The present two studies were aimed at investigating the necessity of weight training in elderly patients with myocardial infarction.
Study 1 investigated the muscle strength and incidence of gait disorders in 300 patients with myocardial infarction. The age-and gender-related differences in knee extension peak torque were significant (p<0.01) . Peak torque in the 70-79 and 80-89 yr-old women was extremely low (0.88, 0.75N·mm/kg) . Gait disorders occurred frequently in older patients amounting to approximately 30% of women>70 years of age.
Study 2 was conducted to clarify the effects of combined aerobic and weight training. 35 elderly patients with myocardial infarction were assigned to two groups : Group I performed combined aerobic and weight training (n=18) and group II did not perform physical training (n =17) . Physical training was prescribed for 8 weeks. Weight training of knee extensors was performed at 60% of one repetition maximum and aerobic training was prescribed at the anaerobic threshold (AT) level heart rate. After 8 weeks, the improvement in peak torque and gait speed was significantly greater in group I (32%, 12%) than group II (9%, 3%) . The improvement in peak VO₂, exercise time, AT was significantly greater in group I than group II. Increased peak torque was associated with increased gait speed and exercise time (modified protocol) (r=0.71, r=0.53) . On the other hand, increased peak torque was not associated with increased peak VO₂ and AT. Combined aerobic and weight training is an effective method for increasing muscle strength, gait speed and exercise capacity.
In conclusion, physical training in the recovery phase of elderly patients with myocardial infarction should include weight training.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender differences in thermoregulatory responses during the recovery from prolonged exercise. Fourteen (7 males and 7 females) subjects cycled for 45 minutes at 55%VO₂max and then rested for 105 minutes in the hot and humid environment (30℃, 80% relative humidity) or cool environment (20℃, 60% relative humidity). Both males and females showed same variations in rectal temperature (Tre) during exercise and recovery periods. Total sweat volume and water intake were significantly larger in males than in females during recovery in the both environments. In the heat condition, mean skin temperature (Tsk) decreased immediately after the cessation of exercise in females but not in males (the recovery period (R) 5–15 min : p<0.01, R15–20 min : p<0.05). These results suggested there are gender-related differences in the mechanisms and also the process maintaining the balance of heat production and heat loss response during recovery from prolonged exercise. Moreover the heat might modify gender differences of heat loss response during recovery as an important factor.

Thirty (n=30) seven week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups of five rats (n=5) in each group. The groups were designated Sc=sea level controls; St=sea level trained; Fc=hypoxic exposed (16% O₂) controls; Ft =hypoxic exposed (16% O₂) trained; Pc=intermittent hypoxic exposed (18%, 16%, 14%, 16%, 18% O₂ for two days each) controls; and Pt=intermittent hypoxic exercise trained. Exercise training consisted of 45min/day running on a rat treadwheel for 24 consecutive days. Fiber type distribution, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and glycogen content of the soleus muscle and the oxidative enzyme activity of the motoneurons of the soleus were measured in each group after the 24 days of hypoxic exposure and exercise training. In comparison to each training group's control the glycogen concentration of the soleus muscle was increased (P<0.05) regardless of hypoxic exposure. Only the intermittently hypoxic exercise trained group (Pt) demonstrated a fiber type shift of slow-twitch oxidative to fast-twitch oxidative glycolytic fibers. Neither hypoxia or exercise training altered the oxidative enzyme capacity of the soleus motoneurons.

During exercise at high temperatures, body temperature increases impairing exercise performance and resulting in heat illnesses. Water ingestion during exercise is a simple and practical strategy to prevent hyperthermia. In the present study, we examined the effects of water ingestion interval on thermoregulatory responses during exercise in a hot, humid environment (32t, 80% relative humidity) . Eight male university students performed a 60-min cycling exercise (60% of the maximal O₂ uptake) under four separate conditions; no drinking (ND), water ingestion (mineral water) at 5 (D5), 15 (D15), and 30 (D30) min intervals. The total volume of water ingestion (TWI) was identical during D5, D15, and D30, and equal to the amount of fluid lost in sweat during ND. TWI was divided equally by the number of drinking times in each experiment. During exercise, both rectal and mean skin temperature were lower in D5 than those in the other conditions (p<0.05) . There was no significant difference in total sweat loss between the four conditions, however, evaporative sweat loss and sweat efficiency (evaporative sweat loss total sweat loss) were significantly (p<0.05) higher in D5 than those in the other conditions. These results suggest that the shorter water ingestion interval increases evaporative sweating and attenuates higher body temperature during exercise in a hot, humid environment.

Cestode zoonosis cases confirmed by PCR-based mitochondrial DNA analysis were investigated. The cestodiosis included taeniasis, cysticercosis, alveolar echinococcosis, cystic echinococcosis, sparganosis mansoni, diphyllobothriasis and diplogonoporiasis. DNA samples were extracted from the ethanol-fixed, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections, HE-stained, and the PAS- or acetocarmine-stained samples submitted for histopathology. For PCR-based analysis, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and⁄or cytochrome b genes were amplified by multiplex PCR or conventional PCR coupled with DNA sequencing. Although DNA molecules were degraded in most formalin-fixed samples, smaller gene fragments were successfully amplified and the species causing cestodiosis could be identified by DNA sequence analysis of the amplicons. This review describes cestode zoonosis cases in which mitochondrial DNA analysis was useful not only for routine and retrospective diagnosis, but also for genetic polymorphism analysis and molecular identification of the species associated with pathogenicity. The significance of molecular diagnosis using histopathological specimens for cestode zoonoses is also discussed.

An 81-year-old-woman was successfully treated with simultaneous minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) and colectomy. The patient complained of effort angina and tarry stool and had a combination of Bormann type II transverse colon cancer with oozing bleeding and long segmental stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Angiography suggested that the anastomotic site on the LAD extramusclarly presented on the tortours LAD. We therefore carried out one-stage operation of MIDCAB and colectomy. First, MIDCAB to the LAD using the left internal thoracic artery was performed via left anterior thoracotomy. After closing the left thoracic wall, we carried out transverse colectomy with lymph node resection via upper median laparotomy. The total operation time was 3hr 30min, 2hr 10min for MIDCAB and 1hr 20min for Colectomy respectively. Postoperative coronary angiography showed good patency of the LITA. The resected colon specimen showed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma: ss, n1, Po, Mo stage 3a. She was discharged 15 days after the operation.

This mini-review describes recent epidemiological trends in cysticercosis and taeniasis in Japan. Some of the topics discussed herein were presented at the first symposium on "Current perspectives of Taenia asiatica researches", that was held in Osong in Chungbuk Province, South Korea, in October 2011 and organized by Prof. K. S. Eom, Chungbuk National University School of Medicine. To better understand the trends in the occurrence of cysticercosis and taeniasis in Japan, clinical cases reported in 2005 have been updated. In addition, the current status of Taenia asiatica infections successively occurring in Japan since 2010 is also discussed.
Animals ; Humans ; Incidence ; Japan/epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Taenia/*isolation & purification ; Taeniasis/*epidemiology

Although left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) grafting with a left internal thoracic artery (ITA) on a beating heart via a small left anterior thoracotomy (LAST) has become widely accepted, significant limitations exist due to the limited surgeon experience, smallness of exposure, thus making harvesting of the ITA, visualization of the surgical field and anastomosis quite difficult. Patients often have significant pain and wound complications postoperatively. A lower mini-sternotomy approach in 4 patients was performed from December 1998 through January 1999. Results: The length of mini-sternotomy incision is 7 to 14cm. These operations were accomplished without morbidity or mortality. No patients required intraoperative conversion to conventional bypass. Postoperative angiography showed patency of graft without stenosis of the anastomosis in all 4 patients. The patients did not complain of significant pain and their postoperative hospital stay was 5 to 11 days. The lower mini-sternotomy approach or“xyphoid” approach proposed by Benetti seems to be an excellent novel approach giving the freedom of extension of the incision if needed with satisfactory exposure for left ITA harvest and access to LAD as well as the distal RCA, and causes less postoperative incisional pain.