Three-Dimensional Vascular Structure of Caudal and Dorsal Fins of a Dwarf Sperm Whale.

Previous studies have described two distinct vascular systems in cetacean fins. However, these studies have been limited to Delphinoidea species, with little information on their three-dimensional structures. In this study, the anatomical analysis of the caudal and dorsal fins of a dwarf sperm whale was conducted using X-ray computed tomography and gross dissection with staining, providing the first confirmation of the two vascular systems in the fins of the family Kogiidae.

A shortfin mako shark circling a finless porpoise with damaged caudal fin.

Research on predator-prey interactions between sharks and cetaceans remain limited. Here, we report on a video of a shortfin mako shark circling a finless porpoise with a damaged caudal fin in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. The finless porpoise was neither emaciated nor inactive, but unable to swim effectively due to the complete lack of a caudal fin.

The range of atlanto-occipital joint motion in cetaceans reflects their feeding behavior.

The cetaceans display a wide variety of lifestyles, especially with regard to their feeding behavior. However, the evolutionary process of the feeding behavior in cetaceans is still poorly understood, in part because reconstructing the feeding behavior of extinct taxa remains difficult. In cetaceans, cranium mobility relative to the trunk largely depends on the range of motion permitted by the atlanto-occipital joint, given the lack of flexibility of the cervical series.

Anatomic characterization of the radial and ulnar nutrient arteries in humans.

Background: The localization of nutrient foramens has been extensively studied in humans and other vertebrate animals. However, accurate information on the origin and extraosseous course of the nutrient arteries in some types of long tubular bones is lacking. Terminologia Anatomica, the international standard on human anatomic terminology, lists the radial nutrient artery (RNA) and the ulnar nutrient artery (UNA) as branches of the radial and ulnar arteries, respectively.

FALL-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING AND BEHAVIOUR DISTURBANCES IN DEMENTIA.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the activities of daily living and behaviour disturbances related to inpatients and outpatients with dementia experiencing falls. Patients diagnosed with dementia belonging to 18 facilities which consented to the study were subjected. The study involved "whether or not the patient has fallen in the past 12 months", "Barthel Index (B.

The usefulness of a questionnaire to evaluate daily living performance in psychiatric inpatients: results of cross-sectional and follow-up studies.

The purpose of this research was to study the usefulness of daily living performance scores (DLPS) in order to indicate the capabilities of inpatients at psychiatric hospitals in performing activities of daily living (ADL). A cross-sectional study was conducted on 44 subjects who were inpatients at psychiatric hospitals in Japan and who responded to a questionnaire about daily living performance. A follow-up survey was conducted 9 months later on 43 patients.

Physiotherapy program through home visits for community-dwelling elderly Japanese women with mild knee pain.

Knee pain is extremely common among the elderly, particularly women. Hence, there is an urgent need for applicable community-based intervention models for halting the progression of knee pain and related disabilities in elderly women. We aimed to assess the efficacy of home-visit physiotherapy as a new intervention model.

Evaluation of performance status of daily living activities and of the future risk of falls in the non-handicapped, community-dwelling elderly.

Objectives: There is a growing need to evaluate the performance status of the activities of daily living (ADL) of the elderly in the rapidly aging Japanese society. The purpose of this study was to verify the usefulness of our new scoring sheet for assessing present ADL status and to clarify whether or not the assessed ADL status can predict the future risk of adverse conditions related to falls.

Methods: The validation study was performed using 116 non-handicapped community-dwelling Japanese elderly at least 60 years of age.