A Systematic Review of Multimodal Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Cognitive Function in Older People with Dementia in Nursing Homes.

Introduction: Multimodal non-pharmacological interventions (MNPIs) have been reported to be effective in improving the cognitive function. Therefore, it is necessary to study these interventions in older people with dementia (PWD) in nursing homes (NHs).

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effects, contents, frequency, duration, length, and form of MNPIs on the global and specific cognitive functions of PWD in NHs through a systematic review, and to consider what kind of intervention design is most effective.

Femoral venous flow velocity during passive ankle exercise in patients with chronic spinal cord injury.

[Purpose] We examined the effect of passive ankle exercise on femoral venous flow in paralyzed, atrophied lower legs of patients with chronic spinal cord injury. [Participants and Methods] Ten males with complete spinal cord injury at the T6-12 levels and ten able-bodied males participated in this study. B-mode muscle ultrasound was performed on the medial gastrocnemius muscle to evaluate muscle atrophy.

Higher and Lower Muscle Echo Intensity in Elderly Individuals Is Distinguished by Muscle Size, Physical Performance and Daily Physical Activity.

This study was performed to identify factors that discriminate muscle echo intensity (EI) among parameters of body composition, physical function and daily physical activity in elderly individuals. A total of 209 men and women (73.7 ± 2.

Change in Municipality-Level Health-Related Social Capital and Depressive Symptoms: Ecological and 5-Year Repeated Cross-Sectional Study from the JAGES.

Prevalence of depressive symptoms is lower in communities with greater social capital (SC). However, it is unclear whether a prevalence of depressive symptoms will decrease in communities where SC has increased. We investigated the relationship between the changes in municipality-level SC and depressive symptoms by using 5-year repeated cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study.

The effectiveness of diverse technology-based instructions in assisting people with Alzheimer's disease with medication management.

In patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD), faculties associated with instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) decline owing to reduced cognitive function. One type of IADL is medication behaviour. Medication management is critical for patients with AD.

Relationship Between Balance Recovery From a Forward Fall and Lower-Limb Rate of Torque Development.

The authors examined the relationship between the maximum recoverable lean angle via the tether-release method with early- or late-phase rate of torque development (RTD) and maximum torque of lower-limb muscle groups in 56 young healthy adults. Maximal isometric torque and RTD at the hip, knee, and ankle were recorded. The RTD at 50-ms intervals up to 250 ms from force onset was calculated.

Association between sarcopenia and depressive mood in urban-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between depressive mood and diagnostic components of sarcopenia.

Methods: The study used baseline data of participants in the Toyota Prevention Intervention for Cognitive Decline and Sarcopenia study. Participants in this cross-sectional study were 432 older adults (46.

Custom-made hinged knee braces with extension support can improve dynamic balance.

Unlabelled: Background/Objective: We investigated whether custom-made hinged knee braces can facilitate knee extensor and flexor strength and influence functional performance as compared with other knee braces.

Methods: We enrolled 28 healthy young participants with no history of physical activity or brace use. The participants executed functional performance tests under the following 5 conditions: 1) without a knee brace, 2) wearing a knee sleeve, 3) wearing a hinged knee brace without assistance, 4) wearing a knee brace with extension support (KBE), and 5) wearing a knee brace with flexion support (KBF).

Effect of ankle stretching combined with arm cycling on the improvement of calf muscle stiffness in patients with stroke: a pilot study.

[Purpose] This study aimed to ascertain whether ankle stretching combined with arm cycling compared with that without arm cycling results in greater improvement in maximum dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), calf muscle stiffness, and gait velocity in the affected limb of patients with stroke. [Participants and Methods] Random ABAB reversal design was used in this study involving nine patients with stroke. Participants performed 10 min of ankle plantar flexor stretching through weight bearing using the tilt table under the following 2 conditions: with or without arm cycling at 60 revolutions per minute.

Relevant factors of depression in dementia modifiable by non-pharmacotherapy: a systematic review.

Depression in dementia patients is associated with complications such as decreased activities of daily living and decreased quality of life. Because pharmacotherapeutic treatments for depression in dementia patients may have a poor risk-benefit ratio, effective non-pharmacotherapeutic interventions are favourable. However, the development of effective treatments requires the identification of depression-associated factors that can be modified by non-pharmacotherapeutic means in dementia patients.

Differences in Falls between Older Adult Participants in Group Exercise and Those Who Exercise Alone: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) Data.

This study examined the difference in falls between older adults who participated in group exercise and those who exercised alone. We used cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. Data were obtained from functionally independent residents aged 65 years or older across 30 municipalities in Japan ( = 19,257).

Occupation-based differences in shared perceptions of older resident needs within multidisciplinary care teams: a cross-sectional study of care workers, nurses, and therapists linked to older residents.

[Purpose] To examine whether the needs of older individuals are commonly understood by multidisciplinary team members at elderly care facilities. [Subjects and Methods] A questionnaire survey with care workers, nurses, and therapists linked to residents and structured interviews with residents were conducted at eight facilities in Japan. The questionnaire comprised 25 items regarding basic activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), environment and lifestyle (EL), and emotion.

Handgrip exercise by the non-affected hand increases venous return in the contralateral axillary vein in patients with stroke: a pilot study.

Objective: Treatment of hand edema is important for maintaining upper limb function in patients with stroke, although the effects of many such treatments have been limited. This study aimed to examine, using ultrasound, the effect of handgrip exercise by the non-affected hand of stroke patients on venous return in the affected upper limb.

Results: Seven men participated, within 6 months of a unilateral first-ever stroke.

Effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on leg muscle contractile properties and motor neuron morphology in rats.

Skeletal muscle fiber subtypes are differentially sensitive to diabetes-related pathology; For example, fast-twitch muscles exhibit severe decreases in contraction force while slow-twitch muscles demonstrate prolonged half-relaxation time. However, such alterations have only been examined after a relatively short period following diabetes onset, with no information available regarding muscle damage caused by longer disease periods (>20 weeks). This study examined alterations in the contractile properties of the medial gastrocnemius (fast-twitch) and soleus (slow-twitch) muscles, as well as morphological changes in their motor neurons 12 and 22 weeks after diabetes onset.

Relationship between patellar mobility and patellofemoral joint cartilage degeneration after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Patellofemoral cartilage degeneration is a potential complication of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) surgery. Hypomobility of the patella in the coronal plane is often observed after ACLR. Few studies, however, have examined the relationship between cartilage degeneration in the patellofemoral joint and mobility after ACLR.

Validation of the Risk Score of the Mortality and Lower Limb Loss Considering Ambulatory Status after Surgical Revascularization in Maintaining Patients with Dialysis.

Surgical revascularization is performed to preserve limb and to maintain functional status of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). The PREVENT III risk score helps to predict the postoperative course of CLI. However, this score is not available to estimate the risk of amputation or death properly in patients with hemodialysis (HD) and tissue loss (HD: 4 points, Tissue loss: 3 points), because they are classified as a high-risk group.

Influence of social relationship domains and their combinations on incident dementia: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Social relationships consist of mutually related but distinct dimensions. It remains unclear how these domains independently contribute to incident dementia. This large-scale, prospective cohort study examines associations between the social relationship domains as well as their combinations and incident dementia among community-dwelling older adults.

Social interaction and cognitive decline: Results of a 7-year community intervention.

Introduction: There are few intervention studies that demonstrated linking social participation to lower risk of cognitive decline. We examined prospectively the protective effect of a community intervention program promoting social participation on the incidence of cognitive disability.

Methods: The baseline was established in a survey of community-dwelling older people aged 65 years old or more in July 2006 (2793 respondents, response rate 48.

Upper-limb motor and sensory function in patients with hip fracture: Comparison with community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Upper-limb function is important in patients with hip fracture so they can perform activities of daily living and participate in leisure activities. Upper-limb function of these patients, however, has not been thoroughly investigated.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the upper-limb motor and sensory functions in patients with hip fracture by comparing these functions with those of community-dwelling older adults (control group).

Disuse Atrophy Accompanied by Intramuscular Ectopic Adipogenesis in Vastus Medialis Muscle of Advanced Osteoarthritis Patients.

Muscle dysfunction is the most important modifiable mediating factor in primary osteoarthritis (OA) because properly contracting muscles are a key absorber of forces acting on a joint. However, the pathological features of disuse muscle atrophy in OA patients have been rarely studied. Vastus medialis muscles of 14 female patients with OA (age range, 69 to 86 years), largely immobile for 1 or more years, were obtained during arthroplastic surgery and analyzed histologically.

Validity and reliability of a performance evaluation tool based on the modified Barthel Index for stroke patients.

Background: The Barthel Index (BI) is a measure of independence in activities of daily living (ADL). In the modified Barthel Index (MBI), a five-point system replaced the original two or three or four point rating system. Based on this modified measure, the performance evaluation tool MBI (PET-MBI) was developed in Japan.

Beneficial effects of a gait used while wearing a kimono to decrease the knee adduction moment in healthy adults.

The knee adduction moment (KAM) relates to medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). Several gait modifications to reduce the KAM for the prevention of knee OA have been studied. Most of the modifications, however, involve voluntary changes in leg alignment.