Background and Aims: The frequency of benign stenosis in ulcerative colitis (UC) is low, reported as being 3.2–11.2%, with fibrosis in the submucosa or deeper pointed out as one of the causes. The aim of the present study was to assess stenosis in UC cases using immunostaining and to analyze differences between stenotic and nonstenotic cases, focusing on basic-fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) expression and myofibroblasts. Methods: Totals of 9 stenotic and 17 nonstenotic UC cases were histopathologically examined and immunohistochemically stained for b-FGF, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), CD34, CD68 and IL-6. To identify b-FGF-positive cells, double immunostaining for b-FGF and myeloperoxidase or CD68 was performed. Results: In addition to submucosal fibrosis, a significant increase of b-FGF-positive inflammatory cells and myofibroblasts was observed in stenotic portions. Most b-FGF-positive cells were also positive for myeloperoxidase, and a correlation between b-FGF-positive and total neutrophil counts was found. Conclusions: One of the major causes of stenosis in long-standing UC is fibrosis in the bowel wall, possibly induced by infiltrating inflammatory neutrophils producing b-FGF.

Cardiogenic embolism (CE) undergoes the most critical course out of all types of cerebral infarctions and results in death in half of all cases within one year of development. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the largest contributor to CE. The incidence of AF has increased with aging population demographics, but since almost half of all cases are asymptomatic, the development of critical CE in patients whose AF has remained undiagnosed is a major problem. Therefore, we are aiming to develop a new device to screen simply and accurately for AF in general outpatients. In this report, we independently developed pulse analyzer application determining whether or not the person suffers from AF. This application was installed to a Google 7-inch tablet. A Bluetooth signal conveys pulse information to the tablet from a pulse oximeter attached to the index finger of a patient. Then, our assessment of accuracy was conducted on general outpatients, including AF patients, as well as on inpatients with AF and volunteers without AF. The pulse analyzer, which was developed in order to screen for AF in a simple manner, had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 88.6%, and was also highly accurate. 361

Using the method described in this study, we detected asymptomatic AF in numerous patients, and demonstrated that this method is potentially useful in screening outpatients for asymptomatic AF.

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