The effects of artificial sodium sulfate bathing on cardiopulmonary and neurohumoral systems as compared to plain water bathing were studied on five healthy subjects. The results of bathing tests made for 10 minutes at 42°C were as follows:
1) The body surface temperature was higher in three of the five subjects in artificial sodium sulfate bathing than in plain water bathing. The forehead temperature of all subjects in artificial sodium sulfate bathing was higher than in plain water bathing (p<0.05: at 17, 18min. after bathing). The change in oral temperature also showed the same tendency (p<0.05: at 27min. after bathing).
2) The frequency of respiration was less in artificial sodium sulfate bathing than in plain water bathing. Although the heart rate decreased during artificial sodium sulfate bathing as compared to the case of plain water bathing, a clear difference was not observed after bathing. The systolic blood pressure in four of the five subjects decreased in artificial sodium sulfate bathing compared to plain water bathing. One subject, who exhibited low blood pressure before bathing, was restored to his normal blood pressure after artificial sodium sulfate bathing. The sysytolic blood pressure was lower in artificial sodium sulfate bathing than in plain water bathing. (p<0.03: at 20min. after bathing).
3) The serum levels of noradrenalin, adrenalin, serotonin, ADH, renin, aldoster-one, cortisol, β-endorphine, Na⁺, K⁺, and Cl^- showed no significant differences between the two types of bathing.
4) All subjects felt increased warmth and smoothness of the skin after the artificial sodium sulfate bathing compared to plain water bathing.
The above results suggest that the artificial sodium sulfate bathing is superior to plain water bathing in maintaining body temperature, decreasing blood pressure, and feeling (i. e., body warmth and skin texture) after bathing. These effects result from not only the direct action on the skin but also the indirect action due to absorption of the substance through the skin by the mechanism of artificial sodium sulfate bathing.

Objectives: To investigate effects of romosozumab treatment on disease activity and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and severe osteoporosis in comparison with effects of denosumab treatment. Methods: A total of 50 women were enrolled in this study. The subjects were randomized equally into 2 groups: the romosozumab group or the denosumab group. Disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and BMD at lumbar spine were evaluated. Results: The percent changes (Δ) in the BMD values at 3 and 6 months for the lumbar spine were as follows: romosozumab; 4.9% and 5.2%, denosumab: 2.3% and 3.2%. The ΔBMD for the lumbar spine at 3 months was significantly higher in the romosozumab group than in the denosumab group (P = 0.044). The DAS28-ESR at baseline, 3 and 6 months in the romosozumab group were 2.88, 2.60 (P = 0.427) and 2.58 (P = 0.588), respectively. The change from baseline in DAS28-ESR did not differ significantly between these 2 groups at any time point. Conclusions The present study revealed that romosozumab treatment is more effective than denosumab treatment in increasing BMD of the lumbar spine at 3 months. Furthermore, the present study suggested that romosozumab treatment has no effects on the disease activity of RA in patients with RA and severe osteoporosis for 6 months.

Objectives: To investigate effects of romosozumab treatment on disease activity and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and severe osteoporosis in comparison with effects of denosumab treatment. Methods: A total of 50 women were enrolled in this study. The subjects were randomized equally into 2 groups: the romosozumab group or the denosumab group. Disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and BMD at lumbar spine were evaluated. Results: The percent changes (Δ) in the BMD values at 3 and 6 months for the lumbar spine were as follows: romosozumab; 4.9% and 5.2%, denosumab: 2.3% and 3.2%. The ΔBMD for the lumbar spine at 3 months was significantly higher in the romosozumab group than in the denosumab group (P = 0.044). The DAS28-ESR at baseline, 3 and 6 months in the romosozumab group were 2.88, 2.60 (P = 0.427) and 2.58 (P = 0.588), respectively. The change from baseline in DAS28-ESR did not differ significantly between these 2 groups at any time point. Conclusions The present study revealed that romosozumab treatment is more effective than denosumab treatment in increasing BMD of the lumbar spine at 3 months. Furthermore, the present study suggested that romosozumab treatment has no effects on the disease activity of RA in patients with RA and severe osteoporosis for 6 months.

Objectives: This study aims to examine the 2-year outcomes of zoledronic acid (ZOL) with or without eldecalcitol (ELD) on bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture in Japanese patients with osteoporosis. Methods: The subjects were 98 patients who were randomly (1:1) assigned to treatment with ZOL combined with ELD (ZOL + ELD group; n = 51) and ZOL alone (ZOL group; n = 47). Treatment efficacy was examined based on a comparison of changes in BMD from baseline (DBMD) in the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck in the 2 groups. Results: The percent change from baseline in BMD values for the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck at 24 months were 10.8% ± 6.1%, 6.0% ± 6.6%, and 5.1% ± 5.1%, respectively, in the ZOL + ELD group, and 7.7% ± 6.2%, 5.1% ± 5.6%, and 2.9% ± 8.3%, respectively, in the ZOL group. The percent change from baseline BMD for the lumbar spine at 24 months differed significantly between the 2 groups. Conclusions The effect of a combination of ZOL + ELD on BMD for 24 months was more favorable than that of ZOL alone. This drug combination is promising for the treatment of drug-naïve Japanese patients with primary osteoporosis.

Background: The long-term effects of daily teriparatide (D-TPTD) and twice-weekly TPTD (W-TPTD) injections are compared among postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis. Methods: A total of 102 patients were enrolled and randomly allocated into two groups for the administration of either D-TPTD or W-TPTD. Treatment efficacy was measured as the percentage change in bone mineral density (ΔBMD) from baseline in the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck. The findings were compared between the two groups. Results: At 24 months after treatment, the persistence rates and medication possession ratios in the D-TPTD and W-TPTD groups were 68.6% and 56.9%, and 87.8% and 92.0%, respectively. The ΔBMD in the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck were 15.6%±10.2%, 5.3%± 6.3%, and 5.5%±6.2%, respectively, in the D-TPTD group; and 9.5%±7.9%, 2.3%±6.2%, and 3.1%±7.4%, respectively, in the W-TPTD group following 24 months of treatment. The ΔBMD of the lumbar spine (p=0.008) at 24 months and total hip (p=0.024) at 18 months differed significantly between the two groups. Conclusions D-TPTD administration resulted in a significantly higher BMD in the lumbar spine and total hip, supporting this therapeutic regimen for postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis.

The effects of bathing with inorganic salts and carbon dioxide (ISCD) on body temperature, systemic circulation, food ingestion and absorption have been studied in healthy volunteers. The peripheral blood flow in the forearm was found to increase in and after immersion of the forearm into a 25l bathing receptacle containing ISCD, as compared with plain water. The peripheral blood flow tended to increase in a dose-dependent manner with ISCD bathing. The skin core temperature, the skin surface temperature and the peripheral blood flow were significantly higher after ISCD bathing than after plain water bathing. The influences of ISCD bathing on food ingestion and absorption were also studied in healthy volunteers. Blood glucose and insulin levels after food ingestion tended to be suppressed by ISCD bathing as compared with plain water bathing. There was no difference between ISCD and plain water bathing in total protein, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, and uric acid levels in the blood. These results suggest that ISCD bathing may contribute to the promotion of human health.

Purpose: In Japan, the data on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody titers after the booster dose of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine are insufficient. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers before, 1, 3, and 6 months after the booster dose of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine among health care workers. Materials and Methods: A total of 268 participants who received the booster dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine were analyzed. SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers were measured before (baseline) and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the booster dose. Factors associated with changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at 1, 3, and 6 months were analyzed. Cutoff values at baseline were calculated to prevent infection of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Results: The SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at baseline, and 1, 3, and 6 months were 1,018.3 AU/mL, 21,396.5 AU/mL, 13,704.6 AU/mL, and 8,155.6 AU/mL, respectively. Factors associated with changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at 1 month were age and SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at baseline, whereas changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at 3 and 6 months were associated with the SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at 1 month. The cutoff values of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at baseline were 515.4 AU/mL and 13,602.7 AU/mL at baseline and 1 month after the booster dose, respectively. Conclusion This study showed that SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers increase rapidly at 1 month after the booster dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine and begin to decrease from 1 to 6 months. Hence, another booster may be needed as soon as possible to prevent infection.

In recent years, the number of patients with non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) has rapidly increasing.According to the nationwide survey conducted in 2014, the number of patients with NTM was reported to increase 9.7 times compared to the survey in 1980. Among them, the patients with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) account for about 88.8% of them. It is the main cause of the rapid increase of NTM patients mainly in middle-aged and elderly woman. To treat patients with MAC, it is common to do chemotherapy over one year after the bacteria becomes negative. Among experts of NTM, it is recommended to do chemotherapy preventing generation of resistant bacteria by using clarithromycin (CAM) and rifampicin and ethambutol (EB) in combination. Meanwhile, a monotherapy of CAM and high-dose EB administration over a long period are not currently recommended due to side effects. However, it has not been clarified so far how many such drug prescriptions had existed. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the actual drug prescription of 571 patients who were presumed to be NTM in health insurance data collected from 2015 to 2016. As a result, about 5.1% (29 cases) of CAM monotherapy and 4.4% (15 cases) of EB high-dose prescription over 3 months were observed. In general, because NTM is a case where a long-term antibiotic treatment is required, it increases the possibility of any disadvantages exerting on patients. Hence, we consider it is an important and urgent matter to inform the correct information widely to clinical workers and sites.

Antibiotic resistance has evolved over the past 50 years from a merely microbiological curiosity to a serious medical problem in hospitals all over the world. Resistance has been reported in almost all species of gram-positive and -negative bacteria to various classes of antibiotics including recently developed ones. Bacteria acquire resistance by reducing permeability and intracellular accumulation, by alteration of targets of antibiotic action, and by enzymatic modification of antibiotics. Inappropriate use of an antibiotic selects resistant strains much more frequently. Once resistant bacteria has emerged, the resistance can be transferred to other bacteria by various mechanisms, resulting in multiresistant strains. MRSA is one of the typical multiresistant nosocomial pathogens. A study of the PFGE pattern of endonuclease-digested chromosomal DNA showed that MRSA of a few clones were disseminated among newborns in the NICU of a Japanese hospital. In this regard, it is important to choose appropriate antibiotics and then after some time, to change to other classes to reduce the selection of resistant strains. Since the development of epoch-making new antibiotics is not expected in the near future, it has become very important to use existing antibiotics prudently based on mechanisms of antibiotic action and bacterial resistance. Control of nosocomial infection is also very important to reduce further spread of resistant bacteria.
Cross Infection/physiopathology ; Drug Resistance, Microbial/physiology* ; Enzymes/physiology ; Methicillin Resistance/physiology ; Staphylococcus aureus/physiology

Background: Bathing is an important behavior for keeping the body clean and is one of the habits of daily life. Among other things, bathing is regarded as a means of relieving fatigue, refreshing oneself, benefiting health, and improving sleep. As such it can be considered a health-maintaining activity. Apart from a previous study by the authors, there has been very little research on the relationship between home bathing habits and health. Objective: The aim of this study was, therefore, to clarify how physical and mental health relate to daily bathing in the home, particularly the habit of full bath immersion. Method: The participants were 198 employees of a quasi-drug manufacturing company and their family members who could and cooperated in the present study. The study was conducted as a self-report survey from October 1-30, 2010, with questionnaires being distributed to and collected from subjects before and after this period. Participants were asked about their sex, age, frequency of bathing per week, frequency of use of bath additives per week, temperature of bath water, bathing duration, and water level when in the bath, health, and sleep quality. Health was assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) inventory, and self-rated health and quality of sleep were assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results: Among bathing habits, the group with a high bath frequency had significantly low scores for tension-anxiety and depression-dejection mood scales, and significantly high self-rated health. In the present study, self-rated health and quality of sleep were significantly better in the group who frequently used bath additives. In the full bath group, Fatigue score was significantly low and self-rated health and quality of sleep scores were significantly high. Discussion and Conclusion: Taking a full bath frequently and frequent use of bath additives are bathing habits that increase physical and psychological health in the middle-aged.