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Colonic diverticular bleeding often recurs and requires hospital readmission. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the rate of readmission and the number of hospitalizations due to colonic diverticular bleeding. We retrospectively studied 98 patients first admitted between January 2008 and July 2017 for the treatment of colonic diverticular bleeding. We investigated the subsequent number of hospitalizations due to colonic diverticular bleeding and classified the patients into 3 groups:those admitted for the first time (first group), those admitted for the second time (second group), and those admitted for the third time or later (third group). Generally, the readmission rate increased as the number of hospitalizations increased (P<0.01). The 1-year readmission rates were 11.6%, 23.2%, and 34.2% in the first, second, and third groups, respectively. The 2-year readmission rates were 15.1%, 50.1%, and 62.4% in the first, second, and third groups, respectively. The 3-year readmission rates were 21.7%, 50.1%, and 74.9% in the first, second, and third groups, respectively. Thus, the number of hospitalizations due to colonic diverticular bleeding could be a predictive factor for readmission. We also classified the patients into 2 additional groups:those who had been readmitted (readmission group) and those who had not (no readmission group). Furthermore, we examined background and therapeutic factors, and found hypovolemic shock on admission to be an independent risk factor (odds ratio 14.1). Preventive treatments for such high-risk patients should be considered.

We compared the efficacy and safety of cilostazol and aspirin in 2,672 Japanese patients with non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke. The patients were randomized to be allocated either on cilostazol (200 mg/day) group or aspirin (81 mg/day) group, and were followed up for one to five years (average 29 months). The primary endpoint was any stroke, and safety endpoint was hemorrhagic stroke or hemorrhage requiring hospitalization. Annual incidence of stroke was significantly lower in the cilostazol group (2.76%) than in the aspirin group (3.71%) (relative risk reduction [RRR] 25.7%, p=0.0357) and annual incidence of hemorrhagic stroke or hemorrhage requiring hospitalization was 0.77% in the cilostazol group and 1.77% in the aspirin group (RRR 54.2%, p=0.0004). The sub-analyses between subtypes of ischemic stroke showed that annual incidence of hemorrhagic stroke was much lower in the cilostazol group (0.36%) than in the aspirin group (1.20%) among patients with lacunar stroke (p=0.003). The results suggest that cilostazol has a favorable risk-benefit profile alternative to aspirin for secondary stroke prevention in patients with non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke, particularly in patients with lacunar stroke, who are at high risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

We encountered lower gastrointestinal bleeding in 16 patients taking a low dose of aspirin and examined the effect of low aspirin dose on the stool occult blood test in 49 thrombotic patients (mean: 76.7 +/- 9.6 years old) including 39 with cerebral infarction, 8 with ischemic heart disease and 2 with atrial fibrillation. The mean aspirin dosage was 81 mg/day over a period of 6-288 weeks (mean: 86.4 +/- 66.9 weeks). Positive occult blood test was seen in 16/49 (32.7%). Severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding was observed in one case (2%) with colon diverticulosis. Aspirin dosage per patient was significantly higher (p<0.01) in the occult blood test positive group (60.1 +/- 47.2 g) than in the occult blood test negative group (42.6 +/- 32.8 g). The positive ratio of occult blood test was significantly higher (p<0.01) in the aspirin and antithrombotic drugs-taking group (8/5; positive/negative) than in the aspirin-taking group (8/28; p/n), whereas it was not significant between the aspirin taking-group and aspirin not taking-group. The odds ratio between aspirin and antithrombotic drugs (warfarin, beraprost, cilostazol or ticlopidine)-taking group and the aspirin-taking group was 3.47 (p<0.05). A low dose of aspirin was associated with a positive occult blood test. Aspirin should be carefully administered when patient has a diverticle or is taking other antithrombotic drugs.

A total of 192 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains isolated from the 1996 episodes in Japan were tested for their in vitro susceptibilities to 41 antimicrobial agents. Drug resistance was found with kanamycin, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and fosfomycin. The expression of fosfomycin resistance was greatly dependent on culture conditions and resistance was detected (e.g.) when Mueller-Hinton agar or nutrient agar supplemented with horse blood (or glucose-6-phosphate) was used as test media. All the STEC strains belonging to serotype O26 exhibited fosfomycin resistance. Multiple drug-resistant strains spread 8 of 18 prefectures examined. Out of eleven O157: H7 outbreaks, only one outbreak revealed infections due to multiple drug-resistant strains which carried an R plasmid. Tetracycline, streptomycin, and sulfamethoxazole resistance, which was previously described with O157: H7 strains isolated from a large outbreak as well as sporadic cases in the United States, were also found in Japan with human and bovine isolates (but not with porcine isolates). In contrast, the STEC strains were highly susceptible to newer quinolones, cephems, trimethoprim, gentamicin, and azithromycin. No drug resistance was observed with dibekacin and minocycline.

We mentioned about epidemiology of gastrointestinal hemorrhage according to the clinical statistics. Most of recent reports has been investigated by emergency endoscopic examinations. Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage was the most frequent and its clinical severity was severer than that of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Hemorrhage from small intestine was rare, however they were mostly severe hemorrhage. Peptic ulcer was the most frequent disease as the upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Inflammation of colon was the most in the lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. However, the varied diseases were recognized as origin of small intestinal hemorrhage, non epithelial tumor and inflammation were important.

Due to increasing number of the elderly, cases of hematemesis and melena in the aged have been increasing. The authors evaluated 69 such cases over 60 years old in whom emergency endoscopy of the upper digestive tract was carried out because of hematemesis and melena. Twenty cases are diagnosed as gastric ulcer (29%), 12 cases as esophageal ulcer and esophageal erosion (17.4%), 9 as duodenal ulcer (13.0%), 7 as gastric cancer (10.1%), 6 as Mallory-Weiss syndrome (8.7%), 6 as esophageal and gastric varices (8.7%), 4 as acute hemorrhagic gastritis (5.8%), 3 as Dieulafoy's ulcer (4.3%), and one case each of chronic pancreatitis (hemosuccus pancreaticus) and hemorrhage due to gastric angiodysplasia (1.4%). Of these cases, blood transfusion was performed in 46 cases (66.7%), and shock occurred in 27 cases (39.1%). The endoscopical hemostatic procedure was effective for detection of underlying diseases in the aged. Surgery was often impossible because of the rapid deterioration of the systemic condition due to the hemorrhage of the digestive tract.

A 10-year experience with 2,441 patients over 65 years of age undergoing operations for non-upper gastrointestinal tracts was reviewed to evaluate both the incidence of postoperative upper gastrointestinal bleeding and the clinical risk factors associated with the complication. A total of 18 (0.7%, 7 males and 11 females) patients had overt postoperative upper gastrointestinal bleeding of non-variceal origin documented by endoscopic findings or blood transfusions. Of these, the complication developed in 10 (1.5%) of 646 patients after an operation for biliary or pancreatic disease, 1 (1.5%) of 64 for aneurysmal or obstructive arterial disease, 5 (1.1%) of 43 for colorectal cancer and 2 (0.3%) of 916 for hernia. The incidences of bleeding after an operation for obstructive jaundice (3.8%), for biliary or pancreatic malignancy (4.5%), and of unavoidable diversion colostomy for colorectal anastomosis (3.1%) were significantly higher than for non-jaundice (0.6%), for non-malignancy (1.1%) and of postoperative upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the present study. The origins of bleeding were gastric ulcer in 11, acute gastric mucosal lesion in 4, duodenal ulcer in 1 and other in 2. All cases of bleeding were treated and met success in hemostasis using H2-blockers. Of these, however, 5 patients died of multiple organ failure despite discontinued hemorrhage, prophylactic use of H2-blockers showed a decrease in occurrence of postoperative upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the present study.

The incidence of rectal bleeding (Grade II or III) after radiotherapy for carcinoma of uterine cervix were studied. All cases were treated by external irradiation (ERT) and intracavitary irradiation (ICR). The dosage of rectal bleeding at 5% level were as followed; 40 Gy by ERT and 27 Gy at point A by ICR in National Sapporo Hospital, 36-40 Gy by ERT and 24 Gy at point A by ICR in Aichi Cancer Center, 40 Gy by ERT and 27 Gy at point A by ICR in Kyushu Cancer Center.