HSP70 is a kind of stress protein that takes care of protein through its life, and it has attracted attention as a factor to promote health. This protein is known for its induction route through hyperthermia stimulation. We compared differences between the effects of carbonic warm water bathing and tap warm water bathing, and the report obtained interesting results. The subjects are six healthy adults (average age: 23.8±5.5 years, each three from males and females), applied full immersion bathing at 41°C for 10min in both ca. 1, 000ppm of high concentration CO₂ warm water and tap warm water, and compared HSP70 before the bathing and one day after the bathing. During the observation of 24h, external thermal stimulation such as warm bathing was banned. 3 persons took warm bathing in CO₂ water first and the other 3 persons took tap water first. There was 10 days interval between the bathing in both types of bathing.
The results showed that an increase in precordial temperature measured with a deep-body thermometer was 1.0°C in tap warm water bathing and 2.3°C in CO₂ warm water bathing. The change in HSP70 was 3.31→4.35 (AU/mg protein: p=0.08) in tap warm water bathing and 3.42→5.04 (p<0.05) in CO₂ warm water bathing. Although a slight increase was recognized in tap warm water bathing, a significant increase in HSP70 was recognized in CO₂ warm water bathing.

Objective: The overproduction of reactive oxygen species leads to oxidative stress, which is related to lifestyle-related disease and cancer. Although antioxidants are considered as one of the countermeasures to oxidative stress, it is necessary to develop the assessment methodology for the antioxidant capacity which is closer to the inner body conditions. In this study, we examined antioxidant actions of plant extracts by using newly-developed neutrophil activity measurement system.
Method: Lemon verbena, Green tea, Camellia japonica and Antiallerge^® were used as plant extracts, and were diluted to medium in wide-range concentrations. Each solution was added on modified Mebiol Gel^® (hydrogel), and the mixture of blood and luminol were set onto the hydrogel in each tube. The amount of reactive oxygen species were measured by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence, whereas the cell count in the hydrogel was quantified as migratory activity of neutrophils.
Result: Lemon verbena and Green tea significantly inhibited reactive oxygen species in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas Camellia japonica and Antiallerge^® did not. The migratory activity of neutrophils was not affected by those plant extracts. Also, damaged cells were not detected.
Conclusion: It was suggested that Lemon verbena and Green tea scavenged reactive oxygen species without causing cell death of neutrophils. This new method for measuring neutrophil activities can be applied not only for assessing the status of inflammation and oxidative stress but also as the screening system for predicting the effectiveness of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances.

Academic dissertations on Kampo medicine have a certain peculiarity about them, when they are drawn up by the rules of western medical writing. Compared to western medicine, oriental medicine tends to employ more subjective terms, because of its many humanistic elements.Study objectives, methods, results and discussions however, need to be stated objectively in a way that makes a paper easy to understand for both referees and readers. Although it would be ideal to use designated terms when making objective statements, there are in fact many terms that have multiple meanings, which need to be clarified in a paper. And when presenting new evidence, one must declare how far any problems have been resolved, as clearly as possible.We have explained the recent changes to our regulations for contributors, regarding Kampo formulae naming conventions, abstract word counts, and contributions by mail. Here we discuss how our editing work proceeds, and our thoughts on how papers are re-reviewed or rejected.
Medicine, Kampo ; Medicine ; Academic Dissertations [Publication Type] ; counts ; Review [Publication Type]

Introduction: Human body has systems that preserve its homeostasis, corresponding to a spectrum of stimuli. As for thermal stimuli, vasculatures would react most, and changes in blood flow could be observed as skin temperature measured by thermography. In case that vasculature gets sickened, its response may change. We have observed that temperature unevenness/disparity among fingers is the most useful finding to see disturbed peripheral circulation in connective tissue diseases (CTDs) patients, although low temperatures prior to immersion and their delayed recovery after immersion are distinguished. Objectives: To examine whether warm stimulus ameliorates temperature disparity, and if it works, whether any differences are between warm tap water and warm water containing CO2. Patients and methods: CTD patients with signs or symptoms of circulatory disturbance in periphery of extremities were tested for thermo-loading test. Loading was hands immersion in 42C tap water or water containing CO2 (1000 ppm) for 10’’. Coefficient of variation (CV, mean of right & left SD/mean of 5 nailfolds’ temperature) was calculated at each measuring point (baseline, 0, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes after the immersion), its change from baseline was examined, and the CV change was compared between tap and CO2 warm water. Results: Twenty-one (F:20, M:1, 60.0±17.1 year-old) , and 24 (F:22, M:2 58.3±19.4 y) patients were tested for tap and CO2 water immersion, respectively. Before warm bathing, varying levels of CV was observed from patient to patient (tap, 0.020+/-0.014; CO2 0.029+/-0.029, p<0.05). Just after the immersion, CV decreased in all of the patients (0.010+/-0.003, p<0.05 vs. baseline; 0.013+/-0.005, p<0.05). Then, afterward, CV gradually re-increased toward the level at baseline prior to bathing; however, until 20’ after, CV was still lower than that at baseline, in both immersions (data not shown). Thirty minutes after the immersion, CV re-increased to a level not statistically different from that at baseline in tap water immersion (0.018+/-0.011, ns); however, CV was still statistically lower in CO2 water immersion (0.016+/-0.014, p<0.05). Conclusion: Hands immersion in warm tap water and warm CO2 water both once ameliorated varied temperature, evaluated by CV. Amelioration was dissolved 30’ after the immersion in tap water, but sustained even 30’ after the immersion in CO2 water, in spite of higher CV in CO2 group