The measurements of body composition of standing body height (HT), body weight (WT), percent body fat (FAT), lean body mass (LBM), and bone stiffness (BONE) by an ultrasound apparatus were performed in 38 male subjects (age range: 19-74 yr) who live in a hilly region. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were applied to these anthropometric measurements with the degree of being engaged in agricultural work set as a factor and age of years as a covariate. When each mean value of variables measured in this study were compared to the standard values of the Japanese, the subjects were shorter and lesser in body fat. The correlation coefficients between age and anthropometric measurements of HT, WT, BONE, and LBM except FAT were. The relation between age and BONE showed the upside-down of V letter with the peak at 40 years of age. ANOVA resulted in that the effect of the degree of being engaged in agricultural work was not significant in any anthropometric variable except HT. As a result of ANCOVA, the effect of the degree of being engaged in agricultural work of any variable was not significant except HT. However, the probability of F-value of each variable in ANCOVA became higher than the probability in ANOVA. The significance of F values of ANOVA of BONE, LBM, and WT were lowered after ANOCOVA was applied. The reason is probably then the substantiality of body composition was not enough in the younger generation.

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[Follow-up studies were made of 35 patient who underwent laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy for 22 monthoon averages]
The conditions of 35 patients were observed consecutively after laminoplasty.
The mean JOA scores were improved from 8.7 to 12.5. Postoperative JOA scores correlated with preoperarive JOA scores (r=0.60, p<0.01) and ages at the time of the operation (r=-0.45, p<0.01). The period from the onset of the disease to the operation and the vertebral canal diameters didnot [No significant correlation who found between- and-] influence the operative results of the operation.

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To determine survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Tsuchiura and its surrounding rural areas, we conducted observational study. Consecutive 555 out-ofhospital cardiac arrests (206 cardiac etiology and 349 noncardiac etiology) occurring between July 1, 1992, and June 30, 1998 were participated.
In all, 422 (76%) patients were pronounced dead in the emergency room, and other 125 (22.5%) were admitted to the hospital but subsequently died. There were 8 survivors the overall survival rate was 1.4%.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated by a bystander in 14 (11.2%) of 125 witnessed cardiac arrest with cardiac etiology. Among patients in whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation had been initiated by a bystander, 29% were discharged alive versus 0.9% of the remaining patients (p<0.01). The survival rate of patients with an initial rhythm of ventricular fibrillation was significantly greater than that of those with an initial rhythm of asystole or pulseless idioventricular rhythm (p<0.05).
These results indicated that critical factors in survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of cardiac etiology were bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation and initial arrhythmia.

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Five-year birth cohort analyses of the death rate for the cancers of the digestive system was performed, specifically for the cancer of the esophagus, the stomach, the colon, the rectum and the pancreas by sex. Further more, study was made by dividing Japanese prefectures into blocks to find out the future trend and regional characteristics of cancer death. The following is a summary of our finding.
1) Cancer of the esophagus: A phenomenon was recognized that the death rate decreased as the year of birth became later both in men and in women. This phenomenon started at the ages from 55 to 65 in men and the ages from 30 to 45 in women. No regional difference was noted.
2) Cancer of the stomach: A phenomenon was recognized that the death rate decreased as the year of birth became later both in men and in women or national level.
3) Cancer of the colon: The death rate in each age cohort increased or stayed flat, as the year of birth became later, for men in the Hokkaido area and for women in the Tokai and Chugoku-Shikoku areas. The counter-clockwise rotation of the death-rate curve on the graph was acknowledged in other areas and at national level both in men and in women. The age that became the core of the rotation was the highest in the Hokuriku-Tosan area both in men and in women, but it was the same in men and in women in many other areas.
4) Cancer of the rectum: The death rate in each age group increased or stayed flat, as the year of birth became later, in men in the Hokkaido area. The counter-clockwise rotation of the death-rate curve on the graph was recognized in the areas other than Hokkaido and at national level and there was no difference area-wise in the age that became the core of the rotation.
5) Cancer of the pancreas: The death rate in each age group increased or stayedflat, as the year of birth became latter, in men in the Hokuriku-Tosan area and in women in the Tohoku area. The Counter-clockwise rotation of the death rate curve on the graph was acknowledged in both men and women in other areas.

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The purpose of this study was to elucidate effects of aging on the activity of serum enzymes (AST, ALT, γ-GT). For this purpose, we used the results of the mass health screening tests run on a total of 14, 738 residents in Shimane Prefecture. We selected 1, 814 samples by excluding those 6 test items.
AST levels increased in both sexes with age, and peaked in the age group of 70s (29 IU/1) in men, while in women the age groups of 70s and, 80s (26 IU/1). ALT levels increased in men in their 50s (34 IU/1) and decreased gradually in their 60s, whereas in women levels did not clearly change.
γ-GT levels peaked in men in the age group of 40s (50 IU/1), whereas in women levels did not clearly change. We compared the γ-GT levels of drinkers and non-drinkers. In the drinkers, the γ-GT levels were higher than the non-drinkers in men, but in women the levels were not clearly change.

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Two uremic patients gradually advanced in years were successfully treated with dialysis, even though they had some medical and social problems. The first case was a 97-year-old female, in whom hemodialysis could be introduced because one of her neighbors offered to support her to get the dialysis therapy. The second case was an 87-year-old male. He had rejected dialyis, when he had suffered from pulmonary edema as a complication of uremia. He finally accepted dialysis after his general condition was remarkedly improved by forced hemodialysis. These two cases show difficulty in initiating dialysis in very old patients. A decision not to offer or to discontinue dialysis should be made after sufficient discussion and counselling among the medical staff, patients, and their families, since it is difficult to establish indication criteria for dialysis therapy in such high-aged patients.

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