So-called electro-dermal points (Ishikawa) are the circumscribed skin area with a dimension of about 1×1mm² or minor where electric resistance is at an order of as little as 1/100th of the surrounding skin area. Some of the therapists of acupuncture or moxibustion and even Ishikawa and his collaborators would like to claim that these points have a close relationship to “Keiketsu” in the oriental medicine and are explained as viscerocutaneous reflex points in the sence of western medicine.
The author had investigated the diurnal and daily changes in the distribution of the electro-dermal points in the healthy and diseased individuals. In this paper specificity of the electro-dermal points are studied from the electrical view points.
Human skin, especially the epidermis, which is substantially avascular and appears to function as a relatively highly resistant layer (as an insulator) between the electrode and the highly conducting structures composed of the vessels and subcutaneous connective tissues, may be electrically broken under a specific voltage (D. C.) like other insulators. There are few reports in the literature about electric breakdown of the human tissues, especially of electrical properties of the broken human skin.
Now, operation and electric load of the apparatus (Electrodermometer), devised by Prof. Ishikawa of the Kanazawa University to detect electro-dermal points, may easily break the resistance of the human skin as a roller-formed or cone-formed metalic electrode is applied on the skin and voltage load ranges from 4.6 volts to 14.5 volts (D. C). The main purpose of the present paper is to determine whether so-called electro-dermal points are the broken down areas or not, studying properties of electrically intact and broken human skin areas and comparing the results with the electro-dermal points.
The results are as follows:
1) Electrical properties of intact human skin are qualitatively equivalent to those of semiconductor concerning the types of the voltage-current strength curves (V-I character),
2) Insulation of the human skin is broken by a specific voltage load (D. C). The forms of the current-time curves (I-T character) differ with polarity.
3) Analytical study of I-T curves suggested that the electric current should pass through the human skin at the site of the sweat glands.
4) V-I curves of electrically with negative or positive electrode broken down or mechanically injured skin areas approach to those of the intact skin areas in the course of time namely in 24-48 hours (recovery character). This form and course of recovery must be closely related with biological function of the skin, especially with self-controlled mechanism.
Conclusion was drawn the so-called electro-dermal points show no qualitative difference from electrically insulation-broken areas in I-T, V-I and recovery characters, and they are circumscribed skin areas with electrically low resistance, easy to break down, which can be secondarily produced by the application of Electrodermometer.

1) The majority of the visitors are farmers in Tochigi Prefecture. Men and women are equally distributed.
2) About 92% of the visitors come to cure diseases or for reconvalesence.
The diseaes from which they suffer are predominantly gastrointestinal disorders in Motoyu (68%) and neuralgia or rheumatic diseases in Arayu (70%) and in Oami (50%). It seems that they select a spring according to their empirical evaluations.
3) About 79% of the visitors stay at the Spa for from one to two weeks, and most visitors come to the Spa two to five times, and take bath five to six times a day on an average.
4) About 87% of the visitors put in practice of drinking of hot spring water in Motoyu, but only 10% of the visitors in Oami and Arayu drink spring waters.
5) The majority of visitors come to the Spa according to their own experience or recommendation of others, and only 3.6% have consulted doctors for the indicatiou in hot spring bathing before coming to the Spa.
6) The practice of the Spa treatment in Shiobara brought improvement of symptoms in about 69%, and occurence of thermal crisis proved in about 26% of the visitors.
In abdition it must be noted that these data are the results of the Spa treatment without any doctors' instruction, so that more beneficial effect will be obtained by proper instruction of the doctors.

Introduction: We investigated the improvement in and the priorities of patient education training in community pharmacy from the student’s point of view to improve long-term practical training.
Method: We conducted a questionnaire survey to assess student satisfaction and the acquisition of behavioral objectives and analyzed the results with customer satisfaction analysis. Questionnaires were distributed to 32 students who had taken part in long-term practical training in the first year.
Results: Customer satisfaction analysis showed that 4 factors-“the frequency of patient education,” “the period of patient education,” “the aggressiveness of the student,” and “the facilitation by pharmacists on question-asking by the student”-were preferentially improved. In addition, we found that the level of acquisition varied according to the specific behavioral objectives.
Discussion: These results suggest that universities and community pharmacies must work together to organize the training system to increase the frequency of patient education and to improve students’ attitudes about patient education in community pharmacy.

Magnetic acupuncture achieved by plastering is a particular type of acupuncture whose “pressure stimulation effect” deriving from a needle type minor process produces a synergetic effect due to “magnetic stimulation effect” originating in the magnetism concentrated on and discharged from the process. This magnetic acupuncture charged with low frequency is called “low frequency magnetic acupuncture.” The major factors in effective non-needle electro-stimulus anesthesia (T. N. S.) are the shape and condition of electrodes in their contact with the skin. Since the electrode utilizing a magnetic needle fully meets these conditions, “acupuncture sensation, ” which is clinically considered important, can be adequately expected. The following are the results obtained from our studies on the objective evaluation of a stimulation property and therapeutic effects of low frequency magnetic acupuncture.
The subjects involved in the study were 15 healthy adults and 5 patients with various symptoms at Naka Izu Rehabilitation Center. The method adopted was the measure of MV as an index of a comfortable sense of stimulation. An MV pick-up was attached to the subject's thum ball —if right-handed, attached to left thumb, if left-handed, attached to right thumb— with cellophane tape and was recorded by 13ch multi-purpose electro-encephalograph and DTR manufactured by Sanei Sokki K. K. before the results were analyzed by a signal processor.
Results:
1) In 10 healthy adults whose MV bands before and after T. N. S. of a general type were compared, a decrease of theta band and an increase of alpha band were recognized. When stimulation effects noted in 5 healthy adults given T. N. S. of a general type and low frequency magnetic acupuncture were compared in terms of MV pattern, a generally increasing trend of alpha band was observed in magnetic acupuncture electrodes.
2) MV patterns noted in 5 patients with various symptoms who were given low frequency magnetic acupuncture showed a decrease of theta and beta bands as well as an increase of alpha band, while MV amplitude showed a decrease depending on the patient. From the above results, the magnetic acupuncture electrode was found to have a more comfortable sense of stimulation than that of an electrode of an ordinary type.

We investigated the effects of artificial mineral bathing in water containing sodium sulfate and sodium bicarbonate on venous blood gas, blood pressure, heart rate, and deep body temperature in 10 patients with hypertension or history of hypertension. After a 10-minute bathing at 40°C, the parameters described above were carefully checked. The pH and P_O2 levels in venous blood increased and the P_CO2 level decreased after the artificial mineral bathing in comparison with plain water bathing. However, these changes were not statistically significant. The systolic blood pressure tended to decrease up to 10 hours after the artificial mineral bathing. The heart rate markedly reduced after the artificial mineral bathing and remained at a low level for 10 hours. The deep body temperature began to decrease 40 minutes after the artificial mineral bathing. However, it increased over the base-line level 6 hours later. From the above result, it is considered that artificial mineral bathing is useful for patients with hypertension.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is no consensus for using endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) in patients without dilatation of the lower part of the bile duct (DLBD). We evaluated the feasibility and safety of EPLBD for the removal of difficult bile duct stones (diameter ≥10 mm) in patients without DLBD. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 209 patients who underwent EPLBD for the removal of bile duct stones from October 2009 to July 2014. Primary outcomes were the clearance rate and additional mechanical lithotripsy. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of complications and recurrence rate. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients had DLBD (27.3%), and 152 did not have DLBD (72.7%). There were no significant differences in the overall success rate or the use of mechanical lithotripsy. Success rate during the first session and procedure time were better in the DLBD than the without-DLBD group (75.7% vs 66.7%, 48.1±23.0 minutes vs 58.4±31.7 minutes, respectively). As for complications, there were no significant differences in the incidence of pancreatitis, perforation or bleeding after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The recurrence rate did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: EPLBD is a useful and safe method for common bile duct stone removal in patients without DLBD.
Bile Ducts* ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic* ; Bile* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Common Bile Duct ; Consensus ; Dilatation* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lithotripsy ; Methods ; Pancreatitis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid ; Mucins