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In Japan, eosinophilic inflammations of upper airway, eosinophilic otitis media(EOM) and eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis(ECRS), have been paid attention as intractable disease in recent years. The most common characteristic of EOM is the presence of highly viscous middle ear effusion enriched eosinophils, and EOM carries a high risk of hearing loss. That of ECRS is the nasal polyps with eosinophil dominant infiltration, and ECRS has a high risk of impairment of smell. In the case of the treatment of bronchial asthma, it is necessary to be careful for nasal symp- toms and aural symptoms, since EOM and ECRS were associated with bronchial asthma at high rates.

In Japan, although oral oxycodone is widely used for cancer pain treatment, there is no injection preparation of oxycodone used as a single ingredient. Only the compound injection of oxycodone and hydrocotarnine has received approval. Subcutaneous administration of the drug is approved, but there are few efficacy and safety reports about its intravenous administration. We compared 245 patients(187 intravenous administration patients and, 58 subcutaneous administration patients)to whom the compound injection of oxycodone and hydrocotarnine was administered from April, 2008 to September, 2011, in order to investigate the drug's efficacy and safety. The reasons for injection were the impossibility of oral administration in 105 patients, a need for dose adjustment in 56 patients, and that other drugs were not as effective in 37 patients, and side effect reduction in 33 patients. The average change in the numeric rating scale(0-10)was 3. 7→1. 8 in intravenous administration, and 3. 4→1. 2 in subcutaneous administration. The incidence of main adverse events(intravenous administration/subcutaneous administration)were constipation(37%/28%), vomiting(31%/34%), and somnolence(52%/50%). There was no significant difference in efficacy and safety. The conversion ratio differed in a case due to a change, and about 20 to 40% of addition was needed within four days after the start. It is considered that compound injection of oxycodone and hydrocotarnine is effective for cancer pain treatment.

Participation in screening mammography is currently desired in Japan because of the increase in breast cancer morbidity. However, the pain and discomfort of mammography is recognized as a significant deterrent for women considering this examination. Thus quick procedures, sufficient experience, and advanced skills are required for radiologic technologists. The aim of this study was to make the point of imaging techniques explicit and to help understand the complicated procedure. We interviewed 3 technologists who were highly skilled in mammography, and 14 factors were retrieved by using brainstorming and the KJ method. We then applied Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to the factors and developed a hierarchical concept structure. The result showed a six-layer hierarchy whose top node was explanation of the entire procedure on mammography. Male technologists were related to as a negative factor. Factors concerned with explanation were at the upper node. We gave attention to X-ray techniques and considerations. The findings will help beginners improve their skills.

Sixty-seven breast cancer patients with malignant pleural effusions underwent their first thoracentesis between 1980 and 1990 at 13 institutes in Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures. They received various intracavitary treatments including OK-432 and cultured effusion lymphocytes (n = 29, group A), OK-432 alone (n = 12), chemotherapeutic agents alone (n = 9), OK-432 and chemotherapy (n = 16) or other (n = 1, lentinan and tetracycline) therapy. Response rate and median survival time were 90%, 12 months for group A, respectively and 40% and 3 months for other treatments (group B, n = 38), resulting in significant differences. Multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazard model showed that the immunotherapy using cultured lymphocytes was the most important factor prolonging survival among several significant prognostic factors such as concomitant liver metastasis, disease-free period and laterality of effusion.

A photo-optical observation on gallbladder motility was made with the 16 mm cine-cholangiography. The subjects studied were thirty two mongrel dogs. The gallbladder was exposed by a short upper midline abdominal incision under pentothal anesthesia. Gallbladder bile was aspirated and contrast medium was given into the bladder, through a transhepatic route. The cine-cholangiography was done by an image intensifier at a speed of one frame every 2 to 4 seconds. The cinefilms taken were observed repeatedly by the screen projection at various speeds. The drawings were made by tracing the outline of the image of the gallbladder on each frame and were overlapped. Moreover, a contraction curve was made by the cholecystometry using of film motion analyzer in every case. At the same time bile flow into the duodenum was recorded to study a relationship between the gallbladder contraction and motility of the terminal common bile duct. The results obtained are as follows: 1. In a resting state any contraction of the gallbladder was not seen during 30 minutes, and a peristalsis-like movements of the neck portion was observed. However, there was not a relationship between the contraction curve of the gallbladder and the bile flow into the duodenum. 2. Immediately after giving Caerulein, the contrast medium injected into the gallbladder was rapidly discharged into the common bile duct by a peristalsis-like movement of the neck. The size of the gallbladder was markedly decreased into three fifths of the initial state three minutes after administration. At the same time contrast medium was continuously discharged into the duodenum. 3. After giving pilocarpine a marked contraction with forceful movement of the neck and body was observed, and the size of the gallbladder was decreased into three quarters ot the initial state. Bile discharge into the duodenum was markedly increased with an active open- and closing movement of the terminal common bile duct.