Although small retinal bleeding has been evaluated as a complication of filtering surgery, long-standing retinal bleeding is rare. We report 3 rare cases of young patients with massive retinal hemorrhages following trabeculectomy with 5-fluorouracil or mitomycin C. The bleeding in 1 case resolved spontaneously, whereas the bleeding in the other 2 cases did not resolve and the visual acuity remained poor. Every patient showed markedly delayed retinal circulation. Possible dysfunction of the retinal blood vessels may be responsible for the development of the other two types of massive bleeding, especially in advanced glaucoma with a total cup disk: one is decompression retinopathy and another central retinal vein occlusion or hemorrhagic retinopathy.

IntroductionAccording to the report from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan in 2005, female employees numbered 22.29 million, and the population of working women in their 40s and 50s was higher than for any other age group except the 20s. In particular, the percentage of those in employment by age group has been estimated at 60.8% for ages [40][41][42][43][44] 63.0% for ages [45][46][47][48][49] 56.7% for ages 50-54, and 45.9% for ages 55-59. These rates increased from 5.3 to 7.8% compared with ten years ago. The figures demonstrate that menopausal women are a precious labor resource in an aging society with a falling birthrate.However, they also begin to experience menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, general fatigue, and shoulder stiffness caused by reduced estrogen. Utian (2005) 1) has reported that all menopausal symptoms may lead to social impairment and work-related difficulties that significantly decrease overall quality of life.Hot flashes are the most common symptom of climacteric women. The experience of a hot flash is usually described as sensations of intense heat, sweating, flushing, and chills. Elevated brain noradrenaline activity at central α2-adrenoceptors is involved in the initiation of hot flashes 2) . According to the report from MHLW of Japan in 2005, there were approximately 9.75 million female employees aged 40 to 59 yr. It is estimated that approximately 2.1-3.8 million female workers may experience work-related difficulties due to hot flashes in the workplace, because the prevalence of mild to severe hot flashes was reported at 22-40% in Japan 3, 4) . Therefore, it is clear that there will be increasing demand for systematic and effective management to support their health 30, 2008 Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between mental workload and occurrence of hot flashes. Twelve women with moderate to severe menopausal hot flashes participated in the study. Subjects participated in both a mental arithmetic task (Task) and control (Non-task) experiments. We measured heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure, near infrared spectroscopy, skin temperature, and skin potential level. The incidence of hot flashes was greater in Task than in Non-task. No significant differences between before, during and after hot flashes emerged for the percentage of correct responses and reaction time. However, the percentage of correct responses for two subjects among the ten who experienced hot flashes in Task substantially declined during hot flashes. Chest skin temperatures increased in both Task and Non-task during hot flashes, and regional oxygen saturation was significantly higher in Non-task than in Task. The present study suggested that mental workload under time pressure might be a risk factor for menopausal hot flashes, and the performance of most people who experienced hot flashes was not affected by hot flashes, however, work-related difficulties due to cognitive disturbance during hot flashes might arise in some pe...

Ikarisoside A is a natural flavonol glycoside derived from plants of the genus Epimedium, which have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as tonics, antirheumatics, and aphrodisiacs. Here, we report the effects of ikarisoside A and three other flavonol glycosides on catecholamine secretion and synthesis in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. We found that ikarisoside A (1-100 μM), but not icariin, epimedin C, or epimedoside A, concentration-dependently inhibited the secretion of catecholamines induced by acetylcholine, a physiological secretagogue and agonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Ikarisoside A had little effect on catecholamine secretion induced by veratridine and 56 mM K(+). Ikarisoside A (1-100 μM) also inhibited (22)Na(+) influx and (45)Ca(2+) influx induced by acetylcholine in a concentration-dependent manner similar to that of catecholamine secretion. In Xenopus oocytes expressing α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, ikarisoside A (0.1-100 μM) directly inhibited the current evoked by acetylcholine. It also suppressed (14)C-catecholamine synthesis and tyrosine hydroxylase activity induced by acetylcholine at 1-100 μM and 10-100 μM, respectively. The present findings suggest that ikarisoside A inhibits acetylcholine-induced catecholamine secretion and synthesis by suppression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-ion channels in bovine adrenal medullary cells.

Although participatory workplace improvement programs are known to provide favorable effects on high stress occupations like nursing, no studies have confirmed its effect using biomarkers. The aim of this study was to determine whether a participatory workplace improvement program would decrease stress-related symptoms as evaluated by biomarkers and self-reported stress among hospital nurses. Three actions to alleviate job stress, which were determined through focus group interviews and voting, were undertaken for two months. A total of 31 female Japanese nurses underwent measurement of inflammatory markers, autonomic nervous activity (ANA), and perceived job stress (PJS) at three-time points; before the program (T1), within a week after the completion of the program (T2), and three months after the program (T3). A series of inflammatory markers (Interferon-γ, Interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-12/23p40) decreased significantly at T2, and IL-12/23p40 and IL-15 significantly decreased at T3 compared to T1, while ANA and PJS remained unchanged. Our participatory program exerted beneficial effects in reducing inflammatory responses, but not for ANA and PJS. Further investigations with a better study design, i.e., a randomized controlled trial, and a larger sample size are warranted to determine what exerted beneficial effects on inflammatory markers and why other outcomes remained unchanged.

Extract of pine nodules (matsufushi) formed by bark proliferation on the surface of trees of Pinus tabulaeformis or Pinus massoniana has been used as an analgesic for joint pain, rheumatism, neuralgia, dysmenorrhea and other complaints in Chinese traditional medicine. Here we report the effects of matsufushi extract and its components on catecholamine secretion and synthesis in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. We found that matsufushi extract (0.0003-0.005%) and its component, SJ-2 (5-hydroxy-3-methoxy-trans-stilbene) (0.3-100 μM), but not the other three, concentration-dependently inhibited catecholamine secretion induced by acetylcholine, a physiological secretagogue. Matsufushi extract (0.0003-0.005%) and SJ-2 (0.3-100 μM) also inhibited Ca influx induced by acetylcholine in a concentration-dependent manner, similar to its effect on catecholamine secretion. They also suppressed C-catecholamine synthesis and tyrosine hydroxylase activity induced by acetylcholine. In Xenopus oocytes expressing α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, matsufushi extract (0.00003-0.001%) and SJ-2 (1-100 μM) directly inhibited the current evoked by acetylcholine. The present findings suggest that SJ-2, as well as matsufushi extract, inhibits acetylcholine-induced catecholamine secretion and synthesis by suppression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-ion channels in bovine adrenal medullary cells.