関節可動域運動はラット関節拘縮モデルにおける関節包の筋線維芽細胞増生を抑制する

Objective: Immobilization of the rat knee joint causes fibrosis of the joint capsule, andmyofibroblasts have been implicated as the cause. This study aimed to perform range ofmotion exercises on a rat knee joint contracture model and clarify changes in the jointrange of motion and changes in the joint capsule using α -SMA-positive cells.Subjects and Methods: Eighteen male Wistar rats were used and randomly divided intothe following three groups: control, immobilized, and exercise. The right hindlimb kneejoints of rats in the immobilized and exercise groups were immobilized with externalfixation at 120 degrees of flexion, and range of motion exercises were started for theanimals in the exercise group the day after the joint immobilization. After a two-weekexperimental period, the knee joint extension restriction angles were measured, and theknee joints were collected as specimens. To observe the posterior joint capsules of the ratknee joints, hematoxylin and eosin staining and double immunostaining for α -SMA andCD34 were performed.Results: Differences in knee extension restriction angles were significant between allgroups, and differences in the number of α -SMA-positive cells were significant betweenthe control and immobilization groups.Conclusion: These results suggest that joint immobilization leads to the proliferationof myofibroblasts, and that range-of-motion exercises may inhibit the proliferation ofmyofibroblasts

Precise Measurement of Cosmic-Ray Proton and Helium Spectra with the BESS Spectrometer

We report cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra in energy ranges of 1 to 120 GeV and 1 to 54 GeV/nucleon, respectively, measured by a balloon flight of the BESS spectrometer in 1998. The magnetic-rigidity of the cosmic-rays was reliably determined by highly precise measurement of the circular track in a uniform solenoidal magnetic field of 1 Tesla. Those spectra were determined within overall uncertainties of +-5 % for protons and +- 10 % for helium nuclei including statistical and systematic errors.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure