Prognostic Equations and Accuracy of a Total Score of Functional Independence Measure at Discharge for Different Diseases in a Convalescent Rehabilitation Ward.

Objectives: Prognosis and goal setting from admission in the convalescent rehabilitation ward, supported by a multidisciplinary team, enhance rehabilitation and discharge support. Predicting functional independence measure (FIM) outcomes can further optimize these processes. This study aimed to develop prognostic equations for the motor FIM at discharge for stroke, hip fracture (HF), vertebral compression fractures (VCFs), and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), which are common diseases in patients admitted to convalescent rehabilitation wards, using multiple regression analysis, and to clarify the difference in the accuracy of the predicted motor FIM according to the disease.

The Outcome of Neurorehabilitation Efficacy and Management of Traumatic Brain Injury.

For public health professionals, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its possible protracted repercussions are a significant source of worry. In opposed to patient neurorehabilitation with developed brain abnormalities of different etiologies, neurorehabilitation of affected persons has several distinct features. The clinical repercussions of the various types of TBI injuries will be discussed in detail in this paper.

Risk Factors for Aspiration Pneumonia among Elderly Patients in a Community-Based Integrated Care Unit: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

We aimed to clarify the physical factors associated with the incidence of aspiration pneumonia in a community-based integrated care unit. This retrospective cohort study included 412 patients aged 65 years or older admitted to a community-based integrated care unit. A new diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia made by the attending physician based on physical examination, imaging findings, and blood test data after 48 h of admission was considered as an incidence of aspiration pneumonia.

Acute myocardial infarction in Fukushima area of Japan.

Although acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most serious coronary disease, the background of its onset and the mortality are not fully understood, especially in Japan. From June 1999 to May 2005, we mailed an annual questionnaire to eighteen hospitals in which emergency cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were available in the Fukushima area of Japan. A total of 1,590 patients were included.

The anti-atherosclerotic effects of lipid lowering with atorvastatin in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

We investigated the lipid lowering and anti-atherosclerotic effects of atorvastatin in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Thirty patients were given atorvastatin 10 mg daily, and assessed for serum lipids, intima-media thickness (IMT), and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) at the baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Remnant-like particle-cholesterol (RLP-C), lipoprotein (a)(Lp(a)), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured in some patients at the baseline and at 6 months.

Aortocoronary dissection complicated with percutaneous coronary intervention: a case report.

A 74-year-old female developed aortocoronary dissection during percutaneous coronary intervention. The forceful manipulation of the guide catheter and contrast medium injection seemed to be the cause of the aortocoronary dissection involving the coronary sinus of Valsalva. The entry of the dissection was closed with subsequent obliteration of the false lumen by coronary stenting under the guidance of intracoronary ultrasonography and angiography.

High-output heart failure caused by arteriovenous fistula long after nephrectomy.

A 70-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital because of anasarca. At 32 years of age, she had undergone nephrectomy for renal tuberculosis. A continuous abdominal bruit was heard.

Cyclic GMP production by ANP, BNP, and NO during worsening and improvement of chronic heart failure.

Cyclic GMP (cGMP) serves as an intracellular second messenger of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and nitric oxide (NO) and its peripheral blood concentration is an index of its biological activity. It has been reported that the plasma concentration of cGMP is correlated with the concentrations of ANP and BNP and is related to the prognosis of chronic heart failure patients, but the relation with NO has not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the roles of ANP, BNP, and NO in relation to cGMP in the blood during worsening and improvement of chronic heart failure.