Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise of different intensities on skeletal muscle functions in a mouse model of emphysema.

Methods: 10-week-old wild-type male mice (C57BL/6) were used (n=20). They were divided into two groups: fifteen mice in the emphysema group and five in the control group. The emphysema group was prepared as a model of emphysema induced by intratracheal administration of cigarette smoke solution. The emphysema group was further divided into three groups: low-, moderate-, and non-exercise groups (n=5, each), each of which received 4 weeks of exercise intervention the same time when the emphysema model was created. The exercise tolerance of each group was assessed by progressive stress tests, and the percentage of myofiber type in the gastrocnemius muscle was evaluated via Adenosine Triphosphatase and Succinate Dehydrogenase stainings.

Results: Exercise tolerance significantly increased in the moderate-intensity exercise group compared to that in the control and non-exercise groups. The percentage of myofiber type IIA significantly decreased in the moderate-intensity exercise group compared to that in the control group.

Conclusion: Moderate-intensity exercise may reduce the percentage of type IIA fibers in skeletal muscle and improve exercise tolerance in mice with emphysema, independent of aerobic enzymes.

Objective: To clarify the impact of sarcopenia on the performance index of patients admitted to convalescent rehabilitation wards.

Methods: We included consecutive patients aged ≥65 years admitted to a single palliative care unit between May 2019 and June 2020. The primary outcome was the performance index, an indicator of the degree of improvement in the ability to perform activities of daily living. Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationship between sarcopenia and the performance index.

Results: Among the 128 patients (mean age 81.5 years), the prevalence of sarcopenia was 76.6%. The performance index of the sarcopenia group was significantly lower than that of the non-sarcopenia group (42.2 vs. 52.2, p=0.039). The multiple regression analysis showed that sarcopenia was independently associated with the performance index (β=−20.91, p=0.003). In addition, the Skeletal Muscle Mass Index was independently associated with the performance index (β=−18.82, p=0.008).

Conclusion: Sarcopenia was an independent predictor of the performance index in patients admitted to convalescent rehabilitation wards.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of physical performance measures for people aged over 65 years who are at risk for locomotive syndrome stage 1, and to examine the cut-off value of the physical performance measures for locomotive syndrome stage 1.

Methods: This study population consisted of 182 people aged 65 and above who participated in a medical examination project in a municipality near Nagoya University. Using the locomotive syndrome risk test, the participants were divided into groups with and without locomotive syndrome stage 1. The relationship of locomotive syndrome stage 1 with the physical performance measures was analyzed between the two groups. The cut-off values were examined for the factors that were significantly associated with locomotive syndrome stage 1.

Results: As determined by logistic regression analysis, one-leg standing time with eyes open showed a significant association with locomotive syndrome stage 1 (p<0.01). In addition, one-leg standing time with eyes open for 17.0 s was found to be the cut-off value for locomotive syndrome stage 1 (AUC=0.66, sensitivity: 42%, specificity: 88%).

Conclusions: It was observed that the most relevant physical performance measure for locomotive syndrome stage 1 was one-leg standing time with eyes open. It was observed that 17.0 s was the cut-off value for one-leg standing time with eyes open for locomotive syndrome stage 1.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to clarify the predictors involved in improving motor function in patients with putamen bleeding who have severe lower limb movement disorder.

Method: The participants were 42 patients with putamen bleeding who had a total lower limb movement score of 3 points or less on the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS) at the time of admission to the Kaifukuki rehabilitation ward (Kaifukuki ward). Survey items including age, gender, number of days from onset to Kaifukuki ward discharge, brain injury side, total lower limb movement of SIAS at the time of admission, tendon reflex, muscle tone, tactile sense, position sense, trunk verticality, abdominal muscle, visual space cognitive score, total motor and cognitive scores of functional independence measure, degree of damage to the corticospinal tract running area several days after the onset, amount of hematoma, and presence or absence of ventricular perforation were determined.

Results: Multiple regression analysis was performed, with the degree of improvement in motor function as the dependent variable, and the item with significant correlation to the degree of improvement as the independent variable. The results of statistical analyses revealed that younger age, lower degree of damage to corticospinal tract running area, and higher SIAS trunk verticality score were significantly associated with the improvement of motor function.

Conclusion: This study suggests that the sitting ability, in addition to the age and degree of damage to the corticospinal tract running area, are important in the assessment of physical therapy in order to predict the improvement of motor function in patients with severe motor disorders.