We investigated the relationship between obesity and lipids in elderly women in a rural area with primary hyperlipidemia after one year of follow-up. Thirty women aged 61 to 89 (mean age, 72.5 years) with primary hyperlipidemia were enrolled in this study. They were all given lipid-lowering dietary by a dietitian (s) and general physicians at the time of entry.
Total serum cholesterol (TCHO), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) did not change significantly over the past one year however, triglyceride level (TG) significantly decreased during the period. BMI at the time of enrollment was not significantly correlated with the reduction rate of TCHO or HDL-C, but was significantly correlated with the reduction rate of TG.
Thus, BMI may be useful as a predictor of TG change when only dietary therapy is given to eldery suburban women.

Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) plays an important role in mucosal immunity, and salivary levels change in response to social, psychological and physical stress. However, little is understood about how surgical stress affects salivary sIgA. The results of the present study showed that mouse salivary IgA concentration was significantly elevated immediately after surgery and returned to pre-surgical levels after 24 h. Thus, the surgery did not suppress IgA secretion under our experimental conditions, suggesting that mucosal immunity was not perturbed. Since the role of α-adrenergic receptors involved in IgA secretion has remained unclear under surgical stress, we further examined the effects of either α₁-adrenergic (prazosin) or α₂-adrenergic antagonist (yohimbine) on the salivary sIgA. Yohimbine, but not prazosin, antagonized the surgically induced salivary IgA enhancement, indicating mediation by α₂-receptor stimulation. The mRNA for IgA was not altered in the salivary gland after surgery, suggesting that surgical stress did not stimulate IgA synthesis in the salivary gland cells. In conclusion, it is suggested that the surgical stress does not perturb mucosal immunity in our experimental model, although a transient increase of concentration of salivary IgA was observed immediately after surgical insult.

Surface induced hypothermia was introduced in six cases with low cardiac output syndrome after open heart surgery to reduce oxgen consumption. The patients were consisted of two ACBG, two LV rupture after MVR, MVR with ACBG and AVR with poor LV function. Hemodynamic changes such as heart rate, mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary artery wedge pressure, were measured every 3-4 hours throughout the course of hypothermia. Acid-base balance, mixed venous oxgen saturation and oxygen consumption were also monitored. Hypothermia was induced using a blanket and ice-beutels. Temperature in hypothermia was maintained at about 33°C. We are intended to increase SVO₂ up to the level of 50% and to improve anerobic condition. Hypothermia was continued for 45 hours in the shortest and 148 hours in the longest case with a mean of 78 hours. Arrythmia was not seen. Hemodynamic and acid-base balance were in significantly changed in comparison of the control values. However, SVO₂ and VO₂ changed significantly after introduction of hypothermia. They increased from 47.8±7.5% to 58.7±7.9% and reduced from 231±29.7 to 188±31.3ml O₂/min respectively. Hemodynamic condition was improved and IABP was successfully weaned in all cases. We suggest that the use of hypothermia is one of the effective modality in the management of low cardiac output syndrome after open heart surgery.

　A system for Physiology Educator Accreditation was established by the Physiological Society of Japan in 2013 and then implemented. The accreditation process starts by the applicant participating in the education program during the society’s annual meeting, after which the applicant’s teaching and research experiences are reviewed. The education program consists of model lectures to learn teaching skills and lectures to obtain up-to-date knowledge about physiology. The main purpose of the system is to provide an opportunity to obtain a wide range of knowledge and skills for physiology teaching for teachers working at medical universities and universities of life sciences and for young researchers aiming for a tenure-track academic position.

To determine the relationships among silent brain infarction (SBI), bone mineral density and milk consumption in elderly women, we studied 26 senile female outpatients with SBI in comparison with 18 age-matched controls.
There was a significant difference between the two groups in diastolic blood pressure (p<0.05), and a significantly larger number of individuals in the SBI group had a history of hypertension than in the control group (p<0.005). Bone mineral density at the ultradistal end of the radius tended to be lower in the SBI group than in the control group (0.05These finding indicated a close correlation between SBI and milk consumption habits in elderly women.

This paper describes a clinical review of cases of gastric cancer treated surgically at the Department of Surgery of the Shirakawa Kosei General Hospital, the core medical institution in the southern part of Fukushima Prefecture.
During the period of 20 years from January 1981 through December 2000, a total of 1, 132 cases were operated on for gastric carcinoma. Surgical resection cases totaled 1, 023 (resection ratio: 90.4%); curative resection cases, 894 (curative resection ratio: 79.0%); 5-year survival rate for resection cases, 68.3%; and 5-year survival rate for curative resection cases, 75.6%. When the cases were divided into those treated during the first half of the 20 years nad those treated during the latter half of the 20 years, the number or resection cases was smaller during the latter than during the first half but the resection ratio was larger. The early stomach cancer cases in terms of the degree of progress, histological classification, depth and metastasis to lymph nodes have been increasing and the 5-year survival rate has been on the rise.

This study evaluated the exercise profile (heart rate, cycling speed and pedal cadence) during 25-30 km cycling and fitness and health level for adults (11 males: 69.6 ± 4.7 yrs; 6 females: 66.3 ± 4.9 yrs) with a recreational cycling habit (27.6 ± 14.8 km/week). Exercise intensity at a constant speed on a flat road during male and female cycling was 71.2 ± 11.5 and 66.8 ± 11.4% heart rate reserved (HRR), respectively. Exercise intensity over 60% HRR occupied 72% of cycling time. Peak intensity during male and female cycling was 89.2 ± 8.9 and 93.1 ± 6.1% HRR, respectively. VO2max and CS (chair stand)-30 test for male and female were 40.3 ± 4.3 and 37.7 ± 2.4 ml/kg/min, and 30.8 ± 3.1 and 30.1 ± 3.2 times, respectively. The muscle cross-sectional area of thigh extensor and flexor measured by MRI were 55.4 ± 6.5 and 58.3 ± 13.3 cm² for male, and 45.5 ± 6.4 and 50.2 ± 5.7 cm² for female, respectively. Blood profile for HDL-C (cholesterol), LDL-C and HbA1c (JDS) for male and female were 65.9 ± 8.2 and 67.9 ± 10.6 mg/dl, 112.3 ± 32.0 and 130.6 ± 12.3 mg/dl, and 4.8 ± 0.4 and 4.7 ± 0.1%, respectively. Fitness level and blood profile results were superior to those of the same aged adults. We concluded that the exercise intensity of cycling by middle and older adults with a recreational cycling habit is high and their fitness and health level are higher than average adults.

It is well known that haloperidol is effective in the management of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients and that midazolam is used for inducing sedation in patients with delirium. Both the drugs are frequently used in a clinical setting, but there have been only few reports thus far on the concomitant administration of these 2 drugs. We report the case of a patient with massive ascites due to peritoneal carcinomatosis who had severe nausea and vomiting and went into a delirious state. This patient received a concomitant continuous infusion of haloperidol and midazolam for the management of these symptoms. Both haloperidol (up to 1.87mg/h) and midazolam (up to 1.87mg/h) were infused intravenously. For about 20 days, the nausea, vomiting and delirium were well under control without the development of any life threatening toxicities. Concomitant haloperidol and midazolam infusion was found to be a safe and effective therapy for the management of nausea and vomiting in the patient. Palliat Care Res 2009; 4(1): 312-316

Opioids are potent analgesics mostly used for severe cancer and chronic noncancer pain. However, their efficacy and safety in acute noncancer pain are debatable. We describe the case of an 82-year-old male with severe back pain due to bacteremic Staphylococcus aureus spondylitis and paravertebral abscess. Pain in such cases is usually controlled by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, this patient was administered morphine (oral, then intravenous; up to 23 mg/day) because acetaminophen and NSAIDs did not ameliorate pain. Considerable pain relief was achieved without toxicity, and the dose of morphine was tapered through 35 days. No symptoms of addiction or withdrawal were observed during or after this 35-day period. Thus, morphine appears to be safe and effective in the management of severe, acute noncancer pain in patients with bacterial spondylitis. Palliat Care Res 2010; 5(2): 327-331