A series of studies on the acupuncture treatment for diabetes mellitus demonstrated that insulin secretion is accelerated by acupuncture stimulation during oral glucose loading.
In this study patients with noninsulin-dependant diabetes mellitus (type II) were treated by placing needle at Quichi (LI-11), Ganshu (UB-18), Taichong (Liv-3), Pishu (UB-20) and Zhongwan (Ren-12) twice a week for 6-8 weeks. The results showed improvements in blood sugar level and increased insulin response to administered glucose in those patients with noninsulin-dependant diabetes mellitus.
On the basis of this evidence it seems to suggest that insulin deficiency, which is basic pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, is improved by acupuncture treatment, in particular reserved ability of insulin secretion being revived.

It is said that the R-R interval on an ECG, showing the period of the cardiac cycle, reflects the activity of the vagus.
In this paper, the changes in the R-R interval brought by acupuncture and moxibustion were investigated by using Ximen (P-4) and Shenmen (H-7).
In the case of acupuncture and/or moxibustion to Ximen as well as Shenmen, the prolonged R-R interval was noted, while the increased coefficient of alteration of R-R interval was showed in the case of acupuncture. The coefficient of the alteration showed a decrease, however, in the case of moxibustion to Shenmen. Remarkable reduction in the coefficient of the alteration were observed immediately after acupuncture to Ximen under administration of atropine, but moxibustion did not produce any remarkable fluctuations. On the other hand, acupuncture to Ximen under administration of propranolol produced no remarkable fluctuation, while moxibustion brought an increased coefficient of the alteration.
The results suggested that there were considerable variations in the influence on the autonomic nervous system which participated with the cardiac rhythm by different stimulation to the same meridian point.

From ancient times the oriental medicine has applied the acupuncture therapy, choosing various meridian points, to the diseases of the digestive system.
Against the gastric diseases meridian points Tsusanli (S36), Yangling-chuan (G34) etc. are usually used. However, it is traditionally handed down that the puncture to Tsusanli tends to increase gastric secretion, therefore the puncture to Yanglingchuan is better for gastric hyperacidity than that to Tsusanli.
On these meridian points, its pathophysiological mechanism for the diseases of the digestive system of these meridian points still remains unknown.
In these paper, an evaluation on the change of pH value of gastric juice was carried out by using Telemeter for gastroenteric pH value, concerning Tsusanli, Yanglingchuan, Liangchiu (S34), and Waichiu (G36).
It was obtained that the tendency to increase the secretion of HCI in gastric juice in the group stimulated to Tsusanli and the group to Lingchiu, and the tendency to inhibit the secretion in the group to Yanglingchuan.

This study examined the effect of prolonged exercise with and without hyperthermia on cognitive function. In this study, 9 male subjects cycled at 50% watt max for 60 min in a room maintained at 23°C. Water-perfused suits with water at 7°C (COOL) and 47°C (HOT) were randomly used during the 2 cycling periods. Rectal temperature, skin temperatures, heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and thermal sensation were evaluated during exercise. The Stroop color-word test (SCWT) and executive processing test (EPT) were conducted every 15min during exercise to evaluate cognitive function. In the COOL trial, the core temperature stabilized at 37.5 ± 0.1°C (mean ± SE), whereas in the HOT trial, the core temperature increased to 39.1 ± 0.1°C, with a concomitant increase in RPE and thermal sensation. Although the reaction time for the simple task of the SCWT improved when the body temperature increased slightly during the COOL trial, the conflict task of the SCWT was impaired during the latter stages of exercise during the HOT trial. The reaction time for the HOT trial was significantly longer than that for the COOL trial. Compared to the bigining of exercise the reaction time for the EPT was impaired at 60 min during the HOT trial, and this reaction time was longer than that for the COOL trial. The present findings indicate that exercise-induced hyperthermia during the latter stages of exercise impairs cognitive as well as physiological functions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender differences in thermoregulatory responses during the recovery from prolonged exercise. Fourteen (7 males and 7 females) subjects cycled for 45 minutes at 55%VO₂max and then rested for 105 minutes in the hot and humid environment (30℃, 80% relative humidity) or cool environment (20℃, 60% relative humidity). Both males and females showed same variations in rectal temperature (Tre) during exercise and recovery periods. Total sweat volume and water intake were significantly larger in males than in females during recovery in the both environments. In the heat condition, mean skin temperature (Tsk) decreased immediately after the cessation of exercise in females but not in males (the recovery period (R) 5–15 min : p<0.01, R15–20 min : p<0.05). These results suggested there are gender-related differences in the mechanisms and also the process maintaining the balance of heat production and heat loss response during recovery from prolonged exercise. Moreover the heat might modify gender differences of heat loss response during recovery as an important factor.

Radioisotope renography, which is a technique for extracorporeal examination of kidney utilizing radionuclides, can provide the data of renal dynamics such as blood flow and excretion of urine about individual kidney. Since this technique allowes simple and noninvasive examination of renal functions, it is now commonly used clinically.
The present study was designed to elucidate a relationship between renal function and meridian point by using radioisotope renography. In this paper the effect of acupuncture applied placing-needle wlth low frequency wave to Shenshu (UB-23) of the urinary bladder channel of foot-taiyang on renal function, especially excretion of urine, was observed.
It was found that urinary elimination of radioisotope after acupuncture increased, although no marked change was noted on the pattern of renogram curve.

A relationship of meridian point-jingluo to secretion of insulin was evaluated by blocking the large intestine channel of hand-yangming.
Subjects were divided into three groups; (1) group of subjects in whom saline was injected in Quchi (LI-11), (2) group of subjects whose Quchi was cooled by an ice bag, and (3) group of subjects whose Quchi was pressed. Insulin secretion following acupuncture stimulation to Hege (LI-4) was measured in these groups. As a result, all three groups showed significant reduction in secretion of insulin and integrated insulin response for 60 minutes during oral glucose tolerance test.
The result obtained seems to suggest that stimuli given to Hege are blocked to transmit due to the interferance given to Quchi. This implies that blocking phenomenon of the jingluo take place in the large intestine channel of hand-yangming.

It had been proposed by Kurata that relative threshold value F_th of single motor units depends on the gradient G (kg/sec) of the tension increase of muscle in such a manner as
F_th (≡T.G) =ρG^λ
Here T₁ is the time interval from the onset of EMG to the moment of recruitment of a motor unit and ρ is a proportional constant. The motor unit with a positive/negative value of λ is characterized to be static/phasic.
Morimoto and Hasegawa reported that the above relation also holds for the relaxation period, provided that Ftn and G are replaced by the tension at the moment of silence and the absolute value of G, respectively. In this case, the motor unit with a positive/ negative value of λ is characterized to be phasic/static.
In order to investigate the characteristics of motor units during relaxation period under the influence of pre-relaxation states, such as the increase of tension up to 4kg at the gradient of 0.5kg/sec and the state sustained at 4.0kg for 30sec. Single motor units of m, vastus medialis were studied by the same method as that of Morimoto and Hasegawa.
The following results were obtained;
1) Both at contraction and relaxation periods, the above relation was confirmed.
2) The motor unit with characteristics of recruitment modes was influenced by the pre-relaxation state, but its tendency was not definite. These results suggest that phasic/static characteristics of motor units are not stationary but fluctuate depending on the pre-relaxation states.

In this study, the relationships between the contractile properties of human motor units and their discharge patterns, characteristics of recruitment and others were examined. Action potentials of single human motor units in m, extensor digiterumwere detected by use of an inserted electrode. Tension curves of single motor units were recorded under the conditions that tension in finger extension was gradually increased, and that the subject relaxed his muscle as soon as he observed a sweep on a Braun tube triggered by the action potential of a single motor unit. About 100 twitch tension curves were summed up to obtain the average tension curve of a single motor unit. The τ-S diagrams were obtained from the mean discharge intervals (τ) of motor units at various sustained tensions and their standard deviations (S) . The λ values were also obtained from the relation F_th (-T₁G) =ρG^λ.
It was observed that the contraction time of the twitch tension curve of single human motor unit in a muscle was nearly proportional to τs (the τ values at a constant S value) . We presume that the regularity of discharging of motor unit affects the contraction speed in human muscle, because the motor unit with more regular discharging has longer contraction time of twitch.

During exercise at high temperatures, body temperature increases impairing exercise performance and resulting in heat illnesses. Water ingestion during exercise is a simple and practical strategy to prevent hyperthermia. In the present study, we examined the effects of water ingestion interval on thermoregulatory responses during exercise in a hot, humid environment (32t, 80% relative humidity) . Eight male university students performed a 60-min cycling exercise (60% of the maximal O₂ uptake) under four separate conditions; no drinking (ND), water ingestion (mineral water) at 5 (D5), 15 (D15), and 30 (D30) min intervals. The total volume of water ingestion (TWI) was identical during D5, D15, and D30, and equal to the amount of fluid lost in sweat during ND. TWI was divided equally by the number of drinking times in each experiment. During exercise, both rectal and mean skin temperature were lower in D5 than those in the other conditions (p<0.05) . There was no significant difference in total sweat loss between the four conditions, however, evaporative sweat loss and sweat efficiency (evaporative sweat loss total sweat loss) were significantly (p<0.05) higher in D5 than those in the other conditions. These results suggest that the shorter water ingestion interval increases evaporative sweating and attenuates higher body temperature during exercise in a hot, humid environment.