IntroductionIn 2011, Fukushima was struck by a triple disaster: an earthquake, tsunamis, and a nuclear accident. In the aftermath, there was much fear among hospital staff members about radiation exposure and many staff members failed to report to work.ObjectivesOne objective is to measure this shortage in hospital staff and another is to compare the difference in recovery by hospital types and by categories of hospital staff.DesignThe monthly records of the number of staff members from May 2011 to September 2012 were extracted anonymously from the records of 7 local hospitals in the Soso district in Fukushima. Change in the number of staff was analyzed.ResultsStaff shortages at hospitals reached a maximum within one month after the disaster (47% reported to work). The shortage of clerks was the most severe (38% reported to work), followed by nurses (48% reported to work). The shortages remained even 18 months after the disaster.ConclusionAfter a disaster in which the damage to hospital functions surpasses the structural damage, massive support of human resources in the acute phase and a smaller volume of support in the mid-term phase appear to be required, particularly for non-medical staff.

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We report a case of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) associated with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). A 54-year-old woman, diagnosed as MDS the prior year after evaluation of anemia, visited our hospital with the chief complaint of epigastric discomfort. She also had dysgeusia, alopecia, atrophic nail change, and pigmentation of the palm, all of which began several months ago. Blood tests revealed severe hypoalbuminemia. Colonoscopy (CS) showed numerous, dense, red polyps throughout the colon and rectum. Biopsy specimens showed stromal edema, infiltration of lymphocytes, and cystic dilatation of the crypt. Her clinical manifestations and histology were consistent with CCS. We prescribed corticosteroids, which dramatically improved her physical findings, laboratory data, and endoscopic findings. This is the first report of CCS in a patient with MDS.

Two patients with polymyositis (PM) or dermatomyositis (DM) complicated with massive pleural effusion are reported here. Both patients presented a high-grade fever, pleural effusion prominent on the right, and good response to steroid therapy. In a 50-year-old womanwith PM, combined process of pleural inflammation, cardiomyopathy and coexisting hypothyroidism were considered to be responsible for the accumulation of the massive pleural effusion. However, in a 34-year-old manwith DM,pleural inflammation associated with interstitial pneumonia or pleural microvasculopathy in DMwasconsidered to be responsible for the accumulation of the massive pleural effusion.

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