[Initial clinical experience of early cardiac rehabilitation for very elderly patients over 85 years old following open heart surgery].

In this study, we evaluated the initial clinical experience of early cardiac rehabilitation( CR) for very elderly patients over 85 years old after open heart surgery. From September 2007 to January 2011, 7 consecutive patients (85~90 years, mean 85.9 years, male:female=4:3) who underwent cardiac surgery in our institute were selected.

Effects of Yokukansan on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in regular treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Yokukansan (YKS) is used frequently against behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) together with donepezil in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we investigated the efficacy and safety of YKS in patients with AD in a non-blinded, randomized, parallel-group comparison study. Patients who had at least one symptom score of four or more on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) subscales were enrolled in the study.

[A case of portal-systemic shunt-through inferior mesenteric vein and right internal iliac vein-encephalopathy cured by balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration].

We encountered a case of portal-systemic shunt encephalopathy cured by balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO). A 73-year-old man had been observed for membranous nephropathy at our hospital since 1987. There was no past history of liver dysfunction.

The level of fasting serum insulin, but not adiponectin, is associated with the prognosis of early stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

Impaired glucose tolerance influences the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but this mechanism is still not fully understood. We investigated the impact of the fasting serum levels of insulin and adiponectin on the prognosis of HCC and its recurrence. One hundred and forty patients with newly diagnosed HCC were enrolled in the prognosis study.

The significance of enzyme immunoassay for the assessment of hepatitis B virus core-related antigen following liver transplantation.

Purpose: Recently, a new enzyme immunoassay for the detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) core-related antigen (HBcrAg) has been reported. In this study, we proposed to account for feasibility of HBcrAg assay, and discuss the dynamics of HBV seen in patients following HBV-related living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

Methods And Results: This study involved 12 patients; 11 patients had positive serum HBcrAg, and 6 patients had negative HBV-DNA.

Portal hypertensive gastropathy with portal thrombosis successfully treated with partial splenic embolization.

A 60-year-old man with alcoholic liver cirrhosis was admitted to our hospital with severe anemia and tarry stool. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed grade 4 esophageal varices without bleeding and severe portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) of the fornix of the stomach with oozing. These findings suggested that PHG was the cause of progression of anemia.

Significance of trans-hepatic arterial chemotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus.

Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is observed in a considerable number of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases. It is an exacerbating factor for patients afflicted with HCC. The sequelae of PVTT are considered to be a contraindication for the treatment of HCC in such patients.

A high glucose condition sensitizes human hepatocytes to hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death.

Oxidative stress is known to play a key role in the progression of liver disease, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is often accompanied by hyperglycemia. This study examined the influence of high glucose on oxidative stress-induced hepatic cell death. Hc cells, a normal human hepatocyte-derived cell line, were cultured in normal-to-high glucose (5.

Role of growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1 and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 in development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background And Aims: Pituitary dysfunction including growth hormone (GH) deficiency may be associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Since the relationships among GH, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and development of NAFLD without hypopituitarism are unclear, we examined the role of these hormones in the development of NAFLD based on clinical, laboratory and liver histology data.

Patients And Methods: A total of 55 consecutive patients (20 males and 35 females) with NAFLD.

Association between liver fibrosis and insulin sensitivity in chronic hepatitis C patients.

Background: Several clinical studies have suggested a possible link between chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the development of diabetes mellitus. We investigated the association between liver fibrosis and glucose intolerance in HCV-infected patients by measuring insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function.

Method: A total of 83 chronic HCV-infected patients were recruited into this study.

Aging of patients with hepatitis C virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma: long-term trends in Japan.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan has been increasing. The aim of the present study was to analyze epidemiological changes in Japanese HCC patients. A total of 463 patients with HCC diagnosed at our hospital between 1982 and 2001 were recruited for this study.

The impact of newer treatment modalities on survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. However, although the therapeutic approaches for HCC have progressed rapidly, it remains unknown whether the current management of patients with HCC has reduced its mortality. We analyzed changes of survival rate in patients with HCC over a 20-year period.