18 December, 2010

Plastic bottle tower in Tokiwa park


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The tower was certified by Guinness World Records as the world's tallest sculpture which is made from plastic bottles in 17th November. It was 
designed by Yamaguchi University students. 12,120 Plastic bottles of Use. 
The height is 11.37m.
A Night scene: a view from east entrance of Tokiwa park
Plastic bottles tower, illuminated by LED light.
The height is 11.37m.

12,120 Plastic bottles of Use. 

Any questions:  write to Keiji Hagiwara, keijihagiwara@gmail.com

14 November, 2010

Funnel chest(hollowed chest)

Funnel chest (hollowed chest)

Pectus excavatum (hollowed chest)is the most common congenital deformity of
the anterior wall of the chest.

The Nuss procedure is a minimally-invasive procedure, invented by Dr. Donald
Nuss (Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, in Norfolk, Virginia) for
treating pectus excavatum. 


A concave stainless steel bar is slipped under the sternum, through the incisions
in the side of the chest. The bar is then flipped, and the sternum pops out.

To support the bar and keep it in place a metal plate called a stabilizer may be
inserted with the bar on one side of the torso.

After a period of two to four years, the surgical stainless steel bar is removed
from the patient's chest.

Any Questions: write to
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic,
e-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

Brugge, Belgium


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Brugge is located in the northwest of Belgium. It is worth to visit.
Many medieval buildings and old canals are well preserved.



Brussels(Bruxelles)

A metro(subway) station of Brussels
A view of central Brussels, photo taken in 1985.
European Commission, Brussels
Cinquantenaire, Brussels


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Clos Chapelle aux Champs, Bruxelles

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Avenue Emile Vandervelde, Bruxelles

Clos Chapelle aux Champs
The apartment where we lived.



Any Questions: write to
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic,
e-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

Université catholique de Louvain


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The Catholic University of Leuven, or Louvain, is the largest, oldest university in Belgium.
The university was founded in 1425. In 1968, the university split to two :

1) Dutch-speaking "
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven", located in Leuven
2) French-speaking "
Université catholique de Louvain", situated in Louvain-la-Neuve
     and Brussels.
Attention: If you arrive in the Brussels International airport(Zaventem airport) and ask the
taxi driver to go to Louvain university, He may be go to Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in
Leuven.

From 1985 to 87, I studied at the medical research institute of Université catholique de Louvain in Brussels(
de Duve Institute, ICP 75.50 Avenue Hippocrate 75, B-1200 Brussels).
The campus of the faculty of Medicine, Université catholique de Louvain

The members of ICP
Prof. Jean-Pierre Vaerman
Lab. technicians
The members of MEXP, ICP
Dr. Collet-Cassart Daniel and me. The front machine
is the particle counting immunoassay apparatus.


Any Questions: write to
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic,
e-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Bruxelles


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Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc(Total beds =1,000)
-------- The University Hospital of Université Catholique de Louvain is located the
suburb of Brussels. The metro station"Alma" is there.

Pediatric ward
Care for premature baby

Any Questions: write to
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic,
e-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

24 October, 2010

SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Helicopter sight seeing, near United Nation Buildings.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
Kings Country Hospital Center, Brooklyn, New York


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Any Questions: write to
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic,
e-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

13 October, 2010

Vanderbilt University Medical Center


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Downtown of Nashville, from hotel window. Photo; taken September 1995
Vanderbilt University campus is located a few km West-South from downtown.
The bronze stature of the shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" 
Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Dr. Ouchi and me
A party in the campus.
A football match.

Any Questions: write to
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic,
e-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

Minimum Inhibitory Concentration( MIC test)

MIC test:Tube method
MIC test: Micro titer method

MIC(Minimum inhibitory concentration) is the lowest concentration(μg/ml) of an
antibiotics that inhibit the growth of a bacteria.

A bacteria are culturing in wells or tubes, while an serial dilution of an antibiotics are
adding each tubes or wells for overnight. Cloudy tubes or wells indicate the growth
of bacteria. Clear wells or tubes indicate the inhibition of a Bactria's growth.


Any Questions: write to
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic,
e-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

Kirby-Bauer antibiotic testing (disk diffusion)

Staphylococcus aureus
Left:Aztreonam disc(30μg/ml).
Right:Vancomycin disc(30μg/ml)
--------Dr. Mizuno, Clinical Laboratory, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine

Kirby-Bauer antibiotic testing (disk diffusion) is a test for determine which antibiotics
is susceptible to a bacteria. A bacteria(Staphylococcus aureus) are grown on agar
plates, while the small discs(containing antibiotics: Aztreonam or Vancomycin) are
placing for overnight. Clear zone indicate the inhibition of a bacteria's growth.

Any Questions: write to
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic,
e-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

09 October, 2010

Flu vaccine (2010~11)

This year's flu vaccine contain 3 strains of influenza viruses.

1) influenza virus strains included:
ーーーーーーー A strains: A / California / 7 / 2009 (H1N1)
ーーーーーーー-ーーーー A / Victoria / 210/2009 (H3N2)
ーーーーーーー B strains: B / Brisbane / 60/2008

2) Number of vaccination: 1-year-old-----under 13-year-old: twice (1~4 weeks apart)
ーーーーーー-------ー---ー 13 years or older : once.

3) Cost: 1st: 3,600 yen, 2nd: 2,550 yen


Any questions:
-------------------- write to Keiji Hagiwara, keijihgaiwara@gmail.com

06 October, 2010

Exanthema subitum( Roseola)


Clinical course of Roseola (Exanthama subitum)


---------------------------------------
Roseola= Exanthema subitum
---------------------------------------
This disease may suffer 2/3 of the Japanese child.

Etiology: human herpes virus - 6.


EM image : x 25,000(Dr. Kazuto Yamaguchi,Department of Animal
Experiment, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine)

Age: 3 months to 3 years (frequently 7 months~ 1.5 years)

Clinical course:
||||||||||||||||||1) high fever(39~40℃) last for 3~5 days.
||||||||||||||||||||||| but child do not seem very sick.
||||||||||||||||||2) no cough, no runny nose( frequently, loose or watery stool) .
||||||||||||||||||3) a fever subside, then a red rash appear in body.
||||||||||||||||||||||||The type of rash is variable; Rubella like~Measles like~
||||||||||||||||||||||||or diffuse pink rash. Rash disappear in several days.


Complication:
|||||||||||||||1) febrile convulsion
|||||||||||||||2) encephalitis (rare)


Questions ? -------  write to keijihagiwara@gmail.com

04 October, 2010

Pinwheel

Pinwheel: a windmill toy
Windmill in Kinderdijk
blowing a pinwheel
While children is blowing a pinwheel toy (風車 Kaza-guruma in Japanese),
you may easy to hear the sound of the bronchi or lung.

From autumn to winter, the infant and toddler often suffer from wheezing
(Asthmatic) bronchitis. Using windmill toe, you never miss.


Any question: write to Keiji Hagiwara, M.D.
                                   Kami-Ube Pediatric Clinic
                                   keijihagiwara@gmail.com

30 September, 2010

Polio vaccine

Oral polio vaccine


(a) Period in Ube city: September 01 ~ October 15
(b) Subject of oral polio vaccine: (1)  3-month-old ~ 7.5-year-old
ーーー        ーーーーーーー     ー   (2)  Born in 1975 ~ 52
(c) Number of dose: 2 doses.


Any Questions :
Keiji Hagiwara, MD
1-20-2, Tokiwadai,
Ube 755-0097, Yamaguchi
E-mail: keijihagiwara@gmail.com

Vaccine injection technique: Japan-US differences

-------- from the homepage of CDC

Two types of vaccine injection techniques ( Intramuscular or subcutaneously) 
are routinely used In United States.
----------  Intramuscular   :  Influenza, Haemophilus influenzae, Pneumococcal, -----------------------------------                    DTaP, Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-A.
---------- Subcutaneously:  IPV(Polio), MMR, Varicella

In Japan, all vaccines are administered by subcutaneously.

Any questions ?
--------------- write to Keiji Hagiwara.  keijihagiwara@gmail.com