The purpose of this study was to clarify difference in heating effect of the two types of bathing for the elderly, footbathing at 44°C and full bathing at 40°C.
The subjects of this study were nine elderly persons for footbathing (average 73.5 years old) and 10 elderly persons for full bathing (average 77.4 years old). The tympanic temperature was measured using a thermistor, sweat rate using the ventral capsule method, and blood pressure and heart rate using an autonomic spygmomanometer during control period 10 minutes before bathing, for 20 minutes during bathing, and for 10 minutes after bathing. Subjects wore plain clothes while taking a footbath time or swimming trunks while taking a full bathing. The ambient temperature was set to 20°C during the footbath or 26°C during the full bathing.
During the footbath, the tympanic temperature increased to 60% that of full bathing and a significant increase of sweat rate was observed. In contrast, during full bathing, a significant rise in systolic blood pressure was observed immediately after bathing started due to hydrostatic pressure and a significant drop of diastolic pressure was observed after bathing due to heating during bathing.
These findings suggest that the footbath is safe, does not cause any change in blood pressure and is expected to provide mild warming for the elderly.

The purpose of this study was to clarify effects of foot bathing at 44°C for the patients with hemiplegia. The subjects of this study were six patients with hemiplegia (average 71.6 years old) and six healthy volunteers (average 74.3 years old). Blood pressure and heart rate were measured using an autonomic spygmomanometer, tympanic temperature using a thermistor, and sweat rate using the ventrilated capsule method during the control period of 10 minutes before foot bathing, for 20 minutes during foot bathing, and for 10 minutes after foot bathing. Subjects wore a plain clothes while taking a footbath and the ambient temperature was set to 20°C. During foot bathing, heart rate was significantly increased, but blood pressure and pressure-rate product did not changed. Tympanic temperature was no significant changed in both subjects during foot bathing. But a significant increase of sweat rate was observed in patients. In healthy volunteers, in contrast, skin blood flow on the bottom of the foot was significant increased. These findings suggest that regulation system of cardiovascular is slightly declined in the patient, and patient's thermoregulatory system was difficult in healthy humans.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of ingesting spa water on electrogastrography and heart rate variability in humans. The subjects were eight youths (average age 22.3 years old). We measured three and six circles per minute (cpm) power of electrogastrography (EGG), the high-frequency (HF: 0.15-0.4Hz) components, and the ratio of low-frequency (LF: 0.04-0.15Hz) components to HF components in heart rate variability (HRV) during 90 minutes. We also assessed the taste of water, pain or abnormalities in the stomach by questionnaire. The subjects ingested the spa water or purified water after thirty minutes, and ingested no water on a different day. The six cpm power of EGG, presumably reflecting instestinal activity, was significantly increased with spa water ingestion. The three cpm power of EGG, presumably reflecting stomach activity, did not change under any conditions. The HF components in HRV, presumably reflecting cardiac parasympathetic activity, tended to increase with ingestion of spa water. The ratio of LF to HF components in HRV, presumably reflecting cardiac sympathetic activity, significantly decreased with ingestion of spa and purified water. There was no difference in the answers of the questionnaire. These findings suggest that spa water ingestion activates instestinal activity, increasing parasympathetic nerve activity and suppressing sympathetic nerve activity in humans.

There are many acquired and hereditary coronary risk factors, and the gender is known as a factor influencing the development of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). To evaluate the role of the gender in the occurrence of AMI, we compared patient backgrounds, their clinical manifestations, outcomes, and coronary angiographic findings between 390 male and 110 female AMI patients, who had been admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) of the Tsuchiura Kyodo General Hospital and undergone coronary angiography on an emergency basis. The incidence of AMI was the highest in the age group of 60s for males, while for females in the age group of 70s. As coronary risk factors, smoking habit was more common in males, while hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes meritus were more common in females. Coronary angiograms revealed no differences in the number of diseased vessels and location of infarction. Frequencies of urgent PTCA were also identical between the two groups. In clinical outcomes, elder females had poorer prognosis mainly due to a higher incidence of death caused by cardiac rupture. It has been reported that definite increase of AMI after menopause is attributable to disturbed lipid metabolism due to a reduced estrogen level. Our study showed that aged female AMI patients had poorer prognosis possibly due to associated multiple risk factors, mutiple organ disorders and delayed admission to hospital and higher risk of cardiac rupture. Therefore, in the treatment of aged female AMI patients, these tendencies must be taken into account.

Purpose
 This study aimed to clarify the effects of footbath (FB) on motor functions (MFs).
Subjects
 The study population comprised 26 healthy volunteers (12 males and 14 females; age, 21-30years, Standard Deviation,25.5±2.8).
Method
 (1) Study design: The footbath group (FBG; 6 males, 8 females) received FB at 42°C for 20 min after 5-min rest. The control group (CG; 6 males, 6 females) was instructed to sit on the chair for 20 min after 5-min rest. (2) Evaluation of MFs: MF was evaluated using the following parameters: long sitting reach (LSR), grips (GP), quadriceps power, stick reaction, and functional reach (FR). MF was evaluated before the rest period (pre-MF) and after load application (post-MF). The results obtained from pre-MF and post-MF assessments were compared. (3) Measurement of tympanic membrane temperature (TM temp) : TM temp was measured every 1 min duimg load application and after the rest period.
Result
 TM temp: Significant increase in the TM temp in the FBG was observed at 18 min in the males and at 20 min in females.
 MF before and after FB: (1) Analysis of all 26 cases: There was no significant difference betweenthe pre-MF and post-MF parameters in both the FBG and CG. (2) Analysis of the findings in males only: The post-FR value in the FBG increased significantly as compared to the pre-FR value, although there was no significant difference between the pre-MF and post-MF results in the CG. (3)Analysis of the findings in females only: In the FBG, post-LSR value increased and the post-GP value decreased significantly as compared to the corresponding values, although there was no significant difference between the pre-MF and post-MF in the CG.
Conclusion
 Our results suggest that FB improves MF in healthy volunteers. Gender ditiference should be considered while establishing effective FB treatment programs in Balneology.

  The purpose of this study was to clarify effects of foot bath at 42°C for 10 min on cerebral circulation and mental function in elderly persons. The subjects of this study were 12 elderly persons (average 83.1 years old). Tissue hemoglobin concentration and blood flow at the cerebral frontal cortex were measured using near-infrared spectroscopy and blood pressure and heart rate using an autonomic spygmomanometer during for each 10 minutes before foot bath, during foot bath, and after foot bath. We measured subject's arithmetic speed and mistaken numbers as mental function. During foot bath the blood flow and after foot bath oxyhemoglobin at frontal cortex were significantly increased. Heart rate was significant increased after foot bath. But deoxyhemoglobin and blood pressure did not changed during foot bath. In addition to arithmetic speed and mistaken numbers were same before and after foot bath. These findings suggest that cerebral circulation is changed by foot bath, but mental functions is not before and after foot bath.

This study examined the effect of hot-spring bathing (40 to 41°C) on salivary secretion and salivary secretory IgA (sIgA) in healthy volunteers. Ten volunteers (10 men, average 33.6±9.3 years old) bathed in a hot-spring for 10 minutes.
Saliva samples were collected before bathing, during bathing (from 5 to 7 min), and after bathing using the Saxon test. The saliva flow rates and sIgA concentration were determined and then the sIgA secretion rates were calculated.
The saliva flow rates increased significantly during the bathing (p<0.02) and decreased after bathing. The sIgA secretion rates during bathing were significantly higher than those before and after bathing (p<0.02).
The increases in saliva flow rates and sIgA secretion rates during bathing were considered to indicate the improvement of local immunity in the oral cavity and thus considered to be useful for preventing upper respiratory tract infections.

Northern corn leaf blight, caused by the fungus Exserohirum turcicum Pass. (Leonard and Suggs), is one of the major diseases in most corn-growing areas of the world. Research on gene tagging of E. turcicum has been limited due to the lack of an efficient transformation system. Since E. turcicum produces and accumulates melamin in cell walls during vegetative growth, it is difficult to efficiently isolate its protoplast. To isolate the protoplast of this pathogen with a high frequency, the effects of cell wall degradation enzymes, including beta-1,3-glucanase (Fungase, Funcelase, Novozyme and Glucanex) and beta-glucuronidase (Driselase, Uskizyme and Kitalase), enzyme concentrations, combinations, strains and medium on the isolation frequency were tested. The isolation frequencies were high enough for transformation when the combinations of (Kitalase + Glucanex + Driselase), (Kitalase + Glucanex) or (Kitalase + Uskizyme) were used. Moreover, the isolation frequencies of protoplast were significantly affected by the cultural morphologies of strain and the growth stage of mycelia. Among the plasmids tested, only plasmid pAN71 is efficient for transformation of E. turcicum. This result will provide some useful information for gene tagging of E. turcicum and other species in Exserohirum.
Ascomycota ; cytology ; metabolism ; Cell Wall ; metabolism ; Fungal Proteins ; metabolism ; Glycoside Hydrolases ; metabolism ; Protoplasts ; cytology ; metabolism ; Transformation, Genetic ; genetics

  The purpose of this study was to clarify effects of the water fall bath on muscle blood flow, muscle hardness at the shoulder and body temperature after muscle contraction in human.   The subjects of this study were eight young males (average 20.4years old). Blood flow and hardness in middle fiber of trapezius were measured using the monitor of spectroscopy and a handy battery-run device, skin blood flow rate using the laser doppler flowmetry, and tympanic temperature using the thermistor during control period 10 minutes, for five minutes during four conditions (40°C water fall bath, massage using the knocking machine, 40°C hot pack and rest) after muscle contraction and moreover 30 minutes. Subjects wore a swimming trunk while these experiments. The ambient temperature and relative humidity were set to 27°C, 42% in control room.   During the water fall bath, the muscle blood flow was tend to increased compared with after muscle contraction. The skin blood flow was increased and the muscle hardness was decreased significantly. During the massage, the skin blood flow was increased and the muscle hardness was decreased significantly. During the hot pack, the muscle hardness was decreased significantly. The tympanic temperature was no changed in three conditions except from the rest.   These findings suggest that water fall bath is lessened the muscle hardness causing increase of the muscle and the skin blood flows. Therefore, the water fall bath can use one of the method to relief muscle fatigue.

 Because bathing frequency decrease as Alzheimer disease (AD) worsens, we investigated the relation between cognitive disfunction and bathing frequency.  We asked AD patients and their caregivers about the number of times the patient bathed per week before onset of dementia and the time of first clinical consultation. We investigated the relation between scores from a cognitive function test (Hasegawa’s Dementia Scale-Revised [HDS-R], the Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE] and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised [WAIS-R]), and a depression assessment (Zung Self-rating Depression Scale [SDS]) and number of baths taken per week.  Before onset of dementia, the average number of baths taken by 89 AD patients (26 men, 63 women; range: 63-90 years, average: 79.8 years), was 6.6 times/week. At evaluation time, this number had decreased significantly to 5.3 times/week (p<0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between perfomance Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and total IQ of the WAIS-R and number of baths (p<0.001, p<0.01, respectively). No significant correlation coefficient was found between HDS-R, MMSE, verbal IQ of the WAIS-R and the SDS and number of baths. Reasons of the patients gave for less frequent bathing were that bathing was troublesome or was forgotten and that thermoregulation of bath water had become impossible.  The results suggested that in AD patients, number of baths taken decreased with aggravation of cognitive dysfunction and that there were multiple participating factors including memory disturbance, depressive state, and, particularly, executive dysfunction.