Objective To investigate the changes in histamine level in striatum in rats with neuropathic pain and to find out if histamine has any analgesic effect on neuropathic pain.Methods The experiment was performed in 4 parts.In partⅠ24 healthy male SD rats weighing 180-250g were randomly divided into 2 groups(n =12 each):control group received sham operation and neuropathic pain group in which left sciatic nerve was partially ligated.Two weeks after operation microdialysis catheter was inserted into right striatum and fixed.The microdialysate was collected for determination of histamine concentration.In partⅡanother 24 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into control group and neuropathic pain group as in partⅠ.Metoprine 5 mg?kg~(-1)(a L- histidine decarbonase inhibitor)was injected intraperitoneally(IP)in both groups.Then microdialysate was collected from striatum once an hour for 5 h for determination of histamine concentration and the withdrawal threshold to von Frey hair stimulation of the plantar surface of the left hindpaw was measured at 5 h after IP metoprine.In partⅢandⅣthe effects of intracerebral-ventricular histamine 30?g or 300?g and IP L-histidine 500 mg?kg~(-1) on mechanical pain threshold were measured in rats with neuropathic pain.Results In partⅠthere was no significant difference in the extracellular concentration of histamine in the striatum between the two groups. In partⅡthe extracellular concentration of histamine in the striatum was increased after IP metoprine in both groups but the increase was significantly larger in neuropathic pain group than in control group.The pain threshold was also significantly increased in neuropathic pain group after IP metoprine.In partⅢandⅣintracerebral- ventricular histamine 30?g or IP L-histidine 500 mg?kg~(-1) induced hyperalgesia while intracerebral-ventricular histamine 300?g produced analgesia in rats with neuropathic pain.Conclusion The histamine metabolism is more active in the striatum in rats with neuropathic pain.The neuropathic pain is ameliorated by large dose of histamine administered in cerebral-ventricle and metoprine can induce accumulation of histamine in the striatum.

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between low back pain (LBP) and psychological conditions in university wrestlers.
We examined psychological conditions of seventy male university wrestlers using the Psycholo gical Condition Inventory (PCI) test and evaluated whether psychological conditions have some relationships with LBP. Evaluations of LBP were based on a questionnaire test and the diagnosis of orthopedic surgeons. Based on the LBP evaluation, we assigned all wrestlers into two groups as the LBP group and the non-LBP group.
We obtained the following results. There were twenty-eight university wrestlers (40%) in the LBP group and forty-two wrestlers (60%) in the non-LBP group. Wrestlers in the LBP group showed significantly high values in all factors relating to fatigue in comparison to the non-LBP group.
We conclud that the university wrestlers with LBP feel fatigue in their minds and bodies.

To demonstrate the quality assurance of the comprehensive examination of sixth-year students at Nippon Medical School, 4 undergraduate examinations were compared with the national examination for medical practitioners (NEMP) using scatter graphs and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Of the 93 sixth-year students at Nippon Medical School, 57%(n=53) reported their scores on the NEMP in response to a request from the Academic Quality and Development Office. Correlation coefficients of the grade point average (years 1 to 5), average scores on graduation examinations of 24 subjects, scores on the trial examination of NEMP, and scores on the sixth-year comprehensive examination with overall scores on the NEMP were 0.62, 0.46, 0.68, and 0.63, respectively. These results suggest that the sixth-year comprehensive examination is more suitable than are graduation examinations for predicting the NEMP score.

To demonstrate the quality assurance of comprehensive examinations for fourth-year students at Nippon Medical School, scores on comprehensive examinations were compared with those on a trial of computer-based testing (CBT) of a nationwide medical and dental student evaluation system in 2003. Pearson's correlation coefficients between scores of two comprehensive examinations and the CBT score were 0.45 and 0.67, and the correlation coefficient between the average score of the two comprehensive examinations and the CBT score was 0.55. Fourth-year comprehensive examinations are useful tools for summative evaluation and prediction of CBT performance.