Coagulation disorder as a prognostic factor for patients with colorectal perforation.

Background: Although sepsis after surgery for colorectal perforation frequently results in severe coagulation disorders and consequent death of the patient, the correlation between coagulation abnormalities and postoperative mortality of colorectal perforation has not been clarified.

Methods: The medical records of 101 consecutive patients receiving surgery for colorectal perforations between January 1994 and July 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. The abnormalities of preoperative laboratory data reflecting coagulation disorders and other possible risk factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis.

Experimental study on the protective effects of edaravone against ischemic spinal cord injury.

Objective: Reactive free radical species are thought to be involved in ischemic spinal cord injury. We investigated the effects of edaravone (Mitsubishi Pharma Co, Tokyo, Japan), a free radical scavenger, on spinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in a rabbit model. We also sought to estimate free radicals in the spinal cord using the microdialysis method.

[Primary pericardial malignant mesothelioma with incomplete endocardial cushion defect; report of a case].

Primary pericardial malignant mesothelioma is rare tumor and its prognosis is quite poor due to its late presentation and difficulty of complete resection. We describe a rare case of primary pericardial malignant mesothelioma in a 46-year-old female with incomplete endocardial cushion defect (ECD). Incidentally, we found 2 masses in the pericardial spaces after pericardiectomy.