We investigated the relationship between the electrical and the mechanical responses of the frog sartorius in situ in isometric reflex contraction. All the thigh muscles other than the sartorius were dennervated. Mechanical stimulations were applied mainly on the dorsal skin of the ipsilateral foot. The electrical response led from the surface electrode was integrated by means of the Miller integrator. The mechanical response was recorded by the mechano-electric transducer, and its impulse was measured by the planimeter.
A very high positive correlation was found between the integrated value of the EMG and the mechanical impulse. It was found that the quantitative measurement of the electrical response of the muscle could be made in more accurate and efficient way by the Miller integrator than the other methods discussed in this paper.

Background/Aims: The adenoma detection rate (ADR) of screening colonoscopies performed by trainees is often lower than that of colonoscopies performed by experts. The effcacy of cap-assisted colonoscopy (CAC) in adenoma detection is well documented, especially that of CACs performed by trainees. Endocuff, a new endoscopic cap, is reportedly useful for adenoma detection; however, no trials have compared the effcacy of Endocuff-assisted colonoscopy (EAC) and CAC conducted by trainees. Therefore, the present study retrospectively compared the effcacy between EAC and CAC in trainees. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study involving 305 patients who underwent either EAC or CAC performed by three trainees between January and December 2018. We evaluated the ADR, mean number of adenomas detected per patient (MAP), cecal intubation rate, cecal intubation time, and occurrence of complications between the EAC and CAC groups. Results: The ADR was significantly higher in the EAC group than in the CAC group (54.3% vs. 37.3%, p=0.019), as was the MAP (1.36 vs. 0.74, p=0.003). No significant differences were found between the groups with respect to the cecal intubation rate or cecal intubation time. No major complications occurred in either group. Conclusions Our results suggest that EAC exhibits increased ADR and MAP compared to CAC when performed by trainees.

Twenty patients with bilateral localized lower leg edema were treated with acupuncture alone followed by combination therapy with acupuncture and Kampo formulas. The effects of treatment were examined after the first acupuncture session. Lower limb circumference significantly decreased from 29.1 ± 6.8 cm to 28.1 ± 7.0 cm (mean ± SD) (p < 0.01). In addition, the area of ankle edema decreased from 22.6 ± 10.6 cm2 to 14.2 ± 7.2 cm2 (p < 0.05). Subcutaneous tissue thickness, as measured via ultrasound, significantly decreased at the lower limbs and ankles from 10.4 ± 3.8 mm to 7.8 ± 3.4 mm and 10.1 ± 2.9 mm to 8.2 ± 3.0 mm, respectively (p < 0.05). In contrast, there was no change in subcutaneous echogenicity observed in the lower limbs. Following acupuncture, patients underwent combination therapy with acupuncture and Kampo formulas. As a result, area of ankle edema significantly decreased from 24.1 ± 2.5 cm2 to 3.0 ± 2.1 cm2 (p < 0.01). Moreover, symptoms resolved with respect to edema and coldness (p < 0.05). However, no change was observed in laboratory parameters. This study highlights the efficacy of acupuncture in improving lower leg edema. In addition, combination therapy with acupuncture and Kampo formulas seemed to be effective in the treatment of leg edema.