The present study was performed to examine the effectiveness of sole tapping stimulations, which have been confirmed to lead to cortical and behavioral arousal. Twenty patients with vascular dementia received a 15-min sole tapping stimulation twice a day for 2 months. After the stimulation, their intellectual levels of HDS-R were significantly improve, and ADL of FIM and mental symptoms evaluated by the Mental Symptom Severity Test were also significantly improved. In addition to its simplicity and acceptability, the sole tapping stimulation was considered effective for the treatment of patients with vascular dementia.

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To examine the features of balance performance in subjects with hemiplegia, we measured the area of postural sway and the area of weight shifts in 31 patients with cerebro-vascular accident. As a result, we found a significant relationship between walking perfomance and the area of weight shifts, which suggested the ability to perform active weight shifts is important to improve walking performance of hemiplegic snhiects

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The purpose of this study was to examine the factors responsible for activities of daily living (ADL) of chronic hemiplegic patients. Subjects consisted of 130 patients with cerebrovascular diseases (60 males and 70 females) who had spent over 6 months from the onset and their physical, mental and higher cortical functions were assessed. The results indicated that the followings exhibited a significant correlation to Barthel Index: age, Brunnstrom stage, muscle strength of sound side, deep sensitivity (position and kinesthetic sense), walking ability, the results of HDS-R, WAIS-R (PIQ, TIQ) and KOHS cube assortment tests. The followings, on the other hand, showed little correlation to Barthel Index: sex, side of hemiplegia, the results of WAIS-R (VIQ), aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia.

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The purposes of this study were to analyze the causative factors for identification disorder of place in the elderly with dementia and to develop assistive environmental objects. Thirty institutionalized elderly persons of the facility of health care services for the elderly (15 of healthy and 15 of dementia groups) participated into the study. After seeing 3 photographs each of kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and wash room, they were asked the name of place and reasons for identifying it. Dementia group indicated lower rate of correct answer for name of place, and listed fewer identifying objects of each place, compared with healthy group. Dementia group often pointed out the objects that cannot be characteristic of place and misconceived some objects. The results suggested that one of the causative factors for identification disorder of place may be a lack of effective information for identifying each place. The possibility exists that identification disorder of place in the elderly with dementia is improved by adjusting placement and shape of environmental objects to provide effective information.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify how a surface electromyography (EMG) power spectral analysis for evaluation of quality of muscle is influenced by differences in the measurement methods (differences in placement of an electrodes, and in contraction pattern). The subjects were 13 healthy males aged 23.5±1.3 year old in average. Three placement points of electrodes were gluteus medius muscle belly, tendon, and tensor fasciae latae muscle belly. The contraction patterns consisted of a maximal voluntary isometric contraction (ISOME), concentric contraction (CON), and eccentric contraction (ECC). As a result, a significantly larger muscle strength was observed in ECC than in ISOME and CON. There was no difference in EMG power spectral characteristic among placement points of electrodes. As an influence of individual difference (noise in the measurement) was greater in the dynamic measurement by CON and ECC, the static measurement by ISOME considered valid.

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We designed a 6-min motor stress test on bicycle ergometer at three different exercise intensities of 50, 100 and 150 W, and examined the relation between muscle fatigue of vastus lateralis muscle and the exercise intensity from the results of integrated EMG (IEMG) and median power frequency (MdPF) of 8 healthy males. At the exercise intensities of 50 and 100 W, there was no change both in IEMG and MdPF throughout the experimental period. At the exercise intensity of 150 W, there was no change in IEMG and MdPF until 3 min, but an increase in IEMG and a transfer of MdPF to the low frequency range were observed in 5 subjects from 4 min. This suggests that muscle fatigue of vastus lateralis muscle is induced at the exercise intensity from 100 to 150 W.

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To investigate a change of muscle fatigability in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in improvement of muscle strength, we examined muscle force and electromyogram during sustained maximal voluntary contractions at two different times of disease course, and compared with those of 19 healthy subjects. Approximately two months after onset, GBS patients showed significantly lower values in both the force and integrated electromyogram (IEMG), compared with healthy subjects, especially within 50 days after onset. But approximately three months after onset, there was no significant differences in the force and change pattern of IEMG between GBS patients and healthy subjects. These results suggest that high muscle fatigability of GBS patients in the early stage may improve with an increase of muscle strength, reaching the same level as healthy subjects within approximately three months after onset.

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Changes in urinary excretion of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by exercise was determined in eight healthy subjects. Urinary H₂O₂ was determined according to Varma's method based on the decarboxylation of 1-¹⁴C-alpha-ketoglutaric acid by H₂O₂. The liberated ¹⁴CO₂ was counted by a liquid scintillation counter. Urine sample was diluted to 1:50 with Tyrode buffer, and the amount of water load was 50 ?? 300 ml/h with an average of 141.7 ml/h. Exercise was performed by bicycle ergometer for 30 minutes at the intensity of 80% and 40% of maximum heart rate predicted by age. When they were at rest with only water load, urine volume significantly increased during the first 2 ?? 3 h, whereas it increased slightly by exercise at the intensity of 80%. The urinary excretion rate of H₂O₂ increased slightly in the mode at the rest, whereas it decreased immediately after exercise at the intensity of 80%, followed by an increase 3 hr after exercise, and the subsequent decrease thereafter. At the exercise intensity of 80%, urinary excretion rate of H₂O₂ was significantly lower than that in rest mode. The results obtained in this study indicated that measurements of the urinary H₂O₂ excretion rate was demonstrated quantitative, suggesting that the urinary excretion rate of H₂O₂ in urine may be affected by water diuresis and sodium reabsorption at tubules.

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Autogenic training (AT) is considered to play pivotal roles in an elevation of peripheral skin temperature, increase of peripheral blood flow and depression of blood pressure. The possibilities exist that the peripheral circulation is improved and the healing process is facilitated in patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy and several postoperations. But there are no studies about AT in physical therapy area. The purposes of this study were (1) to examine the effects of AT on the peripheral circulation, and (2) to discuss the clinical value. We performed AT three times to twenty-three normal healthy subjects, and measured the surface skin temperature, blood flow velocity, blood pressure and pulse before and after each AT. As a result, there was a significant rise in the surface skin temperature at the last measurement. The blood flow velocity tended to increase, and the blood pressure tended to depress. These results agreed with those by previous AT specialists. Further clinical work needs to be done among the patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy and several postoperations.

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We examined the ultrastructure of myotendinous junction in the tendon bundle and aponeurosis areas of mouse gastrocnemius. In the tendon bundle area, a finger-shape invaginated junction was observed myofibril and collagenous fiber. Basement membrane and sacroplasm membrane were found in collagenous fiber and myofibril, respectively, and actin filament of the end of the myotome (Z Iine) connected with sacroplasm membrane. In the aponeurosis area, protruding tendon bundles appeared in the acute angle from the aponeurosis, with a similar connection structure to the tendon bundle area. Muscle fibers run obliquely at various angles to the long axis of the muscle, making a connection of tendon bundles. Gastrocnemius lacks in changes of contraction as an antigravity muscle, but has an effective muscle design for producing the maxi-mum muscle tension.

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