A study was conducted to investigate the contribution of physical fitness evaluated by speed at onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA-SP), sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) in 12 young male endurance athletes. These athletes has a higher level and wide range of intraindividual variance (44 to 93 mg/dl) for HDL-c. The serum estradiol level was significantly and positively correlated with the level of apoprotein AI (Apo AI), and serum testosterone level was significantly and positively associated with the levels of both HDL3-c and apoprotein All (Apo All) . The SHBG level was positively associated with the levels of both HDL-c and HDL2-c. Age, certain anthropometric parameters such as percentage body fat, body mass index, and body fat distribution evaluated by waist to hip ratio, and physical fitness levels were not associated with HDL-c and other lipids and apoproteins. These results suggest that the HDL-c level in endurance athletes is strongly associated with not only male but also female hormones, and SHBG, being independent of age, body composition and physical fitnesss level.

　　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.

Controlled Freezing-point Storage (CF Storage) is a new method of preserving foods in minus non-frozen temperature range. So, we tried to apply this method to entrails preservation and investigated the effect of controlled freezing-point storage of hearts on ventricular function in isolated perfused rat heart (male, Sprague dawley strain, in body about 300g weight). The hearts were perfused by working heart mode for 10min, and received infusion of cardioplegic solution which was followed by 4 hours of cardiac arrest at a myocardial temperature 4°C (4°C group) or minus non-frozen temperature (CF storage group). Then, the aerobic reperfusion by working heart mode was continued for an additional 30min. The recovery rate of cardiac output was 33.5% and 62.5% respectively of the preischemic value in 4°C group and CF storage group, which was statistically significant (p<0.01). ATP activity after 4 hours of cardiac arrest in 4°C group was significantly lower than that in CF storage group (p<0.05). These data suggest that CF storage of hearts might have a protective effect against an ischemic insult upon myocardial cell during hypothermic cardiac arrest.

PURPOSE: Sialolithiasis is one of the most prevalent large obstructive disorders of the submandibular glands. The aim of this study was to investigate submandibular sialolithiasis with computed tomography (CT) and scintigraphy, with a particular focus on the relationship between CT values of the submandibular glands and their excretion rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with submandibular sialolithiasis who underwent CT and salivary gland scintigraphy were included in this study. The relationship between the CT values of submandibular glands with and without sialoliths and salivary gland excretion measured using salivary gland scintigraphy was statistically analyzed. Dynamic images were recorded on the computer at 1 frame per 20 seconds. The salivary gland excretion fraction was defined as A (before stimulation test [counts/frame]) / B(after stimulation test [counts/frame]) using time-activity curves. RESULTS: The CT values in the submandibular glands with and without sialoliths was 9.9±44.9 Hounsfield units (HU) and 34.2±21.8 HU, respectively (P=.233). Regarding the salivary gland excretion fraction using scintigraphy, the A/B value in the submandibular glands with sialoliths (1.09±0.23) was significantly lower than in the submandibular glands without sialoliths (1.99±0.57, P=.000). CONCLUSION: Assessments of the CT values and the salivary gland excretion fraction using scintigraphy in the submandibular glands seem to be useful tools evaluating submandibular sialolithiasis.
Gamma Cameras ; Humans ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Salivary Duct Calculi ; Salivary Gland Calculi* ; Salivary Glands* ; Submandibular Gland*

IABP is in wide clinical use as an effective adjunctive means for the management of seriously impaired cardiac function. Unfortunately, however, it is an undeniable fact that this specialized circulatory support technic has so far been used in severe heart disease cases in a desultory way, with no established criteria being available for indication of elective IABP for prophylactic purposes. Under such circumstances, it was felt worthwhile to analyze data on preoperative left ventricular function from a series of open heart surgery cases (25 treated with and 94 without IABP) encountered in our hospital since 1983 (when procedure for myocardial protection was virtually standardized) in an effort to formulate acceptable criteria for indication of elective IABP. Hemodynamic parameters studied were LVESVI, LVEF and LVEDP. The results led us to conclude that scheduled IABP can be regarded as indicated for use in each of the following valvular heart diseases if at least one of the respective criteria specified below is fulfilled: MR: LVESVI≥120ml/m², LVEF≤0.4, LVEDP≥21mmHg; AR: LVESVI≥135ml/m², LVEF≤0.4, LVEDP≥18mmHg; MS: LVESVI≥70ml/m², LVEF≤0.35, LVEDP≥23mmHg.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the quantitative strain elastography of tongue carcinoma using intraoral ultrasonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) who underwent quantitative strain elastography for the diagnosis of tongue lesions using intraoral ultrasonography were included in this prospective study. Strain elastography was performed using a linear 14 MHz transducer (Aplio 300; Canon Medical Systems, Otawara, Japan). Manual light compression and decompression of the tongue by the transducer was performed to achieve optimal and consistent color coding. The variation in tissue strain over time caused by the compression exerted using the probe was displayed as a strain graph. The integrated strain elastography software allowed the operator to place circular regions of interest (ROIs) of various diameters within the elastography window, and automatically displayed quantitative strain (%) for each ROI. Quantitative indices of the strain (%) were measured for normal tissues and lesions in the tongue. RESULTS: The average strain of normal tissue and tongue SCC in a 50-year-old man was 1.468% and 0.000%, respectively. The average strain of normal tissue and tongue SCC in a 59-year-old man was 1.007% and 0.000%, respectively. CONCLUSION: We investigated the quantitative strain elastography of tongue carcinoma using intraoral ultrasonography. Strain elastography using intraoral ultrasonography is a promising technique for characterizing and differentiating normal tissues and SCC in the tongue.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Clinical Coding ; Decompression ; Diagnosis ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Tongue Neoplasms ; Tongue ; Transducers ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of shear wave elastography in the diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with oral and maxillofacial diseases and 28 volunteers drawn from our student doctors were examined by shear wave elastography with a 14-MHz linear transducer using an Aplio 300 apparatus (Canon Medical Systems, Otawara, Japan). A statistical analysis of the shear elastic modulus (kPa) of healthy tissue (the sublingual gland, submandibular gland, anterior belly of the digastric muscle, and geniohyoid muscle) in the 28 volunteers was performed using 1-way repeated measures analysis of variance with the Tukey honest significant difference test. The maximum shear elastic modulus (kPa) of 8 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 2 patients with benign lesions was evaluated with the Mann-Whitney U test. The analysis used a 5% significance level. RESULTS: The mean shear elastic modulus of the sublingual gland (9.4±3.7 kPa) was lower than that of the geniohyoid muscle (19.2±9.2 kPa, P=.000) and the anterior belly of the digastric muscle (15.3±6.1 kPa, P=.004). The maximum shear elastic modulus of the SCCs (109.6±14.4 kPa) was higher than that of the benign lesions (46.4±26.8 kPa, P=.044). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated the usefulness of shear wave elastography in the diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial diseases. Shear wave elastography has the potential to be an effective technique for the objective and quantitative diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial diseases.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Diagnosis ; Elastic Modulus ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Humans ; Neck ; Sublingual Gland ; Submandibular Gland ; Transducers ; Ultrasonography ; Volunteers

PURPOSE: To present characteristic findings of Tc-99m hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (HMDP) scintigraphy, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for osteonecrosis in the mandible, especially osteoradionecrosis (ORN) and medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients with MRONJ and 7 patients with ORN in the mandible underwent Tc-99m HMDP scintigraphy, CT, and MR imaging (T1-weighted images [T1WI], T2-weighted images [T2WI], short inversion time inversion recovery images [STIR]), diffusion-weighted images [DWI], and apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC] mapping). The associations of scintigraphy, CT, and MR imaging findings with MRONJ and ORN were analyzed using the chi-square test with the Pearson exact test. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with MRONJ and 7 patients with ORN in the mandible showed low signal intensity on T1WI and ADC mapping, high signal intensity on STIR and DWI, and increased uptake on scintigraphy. Periosteal bone proliferation on CT was observed in 69.2% of patients with MRONJ (9 of 13) versus 14.3% of patients with ORN (1 of 7) (P=0.019). CONCLUSION: This study presented characteristic imaging findings of MRONJ and ORN on scintigraphy, CT, and MR imaging. Our results suggest that CT can be effective for detecting MRONJ and ORN.
Diffusion ; Humans ; Jaw ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mandible ; Osteonecrosis ; Osteoradionecrosis ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

We implemented a questionnaire survey targeting mothers who are in child care and had participated in consultations regarding drugs and diseases. We examined the future roles of community pharmacists by exploring the mothers’ concerns and, anxieties about child cares and their backgrounds, and their expectations for profession of community pharmacist. Mothers have listed anxiety and concerns of child care about “dermatitis such as rash and atopic eczema”; “food allergies”; “infectious diseases such as measles, chicken pox, and mumps”; and “side effects of vaccination”. In addition, most of them indicated their own concerns and anxiety about “solutions to children’s illnesses.” Despite their anxieties and concerns, however, approximately 60% of the mothers have never consulted with community pharmacists. Among them, approximately a half of them indicated the following three reasons why they have never consulted with pharmacists: “I have nothing to talk about,”, “I do not know what I should talk about,”, and “I was not sure if it was alright to talk about my concerns.”. From these results, we concluded that community pharmacists in the future should improve their communication skills and inform their availability to consult about medicine and disease to local residents.

In acute Stanford type A aortic dissection, except for some thrombosed false-lumen types, graft replacement is a standard treatment. On the other hand, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) might be considered for high-risk patients with retrograde type A aortic dissection when entry is in the descending aorta, although its efficacy in a case of an extensive thrombosed false lumen without obvious entry is unknown. We report a case of successful zone 3 TEVAR using RelayPro NBS for Stanford type A aortic dissection with a localized CT-enhanced false lumen in the proximal descending aorta. An 83-year-old woman was admitted for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection with a thrombosed false lumen of the ascending thoracic aorta. She was initially treated conservatively because of being a high-risk patient for open surgery. One week after hospitalization, the ascending aorta diameter increased and the false lumen in the proximal descending aorta grew sporadically in a CT image. We suspected that the ascending aorta was enlarged due to a partially patent false lumen of the descending thoracic aorta, and performed zone 3 TEVAR using RelayPro NBS to close a possible entry in the proximal descending aorta even though there was no obvious entry. The patient had a good postoperative course and was discharged 15 days after TEVAR. Shrinkage of the false lumen in the ascending aorta was observed in CT images two months after TEVAR.