This study aims to examine the characteristics of motor imagery ability using mental chronometry in young and older adults. The participants were 33 young adults (mean age: 20.8 ± 0.6 years) and 68 older adults (mean age: 74.2 ± 7.4 years). Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and imagined TUG (iTUG) were used for measuring mental chronometry. iTUG was measured with eyes open and closed, and the time difference between TUG and iTUG (delta time) was calculated in both conditions. The delta time of the eyes open and closed conditions were compared using paired t­test. The ratio of overestimation and un derestimation of motor imagery was compared using a population ratio test.Therewasno significant difference in the delta time between eyes open and closed in young adults, and the delta time in the eyes open condition was significantly increased in older adults. The rate of overestimation was significantly higher among both young and older adults. Our findings showed that young adults have similar motor imagery abilities with eyes open and closed, and motor imagery abilities of older adults reduce when eyes are open.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between lifestyle habits and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), which is an index of arteriosclerosis, among men college students. A lifestyle questionnaire survey was conducted on healthy men college students, and the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured. The result of grouping by the cutoff value of baPWV and comparing lifestyles,the high baPWV group showed a significantly lower value than the low baPWV group in terms of dietary regularity. Next, after stratifying blood pressure, a logistic regression analysis based on normal blood pressure was performed on the relationship with baPWV,and as a result, a significant relationship was found between normal high and high blood pressure. These findings suggest that baPWV was higher in those who had a meal time shift or skipping meals, and that even college students with normal blood pressure tend to had higher baPWV as their blood pressure increases. Previous studies have reported a relationship between eating behavior and arteriosclerosis, and early measures may be required to prevent arteriosclerosis.

With the recent introduction of the concept of epigenetics, the rise in the risk of non-communicable diseases such as metabolic syndrome (MS) based on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) theory has become a concern. Japan has seen a rapid rise in low birth weight infants (LBWI) since the 2000 s. Therefore, with male college students born around the year 2000 as the subjects, an investigation was carried out for the purpose of confirming whether muscle function, which is deeply related to MS,was influenced by LBWI. From the subjects, an LBWI group (five subjects) anda normal birth weight infant (NBWI) group (five subjects) were extracted, after which items including muscle strength, exercise tolerability, height, body composition, blood pressure, abdominal circumference, and time spent exercising during school age and puberty were compared and examined between the two groups. As a result, while the LBWI group indicated a significantly lower value in terms of exercise tolerability (p<0.01), the other items did not have any significant differences. As a background of exercise tolerability in the LBWI group, it was suggested that increased insulin resistance in the skeletal muscles may have caused a decrease in energy production efficiency. From the viewpoint of MS prevention, the necessity of support for muscle function improvement in LBWIs before reaching adulthood was suggested.

The purpose of this study was to confirm whether there was a difference in the factors related to bone development and bone mass when individuals witha low weight at birth (low birth weight infants: LBWI) and those with a normal weight at birth (normal birth weight infants: NBWI) reached adulthood, then examine the future risk of developing bone joint diseases. Among female college students who were born in the period when Japan saw a rapid rise in LBWIs and who are currently in adulthood asa statistical population, an LBWI group (six subjects) and an NBWI group (six subjects) were extracted. In addition to taking measurements of bone mass area ratio, bone mineral content,lower leg length ratio, and weight, the subjects were asked regarding their time spent exercising during school age and puberty, after which the data was compared between the two groups. As a result, it was found that there was no significant difference in the bone mass area ratio between both groups. However, the LBWI group indicated a significantly lower value in the lower leg length ratio (p<0.05). Therefore, it was suggested that while a difference in birth weight does not affect bone density in adulthood, LBWIs may inhibit the postnatal growth of the bone, in the form of shortening the lower leg length ratio. Moreover, it remains necessary to elucidate the mechanism that causes an inhibition of postnatal growth of the bone and to also follow up the effects of LBWI on bone in old age.

In this study, we investigated the difference in cough peak flow (CPF) values when measured using an automatic spirometer (CPF(S)) and a peak flow meter (CPF(P)) in 44 healthy young adults. The agreement between values was verified using the BlandAltman analysis. Furthermore, the reproducibility of each CPF value and the validity of the cough assessment method were also determined. CPF(S) values were lower than the CPF(P) values, with a significant fixed error (p<0.001) and proportional error (p<0.001). In addition, the intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.900 and 0.941 for CPF(S) and CPF(P),respectively. There was a significant correlation between each CPF and cough-related indices, and the validity was confirmed. Overall, these findings indicate that the CPF(S) and CPF(P) values differed and that the CPF(S) method was sufficiently suitable for cough strength assessment.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the application of muscle compression to stretch the soleus muscle without moving the ankle joint contributes to the prevention of ankle dorsiflexion limitation in a situation in which the ankle joint is fixed in maximum plantar flexion position. [Subjects and Methods] In 8-week-old male Wistar rats, the left hindlimb was subjected to joint fixation and the right hindlimb to joint fixation and muscle compression. [Results] Results showed that muscle compression did not prevent the occurrence of joint range of motion limitation. [Conclusion] Further study of the joint fixation limb position and compression method is needed in the future.