The obesity of women in Ikawa district, Shizuoka City was investigated and the following results were obtained.
1, The incidence of obesity in women of the Ikawa district during 1970 was 13.2%. However, this percentage had approximately doubled to 23.6% by 1980, 11 years later.
2. The height and body weight of the women inhabitants except for those women who participated in a mass screening program, were measured to calculate the rate of increase or decrease in their body weight. Measurements were conducted on 431 women corresponding to 62.8% of the 686 total population. The rate of obese women was found to be 21.3%. This was almost the same rate of obesity that was seen in the women who participated in the mass screening.
3. The women were classified into 4 groups accoding to the degree of obesity. Average values were sought for in the realm of blood properties and blood pressure. A significant difference was noted in GB, Ht, Hb, SP, uric acid, T-Ch, TG, GOT, GPT, γ-GPT, and blood pressure between the obese group and the group having a normal body weight.
4. The skinfold thickness (upper arm+ abdomen) had the highest degree of correlation among the obese group (skinfold thickness and the Minowa method), in relationship to blood properties, and blood pressure.
5. The time period when women most frequently developed obesity was “after child-birth”, followed by the time period from middle age on. These indicated the characteristic causes for obesity in a woman.
6. Thirty of the 46 obese women showing a more than 20% weight gain in 1980 had already shown the same weight gain percentage in 1970. Therefore, it is inferred that the development of obesity in this district had begun a long time ago.

We have taken measurements of skinfold thickness in the 10 regions of the body of the adult farmers. The regions were cheek, submandibular region, upper arm, scapular region, abdomen, side, femoral region, waist and calf. Included in this study were 148 men and 150 women.
A summary of the results is as follows:
1. The average skinfold thickness in each of the 10 regions was larger in women than in men. Subcutaneous fat was the thickest in the abdomen, followed by the scapular region and the cheek, irrespective of sex.
2. The average reading by age and sex in each of the regions also indicated that there is little variation in the case of men. Only in the abdomen and the waist, measurements slightly decreased with aging. However, in the case of women aged 70, the thickness readings went up with aging. Women in their 70s showed a decreasing tendency.
3. When those examined are broken down into the persons of the pyknic type and the persons of the leptosome type, the average thickness value in each of the 10 regions reveals that the leptosome-type persons, regardless of sex, have subcutaneous fat deposited evenly throughout the body. By contrast, men of the pyknic type have subcutaneous fat accumulated mainly in the abdominal region and women of the pyknic type in the scapular region, abdomen and upper arms.
4, Correlation between total skin thickness and region-wise skinfold thickness was higher in the sum of values for two regions than in values for any single region. In men, the scapular region+ abdominal region values have higher correlation than the upper arm+the scapular region values.
5. From the above, it can be said, the scapular region + the abdominal region, rather than the upper arm + the scapular region, should be selected for the diagnosis of obesity.

We aimed to assess whether patients with hemifacial microsomia can be quantitatively identified using bone mineral density information. Mandibular bone mineral density was studied using computer assisted analysis between the nonaffected (r) and the affected (l) sides with an orthopantomograph in a patient with hemifacial microsomia with median mandibular cleft, and four patients who suffered from hemifacial microsomia in the left side. Fifty controls without bone diseases were randomly selected. Bone mineral density r/l ratios in the controls ranged from 0.479 to 2.064, and those in two patients that were associated with and without median mandibular cleft were higher than those in the controls, with a maximum of 8.622 in a particular male with median mandibular cleft after bone graft, whereas the r/l ratios in the other three cases were similar to the controls. Our findings indicate that the quantitative character in the case with median mandibular cleft reveals a large discrepancy of bone mineral density between the nonaffected and the affected sides. This may suggest a compensatory mechanism for bone hypertrophy from regulated bone mineral density with underdevelopment in hemifacial microsomia.

Purpose: The review of the published reports was performed with the aim of systematic collection and integration of information related to "signs and symptoms" along with their changes among patients after upper gastroesophageal surgeries. Methods: The PubMed and the Japanese healthcare literature database were searched by the following keywords:"gastric cancer" "esopha∗ cancer" "surgery" and "symptom" As a result, 37 articles related to gastric or esophagus cancer were identified. The data were extracted according to each sign and symptom, and were evaluated and discussed. Results and Conclution: Standardized instruments for gastrointestinal symptoms included evaluations about dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing, reflux etc. The incidence of signs and symptoms, or postsurgical recovery processes are different among individual patients. Healthcare professionals should support patients continuously and systematically so that patients can take appropriate health maintenance behavior according to their signs and symptoms.

Purpose: This study aimed at identifying difficulties among post thoracic esophagectomy cancer patients during outpatient follow-up. Methods: Patients who had radical esophagectomy at a cancer center hospital in Japan were prospectively observed and were interviewed by a certified nurse assigned at esophageal surgical outpatient division. Their responses were documented in medical records and were analyzed by content analysis method. This study was approved by the study hospital's research ethics committee. Results: The data from 66 patients were obtained. Content analysis yielded 221 extracts, 25 categories, and 65 codes of difficulties, including: concerns or signs/symptoms associated with dietary intake, physical activity, and anxiety. Implications: The majority of post-thoracoabdominal esophagectomy patients experienced multiple dysfunctions and symptoms after discharge. The results underscore the significance of nurses' role in assessing and instructing patients to address these issues.

Background: Patients having thoracic esophagectomy, a standardized treatment for esophageal cancer patients in Japan, are known to have various postsurgical signs and symptoms for a period of time. The current status of nursing interventions at outpatients need to be clarified. Purpose: This study aimed at identifying the nurses' interventions for cancer patients at the outpatient setting who previously had thoracic radical esophagectomy. Methods: Patients who had esophagectomy at a cancer center hospital in Japan were prospectively observed and interviewed by outpatient nurses between January 2009 and December 2010. Their documented responses in medical record were prospectively investigated and were qualitatively analyzed via content analysis method. This study was approved by the study hospital's research ethics committee. Results and discussion: The data analysis of nursing interventions for 66 patients yielded 372 extracts, 12 categories, and 74 codes. Nurses were assessing patients' signs and symptoms affected by postsurgical changes, and were utilizing patients' active self-monitoring skills. The results also showed the significance of facilitating postsurgical recovery in relation to nutritional intake and physical activity in patients' daily life. Implications: Based upon the study results, the development of a systematic program is underway, which facilitates esophageal cancer patients' postsurgical recovery.