Effects of hot bathing on blood coagulation and fibrinolysis were studied in 35 patients with various diseases by measuring pulse rate and blood pressure and performing peripheral blood and hemostatic examinations before and after a 10-minute hot bath at 40 to 42°C.
Pluse rate increased significantly during the hot bath (p<0.001) However, no changes were observed in the results of blood pressure and perpheral blood examinations.
APTT, PT, fibrinogen, factor II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, von Willebrand factor, prekallikrein, and antithrombin III were measured during coagulation examinations, but no significant changes were observed between those factors before and after hot bathing.
Although no significant changes were shown in plasminogen and antiplasmin during hot bathing, euglobulin lysis time (ELT) was significantly (p<0.001) reduced during the hot bath. It remains to be determined whether the reduction in ELT is due to the release of a tissue-type plasminogen activator from the vascular endothelial cells.
The reduction rate of ELT was studied in patients with each type of disease. The reduction rate of ELT in the patients with hypertension (HT) was larger than that in the patients without HT, and that in the patients with cerebral vascular accident (CVA) was also larger than that in the patients without CVA. However, the reduction rate of ELT in the patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) was smaller than that in the patients without DM. The patients with CVA, HT or DM are considered to have vascular damages. In the effect of hot bathing on fibrinolysis, however, there is a difference in reduction rate of ELT between patients with HT or CVA and those with DM.
This study indicates that pulse rate is increased during hot bathing and fibrinolysis is accelerated.

The immunological effects of spa bathing and its influence on the systemic performance were studied in 15 patients with stomach or colon cancer who had received operations and were treated by lentinan. Ten patients were treated by spa bathing and five patients were not treated.
Immunological performance was assessed in terms of white blood cell count, lymphocyte count, surface markers of lymphocytes, natural killer activity and immunoglobulins. There were no significant differences in immunological parameters between the bathing groups and non-bathing group of patients. The systemic performance improved in the majority of patients of the bathing group and became more aggravated in the majority of patients of the nonbathing group. The results of this study suggest that spa bathing is beneficial, not harmful, to the systemic performance of patients with cancer.

Spa bathing at night has been thought to improve sleeping conditions and symptoms of dementia such as restlessness, wandering, and aggression in patients in our nursing home with special needs for the aged. The present study investigated patient activity using a lifestyle measurement device (Kenz Lifecorder) to examine the effects of night bathing on senile dementia by more objective methods. Nine patients with senile dementia of the Alzheimer type staying in health facility for the elderly were studied. These patients' symptoms of dementia were already incurable but daily living activities somewhat remained. The patients were divided into a night bathing group (n=5) and daytime bathing group (n=4) to study patient activity using a Kenz Lifecorder for 14 weeks, that is one week before the start of bathing, 12 weeks with bathing, and 1 week after bathing. The night bathing group had a higher rate of activity than the daytime bathing group. When comparing the daytime of night bathing patients with the daytime bathing individually, the former displayed increased activity in the daytime. As a group, the night bathing group was found to show a significant increase in the amount of daytime activity. However, the statistical significance was reached after Weeks 9-10, so 2-3 months were required to change lifestyle rhythms. The authors hope that night bathing or night bathing assistance will be received favorably by the long-term care and health care insurance systems.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between peak bone mass and genetic and environmental factors. We measured whole-body bone mineral density (BMD), lumbar spine BMD, and radius BMD with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and analyzed eight genetic factors: vitamin D receptor (VDR)-3', VDR-5', estrogen receptor (ER), calcitonin receptor (CTR), parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin (OC), apolipoprotein E (ApoE), and fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2) allelic polymorphisms using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLPs). We also surveyed menstrual history, food intake, and history of physical activity using questionnaires. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), current smoking status, current Ca intake, alcohol intake, menoxenia, and physical activity, the mean BMD in subjects with the HH/Hh genotype was significantly higher than that of subjects with the hh genotype for whole-body BMD (mean±SD, 1.20±0.10 vs. 1.18 ±0.09 g/cm2; HH/Hh vs. hh, p=0.04) and at lumbar spine BMD (mean±SD, 1.18±0.14 vs. 1.14±0.12 g/cm2; HH/Hh vs. hh, p=0.02) in OC allelic polymorphism. Furthermore, the results of multiple regression analyses taking the 8 genetic factors plus the 7 environmental factors listed above into account showed that the strongest factor contributing to BMD was BMI at any site (whole-body and lumbar BMD p<0.0001, radius BMD p=0.0029). In addition, OC polymorphism (p=0.0099), physical activity (p=0.0245), menoxenia (p=0.0384), and PTH polymorphism (p=0.0425) were independent determinants for whole-body BMD, and OC polymorphism (p=0.0137) and physical activity (p=0.0421) were independent determinants for lumbar BMD and radius BMD, respectively.
lower case pea ; Genetic ; degrees C ; Physical activity ; HH

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.

  Komono Town is a well-known spa and health resort in Mie Prefecture. Komono Town has been seeking ways to promote the activities of hot spring area and health resources in surrounding areas. As part of these efforts, Komono Town has developed town-walk programs to promote the health of local residents. In this study, focusing on effect of walking on relaxation, we compared levels of stress hormones and emotional scores obtained before and after walking.

  After giving their informed consent, adult participated in two walking programs, each for a distance of approximately 7 km. Salivary cortisol levels were measured before and after intervention. In addition, the Mood Check List-Short form. 2 (MCL-S.2) and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were used to rate emotions before and after intervention.

  In both programs, walking tended to lower levels of salivary cortisol than resting. Low levels of cortisol, an adrenocortical hormone released during a state of predominantly sympathetic nervous activity, are thought to reflect mental relaxation; our result implies that the walking program enhanced relaxation in subjects. In addition, both MCL-S.2 and VAS rating showed that the subjects tended to feel better, more relaxed and less anxious after intervention.

  These findings suggest that the walking programs are beneficial human body thorough, for example, enhanced relaxation.