ABSTRACT
<b><i>Abstract</i></b><br><b>Objective</b> : To investigate the causes of fever of inpatients hospitalized in the Department of General Practice at Jichi Medical University Hospital.<br><b>Methods</b> : We reviewed all medical records of the patients hospitalized in the Department of General Practice at this hospital between April 2003 and March 2004. Patients were selected as the “febrile group” by following criteria, 1) body temperature exceeded 37.5°C on admission, 2) fever and fever of unknown origin (FUO) were included in the clinical problems, and the causes of fever were described.<br><b>Results</b> : A total of 464 patients were hospitalized and 221 patients (47.6%) were categorized as the “febrile group”. The most common cause of fever was infection (67.4%), followed by malignant disease (4.1%), collagen disease (3.2%), miscellaneous diseases (10.4%). 26 patients were classified as fever of unknown origin (FUO). Among FUO patients, collagen disease was the most common cause (34.6%), and undiagnosed cases was 26.9% that was similar to past reports. Although the rates of malignant disease and collagen disease were about sixteen percent in each generation from thirties to fifties as the cause of fever, only one patient met the criteria of classical FUO.<br><b>Conclusions</b> : The most common cause of fever was infection. Systematic survey including hospitalization is needed early in case an outpatient doesn't cure fever unexpectedly. Noninfectious inflammatory diseases emerge as an important category of the causative disease of FUO.
ABSTRACT
<b>Background:</b> To date there had been no investigations using the International Classification of Primary Care, Second Edition (ICPC-2) at a clinic on an isolated island. In order to analyze health problems on the island, we investigated the reasons for visits, chronic illnesses, and the number of cases referred to other medical facilities using the ICPC-2.<br><b>Methods:</b> The study was conducted over a 12-month period, from April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007. Patient complaints/symptoms were classified according to ICPC-2, and diseases of patients who regularly visited the clinic as of November 2006 were investigated.<br><b>Results:</b> Half of the patients that regularly visited the clinic had lifestyle-related or musculoskeletal diseases. On the first visit, several patients presented with cold, musculoskeletal, or skin symptoms. The specialist care to which the patients were most frequently referred was orthopedic surgery.<br><b>Conclusion:</b> Physicians working at a clinic on an isolated island need to be able to control lifestyle-related diseases and provide initial treatment for musculoskeletal or skin diseases.
ABSTRACT
To assess the effects of short term physical training on left ventricular dimensions and function, 12 young sedentery subjects were studied with echocardiography before and after 10 weeks of endurance physical conditioning consisted of a 3000 meter running protocol 3 days a week.<BR>Exercise training led to an increase in maximal oxygen uptake (Vo<SUB>2</SUB>max: 48.3±4.4 versus 60.0±6.2ml/kg/min: p<0.001) . This functional improvement, however, was not accompanied by any significant change in resting echocardiographic measurements including left ventricular dimensions, ejection fraction and mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening.<BR>On semi-supine exercise echocardiography no significant change was revealed after 10 weeks of physical training.<BR>This study suggests that short term physical training in young subjects result in significant increase in Vo<SUB>2</SUB>max but this functional improvement is not always associated with significant alterations in left ventricular dimensions and function as observed by echocardiogram.