Effects of progressive muscle relaxation on cerebral activity: An fMRI investigation.

Objectives: Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is one of the self-management relaxation techniques that can be used in the general population and patients with specific issues. However, no study to date has revealed the brain activity associated with PMR. Therefore, we assessed the changes in brain activity induced by PMR using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

A plan for embedding an interprofessional education initiative into an existing programme in a Southeast Asian university.

An interprofessional education (IPE) initiative was recently launched at the University of Health Sciences in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a country located in southeast Asia. During the process of reviewing the current curriculum, it was realised that the university has been providing a kind of IPE programme for more than a decade. Medical, pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing students were participating together in a community education programme.

Simple Indicator to Judge the Independence Level Required in Dressing in a Hospital Ward for Patients with Stroke.

Background: This study aimed to create a simple and objective indicator for use by inexperienced nurses and family members of patients to judge the assistance level required for dressing in a hospital, while encouraging independence in activities of daily living among inpatients with stroke using the Berg balance scale.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 108 hospitalized patients with first stroke in a rehabilitation hospital ward. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify the Berg balance scale item with the highest discriminatory power against independence level in dressing.

CREB regulates TNF-α-induced GM-CSF secretion via p38 MAPK in human lung fibroblasts.

Background: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a cytokine that mediates eosinophilic differentiation, migration and survival, causing respiratory tract inflammation. GM-CSF is also known to be secreted from respiratory tract structural cells. However, the mechanisms of GM-CSF secretion have not been well established.

Motor Function Cutoff Values for Independent Dressing in Stroke Patients.

Objective: This study established motor function cutoff values for dressing independence in inpatients with stroke.

Methods: Ninety-eight first-time inpatients with stroke were divided into groups on the basis of independence level in dressing, and receiver operating characteristic curves were determined for balance, motor function of affected limbs, trunk function, motor function of unaffected upper limb, and cognitive function.

Results: Area under the curve for the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was highest for the different motor functions.

Development of a clinical assessment test of 180-degree standing turn strategy (CAT-STS) and investigation of its reliability and validity.

[Purpose] To develop a clinical assessment test of 180-degree standing turn strategy (CAT-STS) and quantify its reliability and construct validity. [Subjects] Outpatients with stroke that occurred at least 6 months previously (N = 27) who could walk 10 m without physical assistance were included. [Methods] The CAT-STS was based on the literature and discussion with four physical therapists.

Changes in lipoprotein lipase and endothelial lipase mass in familial hypercholesterolemia during three-drug lipid-lowering combination therapy.

Background: This study was performed to compare the effects of three different lipid-lowering therapies (statins, ezetimibe, and colestimide) on lipoprotein lipase and endothelial lipase masses in pre-heparin plasma (pre-heparin LPL and EL mass, respectively) from patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). FH is usually treated by coadministration of these three drugs.

Methods: The pre-heparin LPL and EL masses were measured in fresh frozen plasma drawn and stored at various time points during coadministration of the three drugs from patients with heterozygous FH harboring a single mutation in the LDL receptor (n = 16, mean age 63 years).

Association of trunk control with mobility performance and accelerometry-based gait characteristics in hemiparetic patients with subacute stroke.

Trunk control plays an important role in movement control and postural balance during functional activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of trunk control early after stroke with mobility performance and quantitative gait characteristics derived from trunk accelerations. Fifteen patients with hemiparesis following stroke (median age, 61 years [range, 56-78 years]; median time since stroke, 9 days [range, 7-15 days]) participated in this cross-sectional observational study.

Central nervous system involvement by multiple myeloma: A multi-institutional retrospective study of 172 patients in daily clinical practice.

The multicenter retrospective study conducted in 38 centers from 20 countries including 172 adult patients with CNS MM aimed to describe the clinical and pathological characteristics and outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) involving the central nervous system (CNS). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors for survival. The median time from MM diagnosis to CNS MM diagnosis was 3 years.

Hierarchy of Dysfunction Related to Dressing Performance in Stroke Patients: A Path Analysis Study.

Previous reports indicated that various dysfunctions caused by stroke affect the level of independence in dressing. These dysfunctions can be hierarchical, and these effects on dressing performance can be complicated in stroke patients. However, there are no published reports focusing on the hierarchical structure of the relationships between the activities of daily living and balance function, motor and sensory functions of the affected lower limb, strength of the abdominal muscles and knee extension on the unaffected side, and visuospatial deficits.

A Simple, Reproducible, Inexpensive, Yet Old-Fashioned Method for Determining Phagocytic and Bactericidal Activities of Macrophages.

Macrophages (Mφ) play a pivotal role in the protection system by recognizing and eliminating invading pathogenic bacteria. Phagocytosis and the killing of invading bacteria are major effector functions of Mφ. Although the phagocytic and bactericidal activities of Mφ have been analyzed via several methods using a light microscope, a fluorescence microscope, or a fluorescence-activated cell sorter, expensive materials and equipment are usually required, and the methods are rather complicated.

Effect of high-intensity pulse irradiation with linear polarized near-infrared rays on muscle tone in patients with cerebrovascular disease: a randomized controlled trial.

[Purpose] This study evaluated effects of a high-intensity linear polarized near-infrared ray irradiation for mitigation of muscle hypertonia. [Subjects] The subjects were 20 patients with cerebrovascular disease. [Methods] Subjects were randomly allocated to an intervention or control group.

Relationship between dressing and motor function in stroke patients: a study with partial correlation analysis.

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to elucidate which motor functions are most or more important for dressing performance before and after rehabilitation. [Subjects] Seventy-nine first episode stroke patients in a hospital convalescent rehabilitation ward. [Methods] The relationships between motor function of the affected upper and lower limbs, unaffected side function, trunk function, balance, cognitive function, and independence level in dressing were examined at admission and discharge using partial correlation analysis.

Hypersialylation is a common feature of neurofibrillary tangles and granulovacuolar degenerations in Alzheimer's disease and tauopathy brains.

Glycosylation is one of the major post-translational modifications of proteins. The status of sialylation of the neuropathological hallmarks of various neurodegenerative disorders was investigated in this study. Here, we report the novel findings that two phosphorylated tau (p-tau)-containing structures associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), that is, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and granulovacuolar degenerations (GVDs), were hypersialylated.

Listeriolysin O, but not Murine E-cadherin, is Involved in Invasion of Listeria monocytogenes into Murine Liver Parenchymal Cells.

Human E-cadherin and listeriolysin O (LLO) are involved in invasion of Listeria monocytogenes into human liver parenchymal cells (LPC). Yet, it remains to be determined whether murine E-cadherin and LLO participate in invasion of L. monocytogenes into murine LPC.

Adult mice expressing a Braf Q241R mutation on an ICR/CD-1 background exhibit a cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome phenotype.

Activation of the RAS pathway has been implicated in oncogenesis and developmental disorders called RASopathies. Germline mutations in BRAF have been identified in 50-75% of patients with cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome, which is characterized by congenital heart defects, distinctive facial features, short stature and ectodermal abnormalities. We recently demonstrated that mice expressing a Braf Q241R mutation, which corresponds to the most frequent BRAF mutation (Q257R) in CFC syndrome, on a C57BL/6J background are embryonic/neonatal lethal, with multiple congenital defects, preventing us from analyzing the phenotypic consequences after birth.

Changes in corticospinal excitability with short-duration high-frequency electrical muscle stimulation: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

[Purpose] Afferent input caused by electrical stimulation of a peripheral nerve or a muscle modulates corticospinal excitability. However, a long duration of stimulation is required to induce these effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of short-duration high-frequency electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) on corticospinal excitability through the measurement of motor evoked potentials (MEP) in young healthy subjects.

Effects of early physiotherapy with respect to severity of pneumonia of elderly patients admitted to an intensive care unit: a single center study in Japan.

[Purpose] We performed early physiotherapy for elderly patients with pneumonia admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), and examined the effects of this early physiotherapy on the severity of pneumonia. [Subjects and Methods] Patients for whom physiotherapy was started the day after admission to the ICU (acute phase) were assigned to the early intervention group and compared with patients in the standard intervention group. All patients were divided into three groups (Groups I, II, and III) based on the severity of pneumonia.

Transcriptional suppression of CTP:phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase by 25-hydroxycholesterol is mediated by nuclear factor-Y and Yin Yang 1.

Pcyt2 (CTP:phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase) is the rate-limiting enzyme in mammalian PE (phosphatidylethanolamine) biosynthesis. Previously, we reported that Pcyt2 mRNA levels increased in several types of cells after serum starvation, an effect that could be suppressed by supplementation with low-density lipoprotein or 25-HC (25-hydroxycholesterol). Transcription of Hmgcr, which encodes 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, is also suppressed by 25-HC in the same dose-dependent manner.

Inverse relationship between body mass index and mortality in older nursing home residents: a meta-analysis of 19,538 elderly subjects.

Body mass index (BMI) and mortality in old adults from the general population have been related in a U-shaped or J-shaped curve. However, limited information is available for elderly nursing home populations, particularly about specific cause of death. A systematic PubMed/EMBASE/CINAHL/SCOPUS search until 31 May 2014 without language restrictions was conducted.

Host cytoplasmic processing bodies assembled by Trypanosoma cruzi during infection exert anti-parasitic activity.

Processing bodies (PBs) are cytoplasmic granules containing mRNAs and proteins involved in translation and degradation of mRNAs. PBs are constitutively present in cells and are induced to accumulate when external stressors including microbial infection are applied to cells, followed by a rapid translational arrest. We have examined the impact of Trypanosoma cruzi (T.

Acidic environment augments FcεRI-mediated production of IL-6 and IL-13 in mast cells.

Although blood pH is maintained in a narrow range of around pH 7.4 in living organisms, inflammatory loci are characterized by acidic conditions. Mast cells tend to reside close to the surface of the body in areas such as the mucosa and skin where they may be exposed to exogenous acids, and they play an important role in immune responses.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase SAP-1 protects against colitis through regulation of CEACAM20 in the intestinal epithelium.

Intestinal epithelial cells contribute to regulation of intestinal immunity in mammals, but the detailed molecular mechanisms of such regulation have remained largely unknown. Stomach-cancer-associated protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SAP-1, also known as PTPRH) is a receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase that is localized specifically at microvilli of the brush border in gastrointestinal epithelial cells. Here we show that SAP-1 ablation in interleukin (IL)-10-deficient mice, a model of inflammatory bowel disease, resulted in a marked increase in the severity of colitis in association with up-regulation of mRNAs for various cytokines and chemokines in the colon.