In Japanese traditional medicine, “ganmenshin” (facial diagnosis), which means assessment of a patient's health based on the color of his/her face, is frequently used in a clinical setting. However, little scientific evidence is available to substantiate such diagnoses. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between skin color and patient's health status to ascertain the clinical usefulness of the “ganmenshin” technique. We evaluated the color of the cheeks and forearms of 30 healthy study participants and also administered questionnaires to determine their health. A correlation was observed between skin color and work efficiency and the inkyo (yin-fluid deficiency) scores in all subjects. In male subjects, skin color was correlated with their bodymass index (BMI), self-rated health status, work efficiency, and suitai (fluid stagnation) scores. In female subjects, skin color was correlated with the patient's age, work efficiency, and inkyo scores. These results suggest that “ganmenshin” may be clinically useful because of the correlation between skin color and the health of patients.

The influence of exercise on the endogenous levels of both β-endorphin (BE) and corticosteroid (CS) in the hypothalamus and plasma was examined in rats. F344 male rats, five weeks of age, were divided into three groups: involuntary exercised (IE), non-exercised (NE) and control (C) groups. Rats in the IE group were exercised every day for one hour at the speed of 20 m mm n for 7 to 28 days. After training, the hypothalamus and plasma were obtained from rats. BE levels in water soluble extracts of hypothalamus were examined by rat BE ELISA test kits; and CS contents in plasma was examined by RIA. The amount of BE in the hypothalamus obtained from rats in the IE group was much higher than that in the NE and C groups. Although there was no significant difference between rats exercised for 7, 14, and 21 days, BE levels in the hypothalamus from rats exercised for 28 days was significantly higher than for 7 days. The amount of BE in the hypothalamus of NE rats was nearly identical to that of C rats. On the other hand, there were no significant changes in plasma CS levels. These results may suggest that exercise, especially running, causes on increase in BE levels in the hypothalamus.

[Objective]It was recently accepted that skin problems are aggravated in women who are stressed or neglect their health. For such conditions, acupuncture for the purpose of beautification and health improvement attracts attention, thus expanding the science of acupuncture into an entirely new field called "Beauty (Cosmetic) Acupuncture."
Here, we investigated the beauty efficacy of acupuncture and acupressure on healthy women.
[Methods]Fourteen healthy women (mean age, 43.0 ± 8.1 years) who had noticeable skin roughness were randomly divided into 2 groups:acupuncture group (n = 7) and acupressure group (n = 7). Both groups received their respective treatments twice a week for 4 weeks.
Measurements for the subjective evaluation were based on self-rated health (SRH) and subjective physical and mental fatigue, which were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Nowlis mood checklist, and a questionnaire about skin condition. Measurements for the objective evaluation were the melanin index of the skin;the Hb index;the HbO2 index; 3D measurement of the face, determined from range images;wrinkle-area ratio, determined from replicas, corneocyte surface area, and skin color (L*, a*, b*);and facial impression rating.
[Results]The acupuncture group showed a significant improvement in subjective measurement of skin condition (wrinkle, slack, and total condition) in addition to a slight decrease in wrinkle-area ratio, as determined by image analysis. The acupressure group showed a significant improvement in subjective measurement of skin condition (quantity of sebum secretion) and Nowlis mood checklist score, in addition to marginally significant improvement in skin color (L*, b*), HbO2 index, and amount of melanin in the skin.
[Conclusion]Acupuncture and acupressure may bring about morphological changes in facial skin and improvement in skin color, respectively. We conclude that acupuncture and acupressure have different effects on skin condition.

The influence of exercise on the endogenous levels of both β-endorphin (BE) and corticosteroid (CS) in the hypothalamus and plasma was examined in rats. F344 male rats, five weeks of age, were divided into three groups: involuntary exercised (IE), non-exercised (NE) and control (C) groups. Rats in the IE group were exercised every day for one hour at the speed of 20 m mm n for 7 to 28 days. After training, the hypothalamus and plasma were obtained from rats. BE levels in water soluble extracts of hypothalamus were examined by rat BE ELISA test kits; and CS contents in plasma was examined by RIA. The amount of BE in the hypothalamus obtained from rats in the IE group was much higher than that in the NE and C groups. Although there was no significant difference between rats exercised for 7, 14, and 21 days, BE levels in the hypothalamus from rats exercised for 28 days was significantly higher than for 7 days. The amount of BE in the hypothalamus of NE rats was nearly identical to that of C rats. On the other hand, there were no significant changes in plasma CS levels. These results may suggest that exercise, especially running, causes on increase in BE levels in the hypothalamus.

Review of the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on brain function and cerebral disorders in human and animals was presented. Firstly, in basic research on experimental animals, the change of cerebral blood flow induced by acupuncture and its mechanisms had been reviewed. Nextly, the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on human brain function that measured from fMRI, PET, magnetoencephalography (MEG), EEG (including event related potential) have documented in the review of basic research on humans. Finally, effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion on stroke was reviewed, and its possibility of QOL-improvement of the patients was discussed.

In step with the widespread use of antimicrobial agents in medical treatment, microbial substitution and emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria have become life-threatening problem today. Both have resulted from the postopreative practice of administering prophylactic medication and long-term, desultory drug administration. Drug-resistant microbes can occur easily with the inadequate use of drug. Therefore, our hospital has held in check the incidence of drug-resistant microbial infection by letting ICT members make the rounds of the wards and go over the notifications of the prescription of specific antimicrobial agents and the reports on drug-resistant bacteria. At the begiing, the notification and the report were filed separately. Recently, the information obtained from thses two channels has become easier of access because all the necessary data appear on the same screen at once by using patients' IDs. We believe that the streamlining of work and putting two kinds of data together have proved very usefull for infection control, as it has become possible to keep careful watch over the use of specific antimicrobial agents and the detection of drug-resistant microorganism simulataneously. By sharing the information obtained by us with all the rest on the hospital staff, we will continue to make efforts along this line and contribute toward the prevention of the outbreak of nosocomial infections as well as community-acquired ones.
Microorganism ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Medical Surveillance ; microbial ; Bacterial

Introduction: To our knowledge, there is only one report of lactic acidosis in a patient with prostate cancer and no such report in Japan. We describe a patient with terminal stage prostate cancer who showed marked elevation in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and lactic acidosis. Case Report: The patient was a 66-year-old man diagnosed with prostate cancer and bone and liver metastases. At the time of diagnosis, he was being treated with the best supportive care after chemotherapy and hormone therapy for prostate cancer. He was admitted to the hospital for nausea and loss of appetite. Laboratory tests showed elevated LDH levels (11,894 IU/L; LDH4, 23%; LDH5, 32%); pH, 7.402; pCO2, 13.2 mmHg; HCO3−, 8.0 mmol/L; and lactate level, 10.0 mmol/L. On the basis of the results, the patient was diagnosed with lactic acidosis. He showed tachypnea the day before his death. Conclusion: Elevation in LDH levels, and especially of LDH5, indicates acceleration of anaerobic glycolysis from tumor cells, leading to the accumulation of lactate. The patient’s tachypnea was possibly caused by lactic acidosis.

Case: The patient was a man in his 40s who had undergone proctocolectomy for familial polyposis coli and extensive resection of the small intestine for removal of an intra-abdominal desmoid tumor. He presented to our hospital with abdominal pain caused by residual desmoid tumor, and diarrhea associated with the short bowel syndrome. Adequate pain control could not be achieved even with simultaneous application of 5 sheets of 100 μg/h transdermal fentanyl patches. Subsequently, the patient was treated mainly with 270 mg/day of a slow-release morphine preparation; however, the pain control remained unsatisfactory. At our hospital, the pain treatment was switched to 240 mg/day of morphine solution, which yielded prompt reduction of the pain intensity from 9/10 to 1/10 on the numerical rating scale. Discussion: Morphine is mainly absorbed from the small intestine. The initially insufficient pain control in this patient may have been attributable to the short bowel syndrome and diarrhea causing rapid excretion of the morphine before it was absorbed. Morphine solution, in contrast, starts to be absorbed approximately 10 minutes after administration, allowing adequate absorption, leading to successful pain control, even in the present patient with the short bowel syndrome.

Objective: Spinal cord compression symptoms are complications that greatly reduce the quality of life of cancer patients. We report a retrospective study on the efficacy of and adverse reactions to high-dose dexamethasone therapy for patients with concomitant spinal cord compression symptoms. Subjects: This study included 8 patients with concomitant spinal cord compression symptoms who received high-dose dexamethasone therapy at our hospital between May 2009 and September 2011. Results: Only high-dose dexamethasone therapy was performed in 8 patients who could not undergo radiotherapy or surgery in combination. Among them, the results of manual muscle testing were improved in 4 patients (50.0%), and grades according to the modified Frankel Classification showed improvement in 5 patients (62.5%). Out of 7 non-ambulatory patients, one (14.3%) regained independent ambulation with highdose dexamethasone therapy alone and was discharged home. No serious adverse reactions were observed in any of the 8 patients. Discussion: This study suggested high-dose dexamethasone therapy to possibly be a useful option for relieving neurological symptoms in patients with spinal cord compression who cannot undergo radiotherapy or surgery in combination.