Dose-response relationship between sports activity and musculoskeletal pain in adolescents.

Physical activity has multiple health benefits but may also increase the risk of developing musculoskeletal pain (MSP). However, the relationship between physical activity and MSP has not been well characterized. This study examined the dose-response relationship between sports activity and MSP among adolescents. Two school-based serial surveys were conducted 1 year apart in adolescents aged 12 to 18 years in Unnan, Japan. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 2403 students. Associations between time spent in organized sports activity and MSP were analyzed cross-sectionally (n = 2403) and longitudinally (n = 374, students free of pain and in seventh or 10th grade at baseline) with repeated-measures Poisson regression and restricted cubic splines, with adjustment for potential confounders. The prevalence of overall pain, defined as having pain recently at least several times a week in at least one part of the body, was 27.4%. In the cross-sectional analysis, sports activity was significantly associated with pain prevalence. Each additional 1 h/wk of sports activity was associated with a 3% higher probability of having pain (prevalence ratio = 1.03, 95% confidence interval = 1.02-1.04). Similar trends were found across causes (traumatic and nontraumatic pain) and anatomic locations (upper limbs, lower back, and lower limbs). In longitudinal analysis, the risk ratio for developing pain at 1-year follow-up per 1 h/wk increase in baseline sports activity was 1.03 (95% confidence interval = 1.02-1.05). Spline models indicated a linear association (P < 0.001) but not a nonlinear association (P ≥ 0.45). The more the adolescents played sports, the more likely they were to have and develop pain.This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. MK is supported by a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad. FI is supported by the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit (MC_UU_12015/1; MC_UU_12015/5).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wolters Kluwer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.000000000000052

Is “less calories and more exercise” enough to prevent hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia in individuals undergoing health checkups? A 5-year retrospective cohort study

　Medical professionals generally use “less calories and more exercise” as advice to patients with lifestyle-related diseases. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine suitable lifestyle modification strategies to prevent hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia in individuals who participated in a medical health check. Health check data of 24, 244 individuals who underwent a specific health check at a health service organization in Fukuyama, Japan from 2011 to 2015 were compared and the association between current lifestyle and onset of hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia in the next 5 years was assessed via Cox proportional hazard model. Current daily alcohol consumption was associated with the onset of hypertension in the next 5 years. Onset of diabetes was related to current smoking. In addition, “eating quickly” was related to diabetes onset in the next 5 years. Given that these lifestyle habits were associated with the onset of the diseases after adjustment with BMI, more appropriate recommendations for lifestyle modification should be considered at health guidance

Is “less calories and more exercise” enough to prevent hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia in individuals undergoing health checkups? A 5-year retrospective cohort study

Regular Articlejournal articl

A Simple Method for Transportation of Mouse Embryos Using Microtubes and a Warm Box.

Generally, transportation of preimplantation embryos without freezing requires incubators that can maintain an optimal culture environment with a suitable gas phase, temperature, and humidity. Such incubators are expensive to transport. We reported previously that normal offspring were obtained when the gas phase and temperature could be maintained during transportation. However, that system used plastic dishes for embryo culture and is unsuitable for long-distance transport of live embryos. Here, we developed a simple low-cost embryo transportation system. Instead of plastic dishes, several types of microtubes-usually used for molecular analysis-were tested for embryo culture. When they were washed and attached to a gas-permeable film, the rate of embryo development from the 1-cell to blastocyst stage was more than 90%. The quality of these blastocysts and the rate of full-term development after embryo transfer to recipient female mice were similar to those of a dish-cultured control group. Next, we developed a small warm box powered by a battery instead of mains power, which could maintain an optimal temperature for embryo development during transport. When 1-cell embryos derived from BDF1, C57BL/6, C3H/He and ICR mouse strains were transported by a parcel-delivery service over 3 days using microtubes and the box, they developed to blastocysts with rates similar to controls. After the embryos had been transferred into recipient female mice, healthy offspring were obtained without any losses except for the C3H/He strain. Thus, transport of mouse embryos is possible using this very simple method, which might prove useful in the field of reproductive medicine

Full-term development of embryos cultured in the warm box.

<p>Key: Gas perm. film, gas-permeable film; M/B, Morula/Blastocyst; Frag, fragmentation; implant., implantation</p><p>Full-term development of embryos cultured in the warm box.</p

Full-term development of embryos cultured in microtubes with or without a gas-permeable film.

<p>Values with different superscript letters are significantly different (<i>P</i> < 0.05 by χ² tests).</p><p>Key: Gas perm. film, gas-permeable film; M/B, Morula/Blastocyst; Frag, fragmentation; implant., implantation</p><p>Full-term development of embryos cultured in microtubes with or without a gas-permeable film.</p

Microtubes and the simple warm box.

<p>(A) Puncturing a microtube lid using scissors. (B) A hole in the microtube lid facilitates gas exchange. (C) A microtube capped with a gas-permeable film. (D) Tubes were transferred into a plastic bag with the special gas mix. (E) Side view of the warm box showing a temperature indicator in the center. (F) A plastic bag placed in the box.</p

Full-term development of inbred or outbred mouse strain embryos transported by parcel-delivery service.

<p>Key: Gas perm. film, gas-permeable film; M/B, Morula/Blastocyst; Frag, fragmentation; implant., implantation</p><p>Full-term development of inbred or outbred mouse strain embryos transported by parcel-delivery service.</p