Immersion of the feet for 10 minutes in hot water at 40-42°C has been proposed as a standard method for foot bathing. This is based on experimental results conducted on healthy individuals using water at 42°C, which showed that the skin temperature of the foot dorsuni became equal to that of the surrounding hot water in 3mm, and peaked 10min later. Therefore, we first investigated the direct influence of hot water on the skin temperature of the foot dorsum during immersion of the feet in hot water. Second, to confirm this hypothesis, we established a method for measuring temperature without immersing the measurement point in the hot water, and as a consequence we were able to measure the skin temperature of the foot dorsnm with only a minimal direct influence of the hot water. In healthy women, we examined the changes in foot dorsum skin temperature during bathing in hot water at 40, 41 and 42°C. There was a significant difference in the times taken to reach the maximum temperature; non-immersion of the measurement point required a longer time than immersion. As the maximum skin temperature at every water temperature was less than 40°C, the maximum lure was lower than accepted previously. These results indicate that skin temperature determined when the measurement point is immersed in hot water is directly affected by the water mature.

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The connective tissue cores of the lingual papillae of the Japanese Macaque were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) . The connective tissue core of each filiform papilla was looked like a lifting human hand, but it of the fungiform papilla showed coralliform structure. The longitudinal grooves coinciding with the epithelial slits were observed after removal of the epithelial cell layer of the foliate papilla. The numerous small rod-shaped connective tissue cores were observed after removal of the epithelial cell layer of the vallate papilla. Therefore, our study revealed that the lingual papillae of the Japanese macaque have similar connective tissue cores as those observed in the crab-eating macaque.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of footwear on the metatarsophalangeal joint (MP joint) and medial arch during gait. Ten healthy subjects participated in the experiment. We measured the angle of the MP joint and medial arch during gait while wearing geta or shoes or barefooted. A three-dimensional motion analysis system was used to evaluate toe and arch movements (120 Hz) .
The MP hyper-extension and medial arch angle was correlated, so called windlass mechanism. Shoes limited MP hyper-extension, so the medial arch angle was limited too. But Geta only limited the MP angle. The medial foot arch was maintained by ligaments, bone alignment, intrinsic muscles etc. We concluded that the intrinsic muscles were active during Geta gait. Because the toe flexor muscles fixed the Geta to the foot, the medial arch angle increased. A previous study reported that it is important to exercise the toes to prevent foot disorders. Geta may be useful for foot health.

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The stool containing bloody mucin is one of important symptoms in ulcerative colitis. In general, reason of bloody mucin in the stool of ulcerative colitis has been supposed to be due to not only a increasing number of mucin secreting goblet cells but also hyper-secretion of them. On the contrary, there was a report that the secretion of mucin from goblet cells was decreased in ulcerative colitis. In order to clarify this controversy, relatively intact and damaged parts of the rectum in an ulcerative colitis patient were examined by both light and election microscopy, and carbohydrate-histochemistry. The human rectal epithelium consisted of absorptive epithelial cells and goblet cells. Goblet cells showed a intensive reaction for alcian blue (pH.2.5) . The goblet cells were abundantly distributed in the crypts of intact parts, while they became smaller and decreased in number in the crypts of damaged parts. Scanning and transmission electron microscopic observations illustrated that a large number of goblet cells suggesting an intensive secretary activity were distributed in the rectal epithelium of the damaged parts.

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Using bilaterally ovariectomized (OVX) rats, we observed relationships between the transition of type I collagen cross-linked N-telopeptide (NTX) in urine and changes of the lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) and of the cancellous bony tissue.
The values of urinary NTX indicated a transient increase, that is, the peak appeared on the second week after OVX in rats ovariectomized at 12 weeks of age, and on the first week after OVX in rat ovariectomized at 19 weeks of age. Sham-operated and intact controls indicated no particular elevation of NTX. Then, the NTX values returned to the control level within 3-5 weeks after OVX. On the other hand, the average of lumbar BMDs measured on the eighth week after OVX showed a slight increase (0.8%) in rats ovariectomized at 12 weeks of age and an obvious decrease (-3.9%) in rats ovariectomized at 19 weeks of age, although those in the controls increased moderately in each group (6.2% and 4.3%, respectively) .
The lumbar vertebral bodies at L2-L5 were sectioned at midsagittal plane and prepared for the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) reaction, then image-analyzed in 4.25mm²near the epiphyseal plate. On the eighth week after OVX at 12 weeks of age, the number of TRAP positive osteoclasts and the total area of positive cells seemed to increase in the lumbar cancellous bone, suggesting the diminution of trabeculae.

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PURPOSE: Since systematic administration of 1 % chitooligosaccharide facilitates wound healing of the oral mucosal membrane, we investigated whether 1% chitooligosaccharide injected intraperitoneally would promote healing of full-thickness skin wound in mice.
METHODS: The experimental period was 14 days. Thirty-four mice were divided into two groups. Two full-thickness skin wounds were made on the mouse dorsum under anesthesia. The control group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.2ml saline per day for 14 days after wounding. The experimental group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.2ml chitooligosaccharide after wounding. Wounds were covered with hydrocolloid dressings.
RESULTS: The wound healing process was similar between control and experimental groups, but the wound size in the experimental group on day 14 was significantly smaller than that in the control group. Although the histological findings such as re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, and deposition of collagen in the experimental group were similar to those in the control group, the ratio of myofibroblasts occupying granulation tissue in the experimental group on 10 day was significantly different from that in the control group.
CONCLUSION: Although intraperitoneal injection of 1 % chitooligosaccharide probably does not promote healing of full-thickness skin wound, the size of the wound area on day 14 may indicate a slight effect of chitooligosaccharide on wound healing, and thus warrants further research.

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