In order to compare the result of local cryo-therapy on rheumatoid arthritis against the conventional local heat application a comparative clinical study was performed.
Twenty rheumatoid patients with bilateral knee joint involvement were selected cryo-therapy was given for five minutes with cryogenic air generator (Nihonsanso-L-10) at-100°C on below in eleven patients, whereas local heat was applied with hot packs for 15 minutes at 70-80°C in nine patients.
All the patient underwent a daily active exercise schedule after the local treatment, these treatment were given for three months continuously and the result were evaluated. For the evaluation, twelve items were selected including, range of motion, muscle strength, walking capacity, roentgengram and etc.
The patients were evaluated before the treatment, 1.5 months after the treatment and at the end of the treatment.
The result: both groups showed some improvement in general, but there was no significant difference between them, muscle stiffness and joint pain seemed to be slightly between after the cryo-therapy compared to the local heat application, however post-treatment x-ray showed some progression of joint destruction in the former. The result suggest that local cryo-therapy has a certain place in rheumatoid treatment although not significantly better than the conventional local heat application, if it is applied under due care.

The short wave diathermy was utilized on the 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis suffering from the pain of the knee joint and therapeutic effects were evaluated.
Ito rator K-I, a short wave generator for the treatment at home (voltage: 100v, 28MHZ), was applied on the painful knee joint daily for 20 minutes.
The therapeutic effects were assessed by the findings before and after daily single application of the short wave diathermy (I), and also by the findings after a series of the treatments during a month (II).
In the latter case, the short wave diathermy was utilized for 20 minutes every morning between nine and ten except on Sundays.
For the purpose of the evaluation of the therapeutic effects, six items of the studies were selected, including (1) points of the joint pain, (2) A-ROM of the knee flexion, (3) gait time for 10 meters, (4) time between the flexion and extension, (5) extensor muscle strength of the knee, and (6) flexor muscle strength of the knee.
The results were as follows:
(1) The knee joint pain was improved after daily single application of the short wave diathermy and the decrease in their pain points was 30 per cent.
(2) Gait time for 10 meters and time between the knee flexion and extension (10 times) were significantly improved after daily single application of the short wave diathermy.
(3) After a series of treatments of thort wave diathermy during a month some improvements were showed on the all items, but every improvements was not significant.

The following analgesic effects have resulted from irradiating each finger joint (DIP, PIP, and MCP) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis for 20 seconds using the semiconductor laser, “uni-Laser” (10mw, 790nm) from ITO company.
1) Comparison of the post-exposure state with the pre-exposure state in the open test
i) Of 13 cases of joint pain, 7 cases showed improvement and 6 cases showed no change with no case showing aggravation.
ii) Duration of analgesic effect was less than 48 hours in 2 cases, less than 72 hours in 1 case, and more than 96 hours in 3 cases.
2) Comparison of the post-exposure state with the pre-exposure state in the single blind test on a total of 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Twelve patients were exposed to the irradiation twice per week, 10 times a session (irradiated group) and 13 were exposed to the dummy of the above (control group).
i) The irradiated group improved considerably in the number of painful joints, frequency of joint pain, and grasping power. The rate of improvement was superior to that of the control group (P<0.05).
ii) No significant improvement in duration of morning stiffness was shown in either group.

The early and mid-term survival after thoracic aortic surgery and the influence of age on operative mortality were examined in 93 consecutive patients from August 1994 to June 1999, together with assessment of postoperative quality of life (QOL). The mean age was 63.8±11.6 years old (range 26 to 84 years) and 65 patients were male. Aneurysms were atherosclerotic in 43 patients and aortic dissection was present in 50. Forty-eight (52%) required emergency operation. Operative procedures consisted of ascending aorta or hemiarch replacement in 23 patients, Bentall's operation was performed in 4, total arch replacement in 31, distal arch replacement in 9, descending aorta replacement in 13, replacement of the thoracoabdominal aorta in 6, and patch repair in 7. These patients were divided into two groups: the under 70 group (Y group, n=61) and the 70 or older group (O group, n=32). Current QOL of the survivors was assessed using the Asanoi method with a mailed questionnaire. There were 13 early deaths (14%). There were 10 late deaths (5.6%/P-Y (Patients-Years)). The actuarial survival rate of the Y group was significantly higher than that of the O group (p=0.0412). Perioperative stroke was seen in 11% of the Y group and 16% of the O group. These patients had a high mortality rate (Y group 43%, O group 100%) during early and long term follow-up periods. The postoperative NYHA category and exercise ability of the O group were better than those of the Y group. We obtained satisfactory answers concerning the results of operation in the majority of current survivors. Patients aged 70 years and older could undergo thoracic aortic surgery with reasonable risk. QOL following operation was satisfactory except in patients with merged perioperative stroke.

BACKGROUND: Repeated application of whole-body periodic acceleration (WBPA) upregulates endothelial nitric oxide synthase and improves brachial artery endothelial function (BAEF) as assessed by measurement of flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD). However, the acute effect of a single application of WBPA on BAEF has not been fully characterized. In addition, although a novel semi-automatic vessel chasing system (UNEXEF18G) has now been developed in Japan, the direct comparison of UNEXEF18G with a conventional method for FMD measures has not been conducted even if UNEXEF18G has already been utilized in a relatively large scale study. METHODS: We have developed a novel semi-automatic vessel chasing system (UNEXEF18G) that can measure FMD on-line, identify time to peak vasodilatation (TPV), and determine the area under the vasodilatation curve (AUC). Thus, 45 min of WBPA was applied in 20 healthy volunteers (age, 34 +/- 13 years), and BAEF was measured by UNEXEF18G before and after WBPA. Also, UNEXEF18G measured FMD was compared with those of a conventional FMD measurement method at rest in order to validate a novel UNEXEF18G measured FMD. RESULTS: Single WBPA resulted in a significant increase in FMD (from 6.4 +/- 3.4 to 10.7 +/- 4.3%, p < 0.01), a significant decrease in TPV and a significant increase in AUC. In the validation study for UNEXEF18G, Bland and Altman analysis showed that UNEXEF18G measured FMD was almost identical to those of the conventional method at rest. CONCLUSION: These data suggest the usefulness of a new UNEXEF18G and that single application of WBPA results in acute improvement in BAEF in humans.
Acceleration* ; Area Under Curve ; Brachial Artery ; Humans ; Japan ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; Vasodilation*

PURPOSE: Previous studies have addressed the role of the hypercoagulable state in the pathogenesis of cancer progression and metastasis. In this study, we investigated the association between coagulation factors, including tissue factor (TF) expression, platelet count, and fibrinogen level, and disease recurrence in patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer.METHODS: Patients who underwent curative resection for stage II or III colorectal cancer between 2000 and 2007 were included in this study. Data from a prospectively maintained database were retrospectively reviewed. TF expression was determined by immunohistochemistry using an anti-TF monoclonal antibody. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate 5-year disease-free survival.RESULTS: TF was highly expressed in 257 of 297 patients (86.5%). TF expression was not significantly associated with the platelet counts (P=0.180) or fibrinogen level (P=0.281). The 5-year disease-free survival rate was lower in patients with high TF expression than in patients with low TF expression (72.3% vs. 83.9%, P=0.074). In Cox hazard analysis, high TF expression was an independent risk factor for tumor recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 2.446; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.054–5.674; P=0.037). Undifferentiated histologic type (HR, 2.911; 95% CI, 1.308–6.481; P=0.009), venous invasion (HR, 2.784; 95% CI, 1.431–5.417; P=0.003), and lymph node metastasis (HR, 2.497; 95% CI, 1.499–4.158; P < 0.001), were also significantly associated with disease recurrence.CONCLUSION: TF expression is associated with a recurrence in patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer. However, further studies are required to clarify the underlying mechanisms relating TF expression with oncologic outcomes and its potential role as a therapeutic target.
Blood Coagulation Factors ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Disease-Free Survival ; Fibrinogen ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Methods ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Platelet Count ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thromboplastin