In this article, I review applications of the concentric circle model in clinical nursing. The concentric circle model is based on the cross-sectional shape of the body extremities at several points, and can be used in the areas of both kinesiology and nutritional science. This model makes it possible to calculate the cross-sectional area of muscles from measurement of the circumference of the extremities and the thickness of adipose (fatty) tissue. Then, changes in muscle strength or nutritional status can be inferred or assessed from these data. This model requires only simple and non-invasive measurements, and this is a significant and essential characteristic for its use by nurses, both in clinical and research applications.

View full abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of a structured intervention program in emotional and physical states of family caregivers for elderly. This program is a series of five weekly 90minute sessions including psycho-education, problem-solving techniques, and relaxation training. Subjects were 56 primary caregivers looking after relatives with dementia or disability at home. Psychological inventories, i.e., Profile of Mood States (POMS) and General Health Questionnaire-30 (GHQ-30) were administered at the period of 4 weeks before, pre-, post-intervention, and 2 months after intervention. They were taken a blood sample to measure natural killer (NK) cell activity at the 4 weeks before, pre-，and post-intervention. In the waiting list control group, there was no change in the POMS, the GHQ-30 and NK cell activity.The scores for depression, anger-hostility, tension-anxiety, confusion (POMS), and general illness, social dysfunction, anxiety and dysphoria, suicidal depression (GHQ-30) at the post-intervention decreased significantly when compared with pre-intervention scores. Moreover, there was persistence of the improvement during two months after intervention. Post-intervention NK cell activity was significantly higher than the pre­-intervention. These results indicated that our program was effective in managing the stress of family caregivers.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate histopathologically the effect on pulp tissue of microleakage in resin composite restorations. Seventy-two class V cavities were prepared on buc­cal surfaces of monkeys and divided into 3 groups, F, O, and S. Every cavity was etched with 37% phosphoric acid. In group F cavities, each cavity was restored with photo-curable composite without any dentin adhesives. In group O, the cavities were left unfilled. In group S, each cavity was treated with a dentin adhesive system and restored with a restorative composite. After 3, 30, or 90 days, animals were sacrificed and the subjected teeth were immediately removed, then fixed and decalcified. Following sectioning and staining with hematoxylin and eosin or Taylor's modified bacteria staining, each sample was examined with a light microscope. In most teeth with group S cavities, bacterial invasion was not found indicating excellent marginal sealing. The pulpal reaction was much less than that in other groups. In group F as well as in group O, bacteria were frequently observed in the cavity; however, bacteria penetrated into dentinal tubules more in group F than in group O at 30 and 90 days. A correlation between the presence of bacteria and pulpal inflammation was strongly indicated. It was suggested that a leaky restoration was more harmful to the pulp than an open prepared cavity without restoration.

View full abstract

A morphological filter and pipeline analysis was applied to computed radiographs (CR) to abstract the geometrical characteristics of the trabecular pattern and to analyze bone mechanical properties. By applying a morphological filter to the CR images, trabecular patterns were divided into 8 subset groups (n=0 through 7) by the trabecular thickness. Sumset images were also derived from the thicker trabeculae group (n=2-5, 3-6, and 4-7) to examine the criteria relating the percentage of thicker trabeculae to the strength of the bone. A method to analyze the bone mechanical properties was developed, based on the hypothesis that data of connective line segments were loaded mechanically. By this method, trabeculae were analyzed in the fifth lumbar vertebrae from etidronic acid­treated and non-treated ovariectomized osteoporosis rat models, and in human third lumbar vertebrae. Consequently, it was shown that total loss of bone mass accompanied a reduction of consec­utive trabecular number in the rat osteoporosis model, especially in parts of the bone having thick trabeculae. The reduction in number of connective trabeculae, from one cortical side to the other, occurred at a similar rate, along both the craniocaudal and anteroposterior axes in the vertebral bodies of the experimental osteoporosis rats. In the dynamic study with human third verte­bral blocks, no significant correlation was observed between the bone mineral density of the bone specimens and their ultimate strength (R²=0.093). In contrast, the abstracted percentage of thicker trabeculae, derived from the sumset (n=2-5) images, showed a strong correlation with bony mechanical properties (Young's modulus: R²=0.915, maximum point load: R²=0.815). The result calculated by this methodology can serve as an excellent index to indicate bone strength under non-destructive, living conditions.

View full abstract