Dried peels of Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marcov.) have been used as traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, which are called 'Chenpi'. In our present study, cold and hot water extracts of Chenpi exhibited a strong inhibitory activity against linoleic acid peroxidation and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity compared with o-methanol extract. When these extracts were separated into ethanol-soluble (ES) and ethanol-precipitable fractions, the dominant antioxidant and radical-scavenging activities were detected in the ES fractions, which suggests that these antioxidant and radical-scavenging activities are responsible for water-soluble and low-molecular-weight substances. As possible active principles for antioxidant activities in the water extracts, the contents of ascorbic acid and citric acid in these extracts were measured, and the antioxidant and radical-scavenging activities of these substances were assayed at various concentrations. The experimental results indicate that the antioxidant activity against lipid peroxidation in the water extracts is dominantly associated with citric acid, and the DPPH radical-scavenging activity of the water extracts is majorly responsible for ascorbic acid, suggsting a compensatory action of ascorbic acid and citric acid in expression of the antioxidant and radical-scavenging activities of Chenpi.

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Acute mental stress induces sympathetic activation and influences vasomotor control in various organs. In the present study, to better understand the effect of physical training on peripheral vasomotor control during acute mental stress, we compared the skin vascular responses to mental arithmetic (MA) in physically trained and untrained humans. Eight physically trained (T group) and eight untrained (UT group) healthy volunteers performed 2min of MA aloud in the supine position under a thermoneutral condition (28℃). Skin blood flow (laser-Doppler flowmetry) and local temperature were monitored at the glabrous (palm, sole) and nonglabrous (forearm, calf) sites. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was evaluated from the ratio of blood flow to mean arterial pressure (tonometry). Local sweating rate (SR) was measured in the sole and calf by the ventilated capsule method. In the T group, the CVC at glabrous sites consistently decreased (P<0.05) during MA, while in the UT group, the stress-induced decreases in CVC were transient and gradually recovered during MA. The patterns of changes in CVC at the nonglabrous sites were substantially similar to those at the glabrous sites, but the decreases in CVC at the nonglabrous sites were smaller (P<0.05) than those at the glabrous sites in both groups. Local temperature at the glabrous sites (especially in the sole) showed higher (P<0.05) values in the T group compared with the UT group. The SR in the sole and calf were increased (P<0.05) during MA but did not differ between the two groups. These findings suggest that physical training acts to heighten skin temperature at the glabrous sites but not at the nonglabrous sites. It is also suggested that the change of skin temperature by physical training modifies sympathetic vasomotor control in glabrous and nonglabrous skin during acute mental stress in the peripheral level.

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We report a case of pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis in a patient with aortic stenosis. An 86-year-old Japanese female with chronic heart failure due to aortic stenosis suddenly died during hemodialysis. At an autopsy, severe aortic stenosis and cardiomegaly with both left and right ventricular hypertrophy were noted. In the lung, a diffuse proliferation of capillaries in the thickened alveolar septum and collections of hemosiderin-laden macrophages in the alveolar space were observed. These indicated that long-standing passive congestion from aortic stenosis might result in the occurrence of pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis.

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The problem of mind and consciousness cannot be treated as an object of science without much difficulty. Inevitably there is the self-contradiction that the work itself in science and thinking is an object of thought. In this meaning, we need to get back to the fundamental problem of how the world is perceived. The fundamental concept of quantum theory includes essentially unsolved problems such as the observation problem. In this paper, we begin to consider this fundamental problem in quantum theory and discuss the possibility of a description of mind in terms of quantum theory.

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A 49-year-old male captain fell and unfortunately died in a hold tank where he had entered to rescue his fainting co-worker on the disposing waste fluid left there. An autopsy revealed that the captain died from drowning in the waste fluid. In order to clarify the cause of their falling in the tank, the gas in the hold tank was analyzed. The concentration of oxygen was 18.86〜19.31%, carbon dioxide was 7.28〜9.07% and the other gases, including hydrogen sulfide, were assessed to be under the normal level. It was concluded that the intoxication of carbon dioxide generated from the waste fluid fermentation was the cause of this fatal accident through loss of consciousness. It is necessary to recognize that carbon dioxide is a dangerous and deleterious gas in circumstances where the gas can be produced.

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We report two patients with terminal stage cancer who spent some days at their home after a physical therapist, occupational therapist, nurse, and medical social worker all visited the patients' homes and advised the patients' family in regard to the appropriate care before the patients were discharged as a strategy for palliative rehabilitation. Case 1: A patient suffering from terminal stage cancer was bed-ridden because of a pathological fracture of the femur. After palliative rehabilitation, the patient was able to get out of the bed and improved her daily living activity level through physical therapy. She spent some days at home according to the results of the pre-discharge home visit guidance to her family. Case 2: A patient suffering from terminal stage cancer manifested symptoms of fatigue and generalized muscular weakness. After palliative rehabilitation, her muscle strength and physical endurance were improved by physical therapy and adjustment of the bed height. Because she was eager to go home, we took her to her home before being discharged, and she was able to spend a few hours at home. Pre-discharge home visit guidance by a nurse and rehabilitation staff members to the patient's family in regard to appropriate home care may therefore be a good means of satisfying such patients' desire to see their home once more and thereby improve their quality of life.

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We conducted a half day program included in the subject of "nursing and care" as early exposure at clinical sites for the 1st year medical students at a university hospital. This program aimed at understanding what nursing is through visit for study and what patients expect through doctor-patient communication. In order to evaluate the program and to clarify problems to be solved, comments and impressions reported by the medical students were analyzed qualitatively and inductively. As a result, we found that the students recognized the importance of communication with patients and of mental care for them. As for nursing, the students also realized the characteristics and significance of nursing. It is noteworthy that they acquired clear images of a medical doctor, including their roles in team-based medical care. We conclude that this program of early exposure to clinical sites is instructive for 1st year medical students.

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For the purpose of clarifying the relationship between job, life-satisfaction and motivation for learning of nurses, a questionnaire survey by mailing method was conducted for 123 nurses (52.6% response rate) within the Kyushu area. The analysis was performed by comparing the mean value of scores for each satisfaction category and that of comprehensive satisfaction (hereafter refered to as satisfaction level) which were extracted by principal component analysis. It has been proved that the higher was the motivation for learning, the greater was the job satisfaction level (0.16±0.95 in H group; -0.56±0.99 in L group, P=0.001) in the case of learning in the workplace, and that motivation for learning was decreased by their sentiment that their job and learning weren't evaluated properly or by their discontent they felt in participating in learning on a day-off and during off-hours. It has also been proved in the case of off-the-job learning that the higher was the motivation for learning, the greater was the job satisfaction level (0.10±1.01 in H group; -0.35±0.90 in L group, P=0.040), and that their motivation for learning was decreased by feeling that their job and learning weren't evaluated properly or that they weren't satisfied with their physical and mental health. Also in other learnings, the higher was the motivation for learning, the greater was the job satisfaction level (0.08±0.96 in H group; -0.27±1.11 in L group, P=0.034), and the motivation for learning was decreased depending on the type of work, work-hours, and on the strain felt to be time-consuming.

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