The anatomical structures penetrated by a needle which was inserted in an acupuncture point into the stellate gaglion, 1.5cm lateral to and 2.5cm above the point Tentotsu, were studied bilaterally with dissection of 19 cadavers. Furthermore, the size of the dissected stellate ganglion, its anatomical position, and its positional relation to structures located near it were measured or observed.
Though 8 out of 38 inserted needles pricked the medial margin of the ganglion, the remaining 30 needles all missed medially from the ganglion. In the cases pricking the ganglion, all of 8 needles penetrated either the vertebral or the subclavian artery before reaching the ganglion, and 7 of these did also the dome of the pleura in addition to the artery. In the cases missing from the ganglion, however, a frequency of penetrating the above structures were considerably lower.
The dissected stellate ganglion almost lay on beteen the mid-level of the vertebral body of the 7th cervical vertebra and the upper level of body of the second thoracic vertebra, with their mean size 27.1, 7.7 and 2.8mm in length, width and thickness, respectively. All of the ganglions were located dorsal to the vertebral and subclavian arteries and the dom of the pleura the distances from the median line to their upper and lower extremity being 21.9 and 22.7mm in average, respectively.
The pricked point for directly aiming at the stellate ganglion from the body surface is within a range 20 to 30mm lateral to and 10 to 40mm above the point tentotsu on the right, and on the left it is within a range 15 to 25mm lateral and 10 to 35mm above; the depth from the point is about 4.0 and 3.8cm on the right and left, respectively. But when directly aiming at the ganglion, the possibility of injuring the vertebral or subclavian artery and the dome of the pleura was suggested to increase considerably owing to their location ventral to the ganglion.

Objective: Although there are numerous epidemiological studies on supplement use, only a small number of studies focused on the issue of the subjective health perception and the clinical laboratory data. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between supplement use and the subjective health perception and the clinical laboratory data.
Method: The participants were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire on supplement use, and subjective health perception (“overweight”, “easy fatigability”, “lower tolerance”, and “anxiety about bone and joints”) during the previous one month. The clinical laboratory data (blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, LDL-C), demographic information, smoking status and drug use were collected from the record at the medical checkup center.
Results: 608 men and 500 women were enrolled. A total of 30.3% of participants were found to use supplements. Logistic regression analysis revealed that supplement users were more likely to be women, older than 40 years, with lower or higher BMI, and with the normal laboratory data. However, the four items of subjective health perception and the three laboratory data were not individually associated with the supplement use.
Conclusion: Supplement use was associated with middle aged women with low or high BMI and normal clinical laboratory data.

The incidences of the middle cervical and the vertebral ganglia and their sizes were investigated bilaterally during dissection of 18 cadavers. Furthermore, the positional relations of each ganglion to the vertebral column, the point Tentotsu, the anterior tubercle of the sixth cervical (C₆) vertebra, and the cricoid cartilage were investigated along with the relations of the anterior tubercle of the C₆ vertebra to the point Tentotsu and the cricoid cartilage. The middle cervical ganglion was 14, 4 and 2mm in average length, width and thickness, respectively, on the right, and on the left these values were 14, 5 and 2mm. The ganglion was found in about half the cases, and it was located at about the level of the cricoid cartilage and close laterally and above to the anterior tubercle of the C₆ vertebra. In the cases lacking the middle cervical ganglion, the sympathetic trunk passed immediately medial to the tubercle. The vertebral ganglion was found in almost all cases, with its mean size 8, 5 and 3mm on the right and 9, 5 and 2mm on the left in lenght, width and thickness, respectively. The ganglion was included in many cases within a range 15 to 30mm lateral and 20 (the left) or 25 (the right) to 45mm above the point Tentotsu, and it lay at the level of the C₇ vertebra. The anterior tubercle of the C₆ vertebra was within a range 20 to 30mm lateral to that point, and in the upper to lower direction, it lay at the level slightly upper than the cricoid cartilage in the male and at about the level of the cartilage in the female.

The projection region of the dome of the pleura to the surface of the anterior neck was investigated in 31 domes of 17 cadavers. The point “Tentotsu”, and a line connecting that point and the most lateral edge of the acromion were adopted for a basis of measurement of the projection region. The mean length of the Tentotsu-Acromion line was 185mm on either side of the body. Its upward angle to the horizontal plane was 22° and 23° in average on the right and left sides, respectively, while its backward angle to the frontal plane was 23° on the right and 25° on the left. The right pleural domes (17 cases) were included within a range 0-58mm lateral to the Tentotsu and lower than 44mm above, and on the left side (14 cases), these values were 5-58mm and 49mm, respectively. On the other hand, when adopting the Tentotsu-Acromion line as the basis, the pleural domes were located within the medial one-third of the line. Their summits lay on the point of its medial one-fourth in medio-lateral direction, and were situated at levels lower than about 35 (on the right) or 32mm (on the left) above the line.

OBJECTIVEIn this study, we evaluated postpartum stress using a postpartum depression scale and by measuring the level of a stress-related substance, to clarify the relationship between the stresscoping capabilities of women in the final stage of pregnancy and their postpartum stress reactions.

METHODSBetween April 2004 and October 2004, 54 women participated in a question naire survey and the measurement of their secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) level as a stress-related substance two times in the final stage of their pregnancy (prepartum) and in their early puerperium (postpartum) was carried out. The questionnaire used in the prepartum stage included the following parameters: "basic features", "Sense of Coherence (SOC)" and "Japanese version of the self-assessment depression scale" of Zung. The questionnaire employed in the postpartum stage included the following parameters: "course of delivery", "Self-evaluation of delivery experience", and "Postpartum depression scale".

RESULTSThe depression score was higher and the s-IgA level was lower in the low-SOC score group than in the high-SOC score group, indicating that stress reactions were more intense in the low-SOC score group.

CONCLUSIONIt was revealed that stress reactions were more intense for women with a low SOC score. Moreover, the finding of a relationship between the low SOC score in the prepartum stage and depressive tendency suggests that women who are likely to develop depressive tendency can be predicted in the prepartum stage, and the significance of measuring SOC in the prepartum stage is thus suggested.

OBJECTIVESThe purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the candidate indicators secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and sense of coherence (SOC) as predictors of threatened premature birth.

METHODSThis was a panel study conducted on women in their first and latter half of pregnancy during survey period. The survey period was from December 2005 to June 2006 and from December 2007 to June 2008. The women enrolled in the study were asked to complete the survey questionnaire and provide blood samples for the determinations of physiological indicators. The questionnaire consisted of questions related to the stress perception scale (SPS), SOC score as an indicator of modifiers of stress, demographic data, complications in a previous pregnancy, and the course of the current pregnancy. We used s-IgA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as a physiological stress indicator and a marker of infection, respectively. Seventy-two eligible subjects were included in the analysis.

RESULTSTwenty-eight (38.9%) subjects had undergone treatment for threatened premature birth, and 44 (61.1%) subjects had not. In the logistic analysis, we set the course of pregnancy as a dependent variable, and age, birth history, smoking habits, a history of miscarriage, premature birth or threatened premature birth, SPS, SOC, and s-IgA in the first half of pregnancy as independent variables. We found that low serum s-IgA levels and low SOC scores in the first half of pregnancy were associated with threatened premature birth.

CONCLUSIONSOur results suggest that low serum s-IgA level and SOC score at an early gestational stage are significant indicators for a threatened premature birth.

BACKGROUND: Although the age-adjusted incidence and mortality of cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been decreasing steadily in Japan, both diseases remain major contributors to morbidity and mortality along with the aging society. Herein, we aim to provide a prescription of 10 health tips for long and healthy life named the "Lifelong Health Support 10 (LHS10)." METHOD: The LHS10 was developed by the preventive medicine specialists at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Suita, where it has been used for health guidance to prevent CVD, cancer, and cognitive decline in addition to their major risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. It consisted of the lifestyle modification recommendations of the 2014 Japanese Society of Hypertension guidelines and the 2017 Japan Atherosclerosis Society Guidelines for preventing atherosclerotic CVD. Further, it came in line with other international lifestyle modification guidelines. In this narrative review, we summarized the results of several Japanese epidemiological studies investigating the association between the LHS10 items and the risk of cancer, CVD, and other chronic diseases including dementia, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. RESULTS: The LHS10 included avoiding smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, engaging in physical activity, refraining from excessive alcohol drinking, reducing fried foods and sugary soft drinks, cutting salt in food, consuming more vegetables, fruits, fish, soy foods, and fibers, and maintaining proper body weight. All items of the LHS10 were shown to reduce the risk of cancer, CVD, and other chronic diseases. CONCLUSIONS The LHS10 can be a helpful tool for health guidance.
Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control* ; Humans ; Hypertension/prevention & control* ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Life Style ; Neoplasms ; Prescriptions ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: A protective role for physical activity against the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been suggested. Stair climbing is a readily available form of physical activity that many people practice. Herein, we investigated the association between stair climbing and the risk of AF in a Japanese population. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we used data of 6,575 people registered in the Suita Study, aged 30-84 years, and had no history of AF. The frequency of stair climbing was assessed by a baseline questionnaire, while AF was diagnosed during the follow-up using a 12-lead ECG, health records, check-ups, and death certificates. We used the Cox regression to calculate the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of AF incidence for climbing stairs in 20-39%, 40-59%, and ≥60% compared with <20% of the time. RESULTS: Within 91,389 person-years of follow-up, 295 participants developed AF. The incidence of AF was distributed across the stair climbing groups <20%, 20-39%, 40-59%, and ≥60% as follows: 3.57, 3.27, 3.46, and 2.63/1,000 person-years, respectively. Stair climbing ≥60% of the time was associated with a reduced risk of AF after adjustment for age and sex 0.69 (0.49, 0.96). Further adjustment for lifestyle and medical history did not affect the results 0.69 (0.49, 0.98). CONCLUSION Frequent stair climbing could protect from AF. From a preventive point of view, stair climbing could be a simple way to reduce AF risk at the population level.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Atrial Fibrillation/etiology* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stair Climbing