The purpose of this study was to investigate the energy cost of the three types of exercise: walking, New-Exercise-walking, and jogging. Eleven healthy male subjects of their ages of 20's participated in this study. They performed each exercise for five minutes on a treadmill at speeds of 4 and 6 km/h. Oxygen consumption (VO₂), HR, SBP/DBP, and cadence were measured. VO₂ and HR were both significantly greater for jogging and New-Exercise-walking than for walking at a speed of 4 km/h, but there were no significant differences at 6 km/h. Cadence was the highest for jogging and the lowest for New-Exercise-walking. These results suggest that New-Exercise-walking at 4 km/h is useful in developing physical fitness because its oxygen consumption level is the same as that of jogging.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of aerobic exercise on endothelium-dependent vasodilation in humans. We evaluated the forearm blood flow (FBF) response to acetylcoline (ACh), an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, and isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), an endothelium-independent vasodilator, before and after exercise (bicycle ergometers, 30 min, 5 to 7 times per week, for 12 weeks, 50%Vo2max) in healty young men (n=8, mean age: 27 ± 3 yr). FBF was measured using a mercury-filled Silastic strain-gauge plethysmograpy. Twelve weeks of exercise significantly augmentated ACh-induced vasodilation (7.5 ± 2.4 to 11.4 ± 5.8 ml/min/100 ml tissue, p<0.05). Aerobic exercise didn't alter ISDN-induced vasodilation. Administration of NG-monomethyl-L-arginin (L-NMMA), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, abolished exercise-induced augmentation of the FBF response to ACh. These findings suggest that aerobic exercise augments endothelium-dependent vasodilation in humans through the increased nitric oxide production.

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Standing-up motion from supine position is evaluated by its motion process or by the required time to finish. The present study examined the interrater and intrarater reliability for the measurement of the time to stand up from supine position on the basis of the generalizability theory. Six examiners and 6 examinees, all of whom had no experience of measuring standing-up motions, participated in the study. Examinees were asked to stand up from supine position as quick as possible and the examiners measured the time by a stopwatch. First, the reliability coefficient of the data was obtained, and the number of examiners and measurements were then determined for guaranteeing high reliability. As a result, the conditions for high reliability were the three or more repetitive measurements by one examiner, and two or more repetitive measurements by two or more examiners. The measurement of the required time for standing-up motion can guarantee high reliability under a specified condition. Further studies are needed to conform the judgement for the end of motion in the measurement among disabled, and to examine the effect of an examiner's skill on the measurement.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of six weeks of high intensity pedaling-training on muscle function. Thirteen healthy adults participated in this study. Isokinetic muscle strength of the knee extensor and flexor, thigh circumference, body fat, anaerobic power, muscle thickness, fat thickness and the maximum oxygen intake were evaluated in this study before and after training. As a result, isokinetic knee extension torque at 60 deg/sec and 180 deg/sec and isokinetic knee flexion torque at 60 deg/sec increased significantly after six weeks of training. Thigh circumference showed significant increases, but thigh muscle thickness was not changed significantly. Anaerobic power was found to be significantly increased during the 6-week training period. However, there were no changes in body fat, fat thickness and maximum oxygen intake. It was suggested that high intensity pedaling-training was effective as muscle training.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of house designs for the elderly and disabled. We devised a method for characterizing the plans of new houses and compared examples of new houses for the disabled and ordinary non-adapted houses in the Hokkaido region of Japan. We examined 65 houses for the disabled and 70 ordinary non-adapted houses. The results showed that the proportion of corridor type designs, in which there are two lines of flow in the bedroom, was significantly more in the houses for the disabled. In addition, more classifications were needed to categorize the houses for the disabled, some of which contained a toilet and/or bathroom for exclusive use by the disabled member of the household.

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This article introduces treatment of Mechanical low back pain using McKenzie Approach. McKenzie classifies low back pain into three diagnostic categories on the basis of clinical symptoms and responses to examination movements; Postural syndrome, Dysfunction syndrome and Derangement syndrome. Dysfunction syndrome and Derangement syndrome are further classified into several subcategories. Appropriate mechanical diagnosises are decided an integral part in McKenzie Approach. McKenzie Approach consists basically of 17 treatment techniques, most of which are self-treatments by patients. McKenzie points out that 70% of low back pain can be treated without mobilization and manipulation, and claims that intervention by a therapist not only makes patients passive but also results in an elongation of treatment period. He also emphasizes that treatment techniques by a therapist should be given only when self-treatment by a patient does not appear to exert an effect.

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