Forty-nine years have passed since the agricultural cooperative started life insurance business in 1952. Right from the start, it expanded by leaps and bounds. As of the end of fiscal 1999, the total number of contracts amounted to 13, 350, 000 cases for endowment insurance and 4, 240, 000 cases for whole life insurance. The average value of death benefits per policy came to ¥12, 000, 000 for former and ¥21, 000, 000 for the latter. Worthy of special mention is the fact that a considerably large sum of money is assured to a beneficiary designated by the owner of a whole life insurance policy.
We made analyses of mortality rates and causes of death among insureds over a period of 20 years from 1980, using the agricultural cooperative life insurance statistics.
Broadly, deaths from strokes and accidents were on the decline. This was probably attributable to individuals' efforts at prevention. By contrast, mortality rates for malignant neoplasms tended to increase year after year. Especially lung cancer and liver cancer rates were being on a sharp upward curve, whereas cancer of the stomach tended to claim less lives in recent years. In the present study, we picked up 16 prefectures and carried out a longitudinal study of data on the mortalities for the abovementioned three types of cancer.

Recently our intensive attention has been drawn to the effects of the air pollution on the respiratory organs. The authers have studied the vital capacity and timed vital capacity of the adults and children living in the Spa (hydrogen sulfide containing acid Spring Kusatsu) and the sulfur mine where the atomospheric air contains a small quantity of H₂S under 2ppm in spa and SO₂ under 1ppm in spa, and following results were obtained;
1. There was no significant difference in height and body weight among the children in the mine, the spa and the control district.
2. In the mine, many children complained of subjective symptoms concerning the respiratory organs.
3. Elevated vital capacity was found in the mine children.
4. There was no significant difference in the timed vital capacity between the control and the spa children.
5. In the control and the spa, the height showed the highest correlation to the vital capacity with men and the body weight to the vital capacity with women.
Concerning the partial correlation except the age factor, there was a higher correlation between the vital capacity and body weight than between the vital capacity and the height both with boys and girls.
6. Our results supported the Hewlett-Jackson's fomula in regression equation which can be used to predict the vital capacity.
7. There was no significant difference in the vital capacity of the residents between the two mines, which have different environmental and occupational conditions each other.
8. Concerning the timed vital capacity, there was no significant difference between these mines, but it was lower in the mine workers than in the office workers of the mine.
9. No significant difference in the timed vital capacity was proved between the smoker and non-smoker in the mine.

We reported nine cases of metastatic skin carcinoma experienced at the Department of Dermatology, Obihiro Kosei Hospital during the period from April 1991 to March 1993. Lung was the most common primary lesion (four out of nine cases), followed by uterus (two) and stomach, breast, and kidney (one each). The clinical features of the metastases were classified into nodular (five cases), inflammatory (one case) and sclerotic (three cases) types. Peculiar zoster-like inflammation was seen in metastatic gastric cancer. Pathologically, adenocarcinoma was more common than squamous cell carcinoma. The average interval between the diagnosis of the primary cancers and the development of the skin metastases was about 30±25 months. The average life span after the detection of the skin metastases was 6.8±5.6 months. Poor prognosis of skin metastasis was thus reconfirmed.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate whether body fat rate (BFR) and triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) are associated with estimated fentanyl absorption in patients treated with the fentanyl transdermal matrix patch for moderate to severe cancer pain, by measuring the residual content of fentanyl in used matrix patches. Methods: Adult Japanese inpatients experiencing chronic cancer-related pain and receiving treatment for the first time with a transdermal fentanyl matrix patch (Durotep®MT patch) were included in the present study. During the initial application period, BFR was measured using a body fat scale, and TSF was measured by an experienced nurse with an adipometer. One patch was collected from each patient. The residual fentanyl content in used matrix patch was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The transdermal fentanyl delivery efficiency was estimated based on the fentanyl content of the used matrix patches. Results: Fifteen adult patients (5 males and 10 females) were included in this study. Nine patches with a release rate of 12.5μg/h and 6 patches with a release rate of 25μg/h were collected. The application site was the chest or upper arm. BFR and TSF both showed a significant positive correlation with delivery efficiency. Conclusion: In malnourished or low-body fat patients receiving DMP, pain intensity should be more carefully monitored, and fentanyl dose adjustment may be required. Additional parameters, such as nutritional status including body fat change, the degree of dry skin, and plasma fentanyl concentration, also require detailed evaluation. Palliat Care Res 2010; 5(2): 206-212