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Context: Plantar intrinsic foot muscle strength training is difficult to master to a degree sufficient to elicit muscle hypertrophy in most individuals. It is possible that combining neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES) and blood flow restriction (BFR) can elicit plantar intrinsic foot muscle hypertrophy regardless of the individual's technique. This study aimed to determine the effects of NMES training with BFR on acute muscle swelling in the abductor hallucis. Design: Randomized, controlled, single-blind trial design. Methods: Forty-eight participants were randomly allocated to the NMES + BFR, NMES, or Sham NMES + BFR groups. All participants received abductor hallucis NMES for 15 minutes. Participants in the NMES + BFR and Sham NMES + BFR groups received NMES with BFR. The intensity of NMES was the sensory threshold in the Sham NMES + BFR group. The cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis was measured pretraining and posttraining using ultrasonography by a single investigator blinded to the participants' allocations. Results: After 15 minutes of training, the cross-sectional area of the abductor hallucis was significantly increased in the NMES + BFR (P<.001) and the Sham NMES + BFR (P = .004) groups. Moreover, the rate of increase was significantly higher in the NMES + BFR group than in the NMES or the Sham NMES + BFR groups (P<.001 and P = . 001, respectively). Conclusions: Since it is possible that the amount of muscle swelling immediately after training correlates with muscle hypertrophy when training is continued, the results of this study suggest that NMES training with BFR is a training method that can be expected to produce plantar intrinsic foot muscle hypertrophy. Further studies are needed to confirm the long-term effects of NMES training with BFR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA-2) and to use this tool to describe the features of speech in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The Japanese version of FDA-2 was culturally adapted, and reliability and validity were examined in 22 and 50 patients, respectively. The Japanese version of FDA-2 was administered to 51 patients with DMD. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to FDA-2 scores. Inter-/intra-rater reliabilities (ICCs) and internal consistency (Cronbach's α) for total scores were 0.76, 0.97, and 0.94 respectively. For construct validity, two-way ANOVA showed a significant interaction between the disorders and FDA-2 sections (p < 0.05). In DMD patients, the item of tongue at rest was most severely affected, reflecting tongue hypertrophy. Multiple regression analysis identified age, swallowing status, and ventilator use as significantly related. The results showed that the Japanese version of FDA-2 has satisfactory reliability and validity. The present study demonstrated the features of dysarthria and related factors in patients with DMD. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an absent or defective dystrophin protein causes progressive weakness of respiratory and oropharyngeal muscles, both of which are crucial contributors to speech production. This study shows that the Japanese version of FDA-2 has satisfactory reliability and validity compared to original version. The Japanese version of FDA-2 characterizes dysarthria in patients with DMD in this cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influence of different load exercise to muscle activity during subsequent exercise with 75% of one repetition maximum (RM) load among trained and untrained individuals was verified. Resistance-trained men who were involved in resistance training (n = 16) and healthy young men who did not exercise regularly (n = 16) were recruited for this study. Each subject performed bench pressing with a narrow grip exercise using two different training set methods, the drop-set (DS) (3 sets x 2-10 repetitions with 95-75% of 1RM) and the reverse drop-set (RDS) (3 sets x 3-10 repetitions with 55-75% of 1RM). The mean concentric contraction power, root mean square (RMS) of electromyogra-phy (EMG), area under the oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) curve, and time constant for muscle oxygen consumption (TcVO2mus) values of the triceps brachii were measured during and after the DS and RDS. The trained group demonstrated significantly higher mean muscle power (242.9 ± 39.6 W vs. 215.8 ± 31.7 W), RMS of EMG (86.4 ± 10.4 % vs. 68.3 ± 9.6 %), and area under the Oxy-Hb curve (38.6 ± 7.4 % • sec vs. 29.3 ± 5.8 % • sec) values during the DS than during the RDS (p < 0.05). However, in the untrained group none of the parameters differed significantly for both the DS and RDS. Furthermore, a negative correlation was detected between the area under the Oxy-Hb curve and muscle thickness (r = -0.51, p < 0.01). Long-term effects of DS on muscle strengthening and hypertrophy will be explored in further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research investigating the effects of training volume on upper limb muscular strength and hypertrophy. The team recruited eight sedentary, untrained young Japanese men. The men trained their elbow flexor muscles twice per week for 12 consecutive weeks using a crossover-like design in which their arms randomly assigned to training with one or three sets of weights. The impact of a three-set protocol for sedentary untrained individuals is discussed.

Conclusion: Rhinomanometry is a useful method for evaluating nasal airway patency in schoolchildren, and we could confirm the validity of the results it produces. Objective:Our purposewas to assess the validity nasal resistancemeasurements produced using anterior active rhinomanometry by comparing the resultswith thoseofour previous study andtodetermine anormal value of thenasal resistance. Methods: Nasal resistance was measured by rhinomanometry in 852 children using the active anterior method. Results: Mean nasal resistance was 0.45 ±0.70 Pa/cm3/s.Nasal diseases were noted in 358 (42%) children, and nasal condition was normal (the normal group) in 494 (58%) children. Nasal resistance was 0.57 ±1.05 Pa/cm3/s in the nasal disease group and 0.35 ± 0.16 Pa/cm3/s in the normal group, showing that resistance was significantly higher in the nasal disease group. In the normal nasal groups, nasal resistance tended to be lower in the children in higher grades (first grade, 0.44 ±0.17 Pa/cm3/s; second grade, 0.37 ± 0.11 Pa/cm3/s; third grade, 0.36 ±0.23 Pa/cm3/s; fourth grade, 0.36 ±0.14 Pa/cm3/s; fifth grade, 0.30 ±0.08 Pa/cm3/s; sixth grade, 0.29 ±0.11 Pa/cm3/s), and taller groups (<120 cm, 0.43 ±0.16 Pa/cm3/s; 120-130 cm, 0.37 ±0.19 Pa/cm3/s; 130-140cm, 0.34±0.12 Pa/cm3/s; >140 cm, 0.28±0.09 Pa/cm3/s).Results similar to those seen in our previous studywere obtained in each group [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]