Clincal evaluation of spa effects for patients with respiratory disease and chronic pain disease

1998年1月より12月までの1年間に,温泉療法-主として温泉プール水泳ないし歩行訓練及び鉱泥湿布治療-を受けた158例の入院症例(呼吸器疾患78例,疼痛性疾患64例,その他16例)について退院時に臨床効果を5段階で評価してもらいそれぞれの入院期間との比較検討を行った｡対象症例の年齢は70才代が最も多く,次いで60才代,50才代,80才代であった｡地域分布では,鳥取県外の入院症例が72.2%を占め,県外である遠隔地としては,岡山県,兵庫県,広島県,大阪府,東京都,神奈川県からの入院が多く見られた｡臨床効果は,"非常に良くなった"と,"かなり良くなった"を有効と判定し,その有効率は呼 吸器疾患では78.2%であった｡一方,疼痛性疾患では,その有効率は50.0%であったが,"少し良くなった"症例を含めると,95.3%,その他の症例は68.8%であった｡入院期間別に検討すると,呼吸器疾患では入院1ケ月で72.7%,2ケ月では81.8%,3ケ月以上では76.5%であった｡一方,疼痛性疾患では,入院1ケ月で21.1%,2ケ月で60.0%,3ケ月で64.0%であり,呼吸器疾患と比べ,効果出現までの期間がやヽ長く,入院期間が長くなるほど,その効果は高くなる傾向が見られた｡Clinical evaluation of spatherapy, mainly swimming and walk training in a hot spring pool and fango therapy, was performed in 158 patients (78 with respiratory disease, 64 with chronic pain disease, and 16 with other diseases) who were admitted at our hospital to receive spa therapy from January to December in 1998. The number of patients over the age of 70 was largest, and the number of patients outside Tottori prefecture (72.2%) was larger than the number inside Tottori prefecture. Spa efficacy was assessed by 5 steps according to improvement of clinical symptoms; efficacy-marked, moderate,and slight, no efficacy, and worse. Spa therapy was evaluated as effective when their symptoms were markedly or moderately improved. The spa efficacy was 72.2% at 1 month, 81.8% at 2 months, and 76.5% at 3 months after spa therapy in patients with respiratory disease. In contrast, the, efficacy was 21.1% at 1 month, 60.0% at 2 months,and 64.0% at 3 months after the therapy in patients with chronic pain disease. The efficacy was higher as the term of admission was longer in patients with chronic pain disease

Chlorhexidine possesses unique cytotoxic actions in rat thymic lymphocytes : Its relation with electrochemical property of membranes

Chlorhexidine (CHX) is an antibacterial agent used in various types of pharmaceutical products. Therefore, CHX is easily found around us. Owing to its positive charge, the electrochemical property of cell membranes was assumed to be a key point of cytotoxic action of CHX. Depolarization of membranes attenuated the cytotoxic action of CHX in rat thymic lymphocytes. CHX interfered with annexin V binding to membranes. Manipulations to induce exposure of phosphatidylserine on the outer membrane surface augmented the cytotoxic action of CHX, indicating that changes in the electrochemical property of membranes affected the cytotoxic action of CHX. Hence, CHX might kill cells physiologically undergoing apoptosis, resulting instead in necrotic cell death. However, the threshold CHX concentration in this in vitro study was slightly higher than blood CHX concentrations observed clinically. Therefore, these results may support the safety of CHX use although CHX possesses unique cytotoxic actions described in this study

Epostatic connections between microphthalmia-associated trancecription factor and endothelin signaling in Waardenburg syndrome and other pigmentary disorders

Division of Stem Cell Medicin

The Possible Role of TASK Channels in Rank-Ordered Recruitment of Motoneurons in the Dorsolateral Part of the Trigeminal Motor Nucleus.

Because a rank-ordered recruitment of motor units occurs during isometric contraction of jaw-closing muscles, jaw-closing motoneurons (MNs) may be recruited in a manner dependent on their soma sizes or input resistances (IRs). In the dorsolateral part of the trigeminal motor nucleus (dl-TMN) in rats, MNs abundantly express TWIK (two-pore domain weak inwardly rectifying K channel)-related acid-sensitive-K(+) channel (TASK)-1 and TASK3 channels, which determine the IR and resting membrane potential. Here we examined how TASK channels are involved in IR-dependent activation/recruitment of MNs in the rat dl-TMN by using multiple methods. The real-time PCR study revealed that single large MNs (>35 μm) expressed TASK1 and TASK3 mRNAs more abundantly compared with single small MNs (15-20 μm). The immunohistochemistry revealed that TASK1 and TASK3 channels were complementarily distributed in somata and dendrites of MNs, respectively. The density of TASK1 channels seemed to increase with a decrease in soma diameter while there were inverse relationships between the soma size of MNs and IR, resting membrane potential, or spike threshold. Dual whole-cell recordings obtained from smaller and larger MNs revealed that the recruitment of MNs depends on their IRs in response to repetitive stimulation of the presumed Ia afferents. 8-Bromoguanosine-cGMP decreased IRs in small MNs, while it hardly changed those in large MNs, and subsequently decreased the difference in spike-onset latency between the smaller and larger MNs, causing a synchronous activation of MNs. These results suggest that TASK channels play critical roles in rank-ordered recruitment of MNs in the dl-TMN

Evaiuation of spa therapy by questionnaire. Characteristics of patients from distant areas.

1999年4月～12月の9ケ月間の遠隔地からの入院患者80名（痔痛性疾患47例，呼吸器疾患33例）を対象に，岡大三朝分院に来院した動機，入院前の状態，温泉療法の効果，薬剤の変化，退院決定の動機等について退院前にアンケート調査を行い検討を加えた。対象症例の年齢は60才以上の高齢者力て多く，入院期間は1ケ月～2ケ月末満が多い傾向であった。入院前の状態では，今までの治療に不満，限界を感じて来院している症例が71例（88．7％）を占めていた。地域別では広島，大阪，京都，兵庫からの来院か多く，その他18都府県に及んでいた。アンケート結果では，疾患別による若干の傾向と，温泉療法に対する評価として症状の改善が見られ，また，使用薬剤の減量の可能性が示唆された。Clinical evaluation of spa therapy was examined in 80 patients with respiratory disease and with joint pain including lumber pain, who came from distant areas (outside Tottori prefecture) and were admitted at Misasa Hospital by questionnaire in relation to a motive of admission, effects of spa therapy, dose of medication, a motive of discharge. In many of these patients, the age was over 60 years and duration of their admission was from two to three months. Seventy-one- (88.7%) of the 80 patients were admitted at our hospital because they were not satisfactory for the treatment of asthma which they had before. The number of patients from Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo, prefectures was larger than the number from other distant areas. The results of the questionnaire suggest that improvement of symptoms and reduction of drugs used are ecpected by spa therapy

Neural Substrates for the Motivational Regulation of Motor Recovery after Spinal-Cord Injury

It is believed that depression impedes and motivation enhances functional recovery after neuronal damage such as spinal-cord injury and stroke. However, the neuronal substrate underlying such psychological effects on functional recovery remains unclear. A longitudinal study of brain activation in the non-human primate model of partial spinal-cord injury using positron emission tomography (PET) revealed a contribution of the primary motor cortex (M1) to the recovery of finger dexterity through the rehabilitative training. Here, we show that activity of the ventral striatum, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which plays a critical role in processing of motivation, increased and its functional connectivity with M1 emerged and was progressively strengthened during the recovery. In addition, functional connectivities among M1, the ventral striatum and other structures belonging to neural circuits for processing motivation, such as the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus were also strengthened during the recovery. These results give clues to the neuronal substrate for motivational regulation of motor learning required for functional recovery after spinal-cord injury

Effect of Environmental Change while Climbing Mt. Daisen on Forced Vital Capacity and Forced Expiratory Volume % in Young Women

The aim of the present study was to clarify the effects of environmental change while climbing Mt. Daisen on forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume % in young women in summer. Seven healthy Japanese women (age: 22.6 ± 4.2 years) volunteered to climb Mt. Daisen (1,709m), located in Tottori prefecture, in August. Participants\u27 expiratory forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume % (FEV_%) and arterial oxygen saturation (SpO_2) were measured at 4 points (Ground: 10m, Rest point: 780m, Summit: 1,709m, Goal point: 780m). The measurements were conducted soon after the subjects\u27 arrival at each point. The degree of dyspnea sensation was measured at Ground, Rest point, Goal point and at each station. There were no significant changes in FVC. FEV_% at the summit was significantly lower than at the Ground and Rest point. No significant differences were found in SpO_2 at each measuring point. The degree of dyspnea sensation at each station soon after the subjects\u27 arrival was significantly higher than those at the Rest point. The results of this study indicated mild airway contraction induced by stresses on the respiratory system from increasing exercise intensity during an ascent of Mt. Daisen

Exposure to PM2.5 and Lung Function Growth in Pre- and Early-Adolescent Schoolchildren: A Longitudinal Study Involving Repeated Lung Function Measurements in Japan.

Rationale: Epidemiological evidence indicates that ambient exposure to particulate matter ⩽2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) has adverse effects on lung function growth in children, but it is not actually clear whether exposure to low-level PM2.5 results in long-term decrements in lung function growth in pre- to early-adolescent schoolchildren. Objectives: To examine long-term effects of PM2.5 within the 4-year average concentration range of 10-19 μg/m3 on lung function growth with repeated measurements of lung function tests. Methods: Longitudinal analysis of 6,233 lung function measurements in 1,466 participants aged 8-12 years from 16 school communities in 10 cities around Japan, covering a broad area of the country to represent concentration ranges of PM2.5, was done with a multilevel linear regression model. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity (FVC), and maximal expiratory flow at 50% of FVC were used as lung function indicators to examine the effects of 10-μg/m3 increases in the PM2.5 concentration on relative growth per each 10-cm increase in height. Results: The overall annual mean PM2.5 level was 13.5 μg/m3 (range, 10.4-19.0 μg/m3). We found no association between any of the lung function growth indicators and increases in PM2.5 levels in children of either sex, even after controlling for potential confounders. Analysis with two-pollutant models with O3 or NO2 did not change the null results. Conclusions: This nationwide longitudinal study suggests that concurrent, long-term exposure to PM2.5 at concentrations ranging from 10.4 to 19.0 μg/m3 has little effect on lung function growth in preadolescent boys or pre- to early-adolescent girls