Two experiments were performed to clarify the effects of balneotherapy on platelet glutathione metabolism. One experiment, in which healthy men were subjected to water immersion at temperatures of 25°C, 36°C, and 42°C for 10min, showed that the level of platelet lipid peroxides (LPO) tended to increase at 25°C and 42°C, suggesting the presence of oxidative stress at these temperatures. When an antioxidative defense system was induced at these temperatures, the levels of platelet glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities increased. The other experiment, in which 4 weeks of balneotherapy was applied to type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients, showed that the level of GSH on admission correlated well with that of fasting plasma glucose (FPG, r=0.692, p<0.050). After 4 weeks of balneotherpy, the level of GSH increased (p<0.01) in well-controlled patients (FPG<150mg/dl) and decreased (p<0.05) in poorly controlled patients (FPG≥150mg/dl), There was a negative correlation between GPX activities and the level of FPG (r=-0.430, p<0.05). After the balneotherapy, the activity increased in five patients, decreased in three patients, and showed no changes in four patients.
These results indicate that, in diabetic patients, 1) platelet GSH synthesis is obviously induced in response to oxidative stress, 2) lowered GPX activities suggest an impaired antioxidative defense system, and 3) platelet glutathione metabolism was partly improved by 4 weeks of balneotherapy but depended on the control status of plasma glucose levels. From these findings, we conclude that 1) patients whose platelet antioxidative defense system is damaged such as those with diabetes mellitus should not take hot or cold bath, and that 2) balneotherapy improves platelet glutathione metabolism, leading to normalization of platelet aggregability.

The erythrocyte antioxidative defense system was investigated before and after a 12km run. The effect of exercise with a bicycle ergometer on this system was also examined one and seven days after the. 12km run. Five untrained healthy men, aged 18-21 years, participated in the present study. Plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity increased after running and reached a maximum on the next day (p<0.005) . Levels of the reduced form of glutathione (GSH) decreased by 24.6% after running (p<0.005), but by 7 days later the values recovered. Levels of lipid peroxides (LPO, expressed as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances) fell slightly after running (13.4%, not significant), then showed a significant decrease on the next day (34.7%, p<0.005) and recovered by the seventh day. Neither glutathione peroxidase (GPX) nor glutathione reductase (GR) activities (with or without FAD) showed significant changes after the 12km run. Activities of catalase (CAT) were lowest after the exercise with a bicycle ergometer on the following day (p<0.05 vs. initial levels) . Levels of GSH, GPX, GR and LPO did not change after this exercise. The decreased level of GSH after the 12km run indicates the presence of oxidative stress, while moderate exercise with a bicycle ergometer does not affect the erythrocyte glutathione metabolism in untrained men. It is also suggested that catalase activity decreases after the repeated exercise.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of water temperatures on respiratory regulation during head-out water immersion (HWI). A total of eight healthy young male and female subjects were immersed in water at temperatures of 25, 30, 36, 38, 40, and 42°C for 10 minutes, and breathing frequency, tidal volume, ventilation, oxygen consumption, heart rate, and sublingual temperatures were measured over a period of 40 minutes before, during, and after HWI at each water temperature. Both oxygen consumption and ventilation increased during HWI at any temperature. It was hypothesized that the increase in oxygen consumption at 25°C was due to the increase in tidal volume and that at 40 and 42°C was due to the increase in ventilation caused by the increase in breathing frequency. These results suggest that the respiratory regulation during HWI is closely related to the body temperature regulation in response to water temperatures.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of exercise training on heat-shock response, the protective response to heat, oxidative stress and other stresses characterized by elevated synthesis of heat-shock proteins (HSP), in strenuous exercise. Five untrained men (aged 20-21 ) participated in the study. The protocol included strenuous exercise to exhaustion by bicycle ergometer (1 st Ex), 4 weeks of training (a 2 km run three days per week) and a repetition of the strenuous exercise (2 nd Ex) . We measured VO₂ and VCO₂ with a respiratorygas analyzer, 70 kDa heat-shock protein (HSP 70) of mononuclear cells by western blotting, and rectal and mean skin temperatures by thermistors during the strenuous exercise. After 4 weeks of training, VO₂max was increased significantly (p<0.05) . HSP 70 increased immediately after the exercise in 3 of 5 subjects in the 1 st Ex, but not in the 2 nd Ex. Rectal temperatures rose significantly after both the 1 st and 2 nd Ex (p<0.05) . Mean skin temperatures fell significantly after both the 1 st and 2 nd Ex (p<0.05) . There was no correlation between rectal and mean skin temperatures and HSP 70. We observed the heat-shock response during strenuous exercise and the attenuation of this response after 4 weeks of exercise training. These results suggest that exercise training may have suppressive effects on the heat-shock response during strenuous exercise.

Clinical effect of a new TENS apparatus SOMA DYNE and its influence on blood constituents were studied.
1. Treatment was performed for four consecutive days, 10min a day, in the patients with chronic pain in their various parts of the bodies. After the treatment, the range of movement (ROM) was improved in fifty out of fifty-two patients (96%).
2. Effect of electrotherapy on blood constituent was examined in six male normal controls after treatment for two consecutive days, 10min a day.
1) Red blood cell counts, levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit decreased. Whole white blood cell (WBC) counts decreased; however, no changes were observed in analysis of WBC.
2) Levels of serum sodium and calcium decreased, whereas those of potassium increased.
3) Levels of plasma adrenaline and endorphin decreased.
These changes suggest that
1. SOMA DYNE is very effective for the patient with chronic somatic pain.
2. Electrotherapy may affect the cell ion channels.
3. Sympathetic nerve activity decreases by the treatment.

In this study, 10 healthy students were subjected to experiments. They bathed in plain hot spring water and hot spring water with 2% Togol mud at 39°C for 10min at an interval of 1 week. No difference in the change rates of pulse rate and blood pressure was observed between the two types of bathing. Forehead and oral temperatures decreased slightly after bathing in plain hot spring water. However, after bathing in hot spring water with Togol mud, the forehead temperature tended to be higher than that before bathing while the oral temperature increased significantly after bathing. Skin surface temperatures on the chest wall, left instep, and right forearm increased significantly after both types of bathing. Changes in the skin temperature after bathing in hot spring water with Togol mud tended to be greater than those after bathing in plain hot spring water. Eight out of 10 students felt warmer after bathing in hot spring water with Togol mud. These findings suggest that bathing in hot spring water with Togol mud is useful for medical care.