Objectives: In a mouse model, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) knockout resulted in lower bone mineral density; however, higher parathyroid hormone receptor expression than wild-type mice. This study aimed to investigate whether ALDH2 polymorphisms influence efficacy of intermittent parathyroid hormone therapy and bone mineral density changes in humans. Methods: Eighty-two patients with primary osteoporosis treated with parathyroid hormone for > 1 year were divided into wild-type ALDH2 (ALDH2*1) and variant (ALDH2*2) groups. Bone mineral densities were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Changes in bone mineral density, treatment response, bone turnover markers, and new fracture incidence were evaluated. Furthermore, bone mineral density was analyzed using a mixed-effects model. Results: Femoral neck bone mineral density increased by 1.0 ± 7.4% in the ALDH2*1 group and 4.3 ± 8.1% in the ALDH2*2 group (P < 0.05), whereas lumbar spine bone mineral density increased by 5.7 ± 8.2% and 9.4 ± 9.1% without significance. Treatment success rates were higher in ALDH2*2 group (femoral neck 38.7%, lumbar spine 68.8%) compared with ALDH2*1 (16.3%, 51.0%). Statistical significance was observed only at the femoral neck. Bone turnover markers and fracture incidence were comparable between groups. Mixed-effects analysis adjusting for confounders showed a significant ALDH2 genotype × duration interaction for femoral neck, indicating genotype-related differences in the rate of bone mineral density increase over time. For lumbar spine, the genotype main effect was significant, whereas the interaction was not. Conclusions These findings suggest that ALDH2 polymorphisms may influence the therapeutic response to PTH treatment and highlight the need for larger future studies.

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome is a rare hereditary disease that results from a 4p chromosome deletion. Patients with this syndrome are characterized by craniofacial dysgenesis, seizures, growth delay, intellectual disability, and congenital heart disease. Although several cases have been reported, very little information is available on anesthetic management for patients with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. We encountered a case requiring anesthetic management for a 2-year-old girl with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. The selection of an appropriately sized tracheal tube and maintaining intraoperatively stable hemodynamics might be critical problems for anesthetic management. In patients with short stature, the tracheal tube size may differ from what may be predicted based on age. The appropriate size ( internal diameter ) of tracheal tubes for children has been investigated. Congenital heart disease is frequently associated with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Depending on the degree and type of heart disease, careful monitoring of hemodynamics is important.
Anesthesia, General ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chromosome Deletion ; Female ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Diseases ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Seizures ; Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome*

Palliative care is sometimes difficult for medical staff to say to patients with cancer and their families. The late of using the term “palliative care” decrease the opportunity to know about palliative care for the patients and their families. The primary aims of this study were to reveal physicians’ and nurses’ usage of the term “palliative care”, time to use the term for the first time, and a synonym. We conducted a questionnaire survey to 387 physicians and 518 floor nurses at Hiroshima University Hospital in February, 2010. We analyzed the results of physicians and nurses separately. Two hundred and seventy-two physicians (response rate 70.3%) and 284 nurses (54.8%) answered the questionnaire. Many physicians (77.2%) and the majority of nurses (56.0%) explain with the term “palliative care”. the majority of physicians use the term when cancer cause any symptoms and at early stage. Some nurses (31.4%) couldn’t use the term “palliative care” before physicians explained the term. Nurses having longer experience tend to use the term regardless of physicians’ use. Many physicians use the term “palliative care” at early stage of cancer. Many nurses also use the term at early stage of cancer, but some nurses couldn’t use before physicians’ use.

A 67-year-old man with ascending aortic aneurysm was referred to our hospital. Transthoracic echocardiography showed severe aortic regurgitation with annuloaortic ectasia and transesophageal echocardiography revealed a quadricuspid aortic valve. This patient underwent aortic root replacement with a valve sparing technique. Under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest with retrograde cerebral perfusion, replacement of the ascending aorta was successfully performed. The postoperative course was uneventful. This patient is doing well 6 months after surgery without recurrence of aortic regurgitation.

A clinico-epidemiological analysis was performed of 2,414 consecutive stroke patients who were treated in our hospital during the 6-year period from 1997 through 2003. All the patients were neurologically examined and diagnostic studies were made by use of computed tomography. Cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage accounted for 68%, 22%, and 10% of the stroke cases, respectively. The incidence of these subtypes of stroke in this region during the past 20 years was characterized by a singnificant decrease in cerebral hemorrhage, and an increased proportion of cerebral infarction. Men exceeded women in the incidences of both cerebral infarction and hemorrhage, whereas characteristically women far exceeded men in subarachnoid hemorrhage. The incidence reached a peak in the 70-79 age group regardless of the subtypes of stroke, and 64% of the entire stroke patients were those 70 and older. Women were found to suffer from stroke at much older age than men. As to the site of hemorrhage, putaminal hemorrhage was the most frequent, experienced by 36% of the patients, followed by thalamic hemorrhage in 34% of the patients. Putaminal and pontine hemorrhages predominated in the age groups younger than 60;thalamic, cerebellar and subcortical hemorrhages were predominant in the age groups older than 70. The incidence of these subtypes of hemorrhage during the past 20 years was characterized by a dramatic decrease in putaminal hemorrhage in a younger population, and a significant increase in thalamic, cerebellar, and subcortical hemorrhages in an older population.
Cerebrovascular accident ; Hemorrhage ; seconds ; Age Group Unspecified ; incidence of cases