ABSTRACT
We examined the association of 9 types of the Constitution in Chinese Medicine and body mass index (BMI) and/or the energy intake, which are considered to relate with lifestyle diseases. We obtained data on the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire, height, weight, a Food Frequency Questionnaire, age, and exercise habits from 729 subjects through the Internet. We performed multiple comparison tests on the BMIs, the energy intake or the adjusted energy intake for age, height, weight, and exercise habits between types of the Constitution in Chinese Medicine. In women, the BMIs were not significantly different between personality types of the Constitution in Chinese Medicine. In men, the BMI of the yang-deficiency group was significantly lower than the ones of the gentleness, qi-deficiency, or phlegm-dampness groups (p = 0.0098, 0.029, or 0.040, respectively). No significant relationship was found between energy intake or adjusted energy intake and types of the Constitution in Chinese Medicine in men or women. Further studies are required to determine whether the Constitution in Chinese Medicine are useful for reducing risk factors for lifestyle diseases.
ABSTRACT
In this study, we proposed an approach to interpret the classification of body constitution based on the Japanese Version of Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ-J) in terms of an augmented questionnaire combining seven independent questionnaires. The augmented questionnaire consists of 254 questions in terms of seven categories of attributes, which are the (i) basic information (BI), (ii) disease (DI), (iii) social factors (SO), (iv) mental factors (ME), (v) dietary habits (DH), (vi) sleeping state (SL), and (vii) sub-health (SH). The partial least square (PLS) regression has been adopted to model the correlations between the scores of body constitutions and the questions, and their results show that the body constitution can be represented by the linear combination of the questions substantially (correlation coefficients between the true and predicted constitutions are all above 0.7). Moreover, by using the crowdsourcing technique in data collection, a total of 851 samples (350 males and 501 females between 20 and 85 years old) samples with diverse geographical backgrounds in Japan have been collected, from which new medical implications have been extracted through the discussion in a Traditional Chinese Medicine standpoint. This study serves as a crucial step for validating the philosophy of ancient Chinese medicine by the state-of-the-art information science techniques and facilitating the use of the CCMQ-J in public healthcare.
ABSTRACT
Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ-J) consists of sixty independent questionnaires and 9 physical constitutions called subscales. One type is balanced constitution (i.e., gentleness), and the following eight types represent unbalanced constitution: Qi-deficiency constitution, Yang-deficiency constitution, Yin-deficiency constitution, Phlegm-dampness constitution, Damp-heat constitution, Stagnant Blood constitution, Stagnant Qi constitution, and Inherited Special constitution. In this study, we proposed to determine optimal number of groups in 851 participants recruited from crowdsourcing answered CCMQ-J questionnaire consisting of 60 questions. In the present study, we applied k-means clustering with gap statistics to the questionnaire data and the number of optimal groups was estimated by five. The five groups are mainly characterized by 3 subscales in CCMQ-J, i.e. (i) two subscales corresponding to Yang-deficiency and Qi-depress, (ii) three subscales corresponding to gentleness, Yang-deficiency and Qi-depress (iii) Yang-deficiency, (iv) gentleness, and (v) Qi-depress. In the crowdsourcing survey, two subscales, Yang-deficient and Qi-depress are the most frequently occurred in current Japanese people.
ABSTRACT
The effect of lemon slices, as well as ascorbic and citric acid impregnated paper discs, on the growth of ten non-typhoidal Salmonella, six <I>Citrobacter freundii</I> and four <I>Proteus mirabilis</I> species on Desoxycholate Hydrogen Sulfide Lactose (DHL) agar were examined in comparison to controls without fruit slices or paper discs applied. After 24 h incubation, thick black rings were observed around fruit slices and impregnated discs growing on non-typhoidal <I>Salmonella</I> serovars and not around the other species. We named this the “MY Phenomenon”. We propose that the phenomenon can be used as a rapid, simple and inexpensive screening test that distinguishes non-typhoidal <I>Salmonella</I> species from other enterobacteriaceae in stool samples.
ABSTRACT
There are many published studies on postoperative deep venous thrombosis (DVT) which can develop after hip joint arthroplasty, but very few reports are available on the incidence of thigh DVT following or thopedic treatment of transcervical fractures. In this study, therefore, we tried to find out a screening method just right for the early detection of clots that develop in the deep femoral veins after treatment of the feactures in the neck of femurs. Between March and September 1999, a total of 24 patients were operated on for fractures on the cervix of thighbone in our hospital. Of the total, 19 were recruited for this study. The five cases were excluded because some of them were on medication that could affect the coagulation/ fibrinogenolysis factors and some were under management of other departments. After surgery, a series of blood biochemical tests were performed, and changes in the partial pressure of arterial blood oxygen and D-dimer (??) level were examined with the passage of time. In the cases which were suspected to have thrombosis in the veins in the lower extremities by ultrasonography performed six to 18 days after surgery, definitive diagnosis was made by the aid of venography. DVT was found in three in the 19 cases. Routine blood biochemical tests and measurements of oxygen partial pressure in the artery were not so much helpful as were expected in the early detection of thrombosis, whereas measurements of D-dimer levels were considered useful because the levels were well over 20μg/ml one week after surgery in the positive-DVT cases.
ABSTRACT
A 67-year-old man receiving treatment for choledocholithiasis was found to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm on CT. The maximum diameter of the aneurysm was 60mm, and the isthmus of a horseshoe kidney was also observed. A total of four renal arteries, two each on the right and left sides, was detected by angiography and helical CT. Two of four arteries bifurcated from the aneurysm. Laparotomy confirmed the presence of a fifth renal artery, which extended from the left common iliac artery to the isthmus. It was not difficult to free the isthmus from the aneurysm. A Y-shaped prosthesis was placed between the normal portion of the aorta and the common iliac arteries without severing the isthmus. The left renal artery arose from the aneurysm and was reconstructed with 6mm knitted Dacron. The right renal artery, which was located below the isthmus, was ligated. The absence of postoperative renal dysfunction confirmed the patency of the reconstructed renal artery. Eleven such cases have been reported in Japan, including the present case. In 5 cases, renal artery reconstruction was performed, and the isthmus was preserved in 8 cases. However, the sites of renal artery bifurcation were correctly detected preoperatively in only 3 of these patients. It appears that accurate preoperative imaging is very important, along with renal artery reconstruction.
ABSTRACT
A 16-year-old girl with aortitis syndrome under treatment with a low dose of prednisolone was admitted because of severe headache and intermittent claudication. Angiography revealed diffuse stenosis of the thoracoabdominal aorta and the bilateral renal arteries. Extra-anatomical bypass grafting from the ascending to the abdominal aorta was first made with a 14mm woven Dacron graft through a midline sternolaparotomy. Bilateral renal arteries were difficult to dissect due to periarterial adhesion. Bypass grafting for the left renal artery could be performed with a 5mm external velour wrap-knit Dacron graft (Sauvage, Bionit); however, the right renal artery was so thin that bypass was made with a 4mm EPTFE graft which was demonstrated to be occluded by follow-up angiography 3 years after surgery. The postoperative course has been uneventful and she has been free from symptoms up to now. The good long-term function of the bypass graft from the ascending aorta holds promise for diffuse coarctation of the thoracoabdominal aorta due to aortitis syndrome.
ABSTRACT
Ulcer developed on the left leg of a 47-year-old man, in 1989, and phlebography showed deep vein thrombosis extending from the politeal to the common femoral vein. Subfascial ligation of the perforators achieved healing of the ulcers. In November 1991, at the age of 52 years the patient noticed a pulsatile mass on the right side of his neck. CT scanning showed a carotid artery aneurysm 4cm in diameter. Angiography indicated that the aneurysm was located at the bifurcation of the carotid artery. In February 1992, reconstructive surgery was performed with a Dacron graft, but an anterile abscess developed around the graft. In September 1992, the graft was removed and the carotid artery was ligated. Only seven cases of carotid aneurysm associated with Behçet's disease have previously been reported in Japan. Five of them underwent reconstructive surgery and two of them underwent carotid ligation due to complications. Because of the clinical course of Behçet's disease, carotid aneurysmectomy without reconstructive surgery may be the procedure of choice.