Relationship between attention and arousal level in schizophrenia

The purpose of the present paper was to clarify the link between the attention and arousal level that supports the basis of the cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, by investigating the relationship between the simple reaction time and the closed-eye eye movements in 30 patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls. In terms of closed-eye eye movements during the simple reaction time test, healthy controls showed an increase of s-type (small and slow) eye movements after the end of the preparatory interval (PI) in both regular and irregular series, while the patients with schizophrenia, particularly those in whom the cross-over phenomenon was observed, showed no changes and maintained a hyperarousal level during the regular PI test. These results indicate that the patients with schizophrenia could not maintain appropriate attention during the burden tasks and their hyperarousal level persisted. It is therefore suggested that there is a close relationship between attentional deficit and hyperarousal among patients with schizophrenia.     

Psychological distress among evacuees of a volcanic eruption in Japan: A follow-up study

Psychological distress in 248 evacuees from a volcanic eruption was evaluated using a 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) at four time points after evacuation: 6 months, 12 months, 24 months and 44 months. The proportion of evacuees with psychological distress (defined as a GHQ score >/= 8) significantly decreased from 66.1% (6 months) to 45.6% (44 months). The GHQ mean score significantly improved from 12.6 to 8.9. Investigation of each factor on the GHQ showed progressive improvement over time in 'anxiety, tension and insomnia' and 'anergia and social dysfunction'. However, 'depression' began to improve only after 44 months and 'interpersonal dysfunction' started to worsen after 12 months. The dysfunction in interpersonal relationships continued at 44 months. Examination of the relation between GHQ mean scores and age group showed that recovery from psychological distress was more difficult in middle-aged and older evacuees than in younger evacuees.     

Factors affecting the family support system of patients with schizophrenia: a survey in the remote island of Tsushima

Possible support for home-cared schizophrenic patients and their families was investigated on Tsushima, one of the many isolated islands in Japan. The psychopathologic symptoms of the patients were evaluated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scales (BPRS), their social adjustment using the Psychiatric Disability Assessment Schedule (DAS), mental states of the families using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and the quality of life (QOL) using the Life Satisfaction Rating Scales (LSR). The family support systems for the patients were evaluated with regard to: (i) family support for the patient's daily life (FS), (ii) hardships of family life caused by living with the patient (HF), and (iii) empathic attitude of the family toward the patient (EA). Psychotic symptoms of schizophrenic patients were closely related to the mental state and QOL of their families. Family support was significantly correlated with HF and EA. Moreover, the family support system was shown to be related both to the psychotic symptoms of the patient and the mental state of the family. These results suggest that an approach to improve the family support system for the patient may exert positive effects on the patient's psychotic symptoms and his/her social adjustment. We also consider that intervention by a public organization is necessary to improve the family support system on islands.     

Detection of myelin basic protein in cerebrospinal fluid

Radioimmunoassay for myelin basic protein in cerebrospinal fluid is commonly used as a biochemical marker of demyelination in multiple sclerosis patients. A sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for myelin basic protein has been recently developed, which can make a clinical evaluation of myelin basic protein in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases. Most multiple sclerosis patients with acute exacerbation had markedly high myelin basic protein. Longitudinal studies of multiple sclerosis patients showed that myelin basic protein in CSF increases rapidly in agreement with acute relapse and then rapidly declines and disappears. Significantly higher cerebrospinal fluid myelin basic protein levels in human T-cell lymphotropic virus Type I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis patients were also detected. This enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system can be used routinely to measure myelin basic protein in cerebrospinal fluid as a useful diagnostic indicator, not only for central active demyelination as in multiple sclerosis but, also for spinal cord demyelination as in human T-cell lymphotropic virus Type I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis.     

Primary Mitral Valve Sarcoma in Infancy

Primary cardiac sarcoma is a rare tumor, found especially in children, particularly in the left side of the heart. This report describes a rare case of primary mitral valve sarcoma in a 7-month-old male infant with hemiparesis and heart murmur who underwent mitral valve replacement because of excessive invasion of the mitral valve by the tumor. The patient remains well, free of recurrence and cerebral metastasis, and without adjuvant therapy 18 months after the operation.     

Randomized study with mitomycin C + 5-fluorouracil + cytosine arabinoside (MFC) + 5-fluorouracil,MFC + tegafur and uracil (UFT), and MF + UFT in advanced gastric cancer: Interinstitutional differences in a multicenter study in Japan

In a phase III randomized trial of adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer, interinstitutional differences were analyzed. A trial of three regimens: mitomycin C, 5-fluorouracil(5-FU) and CA (MFC) + continuous oral 5-FU (Group C); MFC + continuous oral UFT(tegafur and uracil) (Group B); and MF + UFT (Group C) after operation was conducted in 466 patients with gastric cancer (stage II and III) at four hospitals in Japan (CIH, CAD, ACC and NCC). Patients were stratified by the institution, stage, and tumor size (8 cm ><). The 5-year survival rates were in the order of Group A (79.0%) > B (70.0%) > C (61.0%) (P = 0.1228) in total, A (95.0%) > B (80.0%) > C (58.0%) (P < 0.05) at CAD (82 patients), A > C> B at CIH (215), C> A > B at ACC (95), and B > A > C at NCC (78). The survival rate of patients with S2(serosal exposure), 8 cm < and NO-1 cancer was higher at CIH than at the other institutions. The interinstitutional differences in patient characteristics and surgical technique were more powerful than the differences among the three groups. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Congenital absence of the right upper lobe of the lung

We report a patient with an absent right lobe of the lung, a very rare anomaly. A superior lobectomy was performed for adenocarcinoma, and the right upper bronchus and pulmonary artery of the upper lobe (truncus superior) were absent. The first artery originating from the right main pulmonary artery was located at the major fissure, and four relatively small arteries entered the superior lobe. Anatomically, in this patient, the superior lobe was determined to be the middle lobe. The natural upper lobe was missing.     

Cavernous hemangioma in the anterior mediastinum; report of a case

A rare case of mediastinal hemangioma was reported in this article. A 63 years old male was pointed out an abnormal shadow in the chest CT scan though he had no symptoms. It showed a well-defined round mass with low density in the anterior mediastinum. MRI (T2 weight) showed the lesion as a high intensity tumor. We diagnosed it thymoma and planned the surgical treatment. The tumor was resected completely through median partial sternotomy. The tumor was 2 cm in diameter. Histological examination revealed it cavernous hemangioma, and neither coagulations nor phleboliths were identified in vessels of the tumor.