We report the case of a 60-years-old man who complained fever and left knee pain. Fever and arthralgia appear once a month, and these symptoms disappear spontaneously in 3 days. The patient came to our hospital to receive Kampo treatment, because the patient experienced improving these symptoms by Kampo medicine about 20 years ago. I judged the arthralgia as kanshippi, because the arthralgia improved when the patient warmed the joint. We prescribed keishikajutsubuto 7.5 g/day. Arthralgia improved after administration of keishikajutsubuto, but the attack appeared every month. We prescribed maobushisaishinto 5 g/day in addition to keishikajutsubuto 5 g/day for further improvement of arthralgia. The frequency of fever and arthralgia attack was dramatically decreased after we prescribed keishikajutsubuto 5 g/day and maobushisaishinto 5 g/day. We considered the possibility of palindromic rheumatism based on clinical symptoms, X-ray in other clinic and blood test results in our hospital. We report an effective case of keishikajutsubuto and maobushisaishinto on arthritis attacks with fever that resolved spontaneously in a short time.

Bovine abortion, diarrhea, and respiratory disease complexes, caused by infectious agents, result in high and significant economic losses for the cattle industry. These pathogens are likely transmitted by various vectors and reservoirs including insects, birds, and rodents. However, experimental data supporting this possibility are scarce. We collected 117 samples and screened them for 44 bovine abortive, diarrheal, and respiratory disease complex pathogens by using Dembo polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is based on TaqMan real-time PCR. Fifty-seven samples were positive for at least one pathogen, including bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine enterovirus, Salmonella enterica ser. Dublin, Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium, and Neospora caninum; some samples were positive for multiple pathogens. Bovine viral diarrhea virus and bovine enterovirus were the most frequently detected pathogens, especially in flies, suggesting an important role of flies in the transmission of these viruses. Additionally, we detected the N. caninum genome from a cockroach sample for the first time. Our data suggest that insects (particularly flies), birds, and rodents are potential vectors and reservoirs of abortion, diarrhea, and respiratory infectious agents, and that they may transmit more than one pathogen at the same time.
Animals ; Birds ; Cattle ; Cockroaches ; Diarrhea Viruses, Bovine Viral ; Diarrhea ; Diptera ; Disease Reservoirs ; Disease Vectors ; Enterovirus ; Enterovirus, Bovine ; Genome ; Insects ; Neospora ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rodentia ; Salmonella enterica ; Virulence Factors

The rectal tonsil is a rare polypoid lesion exclusively found in the rectum and is considered a reactive proliferation of the lymphoid tissue. Although this lesion is benign, we recommend that it should be differentiated from carcinoid or polypoid type of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas, based on gross findings. In this case report, we describe a case of rectal lesions with a unique appearance in a 41-year-old man. Colonoscopy revealed two 5-mm-sized nodules located opposite from each other on the left and right sides of the lower rectum. Endoscopic mucosal resection was conducted. Histopathologically, both lesions were mainly located in the submucosa and consisted of prominent lymphoid follicles with germinal centers of various sizes. No immunoreactivity of Bcl-2 was seen in the germinal centers. Immunohistochemical staining for kappa and lambda light chains revealed a polyclonal pattern. Therefore, these lesions were diagnosed as rectal tonsils.
Adult ; Carcinoid Tumor* ; Colonoscopy ; Germinal Center ; Humans ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone* ; Palatine Tonsil* ; Rectum ; Twins*

Computer adaptive testing (CAT) is a kind of tailored testing, in that it is a form of computer-based testing that is adaptive to each test-taker's ability level. In this review, the impacts of CAT are discussed from different perspectives in order to illustrate crucial points to keep in mind during the development and implementation of CAT. Test developers and psychometricians often emphasize the efficiency and accuracy of CAT in comparison to traditional linear tests. However, many test-takers report feeling discouraged after taking CATs, and this feeling can reduce learning self-efficacy and motivation. A trade-off must be made between the psychological experiences of test-takers and measurement efficiency. From the perspective of educators and subject matter experts, nonstatistical specifications, such as content coverage, content balance, and form length are major concerns. Thus, accreditation bodies may be faced with a discrepancy between the perspectives of psychometricians and those of subject matter experts. In order to improve test-takers' impressions of CAT, the author proposes increasing the target probability of answering correctly in the item selection algorithm even if doing so consequently decreases measurement efficiency. Two different methods, CAT with a shadow test approach and computerized multistage testing, have been developed in order to ensure the satisfaction of subject matter experts. In the shadow test approach, a full-length test is assembled that meets the constraints and provides maximum information at the current ability estimate, while computerized multistage testing gives subject matter experts an opportunity to review all test forms prior to administration.
Accreditation ; Animals ; Cats ; Learning ; Motivation ; Retinoscopy

Nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization and a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recently developed endoscopic devices and supporting apparatuses can achieve endoscopic hemostasis with greater safety and efficiency. With these advancements in technology and technique, gastroenterologists should have no concerns regarding the management of acute upper GI bleeding, provided that they are well prepared and trained. However, when endoscopic hemostasis fails, endoscopy should not be continued. Rather, endoscopists should refer patients to radiologists and surgeons without any delay for evaluation regarding the appropriateness of emergency interventional radiology or surgery.
Emergencies ; Endoscopy ; Equipment and Supplies ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis ; Hemostasis, Endoscopic ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Mortality ; Radiology, Interventional

Kampo medicines have been used for treatment by an increasing number of doctors in recent years, and are becoming more frequently prescribed in combination with Western drugs. In the present study, we conducted a questionnaire of outpatients at the Kampo Clinic of Keio University Hospital in order to determine their perceptions and compliance regarding Kampo medicines.Ninety eight percent of patients used Kampo medicines in granular form, and approximately 30% of these patients reported difficulty in taking medicine due to reasons such as “bad taste”. Sixty percent of patients used Kampo medicines three times daily. Patients most often forgot to take afternoon doses, and so desired doses once daily. Furthermore, the same number of patients preferred Kampo medicines in tablet form as those who preferred Kampo medicines in granular form.The present findings clarified patients' perceptions toward Kampo medicines. Doctors and pharmacists must provide suitable treatment for patients by recognizing their perceptions of Kampo medicines.
Medicine, Kampo ; Clinic ; Use of ; percent ; therapeutic aspects

The diagnosis of ruptured dissecting limited abdominal aortic aneurysm was made in four cases. The sex ratio (M/F) was 1/3, and mean age was 63.5 years (from 53 to 78yr). Only one of these cases die due to intraoperative bleeding. Other three cases were discharged from our hospital. Intraluminal proximal anastomosis after fixed dissected aortic wall due to mattress suture and end to end anastomosis with reinforcement by Teflon felt were good results. The one case who was anastomosed simple intraluminal method has pseudoaneurysm in the proximal portion. It is important to diagnose preoperatively dissection and to make end to end anastomosis with Teflon felt.

We experienced a 51-year-old male case of CABG whose graftography one month after CABG revealed a 0.5cm venous bypass graft aneurysm. Anginal pain recurred in the eighth month after CABG. Re-graftography showed enlargement of the aneurysm and stenosis of the graft at the same site. Re-CABG was carried out successfully and his postoperative course was good. Venous graft aneurysm is a comparatively rare complication, and that of the present case was considered to be most ascribable to the fragility of the graft, caused by mediastinitis secondary to the first CABG. Thrombus formation was noted in the aneurysm, with a risk of causing rupture or myocardial infarction. Therefore, such graft aneurysms should be treated by re-CABG as soon as possible after detection.

A 27-year-old female with Marfan's syndrome underwent successful emergency surgery for rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Annulo-aortic ectasia with a saccular aneurysm of the aortic arch was revealed by angiography after the initial operation. Cabrol's operation with replacement of the aortic arch was performed. Because bleeding from the distal anastomotic portion was uncontrollable, the segment was ligated and an extra-anatomical bypass was performed from the ascending aortic graft to the bilateral femoral arteries. Intra-graft balloon pumping was carried out in the extra-anatomical bypass graft while the patient was in low cardiac output condition after the second operation. This was considered to be an effective circulatory assist procedure.

Between Nov. 1981 and Dec. 1990, seventy-seven patients underwent surgical repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm (56, non-ruptured and 21, ruptured). There were no operative and hospital deaths in the non-ruptured group and 4 deaths (19%) in the ruptured group. To improve operative results by means of decreasing hemorrhagic blood loss and operative time, we have ameliolated some points of the technical procedures as follows. Dissection of the perianeurysmal tissue was limited to only the neck and anterior peritoneal surface of the aneurysm. Taping to keep the aorta and distal iliac artery was not applied and vascular clamps were placed without dissection of the posterior walls of the aorta and distal arteries. Proximal anastomosis of the Y-vascular prostheses were performed by the inclusion technique. The end-to-side method was used in distal anastomosis to the external iliac arteries routing behind the ureter. Even when aneurysmal dilatation involved the common iliac arteries, the orifices of the common iliac arteries were closed by continuous sutures bilaterally. In ruptured cases too, this standard technique was used without application of special means for proximal cross-clamping. Postoperative arteriography or enhanced computed tomography reveald thrombosis and reduction in size of residual aneurysm of the common iliac artery. By these improved surgical techniques, 25 cases (45%) of the 56 non-ruptured group had surgical correction of the abdominal aortic aneurysm without using homologous blood transfusion. Cumulative 5-year survival rate by Kaplan-Meier method of non-ruptured and ruptured group was 87% and 49% respectively.