Effects of elevation on shoulder joint motion: comparison of dynamic and static conditions

Background Although visual examination and palpation are used to assess shoulder motion in clinical practice, there is no consensus on shoulder motion under dynamic and static conditions. This study aimed to compare shoulder joint motion under dynamic and static conditions. Methods The dominant arm of 14 healthy adult males was investigated. Electromagnetic sensors attached to the scapular, thorax, and humerus were used to measure three-dimensional shoulder joint motion under dynamic and static elevation conditions and compare scapular upward rotation and glenohumeral joint elevation in different elevation planes and angles. Results At 120° of elevation in the scapular and coronal planes, the scapular upward rotation angle was higher in the static condition and the glenohumeral joint elevation angle was higher in the dynamic condition (P<0.05). In scapular plane and coronal plane elevation 90°–120°, the angular change in scapular upward rotation was higher in the static condition and the angular change in scapulohumeral joint elevation was higher in the dynamic condition (P<0.05). No differences were found in shoulder joint motion in the sagittal plane elevation between the dynamic and static conditions. No interaction effects were found between elevation condition and elevation angle in all elevation planes. Conclusions Differences in shoulder joint motion should be noted when assessing shoulder joint motion in different dynamic and static conditions. Level of evidence Level III, diagnostic cross-sectional study

職場の健康づくり活動に関する一考察 : ヘルスケア・トレーナーの活動状況調査より

The purpose of this research is to clarify the actual situation on the health promotion activities in the Japanese worksites. We focused our investigation on the leaders called Health Care Trainer who undertake the main role in the worksite health promotion activities of the companies and sports clubs. The subjects of this survey were the Health Care Trainers registratered as members of Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association (JISHA). The questionnaire was consisted of five main items : 1. Styles of Health Care Trainers\u27 activities. 2. Smoking control programs. 3. Health check programs. 4. Back care programs. 5. Exercise and fitness programs. The results were as follows : Among the investigated Health Care Trainers, about 30 percent of them have no worksite health promotion activity after getting their license ; some of them didn\u27t have no opportunity to conduct that kind of program at the worksite ; others are now preparing to bring fitness programs for workers ; and also there are some Health Care Trainers who have no idea to guide workers thier health promotions. This seems a part of problem concerning the professinal leadership development and certification system in Japan. We can observe a important lack of leadership which would be expected for all of Health Care Trainers. This research revealed that 57.8 percent of Health Care Trainers\u27 worksites had a smoking control program. 48.2 percent of these Health Care Trainers have given to their perticipants some informations that smoking too much is harmful to his or her health. A smoking control program is not only to inform a worker to stop smoking but to advise him or her to taper down smoking. We suggest that Health Care Trainer should develop their several way of this program in different ways. The Health Care Trainers reported that 91.6 percent of the worksites had the a health check program. The Ministry of Labor and JISHA have distinguished this health check program from the medical check. JISHA\u27s functions are, in the one hand, to aid technically the health check and health guidance programs conducted by enterprises, in the other hand, to aid the setting up of equipments for the health promotion program which permit "Joint enterprises\u27 groups" to conduct the health promotions, practiced under the cooperation between the concerned enterprises and the outside health service organizaions. In order that the health check programs will be carried out not only in the physical area but also mental area, JISHA and the team managers of the worksite health promotion must recruit competent staffs immediatelly. 79.5 percent of the Health Care Trainers answered that they given a back care program. In Japan, many office workers suffer often from backache. Because they have been obliged the unnatural and forced postures during their work, the back care program should be developed as a check system with regard to their working times rather than for to other times. A exercise and fitness program reprensented 97.6 percent of all worksite health promotion activities. These programs should be managed and administrated by the Health Care Trainers. According to "JISHA-Trainig Text for Health Care Trainer", the trainer should understand the influence given by the lack of daily exercise and fitness activities. The hypokinetic disease leads the cardiovascular disease, obesity, arteriolosclerosis, high blood pressure, and so on. The Health Care Trainers must have knowledge by which they are able to make workers fun and to give them that important habit to continue their sport and recreation activities

A review of Fe-chalcogenide superconductors: the simplest Fe-based superconductor

Here we summarize the physical properties of the newly discovered Fe-chalcogenide superconductors. The Fe-chalcogenide superconductors attract us as the simplest Fe-based superconductors. Furthermore, Fe chalcogenides show a huge pressure effect on their superconducting properties. The origin of the high transition temperature was discussed with both the change in crystal structure and magnetism. The progress on the thin-film and superconducting-wire fabrications are also described.Comment: A review article of Fe-chalcogenide superconductor submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 51 pages, 54 figures including reprinted from the published paper

Overlap of Physical, Cognitive, and Social Frailty Affects Ikigai in Community-Dwelling Japanese Older Adults

This study aimed to investigate whether the overlap of physical, cognitive, and social frailty affects Ikigai in community-dwelling Japanese older adults. Participants were 116 community-dwelling older adult Japanese men and women. Associations of physical, cognitive, and social frailty with falls, daily living assessment, and Ikigai were analyzed by group comparisons and multivariate analyses. Physical, cognitive, and social frailty were associated with the risk of falls and Ikigai. An increase in the number of frailty category overlaps was associated with an increased risk of falls and decrease in Ikigai. Multivariate analyses adjusted for confounding factors showed that physical and cognitive frailty were related to Ikigai. In conclusion Two or more overlapping numbers of physical, cognitive, and social frailty had adverse effects on Ikigai in community-dwelling Japanese older adults

Dental Poly(methyl methacrylate)-Based Resin Containing a Nanoporous Silica Filler

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based resins have been conventionally used in dental prostheses owing to their good biocompatibility. However, PMMA-based resins have relatively poor mechanical properties. In the present study, a novel nanoporous silica filler was developed and introduced into PMMA-based resins to improve their mechanical properties. The filler was prepared by sintering a green body composed of silica and an organic binder, followed by grinding to a fine powder and subsequent silanization. The filler was added to photocurable PMMA-based resin, which was prepared from MMA, PMMA, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and a photo-initiator. The filler was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis, nitrogen sorption porosimetry, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The PMMA-based resins were characterized by SEM and FT-IR, and the mechanical properties (Vickers hardness, flexural modulus, and flexural strength) and physicochemical properties (water sorption and solubility) were evaluated. The results suggested that the filler consisted of microparticles with nanopores. The filler at 23 wt % was well dispersed in the PMMA-based resin matrix. The mechanical and physicochemical properties of the PMMA-based resin improved significantly with the addition of the developed filler. Therefore, such filler-loaded PMMA-based resins are potential candidates for improving the strength and durability of polymer-based crown and denture base

Development of Dental Poly(methyl methacrylate)-Based Resin for Stereolithography Additive Manufacturing

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is widely used in dental applications. However, PMMA specialized for stereolithography (SLA) additive manufacturing (3D-printing) has not been developed yet. This study aims to develop a novel PMMA-based resin for SLA 3D-printing by mixing methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and PMMA powder in various mixing ratios. The printability and the viscosity of the PMMA-based resins were examined to determine their suitability for 3D-printing. The mechanical properties (flexural strength and Vickers hardness), shear bond strength, degree of conversion, physicochemical properties (water sorption and solubility), and cytotoxicity for L929 cells of the resulting resins were compared with those of three commercial resins: one self-cured resin and two 3D-print resins. EGDMA and PMMA were found to be essential components for SLA 3D-printing. The viscosity increased with PMMA content, while the mechanical properties improved as EGDMA content increased. The shear bond strength tended to decrease as EGDMA increased. Based on these characteristics, the optimal composition was determined to be 30% PMMA, 56% EGDMA, 14% MMA with flexural strength (84.6 &plusmn; 7.1 MPa), Vickers hardness (21.6 &plusmn; 1.9), and shear bond strength (10.5 &plusmn; 1.8 MPa) which were comparable to or higher than those of commercial resins. The resin&rsquo;s degree of conversion (71.5 &plusmn; 0.7%), water sorption (19.7 &plusmn; 0.6 &mu;g/mm3), solubility (below detection limit), and cell viability (80.7 &plusmn; 6.2% at day 10) were all acceptable for use in an oral environment. The printable PMMA-based resin is a potential candidate material for dental applications

PICN Nanocomposite as Dental CAD/CAM Block Comparable to Human Tooth in Terms of Hardness and Flexural Modulus

Polymer infiltrated ceramic network (PICN) composites are an increasingly popular dental restorative material that offer mechanical biocompatibility with human enamel. This study aimed to develop a novel PICN composite as a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) block for dental applications. Several PICN composites were prepared under varying conditions via the sintering of a green body prepared from a silica-containing precursor solution, followed by resin infiltration. The flexural strength of the PICN composite block (107.8–153.7 MPa) was similar to a commercial resin-based composite, while the Vickers hardness (204.8–299.2) and flexural modulus (13.0–22.2 GPa) were similar to human enamel and dentin, respectively. The shear bond strength and surface free energy of the composite were higher than those of the commercial resin composites. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis revealed that the microstructure of the composite consisted of a nanosized silica skeleton and infiltrated resin. The PICN nanocomposite block was successfully used to fabricate a dental crown and core via the CAD/CAM milling process

Suspected de novo Hepatitis B in a Patient Receiving Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Therapy for the Treatment of Crohn's Disease

We report a 45-year-old female patient who developed acute hepatic disorder during anti-tumor necrosis factor α therapy for the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD). She was diagnosed as colonic CD and placed on infliximab (IFX). She was negative for hepatitis B surface antigen at the initiation of IFX therapy, but developed acute hepatitis after the 30th administration of IFX 4 years and 1 month after the first administration. She was suspected to have had occult hepatitis B virus infection before IFX therapy, and de novo hepatitis B was considered the most likely diagnosis. Hepatitis subsided after discontinuation of anti-tumor necrosis factor α therapy and initiation of treatment with entecavir. She started to receive adalimumab to prevent relapse of CD. She has continued maintenance therapy with entecavir and adalimumab and has since been asymptomatic. As de novo hepatitis B may be fatal, virological testing for hepatitis B is essential for patients who are being considered for treatment that may weaken the immune system