To clarify the optimal management of rehabilitative intervention for limited glenohumeral joint mobility (LGHM) arising from adhesive capsulitis, particularly focusing on the frequency of sessions for joint mobilization and the self-exercise compliance, the functional results of 120 patients with LGHM were prospectively investigated as follows: Differences in improved angle of the shoulder joint (IA) and the time required to reach the range of motion plateau point (T) were compared by (1) age, (2) gender, (3) handedness, (4) duration before rehabilitative intervention, (5) frequency of sessions for joint mobilization by physical therapists in the hospital setting, and (6) self-exercise compliance in the home setting. The lengths of therapy and follow-up were 4.6 and 5.9 months, respectively. IA significantly decreased in the 71-year-old and above group. There were no significant differences in IA between male and female. IA of the dominant-handed group was significantly higher than that of the non-dominant-handed group. There were no significant differences in T in each item. IA of the group that had experienced more than 7 months of the condition was significantly low. Although the frequency of joint mobilization by physical therapists in the hospital setting showed no relationship with IA or T, IA was significantly higher and T was significantly shorter in the group that performed self-exercise every day than in the groups that performed less. In conclusion, early intervention and self-exercise in the home setting are more important factors than session frequency of joint mobilization in the hospital setting for the successful management of rehabilitation for LGHM.

Zinc ion (Zn 2+ ) can be coordinated with four or three amino acid residues to stabilize a protein's structure or to form a catalytic active center. We used phage display selection of a dodecamer random peptide library with Zn 2+ to identify structural zinc sites. The binding speci¢city for Zn 2+ of selected sequences was con¢rmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent and competitive inhibition assays. Circular dichroism spectra indicated that the interaction with Zn 2+ induced a change in conformation, which means the peptide acts as a structural zinc site. Furthermore, a search of protein databases revealed that two selected sequences corresponded to parts of natural zinc sites of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase and zinccontaining ferredoxin. We demonstrated that Zn 2+ -binding sequences selected from the random combinatorial library would be candidates for arti¢cial structural zinc sites. ß

A photoacoustic (PA) and an absorption spectra of benzene vapor have been measured in the wavelength region from 280 to 220 nm. We determined nonradiative yields at the absorption peaks. We found that the relaxation process of benzene vapor at the wavelengths shorter than 242 nm, whose process has been called the third channel, is a nonradiative relaxation process with temperature rise of the benzene vapor. We also observed a drastic decrease of the nonradiative yields at wavelengths shorter than 233 nm, which seems to suggest an increase of quantum yield for photochemical isomerization.

A phage-displayed library selection was performed to obtain metal ion-chelating peptides. A dodecamer (12-mer) random peptide library was displayed on the surface of filamentous bacterial phage and subjected to an affinity selection. Four rounds of the selection gave fourteen Zn2+-positive phage clones. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that the selected clones specifically bound to Zn2+ and Ni2+, but not to Cu2+ and Fe3+. Deduced amino acid sequences of the clones had histidine-rich consensus motifs. These chelating peptides should be applied to designing for metal ion-trapping biomaterials.