Noncontact of the unilateral hallux with the ground reduces forward limits of stability while standing.

[Purpose] Although hallux function is fundamental in maintaining forward leaning standing posture, the insight into whether noncontact of the hallux with the ground alters the forward limit of stability (LoS) remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to determine the effects of the unilateral hallux noncontact on the forward LoS while standing. [Participants and Methods] This study included 17 healthy young and 17 community-dwelling older adults.

Effect of Oral Lactate Administration on Skeletal Muscle Mass in Mice Under Different Loading Conditions.

Background/aim: Lactate is a physiologically active substance secreted by skeletal muscle that has been suggested to stimulate muscle mass gain. However, the molecular mechanism for lactate-associated muscle hypertrophy remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether oral administration of lactate increases muscle mass under different loading conditions.

Developmental changes in lower limb joint ranges of motion in Japanese children aged 6-15 years.

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.

Effects of Disturbed Body Perception on Arm Function in Patients With Frozen Shoulder.

Purpose Considering pain-related beliefs, this study aimed to investigate the influence of disturbed body perception on arm function in patients with frozen shoulder (FS). Methods This study included 90 patients with FS who visited the orthopedic outpatient clinic. We recorded measurements including the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain at rest and during movement, the quick disability of the arm, shoulder, and hand (QDASH) questionnaire for perceived arm function, the short version of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire-2 (PSEQ-2) for self-efficacy in pain, the short version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS-6) for catastrophic thoughts about pain, the short version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) for fear of movement, and the Fremantle Shoulder Awareness Questionnaire (FreSHAQ) for disturbed perception around the shoulder.

Fingertip light touch contact increases anteroposterior limits of stability in healthy young and older adults.

Background: The limit of stability (LoS), an index of stance balance ability, is reduced in older adults. Although contacting an earth-fixed external surface through fingertips' light touch improves older adults' stance balance control, its effects on the LoS in this population are unclear.

Research Question: Does light touch increase the LoS and reduce postural sway in the LoS?

Methods: This study included 20 young adults (11 women and 9 men, mean age = 20.

A coactivation strategy in anticipatory postural adjustments during voluntary unilateral arm movement while standing in individuals with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy.

Individuals with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP) reportedly has problems with anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) while standing. However, the use of coactivation strategy in APAs in individuals with BSCP has conflicting evidence. Hence, this study aimed to investigate postural muscle activities in BSCP during unilateral arm flexion task in which postural perturbations occur in the sagittal, frontal, and horizontal planes.

How Does Standing Anteroposterior Stability Limits Correlate to Foot/ankle Functions in Bilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy?

Purpose: To determine whether foot and ankle functions are correlated with the limits of stability (LoS) while standing in individuals with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP).

Methods: Eighteen people who could walk and with BSCP and 18 people without disability participated. Anteroposterior LoS was measured using a force platform.

Content validation of the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis "impaired swallowing" using the Delphi technique: A study with dysphagia nursing experts in Japan.

Purpose: Nurses' clinical reasoning skills regarding impaired swallowing can help prevent patient complications and maintain quality of life. Clinical reasoning skills need content-validated defining characteristics (DCs). We aimed to validate the content of these DCs for nursing diagnosis "impaired swallowing.

Physical activity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer after lung resection.

Background: Lung resection is the standard of care for patients with clinical stage I/II non-small cell lung cancer. This surgery reduces both the duration and quality of patients' daily ambulatory activities 1 month after surgery. However, little is known about physical activity after lung resection in patients with lung cancer.

Glycative stress inhibits hypertrophy and impairs cell membrane integrity in overloaded mouse skeletal muscle.

Background: Glycative stress, characterized by the formation and accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) associated with protein glycation reactions, has been implicated in inducing a decline of muscle function. Although the inverse correlation between glycative stress and muscle mass and strength has been demonstrated, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. This study aimed to elucidate how glycative stress affects the skeletal muscle, particularly the adaptive muscle response to hypertrophic stimuli and its molecular mechanism.

Quiet standing and anteroposterior limits of stability in adolescents and young adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy.

Stance stability in individuals with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP) in various standing postures including the quiet standing (QS) and limits of stability (LoS) has been widely studied. However, the relationships between the QS and LoS remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the relationships between the positions and postural sway in the QS and anteroposterior LoS in individuals with BSCP.

Mirror Therapy Reduces Pain and Preserves Corticomotor Excitability in Human Experimental Skeletal Muscle Pain.

Approaches to preserve corticomotor excitability (CE) are attracting interest as a treatment for pain-induced changes in neural plasticity. We determined the effects of mirror therapy (MT) on skeletal muscle pain. Fifteen healthy adults who received hypertonic saline injections (5.

Enhancing exercise tolerance in interstitial lung disease with high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy: A randomized crossover trial.

Background And Objective: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is characterized by dyspnoea on exertion and exercise-induced hypoxaemia. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy reduces the respiratory workload through higher gas flow and oxygen supplementation, which may affect exercise tolerance. This study aimed to examine the effects of oxygen and gas flow rates through HFNC therapy on exercise tolerance in ILD patients.

Sarcopenia is associated with lower step count in patients with peripheral artery disease following endovascular treatment.

Introduction: Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) often complain of reduced physical activity (PA) despite improvements in intermittent claudication after successful endovascular treatment (EVT). Sarcopenia resulting from chronic ischemia can affect post-EVT PA levels.

Objective: This study aims to assess the association between sarcopenia and post-EVT PA levels.

Psychological aspects of rehabilitation nutrition: A position paper by the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Nutrition (secondary publication).

Psychological aspects of rehabilitation nutrition affect physical, cognitive, and social rehabilitation nutrition. When depression is recognized, not only pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, but also non-pharmacological therapies such as exercise, nutrition, psychosocial, and other interventions can be expected to improve depression. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and intervention without overlooking depression is important.

Validity and reliability of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory among Japanese women with cesarean section.

This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the expanded version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Japanese version (PTGI-X-J) among Japanese women who delivered by cesarean section. The study is a cross-sectional survey psychometric study. Participants were 517 Japanese women who were in the hospital after childbirth by cesarean section at six general hospitals and two obstetric clinics in Tokai Region, Japan.

Frailty and audiovisual senses in older patients with diabetes: a cross-sectional observational study.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between frailty in older patients with diabetes and audiovisual senses.

Methods: The survey included (1) basic attributes, (2) diabetes-related items, (3) frailty, evaluated according to the Obu Study of Health Promotion for the Elderly (OSHPE) standard, and (4) audiovisual function. Participants included 157 diabetes patients aged ≥65 years, divided into three groups: robust health (n=50), pre-frail (n=76), and frail (n=31).

Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rehabilitation in Critically Ill Patients 2023 (J-ReCIP 2023).

Providing standardized, high-quality rehabilitation for critically ill patients is a crucial issue. In 2017, the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM) promulgated the "Evidence-Based Expert Consensus for Early Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit" to advocate for the early initiation of rehabilitations in Japanese intensive care settings. Building upon this seminal work, JSICM has recently conducted a rigorous systematic review utilizing the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology.

Association between National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and Functional Independence Measure scores in patients with ischemic stroke from convalescent rehabilitation outcomes.

We investigated the associations among neurological severity, activities of daily living (ADLs), and clinical factors in patients with ischemic stroke in convalescent rehabilitation outcome. The study sample included 723 patients with ischemic stroke (484 men and 239 women; mean age, 73.2 ± 8.

Prognostic impact of nutrition measures in patients with heart failure varies with coexisting physical frailty.

Aims: Malnutrition is prevalent among patients with heart failure (HF); however, the effects of coexisting malnutrition and frailty on prognosis are unknown. This study examines the impact of malnutrition and frailty on the prognosis of patients with HF.

Methods And Results: We examined 1617 patients with HF aged 65 years or older (age: 78.

Association of early oral intake after extubation and independent activities of daily living at discharge among intensive care unit patients: A single centre retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: We investigated the association between the time to first post-extubation oral intake, barriers to oral intake, and the rate of activities of daily living (ADL) independence at discharge (Barthel Index score <70).

Method: Consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care unit, aged ≥18 years, and mechanically ventilated for ≥48 hr were retrospectively enrolled. The time to first oral intake, barriers to oral intake, daily changes, and clinical outcomes were assessed.

Impact of Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Blood Purification Therapy on Early Mobilization in the Intensive Care Unit: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To investigate the effect on early mobilization in patients undergoing extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and acute blood purification therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: We conducted this multicenter retrospective cohort study by collecting data from six ICUs in Japan. Consecutive patients who were admitted to the ICU, aged ≥18 years, and received mechanical ventilation for >48 hours were eligible.