Bacterial contamination upon the opening of injection needles.

Introduction: Two opening methods are used for injection needle products: the "peel-apart method" where the adhesive surface of the packaging mount is peeled off, and the "push-off top method," where the needle hub is pressed against the mount to break it. However, the risks of bacterial contamination as a result of opening method remain unknown. The aim of our study was to evaluate the bacterial contamination of needle hubs upon the opening of injection needles by the peel-apart or push-off top method under various conditions.

Visual/emotional stimuli and treatment with antidepressants alter Numerical Rating Scale score in patients with chronic pain.

Study Objective: To examine the impact of visual stimulation (exciting red and tranquilizing green) on the score of the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) questionnaire in patients with chronic pain.

Design: Prospective randomized study.

Setting: Outpatient pain clinic of a university hospital.

[Anesthetic management of posterior lumbar spinal fusion in a patient suspected of having acute exacerbation of chronic interstitial pneumonia].

A patient complicated with interstitial pneumonia required emergency posterior lumbar spinal fusion. The blood gas analysis showed relatively benign values (PaO2 81 torr, PaCO2 44 torr, under room air), but the honeycombing lungs were noted in the bilateral lung fields on CT, and the KL-6 level was high (1,000 U x ml(-1)), for which the acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia was suspected. Sivelestat sodium administration was initiated during the surgery and continued postoperatively.

Re-evaluation of lipiodolized transarterial chemoembolization therapy for intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative liver resection.

Background/purpose: While lipiodolized transarterial chemoembolization (lip-TACE) is effective for treating unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its effect for treating recurrent HCC after curative liver resection needs to be clarified.

Methods: Of 163 patients who had undergone curative liver resection between 1992 and December 2003, 65 patients (39.8%) had recurrent HCC in the liver without extrahepatic recurrence and were indicated for lip-TACE.

Significance of the serum level of soluble E-cadherin in patients with HCC.

Background/aims: E-cadherin (E-cad) is a type of adhesion molecule, and recent studies have demonstrated a correlation between its expression in tumor lesions and the recurrence of HCC. Serum levels of soluble E-cad are significantly elevated in patients with several types of cancer. The authors evaluated the significance of the serum level of soluble E-cad as a predictor of early recurrences (intrahepatic or extrahepatic metastasis) of HCC after a curative resection.