The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of amino acid supplementation on mental and physical stress during severe exercise. 20 male college students were assigned to amino acid treated group (group AA) and placebo treated group (group P), each containing 10 subjects, and performed 1600 m-run relay for 24 hours. Each subjects of AA group received 1 g of amino acid powder, containing 34% of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA), after each work bout. The score of rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and category rate of pain scale (CPS) for each work bout were recorded. Scoring of profile of mood states (POMS) was performed and blood samples were drawn at pre-, mid-, and post-session. Total running distance was similar in both groups. In group AA, compared with group P, (1) total score of RPE and CPS through 25 work bouts and plasma cortisol concentration (C) at post- was significantly lower, and (2) molar ratio of plasma free testosterone concentration (FTS) to C (FTS/C) at mid- was significantly greater. In group P alone, plasma BCAA concentration, FTS, FTS/C, and POMS score about ‘tension-anxiety’, ‘anger-hostility’ and ‘vigor’ decreased significantly over time. Our data suggest that BCAA administration during severe exercise may diminish mental or physical stress, inhibit FTS/C decrease and be effective in maintaining aggressive mentality.

We performed a retrospective study on the clinical data of 13 remission failure cases in 53 patients who had received remission induction therapy for acute leukemia (AL) in our hospital over the past seven years.
The outstanding clinical manifestations of the remission failure cases, as compared with the successful cases, included (a) disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) syndrome (b) complex chromosomal abnormalities (c) leukocytosis over 100, 000/μl and (d) markedly elevated seum LDH level and thymidine kinase activitis at the time of initial admission.
The greater majority of these cases (10 out of 13) resulted in death within 90 days after the start of induction therapy.
The causes of death were predominantly hemorrhagic events associated with DIC syndrome, cerebral hemorrhage and severe infectious diseases such as sepsis and pneumonia.
Earlier death within 14 days after therapy was caused from hemorrhagic events and later one was severe infections.
In the G-CSF treated group, the febril term of over 38°C was shorter and the number of days taken for the neutrophil counts to be restored to the 1, 000/μl level was fewer than in the non G-CSF treated group.
Thus, it was suggested that G-CSF was expected to be one of the useful supporting agents to prevent infections in remission induction therapy for acute leukemia.

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to clarify the efficacy of etidronate and vitamin K2 in sustaining bone mineral density (BMD) in patient with hip fracture by monitoring metabolic bone markers and BMD during the 36-week period after fracture.Materials and Methods: Forty-seven hip fracture patients from 51 to 93 years old (77.2±9.6) were randomly divided into three groups: 14 patients in the intermittent cyclical etidronate-treated group (group E), 16 patients in the vitamin K2-treated group (group K), and 17 patients in the control (group C). Drugs were administered to patients in groups E and K six weeks after their operations. Blood and urine samples were obtained just before the start of drug administration and at 12, 24, and 36 weeks thereafter. Urinary type I collagen C-terminal telopeptide (uCTx), pyridinoline (PYR), deoxypyridinoline (DPD), serum CTx (sCTx), osteocalcin (OCN-mid), and undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) were measured. The contra-lateral proximal femur and lumbar spine BMDs were measured at baseline and at 36 weeks.Results: Deoxypyridinoline at 12 weeks and OCN-mid at 36 weeks after treatment were lower in group E than those in group C. N-mid osteocalcin and ucOC at 24 and 36 weeks were lower in group K than those in group C. Although femoral neck BMD in groups C and E decreased compared to the baseline values at 36 weeks, femoral neck BMD in group K tended to increase. Specifically, in group K the BMD of Ward's triangle increased significantly after treatment. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine in each group did not change significantly during the 42 weeks following hip fracture.Conclusion: Vitamin K2 prevented further bone loss in the contralateral proximal femur. The administration of vitamin K2 to patients with hip fractures in the early period after fracture is potentially useful in preventing a second hip fracture on the contralateral side.
week ; Carbon ion ; Upper Case Kay ; Hip Fractures ; Upper case ee

Students and general long distance runners carried out 1600m run for 24 hours and their physical functions were measured with lapse of the relay. Following results were obtained.
1) Prolongation of mean running time of student long distance runners in 1600m runs appeared at about 8th-10th runs, 12.8-16.0km, but that of general long distance runners did at 5th-6th runs, 8-9.6km.
2) There was plus correlation between mean of running time and its standard deviation in 1600m runs. It was r=0.55 and its regression equation was Y=0.58X-162.3. But these of general long distance runners were r=0.53 and Y=0.358X-97.3, respectively.
3) Decreased body weight from 1st-8th run was great and succesive, and occupied about 30%-70% of final decreased body weight. Thereafter, increase or decrease of the body weight was repeated and the time course became slow. There were some runners who showed large and succesive decreased body weight with the runs through the competition. The decreased body weight during the competition was influenced by the wind velocity, which supressed it considerably.
4) Heart rate of a student long distance runner during 1600m run reached 180-189 beats per minute every run. Resting heart rate of general and student long distance groups showed circadian rhythm during the competition, but that of student runners was higher through the competition and their systolic pressure shows a tendency to below in later period of the competition.
5) Threshold of knee jerk was low in the initial few runs and thereafter showed circadian rhythm. Reaction time to light was also facilitated in the initial runs and there-after prolonged about 30msec and maintained till the end of the competition. Frequency of subjective symptoms increased with number of the runs. At middle of the competition, it came over Sakai's standard and the A, B and C symptoms at the end of the competition were 33.0%, 20.0% and 25.0%, respectively.
6) Calorie intake per day of the student long distance runners was in the range of 1240-2540Cal. Total energy consumption was estimated 7457Cal. per day.
7) Blood glucose of the student long distance runners mostly unchanged through the competition, but serum triglyceride and total phospholipids significantly decreased and inversely serum free fatty acids prolongly mobilized.

We investigated whether the autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulation contribute to the bradycardia induced by endurance training. First, the meta-analysis approach was used to collect group mean values of maximal oxygen consumption (Vo₂max) and heart rate variability (HRV) from 14 studies involving 30 groups and 485 subjects. Subsequently, we performed a cross-sectional (n=116) and intervention (n=training group : 10 and control group : 6) studies. In both studies, ANS modulation was estimated by spectral analysis of HRV. In the meta-analysis and cross-sectional study, HR and natural logarithmic high frequency power (In HF power) were correlated with Vo₂max or peak oxygen uptake (peak Vo₂) . The significant negative correlations were found between HR and In HF power (meta-analysis and the cross-sectional study ; r² = 0.42 and 0.44, respectively) . Endurance training in the intervention study increased peak Vo₂ and resting In HF power, and decreased resting HR. These results strongly suggest that endurance training induces an increase in resting ANS modulation especially parasympathetic modulation. Furthermore, about half of the variability of resting HR can be accounted for by difference in parasympathetic modulation.

In Kampo therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Keishi-ka-ryojutsubu-to, Keishini-eppi-itto and Keishi-shakuyaku-chimo-to are considered to be the primary formulas. However, it is often difficult to control arthritis with the primary formula alone. In this study, we administered 7.5g/day of Ji-daboku-ippo to 12 patients with RA, who had not responded sufficiently to the primary formula alone. Administration of the primary formula and other anti-rheumatoid drugs was also continued.
After three months of this supplemental administration of Ji-daboku-ippo, the mean±SE of the Lansbury's index significantly decreased from 45.3±5.8% to 33.3±3.8% (p<0. 01). After treatment for one year, a decrement in the Lensbury's index (of more than 20%) was seen in the four patients. These results suggest that supplemental administration of Ji-daboku-ippo is effective for patients who fail to respond sufficiently to the primary Kampo formulas used for RA.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to clarify whether patients with Graves' disease who have lost bone mass can restore bone mass to age-matched control levels by antithyroid drug therapy.Patient/Materials and Methods: One male and 16 female patients (aged 21-71 years, mean±SE 39.9±16.5) with untreated Graves' disease were included in the study. Methimazole or propylthiouracil was given to all of the patients. Biochemical markers (serum N-mid osteocalcin (OCN-mid), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type I collagen C-terminal telopeptide (sCTx), urinary pyridinoline (Pyr), deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr) and type I collagen C-terminal telopeptide (uCTx) and bone mineral density at the distal one third of the radius were assessed prior to treatment, and in the first, third, sixth and twelfth months of treatment.Results: All biochemical markers had increased significantly 12 months after treatment compared with the baseline values (OCN-mid, p<0.05; ALP, p<0.01; sCTx, p<0.05; Pyr, Dpyr, uCTx, p<0.01). Among the biochemical markers, urinary Pyr and Dpyr had decreased the most prominently 12 months after treatment. However, BMD at the distal one third of the radius did not improve after 12 months of treatment.Conclusion: Based on assessments of BMD at the distal one third of the radius, one year is not enough to restore bone mass using antithyroid drug therapy in patients with Graves' disease.
therapeutic aspects ; month ; lower case pea ; Markers, Biochemical ; pharmacotherapeutic

Objectives Left ventricular systolic dyssynchrony is the most important determinant of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), playing a vital role to predict improvement of systolic function or LV reverse remodeling. CardioGRAF is a novel programmer based on the ECG gated single photon emission computed tomography (G-SPECT) imaging to detect LV systolic and diastolic dyssynchrony simultaneously. This study was to investigate the prevalence of systolic and diastolic left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony in patients with heart failure. Methods We retrospectively studied 69 patients with heart disease, including 31 patients who had symptoms of heart failure (NYHA class Ⅱ-Ⅲ), and 38 patients who had no symptoms of heart failure (NYHA class Ⅰ). G-SPECT data were analyzed by cardiaGRAF, and measurements included the time to end systole (TES), the time to peak ejection (TPE), the time to peak filling (TPF), TES+TPF and maximal difference (MD) of each parameters were obtained, using the 95th percentile of the control group as a cutoffof 150 ms for MD-TES, 139 ms for MD-TPE, 345 ms for MD-TPF and 315 ms for MD-TES+TPF. Results The prevalence of LV systolic dyssynchrony was significantly higher in heart failure patients with reduced LV ejection fraction (LVEF)<45% (72% for MD-TES; 64% for MD-TPE) compared with heart failure patients with preserved LVEF=45% (14% for both MD-TES and MD-TPE; P=0.002, P=0.005, respectively); The prevalence of MD-TES<150 ms was higher in NYHA class Ⅲ patients (64%) compared with NYHA class Ⅱ patients (27%, P=0.049). However, the prevalence of the LV diastolic dyssynchrony were high but not difference between NYHA class Ⅲ(47% for both MD-TPF and MD-TES+TPF) and class Ⅲ(63% for MD-TPF; 69% for MD-TES+TPF; P=NS) patients as well as between patients with preserved LVEF (43% for both MD-TPF and MD-TES+TPF) and patients with reduced LVEF(64% for MD-TPF; 72% for MD-TES+TPF; P=NS). Conclusions The prevalence of LV systolic dyssynchrony was high in heart failure patients with reduced LVEF. Diastolic dyssynchrony was common in patients with heart failure. CardioGRAF maybe a useful method to detect LV dyssynchrony.