Incidence of injury during moderate- and high-intensity walking training in the elderly.

To evaluate the effect of 26 weeks of moderate- and high-intensity walking training on injury rates in the elderly, 68 healthy volunteers (31 men, 37 women) were assigned to moderate intensity (MOD, n = 26) or high-intensity (HI, n = 24) training, or to a control (CONT, n = 18) group. To achieve prescribed training intensity, many subjects walked uphill on a treadmill. Seven of 50 subjects who trained (14%) suffered a training-related orthopedic injury; one subject was injured during treadmill testing.

Reliability of B-mode ultrasound for the measurement of body fat and muscle thickness.

B-mode ultrasound was used to measure fat and muscle thicknesses on 30 subjects (17 men, 13 women, age = 20-37 yr) at 14 sites (triceps, biceps, forearm, chest [males only], subscapular, axilla, abdomen, suprailium, lumbar, quadriceps, suprapatellar, hamstrings, medial calf, and posterior calf) on two different days. Quadruplicate photographic images (trials) were printed from a single measurement at each site on each day. Two investigators each measured two of the images from each site.

Comparison of Two Restraint Systems for Pelvic Stabilization during Isometric Lumbar Extension Strength Testing.

This study was supported in part by a grant from MedX Inc., Ocala, FL. Among strength testing methods, varying degrees of stabilization are used.

Rehabilitation and life-style modification in the elderly.

The projected growth of the elderly population in the United States in the coming years underlines the importance of assuring that the quality of life for older persons is maintained. Because CHD is prevalent in this population, measures for preventing disease as well as for optimizing the abilities of those with disease will assume greater significance. Exercise training is a key component in achieving and maintaining optimal capacities in the elderly cardiac and noncardiac populations.

[A comparison of fat and muscle thickness in Japanese and American women].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ethnic differences in the body composition, thickness of subcutaneous fat and muscle between Japanese and American white females. Thirty-six Japanese (aged 20-30 years) and 42 American white females (aged 20-29 years) served as subjects. Percentage of fat weight (%fat) and fat free weight (FFW) were assessed by hydrostatic weighing.

Limited range-of-motion lumbar extension strength training.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of limited range-of-motion (ROM) resistance training on the development of lumbar extension strength through a 72 degrees ROM. Thirty-three men and 25 women (age = 30 +/- 11 yr) were randomly assigned to one of three training groups or a control group (C; n = 10) that did not train. Training was conducted once per week for 12 wk and consisted of one set of 8-12 repetitions of variable resistance lumbar extensions until volitional fatigue.

Exercise Testing Update.

In brief Exercise testing remains an important tool in diagnosing and evaluating cardiorespiratory conditions. The most useful modality of the exercise test depends on the patient's capabilities. If the patient is young or fit, the Bruce treadmill protocol is appropriate.

Quantitative assessment and training of isometric cervical extension strength.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and variability of repeated measurements of isometric cervical extension strength and determine the effect of 10 weeks of dynamic variable resistance cervical extension training on isometric cervical extension strength. Seventy-three subjects (age, 29 +/- 12 years [mean +/- SD]) completed isometric cervical extension strength tests on 4 separate days (D1, D2, D3, and D4). For each test, isometric cervical strength was measured at 126 degrees, 108 degrees, 90 degrees, 72 degrees, 54 degrees, 36 degrees, 18 degrees, and 0 degrees of cervical flexion.

pH-induced effects on median frequency and conduction velocity of the myoelectric signal.

H+ accumulation at the sarcolemma is believed to play a key role in determining the electrophysiological correlates of fatigue. This paper describes an in vitro method to externally manipulate muscle pH while measuring the resultant effect on surface-detected median frequency (MDF) and conduction velocity (CV) parameters. Hamster muscle diaphragm strips (n = 8) were isolated with the phrenic nerve intact and placed in an oxygenated Krebs bath (26 degrees C).

An intragenic suppressor of a calmodulin mutation in Paramecium: genetic and biochemical characterization.

We describe a suppressor of the calmodulin mutant cam1 in Paramecium tetraurelia. The cam1 mutant, which has a SER----PHE change at residue 101 of the third calcium-binding domain, inhibits the activity of the Ca(2+)-dependent K+ current and causes exaggerated behavioral responses to most stimuli. An enrichment scheme, based on an increased sensitivity to Ba2+ in cam1 cells, was used to isolate suppressors.

Injuries and adherence to walk/jog and resistance training programs in the elderly.

To evaluate the effects of 26 wk of aerobic and resistance training on the incidence of injury and program adherence in 70- to 79-yr-old men and women, 57 healthy volunteers (25 males, 32 females) were randomly assigned to a walk/jog (W/J, N = 21), strength (STREN, N = 23), or control (CONT, N = 13) group. Walk/jog training was for 30-45 min, 3 d.wk-1 with intensity equal to 40-70% heart rate max reserve (HRmax reserve) during the first 13 wk, and 75-85% HRmax reserve for weeks 14-26.

Effect of 12 and 20 weeks of resistance training on lumbar extension torque production.

This study compared the effect of varied training frequencies on the development of isometric lumbar extension torque (strength) over 12- and 20-week training periods. Fifty-six subjects were randomly assigned to training once every other week (training group 1, n = 10), once per week (training group 2, n = 12), twice per week (training group 3, n = 12), or three times per week (training group 4, n = 7) or to a nontraining control group (n = 15). Training consisted of one set of 8 to 12 variable-resistance lumbar extensions to volitional muscular fatigue.

Effect of exercise training on blood pressure in 70- to 79-yr-old men and women.

Men and women 70-79 yr of age (N = 49) were studied to assess the effect of 6 months of resistance or endurance exercise training on their blood pressure, hemodynamic parameters, and pressor hormone levels. Resistance training consisted of one set of 8-12 repetitions on ten Nautilus machines three times per week. The endurance training group progressed to training at 75-85% VO2max for 35-45 min three times per week for the last 2 months of training.

Experimental cholelitholysis with the pulsed tunable dye laser.

This study evaluates the pulsed tunable dye laser with wavelength 504 nm, frequency 10 Hz, and pulse width 1.2 microseconds for cholelitholysis. Power of 10-40 kW was directed through a 250-microns quartz fiber optic to ablate 55 gallstones (removed from 14 patients).

Sensory nerve pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

A detailed morphometric study was performed on sural nerve biopsies to determine the consistency of sensory nerve pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to seek a correlation between the severity of peripheral nerve pathology and disease duration. Nerve biopsies from patients with ALS consistently showed evidence of early axonal atrophy, increased remyelination and a shift in the diameter distributions curve towards smaller fiber diameters. Importantly, the severity of sensory nerve pathology in ALS patients correlated with disease duration.

Local neurovascular island flap.

Fingertip amputation, with loss of the terminal pulp and bone exposure presents a difficult problem. Reconstruction with use of a local neurovascular island flap has been done in twenty-one patients to restore sensibility and function with preservation of length. All patients achieved two-point discrimination values within two millimeters of the normal contralateral fingertip, with adequate pad for pain-free pinch.

Benign hereditary cerebellar ataxia with extensive thermoanalgesia.

A New Zealand family with 3 members affected by late onset hereditary cerebellar ataxia is reported, distinguished by the development of near global thermoanalgesia. Because proprioception and autonomic function were preserved, and ataxia only slowly worsened, this proved to be a benign syndrome. The pattern of sensory loss indicated a 'length-dependent' neuropathy.