Tapping but not massage enhances vasodilation and improves venous palpation of cutaneous veins.

This paper investigated whether tapping on the median cubital vein or massaging the forearm was more effective in obtaining better venous palpation for venipuncture. Forty healthy volunteers in their twenties were subjected to tapping (10 times in 5 sec) or massage (10 strokes in 20 sec from the wrist to the cubital fossa) under tourniquet inflation on the upper arm. Venous palpation was assessed using the venous palpation score (0-6, with 0 being impalpable).

Association of breast feeding with early childhood dental caries: Japanese population-based study.

Objectives: We investigated the association between breastfeeding duration during the first half year of life and the risk of early childhood caries from the age of 30 to 66 months in Japan.

Design: Observational study of a longitudinal survey.

Setting: A secondary data analysis of the Japanese Longitudinal Survey of Babies in the 21st Century.

Thermal responses and perceptions under distinct ambient temperature and wind conditions.

Wind conditions are widely recognized to influence the thermal states of humans. In this study, we investigated the relationship between wind conditions and thermal perception and energy balance in humans. The study participants were exposed for 20 min to 3 distinct ambient temperatures, wind speeds, and wind angles.

Effect of gait on formation of thermal environment inside footwear.

In this study, the relationship between the gait condition and foot temperature distributions inside footwear was investigated using subject experiments. Mechanical, physical, and physiological variables such as the foot contact force, landing speed, and metabolic heat generation were also measured. Gait motion measurements showed that a large contact force was concentrated in the small area of the heel at the initial contact and later at the forefoot.

Signature-tagged mutagenesis of Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus is the causative agent of primary septicemia, wound infection and gastroenteritis in immunocompromised people. In this study, signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) was applied to identify the virulence genes of V. vulnificus.

Factors that increase external pressure to the fibular head region, but not medial region, during use of a knee-crutch/leg-holder system in the lithotomy position.

Background: Paralysis of the common peroneal nerve is one of the relatively common nerve injuries related to the lithotomy position with the use of a knee-crutch/leg-holder system. Several risk factors have been implicated in lithotomy position-related common peroneal nerve paralysis during operation.

Materials And Methods: In the present study, 21 young healthy volunteers participated in the investigation of the causes of the paralysis of the common peroneal nerve in the lithotomy position using a knee-crutch/leg-holder; Knee Crutch.

Examination of Relationships among Organizational Characteristics and Organizational Commitment of Nurses in Western and Eastern Region of Nepal.

Introduction: The objective of this study is to identify relationships between three components of organizational commitment and organizational characteristics of nurses in the western and the eastern region of Nepal.

Methods: A self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect data from 310 nurses currently working at various hospitals in the eastern and the western region of the country. The questionnaire included three sections namely 1) personal characteristics 2) organizational characteristics and 3) organizational commitments scale.

Pantoea agglomerans lipopolysaccharide maintains bone density in premenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Lipopolysaccharide fromPantoea agglomerans (LPSp) facilitates Ca and P turnover in chicken calvaria and femurs. This study investigated osteoporosis prevention by the oral administration of LPSp in mice and in double-blind clinical tests. Using ovariectomized (OVX) osteoporosis mice model, we investigated the effects of LPSp on the bone density and Ca concentration after ingesting LPSp-containing water for 4 weeks.

Relationship and factors responsible for regulating fasting and post-challenge plasma glucose levels in the early stage development of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims/introduction: Elevation of 2-h plasma glucose (2-h PG) levels keeps step with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels elevation, but some individuals show dominant elevation of 2-h PG and others FPG. We analyzed dependent and independent relationships between 2-h PG and FPG, and investigated the factors regulating 2-h PG and FPG.

Materials And Methods: In 1,657 Japanese participants who underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test at the initial examination for a medical check-up, we carried out simple linear regression analysis between 2-h PG and FPG levels on the three patterns of independent variables.

Dioscorea japonica extract down-regulates prostaglandin E2 synthetic pathway and induces apoptosis in lung cancer cells.

Prostaglandin E2 plays a role in an array of pathophysiological responses, including inflammation, carcinogenesis and so on. Prostaglandin E2 is synthesized from arachidonic acid by the enzymes cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin E synthase. In some pathological conditions, the isozymes cyclooxygenase-2 and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 are transiently induced, leading to prostaglandin E2 overproduction.

The effect of thermal history on the elasticity of K-type gellan gels.

Elasticity of potassium type gellan gels prepared at different thermal histories was examined using dynamic viscoelastic measurements. The storage Young's modulus E' decreased with increasing cooling rate during gelation. Once gel formation occurred, thermal history at lower temperature did not influence the elastic modulus and thermal stability of the gellan gels.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new BSH-conjugated chlorin derivatives as agents for both photodynamic therapy and boron neutron capture therapy of cancer.

New disodium mercaptoundecahydro-closo-dodecaborate (BSH)-conjugated chlorin derivatives 11, 12, 16 and 20 as agents for both photodynamic therapy (PDT) and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of cancer were synthesized. The in vivo biodistribution and clearance of 11, 12, 16 and 20 were investigated in tumor-bearing mice. Compounds 12 and 16 showed good tumor-selective accumulation among the four derivatives.

Effects of young barley leaf powder on gastrointestinal functions in rats and its efficacy-related physicochemical properties.

Young barley leaf is consumed as a popular green-colored drink, which is named "Aojiru" in Japan. In the present study, we examined effects of young barley leaf powder (BL) on gastrointestinal transit time (GTT) and fecal moisture and weight in comparison with wheat bran (WB) in male Sprague-Dawley rats. In addition, an attempt was made to identify BL components responsible for these effects by using various fractions of BL.

Interruption in physical activity bout analysis: an accelerometry research issue.

Background: The purpose of the present investigation was to clarify the impact of the treatment of interruptions on the durations and the frequency of the physical activity (PA) bouts under free-living conditions.

Methods: One hundred and forty adults (50 ± 7 years) wore an accelerometer (Lifecorder) for seven consecutive days under free-living conditions. According to the minutes by minutes metabolic equivalents (METs) value, the PA was divided into one of three intensity categories: light intensity PA (LPA, < 3 METs), moderate intensity PA (MPA, 3 to 6 METs), vigorous intensity PA (VPA, > 6 METs), and the sum of the MPA and VPA was defined as moderate to vigorous intensity PA (MVPA, > 3 METs).

Lifestyle intervention involving calorie restriction with or without aerobic exercise training improves liver fat in adults with visceral adiposity.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of calorie restriction-induced weight loss with or without aerobic exercise on liver fat.

Methods: Thirty-three adults with visceral adiposity were divided into calorie restriction (CR; n = 18) or CR and aerobic exercise (CR + Ex; n = 15) groups. Target energy intake was 25 kcal/kg of ideal body weight.

Cellular localization of 5α-reductase in the rat cerebellum.

The enzyme 5α-reductase catalyzes the transformation of progesterone, testosterone, and deoxycorticosterone into 5α-reduced metabolites, which are recognized as neurosteroids in the brain with variable potential neuroactivity. Two isoforms of 5α-reductase were identified in rodents, and, of these, 5α-reductase type 1 (5α-R1) is abundantly expressed in the brain. To understand the multiple influences of neurosteroids in the central nervous system, we need to know their region-specific synthesis.

Induction of hepatic Bach1 mRNA expression by carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in rats.

Hepatic oxidative stress is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of several acute liver diseases. Diagnostic markers of hepatic oxidative stress may facilitate early detection and intervention. Bach1 is an oxidative stress-responsive transcription factor that represses heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of heme, a potent pro-oxidant.

The characteristics of healthy adults with hardly palpable vein--Relations between easy venous palpation and physical factors.

This study aimed to investigate relations between ease of venous palpation and various venous factors, and to elucidate characteristics of hardly palpable veins. Healthy adult volunteers (n = 110) were enrolled. The ease of venous palpation was scored from 0: impalpable to 3: well palpable.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new boron-containing chlorin derivatives as agents for both photodynamic therapy and boron neutron capture therapy of cancer.

New boron-containing chlorin derivatives 9 and 13 as agents for both photodynamic therapy (PDT) and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of cancer were synthesized from photoprotoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester (2) and L-4-boronophenylalanine-related compounds. The in vivo biodistribution and clearance of 9 and 13 were investigated in tumor-bearing mice. The time to maximum accumulation of compound 13 in tumor tissue was one-fourth of that of compound 9, and compound 13 showed rapid clearance from normal tissues within 24h after injection.

Reliability, validity, and significance of assessment of sense of contribution in the workplace.

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Sense of Contribution Scale (SCS), a newly developed, 7-item questionnaire used to measure sense of contribution in the workplace. Workers at 272 organizations answered questionnaires that included the SCS. Because of non-participation or missing data, the number of subjects included in the analyses for internal consistency and validity varied from 1,675 to 2,462 (response rates 54.

Ellagitannin oligomers and a neolignan from pomegranate arils and their inhibitory effects on the formation of advanced glycation end products.

Two new ellagitannin oligomers, pomegraniins A (7, tetramer) and B (8, pentamer), and a new glucose ester of neolignan, pomegralignan (19), together with six known ellagitannins, were isolated from the arils and pericarps of Punica granatum L. (pomegranate). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses and chemical evidence.

Neutralization of leukotriene C4 and D4 activity by monoclonal and single-chain antibodies.

Background: Cysteinyl leukotrienes (LTs) are key mediators in inflammation. To explore the structure of the antigen-recognition site of a monoclonal antibody against LTC4 (mAbLTC), we previously isolated full-length cDNAs for heavy and light chains of the antibody and prepared a single-chain antibody comprising variable regions of these two chains (scFvLTC).

Methods: We examined whether mAbLTC and scFvLTC neutralized the biological activities of LTC4 and LTD4 by competing their binding to their receptors.

Changes in daily cognition and behavior of Alzheimer's patients over time: a three-year evaluation using a daily cognition and behavior for Alzheimer's disease scale.

Background: In Japan, the number of older people with dementia was 2.26 million as of 2010, and Alzheimer's disease accounted for the greatest morbidity rate among older people with dementia.

Objective: The purposes of this longitudinal study were to assess whether the Daily Cognition and Behavior for Alzheimer's Disease scale might help observe changes in daily cognition and behavior among Alzheimer's disease patients and to determine whether the scale could be used by non-professional caregivers.

Erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation of K562 erythroleukemic cells by monochloramine.

The induction of leukemic cell differentiation is a hopeful therapeutic modality. We studied the effects of monochloramine (NH2Cl) on erythroleukemic K562 cell differentiation, and compared the effects observed with those of U0126 and staurosporine, which are known inducers of erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation, respectively. CD235 (glycophorin) expression, a marker of erythroid differentiation, was significantly increased by NH2Cl and U0126, along with an increase in cd235 mRNA levels.

Effects of interactions between intestinal microbiota and intestinal macrophages on health.

Macrophages reside in every tissue of the body and play an important role in maintaining homeostasis. The intestinal mucosa is the largest immune organ and harbors macrophages in abundance. Dysfunction of intestinal macrophages is characteristic of patients with certain inflammatory bowel diseases.