Effects of expiratory muscle training on the frail elderly's respiratory function.

[Purpose] The present study examined the effects of expiratory muscle training on elderly day care service users, who had been classified into Care Grades 1 and 2 based on Japan's long-term care insurance system. [Subjects and Methods] Intervention was provided for 29 Care Grade 1 or 2 day care service users. During intervention, expiratory muscle training was performed by slowly expiring using the abdominal muscles and a device after maximal inspiration.

The Effect of Air Tourniquet on Interleukin-6 Levels in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Air tourniquet-induced skeletal muscle injury increases the concentrations of some cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) in plasma. However, the effect of an air tourniquet on the IL-6 concentrations after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is unclear. We therefore investigated the impact of tourniquet-induced ischemia and reperfusion injury in TKA using the IL-6 level as an index.

Effects of exercise therapy during dialysis for elderly patients undergoing maintenance dialysis.

[Purpose] Exercise therapy during dialysis is currently being recommended since it is easy for patients to follow and results in high participation rates. In this study, this therapy was performed for elderly patients undergoing maintenance dialysis, and its effects were examined. [Subjects and Methods] Seven elderly patients (age: 70.