In our clinic, blood pressure measurement has been done for many patients with various chief complaints. Acupuncture treatment was undertaken to improve their chief complaints according to Kurono's whole-body adjustment. We carried out a research paying attention to the fact that the patients with elevations of the blood pressure at the first visit showed a tendency to gradual decrease of the values.
According to the values of the first measurement, patients were divided into two groups in accordance with WHO's criteria: Hypertension group and Boundary one.
The first measurement velues and the averaged values of the following seven measurements undertaken before treatment were compared using histgram and t-test.
The descent of the blood pressure was seen in both Hypertension and Boundary group.

　　A 38-year-old woman was examined at our hospital because of cough, night sweats, and facial edema. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a large mass in the anterior mediastinum measuring 8.2×12.2 cm, with multiple nodules on both lungs. Bronchoscopy revealed multiple nodules parallel to the tracheal rings and obstruction of the anterior segmental bronchus of the right lung. The histopathological features were diagnostic of primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma. She underwent chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy to the mediastinal mass. After 8 months, she developed right cerebellar metastasis. Eventually, she received peripheral stem cell transplantation after 17 months.

We have twice previously reported the results of our preliminary investigation regarding patients with hypertension. Recently, the focus of our interest has been on the blood pressure levels at the time of the third sound of korotkoff. We reported our findings regarding this topic in an oral presentation titled “Evaluation of acupunctural treatment in hypertensive patients” at the 9th Annual Central Japan Block Meeting of the Japanese Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy.
Since then, we have accumulated further clinical experience regarding hypertensive patients. In this study, we investigated the third sound of korotkoff in patients diagnosed as borderline hypertension according to the WHO criteria for hypertension. The blood pressure during the third sound of korotkoff ranged from 100mmHg to 110mmHg in our patients. This difference in blood pressure noted during the decreasing phase of the blood pressure cycle may serve as a useful prognostic indicator in hypertensive patients.

We studied the effects of electro acupuncture stimulation of Baxie on local tolerance as an index of cold induced vasodilation (CIVD). The subjects consisted of 22 healthy adult volunteers. The skin temperature and skin blood flow in the middle finger were simultaneously examined before, during, and after immersion of the finger in cold water. Electroacupuncture stimulation at 1 Hz with a 66 to 100V intensity was performed for 5 minutes. Experiments of no stimulation and electroacupuncture stimulation were conducted on the same subject on different days.
The results revealed the following:
1. CIVD was caused by rapid increase of skin blood flow during immersion of the finger in cold water.
2. The minimum skin temperature, minimum skin blood flow, maximum skin blood flow, mean skin temperature in the rising phase of skin temperature, and the index of resistance to frostbite of the electroacupuncture stimulated group were higher than those of the unstilmulated group, and rates of skin temperature increase and decrease during immersion of the finger in cold water in the electroacupuncture stimulated group were significantly higher. These results show that electroacupuncture stimulation increases local cold tolerance in the finger.

We studied the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of Baxie on local cold tolerance as an index of cold induced vasodilatation (CIVD). The subjects consisted of 22 healthy adult volunteers.
The skin temperature and skin blood flow in the middle finger were measured simultaneously before, during, and after immersing the finger in cold water. TENS at 1Hz with 100-V intensity was applied for 5 minutes before immersion of the finger.
Experiments were conducted with no stimulation and with TENS on the same subjects on different days.
The results revealed the following:
1. The minimum skin temperature and minimum skin blood flow during immersion of the finger in cold water were higher in the TENS group than in the control (no stimulation) group.
2. The maximum skin temperature, mean skin temperature, and increase and decrease of skin blood flow rate during immersion of the finger in cold water and in the rising phase of skin temperature were higher in the TENS group than in the control group.
3. The index of resistance to frostbite was higher in the TENS group than in the control group.
4. The number of fluctuations in skin temperature during immersion of the finger in cold water was significantly higher in the TENS group than in the control group.
5. The incidence of abnormal perception during immersion of the finger in cold water was lower in the TENS group than in the control group.
These results suggest that TENS enhances the local cold tolerance of fingers by suppressing SSA in the initial falling phase on skin temperature and increasing the motion of skin blood vessels in the rising phase of skin temperature.

Purpose: Maintenance therapy after oxaliplatin withdrawal is useful in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This study aimed to investigate the timing of discontinuation or reintroduction of oxaliplatin and the optimal maintenance therapy regimen for survival. Materials and Methods: PubMed and conference abstracts were searched to select phase II and III trials of first-line oxaliplatin-containing therapy with or without bevacizumab using maintenance therapy for mCRC. Correlations of median overall survival (OS) with induction therapy regimens, induction therapy duration, maintenance therapy regimens (fluoropyrimidine plus bevacizumab [FP+Bev], FP/Bev alone, and no treatment), and oxaliplatin reintroduction were investigated using correlation and weighted multivariate regression analyses. Results: Twenty-two treatment arms were analyzed, including 2,581 patients. The maintenance therapy regimen FP+Bev showed the strongest correlation with a prolonged OS (Spearman’s partial correlation coefficient=0.42), and the other three variables correlated weakly with the OS. The maintenance therapy regimen significantly interacted with the induction chemotherapy duration (p=0.019). The predicted OS for FP+Bev crossed the lines of FP/Bev alone at 18 weeks of induction therapy, and of no treatment at 23 weeks. The corresponding OS at 12 and 27 weeks of induction therapies were 28.6 and 24.2 months for FP+Bev, 25.9 and 28.8 months for FP/Bev alone, and 20.5 and 27.5 months for no treatment. Conclusion The optimal maintenance therapy regimen for the OS is a continuous induction therapy as long as possible followed by FP/Bev alone and switching to FP+Bev within approximately 4 months if induction therapy is discontinued.

Purpose: Maintenance therapy after oxaliplatin withdrawal is useful in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This study aimed to investigate the timing of discontinuation or reintroduction of oxaliplatin and the optimal maintenance therapy regimen for survival. Materials and Methods: PubMed and conference abstracts were searched to select phase II and III trials of first-line oxaliplatin-containing therapy with or without bevacizumab using maintenance therapy for mCRC. Correlations of median overall survival (OS) with induction therapy regimens, induction therapy duration, maintenance therapy regimens (fluoropyrimidine plus bevacizumab [FP+Bev], FP/Bev alone, and no treatment), and oxaliplatin reintroduction were investigated using correlation and weighted multivariate regression analyses. Results: Twenty-two treatment arms were analyzed, including 2,581 patients. The maintenance therapy regimen FP+Bev showed the strongest correlation with a prolonged OS (Spearman’s partial correlation coefficient=0.42), and the other three variables correlated weakly with the OS. The maintenance therapy regimen significantly interacted with the induction chemotherapy duration (p=0.019). The predicted OS for FP+Bev crossed the lines of FP/Bev alone at 18 weeks of induction therapy, and of no treatment at 23 weeks. The corresponding OS at 12 and 27 weeks of induction therapies were 28.6 and 24.2 months for FP+Bev, 25.9 and 28.8 months for FP/Bev alone, and 20.5 and 27.5 months for no treatment. Conclusion The optimal maintenance therapy regimen for the OS is a continuous induction therapy as long as possible followed by FP/Bev alone and switching to FP+Bev within approximately 4 months if induction therapy is discontinued.

Research on pulse diagnosis conducted so far by Kurono et al. includes a study on pulse diagnosis and six basic pulses and a study on the application of AMI (an apparatus for measuring the function of the meridian and corresponding internal organs) to pulse diagnosis.
In this study, fluctuation of the meridian functions with or without acupuncture treatment according to the law of the five elements were examined objectively using BP values measured by AMI. When BP values were measured for 10 times without acupuncture treatment, the values for the respective meridiansfluctuated in a stable manner, averaging 4% or less. As a result of testing 6 subjects using this meridian treatment according to the law of the five elements, fluctuation of the meridian functions increased in the oriental medical diagnosis of all the subjects.
Thus, the results of this study showed the feasibility of using AMI for objectively evaluating the fluctuation of meridian functions. The authors intend to continue to examine the relationship between diagnosis and acupuncture using AMI.