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These data show that the infusion of ANP has cardioprotective effects on myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion in this model. These beneficial effects are probably due to direct effects through cGMP rather than haemodynamic changes.

Clinical diagnosis of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) is sometimes difficult, and obtaining an accurate assessment of trends concerning the prevalence of IFIs is a challenge. The aim of this study was to determine trends in the prevalence of IFIs from an autopsy survey. The retrospective review of autopsy records stored in Toho University was performed on all documented cases with fungal infection from 1955 to 2006. A total of 411 cases of IFIs were detected among 10 297 autopsies. The prevalence of candidiasis decreased from 3.6% (1981-93) to 2.0% (1994-2006), and that of aspergillosis increased throughout the 52-year period and reached 2.0% (1994-2006). The prevalence of IFIs in the patient group comprising haematological disorders was significantly higher (19.9%) than in other patient groups (2.9%), of which the odds ratio was 18.4 for mucormycosis and 10.0 for aspergillosis. The lung was the most common organ involved irrespective of major fungal species, and most cases with candidiasis showed multiple-organ infection. Results confirmed the increasing prevalence of aspergillosis and high risk of IFIs in the patient group with haematological disorders. IFIs were also detected in an immunocompromised state caused not only by primary disease but also by treatment with anti-tumour drugs and corticosteroids.

We investigated whether fatigue of the expiratory muscle, that is, the abdominal muscle, may account for a change in the respiratory effort sensation in normal subjects during expiratory threshold loading. The respiratory effort sensation was scored using a modified Borg scale. Expiratory muscle fatigue was assessed both from changes in the maximal static expiratory pressure and in the centroid frequency (fc) of the abdominal muscle electromyogram (EMG). Expiratory threshold loading (magnitude of threshold; 40 to 60% of the maximal expiratory pressure at FRC, breathing frequency = 15/min, and duty cycle = 0.5) was continued until exhaustion or for 30 min. Loading was repeated following a 15-min recovery period after the end of the first expiratory loading. The maximal static expiratory pressure during loading (Pmmax) decreased initially and then remained decreased. Decreases were smaller with the 40% load (22 +/- 6%, SEM) than with the 60% load (37 +/- 3%) (p less than 0.05). The decrease during the second run of the 60% load was greater than during the first (p less than 0.01 by ANOVA). The maximal expiratory pressure at TLC before the second run of the 60% load was decreased by 9 +/- 3% compared with the control (p less than 0.02) but that with the 40% load was not. The fc with the 60% load decreased initially by 8 +/- 1% and then remained constant, although no change was observed with the 40% load.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

We report a case of adenomyoma in the small intestine, which is an extremely rare entity. An 81-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a history of three episodes of vomiting accompanied by abdominal pain. Upper gastrointestinal examination via a long tube found intestinal obstruction caused by a tumor of the small intestine. Laparotomy revealed a hard mass, 160 cm distal to the Treitz ligament. Pathological examinations of the resected tumor confirmed a diagnosis of adenomyoma originating in the small intestine. To our knowledge, this is only the second report of an adenomyoma of small intestine causing intestinal obstruction in an adult.