Maintaining posture and movement stabilities, that is, balance, is particularly important for safety in daily life along with performing exercises. The purpose of this study was to clarify the changes in static and dynamic balance abilities from 8:00 to 18:00 and investigate the factors of change in balance ability among healthy young people. The subjects were nine relatively active healthy university students. The static and dynamic balance abilities were measured by a body sway test while static standing and the Cross Test, in which the center of gravity was voluntarily moved to the maximum in the front, back, left, and right directions, respectively. No change with time was observed in the static balance index. However, the maximum amplitude in the anteroposterior direction, an index of dynamic balance, significantly increased with time (8:00 vs 18:00, p<0.05). Sleepiness score significantly decreased with time (8:00 vs 18:00, p<0.05). As a result of simple correlation analysis, there were significant relationships between static balance indices (environmental area and rectangle area) and autonomic activity index (heart rate variability) at many times (p<0.05). Thus, it was concluded that the static balance ability was not affected by time. Furthermore, the ability to move the center of gravity in the anteroposterior direction of dynamic balance was low during morning and increased with time in relatively active healthy young people. Additionally, it was suggested that autonomic nervous activity was associated with static balance and the sleepiness was associated with dynamic balance.

This study aimed to clarify the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration body composition by examining male university rugby players in a cross-sectional manner. The subjects were 36 male rugby players (mean age: 20.2 years) who provided us with data regarding their body composition, blood biochemistry examination, and dietary intake frequency. Examination of their serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 【25 (OH) D】 showed that 58% (21/36 subjects) and 42% (15/36 subjects) had sufficient and insufficient intake of vitamin D, respectively. In comparison of serum 25 (OH) D concentrations between players in individual positions, it was suggested that the concentrations were significantly lower in the forward (FW) players compared with the backs (BK) players (p<0.01). The number of FW players with lipid abnormality was significantly higher than that of BK players (p<0.01). Serum 25 (OH) D concentrations showed negative correlations with weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), total body fat amount, and lean body weight. Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that serum 25 (OH) D concentration would be affected by BMI. The average serum 25 (OH) D concentration among obese class II – IV players was 27.8 ng/mL, which was significantly lower than that of players with a normal weight or obese class I (34.2 ng/mL, p<0.01, 33.1 ng/mL, p<0.01). These findings suggest that vitamin D intake among obese class II – IV players was not sufficient, despite the fact that their intake of vitamin D was 14.1 µg, which was much higher than the adequate intake level. In the future, further studies should clarify how increased intake of vitamin D could improve physical characteristics.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between smoking and cardiopulmonary function, and the effect of smoking habit on exercise tolerance after discharge from the hospital, focusing on CPX test data of patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction, and on CPX test data at 6 months after discharge. A total of 123 male patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction between April 2014 and December 2020 were included. Laboratory and CPX data were compared between smokers and non-smokers. CPX data of smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers were also compared in 24 patients who underwent CPX examination 6 months after discharge. HDL-C was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) and τON was significantly prolonged (p < 0.05) during hospitalization in smokers. τON was significantly shorter only in ex-smokers (p < 0.05) 6 months after discharge compared to during hospitalization. These results suggest that τON, which reflects the oxygen uptake kinetics of peripheral tissues, is shortened by smoking cessation.

Vibration sensation is related to motor function. However, it is unclear which vibration frequencies are associated with motor function. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, we investigated whether a specific frequency of vibration sensation could explain motor functions. Thirty-two community-dwelling Japanese healthy older adults aged 70 years or older participated in the present study. Grip strength, one-leg standing time, and 10-m walking time were evaluated as indicators of motor function. Vibratory (40, 128, and 256 Hz) and tactile sensory tests were examined as sensory functions. Grip strength per body weight was significantly correlated with sex, body mass index, falls efficacy scale, vibration sensation with 40 and 128 Hz, and 10-m walking time (P < 0.05). Furthermore, one-leg standing time showed a correlation between vibration sensation (128 and 256 Hz) and fall history (P < 0.05). However, 10-m walking time was significantly correlated with only the grip strength to body weight ratio. Multiple regression analysis showed that vibration sensation with 128 Hz (β = 0.427) and sex (β = -0.335) (P < 0.05) were significant independent variables associated with grip strength to body weight ratio. Vibration sensation with 256 Hz (β = 0.465) and age (β = -0.343) (P < 0.05) were significant independent variable associated with one-leg standing time. No significant variables were identified for the 10-m walking time. Vibration sensation associated with motor function shows specific frequency characteristics in community-dwelling older Japanese adults.

Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is one of the most common sport-related injuries among basketball players. Most basketball players experience a first LAS particularly in junior high school. Thus, it is crucial to develop effective prevention strategies for LAS in junior high school populations. However, the characteristics for first-time LAS are not clear. This study aimed to compare the physical and functional characteristics of junior high school basketball players with and without a history of LAS. Two hundred and thirty-eight junior high school basketball players (128 boys and 110 girls) volunteered for this study. We asked participants to complete a self-reported injury history questionnaire. We also assessed physical functions, including range of motion, muscular strength, dynamic balance, and performance. The prevalence of LAS was 75.6% (boys: 73.4%, girls: 78.2%). Boys with a history of LAS had significantly higher height, body mass, and BMI compared to those without a history of LAS (p<0.05). Girls with a history of LAS had significantly lower scores on the star excursion balance test in the anterior reaching direction compared with the control group (p=0.015). Various measures of physical function were associated with LAS, but these associations were different between boys’ and girls’ basketball players. These findings from this study indicate that clinicians should identify sex-specific impairments associated with LAS when designing targeted intervention programs.