Discovery of a patient with strongly suspected bullous pemphigoid in a ward by oral health care providers.

OBJECTIVES: Oral health care providers may discover systemic diseases incidentally from signs observed in the oral cavity. Here, we report a case in which oral health care providers in a hospital discovered a patient with strongly suspected bullous pemphigoid (BP), which is a relatively rare but important disease, in a ward. METHODS: The patient was a 78-year-old Japanese woman admitted to our hospital because of severe Alzheimer's disease. We discovered recurrent ulcers in the oral mucosa and skin when performing oral care in her ward. Biopsy could not be performed safely because of involuntary biting. We performed blood tests for anti-BP180-NC16a antibody, which is autoantibody specific for BP. RESULTS: The patient had a very high anti-BP180-NC16a antibody titre. We consulted a dermatologist regarding her clinical course and the clinical features of the oral mucosa and skin along with blood test results. BP was very strongly suspected. DISCUSSION: In cases in which oral health care providers suspect their patients may have BP, appropriate examination and provision of information to the doctor are important. Oral health care providers should have knowledge about systemic diseases, the signs of which appear in oral cavity to avoid missing important systemic diseases.

Ferrous polycrystalline shape-memory alloy showing huge superelasticity.

Shape-memory alloys, such as Ni-Ti and Cu-Zn-Al, show a large reversible strain of more than several percent due to superelasticity. In particular, the Ni-Ti-based alloy, which exhibits some ductility and excellent superelastic strain, is the only superelastic material available for practical applications at present. We herein describe a ferrous polycrystalline, high-strength, shape-memory alloy exhibiting a superelastic strain of more than 13%, with a tensile strength above 1 gigapascal, which is almost twice the maximum superelastic strain obtained in the Ni-Ti alloys. Furthermore, this ferrous alloy has a very large damping capacity and exhibits a large reversible change in magnetization during loading and unloading. This ferrous shape-memory alloy has great potential as a high-damping and sensor material.

Psychological effect of the Nagasaki atomic bombing on survivors after half a century.

In 1997 a mental health survey using a 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) and an interview survey of an atomic bombing experience were conducted in survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bombing. Overall psychological distress measured on the basis of the GHQ-30 was greater in the atomic bombing survivors than in the controls. As for the contents of psychological distress, those concerning emotion such as anxiety and depression were milder in survivors than in the controls, but those related to social activities such as apathy, disturbance of human relations, loss of enjoyment of living were more severe. Furthermore, recurring and distressing recollection of the experience of the atomic bombing, suspicion over the relationship between the atomic bombing and an unhealthy physical condition, and the experience of witnessing death or severe injury of close relatives due to the atomic bombing were significantly related to the degree of psychological distress of the survivors.