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

Study on the necessary survey days for energy intake in school children assessed by 7 day survey

Theoretically, the longer the period of a nutrition survey, the more reliable the results. However, a long survey can impose a burden on subjects and cause the results to become inaccurate. For adults, a 3 non-consecutive day survey is usually recommended ; however, for school children, at least in Japan, it has not been determined whether this is necessary. In this study we conducted a survey of 7 days and tried to find the minimum number of days necessary to determine the energy intake. The subjects were about 300 children aged from 6 to 7, 10 to 11 and 13 to 14 years old in a city in the western part of Japan. The weighing method was used for the school lunch and other meals were surveyed by 24-recalling method. For the 6-7 year-old school children, guardians were asked to keep dietary records. The final number of subjects who were able to complete the 7-day survey was 139. Energy intakes for each weekday were not statistically different (p>0.05) and those for each weekend did not differ (p>0.05). Average energy intakes on weekdays were higher than those on weekend days in 10-11 and 13-14 year-old children. The average intakes of energy in 10-11 and 13-14 year-old children were lower than Japanese estimated energy requirements (EER). However, body weight of more than 90% of subjects was within the normal range. The results suggest that a survey of one weekday is reliable for all weekdays and that of one week-end day is reliable for any weekend day and also indicate the necessity of further studies of EER in rapidly growing children

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

Dietary zinc intake and its effects on zinc nutrition in healthy Japanese living in the central area of Japan

In the present study, we first examined the dietary zinc intake from food groups in 109 healthy Japanese (24-82 years old, 45 male and 64 female) by means of the 72-h recall method. We then used the ratio of apo/holo-activities of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE ratio) that is a more sensitive index of zinc nutrition than zinc concentration in the serum and examined the correlation between their zinc intake and ACE ratio. Dietary zinc intake in healthy Japanese was maximal from rice and rice products. There were significant inverse correlations between the ACE ratio and dietary zinc intake from rice and rice products and shellfish, and a significant positive correlation between ACE ratio and dietary zinc intake from other beans and bean processed foods. On the other hand, there were no significant correlations between serum zinc concentrations and dietary zinc intake from any food group except processed fish. These findings suggested that rice is a major source of dietary zinc intake in healthy Japanese. It is also suggested that shellfish also has a major impact on zinc nutrition, although dietary zinc intake from this source is minimal. Since beans contain phytic acid, which inhibits the absorption of dietary zinc, it is suggested that intake of beans causes impairment of zinc nutrition

Intrinsic Oncogenic Function of Intracellular Connexin26 Protein in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

It has long been known that the gap junction is down-regulated in many tumours. One of the downregulation mechanisms is the translocation of connexin, a gap junction protein, from cell membrane into cytoplasm, nucleus, or Golgi apparatus. Interestingly, as tumours progress and reinforce their malignant phenotype, the amount of aberrantly-localised connexin increases in different malignant tumours including oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, thus suggesting that such an aberrantly-localised connexin should be oncogenic, although gap junctional connexins are often tumour-suppressive. To define the dual roles of connexin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), we introduced the wild-type connexin26 (wtCx26) or the mutant Cx26 (icCx26) gene, the product of which carries the amino acid sequence AKKFF, an endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi retention signal, at the C-terminus and is not sorted to cell membrane, into the human FaDu hypopharyngeal cancer cell line that had severely impaired the expression of connexin during carcinogenesis. wtCx26 protein was trafficked to the cell membrane and formed gap junction, which successfully exerted cell-cell communication. On the other hand, the icCx26 protein was co-localised with a Golgi marker, as revealed by immunofluorescence, and thus was retained on the way to the cell membrane. While the forced expression of wtCx26 suppressed both cell proliferation in vitro and tumorigenicity in mice in vivo, icCx26 significantly enhanced both cell proliferation and tumorigenicity compared with the mock control clones, indicating that an excessive accumulation of connexin protein in intracellular domains should be involved in cancer progression and that restoration of proper subcellular sorting of connexin might be a therapeutic strategy to control HNSCC

A Case of Lipoma in the Deep Part of Neck

It is comparatively rare that lipoma is found in the deep part of neck, though lipoma is often found in parts of back, neck, breast, etc. And so the authors reported a case of lipoma in 71-year-old woman that was made the diagnosis of lipoma in the deep part of neck, from the clinical symptoms and CT examination, and was confirmed histologically after the enucleation under general anesthesia

鹿児島県屋久島産高等植物の細胞分類学的研究II. 特筆すべき分類群

Chromosome numbers of 23 taxa of noteworthy plants collected from Yakushima Island are reported, including seven taxa in six families published for the first time: Acer morifolium （2n = 26）, Tripterospermum distylum （2n = 46）, Ophiorrhiza japonica （2n = 22）, Ainsliaea apiculata vars. acerifolia （2n = 26） and rotundifolia （2n = 26）, Smilax china var. yakusimensis （2n = ca. 90）, and Juncus wallichianus （2n = 80）. The chromosome number for Smilax china var. yakusimensis was found to be different from that of the typical variety, var. china in Honshu （2n = 60, 64）, and we consider that Smilax china may exhibit a polyploid series within the species. The chromosome number for Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus （2n = 14） is different from that of materials in Hokkaido （2n = 18）. Although chromosome number of Euphorbia jolkinii （2n = 26） is different from a previous report based on Korean material （2n = 28）, the number of the previous report is considered doubtful. Chromosome counts for the remaining 14 taxa agree with those already published: Illicium anisatum （2n = 28）, Trochodendron aralioides （2n = 40）, Heterotropa kumageana （2n = 24）, Sorbus commixta （2n = 34）, Viola iwagawae （2n = 22）, Viola sieboldii （2n = 24）, Rhododendron yakushimanum （2n= 26）, Utricularia yakusimensis （2n = 16）, Ainsliaea apiculata var. apiculata （2n = 26）, Ainsliaea faurieana （2n = 26）, Ixeris yakuinsularis （2n = 21）, Chionographis koidzumiana （2n = 24）, Metanarthecium luteo-viride f. luteo-viride （2n = 52）, and Arisaema sazensoo （2n = 28）. When comparing these chromosome numbers with those of closely related taxa, no differences were found except for Aruncus dioicus and Smilax china.鹿児島県屋久島に生育する高等植物に関する細胞分類学的研究の第二報である。この報告では，屋久島に固有な分類群，屋久島を分布の南限・北限とする分類群，あるいはこれまで染色体数の報告のない分類群など，特筆すべき分類群に関する染色体数の報告をおこなう。15科19属23分類群について染色体数を算定したところ，7分類群（ヤクシマオナガカエデ（2n =26），ハナヤマツルリンドウ（2n = 46），サツマイナモリ（2n = 22），モミジバキッコウハグマ（2n= 26），マルバキッコウハグマ（2n = 26），ヤクシマカカラ（2n = ca. 90），ハリコウガイゼキショウ（2n = 80））については，今回はじめて染色体数を算定した。ヤマブキショウマについては，2n = 14が算定されたが，北海道産のもの （2n = 18） と異数性の違いがみられた。また，イワタイゲキについては，これまで，2n = 28の報告があったが，今回2n=26を算定した。14分類群（シキミ（2n = 28），ヤマグルマ（2n = 40），クワイバカンアオイ（2n= 24），ナナカマド（2n = 34），ヤクシマスミレ（2n= 22），フモトスミレ（2n = 24），ヤクシマシャクナゲ（2n = 26），ムラサキミミカキグサ（2n =16），キッコウハグマ（2n = 26），ホソバハグマ（2n= 26），コスギニガナ（2n = 21），チャボシライトソウ（2n = 24），ノギラン（2n = 52），およびヒメテンナンショウ（2n = 28））については，これまでの報告と同じ染色体数が算定された。第一報と同様，同種内あるいは近縁種との間に細胞学的変異は少なく，屋久島産高等植物においては形態的多様性と細胞学的多様性の関連性は低いと考えられる