Background/Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for superficial non-ampullary duodenal epithelial tumors (SNADETs) is technically challenging and is associated with a risk of adverse events, particularly when lesions are located near the major papilla. Pancreatic duct (PD) stent may reduce the risk of post-ESD pancreatitis; however, no standard strategy has been established. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of PD stent placement combined with ESD for SNADETs near the major papilla. Methods: This was a retrospective study of duodenal ESD after prophylactic PD stent placement in patients with SNADET near the major papilla at a university hospital between March 2014 and September 2023. Results: Four lesions were located within 5 mm of the major papilla, and seven within 5 to 10 mm. The median interval between stent placement and ESD was 2 days. The en bloc and R0 resection rates were 100% and 90.9%, respectively. No stent migration occurred during ESD, and all mucosal defects were completely closed using endoscopic clips. Delayed bleeding and post-ESD pancreatitis were observed in one and two cases, respectively. Conclusions PD stent placement combined with ESD is an effective treatment strategy for SNADETs near the major papilla. However, the risk of post-ESD pancreatitis remains, indicating the need for further preventive strategies.

  With the spread of a novel H1N1 strain of influenza A around the world, the World Health Organization declared that the situation had entered the pandemic phase. In Japan, it had a major social impact, causing a great hit to the national economy. And there is every likelihood that the H1N1 influenza is going to break out a lot of people on the staff of the agricultural cooperatives in Aichi Prefecture, seriously affecting the activities of agricultural cooperatives too. Based on the amount of damage from the flu presumed by the Japanese government and various kinds of statistical material, we worked out how much the flu would cost the agricultural co-ops in the prefecture by infecting their employees and involved their family. At an absence rate of 20%, the lowest rate presupposed by the government, our calculation showed that the extra costs would amount to 740 million yen altogether. If the rete of abscense from work was given 40%, the largest estimate by the government, the costs rocketed to highly 1.48 billion yen. A check on the situation of individual co-ops revealed that some of the co-ops would burden an extra cost of well over 100 million yen. From these findings, we concluded that to minimize the effects of the flu appropriate, effective countermeasures have to be taken after sufficient information about the novel influenza virus was collected and analyzed carefully.

We examined issues in balancing professional obligations with family needs, especially parenting, in female physicians. Questionnaires were given to all female physicians who had graduated from Jichi Medical School. Of the 196 graduates, 155 responded (79.1%), and younger graduates accounted for a greater proportion of subjects. Although many female physicians did not live with their parents, female physicians or their parents were usually responsible for caring for children when they become ill. Many respondents demanded better access to day care and greater flexibility in accepting sick children. Female physicians should contribute to society using the knowledge and skills they acquired in medical school; to do so they need support systems in their workplace and child-care services.

To study the effects of prolonged kendo practice in a hot environment on cardiovascular function, certain hemodynamic parameters were measured in 5 male college kendo fencers before and after 1 hour of kendo practice performed at a dry bulb temperature of 30.4t and wet bulb temperature of 26.2°C After kendo practice, body weight was significantly decreased and both hematocrit and blood viscosity were significantly increased. The left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and the left atrial dimension, measured by echocardiography, were significantly reduced after kendo practice, and stroke volume, ejection fraction, and fractional shortening were also significantly decreased after practice. The same fencers were subjected to lower body negative pressure testing designed to reduce the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension to the same degree as kendo practice, and comparable decreases in stroke volume, ejection fraction, and fractional shortening were observed. The ratio of end-systolic wall stress to end-systolic volume index was significantly increased during both kendo practice and lower body negative pressure testing. We conclude that prolonged kendo practice in a hot environment impairs cardiac pump function by reducing preload in parallel with the decrease in venous return, that myocardial contractility may not deteriorate despite marked hemoconcentration, and that fluid intake during practice may prevent deterioration of cardiovascular function.