It is unclear whether Helicobacter pylori infection is essential to the development of peptic ulcers. In this study, we examined the rates of H. pylori-negativity among patients with peptic ulcers. We also attempted to clarify the characteristics of H. pylori-negative peptic ulcers to throw light on the pathogenesis of peptic ulcers. The study included 215 consecutive patients with gastric ulcers (GUs) and 120 consecutive patients with duodenal ulcers (DUs). After routine endoscopic examination and phenol red dye endoscopy, forceps biopsies were performed for culture, histology, and the rapid urease test. A patient was considered H. pylori-negative when the serum anti-H. pylori IgG and the three tests on biopsied specimens were all negative. H. pylori-negative rates were 3.2% in the patients with GUs and 1.7% in the patients with DUs. Lack of atrophy of the gastric mucosa was significantly more common in the H. pylori-negative patients with GUs. A history of ulcer disease was less common and antral ulcers were more common in H. pylori-negative GU patients, but not significantly so. As the urea breath test had not been performed, the possibility of a false-negative result cannot be completely ruled out, but we believe that the H. pylori-negative rate in our study is more reliable than these rates in previous reports, because we visualized H. pylori distribution by phenol red dye endoscopy to avoid false-negative results in biopsies, and we used both biopsy and serum anti-H. pylori IgG findings to establish an H. pylori-negative diagnosis. Since H. pylori-negative peptic ulcers certainly exist, H. pylori infection is thought not to be essential to the development of peptic ulcers. There were few differences between the characteristics of H. pylori-negative and H. pylori-positive peptic ulcers in our study. A large-scale study is required to clarify the characteristics of H. pylori-negative peptic ulcers.

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The primary purpose of this study is to quantitatively clarify the effect of worker attributes on break behaviours, consciousness, and wellness in office environments. No studies have systematically examined how worker attributes including organizational climate influence break behaviours and consciousness, and how break behaviours and consciousness affect wellness. This study revealed the following points. 1. Organizational climate has an influence on break behaviours and consciousness and wellness. 2. Break behaviours and consciousness have an influence on break satisfaction and wellness. In summary, organizational climate is important to improve the wellness of workers. In addition, an office environment that induces various actions is also important at the same time.

The role of insulin in the pathogenesis of hypertension was explored in normal men and male patients with impaired glucose-tolerance. They were classified as normal (n = 94), borderline (n = 164), impaired tolerance (IGT, n = 104), or diabetes mellitus (n = 100) according to their response to an oral 75g glucose challenge. Besides routine laboratory examinations, fasting immunoreactive insulin and post-glucose insulin levels at 30 minutes were measured. Patients with impaired glucose tolerance were older and more obese than the normal subjects. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations increased with severity of the glucose tolerance impairment. However, renal function, as estimated by blood urea nitrogen levels did not differ among these four groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed that blood pressure correlates significantly with the obesity index, blood glucose, serum cholesterol and serum insulin in all four groups. Among these groups, the partial F ratios for the obesity index were the greatest in both normal and diabetic groups, but in both borderline and IGT groups those for insulin were the greatest. These results indicate that in patients with impaired glucose tolerance is hypertension associated more closely with hyperinsulinemia than it is in normal subjects or diabetic patients.