The development of a small bowel volvulus in the early postoperative period following a distal gastrectomy: Report of a case

A 51-year-old Japanese man who underwent a standard distal gastrectomy for cancer of the stomach developed abdominal pain when oral intake was commenced on the 6th postoperative day after an uneventful postoperative course. Complete obstruction of the jejunum led to a sudden deterioration in his general condition and a laparotomy was performed, revealing counterclockwise rotation of the mesenterium. The necrotic portion of the small intestine was removed, while 10 cm of the upper jejunum and 100 cm of the terminal ileum were preserved. His second postoperative course was uneventful apart from the development of intestinal hurry, which is now under medical control 9 months after his second laparotomy.     

A study on how a 6-month aerobic exercise program can modify coronary risk factors depending on their severity in middle-aged sedentary women

It is well known that physical exercise can reduce coronary risk factors. But how an aerobic exercise modifies coronary risk factors in relation to severity and physical fitness is still controversial. Fifty-four middle-aged women (mean age, 55 years) completed a 6-month on-site and home-based anaerobic threshold-level exercise program. The changes in coronary risk factor profiles were observed during the pre-intervention and intervention periods. Before the intervention (during control period), most coronary risk factors showed a rather unfavorable trend. After the program, their mean body weight decreased from 56.7 to 55.7 kg (p>0.05) and the proportion of body fat from 30.9 to 27.9% (p>0.05) without any reduction in lean body mass. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased from 129.0 to 125.0 mm Hg (p>0.05) and diastolic blood pressure from 79.5 to 76.6 mm Hg (p>0.05). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) declined from 109.6 to 103.4 mg/dl (p>0.05). Changes in SBP and FPG were most remarkable in their respective worst tertile. Serum lipids improved only modestly. Maximum oxygen uptake increased from 23.6 to 26.1 ml/kg/min (p>0.01). However, no significant correlations were found between changes in coronary risk factors and those in physical fitness. We conclude that the 6-month aerobic exercise program would modify women’s coronary risk factors depending on their initial values, probably independently of the changes in physical fitness.     

Completely covered cloacal exstrophy: recognition of a new clinical sub-entity

A case showing many of the typical visceral features of cloacal exstrophy is reported. The patient had fn imperforate anus, a cecal-cloacal fistula, dehiscence of the pubiic symphysis, and lumbosacral spina bifida with synsingomyelia, but the lower abdominal wall was intact without any visceral extroversion. The pertinent literature was reviewed, and it was found that this case corresponded to t typical case of completely covered cloacal exstrophy. Only six cases, including the present one, have so far been reported in the literature. From a clinical viewpoint, it apparently occupies an intermediate position in the wide spectrum of cloacal anomalies between classical cloacal exstrophy and imperforate anus with recto-cloacal fistula, but anatomatically and embryologically it is definitely a variant of cloacal exstrophy. In other words, it looks like an imperforate anus with recto-cloacal exstrophy, but should be treated as a variant of loacal exstrophy. The anatomy, classification, embryology, diagnosis, and management of this peculiar surgical condition are discussed, and recognition of this entity is urged.     

Report on the Computer Software Contest at 38th Congress of the Japan Society of Anesthesiology

We held a computer software contest at 38th Congress of the JSA, held in March, 1991. The aim is to encourage the members of the Society to write softwares and to help distribute them, especially as Freewares. We received 25 entries for the contest; two-thirds of these are for computers of NEC PC9801 series and a third are for Macintosh. We received donations 3 million yen worth of instruments and goods for prizes plus some cash, which as prizes were distributed to those who made entries for the contest.Most of these programs have been registered as freewares at various computer networks, including our Ether-Net, one of the common computer network SIGBBSs among Japanese anesthesiologists.(Suwa K, Miyasaka K, Tanaka Y, et al.: Report on the computer software contest at 38th congress of the Japan society of anesthesiology. J Anesth 5: 441–444, 1991)Executive Committee of the Computer Software Contest at 38th Congress of the Japan Society of Anesthesiology     

An angiogenesis inhibitor E7820 shows broad-spectrum tumor growth inhibition in a xenograft model: possible value of integrin alpha2 on platelets as a biological marker.

We reported previously that an angiogenesis inhibitor, E7820, inhibits in vitro tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cell through the suppression of integrin alpha2 expression. Here we describe the antiangiogenic and antitumor effects of E7820 in mice and discuss the feasibility of using platelet integrin alpha2 expression on platelets as a biological marker of the efficacy of E7820. Oral administration of E7820 significantly inhibited basic fibroblast growth factor-induced angiogenesis in Matrigel implants and human colon WiDr tumor-induced angiogenesis in a dorsal air sac model. Twice-daily treatment with E7820 clearly inhibited the s.c. tumor growth of seven tumor cell lines derived from human colon, breast, pancreas, and kidney, and completely suppressed the growth of human pancreatic KP-1 and human colon LoVo cell lines. Moreover, E7820 significantly inhibited the growth of KP-1 and human colon tumor Colo320DM cells orthotopically implanted in the pancreas and cecum, respectively. The efficacy of E7820 was comparable in the s.c. and orthotopic transplantation models. Immunohistochemical analyses using anti-CD31 antibody showed that E7820 significantly reduced microvessel density in orthotopically implanted KP-1 tumor. E7820 reduced integrin alpha2 expression on a megakaryocytic cell line, Dami cells, induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment. It also decreased the expression level of integrin alpha2 on platelets withdrawn from mice bearing s.c. KP-1 tumor at a dosage close to that affording antitumor activity. These data demonstrate that E7820 showed a broad-spectrum antitumor effect in mice through inhibition of angiogenesis and indicate that the decrease of integrin alpha2 on platelets might serve as a biological marker for the antitumor efficacy of E7820.     

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the effects of rofecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, on rectal polyps in familial adenomatous polyposis patients.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a specific cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, rofecoxib, on rectal polyps in familial adenomatous polyposis patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy and safety of rofecoxib in the rectum. Initially, 21 patients were assigned randomly in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 25 mg rofecoxib once a day or a placebo p.o. for 9 months. Patients underwent endoscopy at the beginning of the study and then every 3 months thereafter. We reviewed the videotapes to measure the number and size of polyps in the same area throughout the study period in each individual patient. RESULTS: The polyp number, measured as the percentage of change from the baseline values, was significantly decreased in the rofecoxib group at 3, 6, and 9 months. At 9 months, the polyp number in the rofecoxib group decreased by 6.8% from the baseline values, whereas that in the placebo group increased by 3.1%. The 9.9% difference between the rofecoxib and placebo groups was statistically significant (P = 0.004). At 9 months, the rofecoxib group showed a significant reduction from the baseline in polyp size as compared with the placebo group (-16.2% versus 1.5%; P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant increase in the incidence of any adverse events in treatment with rofecoxib compared with placebo (P = 0.922). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, once-daily treatment with 25 mg rofecoxib, a cyclooxygenase 2-specific inhibitor, significantly decreased the number and size of rectal polyps in familial adenomatous polyposis patients.