Former Olympians had remained on high bone mineral density for a long period: Consecutive checkup of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Japanese contestants for over 50 years.

INTRODUCTION: We performed consecutive checkups of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic contestants every 4 years for 50 years. This study evaluated bone mineral density (BMD) and its related factors in former Tokyo Olympic athletes. OBJECTIVES: The study population comprised 181 former Olympians (141 men and 40 women) who had undergone BMD measurement in at least one of the four checkups performed every 4 years since 2005. The mean age of the 104 subjects who participated in the last checkup in 2016 was 76.1 years for men and 74.0 years for women. METHODS: Health-related information regarding medical history, regular physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking was obtained using questionnaires. The areal BMD of the total body was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The relationship between BMD and anthropometric measurements, medical history, and health behaviors was examined. Furthermore, we assessed the influence of the mode and magnitude of weight-bearing and impact loading during athletic events during their active careers on BMD. RESULTS: The mean Z-scores of BMD of the total body, lumbar spine, pelvis, and upper and lower limbs were > 0 in both male and female subjects at each checkup. The subjects had a higher mean height and weight than the Japanese age- and sex-matched individuals. Furthermore, the subjects had higher grip strength than the age- and sex-matched individuals. BMD showed a positive correlation with body weight, lean body mass (LBM), muscle mass, and grip strength, with higher correlation coefficients found between BMD of the pelvis or lower limbs and LBM or muscle mass volume. When the association with current participation in sports activities was examined, male subjects who exercised weekly had significantly higher grip strength and greater muscle mass volume; however, no significant differences were observed among female subjects. After adjusting for age and LMB, BMD was significantly higher in both the lumbar spine and lower limbs of male subjects with relatively more impact loading in sports events during their active careers. CONCLUSION: The Tokyo Olympic contestants maintained a high muscle mass even at an older age, regardless of their medical history, which may be one of the reasons for their ability to maintain a high BMD.

Highly c-axis orientated superconducting core and large critical current density in Ba0.6Na0.4Fe2As2 powder-in-tube tape.

Improvement of the critical current density (Jc) of superconducting wires/tapes is one of the key issues in the field of superconductivity applications. Here we report the fabrication of a silver-sheathed Ba1-xNaxFe2As2 (BaNa-122) superconducting tape by using a powder-in-tube technique and its superconducting properties, in particular transport Jc, as well as the tape-core texture. The optimally-doped BaNa-122 tape with Na concentration x = 0.4 exhibits the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) of 33.7 K and high transport Jc of 4 × 104 A/cm2 at 4.2 K in a magnetic field of 4 T. Patterns of x-ray diffraction for the superconducting core show that the degree of c-axis orientation is significantly enhanced through the tape fabrication process. The tendency of c-axis orientation is advantageous for achieving higher Jc, suggesting the high potential of BaNa-122 for superconducting wire/tape applications.

Operation and management of the Fukashiba treatment plant.

Since the opening of the Fukashiba Treatment Plant in 1970, the number of industries and the amount of wastewater requiring treatment in the service area have been steadily increasing. In response to the recent economic downturn in Japan, these rates of increase have slowed, but are not decreasing. The pollution load in the wastewater from these industries has decreased and is now stable. Unlike the case of ordinary domestic sewage, the effects of the various types of substances contained in wastewaters delivered from the petrochemical complex to the treatment plant, for example, corrosion, are quite large. Measures to deal with corrosion problems, such as replacement or modification of the facilities, improvement of the efficiencies of facility operation and wastewater treatment, and improvement of measures against odours, are being implemented.

[Surgical treatment for adrenal metastasis from lung cancer].

Several long-term survivors after surgical resection for a solitary adrenal metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been reported in case reports and case series with a small number of patients. We have experienced 6 cases of patients who had adrenalectomy (ADR) for a metastasis from NSCLC. The median survival time (MST) after ADR was 24 months, and there was only 1 case of 3-year survivor. To elucidate the surgical indication and the prognostic factors of patients with a solitary adrenal metastasis from NSCLC, we analyzed 104 patients including our 6 patients who had ADR for a metastasis from NSCLC. The MST after ADR and 5-year survival were 24 months and 31%, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated that lymph node metastasis at the surgery for primary lung cancer was the only significant and independent predictor of poor survival in patients after ADR. The results suggest that aggressive surgical treatment of a solitary adrenal metastasis from NSCLC may be effective when a patient have N0 disease.

Effect of ethyl icosapentaenoate (EPA) on the concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) in the carotid artery of cuff-sheathed rabbit models.

To evaluate the effect of ethyl icosapentaenoate (EPA) on the metabolism of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), the concentrations of these cytokines in the carotids of rabbits sheathed in a cuff were studied. Japanese white rabbits were divided into two groups; the EPA group, in which 600 mg/kg/day EPA was administered forcibly p.o. for 1 week before cuff treatment, and the control group. Carotid artery samples were obtained just before, 3 days and 7 days after cuff treatment, and TNFalpha and IL-1beta were determined separately with the Western blot analysis method. In the control group, there were 43.5 (+/- 3.0) pg/microg protein of TNFalpha and 53.5 (+/- 4.8) pg/microg protein of IL-1beta just before cuff treatment. Compared to the control group, these concentrations of the EPA group were both significantly low. Three days after cuff treatment, TNFalpha of the EPA group was still significantly low, while IL-1beta showed no difference. There was no significant difference between the two groups 7 days after cuff treatment. These findings suggested that EPA could influence TNFalpha and IL-1beta metabolism in the arterial wall even at baseline. Furthermore, EPA suppressed TNFalpha and IL-1beta production in the early phase of intimal thickening, indicating a mechanism inhibiting the activation of smooth muscle cells such as their proliferation and migration, induced by the cuff-sheath method.

[A case of pulmonary infection with mycobacterium xenopi].

A 42-year-old man with pulmonary disease caused by Mcobacterium xenopi is described. He had a history of alcohol use of over 20 years. He was admitted to another hospital for evaluation of an abnormal chest shadow. A chest X-ray showed a cavitary shadow with infiltration in the right upper lung field. Acid-fast organisms were recognized in sputum and M. xenopi was identified by DNA-DNA hybridization. Although he had been treated with isoniazid, rifampicin, and ethanbutol for 5 years, sputum remained positive on culture and chest X-ray findings did not improve. He was later admitted to our hospital for surgery, and right upper lobectomy was performed. He has remained well for 18 months since the operation. In Japan, cases of the pulmonary infection with M. xenopi are rare. Surgical resection is required when chemotherapy is unsuccessful.

Serologic, virologic, and histologic characteristics of chronic phase hepatitis C virus disease in children infected by transfusion.

OBJECTIVE: We studied the time course of hepatic dysfunction, seropositivity to hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies, viremia, and histologic evidence of hepatic injury to evaluate the course of HCV infection in children infected by blood transfusion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients (ages 4 to 18 years) who underwent open-heart surgeries for congenital heart disease were grouped into three categories based on alterations in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels: Group A, acute infection; Group B, subacute infection; and Group C, chronic infection. RESULTS: In Group C, all 13 patients had detectable HCV RNA in serum. In contrast, all patients in Group A had no detectable HCV RNA: In Group B, one of nine patients had detectable HCV RNA and two of four patients examined had persistent chronic hepatitis by histologic criteria. Antibodies directed against C100-3 antigen or core-antigen were more useful than second-generation HCV antibody assays in determining the relationship between viremia and immunologic response. Infection with HCV genotype II and the presence of higher HCV RNA copy numbers were associated with histologic evidence of hepatic damage. CONCLUSION: An abnormal ALT value is frequently associated with viremia, and biochemically resolved acute infection reflects clearance of HCV. However, a normal ALT does not always reflect an absence of hepatocyte damage and HCV replication in patients with subacute disease. The measures outlined in this study are useful indicators of disease activity during the chronic

[Evaluation of the results of one session of extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for a single urinary tract stone].

Fourteen hundred seventeen patients with a single stone under either general or epidural anesthesia were treated by one session of ESWL using the Dornier HM3 while 255 cases by one session of ESWL using the Dornier MPL9000 under no anesthesia but only with some analgesics, with 3 months' follow up available in all patients. The ratio of stone location in the kidney vs ureter was 7 to 3 in the Dornier HM3 and 5 vs 6 in the Dornier MPL9000. The overall success rate (stone free and residual stone fragments of less than 4 mm, 3 months after ESWL) was 58% (591 cases/1016 cases) for kidney stones with the Dornier HM3 and 35% (41/117) with the Dornier MPL9000. On the other hand, the overall success rate for ureter stones was 61% (245/401) with the Dornier HM3 and 70% (96/138) with the Dornier MPL9000. The overall success rate for stones of more than 10 mm, was poor when treated by the Dornier MPL9000 compared with the Dornier HM3.

[Morphological changes of Kock pouch investigated by autopsy two years nine months postoperatively].

A 62-year-old male patient consulted us because of gross hematuria and was diagnosed as having a bladder tumor. Total cystectomy was performed and a Koch pouch was utilized. Two years and nine months later, he died as a result of recurrence of bladder tumor and pathological autopsy was performed. A microscopic section of the reservoir mucosa showed a reduction in the number of crypts and an increase in the number of goblet cells. These morphological changes seemed to be caused by chronic exposure to urine, but have a favorable effect upon metabolic alterations following the utilization of the Kock pouch.

[Prognosis of interstitial pneumonitis (IP) in polymyositis (PM)/dermatomyositis (DM)].

IP, the major complication of PM/DM, is closely related to the life of these patients. In this study the course and prognosis of IP associated with PM/DM were investigated. Thirty IP patients with PM/DM were divided into 4 groups according to the course of IP. Clinical manifestations, laboratory data, chest radiographs and treatment were examined retrospectively. Eleven cases improved (Group I), 11 cases were exacerbated (Group E), 3 cases were unchanged (Group U), 2 cases died due to rapid progression of IP (Group D) and 3 cases dropped out. Both Group D patients were middle aged female DM patients without CPK elevation. All cases were treated with corticosteroids. The clinical manifestations, laboratory data, chest radiographs and initial dose of corticosteroid were not markedly different between Group I and E. The total dose of corticosteroids during the first 3 months tended to be higher in Group I than in Group E. Unlike idiopathic interstitial pneumonitis, the decrease in lung volume on chest radiographs improved after the treatment in 5 cases. We conclude that IP associated with PM/DM should be treated initially with high doses of corticosteroids.

MR imaging of thymolipoma.

A case of thymolipoma that continued from the level of the thymus gland, drooping inferiorly toward the diaphragm is described. Coronal T1-weighted MR images clearly demonstrated the location and characteristic appearances of the tumor.

Temporomandibular joint movement. Evaluation of protrusive splint therapy with GRASS MR imaging.

Ten temporomandibular joints (TMJs) of 5 healthy volunteers and 19 TMJs of internal derangements in 16 patients with splint therapy were examined with MR imaging. T1-weighted images were obtained only in the closed mouth position, and gradient recalled acquisition in steady state (GRASS) images were obtained in active opening and closing phases, allowing a pseudodynamic display of TMJ movement. All patients received protrusive splint treatment. The usefulness of MR imaging to assess the efficacy of splint therapy was evaluated. Corrected disk position with the splint in place was clearly demonstrated in 9 TMJs, corresponding with elimination of reciprocal clicking. Ten other TMJs of anterior disk displacement without reduction showed uncorrected disk position by the splint. This information could confirm the therapeutic efficacy, or suggest other treatment alternatives. GRASS MR imaging can provide accurate and physiologic information about disk function in initial and follow-up assessment of protrusive splint therapy.

The effect of manidipine on renal hemodynamics in essential hypertensive patients: responses to acute stress.

The effects of the calcium antagonist manidipine 20 mg/day on changes in blood pressure and renal hemodynamics in response to acute stress by the mental arithmetic test (MAT) and the cold pressor test (CPT) were investigated in 14 patients with essential hypertension (median age: 50 +/- 2, WHO stage I-II). During the drug-free period, acute stress by both MAT and CPT caused an increase in the renal vascular resistance index (RVRI) [% change in RVRI, 17% for MAT (p < 0.05) and 26% for CPT (p < 0.01)] and an increase in blood pressure [% change in mean blood pressure (MBP): 17% for MAT (p < 0.001) and 16% for CPT (p < 0.001)]. CPT stress resulted in a reduction in RAFV (% change in RAFV: -12%, p < 0.05). Oral administration of manidipine resulted in hypotensive effects at rest [MBP: from 116 to 99 mmHg, p < 0.001], no change in RAFV (31.3 to 32.9 cm/sec, p = ns), and reduced RVRI (from 3.9 to 3.2 mmHg.sec/cm, p < 0.02). Manidipine inhibited the hypertensive response to acute stress by both MAT and CPT [% change in MBP: from 17% to 11% for MAT (p < 0.02) and from 16% to 11% for CPT (p < 0.01)] and also inhibited the increase in RVRI [% change in RVRI: from 17% to -1% for MAT (p < 0.05) and from 26% to 8% for CPT (p < 0.01)]. Manidipine has beneficial effects on blood pressure and renal hemodynamics at rest in patients with essential hypertension.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Low dose continuous infusion therapy with etoposide (VP-16) and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) for a patient with refractory acute myelogenous leukemia].

A 36-year-old man with acute myelogenous leukemia, refractory to the combination chemotherapy, developed fungal infection and acute respiratory distress. Simultaneously, rapid proliferation of leukemic cells was observed in the blood. He was given continuous drip infusion of etoposide (50 mg/day) and Ara-C (20 mg/day) for 18 days. The leukemic cells disappeared from both the blood and the marrow, and complete remission was achieved. There was no adverse effect related to this therapy. The low dose combination chemotherapy with etoposide and Ara-C is safe to be carried out, and could be effective for the patients with refractory leukemia.

[A case of miliary tuberculosis with prolonged high fever for more than 2 months under antituberculous therapy].

A 28 year-old male was admitted to our hospital with persistent cough and high fever. He was diagnosed to have miliary tuberculosis by the transbronchial lung biopsy specimen and tuberculous choroidal lesions in the ocular fundus. Antituberculosis therapy was immediately started. In spite of the fact that the bacilli were sensitive to the antituberculosis drugs used and he had no other complications, high fever persisted and lasted for more than 2 months. When tuberculosis is suspected, and antituberculosis treatment is tried to observe its clinical response, the presence of similar cases mentioned above should be taken into consideration.

Effect of high carbohydrate diet on serum lactate dehydrogenase isozyme pattern in Japanese young men.

Changes in the activity of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the serum LDH isozyme pattern in healthy young men given a high carbohydrate diet (480-636 g/day, 80% of the total energy) for 21 days were examined. Serum total LDH activity showed no significant change in four healthy young volunteers who received high carbohydrate diet for 21 days. However, the percentage of LDH-4 increased significantly (P less than 0.01) from 8.5 +/- 2.4 to 10.9 +/- 1.9% after 21 days, as did also the percentage of LDH-5 (P less than 0.01) from 5.1 +/- 1.9 to 10.7 +/- 2.9%. The percentage of M-type LDH activity increased 30% during the experiment (P less than 0.05). It is concluded from the results that the high carbohydrate intake affects the percentage of LDH-4 and LDH-5, but not the total serum LDH activity.

Sequential polypeptides. 2. Helix--coil transition in poly(gamma-benzyl epsilon-carbobenzoxy-L-lysyl-L-glutamate).

Helix--coil transitions of an alternating copolypeptide poly(gamma-benzyl epsilon-carbobenzoxy-L-lysyl-L-glutamate) (poly[Lys(Z)-Glu(OBzl)]) in binary mixtures of dichloroacetic acid (DCA) and ethylene dichloride (EDC) were investigated by optical rotatory dispersion (ORD). The ORD data obtained were analyzed to evaluate the equilibrium constant s for helix formation and the cooperativity parameter sigma. The values of sigma1/2 are substantially independent of temperature and solvent composition, yielding 0.4 X 10(-2) on the average. The transition enthalpy deltaHc at the transition point decreases from 291 to 154 cal mol-1 as the DCA content is increased from 56 to 64 vol%. At about 20 degrees C and at 58 vol% DCA, poly[Lys(Z)-Glu(OBzl)] in binary mixtures of DCA and EDC undergoes a solvent-induced transition. This DCA content is intermediate between those for poly(gamma-benzyl L-glutamate) and poly(epsilon-carbobenzoxy-L-lysine) in the same binary solvent and close to that of an equimolar random copolymer of the two peptides. However, the s of poly[Lys(Z)-Glu(OBzl)] is not a geometrical mean of those of the parent homopolypeptides. This fact suggests that the helical conformation of the copolypeptide is stabilized by a conformational induction operative between adjacent residues.