This study was conducted to examine the effects of different types of swimming on vision, including contrast sensitivity, depth perception, static visual acuity, number of eyeblinks, and pain scale. Six college water-polo players swam (A) at a water flow rate of 0 m·sec^-1 with floating, (B) at 0.83±0.04 m·sec^-1 with floating, (C) at 1.09±0.05 m·sec^-1 with floating, (D) at 0.83±0.04 m·sec^-1 doing the front crawl (50%VO₂max), and (E) at 1.09±0.05 m·sec^-1 doing the front crawl (80%VO₂max) for 15 min on a swimmill. To avoid the effect by chlorine, the free radical residual chlorine concentration was fixed at 0 ppm in the swimmill.
We found no significant differences in vision before and after A. On the other hand, contrast sensitivity during the test decreased significantly in C and E (p<0.05) . Depth perception and number of eyeblinks increased significantly in C and E (p<0.05) . Subjects had a high pain scale in C and E (p<0.01) . Thus it seems that water flow may disturb of vision. We conclude that it is impor. tant for swimmers to prevent impairment of vision.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate regional differences in the standard mortality ratio (SMR) and risk factors (including dietary habits) for stroke across the three regions of Ehime Prefecture - Toyo (east), Chuyo (central), and Nanyo (south).
Participants and methods: We obtained medical records derived from 956,979 medical examinations carried out at JA Ehime Kouseiren Medical Examination Centers between April 1994 and March 2006. We analyzed data from 132,090 subjects (Toyo - 47,654, Chuyo - 38,435, Nanyo - 46,001) who underwent their first medical examination during this period. To analyze differences between the three regions, we first calculated the SMR for stroke based on data from the Basic Residential Registers and Health Statistics Bureau. Secondly, we calculated significant differences in body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), blood glucose (Glu), and total cholesterol (T-CHO). Thirdly, we used the Chi-square test to calculate significant differences in the percentage of subjects who consumed the following foods on a daily basis: rice, bread, eggs, fish, meat, vegetables, dairy products, and fruit juice.
Results: Despite the fact that regional differences in the SMR for stroke have been decreasing, in both men and women in Nanyo, the mean values for SBP and DBP were significantly higher and the mean value for T-CHO was significantly lower than in Toyo and Chuyo. In Nanyo, the percentage of subjects who consumed rice and fish (men and women), meat (men), and juice (women) on a daily basis was higher than in Toyo and Chuyo.
Conclusion: In Nanyo, higher SMR for stroke may be related to high SBP and DBP and low T-CHO. As background to these results, it is also thought that regional differences in dietary habits may have an influence.

We conducted a questionnaire survey involving 270 interns in the year 2011 at the pharmaceutical department of Teikyo University, in order to clarify pre- to post-practical training changes in: 1) the degree of pre-clinical training’s usefulness, 2) desired workplace in the future, 3) degree of satisfaction, 4) confidence degree of practical training, etc. The degree of pre-clinical training’s usefulness exceeded 80% in all training periods. Regarding the desired workplace in the future, a large proportion of students answered that they want to become a pharmacist in a pharmacy or hospital, both before and after their practical training in all training periods. Also, it was estimated that students decide their career with reference to their practical training experience. In terms of the degree of satisfaction with practical training, the proportions of those who answered “Satisfied” or “Somewhat satisfied” were: 95.1% in the 1st, 95.6% in the 2nd, and 86.1% in the 3rd periods. The confidence degree significantly increased after practical training in all periods. Because the confidence degree showed a tendency to be higher before the 3rd period of training compared to the other two periods, it was considered that students’ experience of practical training led to increased confidence degree. Regarding communication abilities, the degrees of before-after confidence degree and pre-clinical training’s usefulness were low, and, hence, it was suggested that pre-clinical training needs to be further improved regarding these areas.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect between cyclists and noncyclists of pedal rates on ankle, knee, and hip joint torque during pedaling exercises. Six male cyclists (CY) and seven male noncyclists (NC) pedaled at 40, 60, 90 and 120 rpm with a power output of 200 W. The lower limb was modeled as three rigid segment links constrained to plane motion. Based on the Newton-Euler method, the equation for each segment was constructed and solved on a computer using pedal force, pedal, crank, and lower limb position data to calculate torque at the ankle, knee, and hip joints. The average planter flexor torque decreased with increasing pedal rates in both groups. The average knee extensor torque for CY decreased up to 90 rpm, and then leveled off at 120 rpm. These results were similar to NC. The average knee flexor torque in both groups remained steady over all pedal rates. The average hip extensor torque for CY decreased significantly up to 90 rpm where it showed the lowest value, but increased at 120 rpm. For NC, the average hip extensor torque did not decrease at 90 rpm compared with 60 rpm, and was significantly higher than CY at 120 rpm (CY : 28.1 ± 9.0 Nm, NC : 38.6 ± 6.7 Nm, p<0.05) . The average hip flexsor torque for NC at 120 rpm increased significanly from 90 rpm, and was significantly higher than CY (CY : 11.6±2.9 Nm, NC : 22.6±11.8 Nm, p<0.05) . These results suggest that it would be better for cyclists to select a pedal rate of between 90 to 110 rpm to minimize joint torque, and, as a result, reduce peripheral muscle fatigue.

Objectives: The first objective of this study was to classify men aged 40-74 yrs with metabolic syndrome (MetS) according to daily rice intake, and the second was to investigate physical measurements, physiological examinations, blood biochemical assays, intake of food other than rice and lifestyle and environmental factors in the study group.
Methods: We analyzed data from 6095 men aged 40-74 yrs who had undergone full medical examinations. The men were classified into 3 age groups: (1) 40-49 yrs, (2) 50-59 yrs, and (3) 60-74 yrs. The men were classified further into 3 groups according to daily rice intake: group 1 (≤300 g), group 2 (300-450 g), and group 3 (≥450 g). The relationship between daily rice intake and the following factors was analyzed in the three age brackets: (1) physical measurements including waist circumference, (2) physiological measurements, (3) serum biochemical indices, (4) whether or not the person was taking medication for hypertension, diabetes mellitus or serum lipid abnormalities, (5) lifestyle, and (6) consumption of foods other than rice.
Results: Daily rice intake was related strongly to the occurrence of MetS in all three age brackets. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed (1) a significant increase in the odds ratio for MetS (1.461 times) for group 3 compared with group 1 in men aged 40-49 yrs and (2) a significant increase in the odds ratio for MetS (1.501 times) for group 3 compared with group 1 in men aged 50-59 yrs. However, there was no significant difference in the odds ratio for MetS among rice intake groups in the 60-74 age bracket.
Conclusion: In men aged 40-59 yrs, daily rice intake strongly influenced the incidence of MetS, whereas in men aged 60-74 yrs, there was no relationship between daily rice intake and MetS.

Objective: In this study, we evaluated to examine the short-term educational effects for drug abuse prevention, including lectures and students’ awareness of drug abuse.
Method: A questionnaire consisting of eleven items and SD method-based image survey were conducted three times, prior to and following the lectures and after the summer vacation for first-year students of the Department of Pharmacy.
Results: The numbers of responses to the questionnaire surveys conducted prior to and following the summer vacation were 323 (response rate: 95.8%) and 332 (response rate: 97.9%), respectively.  When asked: “Do you think that people should be allowed to use cannabis (illegal herbal drugs) as long as they do not cause any trouble to others”, 2.8 (3.4) and 6.9 (6.6)% of students answered “Yes” after the lectures prior to the summer vacation and following it, respectively; there were both increased.  Following the summer vacation, 28.6% of students answered “Yes” to the question: “Have you ever seen or heard of people using cannabis or illegal herbal drugs ?”  A total of 2.1% of students had been “solicited to use cannabis or illegal herbal drugs”, and all of them stated that it would be “easy to obtain illegal herbal drugs”.  As the reason for drug abuse by young people, 140 students (42.2%) cited “curiosity”, and 81.6%, or 271 students, stated that they would “refuse” to use any illegal drugs even if they were asked to do so.  The results of the SD method-based image survey suggested significant changes in students’ awareness of drug abuse during the summer vacation; they had the image of little risk on drug abuse prevention following the vacation.
Conclusion: The effects of learning were not maintained in some first-year students because they faced a variety of temptations during the short summer vacation and their normative consciousness and images of drug abuse easily changed.  Therefore, it is necessary to provide lectures for new students to help them acquire accurate knowledge of drug abuse, enhance their normative consciousness, and increase their self-awareness as health care professionals, develop curriculums on a continuing basis, and deploy specialists so that students with psychological problems as identified by the survey, including stress, escapism, mental weakness, and anxiety, can consult them.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the risk and recurrence of early invasive adenocarcinoma of the cervix, and to determine whether non-radical methods of management could be performed. METHODS: The medical and histopathological records of 50 patients with early invasive adenocarcinoma of the cervix treated at Keio University Hospital between 1993 and 2005 were reviewed, and compared with the literature. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 64.3 months. The depth of stromal invasion was < or =3 mm in 33 cases and >3 mm, but < or =5 mm in 17 cases. The horizontal spread was < or =7 mm in 25 cases and >7 mm in 25 cases. One of the 33 cases that had tumor volumes of < or =500 mm3, and three of the 17 cases with tumor volumes of >500 mm3 were positive for lymph node metastasis. When our data were combined with previously reported results, statistically significant differences were observed between the tumor volume and the frequency of pelvic lymph node metastasis/the rate of recurrence (p<0.0001). The frequency of pelvic lymph node metastases was significantly higher in the lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI)-positive group than in the LVSI-negative group (p=0.02). No adnexal metastasis or parametrial involvement was noted. CONCLUSION: Assessment of the depth of stromal invasion, tumor volume, and LVSI is critical for selecting an appropriate therapeutic modality. Non-radical methods of management are considered suitable for patients with LVSI-negative adenocarcinoma of the cervix exhibiting a stromal invasion depth of < or =5 mm and a tumor volume of < or =500 mm3.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cervix Uteri ; Conization ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Tumor Burden ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

A 64-year-old man was found to have a nodule in his right lung. He also complained of nausea and abdominal pain during the clinical course. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a duodenal ulcer associated with severe stenosis and a suspicion of malignancy. However, three subsequent biopsies revealed no evidence of malignancy. The fourth biopsy showed scattered large eosinophilic cells with an eccentric nucleus, leading to a diagnosis of Russell body duodenitis (RBD). RBD is an extremely rare disease, and little is known about its etiology and clinical course. The pathogenesis of RBD is discussed based on our experience with this case.
Abdominal Pain ; Biopsy ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Duodenitis* ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; Rare Diseases