.7 and 6.8 mg/dL for heavy drinkers. Conversely, the average glucose levels between 17:00 and 24:00 h were lower in male moderate and heavy drinkers and female current drinkers than in never drinkers; the difference values of mean glucose levels were -5.8 for moderate drinkers, and -6.1 mg/dL for heavy drinkers in males and -2.7 mg/dL for female current drinkers. CONCLUSIONS Alcohol consumption was associated with glucose levels in a time-dependent biphasic pattern.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring ; Blood Glucose ; Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Alcoholic Intoxication