Objectives: To examine in two tests the potential of kaki (persimmon) extract-containing diet (KE diet) to reduce malodorous volatile sulfur compounds (VSC), such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), methyl mercaptan (CH₃SH) and dimethyl sulfide (CH₃SCH₃), as well as on subjective fecal odor on healthy adults.
Methods: In the first test, 11 subjects were given garlic-containing soup. For a period of time, they were given a single dose of KE diet (150 mg as kaki extract) with water, and only water for the rest of the study period. Two hours after the administration, oral gas samples were collected from individual subjects and analyzed for VSC. In the second test, 14 subjects were given a single dose of KE diet for 7 days. Fecal samples were collected from individual subjects before and after the 7-day KE diet intervention. Levels of VSC were determined and the magnitude of subjective fecal odor was estimated based on ratings in the self-administered questionnaire.
Results: Levels of CH₃SCH₃ in oral gas were significantly lowered when subjects were on a KE diet. On the other hand, although decreases in the level of any VSC in feces before and after the 7-day KE diet intake did not reach a statistical significance, subjective fecal odor significantly improved by the KE diet intake.
Conclusion: KE diet appears to have a beneficial effect on VSC-associated oral malodor and subjective fecal odor.

The purpose of this clinical investigation is to analyse the growth of the ventricular volumes and the changes of indices of cardiac performance during infancy and childhood. The materials were composed of 129 healthy infants and children (4 months to 13 years of age), who had a history of Kawasaki disease and without any evidence of coronary artery lesion. All the cases underwent cardiac catheterization and cineangiography under sedation. Volumes of the left and right ventricles were calculated by integration methods in tow frames for end-diastole and end-systole from biplane cineangiograms. Left ventricular mass was calculated in 120 infants and children by Rackley's method.
All the volumes and masses were deviled by body surface area in order to normalize the crude values for infants and children of different size. The mean values of left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (RVEDVI) and stroke index (SI) for each age were less in the younger children than those in the older children, and abrupt stepwise increase was observed at 1 year, 6 years and 10-11 years of age in the values of LVEDVI, RVEDVI and SI.
The infants and chidren were divided into four groups according to age (under 1 year, 1 to 5 years, 6 to 10 years and more than 11 years) . The values of LVEDVI, RVEDVI, SI and LVmass index were less in the younger age groups than those in the older age groups, and the difference of each age groups was statistically significant. The value of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was less in the youngest group (under 1 year) than those in the another groups (p<0.01) . The value for right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) was not significantly different in the age groups. End-systolic pressure-volume ratio was normalized with left ventricular mass (LVESP/ (LVESV/LVmass) ) . This normalized ratio was the lowest in the youngest group (under 1 year) and the highest in the oldest group (more than 11 years) .
As mentioned before, abrupt stepwise increase was observed in the“normal”values of LVEDVI, RVEDVI and SI in infancts and children. The explanation of this fact may be difficult at present. By the evidence of the normalized end-systolic pressure-volume ratio, it can be said that the contractility of the left ventricle in“healthy”infants and children was increased according to age. The reason why the value of LVEF was less in the youngest group than those in the another groups can be attributed to the lower contrac-tility in the youngest group. A possible factor that the value of RVEF was not significantly different between the youngest group and the another groups is; because the right ventricle works under higher pressure during fetal and neonatal period, then the right ventricular performance developed already in infancy.