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We have developed a non-destructive, position-selective, and quantitative elemental analysis method using negative muons at J-PARC MUSE. Our final goal is to establish a platform for integrating arts and science, where historical heritage can be analyzed non-destructively by combining quantum beam techniques utilizing muons, neutrons, or photons. At the symposium, the status of the negative muon non-destructive analysis held at J-PARC MUSE on old Japanese coins (Koban, Cho-gin), bell-shaped bronze vessels of the Yayoi period, and old horse harnesses will be introduced.

Negative muon elemental analysis, which can measure depth-wise elemental composition from 100 nm to several centimeters with a depth resolution of order µm, is a revolutionary technology that enables the nondestructive analysis of materials. In recent years, this technique has begun to apply to understand historical cultural heritage. We have studied the Japanese archaeological heritage to provide new insights into Japanese archaeological research. Here, we report the progress on development of intense (high speed) negative muon X-ray measurement system at KEK Muon Science Laboratory (MSL) in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). For this purpose, the efficiency of detectors (wide energy range and high resolution) were improved by preparing a high-purity multi-arrayed germanium semiconductor detectors (HP Ge) to detect one photon or less per muon pulse available in J-PARC. In addition, by increasing the number of detectors and suppressing the noise sources, we have succeeded to enhance the detection efficiency by about 10 times compared to conventional systems.

This paper estimates quality of experience (QoE), i.e., user-level QoS from MAC-level QoS for audio-video transmission over an IEEE 802.11e EDCA wireless LAN. The MAC-level QoS in this case has already been studied extensively; however, it may not provide exact information on QoE, which we can obtain by the estimation. We first examine MAC-level QoS by simulation in the case where wireless stations transmit audio and video flows to an access point (AP) in the presence of transmission errors. We then assess QoE by the method of successive categories, which is a psychometric method, and perform QoS mapping between MAC-level and user-level with multiple regression analysis. As a result, we obtain multiple regression lines which estimate QoE from MAC-level QoS. Furthermore, we evaluate the effect of content types on the QoE by using estimated values from MAC-level QoS.

An anterior bending posture of the trunk during walking is often seen among the elderly commonly due to weakened thoraco-lumbar and gluteal muscles. For the management of this debilitating condition, the authors have developed a modified design of fhoraco-lumbo sacral orthosis (TLSO). Incorporated in this device are pockets for the accommodation of lead weights, which are located posteriorly at the level of the lumbar region and an elasticated anterior abdominal band. The results and level of patient acceptance achieved with the use of this brace have both been excellent.

A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted to study the current status of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) of Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis using a revised Japanese version of the AIMS 2, to investigate the association among the self-report physical disability scores and demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables in these patients.A Japanese version of the AIMS 2 was administered to the randomly chosen 1614 patients with classical and definite rheumatoid arthritis attending arthritis clinics at eleven hospitals across the country. Self-report functional disability scores (FDSs) were calculated, by which patients were classified into five groups with graded levels of disability. Univariate correlations were examined between FDSs and the scores of the other four components of AIMS-HRQL, disease duration, age, medical costs, and physical and laboratory measures. Analysis of variance was performed to test for among level differences of these variables in each group of patients. Mean values and standard deviations of FDSs were calculated and analysis of variance was used to test for among level differences of the following factors: demographic, socio-economic, clinical measures, and treatment status.Among four scales composing the AIMS 2-HRQL, work disability scores were most strongly correlated with FDSs, followed by the scores of pain, affection and social interaction. The more severely disabled group proved to have weaker grip strength, higher joint count, longer disease duration, higher ESR and blood level of CRP, and lower level of Hb. Patients with more disabilities proved to be older, pay more medical costs, have longer duration of morning stiffness, and higher level of RF. Patients with more advanced Steinbrocker's functional class, doctor's global assessment, Steinbrocker's anatomical stage, higher daily dose of prednisolone intake, lower level of annual income and formal education, and patients taking more kinds of NSAIDs proved to be more severely disabled. Separate, single (never married, widowed), and divorced patients proved to be more severely disabled compared with married ones. Overall, females were more disabled than males.Physical disability is associated with the other important aspects of QOL, clinical signs and symptoms, and socio-economic conditions in RA patients. Prevention and management of physical disability should be seriously planned in consideration of the changes in these conditions in RA patients.

A Japanese version of Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) was developed after the original AIMS Version 2 and utilized for Quality of Life (QOL) measurement in 691 patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Various medical (physical and laboratory) examinations, which are widely used in the clinical settings for the assessment of RA activity and severity, were also performed by physicians. Interrelationships between QOL, patient subjective health status, and health and life satisfaction were analyzed with the following results: 1: The effect of QOL impairment by RA upon patients' subjective health rating and health satisfaction were not constant over the range of severity of disease status. Pain was found to lower overall subjective health and health satisfaction regardless of RA class. On the other hand, while the deterioration of mobility aspects of QOL had negative effects upon patients' subjective health status and satisfaction among less-disabled RA patients, any of physical aspects of QOL, including the degree of mobility impairment, showed no significant association with patients' subjective health status and satisfaction in the more disabled. 2: Psychological aspects of QOL (mood and tension) had significant associations with patients' subjective health status and satisfaction. In the less severe group, mood impairment had a significant effect on subjective health and satisfaction, while in the more severe group tension showed a significant association. It was indicated that management of psychological aspects of QOL is important in RA patients to improve and advance their subjective health status and satisfaction. 3: Although social aspects of QOL, i.e. social support, social life and job status, showed no significant relationship to subjective health rating and health satisfaction, those with less disease severity who lacked social support and who had a jobless state were likely to have lower disease acceptance and life satisfaction, while those with more severe disease who had less social interaction manifested lower life satisfaction. These results suggested that social aspects of QOL, while not directly associated with subjective health rating, could be important factors affecting disease acceptance and life satisfaction.

A Japanese version of Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (Japanese-AIMS) was developed after the original AIMS Version 2 (AIMS 2). We then conducted a Quality of Life measurement of 691 patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) with this newly developed questionnaire. Based on the data collected, the validity and reliability of the Japanese-AIMS was examined. The validity of the Japanese-AIMS, which was assessed by the examination of internal consistency among items and through factor analysis, was almost comparable with that of the original AIMS 2. QOL scales were also validated using internal standards based on the subject's responses to other items in the questionnaire. The test-retest reliability, which was the correlation of scale scores between two tests administered 4-5 weeks apart, was slightly lower than the original one. We conclude that the validity and reliability of the Japanese AIMS were comparable with those of the original one, though there could be possibly improved by the minor revision of phrasing. The large scale QOL measurement study with RA patients is under way, using the Japanese-AIMS with minor revision.

We investigated radiological and functional changes of the femurs with cementless total hip arthroplasty. Our particular attention was paid to the relationship between the thigh pain and the rate, period of its incidence and the progression of radiological changes. The cases studied consisted of 57 female patients with severe coxarthrosis who were implanted with a SUS316-L macroanchoring type of THP (JIAT). Clinical evaluations, radiographic findings in the femoral side, and osteometric observations were carried out periodically in the period before surgery until five years after surgery. The JOA criterion at the time of the final examination was average 91 points. However, we observed a high degree of bone change in the femur on the radiogram. Of 63 hips, there was 71% cortical bone atrophy, a 43% reduction of cortex thickness, 25% cortical bone hypertrophy, 94% endosteal bone bridging in the stem tip, a 64% linear sclerosis of the neighboring stem, and a 37% enlargement of the medullary cavity. Bone atrophy was manifested soon after surgery, and there was 34% recovery. Further, there was no connection between thigh pain and bone changes. We, therefore, concluded that such bone changes as atrophy would not immediately bring about adverse consequences.

Recently, the disease activity has been believed to be effectively controlled by remission inducing agents such as gold salt and D-penicillamine in rheumatoid arthritis. However, there remain some doubts whether the prognosis of RA has been improved by these drugs or not. The frequency of complete remission in RA patients and their special features were studied to know the real state of the remission of RA under the present treatments. The subjects under investigation were 466 RA patients who were treated with remission-inducing agents for one to eight years. There were 90 male and 376 female patients diagnosed as definite or classical RA. Complete remission according to ARA criteria (Pinals R.S. et al. 1981) was noted in 33 (7.1%) of the 466 patients. However, relapse of the disease activity was observed in five patients during an observation period of two years on average. The followings were noted as the clinical and laboratory features of 26 cases with complete remission which could be observed for more than six months. A breakdown on sex revealed that the remission rate was 13.3% in male patients, compared to 5.6% in female patients. Duration of the disease for these complete remission cases was shorter for males than for females. Clinical examination of the cases with complete remission revealed that the most of them had no family history of RA, as well as no rheumatoid nodule or hip contracture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The nerve block of the articular branch of the tibial nerve was carried out with 1ml of 1% Lidocaine in 68 knee joints with severe pain mostly in the distal antero-medial portion.Although the pain was disappeared in 23 and was reduced markedly in 37 after blockage, the effect was continued for only one hour in a majority of the cases. The neurectomy or the nerve block with 1ml of absolute alcohol or 10% phenol solution was carried out in 8 and 9 respectively to get a continuous reduction of pain. The result was satisfactory in the neurectomy but less effective in the nerve block.

A follow-up study of 42 operations of the hip joints suffering from degenerative osteoarthrosis is presented.Pain disapdeared in 19 hip joints and reduced in 14, The painless condition was present in 70per cent of 10 fusions, 50per cent of 6 osteotomies and 14 shelf operations, but only about 17per cent of 12 Voss's hanging hip operations at follow-ups ranging from one year to more than 10 years after surgeries.

Five cases of familial brachydactyly in two pedigrees are reported which include rare two cases with shortening of all metatarsals except the second bilaterally.In these instances was there painful callosity at both heads of the second metatarsals of normal length. Satisfactory results were obtained in both instances after operations.The deformities may result from the early epiphyseal closure since it was found only in affected metatarsals of a 11-year-old case.

Two cases which needed revision surgery after replacement of femoral head prosthesis were reported. This report showed macrosopic and histological findings of two cases.One of the case which suffered necrosis of both heads of femur were carried out total hip replacements using prosthesis of trunnion type. After surgery, the patient complained pain of both hip joints and was pointed out a pathologic fracture of right femur and wide necrosis of both trochanteric parts on X-ray photographs. Another case was a patient who could not tolerate of his weight bearing on his right hip joinit after the femoral head replacement using acrylic prosthesis, causing pain on walking.Two patients were carried out the revision surgery in our clinic.

The fracture in injury of the femoral neck is rare in children, and the prognosis of this fracture is bad since there are complications such as ensuing necrosis of the femoral head.Nine cases of children with the fracture of the femoral neck have been on this radiographical and functional results of conservative treatment.1) Union of the fractured bone was shown in all cases.2) With seven cases one year or more after fracture, results of the treatment were good in five cases and bad in two cases. The prognosis the intertrochanteric fracture is good, but that of the cervicotrochanteric fracture bad.3) Weight-bearing as well as the complete reposition and the fixation of the fracture is an important factor for prevention of the following complications

Plastic joints for orthoses have more advantages than metal joints. They are lightweight, noiseless comfortable to use, rust proof, corrosion free, and radiolucent. Two types of plastic joints were developed by the authors, one for the ankle joint and the other for the knee joint, elbow joint or hip joint. Polypropylene was chosen as the joint material because of its appropriate flexibility and toughness.

The relationship between clinical response and serum gold levels in chrysotherapy was studied in 61 cases of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Thec ases were divided into group A and B. The group A includes 31 cases with chrysotherapy in every one week. The group B includes 30 cases with chrysotherapy in every two., three and four weeks.The improvements of morning stiffness, ESR, CRP test and the score of joint activity by Lansbury were admitted remarkably in group A. The side effects such as the exanthema and stomatitis were noted in 56% of group A and in 17% of group B.

We studied the extensibility of the quadriceps muscle and the hamstring muscles in 822 healthy male adults. 1) Extensibility of the quadriceps muscle The average angle of the buttock elevation phenomenon (B.E.P.) was 124.0 degrees +/- 16.71 on the right leg and 122.2 degrees +/- 19.75 on the left leg. And the contracture of the quadriceps (B.E.P. less than or equal to 100 degrees) was found in 16.1% of them. 2) Extensibility of the hamstring muscles The average angle of the straight leg raising test (S.L.R.) was 79.3 degrees +/- 9.56 on the right leg and 79.9 degrees +/- 9.56 on the left leg. And the contracture of the hamstrings (S.L.R. less than 70 degrees) was found in 10.3% of them.

Internal fixation is widely used in the operative treatment of fractures, but various problems, such as local osteoporosis, may occur when living bone is fixed with a rigid metal plate. We propose a new method of immobilisation, which we have termed "cushioned plate fixation", in an attempt to solve some of these problems. Cushioned plate fixation involves a silicone rubber cushion placed between the steel plate and the bone. On the basis of data obtained from animal experiments in vivo and mechanical tests in vitro, we conclude that the cushion is effective in preventing osteoporosis without decreasing the strength of fracture fixation. We believe that this method might improve the mechanical biocompatibility of plate fixation.

A patient who underwent radical mastectomy was treated by tegafur and tamoxifen. Pulmonary metastases were found four months after operation. Lymphokine activated killer (LAK) and auxiliary interleukin-2 (IL-2) administration was performed, with no change (NC). However, administration of large-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate induced complete disappearance of pulmonary metastases after more than nine months.