Recent studies on the epidemiology and control of Guatemalan onchocerciasis, chiefly made by the Guatemala–Japan Cooperative Project on Onchocerciasis Research and Control, are reviewed. Epidemiological features of Guatemalan onchocerciasis are summarized as to characteristic altitudinal distribution of endemic areas, disease manifestation, vector taxonomy, biology and transmission dynamic of the disease. Extensive insecticide studies in the field and laboratory demonstrate that the characteristic situations of Guatemalan streams where Simulium ochraceum, the main vector of onchocerciasis, breeds require ingenious methods of larviciding. Finally, the feasibility of an area vector control is indicated by the successful control operation in the San Vicente Pacaya Pilot Area, in which a new fixed-dose larviciding method was applied.

We report a 78-year-old man who had an impending ruptured atherosclerotic arch aneurysm combined with chronic dissecting ascending aortic aneurysm. The patient underwent a graft replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic arch using the elephant trunk method with the aid of profound hypothermia and continuous retrograde cerebral perfusion. Cerebral blood velocity was measured with transcranial Doppler (TCD) during operation. The TCD flow pattern after weaning of cardiopulmonary bypass indicated a state of brain edema. Therefore it is important in extensive retrograde cerebral perfusion to control the perfusion pressure and prevent destruction of the blood brain barrier aggressively. Pharmacological intervention could improve the safety of retrograde cerebral perfusion. Postoperative diagnostic images showed that the part of the distal anastomosis around the elephant trunk was not surrounded with thrombus. At this stage, it is not necessary to perform next extensive aortic replacement. It is important to consider the occurrence of complication, who using elephant trunk method, including paraplegia, thromboembolism, kinking of prothesis.

The patient was a 44-year-old male, who had undergone hemodialysis for these 13 years. He underwent combined aortic and mitral valve replacement for aortic and mitral regurgitation due to infectious endocarditis. Operative findings included torn chorda of the mitral valve associated with perivalvular abscess and perforation of a non-coronary aortic cusp. Double valve replacement was performed with mechanical prosthetic valves. We used continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) for his perioperative renal management. Nafamostat mesilate was applied to the CHDF circuit as anti-coagulant therapy. Serum creatinin, urea nitrogen and potassium were maintained at the optimal level. CHDF was continued until the twelfth day after operation, and maintainace hemodialysis was re-started thereafter. CHDF is widely accepted for blood purification in the intensive care unit, and applied safely even in patients with unstable hemodynamic conditions. we considered that CHDF might have helped to avoid multiple organic failure in this case.

The changes of hemodynamics during bathing in patients with heart diseases were studied by invasive methods using a Swan-Ganz catheter and UCG. As a population, we have used 37 peatients with heart disease, ages 20 to 76 (average age 52.9). There were 26 cases of myocardial infarction, 5 cases of valvular disease, 5 cases of cardiomyo pathy, and 1 case of VSD. Bathing was done with tap water in a Hubbard tank, for 10 minutes at 40°C and for 5 minutes at 43°C in a supine position. Arterial pressure, heart rate, pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary wedge pressure, right atrial pressure, cardiac output, stroke volume and stroke work index were increased during bathing and decreased after bathing. Systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary arteriolar resistance were decreased during bathing. Their changes were marked with a bath of 40 to 43°C. These findings suggest that preload may be increased during bathing, and preload and afterload reduced after bathing. Hydrostatic pressure, autonomic nervous reflexes or endocrine system were thought of as possible reasons for the increase in pulmonary arterial pressure. Because pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary wedge pressure and right atrial pressure increased during bathing even though systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary arteriolar resistance decreased, increase in venous return was thought of as the biggest possibility. And because the patients with low cardiac function could not control the extent of increase in venous return, pulmonary arterial pressure increased markedly in patients with low cardiac function. The patients with myocardial infarction were classifed into a group showing elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and a group showing no elevation of PAP. The group showing elevation of PAP, compared with that without PAP elevation, included many cases of severe myocardial infarction deter-mined by Forrester's classification, Killip's classification and Peel's prognostic index at admission to hospital. Among these patients showing PAP elevation, there were more cases having low physical work capacity and low ejection fraction at discharge from hospital than among the patients without PAP elevation.

A 66-year-old man with an unknown medical history developed chest pain and a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was given by his physician. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in the left anterior descending artery. Echocardiography revealed ventricular septal perforation (VSP) ; therefore, the patient was transferred to our hospital. After admission, his platelet count dropped rapidly during heparin administration, and left ventricular thrombosis and deep vein thrombosis were noted, raising a suspicion of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). To establish cardiopulmonary bypass, argatroban alone was insufficient to prolong the Powered by Editorial Manager^® and ProduXion Manager^® from the Aries Systems Corporation activated clotting time (ACT) ; thus, nafamostat mesilate was also used for coronary artery bypass grafting and surgical repair of VSP. It took many hours to normalize the ACT, requiring re-exploration for excessive bleeding. On the 37th postoperative day, the patient was transferred to another hospital. We performed cardiac surgical procedures using argatroban in a patient who developed HIT during the course of VSP following AMI ; however, we had difficulty in controlling the ACT. Since, to the best of our knowledge, there are no previous studies reporting surgical case of VSP complicated by HIT, we present this case with a review of the relevant literature.

Helicobacter pylori (HP) is associated with gastroduodenal disease. Although it has been reported that HP is highly sensitive to beta-lactams and macrolides, the efficacy of these monotherapies for eradicating HP is rather poor. Recent pharmacological studies have shown the effectiveness of combined therapy using PPI, antibiotics, and bismuth agents or metronidazole, but it has been known to lead to side effects and poor patient compliance. In Japan, mucosal protective agents are principally used for the treament of gastritis and gastric ulcers, and as previously reported, some mucosal protective agents, such as sofalcon and plaunotol, have anti-HP properties. Although they are not sufficiently effective to be used as monotherapy in the eradication of HP, in combination with antibiotics and PPI, eradication rates were elevated and side effects were uncommon.
Chinese medicinal formulas have been used for stomach disease in traditional Oriental medicine. The authors studied the effects of combined therapy with Omeprazole (OPZ), AMPC and Chinese medicine (Hangeshashin-to and Sanoshashin-to) instead of mucosal protective agents in the eradication of HP. The study was conducted on a total of 137 HP positive patients with endoscopic evidence of ulcers or gastritis. Dual therapy with OPZ and AMPC had a weak eradicating effect on HP (75%), but combined therapy using OPZ, AMPC and a Chinese medical formula was successful in eradicating HP in 20 out of 24 patients (85%).
The antibacterial effects of pharmaceutical preparations and crude drug extracts of Chinese medicine against HP were examined in an in vitro study. No antibacterial action against HP was demonstrated by these agents at concentrations of less than 2000μg/ml concentration. Chinese medicinal preparations should be used in combined therapy with antibiotics and PPI for optimum efficacy in eradicating HP.
This new eradication regimen including OPZ, AMPC and Hangeshashin-to is well tolerated; side effects are minimal and uncommon. This triple therapy may be useful in the treatment of HP infection, and is referred to as a “new Japanese regimen.”

Resistance exercise in the elderly and patients with a cardiovascular disorder has been thought to have a high cardiovascular risk, because it has the tendency to cause an excessive rise in blood pressure and induce serious arrhythmia. But recently, resistance exercise has been introduced into physical therapy because the safety of such exercise has been confirmed in subjects without a cardiovascular disorder.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety of lower extremity resistance exercise in middle-aged or elderly subjects with hypertension and receiving medical treatment (n=24), and those without hypertension (n=40), by measuring cardiovascular response during resistance exercise of different loads (40% and 60% 1 RM), and usefulness of respiratory guidance during such exercise.
As a result, there was no difference in diastolic blood pressure between those with and without hypertension ; but systolic blood pressure and rate pressure product both at rest and during exercise were significantly greater in patients with hypertension. However, neither group showed symptoms of angina, ischemic signs in ECG, or serious arrhythmia ; and there was no difference in the frequency of excessive rise in blood pressure between the groups (2 subjects with hypertension and 1 subject without hypertension) . Blood pressure during exercise was significantly lowered by respiratory guidance.
These results show that it is important to measure blood pressure during exercise before resistance exercise training regardless of the presence of hypertension, although an excessive rise in blood pressure occurred in only a few subjects. Furthermore, it is important to exhale slowly and not hold one's breath during exercise.

A 62-year-old woman with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) was admitted to undergo cardiac surgery for aortic stenosis, angina pectoris, and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. A bleeding tendency was expected due to the dramatic decrease in platelets during cardiopulmonary bypass. We performed high-dose transvenous gammaglobulin infusion (400mg/kg/day) for 5 consecutive days immediately before surgery. The gammaglobulin therapy caused steady increase of thrombocytes from 4 days after surgery, even though the platelet count showed no significant change preoperatively. The postoperative course was satisfactory with neither a bleeding tendency nor wound infection. High-dose transvenous gammaglobulin therapy is thus useful for perioperative patients with accompanying ITP, who are often under medication with steroids. This therapy is also effective for prevention of infection.