In KD patients unresponsive to additional IVIG, IVMP promptly induced defervescence, and subsequent oral prednisolone suppressed recurrence of fever. IVMP followed by prednisolone therapy may prevent CAL, without severe adverse effects.

To elucidate age-related changes of mineral contents in human bones, element contents of human vertebrae and auditory ossicles were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry. The cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae were removed from 12 vertebral columns. The mallei of auditory ossicle were removed from 27 cadavers. It was found that average relative contents (RCs) of calcium and phosphorus in cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae remained almost constant within ages ranging from 46 to 99 y. In addition, it was found that the RCs of calcium and phosphorus in men's and women's mallei remained constant within ages ranging from 40 to 98 yr. These results support the view that there is no significant age-dependent change of mineral contents in human bones.

To elucidate compositional changes of the uterine artery with aging, the authors investigated age-related changes of elements in the uterine arteries. After ordinary dissection by medical students at Nara Medical University was finished, the uterine arteries were resected from the subjects. The element content of the uterine arteries was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The subjects ranged in age from 58 to 99 yr (average age = 82.7 +/- 10.1 yr). It was found that the Ca, P, and Na contents increased progressively in the uterine arteries with aging. A significant accumulation of Ca and P in the uterine arteries was found in the sixties and increased markedly in the eighties. It should be noted that as far as the arteries in those over 70 yr of age, the extent of accumulation of Ca and P was the highest in the uterine arteries within the limits of the arteries analyzed by us. Regarding the relationships among elements, significant direct correlations were found among the contents of Ca, P, Mg, Zn, and Na. As Ca increased in the uterine arteries, P, Mg, Zn, and Na increased simultaneously in the arteries.

To elucidate compositional changes of the rami of the internal iliac artery with aging, the authors investigated age-related changes of the calcium content in the uterine, internal pudendal, umbilical, and obturator arteries by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. After an ordinary dissection was finished, the uterine, internal pudendal, umbilical, and obturator arteries were resected from 10 female subjects, and the internal pudendal, umbilical, and obturator arteries were resected from 10 male subjects. The female subjects ranged in age from 52 to 96 yr, and the male subjects ranged in age from 63 to 88 yr. The calcium content in the uterine artery began to increase in the seventies and increased markedly in the nineties. In the internal pudendal artery, the calcium content hardly increased up to the eighties and increased significantly in the nineties. In contrast, the calcium content did not change in both the umbilical and obturator arteries with advancing age. It was found that the average content of calcium was the highest in the uterine artery and decreased in the order internal pudendal, umbilical, and obturator arteries. The average content of calcium in the uterine arteries corresponded to 46-fold the amount of the women's obturator arteries, in which it was the lowest. In the cases of men, the average content of calcium was higher in the order of the internal pudendal, umbilical, and obturator arteries. Regarding the average content of calcium, the order internal pudendal, umbilical, and obturator arteries of the men was consistent with that of the women.