Background: Individuals with dementia often experience poor quality of life (QOL) due to behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Music therapy can reduce BPSD, but most studies have focused on patients with mild to moderate dementia. We hypothesized that music intervention would have beneficial effects compared with a no-music control condition, and that interactive music intervention would have stronger effects than passive music intervention.Methods: Thirty-nine individuals with severe Alzheimer's disease were randomly and blindly assigned to two music intervention groups (passive or interactive) and a no-music Control group. Music intervention involved individualized music. Short-term effects were evaluated via emotional response and stress levels measured with the autonomic nerve index and the Faces Scale. Long-term effects were evaluated by BPSD changes using the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease (BEHAVE-AD) Rating Scale.Results: Passive and interactive music interventions caused short-term parasympathetic dominance. Interactive intervention caused the greatest improvement in emotional state. Greater long-term reduction in BPSD was observed following interactive intervention, compared with passive music intervention and a no-music control condition.Conclusion: Music intervention can reduce stress in individuals with severe dementia, with interactive interventions exhibiting the strongest beneficial effects. Since interactive music intervention can restore residual cognitive and emotional function, this approach may be useful for aiding severe dementia patients’ relationships with others and improving QOL. The registration number of the trial and the name of the trial registry are UMIN000008801 and “Examination of Effective Nursing Intervention for Music Therapy for Severe Dementia Elderly Person” respectively.

Background: Genetic polymorphisms of DNA repair enzymes may lead to genetic instability and colorectal cancer carcinogenesis. Our objective was to measure the interactions between polymorphisms of repair genes and tobacco smoking in colorectal cancer.

Background: Genetic polymorphisms of DNA repair enzymes in the base excision repair (BER) pathway, may lead to genetic instability and lung cancer carcinogenesis. We investigated the interactions among the gene polymorphisms in DNA repair genes and lung cancer.

The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentration of pancreatic islets in rats treated with streptozotocin (STZ) and of human insulinoma tissue was studied. Seven hours after the administration of 65 mg/kg body weight of STZ, a distinct increase in serum insulin concentration and at the same time a decrease in blood glucose level were seen. Twenty-four hours after the injection of STZ, however, the level of serum insulin decreased much, whereas that of blood glucose increased considerably. On the other hand, the GABA concentration of the islet was reduced dramatically to about one-tenth the control level after both 7 and 24 h. The histologic investigations of the islets revealed the destruction of B cells but no changes in A and D cells 7 and 24 h after the treatment of STZ. Nerve fibers and nerve endings in the islets were preserved intact all through the study. The GABA and insulin contents of the two cases of human insulinoma were determined. One insulinoma, which was compactly occupied with B cells according to its histologic features, contained a high concentration of GABA. The other tumor, having a rather sparse distribution of B cells in it as compared with the former case, possessed a lower concentration of GABA, but it was still high compared with that of its surrounding tissues. The present observations indicate that a large amount of GABA is available in the B cells of the pancreatic islets.

Abstract. This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between quadriceps strength and balance to falls of institutionalized elderly people. The subjects comprised 25 elderly women aged 75.3 ± 3.4 years. The values of the postural sway in two standing positions, functional reach test, and quadriceps strength were compared between two groups of elderly adults, those with or without a history of fall. Quadriceps strength was measured using isometric contraction of the knee extension. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the postural sway in the two standing positions and the functional reach test. Quadriceps strength in the non-fall group was, however, significantly higher than that in the fall group (1.48 Nm/kg vs. 1.08 Nm/kg, p<0.01). The discriminating criterion for muscle strength between the two groups was 1.28 Nm/kg, with an apparent error rate of 24.8%. These findings suggest that (1) the degree of quadriceps strength may be a useful indicator for the prospect of fall in institutionalized elderly people, and (2) quadriceps strength should be maintained at least more than 1.28 Nm/kg to prevent fall.

OBJECTIVE -The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of an evaluation scale for self-management behavior related to physical activity of type 2 diabetic patients (ES-SMBPA-2D).RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -Outpatients with type 2 diabetes (n ϭ 146) completed a self-administered questionnaire supported by a semistructured interview based on a literature review. The content, factor, and concurrent validity and internal consistency and reproducibility of the scale were analyzed. Pearson's correlation coefficients for the ES-SMBPA-2D and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) subscale scores were calculated to evaluate the concurrent validity.RESULTS -The ES-SMBPA-2D was divided into two parts, the first dealing with selfmanagement behavior to enhance physical activity in daily life and the second with behavior to maintain the level of physical activity. Factor analysis showed that the first part comprised four factors and the second five. The ES-SMBPA-2D correlated with the IPAQ subscales. Cronbach's ␣ coefficient was between 0.56 and 0.90, and the intraclass test-retest correlation coefficient of the subscales was between 0.60 and 0.88.CONCLUSIONS -The ES-SMBPA-2D is reasonably reliable and valid and is expected to prove useful for the assessment of patients' self-management behavior and for individualized instruction. Diabetes Care 30:2843-2848, 2007R egular physical activity is recommended for type 2 diabetic patients, as it is commonly known to improve metabolic disorders and prevent complications such as cardiovascular disease (1). Even moderately intense physical activity through daily activities is beneficial for management of this condition (2,3). However, many patients fail to achieve the recommended level of physical activity (4) because of barriers such as the commonly given reason of "perceived difficulty in exercising" (5). The aim of self-management education is to enable patients to acquire knowledge and skills to improve their diabetic state, identify barriers that hinder improvement, and attain problem-solving and coping skills to achieve effective self-care behavior (6). Thus, medical personnel need to provide patients with strategies to enhance and maintain the required level of physical activity.Self-management education also involves individualized instruction, based on assessment of patients' psychosocial factors and self-management skills and behaviors (7) and strategies to enhance and maintain the required level of physical activity. Most scales designed for this purpose evaluate environmental and psychosocial factors (8 -11), the frequency of diabetes self-care behaviors (12), and perceived adherence to patients' self-care recommendations (13). No tools exist, however, to evaluate self-management behavior related to patients' physical activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an evaluation scale for selfmanagement behavior related to physical activity of type 2 diabetic patients (ES-SMBPA-2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -The EthicsCommitt...

Abstract. The effects of a low intensity training programme for 12 months on motor functions and mobility of institutionalized elderly women were investigated. The subjects comprised 28 elderly women aged 80.4 ± 5.4 years, who were assigned to either the control group (CG) (n=15) or the training group (TG) (n=13). Training 4 to 6 days a week with each session for about 20 minutes a day was performed. After training, a significant increase in quadriceps strength was observed in TG (P<0.05), but not in CG (mean ± S.D.% = 22.2 ± 14.1 v.s. -9.8 ± 19.4). Ability of balance tested by functional reach was decreased in CG (P<0.05), whereas there was no change in TG (mean ± S.D.% = -15.3 ± 23.4 v.s. -2.1 ± 15.3). Ambulatory status was reduced in CG, whereas there was no change in TG. These results suggest that low intensity training is effective for increasing strength and maintaining balance and mobility in frail elderly persons.

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