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.