Takaaki Ikeda

Significant socioeconomic inequalities were observed in low back pain among older individuals in Japan. Policymakers and clinicians must understand the nature of these inequalities.

Older people who were less socially isolated were more likely to quit smoking in England than in Japan, possibly explained by the strict tobacco control policies in England.

Older individuals with a lower SES were less likely to recover from a pre-frailty status.

An autopsy case of prostaglandin E-producing hepatocellular carcinoma with hypercalcemia is presented in this article. A 72-year-old man showed high serum calcium levels (14.2 to 17.3 mg/100 ml) and hypophosphatemia. The plasma level of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone was below the normal range. Administration of oral indomethacin 50 mg daily was effective in decreasing the serum calcium concentration. However, this effect lasted only 5 days, after which it returned to pretreatment levels. Th

Municipalities with a higher density of home care services had higher rates of death at home, whereas municipalities with a higher density of hospitals had lower rates. We recommend the development of policy that allows hospitals to be converted into home care providers so that more people can spend time in peace at home at the end of their lives.

<b>Ikeda, T., Ishihara, T., Yoshimatsu, H., Kikuchi, K., Murakami, M., Kobayashi, K., Inoue, H., and Kasahara, M. (1974)</b>. <i>Thorax</i>, 582-588. <b>Primary osteogenic sarcoma of the mediastinum</b>. A 22-year-old man with primary osteogenic sarcoma of the superior mediastinum is reported. This case is the second instance of primary osteogenic sarcoma of the mediastinum and the first case of superior mediastinal origin to be reported. The patient had local recurrence one year after the first

Our study confirmed that weight gain leads to a greater risk of back pain as well as heterogeneity in the influence of changes in obesity status according to the handgrip strength.

Resection of the oesophagus together with the bifurcation of the trachea has been performed in three patients with oesophageal carcinoma or mucoepidermoid carcinoma of bronchial origin. Two patients had an uneventful recovery and survived five and 10 months but one patient died in the immediate postoperative period from aspiration pneumonia and respiratory failure. There has been no report of combined resection of the oesophagus and carina since Thompson9s paper in 1973, but it appears to be ind