Objective:
This study evaluated the effect of acupuncture treatment on the blood pressure in the elderly based on measurements using the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring method (ABPM). The relationships between the psychological health status and the status evaluated by an oriental medical questionnaire were also examined.
Methods:
The subjects consisted of 15 elderly females aged 75[±6]. A model TM-2421 (A & D Co., Tokyo, Japan) was used for ABPM. Blood pressure was measured before the acupuncture treatment, at the end of the treatment, and one month after the treatment.
The average systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse rate (PUL) were measured over 24 hours, daytime and nighttime; the hyperbaric index (HBI); and the circadian rhythm were measured by the cosinor method. Subjects were divided into two groups, hypertensive and normal groups, using JNC7 (daytime 135/85mmHg, nighttime 120/75mmHg) as the reference. Subjects were also asked to answer the questions in the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) and Meiji Oriental Medical Score (MOS).
Acupuncture treatment was applied twice a week over two months, a total of 18 times, with the aim of improving the blood pressure, psychological status, and chronic pain syndromes.
Results:
Of the 15 subjects who participated in the recent study, six were in the normal blood pressure group and nine, in the hypertensive group.
Averages of both SBP and DBP measured over 24 hours, daytime and nighttime exhibited a uniform decreasing trend at the end of the treatment. In the hypertensive group, the average nighttime DBP showed a statistically significant difference. A significant decrease in the HBI was detected in the hypertensive group at the end of the treatment. CMI results indicated that the subjects who were rated abnormal tended to be more normal at the end of the treatment. The oriental medical status evaluated with MOS also indicated an improvement as a result of treatment.
Conclusion:
Acupuncture treatment was considered to effectively decrease blood pressure and improve the psychological status and chronic pain of the elderly.

Purpose
 We assessed the effect of Electroacupuncture (EA) at Zusanli (ST36) acupoint on cardiac perfor-mance of spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), analyzing left ventricular pressure-volume (PV) relationship.
Methods
 SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY) were anesthetized with isoflurane (1%). Conductance catheter (SPR-838, Millar instruments, Houston, Texas) was inserted into left ventricle via carotid artery. Steady state was maintained for at least 5 min before EA was started.
 EA stimulation point was set on the right anterior side of hindlimb, corresponding to Zusanli (ST36) acupoint in humans. SHR and WKY underwent EA stimulation in a frequency of 2Hz and intensity of 6mA with a pulse generator (Han’s Healthronics Likon,Taipei, Taiwan) for 15 min. PV relationship was measured at baseline, 10min after the start of EA stimulation and at 0, 5, 10, 15 min after the end, then analyzed to obtain parameters for cardiac performance.
Result
 In the basic state before EA stimulation, ESP, SW, PVA, Ea, dp/dtmax, dp/dtmin, Pmax, ESPVR and EDPVR in SHR was significantly higher than those in WKY(ESP, 109.6±8.3 vs. 175.0±14.6mmHg, p<0.01 ; SW, 5.7±1.6 vs. 8.8±3.7mmHg·ml, p<0.05 ; PVA, 11.7±4.0 vs. 19.3±6.4mmHg· ml, p<0.01 ; Ea, 1804.2±382.4 vs. 2625.3±629.3 mmHg/ml, p<0.01 ; dp/dtmax, 7512.9±1628.8 vs. 13406.3±1771.4mmHg/s, p<0.01 ; dp/dtmin, -7159.7±1236.8 vs. -12082.5±1280.2 mmHg/s, p<0.01 ; Pmax, 116.7±6.8 vs. 176.8±14.6mmHg, p<0.01 ; ESPVR, 1013.8±320.3 vs. 1520.1±494.8mmHg/ml, p<0.05 ; EDPVR 70.0±39.3 vs. 178.3±130.2 mmHg/ml, p<0.05, respectively), indicating increased systolic function and decreased diastolic function in SHR.
 Significant change in parameters of WKY could not be observed after EA stimulation.In SHR, ESP, EDP, Ea, dp/dtmax, dp/dtmin, Pmax was significantly decreased at 10 min after EA started. ESPVR was not significantly affected by EA in both WKY and SHR, however, ESPVR tended to be increased in WKY and decreased in SHR at 10min after the start of EA stimulation.
Conclusion
 EA decreased indicators of systolic function in SHR that is significantly higher than WKY. This study suggests that EA improved enhanced systolic function in SHR, compared with WKY.

Topical cooling effects at the site of vibratory stimulation were studied using vibration-induced flexion reflex (VFR), which was induced simultaneously in both hands, as an indicator for assessment.
As a result, it was found that the inhibition of ipsilateral and contralateral VFR related to topical cooling of the palmar vibratory site on one side was caused by cooling within a limited area of the palm where the vibratory element contacted. Application of acupunctural electrical stimulation of disrupting nature in place of topical cooling to the vibratory stimulation site on one side also effectively inhibited VFR on both sides.
Although the skin temperature did not decrease on the side contralateral to the side that had been cooled, VFR was completely inhibited on both the cooled and uncooled sides.
These results suggest that the peripheral impulses which arise from cooling the vibratory site on one side act on spinal interneurons and alpha-motor neurons, which contribute bilaterally to the VFR expression, thus inducing a neurogenic inhibitory effect on VFR.

Background
 Although acupuncture medicine has been used with the aim of maintenance or promotion of health as well as improvement and/or cure of disease, scientific evidences regarding the effect of the therapy on health maintenance or health promotion so far are limited. We evaluated the effect of electroacupuncture on oxidative stress, antioxidative activity, autonomic nerve functions and anxiety to investigate the usefulness of the therapy in terms of health maintenance and health promotion.
Methods
 Subjects of the present study were nine healthy volunteers (six males and three females, mean age 29.3years). These subjects participated in two experimental conditions (with and without electroacupuncture) at random order with an interval of at least one week. Oxidative stress and antioxidative activity were determined with an automatic free radical analyzer (FRAS-4). Autonomic nerve functions were evaluated with heart rate valiability (HRV) analysis using an ECG monitoring system. Also, psychological statement was evaluated with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). These evaluation were carried out immediately before and after electroacupuncture or resting period both of which the duration was set for 15 minutes. Electroacupuncture was carried out at LI4 (Hegu) and LI10 (Shousanli) at a frequency of 1.3Hz with a comfortable intensity for the subject. Comparison of the data between immediately before and after stimulation was performed with paired-t test. Repeated measures ANOVA was applied for comparison between groups. Correlation analysis was performed to estimate relation between outcomes. All the analysis was carried out using commercially available statistical software (SPSS ver. 11). A p-value less than five percents was considered statistical significance.
Results
 Antioxidative activity was markedly increased under the condition of that electroacupuncture was carried out (p<0.05), which resulted in a statistically significnt difference when compared with those in the control condition, while no statistically significant difference was found between two conditions in the oxidative stress. No significant difference after electroacupuncture was found in any items of HRV analysis and the STAI. There was no significant correlation between changes in the antioxidative activity, items in HRV and STAI.
Discussion & Conclusion
 Electroacupuncture was capable of increasing antioxidative activity but had no influence on the autonomic nerve functions and anxiety. We suggested that the mechanism underlying the effect of electroacupuncture to the antioxidative activity may not involve changes in the autonomic nerve functions or psychological factors, but rather depending on the micro injury in the tissue at the needling points or muscle contraction which had been evoked during stimulation.

To investigate the effect of acupuncture treatment combined with extreme infra-red rays radiation, we measured both skin surface and deep temperature at the stimulated area and peripheral site. The subjects were seven healthy volunteers with no problems involving the skin or autonomic nervous system. Acupuncture stimulation was performed on the Subject's back in combination with extreme infra-red rays radiation. The skin surface and deep temperature were measured at both the stimulated area and peripheral site (sole of the foot) using a thermistor temperature sensor and deep tissue thermometer during stimulation. We also measured temperature at those sites during extreme infrared rays radiation without acupuncture stimulation as a control study. Acupuncture stimulation combined with extreme infra-red rays radiation on the subject's back increases both surface and deep temperature at both the stimulated area and the peripheral site (sole of the foot), while the radiation alone had no effect on the temperature at the peripheral site. We suggested that acupuncture treatment combined with extreme infra-red rays radiation was useful to increase skin surface and deep temperature not only at the stimulated area but also at the peripheral site.

[Objective and method] We developed a questionnaire for 117 second graders in the fiscal year of 1999 in order to perform curriculum evaluation of Meridians and Acupuncture Points. Furthermore, based on the result, a part of the curriculum was changed and the effect was examined. Curriculum evaluation, using the same questionnaire which in the fiscal year of 1999, was performed for 117 second graders in the fiscal year of 2000, and compared with the results in the fiscal year of 1999.
[Results] Of the items addressed, “Teachers were eager”, “Teachers responded to the question or consultation well”, and “Materials were useful to understanding” had higher scores. On the other hand, “Time was spent effectively”, “Progress of the lesson was suitable”, “The class was well prepared” and “Time to perform practical skills was suitable” had lower scores. After the change of the curriculum method, the results indicated that the following items; “The class was well prepared”, “Time was spent effectively”, “Teachers responded to the question or consultation well”, “Progress of the lesson was suitable”, “Time to perform practical skills was suitable” and “Materials were useful to understanding” showed a significant increase in the affirmative opinion as compared with the fiscal year of 1999.
[Conclusion] The curriculum evaluation by the students was useful for improvement of the curriculum and increased the students' motivation to study.

Purpose: Bathing habits are said to be affected by the country of residence. We investigated and compared bathing habits between Japanese living in Kyoto and Japanese Americans living in Los Angeles.

Methods: 488 subjects living in Kyoto (Japanese) and 539 subjects living in Los Angeles (Japanese Americans) were enrolled. The survey items for bathing habits were as follows: frequency (times per week) and time (morning, afternoon, evening) of taking baths and showers, other styles of bathing, and bathing duration (both baths and showers). We performed a simple tabulation and cross tabulation, calculated 95% confidential intervals by simple tabulation, and compared the results using chi-square analysis. The survey was conducted in Los Angeles in October 2010 and in Kyoto in December 2013.

Results: The percentage of subjects who took baths was 92.8% for Japanese and 56.0% for Japanese Americans. The frequency of taking a bath was 36.8 points higher for Japanese compared with Japanese Americans. The percentage of subjects who took showers was 71.7% for Japanese and 82.6% for Japanese Americans. The frequency of taking a shower was 10.9 points higher for Japanese Americans compared with Japanese. The most common response for frequency of bathing was “every day”, followed by “every other day” in both groups. The most common response for the time of taking a bath was “evening” in both groups. Among Japanese Americans, 21.8% took baths in the “morning”. Most Japanese indicated they took a shower “less than once a week” (48.0%), whereas most Japanese Americans took a shower “every day” (78%). The timing of taking a shower was in the “evening” for most Japanese, but in the “morning” or “evening” for most Japanese Americans. The most common response for bathing duration (both baths and showers) was “26-30 min” among Japanese and “6-10 min” among Japanese Americans.

Discussion: For Japanese Americans, the purpose of bathing was suggested to be cleaning the body since their main style of bathing was taking showers of a short duration in the morning or evening. On the other hand, for Japanese, the purpose of bathing was thought to be cleaning and healing the body, but also maintaining health since their main style of bathing was taking baths of a long duration in the evening. We speculate that the country of residence affects bathing habits and that there are differences among people of the same race living in different countries.

Conclusion: Bathing habits such as bathing style, the time of bathing and bathing duration were different between Japanese and Japanese Americans.

The effect of acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system was analyzed by simultaneous measurement of sympathetic skin response (SSR), sympathetic flow response (SFR) and Palmer emotional sweating evoked with electric stimuli to the forehead at random interval and intensity. The mutual relation of measurements by those parameters was examined electrophysiologically.
The subjects were ten healthy male volunteers. SSR at the left palm and SFR at the fingertip of the left forefinger were measured using laser doppler flowmetry, and emotional sweating at teh right palm was measured with the ventilated capsule method (hydrography). The measurements were performed in two sessions, with and without acupuncture stimulation that was given at L14 with the technique of sparrow picking (1Hz) for 1 minute and retaining the needle for 10 minutes. The amplitude of SSR, the reduction rate of SFR, and the sweat rate were measured before and after acupuncture stimulation, while those were measured before and after resting in the other session as a control study. As a result, habituation in each response was not seen and the correlation coefficient in each index was low, while SSR and Palmar sweating were inhibited significantly in the stimulation group only, and SFR was inhibited in both groups.
These results suggested that acupuncture stimulation might inhibit the activity of the skin sympathetic nerve system.