Pre- and postoperative left ventricular (LV) function was assessed by Doppler echocardiography in 95 infants who underwent open heart surgery during the past two and half years. The patients were divided into three groups: 43 patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD group), 37 with atrial septal defect (ASD group) and 15 with the tetralogy of Fallot (TOF group). Echocardiography was performed before and at an early stage after surgery (average: 11.6 days) in all cases. The forward flow velocity pattern was evaluated by Doppler echocardiography, placing the sample volume at the pulmonary vein (PV) and the LV inflow portion. At the PV, the peak velocity of the S wave during systole (p-PV_S) and the D wave during diastole (p-PV_D) in patients with ASD were significantly lower (p<0.01) postoperatively. In patients with VSD, only p-PV_D was significantly lower (p<0.05) postoperatively, showing a decrease of pulmonary blood flow. These results are thought to reflect a difference in the compliance of the left atrium between the two groups. At the LV inflow portion, the ratio of peak velocity of the wave during atrial systole to R wave on rapid inflow during diastole (A/R) was significantly lower in patients with VSD (p <0.01) postoperatively. At the same time, LV ejection fraction and fractional shortening were significantly lower (p<0.01), but these values remained within the normal range. These results suggest that LV can maintain a sufficient systolic performance against the decrease in preload and the increase in afterload as well as the improvement of diastolic function during the early period after surgery in the VSD group. In patients with ASD or TOF, there were no significant differences in parameters of LV function between preoperative and postoperative periods.

A 59-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with severe mitral incompetence. Mitral valve repair, tricuspid annuloplasty and the Maze procedure were performed. After weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass, his systolic blood pressure (SBP) dropped to 40 mmHg. Immediate administration of catecholamines markedly increased SBP but his continuing low blood pressure required additional treatment with vasopressin and hydrocortisone. On postoperative day 12 in the general ward, he suddenly lapsed into an intractable hypoglycemic coma. Endocrine function tests revealed adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency. Since the time of writing has been doing well with 20 mg of hydrocortisone.

Clot waveform analysis (CWA) observes changes in transparency in a plasma sample based on clotting tests such as activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT). Evidence indicates that not only an abnormal waveform but also peak times and heights in derivative curves of CWA are useful for the evaluation of hemostatic abnormalities. Modified CWA, including the PT with APTT reagent, dilute PT (small amount of tissue factor [TF]-induced clotting factor IX [FIX] activation; sTF/FIXa), and dilute TT, has been proposed to evaluate physiological or pathological hemostasis. We review routine and modified CWA and their clinical applications. In CWA-sTF/FIXa, elevated peak heights indicate hypercoagulability in patients with cancer or thrombosis, whereas prolonged peak times indicate hypocoagulability in several conditions, including clotting factor deficiency and thrombocytopenia. CWA-dilute TT reflects the thrombin burst, whereas clot-fibrinolysis waveform analysis reflects both hemostasis and fibrinolysis. The relevance and usefulness of CWA-APTT and modified CWA should be further investigated in various diseases.

The main purpose of basic clinical training for housestaff is to acquire the ability to be a primary physician who can properly manage acute medical problems, develop intimate bonds with patients, and provide them with continuous care. We emphasize the importance of training in the office, clinic, or patients' homes. Although residents have so far spent most of their clinical rotations in an inpatient setting, a training program that devotes substantial time to ambulatory care is indispensable to improve basic clinical training in primary care medicine.

We have conducted acupuncture treatment for prevening the relapse of recurrent tonsillitis. We previously noted the effectiveness of this treatment in 121 of 239 patients treated in 1980, especially in elementary school children. In the present study, we compared the annual days of absence from school and the body dimensions of children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment with those having tonsillar hypertrophy chosen by a school study, although there is a question on the latter's propriety as a control group in a strict sense, in order to investigate the degree of spontaneous healing included in the preventive effects of acupuncture treatment on the relapse of recurrent tonsillitis.
By May 1983, our reseach was completed in 22 children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment and 19 with tonsillar hypertrophy not given such therapy. In children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment, the average annual days of absence from school before treatment was 14.0, which was more than that for all children in the S elementary school, and that in the year after treatment was 6.5, approximating that for all children in the school. In children with tonsillar hypertrophy not given acupuncture treatment, the average number of days of absence was close to that for all children in the S elementary school in both years.
Among 14 children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment, lower values of height and weight were noted in eight and 12 children, respectively, at the beginning of treatment, as compared with the national averages. The body dimensions of children with tonsillar hypertrophy not given acupuncture treatment were similar to the national averages. Of 14 children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment, an increase to a value exceeding the national average was observed with both the height and weight in six children, the height in two and the weight in one within the year after treatment.
The above results show that children with tonsillitis have a problem from the educational and developmental standpoint, even if they do not have a focal tonsil. We think that acupuncture treatment is worth attempting prior to tonsillectomy, although it is not so surely effective as tonsillectomy, when the severity of operative stress on the living body due to tonsillectomy and the burden of medical expenses and the load on the patient's family caused by hospitalization are taken into consideration.

Background/Aims: Although risk factors of reflux esophagitis (RE) have been investigated in numerous cross-sectional studies, little is known about predictive factors associated with future onset of RE. We investigated time courses of clinical parameters before RE onset by a longitudinal case-control study using health checkup records. Methods: We used health checkup records between April 2004 and March 2014 at 9 institutions in Japan. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate associations of baseline clinical parameters with RE. The time courses of the clinical parameters of RE subjects were compared with those of non-RE subjects by the mixed-effects models for repeated measures analysis or longitudinal multivariate logistic analysis. Results: Initial data were obtained from 230 056 individuals, and 2066 RE subjects and 4132 non-RE subjects were finally included in the analysis. Body mass index, alanine aminotransferase, smoking, acid reflux symptoms, hiatal hernia, and absence of atrophic gastritis at baseline were independently associated with RE. The time courses of body mass index, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, percentages of acid reflux symptoms, feeling of fullness, and hiatal hernia in the RE group were significantly worse than in the non-RE group. Conclusions The RE group displayed a greater worsening of the clinical parameters associated with lifestyle diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and fatty liver for 5 years before RE onset compared with the non-RE group. These results suggest that RE is a lifestyle disease and thus lifestyle guidance to at-risk person may help to prevent RE onset.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although studies using conventional animal models have shown that specific stressors cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it is unclear whether depression itself causes IBS. Our aim was to establish a rat model to determine if depression itself promotes the onset of IBS and to elucidate the role of gut microbiota in brain-gut axis pathogenesis during coincident depression and IBS. METHODS: Rat models of depression were induced using our shuttle box method of learned helplessness. Visceral hypersensitivity was evaluated by colorectal distension (CRD) to diagnose IBS. Gut microbiota compositions were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. In the subanalysis of rats without depression-like symptoms, rats with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were also examined. RESULTS: The threshold value of CRD in depressed rats was significantly lower than that in control rats. Microbial community analysis of cecal microbiota showed that the relative abundance of Clostridiales incertae sedis, the most prevalent microbe, was significantly lower in depressed rats than in control rats. The distribution pattern of the microbiota clearly differed between depressed rats and control rats. Neither visceral hypersensitivity nor the composition of gut microbiota was altered in rats with PTSD-like phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our rat model of depression is useful for clarifying the effect of depression on IBS and suggests that depression itself, rather than specific stressors, promotes the onset of IBS. Further, we provided evidence that various psychiatric diseases, viz., depression and PTSD, are associated with unique gut microbiota profiles, which could differentially affect the onset and progression of coincident IBS.
Animals ; Clostridiales ; Depression ; Dysbiosis ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Helplessness, Learned ; Hypersensitivity ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Methods ; Microbiota ; Models, Animal ; Phenotype ; Rats ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Introduction: To date, totally 3D-endoscopy has primarily been employed in mitral, tricuspid, and aortic valve surgeries. Herein, we describe the first case of a pulmonary valve surgery using totally 3D-endoscopy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a totally endoscopic pulmonary valve surgery. Case report: A 56-year-old woman was provisionally diagnosed with a tumor arising from the left cusp of the pulmonary valve. Totally 3D-endoscopy was planned for tumor resection. The patient was placed in a modified right lateral decubitus position and underwent mild hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass using the left femoral artery, right jugular vein, and right femoral vein. An on-pump beating-heart technique was used during this surgery. Trocars for the 3D-endoscopic system and surgical instruments were inserted through the third and fourth intercostal spaces. Upon incision of the pulmonary artery, the suspected tumor was revealed to be a hyperplastic left pulmonary cusp; therefore surgical resection was abandoned. The patient was discharged without any complications. Conclusion: This case demonstrates that a totally 3D-endoscopic approach may provide optimal views of the pulmonary valve. Moreover, this procedure would be a novelty in MICS.

A 71-year-old man with Behçet's disease was admitted to our hospital for treatment of a thoracic aortic aneurysm. On admission, there was marked inflammatory response, but blood culture was negative and there was no significant accumulation of gallium scintigraphy. The aorta was shaggy and there were two aneurysms in the descending aorta. We performed endovascular aortic repair for this aneurysm in consideration of the inflammatory aortic aneurysm. After treatment, the patient had paraparesis, however he underwent physical rehabilitation to regain function. He was followed up for 1 year and remains in good clinical condition without anastomotic aneurysm, dilatation or aneurysm at another site.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a main concern in patients who undergo thoracic endovascular therapy (TEVAR), because the blood flow of the vertebro-basilar artery may be reduced due to the left subclavian artery (LSA) occlusion. If the left vertebral artery originates directly from the aorta, which is called the isolated left vertebral artery (ILVA), a technical consideration for strategies regarding blood perfusion of the ILVA during TEVARs is required. We hereby aim to report three patients (No.1, No.2, and No.3) who underwent an ILVA translocation and TEVAR with Zone 2 landing for aortic dissection. The diameter of the ILVA was 4.2, 2.3, and 2.2 mm, respectively, and the right vertebral artery (RVA) was dominant in all cases. In Patient No.1 and No.2 (ILVA diameter: 4.2 and 2.3 mm, respectively), the ILVA was anastomosed directly to the left common carotid artery. In Patient No.2, the translocated ILVA was occluded resulting in SCI, but the SCI improved when blood pressure was augmented. In Patient No.3 (ILVA diameter: 2.2 mm), the saphenous vein graft was interposed between the ILVA and the bypass artery because the ILVA diameter was small, but postoperatively, the ILVA remained patent, and no paraplegia was observed. The occlusion of ILVA could cause SCI, even if the RVA is larger than the LVA. Reconstruction of the ILVA is a critical procedure to prevent postoperative SCIs in patients undergoing TEVARs.