Recently, laser has been widely applied in the field of medicine and surgery. However, laser application is very rare in the cardiovascular surgery through world. Among the patients with ischemic heart disease there are some cases for whom aortocoronary bypass could not be carried out, because of small branches and diffuse stenoses of the coronary arteries. Besides, there are some problems in keeping long-term patency after vascular anastomosis especially for small-caliber vessels. For resolving these problems we have performed and continued to achieve laser works concerning, 1) myocardial revascularization by laser, 2) laser vascular anastomosis, 3) laser angioplasty. Subsequently, myocardial revascularization by high energy CO₂ laser could be successfully carried out experimentally. It was microscopically clarified that transventricular laser channels newly created in the ischemic myocardium were patent even 3 years after surgery. On the basis of excellent results of experimental studies laser was successfully employed in a 55 year-old male patient who had severe anginal attack and 90% stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery. On the other hand, vascular anastomosis by low energy CO₂ laser (out put 20-40mW, irradiation time 6-12s/mm) was satisfactorily utilized in 83 patients with intermittent claudication, chronic renal insufficiency and angina pectoris after a feasibility of the procedure was clearly confirmed by hemodynamic and histological examinations. Finally, laser angioplasty using Argon laser was fundamentally studied in the mongrel dogs and human cadaver. Based on the successful results of these studies, laser angioplasty was clinically applied in the 17 patients with multiple coronary stenoses or severe stenoses of the peripheral arteries. From these excellent results, laser application was inevitable for treatment in the field of cardiovascular surgery. Clinical experience of 101 patients treated by laser was reported in detail.

Objective: Serum 25−hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is a vitamin D metabolite and a good indicator of vitamin D nutritional status. Low 25(OH)D levels accelerate age−related bone loss in women. The aim of this study was to assess 25(OH)D levels using population−based samples from women in a community in Japan. Subjects and Methods: Of all 187 adult women living on a solitary island (Niigata, Japan), 150 (80.2%) were enrolled in a cross−sectional study in early June 1998. After excluding 6 subjects who were undergoing treatment for osteoporosis, 144 female subjects were analyzed. Serum 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 were determined by high−performance liquid chromatography. The sum of 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 was calculated, yielding 25(OH)D, for which a concentration of less than 30 nmol/L was defined as vitamin D insufficiency. Demographic data such as age, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were also recorded. Results: The average age of the subjects was 61.3 years (SD 12.8), ranging from 21 to 87. The average concentrations of 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 were 0.5nmol/L (SD 3.2) and 64.6nmol/L (SD 17.6), respectively. The number of subjects with 25(OH)D concentration less than 30nmol/L was 4 of 149(2.7%). Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were not significantly correlated with age (r=−0.065, p=0.441) or BMI (r=0.086, p=0.310). Conclusion: The present population−based study confirms adequate levels of 25(OH)D and low prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in Japanese women. Further research should be directed toward clarifying which dietary factors determine vitamin D nutrition.
hydroxyl group ; Upper case dee ; Vitamin D ; Nutritional status ; Human Females

A study was performed to evaluate the physical exercise characteristics of 29 Japanese elite judo athletes by treadmill exercise test. Functional aerobic impairment (FAI), heart rate impairment (HRI) and peripheral circulatory impairment (PCI) in the judo athletes were not significantly different from those of normal sedentary subjects. However, myocardial aerobic impairment (MAI) was lower than in normal sedentary subjects. %VO₂max at the anaerobic threshold (AT) was 57.5±3.3% in male, and 57.0±4.3% in female judo athletes. %HRmax at AT was 72.4±3.8% in males, and 75.2±5.3% in females.
These findings suggest that functional aerobic capacity and peripheral circulatory function in Japanese elite judo athletes are not significantly different from those of normal sedentary subjects, but that judo athletes have high left ventricular function.
The blood biochemical profile and urinalysis date revealed that values of muscle injury enzymes, plasma uric acid and cholesterol were increased with relatively high freqency in elite judo athletes. Similar data were also obtained in individuals with suspected diabetic nephropathy and rhabdomyolysis.

This study attempted to clarify the effects of 3- and 6-month comprehensive health education programs based on hot spa bathing, lifestyle education and physical exercise on physique, psychological vigor, blood properties, pains in the knee and back, and mental and psychological aspects of women. We examined middle-aged and elderly women who were randomly divided into two groups and followed up until six months and one year later, respectively.
Spa programmers, an exercise instructor, and a dietician instructed subjects to one hour of life-style education and physical exercise (lecture on behavior modification, walking, rhythmic exercise, cooking practice, etc.) and one hour (including time for changing clothes and washing body) of a half bath (salt spring, temperature at 41.5) once a week. The program for the 3-month group (n=19) was repeated in the 6-month group (n=14).
The evaluation items were BMI, PWC75%HRmax (by a bicycle ergometer as aerobic capacity), blood properties (total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, arteriolosclerotic index, uric acid, and HbAlc), profile of mood states, self-rating depression scale, subjective happiness, and pains in the knee and back.
Compared with pre-intervention data (26.3±3.6), the BMI decreased significantly (p<0.05) immediately after the intervention (25.7±3.5) and at the follow up six months later (25.7±3.3) in the group of 6-month intervention. In addition, the PWC75%HRmax, HbAlc, pains in the back, vigor, depression, and subjective happiness remained significantly improved (p<0.05), as measured at the 6-month follow-up. On the other hand, some of the items improved in the 3-month intervention group immediately after the intervention, but returned to nearly the same levels as those before intervention at the 1-year follow-up. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found in the PWC75%HRmax, HbAlc, and fatigue between the two groups, all of which were improved in the 6-month intervention group.
These results suggest that a low frequency, once-a-week intervention requires duration longer than three months to maintain the effects, and that the effects should be monitored over years for a correct assessment.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of weight reduction on the anti-mutagenicity of human saliva. Subjects were 16 male college judo players. The anti-mutagenicity of the saliva was measured using the umu test. There was an inhibiting effect of the saliva on the mutagenicity of AF-2. However, a modifying effect of the saliva on Trp-P-1 was not observed. On the day before a competition and 7 days after the competition, the inhibiting capacity of the saliva for the mutagenicity of AF-2 decreased and increased in two non-weight reduction and two weight reduction groups, respectively. However, on the day before the competition, the changed body weights (r=−0.77, p<0.01) and BMI (r=−0.77, p<0.01) were significantly correlated with that of the inhibiting capacity of the saliva for the mutagenicity of AF-2. In addition, the BMI at 20 days before the competition was not significantly but markedly correlated with it (r=0.50, p=0.057). At 7 days after the competition, however, these correlations were not found. These findings suggest a unique correlation between the anti-mutagenicity of human saliva and body weight or BMI.
Saliva ; competition ; Human ; Body Weight ; g <3>

The efficacy of Landiolol hydrochloride (Onoact^®) for the treatment of arrhythmia was studied in 10 adult patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery. Onoact was continuously infused at a mean rate of 0.018 mg/kg/min initially and followed by 0.01 mg/kg/min. After the initiation of Onoact infusion, supra-ventricular tachycardia was eliminated in 5 out of 6 patients, and ventricular tachycardia disappeared in all 4 patients. The decrease in systemic blood pressure was not significant. Low-dose continuous infusion of Onoact was safe and effective even in patients just after cardiovascular surgery.

To assess the effectiveness of a problem-based learning tutorial system introduced at Gifu University School of Medicine in 1995, we conducted a questionnaire survey of medical knowledge, attitudes about learning, communication ability, and social behavior in sixth-year medical students. The questionnaire was given to instructors and attending physicians at community hospitals who were involved in clinical education. Many of the evaluators felt that students who trained with the tutorial system showed improved understanding, a more active attitude toward learning, and a better attitude toward patients than did students who received traditional, lecture-based education.