Publications by authors named "Noritake K"

Background: Assessing lower limb ranges of motion (ROMs) is crucial for diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal and neurological disorders in children. Although prior studies examining decline in flexibility among school-age children suggest potential age-related changes in lower limb ROMs, this hypothesis remains unproven. Therefore, in this study, we aim to examine age-related differences in lower limb ROMs among school-age children.

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  • The study focused on validating the Performance Evaluation Tool based on the modified Barthel Index (PET-MBI) for assessing Activities of Daily Living (ADL) in patients.
  • It involved 53 patients and 18 experienced occupational therapists to determine the consistency of ratings (inter-rater and intra-rater reliability).
  • The results indicated strong reliability, with high inter-rater and intra-rater scores, suggesting that PET-MBI could serve as an effective self-administered tool for large-scale ADL surveys.
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Purpose: To compare the educational outcomes of remote instruction (RI) in impression-taking using smart glasses with those of face-to-face instruction (FI) and paper-based self-learning (SL) and analyze the educational effects, aiming to develop a remote clinical training strategy.

Methods: Participants were recruited from among the dental residents who were trained in the first-year clinical program at the university hospital in 2023. The participants were divided into three groups as the original skill level was equal, and the groups were assigned RI, FI, printed guidance, and SL.

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  • The study investigates the impact of a dance exercise class on motor function in elementary school children in Japan who faced restrictions on physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Conducted over two months, the program showed significant improvements in grip strength, lower extremity muscle strength, and dynamic balance, though some metrics like physical activity time and body fat percentage did not change.
  • The findings highlight dance as an effective and enjoyable way for children to enhance their motor skills at a low cost.
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Decline in muscle quality is associated with poorer health in community-dwelling older adults. Although there is evidence that malnutrition is associated with the decline of muscle quality in older adults, few analyses have considered important factors related to muscle quality. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between muscle quality and nutritional status in community-dwelling older adults, taking into account muscle mass, muscle strength, and amount of physical activity.

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  • The study compared body composition and motor function in children aged 6-12 years who were born large for gestational age (LGA) versus those born appropriate for gestational age (AGA).
  • Findings showed that LGA children had a higher fat mass index and lower gait deviation index compared to AGA children, suggesting potential risks for metabolic syndrome and gait issues.
  • Multiple regression analysis indicated that both being LGA at birth and fat mass index were key factors related to gait performance, emphasizing the importance of monitoring these variables in LGA children.
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Objective: To investigate whether muscle quality is related to cognitive function in older adults living in the community.

Methods: The participants were 40 community-dwelling older adults without a diagnosis of dementia (mean age, 78.85 ± 6.

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  • GTPCH1-deficient dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) is a condition that starts in childhood, causing issues with posture and movement, but can improve significantly with levodopa treatment.
  • Researchers conducted a three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA) on three patients receiving levodopa to measure various aspects of their walking patterns before and after treatment.
  • Results showed that treatment could lead to improvements in some patients, particularly in foot alignment and gait consistency, although the effects varied individually, highlighting the need for tailored evaluations in treatment.
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  • Regular exercise in childhood not only boosts physical health but also establishes habits that often persist into adulthood.
  • A study involving 239 children ages 9-12 found a significant relationship between exercise habits and improved physical functions like skeletal muscle mass and standing broad jump ability.
  • The research highlights that engaging in exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, twice a week, over a year is crucial for the development of muscle strength in children.
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  • A study evaluated the effect of levodopa on gait disturbances in individuals with Dravet syndrome (DS), using a three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA) in a crossover design with nine participants aged 6-20 years.
  • The results showed significant improvements in gait metrics, including a 4.2-point increase in the Gait Deviation Index (GDI), a 52-meter improvement in the 6-minute walking distance, and enhanced balance.
  • The findings suggest that levodopa may effectively improve gait disturbances in younger individuals with better initial gait performance, with no serious side effects noted, except for one case of fever.
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Serial blood sampling from one animal is useful to understand relationship between pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacological or toxicological events in individual animals. To assess its feasibility in mice, two therapeutic antibodies were used to evaluate impacts by different blood sampling methods, sampling sites, and assay platforms on PK. Denosumab and Panitumumab were intravenously administered to mice and only 0.

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Background: Phase angle, which is associated with cellular health, has attracted attention as a noninvasive and objective method for nutritional assessment. However, the association between malnutrition and phase angle in older inpatients with hip fractures has not been reported. Therefore, this study investigated this association in older inpatients (aged ≥65 years) with hip fractures and determined the cutoff phase angle for determining malnutrition.

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This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between phase angle (PhA) and physical activity intensity in community-dwelling older Japanese adults. The intensity and time of physical activity for predicting high PhA were also examined. This study involved 67 community-dwelling older adults (mean age: 78.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the stronger correlate of appetite-family or friend networks-in community-dwelling older adults, given that undernutrition can impair physical function, increase mortality, and be influenced by social networks.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kasugai City, Aichi Prefecture, and Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan, between August 2019 and March 2023. The analysis included 119 participants (women: 79%, mean age: 76.

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The older adult population in Japan is expected to increase. Therefore, long-term care and frailty prevention are important. However, the relationship between masticatory performance, nutritional intake, and frailty remains unclear.

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and periodontal disease are chronic inflammatory conditions that significantly affect an individual's overall health and well-being. Generally, the prevalence of periodontitis is higher in patients with COPD than those without COPD, which may partly be attributed to common risk factors in COPD, such as smoking, respiratory infections, and inflammation. In particular, periodontitis may exacerbate the progression of COPD and further deteriorate the respiratory system by promoting inflammatory responses and bacterial infections.

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  • Low-back pain is prevalent among elementary school children, with a study in Japan finding 9.6% of 394 participants reported such pain, mainly occurring during movement.
  • The research focused on assessing trunk flexibility, back muscle strength, and pelvic tilt angle, determining that decreased fingertip-to-floor distance was a significant risk factor for low-back pain.
  • The study suggests that improving trunk and lower body flexibility may help reduce the occurrence of low-back pain in children, regardless of their sex or muscle strength.
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The response of muscle oxygen saturation, which is an index for the energy metabolism of muscles during walking in children, and its relationship to the physiological cost index, which indicates walking efficiency, are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate muscle oxygen saturation in lower extremity muscles during walking in children, its changes with age, and the relationship between the physiological cost index. The oxygen saturation was measured by the amount of change during a two-minute walk, and the physiological cost index was calculated from the change in heart rate before and after exercise and walking speed.

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Objective: To compare walking efficiency, and associated physical function, between children, with and without developmental coordination disorder trait.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: The study was conducted in a Medical and Rehabilitation Center for Developmental Disabilities in Okazaki, Japan.

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Purpose: Lisdexamfetamine (LDX), which is used for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, is composed of L-lysine attached to dextroamphetamine (d-amphetamine). In this article, we report a forensic autopsy case in which prescription drugs were unknown at autopsy. While amphetamine was detected, methamphetamine could not be detected by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in any of samples collected.

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Children's exercise habits have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the physical function and physical activity of preadolescent children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study compared time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), grip strength, single-leg standing time, and two-step tests of healthy children aged 10 to 12 years, enrolled from January 2018 to January 2020 (pre-COVID-19 group, = 177) and from January 2021 to September 2022 (during-COVID-19 group, = 69).

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Objectives: Ataxic-rigid gait is a characteristic gait pathology in patients with Rett syndrome (RTT). In the present study, we aimed to quantitatively evaluate gait pathology in patients with RTT using three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA).

Methods: We performed 3DGA in 11 patients with RTT ranging from 5 to 18 years (median age, 9 years) and in 33 age-matched healthy female controls.

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  • - This study examined how children with Down syndrome (DS) perform when walking, both alone and while watching a movie, comparing their results to those of age- and sex-matched controls.
  • - Results showed that children with DS had worse balance, muscle strength, and overall gait quality compared to controls, and there were positive correlations between their gait speed and step length with their intelligence quotient.
  • - The findings suggest the need for targeted interventions to improve motor functions in children with DS, considering both their walking performance and cognitive abilities.
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This study aimed to identify (1) what newly graduated dental hygienists and reinstated dental hygienists consider important for preventing early turnover in their own professions and for encouraging them to continue in the profession more generally and (2) relevant factors among hygienists intending to continue working in the field. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey was distributed to 215 Japanese dental hygienists who participated in the technical training programs (response rate: 72.6%).

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One major impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's lifestyles is the lack of exercise owing to activity restrictions. However, information regarding the way in which physical functions among children decline under these circumstances remains scarce. In this study, we compared the physical functions and life habits among children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

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