Background/Aims: Most patients with dementia suffer from dysphagia in the terminal stage of the disease. In Japan, most elderly patients with dysphagia receive either tube feeding or total parenteral nutrition. Methods: In this study, we investigated the factors determining longer survival with artificial nutrition. Various clinical characteristics of 168 inpatients receiving artificial nutrition without oral intake in psychiatric hospitals in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, were evaluated. Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the duration of artificial nutrition was associated with a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube, diagnosis of mental disorder, low MMSE score, and absence of decubitus. Conclusion: Patients with mental disorders survived longer than those with dementia diseases on artificial nutrition. A PEG tube and good nutrition seem to be important for long-term survival.

Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (dynamic MRI) was used to examine the synovial membrane in the knee joints of 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in order to investigate the relationship between pathological and MRI findings. Signal intensities in the regions of interest (ROI), identified as the synovial membrane of the suprapatellar pouch, were measured on MR images. Signal intensities at various times after the injection of contrast medium Gd-diethylenetriaminopentoacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) were normalized relative to the signal intensity at 80 s, and designated as the normalized signal intensity (NSI). Pathological findings were quantified, and the types of inflamed synovial membrane were classified as either acute or chronic. A significant difference in NSI was observed between acute and chronic types (P < 0.05). Dynamic MRI was capable of classifying acute and chronic RA by measuring NSI 20 s after contrast medium injection. Dynamic MRI was therefore shown to be useful for assessing regional synovial inflammation.

Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (dynamic MRI) was used to examine the synovial membrane in the knee joints of 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in order to investigate the relationship between pathological and MRI findings. Signal intensities in the regions of interest (ROI), identified as the synovial membrane of the suprapatellar pouch, were measured on MR images. Signal intensities at various times after the injection of contrast medium Gd-diethylenetriaminopentoacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) were normalized relative to the signal intensity at 80 s, and designated as the normalized signal intensity (NSI). Pathological findings were quantified, and the types of inflamed synovial membrane were classified as either acute or chronic. A significant difference in NSI was observed between acute and chronic types (P Ͻ 0.05). Dynamic MRI was capable of classifying acute and chronic RA by measuring NSI 20 s after contrast medium injection. Dynamic MRI was therefore shown to be useful for assessing regional synovial inflammation.