ABSTRACT Objective: To compare the acute effects of Tai Chi Yuttari-exercise and walking exercises (with the same level of intensity) on oxidative stress and antioxidative capacity in older women. Methods: Six older women (average age, 72 years) performed 30 minutes of Tai Chi Yuttari-exercise and 30 minutes of walking (average speed, 2.72 km/h) 1 week apart. Their reactive oxygen metabolite-derived compounds (d-ROMs), as an indicator of oxidative stress, and biological antioxidant potential (BAP), as an indicator of antioxidant capacity, were measured before, immediately after, and 30 minutes after the exercise. We performed intragroup and intergroup comparisons for d-ROMs, BAP, and BAP/d-ROMs. Results: In the intragroup comparison, no significant differences were found in either group regarding d-ROMs, BAP, or BAP/d-ROM ratio in any of the time point. In the intergroup comparison, the walking exercise group exhibited significantly lower pre-exercise values for BAP and BAP/d-ROM ratio than the Tai Chi Yuttari-exercise group (P<.05), but there was no significant difference in any indicators immediately after or 30 minutes after the exercise. Conclusion: After performing Tai Chi Yuttari-exercise, our results may suggest that older women showed similar d-ROMs as indicators of oxidative stress, BAP, and BAP/d-ROMs ratios to those resulting from comfortable walking.

ABSTRACT Background/Aim. Trunk lateral flexion is frequently assessed with many measurement tools at clinical setting. The aim of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of a novel lateral trunk flexion test (LTFT). Methods. Twelve young men and two raters participated in this study. The LTFT was measured by one rater three times on each side of each participant. Two weeks later, a different rater measured the LTFT in each participant a second time. Test-retest reliability was analyzed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV). The minimum detectable change (MDC) was also calculated. Results. Intra-rater reliability was excellent for both raters: ICC (1,3): right side, 0.90 and 0.94; left side, 0.94 and 0.91. The CVs of the first and second rater were 9.2% and 6.0% for the right side, and 5.8% and 6.9% for the left side. The interrater reliability, which verified the coincidence of the two raters, was also excellent: ICC (2,3) for the right side 0.96 and 0.98 for the left side. The MDC was 1.83 cm for the right side and 1.45 cm for the left side. Conclusions. The LTFT showed excellent test-retest reliability. In the future, it will be necessary to examine the validity of LTFT and to verify the reliability and validity by conducting it on patients with diseases.

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to examine the effects of brain function check and training tools on cognitive function and behavior modification in 59 community-dwelling people. Cognitive function was evaluated using CogEvo Ri, and the cognitive training was one month of free access to CogEvo personal. In addition, we evaluated a questionnaire survey on mood profiles, quality of life, fatigue, physical activity and behavioral changes. Orientation, recent memory, planning and working memory were significantly improved after cognitive training. Moreover, cognitive training significantly improved mood profile and fatigue. Stepwise regression analysis revealed age, cognitive function at baseline and the total usage of CogEvo personal as an independent predictor of change in average accuracy rate of cognitive function. In conclusion, it was suggested that the use of CogEvo contributed to interest in the need to prevent dementia and the development of new behavior.

ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the posterior cruciate ligament for posterior knee instability in injured knees using ultrasound. Methods: The reliability of measurement using an ultrasound gel pad and self-made instrument for both healthy knees was verified using a custom-made device. In the supine and standing positions, the knee was maintained at 90° flexion, and the femur-tibiastep-off was calculated; the side-to-side-difference served as an index． Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient the average value of 3 measurements was high among and between the examiners．According to the Bland-Altman analysis, the minimum detectable change was <1 mm, and the standard error was low among and between the examiners. The average value of the side-to-side-difference of the femur-tibia-step-off was 0.11 ± 0.52 mm. Conclusion: The femur-tibia-step-off can be determined with relative and absolute reliability for an average of 3 measurements obtained using ultrasound. ultrasound is useful for the evaluation of posterior knee instability.

ABSTRACT Objective: We used ultrasound imaging to measure the myotendinous junction displacement associated with the extensor hallucis, and examined its reliability. Methods: We examined the legs of 10 female adults (20 legs) which had no history of external trauma. We measured the displacement of the myotendinous junction under two conditions, namely with the MP joint of the hallux extended at either 0° or 30°. To examine the reliability of the measurements, we used intraclass correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman analysis. Results: Intraclass correlation coefficient was ≥0.8 for both intra-rater reliability (1,1) and inter-rater reliability (2,1). The BlandAltman analysis did not identify any systematic errors. Conclusion: Measurement of myotendinous junction replacement using ultrasound imaging was highly reliable.

The purpose of this study was to explore the results gained for nursing training program by nursing students who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake who participated in a specialized disaster nursing program, that focused on changes in thinking and behavior among the participants. Semi-structured consented interviews were conducted with five program participants between February and March 2016. Semi-structured interviews were based on an interview guide and contained questions about reflections on impressive events and people, learning and changes in oneself. Data was qualitatively and inductively analyzed. Students’ experiences comprised six major categories. Students who participated in the training felt “anxiety of performance” before starting the training, “puzzled” during the training and like they had “learning how to face and deal with difficult difficulties” after the training. Students also became aware of “Self-improvement”, noticed “a deepening of the nursing”, gained “greater expectations for the possibility of a nursing job”. This training aimed for the future and what to do in order to motivate nursing students who experienced a major disaster grow as leaders in the area of disaster nursing care. This study also looked at impact of the disaster on their career choices, such as aiming for a more advanced medical profession to be able to play more active role in the event of a disaster, and improvement in the score of Fundamental Competencies for Working Persons’ self-evaluation was also recognized after this training. All four students who were able to follow up chose a course related to disaster / international nursing.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of exercise intensity on cerebral blood flow. Oxygenated hemoglobin concentration changes in the frontal lobe during 30%, 50%, and 70% exercise intensities were measured in seven healthy adults for one minute each. Then, based on the change in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the frontal lobe during the 30% exercise intensity, the changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration during the 50% and the 70% exercise intensities were compared. The results showed that the 70% exercise intensity increased the change in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the frontal lobe significantly more than the 50% exercise intensity. This suggests that highintensity aerobic exercise activates the cerebral blood flow response.

The purpose of this study was to consider shopping from an occupational perspective, and to clarify the relationships between health-related QOL and shopping. A questionnaire survey regarding shopping from domain of occupational characteristics and SF-8 was administered to of 56 elderly persons who use day-service rehabilitation. Of the 56 subjects, 30 persons did go shopping. As for SF-8, persons who did go shopping had significantly higher values for role physical, general health, vitality, social function, role emotional. Of the people who did go shopping, 24 persons went shopping for their leisure (leisure shopping), while six persons went shopping out of obligation (obligatory shopping). Persons who did obligatory shopping had significantly higher social functioning (p<0.01; effect size = 0.67). For day-service rehabilitation users, shopping was related to the level of general subjective health-related QOL. Compared with those who did leisure shopping, persons who did obligatory shopping had higher values only for social functioning.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of ambulatory-training using the orthotic device ACSIVE on a 16-year-old boy with level II cerebral palsy. Ambulatory-training utilizing ACSIVE was performed 5 days/week for 60 minutes/day for 6 months. Gait measurements were recorded using a 3D motion analysis system. Physical functions were measured using the 5-chair stand, the Timed Up & Go, and the 2-minute walk tests. The patient’s step length, gait speed, hip joint maximum extension angle in the stance phase, and peak generation power of the ankle joint in the pre-swing increased after practice walking. All three physical functions tests also improved. These results suggest that ambulatory exercises using ACSIVE for 6 months can be effective in improving the gait and physical functions of children with cerebral palsy.

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the correlation between psychosocial factors and exercise habits in male undergraduate students to obtain foundational data on the necessary factors for establishing exercise habits. Methods The participants were 13 male undergraduate students in their graduating year learning about health care. Exercise habits were assessed based on the definition of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Items evaluated included exercise self-efficacy (exercise SE) and subjective health (using the Subjective Well-being Inventory, SUBI). Results Comparing the exercise (n = 6) and non-exercise groups (n = 7) revealed a significant difference in exercise SE (9.0 ± 4.2 and 15.2 ± 3.3 points, respectively) (p <0.05). Exercise habits showed significant correlations with exercise SE (r = 0.658) and the SUBI sub-scale “social support” (r = 0.601, p <0.05). Conclusions Maintaining high exercise SE and involvement with the people in one’s life may help promote habitual exercise.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of pain in the lower limbs of high school soccer players. The subjects were 40 male high school soccer players. The presence of pain in the hip joint and groin, knee, ankle, and lower leg related to soccer play was investigated using a questionnaire. 39 players (97.5%) had experienced past or current pain in the lower limbs. The number of players with hip and groin pain was 25 (62.5%), while 24 (60.0%) reported knee pain, 29 (72.5%) reported ankle pain, and 18 (45.0%) reported lower leg pain. Therefore, high school soccer players showed a high incidence of pain in all parts of the lower limbs.

Recently, it has become clear that damage caused by reactive oxygen species, generally referred as “oxidative stress”, is involved in various diseases. In the cell, reactive oxygen species are generated during normal physiological use of molecular oxygen. On the other hand, several lines of research have demonstrated that molecular hydrogen, previously considered to be inert and non-functional in living organisms, reacts with specific reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite. In this review, we will give an overview of the current literature on reactive oxygen species and their interaction with hydrogen as a starting point to discuss hydrogen therapy.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a polyneuritis characterized by acutely progressive motor paralysis. Studies are being advanced and its onset mechanism is being clarified. GBS is generally considered to be a disease with a favorable prognosis, and is expected to recover in 6-month to 1-year. However, it is not unusual for them to be unable to walk after 1-year or more, and to hinder daily life due to fatigue and pain. It is indispensable to have the correct knowledge about the GBS pathology, course, neurological symptoms, specific rehabilitation, etc. in performing rehabilitation. This article reviews pathology, medicine and the rehabilitation for GBS.