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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]

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]

Aim To study whether there is an association between serum immunoglobulin G4 ( IgG4) concentration and cardiac function among cardiology inpatients. Methods This retrospective study included 91 patients who had sinus rhythm. Of 91 patients, 70 patients (77%) were aged ≥60 years (elderly group) and the remaining 21 patients (23%) were aged <60 years (younger group). Results Serum IgG4 concentrations were found to be negatively correlated with brain natriuretic peptide ( BNP) and with E/e′, an indicator for cardiac diastolic function in the elderly group, but not in the younger group. In contrast, IgG4 was significantly correlated with neither left ventricular mass nor ejection fraction in either group. Multivariate regression analysis showed that, in the elderly group, the association between IgG4 and E/e′, and that between IgG4 and BNP, were independent of age, sex, systolic blood pressure and renal function; log-transformed IgG4 showed a negative association with log-transformed E/e′ and log-transformed BNP, with a standardized correlation coefficient of −0.26 (95% confidence interval −0.49 to −0.03, P = 0.030 and −0.22 (95% confidence interval −0.44 to −0.11, P = 0.043), respectively. Conclusion Serum IgG4 concentration might be associated with cardiac diastolic function among elderly cardiology inpatients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 582-588. [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]

Abstract: This paper presents evidence for severe lead contamination among children of samurai families living in a castle town in Edo period Japan (1603–1867). Excavated rib bones were analyzed by atomic absorption, and soft X-ray roentgenograms of long bones were taken. The median values of lead concentration in the bones of children 3 years of age and under(1241.0 μg Pb/g dry bone) and 4–6 years of age (462.5 μg Pb/g dry bone) were significantly higher than those of adult males (14.3 μg Pb/g dry bone) and females (23.6 μg Pb/g dry bone) (p < 0.001). In addition, that of children over 6 years of age (313.0 μg Pb/g dry bone) was significantly higher than those of adult males (p < 0.01) and adult females (p < 0.05). The median value of lead in the bones of children 3 years of age and under was over fifty times higher than that of their mothers (adult females). Hypertrophy was seen in the long bones of five samurai children. In this area, lead lines or lead bands were distinguished by soft X-ray roentgenogram. Samurai children suffered from severe lead contamination in Edo period Japan. When the mothers were nursing their children, the children might have ingested their mother’s white lead non-selectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]