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Objectives　In Vietnam, the number of patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been increasing in recent years in association with the country's remarkable economic growth and corresponding changes in its population's lifestyle. The purposes of this research were to identify the challenges in the prevention and control of NCDs in Vietnam and to discuss countermeasures for NCDs in Vietnam and Japan.Methods　As a 2015 Regional Public Health Overall Promotion Project, an investigation team consisting of 11 public health physicians visited Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and its vicinities from January 11, 2016 to January 15, 2016. In Hanoi and its vicinities, we visited local healthcare institutions, such as the World Health Organization(WHO) Representative Office in Vietnam and Ministry of Health of Vietnam, and discussed the prevention and control of NCDs in Vietnam and Japan.Results　According to a survey in 2014, 73% of people of all age groups in Vietnam died from NCDs and the number of people suffering from NCDs has been sharply increasing in recent years. Major behavioral risk factors are dietary risks, tobacco smoke, alcohol use, and physical inactivity. There are four main problems with prevention and control of NCDs: 1) low awareness among the people of NCDs, 2) regional disparity of medical services, 3) shortage of healthcare staff members with professional knowledge, and 4) poor NCD surveillance.　In Vietnam, an NCD program with screening methods and medical guidelines for respective diseases was developed in 2002. However, it only covered tertiary prevention and did not fully describe the primary and secondary prevention measures. Currently, with the technical assistance of the WHO, the implementation of countermeasures emphasizing prevention and control to reduce NCD risk factors has only just begun.Conclusion　It was considered that educating each person in Vietnam on NCD prevention measures would be necessary and that a national policy, like Healthy Japan 21 of Japan, and a nationwide screening project, such as specific medical checkups, could serve as a useful reference. We found that public health activities in Japan to penetrate a region mainly involving public health nurses had played important roles for Japanese people's health. Furthermore, Japan shares with Vietnam the challenges including the shortage of human resources, and therefore, the securement of healthcare staff members who confront health challenges and the enhancement of their abilities is required.

The prevalence of allergic diseases such as asthma and pollinosis is steadily increasing and seems to be associated with modern lifestyle. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that high living standards and hygienic conditions reduce exposure to microbial components, and lead to an imbalance in the immune system, especially in the Thl and Th2 system, which increases the risk for the development of allergic diseases. However, recent accumulated epidemiological evidences have demonstrated that air pollutants including diesel exhaust particulate (DEP) and NO2 are responsible for the increased prevalence of allergies. The effects of environmental chemicals have also been supported by the in vivo and in vitro studies. It is important to prevent allergy development in our life as early as possible (e.g., since our infancy).

The effect of autologous blood donation during the third trimester of pregnancy on the maternal circulation, the properties of blood collected in a phosplatebuffered citrate anticoagulant solution, and the clinical outcome of autologous blood donation and transfusion for pregnant women were investigated in this study. Thirty-four pregnant women with placenta previa or previous cesarean delivery underwent phlebotomies in an autologous transfusion program. Three hundred ml of blood was collected under the observation of fetal heart rate patterns and uterine contractions from 3 weeks prior to the planned date of cesarean section and a total of 900 ml of blood was stored. Electronic fetal monitoring tracings were all normal and changes in blood pressure and pulse rates were minimal during the blood donation. The decrease in hemoglobin after the removal of 900 ml of blood was only 0.6g/dl on average during the 3 weeks, since the concentration of erythropoietin in serum and the counts of reticlocyte increased in a few days after blood removal. But there were no significant changes in TAT levels in serum. Twelve out of 34 pregnant women received the autologous blood transfusion during or after cesarean delivery and the homologous transfusions were avoided. The results of this study suggested that autologous blood transfusion for pregnant women with a high incidence of blood loss at delivery, such as placenta previa or previous cesarean delivery was safe and advantageous in avoiding homologous blood transfusion.

A case of so-called pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle without pericardial adhesion, serially demonstrated by two-dimensional echocardiography, was reported. A 76-year-old man developed congestive heart failure 10 hours after gastrectomy, and was diagnosed as having acute myocardial infarction. Two-dimensional echocardiography on the 21st day after onset revealed moderate pericardial effusion and an echo-free space in the posterolateral myocardium of the left ventricle. The echo-free space gradually expanded exteriorly and formed an aneurysm, which remained unchanged after the resolution of the pericardial effusion. Clinical diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle was made by left ventriculography and coronary angiography. At autopsy, there was an aneurysm measuring 2.3 X 3.0 X 5.0 cm which communicated with the left ventricle via two small ostia, 5 mm each in diameter. There was a loose fibrous adhesion between the pericardium and the epicardium. The wall of the aneurysm consisted of organized fibrous tissue without any elements of the myocardium. Both myocardium and fibrous tissue were located at the junction of the left ventricular wall and the aneurysm. It is surmised that dissection of the infarcted myocardium expanded so greatly as to form an aneurysmal cavity, resulting in the formation of a so-called pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle after fibrous changes of the outer wall in the infarcted myocardium. Therefore, this aneurysm might be termed a "dissecting" aneurysm of the left ventricle. The hypothesis that a pseudoaneurysm is derived from a localized hemopericardium should be reconsidered.