Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N Kawakami

Publications and source records attributed to N Kawakami.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Aspergillus brain abscess in a patient with normal immunity--case report.

A 53-year-old male with normal immunity presented with Aspergillus brain abscess manifesting as frontal headache. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hypointense lesion in the left frontal lobe extending into the right frontal lobe. The hypointense appearance on T2-weighted images appears to be characteristic of aspergillosis. Bifrontal craniotomy exposed an elastic-hard mass in the base of the left frontal lobe extending into the right frontal lobe, and into the left ethmoid sinus. The mass contained a cavity with white fluid. The abscess was removed almost totally. The histological diagnosis was Aspergillus abscess. Antibiotic treatment with amphotericin B and fluconazole was given for 2 months postoperatively. No recurrence was identified during 15-month follow-up.

Amphotericin B↗
PubMed1994

Scoliosis secondary to rib resection.

The case histories of 11 patients (five adults and six children) who presented with scoliosis after multiple rib resection for several disorders were reviewed. All 11 cases developed scoliosis with the convexity directed toward the side of the rib resection. The natural history of the scoliosis was progressive, and the younger the age at the time of rib resection, the more severe the progression. The rate of progression was greatest during the first 10 years after rib resection. The five patients who presented as adults were treated in several ways, only one requiring spine fusion. However, five of the six children required spine fusion to prevent progression of scoliosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Failures of lumbar epidural analgesia caused by transforaminal passage of an epidural catheter in two cases].

In one case, analgesia level obtained with a 20 ml of 1.5% mepivacaine was unilateral and inadequate. In the other case, an epidural catheter was inserted after a 20 ml of 2% mepivacaine was injected through a Tuohy needle. Toxicity by local anesthetic was induced by an overdose of local anesthetic through the catheter. In both cases, transforaminal passage of a catheter was confirmed by epidurogram with iohexol. If an epidural catheter is advanced beyond 5 cm into the epidural space, it may migrate outwards through the intervertebral foramen. Therefore, the insertion of an epidural catheter should be limited to 3-4 cm.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Factors related to demand for cancer mass screening].

The demand for cancer mass screening was studied by a survey conducted in a city of Gifu Prefecture using a mailed self-administered questionnaire. Subjects (n = 300) were randomly selected by age groups from among residents aged 40 years or over, and the response rate was 65.1% (n = 192). Eight subjects were excluded from analysis because of missing data. The demand for mass screening was much lower in both sexes in the age groups 70 years old or over (stomach: 51.6%, lung: 45.2%, colon: 41.9%) than in younger age groups (stomach: 85.8%, lung: 77.8%, colon: 80.8%). Demand level of housewives and persons without regular occupation were lower than those in other occupational groups. Persons with prior experience of receiving screening at their work-site had higher demand for screening than others. A multivariate analysis of screening for stomach cancer showed that prior experience of screening is the most important factor predicting demand for the next screening.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Relations of work stress to alcohol use and drinking problems in male and female employees of a computer factory in Japan.

To examine the effects of work stressors on alcohol use and drinking problems as well as a model of stress-induced drinking in Japanese male and female workers, a total of 2581 employees of a computer factory were surveyed using mailed questionnaires. Five psychosocial work stressors, overtime, rotating shift, frequency of drinking, amount of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion, and drinking problems, and depressive symptoms were assessed. The hierarchical linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted in 1043 male and 255 female current drinkers aged 20 years or older. The results suggested that overtime and lack of intrinsic work rewards are main factors for heavy and problem drinking in Japanese male workers and that ambiguity about job future is a factor for heavy drinking in Japanese female workers. However, the model of stress-induced drinking was supported neither in males nor in females, suggesting that the effects of these work stressors on heavy and problem drinking are not mediated by depressive symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Work stress in Japanese computer engineers: effects of computer work or bioeducational factors.

To examine whether computer work and bioeducational factors (age and school career) have significant effects on work stress in computer engineers in Japan, we administered a stress questionnaire to 764 male computer engineers and 211 male office workers in a computer-manufacturing factory in Tokyo. Four scales of perceived psychological stress at work examined were work overload, poor human relationships at work, unsuitable job, and competition-dismissal anxiety. The results of the three-way analysis of variance, in which age (20-29, 30-39, and 40-49 years), school career (high school and university graduates), and computer work (computer engineers and office workers) were three variation factors, indicated that: (1) there were no significant differences in all scores of work stress between computer engineers and office workers (P > 0.05); (2) scores for unsuitable job and poor human relationships at work were significantly higher in high school graduates than in university graduates (P < 0.05); and (3) there were significant age differences in scores for three scales of work stress (unsuitable job, competition-dismissal anxiety, and work overload: P < 0.001, P < 0.01, and P < 0.05, respectively). These findings suggest that computer work has no significant effect on perceived work stress in computer engineers; on the other hand, age and school career do have effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The increased signal intensity at the vertebral body endplates after chemonucleolysis demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging.

Changes in signal intensity observed by magnetic resonance imaging in the contiguous end plates of injected discs after chemonucleolysis over a period of 2 years in 28 patients were evaluated. These changes appeared to be of two types; a transiently increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images, and a progressively increased signal intensity on T1-weighted images with isointense or hyperintense signal on T2-weighted images. The former appeared within three months and disappeared within 2 years. This change was observed in six patients (21%), whose mean age was higher than that of the other patients. This change correlated with the preinjection state of the affected disc. The latter appeared after 2 years and was accompanied by sclerotic changes on roentgenograms. These changes were observed in five patients (18%). The discs, of which the contiguous end plates showed these changes, did not recover the decreased nuclear signal intensity in four patients. These changes are considered to be a sign of degenerative spondylosis in the treated segment.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Formation of a hydroxyl radical by the myeloperoxidase-NADH-oxygen system.

When phenylalanine was incubated with myeloperoxidase (MPO) and NADH in citrate buffer (pH 4.5), o-, m-, and p-tyrosines were identified as hydroxylated products. Tyrosine formation was dependent on the reaction time and MPO concentration. No significant quantities of tyrosines were formed on if MPO was omitted and inactivated MPO was added instead of active MPO. The tyrosine formation by the MPO-NADH system was greatly reduced under anaerobic conditions, and significantly inhibited by hydroxyl radical scavengers. Superoxide dismutase was a potent inhibitor, but catalase was less effective. Even though the superoxide radical (O2-)-producing ability of the MPO-NADH system was about 29% of that of the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase system, under the experimental conditions employed, the rate of tyrosine formation from phenylalanine by two systems was found to be a similar. The above results suggest that the formation of a hydroxyl radical (OH.) may occur in the MPO-NADH system under aerobic conditions and a superoxide radical may be involved in the OH. formation, with MPO promoting the OH. formation from O2-.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1993

[Health care of work stress: a review].

In order to clarify the health effects of work stress and possible strategy for its prevention and treatment, we reviewed the literature on work stress as follows: 1) Review was made on 12 major psychosocial work stressors, 4 acute reactions to stress, disease outcome of work stress, measurement methods of those variables, and theoretical models of work stress. 2) Epidemiological studies of the effects of work stressors on cardiovascular diseases, psychological distress and mental disorders in Japan were reviewed. Also, work stress in specific occupations such as software engineers, nurses and female researchers was reviewed. 3) The following strategies for the prevention and treatment of the health effects of work stress were reviewed: i) surveillance of work stress, ii) improvement of psychosocial work environment, iii) education and information dissemination, and iv) reinforcement of occupational mental health services. Finally, the need for further investigation on the health effects of work stress and on the possible programs for the prevention and treatment in occupational health care system was discussed.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1993

Increasing trends in mortality rate of aortic aneurysms in Japan, 1955-90.

To know the characteristics of mortality from aortic aneurysms in Japan, the age-adjusted and age-specific mortality rates of the diseases were calculated based on the Vital Statistics of Japan published from the Statistics and Information Department, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Health and Welfare. The overall age-adjusted mortality rate increased 24.8-fold from 0.43 to 10.98 per 100,000 for males, and 18.6-fold from 0.23 to 4.54 per 100,000 for females from 1955-90. The most common type was abdominal aortic aneurysms followed by dissecting and thoracic aortic aneurysms. The mortality rates of dissecting and thoracic aortic aneurysms increased greater than that of abdominal aortic aneurysms. The mortality rate of dissecting aneurysms was higher than that of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms in age groups of 64 years or under. The mortality rate of abdominal aortic aneurysms was the most common in age groups of 65 years or over.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

New transducers for intraoperative spinal sonography. Technical note.

Although ultrasonography during spinal cord surgery has been widely accepted, it still has limitations in clinical application because of the size of the transducers needed and the immersion method. The authors report on newly designed microprobe transducers used to evaluate intramedullary spinal cord lesions and to monitor surgical procedures. This microprobe system permitted the microscopic use of intraoperative ultrasonography without requiring saline immersion.

Female↗