Akira Okada

The distribution of age and sex in the database was comparable with that of the population estimates. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension was comparable with that in a previously reported national survey. Our data can be utilized as basic information for policymaking in clinical medicine and public health in Japan.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), characterized by progressive renal dysfunction with tubulointerstitial fibrosis, is increasing because of societal aging. Uremic toxins, accumulated during renal dysfunction, cause kidney damage, leading to renal deterioration. A recent metabolomic analysis revealed that plasma D-serine accumulation is associated with faster progression of renal dysfunction in CKD patients. However, the causal relationship and the underlying mechanisms remain uncle

Five male students (19 20 years old) with normal ears were given exposures to (1) steady-state noise, (2) vibration, and (3) noise and vibration at the same time. In a control experiment the subject sat beside the moving vibrator with ear plugs and earmuffs. Temporary threshold shift (TTS) occurred after both 20 and 60 min of exposure to the vibration of acceleration 500 cm/sec2 and frequency 5 Hz, which is regarded as a resonance frequency of human body. The TTS by a steady-state noise [101-dB

Experiments were performed to elucidate a possible mechanism for the peripheral circulatory disturbance caused by vibration. Rats were exposed to local vibration (60 Hz, 5 G) on their hind legs for four hours a day for 30 days or 90 days. With exposure for 30 days the small arteries at the exposed site did not change. With exposure for 90 days, however, disruption of the internal elastic lamina was observed in the small arteries. This disruption was followed by focal cell proliferation with rege

The hCNGB3 plays an important modulatory role in the function of human cone CNG channels with respect to cGMP and extracellular Ca(2+) sensitivities. The rod monochromacy-associated S435F and D633G mutations in hCNGB3 evokes a significant increase in the apparent affinity for cGMP, which should alter cone function and thereby contribute at least partly to pathogenesis of the disease.

Vibration (acceleration of 50 m/s2 and frequencies from 30 to 960 Hz) was applied to the tail and hind legs of rats for a 4-h period. The responses of the peripheral circulatory and peripheral nervous systems, muscle function, and the central nervous system were examined. When a tail was exposed to the vibration stimulus, the skin temperature dropped significantly at 30 and 240 Hz; the blood flow decreased significantly at 30, 60, and 480 Hz; and the peripheral nerve conduction velocity was sign