Efficacy and Safety of Static Stretching and Daily Walking on the Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in a Patient With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Proliferative Retinopathy, and Lower-Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Case Report.

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the lower extremities are serious complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Aerobic exercise has been shown to be primarily effective for glycemic control and gait disturbance owing to PAD. However, the safety and efficacy of exercise therapy in patients with PDR remain unclear.

Immediate effect of ischemic loading on quadriceps muscle output by using a pneumatic cuff.

Introduction: Transient ischemic conditioning (TIC) is a technique that involves short periods of ischemia followed by reperfusion, which may enhance muscle strength by increasing blood flow and improving energy supply to muscle fibers. This study aims to investigate the effect of TIC on quadriceps strength and examine its potential as a warm-up exercise in rehabilitation.

Methods: Fifteen healthy male participants underwent TIC on the quadriceps.

Spinal articulation exercise using an exercise ball enhances dynamic postural control.

Purpose: We hypothesized that exercises that selectively utilize local muscles responsible for segmental movements of the spine might promote local muscle activity and dynamic postural balance. In this study, we examined the effects of selective local muscle exercises (spinal articulation exercise) on dynamic postural control in healthy subjects.

Methods: The effects of spinal articulation exercise were examined using a deflated exercise ball for the postural sway in healthy students who were assigned to an exercise or control group.

Effects of Air Pressure and Holding Time on Muscle Blood Flow Promotion in Pneumatic Squeeze Hold.

Introduction This study aimed to investigate the effects of air pressure and holding time on the promotion of muscle blood flow using a squeeze-hold technique with a pneumatic cuff in healthy college students. Methods Subjects (n = 12) were placed in the prone position, and a pneumatic cuff was secured around the left lower leg. The cuff was inflated to predetermined pressures (50, 100, and 200 mmHg) to squeeze the lower leg muscles.

Effects of spinal segmental flexion and extension exercises on spinal flexibility.

Background: We considered spinal segmental movement exercise that voluntarily control local muscles as a convenient treatment to correct the trunk muscle recruitment pattern in individuals with global muscle overactivity. The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of segmental flexion and extension movements of the spine and overall flexion and extension movements of the spinal column on the flexibility of the spinal column among healthy university students who had completed a day of lectures and had a certain load on their lower back as a preliminary step to applying the exercise to low back pain patients with a broken trunk muscle recruitment pattern.

Methods: The subjects performed trunk flexion/extension exercises that required segmental control of the spine (segmental movement) and trunk flexion/extension exercises that do not require segmental control of the spine (total movement) in the chair position.

Indication of C2-C7 Cervical Laminoplasty with Muscle and Ligament Preservation in Patients with Kyphosis.

Objective: Cervical laminoplasty is generally not indicated in patients with kyphosis because of poor outcomes. Therefore, data on the effectiveness of posterior structure-preserving techniques in patients with kyphosis are limited. This study investigated how laminoplasty with muscle and ligament preservation can benefit patients with kyphosis via risk factor analyses of postoperative complications.

Sustained Compression with a Pneumatic Cuff on Skeletal Muscles Promotes Muscle Blood Flow and Relieves Muscle Stiffness.

(1) Purpose: This study aimed to examine whether a pneumatic cuff could promote muscle blood flow and improve muscle stiffness by continuously compressing muscles with air pressure in healthy college students. (2) Method: Twenty-one healthy collegiate students participated in this study. The probe of the near-infrared spectrometer was attached to the upper surface of the left gastrocnemius muscle, and a cuff was wrapped around the left lower leg.

Effect of single bout downhill running on the serum irisin concentrations in rats.

This study aimed to characterize the effect of different running modes on serum irisin concentrations in rats. A total of 18, 10-week-old rats were divided into three groups; control group, 16° uphill running group (concentric exercise; CON) and, -16° downhill running group (eccentric exercise; ECC). The running group's rats ran on the inclined treadmill at 16 m/min, for a total of 90 min.

Two cases of spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma without back or neck pain in elderly Japanese men.

Cases: Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is an uncommon disease. Most SSEH cases involve back and/or neck pain. We report the cases of two men who experienced SSEH with dysstasia but without back or neck pain.

Clinical Validation of Pain Management Manipulative Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis With the Squeeze-Hold Technique: A Case Series.

Objective: The purpose of this case series was to describe the short-term and long-term clinical effects of a manual technique for treating osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain.

Methods: This study measured of the immediate effect and long-term effect by using a case series of different groups of subjects. Knee OA and activity restriction in patients were evaluated by using the Kellgren-Lawrence (K/L) Grading Scale and the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) index.

Early tissue formation on whole-area osteochondral defect of rabbit patella by covering with fibroin sponge.

Large osteochondral defects have been difficult to repair via tissue engineering treatments due to the lack of a sufficient number of source cells for repairing the defect and to the severe mechanical stresses affecting the replacement tissue. In the present study, whole-area osteochondral defects of rabbit patella were covered and wrapped with a fibroin sponge containing chondrocytes, with or without Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) transgenic marking, on the surface facing the osteochondral defect. Five of eight osteochondral defects that were covered with the chondrocyte-seeded fibroin sponges showed hyaline cartilage-like repair containing no fibroin fragments at 6 weeks after surgery.

Magnitude of muscle activity of the lumbar multifidus using the Core-Noodle device with varied upper extremity postures.

Background: Lumbar Multifidus (LM) exercise is a treatment in patients with low back pain. We designed a new exercise using device ``Core-Noodle'' (Copyright has been observed in Japan).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to record the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the lumbar multifidus during a novel exercise.

The effect of trunk coordination exercise on dynamic postural control using a Core Noodle.

Objective: To investigate the influence of trunk coordination exercise on dynamic postural control relative to postural sway.

Method: The effects of trunk coordination exercises were examined using a Core Noodle for the postural sway in healthy students who were assigned to an exercise or control group. The independent variable was the extent of exposure to Core Noodle exercise, and the dependent variable was dynamic postural control.

Static magnetic field effects on impaired peripheral vasomotion in conscious rats.

We investigated the SMF effects on hemodynamics in the caudal artery-ligated rat as an in vivo ischemia model using noninvasive near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with power spectral analysis by fast Fourier transform. Male Wistar rats in the growth stage (10 weeks old) were randomly assigned into four groups: (i) intact and nonoperated cage control (n = 20); (ii) ligated alone (n = 20); (iii) ligated and implanted with a nonmagnetized rod (sham magnet; n = 22); and (vi) ligated and implanted with a magnetized rod (n = 22). After caudal artery ligation, a magnetized or unmagnetized rod (maximum magnetic flux density of 160 mT) was implanted transcortically into the middle diaphysis of the fifth caudal vertebra.

Core exercises elevate trunk stability to facilitate skilled motor behavior of the upper extremities.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of core exercises on upper extremity function relative to skilled motor behavior and postural sway.

Method: We examined the effects of core exercises on the skilled motor behavior and postural sway of 40 healthy students who were assigned randomly to the core exercise group or the control group. Independent variable is extent of exposure to core exercise and dependent variables are skilled motor behavior and postural sway.

In vivo mechanical condition plays an important role for appearance of cartilage tissue in ES cell transplanted joint.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the mechanical environment on the formation of cartilage tissue in transplanted embryonic stem (ES) cells. Full-thickness osteochondral defects were created on the patella groove of SD rats, and ES cells (CCE ES cells obtained from 129/Sv/Ev mice and Green ES FM260 ES cells obtained from 129SV [D3] - Tg [NCAG-EGFP] CZ-001-FM260Osb mice) were transplanted into the defects embedded in collagen gel. The animals were randomly divided into either the joint-free group (JF group) or the joint-immobilized group (JI group) for 3 weeks after a week postoperatively.

Effect of low loading and joint immobilization for spontaneous repair of osteochondral defect in the knees of weightless (tail suspension) rats.

Background: Mechanical stimulation has a great influence on articular cartilage regeneration. The objective of this study was to clarify the temporal sequences of spontaneous repair of weightless or immobilized joints.

Methods: An osteochondral defect was created in the femoral patellar groove of F344 rats.

Electromyographic analysis of a modified maneuver for quadriceps femoris muscle setting with co-contraction of the hamstrings.

A "quadriceps femoris muscle setting" is isometric quadriceps femoris exercise which can be widely used in early knee rehabilitation. However this exercise cannot obtain enough co-contraction of the hamstrings. Isolated quadriceps femoris contraction in knee extension imposes severe strain to anterior cruciate ligament.