Effects of Complex Pain Control Programs on Taekwondo Athletes with Recurrent Low Back Pain: A Case Study.

: Practitioners of martial arts such as Taekwondo are likelier to experience back pain during training or competition. As the back pain of taekwondo athletes shows various symptoms depending on the athlete's characteristics, such as technique and movement, a case study was conducted to verify the intervention effect suitable for individual traits. We examined the effects of a complex pain control program on pain, mechanosensitivity, and physical function in a Taekwondo athlete with recurrent low back pain (LBP).

Effect of neck flexion restriction on sternocleidomastoid and abdominal muscle activity during curl-up exercises.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of neck flexion restriction on sternocleidomastoid (SCM), rectus abdominis (RA), and external oblique (EO) muscle activity during a traditional curl-up exercise and a curl-up with neck flexion restriction. [Subjects] In total, 13 healthy male subjects volunteered for this study. [Methods] All subjects performed a traditional curl-up exercise and a curl-up exercise in which neck flexion was restricted by the subject's hand.

The effect of thoracic region self-mobilization on chest expansion and pulmonary function.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine the effects of thoracic region self-mobilization on chest expansion and pulmonary function in healthy adults. [Subjects] Nineteen healthy adults were randomly allocated to either an intervention group (n = 8) or a control group (n = 11). [Methods] Subjects in the intervention group performed self-mobilization of the thoracic region 3 times per week for 6 weeks (18 sessions).

The effects of shoulder joint abduction angles on the muscle activity of the serratus anterior muscle and the upper trapezius muscle while vibrations are applied.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the ratio between the upper trapezius and the serratus anterior muscles during diverse shoulder abduction exercises applied with vibrations in order to determine the appropriate exercise methods for recovery of scapular muscle balance. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-four subjects voluntarily participated in this study. The subjects performed shoulder abduction at various shoulder joint abduction angles (90°, 120°, 150°, 180°) with oscillation movements.

Effect of the application of local vibration in scaption on joint stability.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine the initial effect of local vibration on the stability of the shoulder joints by applying local vibration to the shoulder joints. [Subjects and Methods] For the test, the subjects held a FlexBar with one hand, at about 10 cm from one end, and performed the oscillation movement with the shoulder at 90° flexion and the elbow in the full-extension position in scaption; the vibration stimulus was set to 5 Hz. Then, the subjects underwent the Upper Quarter Y Balance Test to evaluate the stability of the shoulder joints.

Immediate Effect of Short-foot Exercise on Dynamic Balance of Subjects with Excessively Pronated Feet.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine the immediate effect of short-foot exercise (SFE) on the dynamic balance of subjects with excessively pronated feet. [Subjects] This study included 18 subjects with excessively pronated feet (navicular drop ≥ 10 mm) selected using the navicular drop test. [Methods] The limit of stability (LOS) was measured to determine the changes in the dynamic balance from before and after SFE in the standing and sitting positions.

Endogenous sphingolipid metabolites related to the growth in Sphingomonas chungbukensis.

Sphingolipids are present in animals, plants, fungi, yeasts and some bacteria. In mammalian cells sphingolipids act as lipid mediators for cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis and angiogenesis. In contrast, in bacteria the biological significance of sphingolipids has not been fully elucidated and sphingolipid metabolism has not been investigated.

Signaling pathways implicated in alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone-induced lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Melanocortins, besides their central roles, have also recently been reported to regulate adipocyte metabolism. In this study, we attempted to characterize the mechanism underlying alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH)-induced lipolysis, and compared it with that of the adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Similar to ACTH, MSH treatment resulted in the release of glycerol into the cell supernatant.

Induction of apoptotic cell death by 2'-hydroxycinnamaldehyde is involved with ERK-dependent inactivation of NF-kappaB in TNF-alpha-treated SW620 colon cancer cells.

2'-Hydroxycinnamaldehyde (HCA) inhibits cell growth of several human cancer cells with unknown mechanisms. We investigated the inhibitory effect of HCA on TNF-alpha-induced cell growth and possible signal pathway in SW620 colon cancer cells. HCA inhibited TNF-alpha-induced SW620 colon cell growth in time- and dose-dependent manner through induction of apoptotic cell death.