Physically trained and untrained preadolescent boys were examined experimentally for the effect of physical training on thermoregulatory responses to heat and cold. In summer they were asked to wear swimming pants and dip their legs up to the knees into water at 42.3°C for 60 minutes under given environmental conditions (30°C DB and 70% RH) . Then they were exposed to a given cold environment (18°C DB and 60% RH) in a resting posture for 60 minutes. Rectal and mean skin temperatures, total body sweat rate, puls rate, metabolism, etc, were measured. The pulse rate at rest was lower in those trained physically than in those untrained. The rectal temperature increased and decreased less remarkably during exposure to heat and cold, and the total body sweat rate to the increment of rectal temperature tended to be higher in those trained than in those untrained. The other variables measured during both cases of exposure failed to respond to physical training. These results suggested a possibility that physical training might be a means of improving the thermoregulation in preadolescents, although its effect might be inconsiderable.

To study the age difference in sweating during muscular exercise, two series of experiments were conducted under constant climatic conditions (29 ± 1°C DB, 60 ± 5 % RH, 0.45±0.05 m/sec air flow) . In series A, 7 to 20 years old male subjects undertook 5-minute running or pedalling of a bicycle ergometer in various seasons. In this series of experiments, pectoral sweat volume, sweat chloride concentration, rectal and mean skin temperatures were in general determined every 5 minutes and, when necessary, the total body sweat volume was calculated from the body weight loss. In series B, the age difference in the sweating in relation to physical training was studied. Subjects, 3 to 20 years old received experimental physical training of 5-minute or 500m-running. Before and after the training, a work load of 3- or 5-minute outdoor running was assigned to them. Furthermore, before and after the training, 10 and 11 years old subjects were given a fixed mechanical work rate on a bicycle ergometer. In these experiments, most of the parameters described above were measured. In series A, age differences in sweating during exercise were noticed to be dependent on the intensity of work load between pre- and post-adolescents. When the work load was heavy enough to cause a rapid increase in rectal temperature, the sweat volume became significantly less, the mean skin temperature was far higher, and the sweat chloride concentration was remarkably smaller in the pre-adolescent subjects than in the post-adolescent ones. In series B, an age difference in the effect of physical training was also found on sweating during exercise. The effect of physical training on sweating in the pre-adolescent individuals was generally less significant than in adults and sometimes showed a different pattern from that of adults. From these results, it can be concluded that sweating in the pre-adolescents is less adaptive, particularly to continuous severe exercise and that physical training is less effective in them than in the post-adolescents.

The Research Committee for the Meridian Point held its third workshop at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Kyoto. Evaluations and reports were presented on two topics.

The first topic:Study of PSC in Japan and China.
1) Literature search on PSC in China (Wang):A literature search on major studies on PSC in China since 1979 was conducted. The report introduces the definition, characteristics and the mechanism of PSC development together with meridian phenomena.

2) PSC in reference to the ryodoraku (Morikawa):Development of the reactive ryodo point in patients under hemodialysis or those who have had a total gastrectomy and the cases in which reactive ryodo points or needle sensation developed when specific regions were stimulated were reported. The relationship between reactive ryodo points and PSC was examined.

3) The mechanism by which PSC develops (Yamada):Neurotransmitter substances are released from sensory nerve endings during acupuncture stimulation. Absorbed by lymphatic vessels, these substances stimulate the smooth muscle of these vessels, thus causing the PSC. Based on factors such as transmission velocity and inhibitory factors, the mechanism by which PSC develops was investigated.

The second topic:Specific locations of meridian points and clinical effects of the meridian point.
1) Anatomical regions for GB 30 huantiao (Ozaki and Matsuoka):In establishing the international standard for the meridian points under the guidance of WHO, both Chinese and Japanese proposals were listed for GB 30. The clinical effects-presumably emanating from the subcutaneous structure when acupuncture stimuli are applied to these points in a direction perpendicular to the body surface-were comparatively evaluated.

2) Transition in the regions and main effects of GB 30 (Sakaguchi):As stated above, both Japanese and Chinese definitions were cited in establishing the international standard for GB 30 under the guidance of WHO. By quoting the classic literature from China and Japan, changes in the regions and main effects of GB 30 were comparatively evaluated.