Back muscle activity and sagittal spinal alignment during quadruped upper and lower extremity lift in young men with low back pain history

［Background］Quadruped upper and lower extremity lift (QULEL) is performed for selective training of the lumbar multifidus muscle in patients with low back pain (LBP) or individuals with LBP history (LBPH). However, the activities of the back muscles and sagittal spinal alignment during QULEL are not clarified in individuals with LBPH.［Research question］This study aimed to analyze the activities of the back muscles and sagittal spinal alignment during QULEL in young male with LBPH.[Methods]The study comprised 9 asymptomatic young men and 8 young men with LBPH. The activities of the lumbar multifidus, latissimus dorsi and thoracic erector spinae, and lumbar erector spinae muscles were measured using surface electromyography. The flexion angles of the upper and lower thoracic spine, and extension angle of the lumbar spine were measured using a 6-DF electromagnetic motion tracking system. The association with LBPH was investigated using multiple logistic regression analysis with a forward selection method, with the activities of the back muscles, sagittal spinal alignment, age, body height, and body weight as independent variables.[Results]Multiple logistic regression analysis (p = 0.0002) showed that the activity of the latissimus dorsi and thoracic erector spinae muscles in the side on which the lower extremity was lifted and body height were significant and independent determinants of LBPH, but other factors were not.[Significance]The results of this study suggest that the activity of the latissimus dorsi and thoracic erector spinae muscles increases while there are no decrease in activity of the lumbar multifidus muscle and excessive extension of the lumbar spine during QULEL in young men with LBPH

Are ADC histogram metrics repeatable?

Purpose: The present study evaluated the repeatability of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram metrics in clinical MRI.Methods: Twelve patients who underwent head MRI in our hospital from May to July in 2016 were included in the present study. All patients gave informed consent. Two sequential diffusion-weighted images with echo planar imaging (DWI-EPI) in the identical positioning were obtained. The b-factors of 0 and 1000 or 1500 s/mm2 were used, three orthogonal motion proving gradients (MPGs) were applied, and synthesized images were generated. The regions of interest (ROIs) were ssigned at the lesions on the 1st DWI and pasted onto the 2nd at the same size and location. Voxel-wise ADC was calculated by fitting the signal intensity change of each voxel into a mono-exponential curve. ADCs calculated from 1st and 2nd DWI were defined as ADC-1st and ADC-2nd, respectively. To investigate the repeatability of voxel-wise ADC in each lesion, ADC-1st and ADC-2nd were compared using Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test and linear regression. To onsider repeatability of ADC histogram metrics for all lesions, minimal, 25%, median, 75%, maximum, mean, skewness, and kurtosis of ADC-1st and ADC-2nd for each lesion were compared using linear regression and Bland-Altman plot.Results: For repeatability of voxel-wise ADC, significant differences were observed between ADC-1st and ADC-2nd in 5 lesions. Linear regression did not show significance of the slope in 5 lesions. As for repeatability of ADC histogram metrics, all ADC histogram metrics except skewness and kurtosis showed significance of the slope in linear regression (p<0.0001) and high repeatability in Bland-Altman plot.Conclusion: The histogram metrics of voxel-wise ADC like minimum, 25%, median, 75%, maximum, and mean show high repeatability, but skewness and kurtosis did not

トクシマケン ニオケル ソウゴウガタ チイキ スポーツ クラブノ リヨウ ガ ジュウミン ノ ケンコウ ニ オヨボス コウカ ニ カンスル ケンキュウ

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of participation in a Community Sports Club on the individual health economically in Tokushima Prefecture. In the questionnaire survey，the effect of individual health is divided into seven items，and the willingness to pay(WTP) is examined. As a result，followings became clear. 1) WTP to the total effect by club activities is higher than WTP of the effects on parts of health. 2) People having the effct on individual health show higher WTP. 3) There is a difference in evaluation of WTP to the health effect due to the user's life background and contents of club activities. WTP to the effect of individual health is useful as an index to evaluate the activity of a Community Sports Club

Galls Found on Fagus crenata Blume, with Description of a New Species. (Dipt., Cecidomyidae)

We have been observed four types of Cecidomyid galls which were formed on the leaf of Fagus (beech). The present paper deals with descriptions of three galls and a new species obtained from one of these galls. We wish to express our sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Masaaki Tokunaga for his many helpful suggestions. Our thanks are due to Mr. Jean Bourgogne, Museum d\u27Histoire Naturelle at Paris, for a valuable copy on Phegomyia (Oligotrophus) fagicola Kieffer and Prof. Mitimasa Iwamura and Mr. Akira Nobuchi for the gift of many materials

Clinical Significance of Cytoplasmic IgE-Positive Mast Cells in Eosinophilic Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Cross-linking of antigen-specific IgE bound to the high-affinity IgE receptor (Fc epsilon RI) on the surface of mast cells with multivalent antigens results in the release of mediators and development of type 2 inflammation. Fc epsilon RI expression and IgE synthesis are, therefore, critical for type 2 inflammatory disease development. In an attempt to clarify the relationship between eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) and mast cell infiltration, we analyzed mast cell infiltration at lesion sites and determined its clinical significance. Mast cells are positive for c-kit, and IgE in uncinated tissues (UT) and nasal polyps (NP) were examined by immunohistochemistry. The number of positive cells and clinicopathological factors were analyzed. Patients with ECRS exhibited high levels of total IgE serum levels and elevated peripheral blood eosinophil ratios. As a result, the number of mast cells with membranes positive for c-kit and IgE increased significantly in lesions forming NP. Therefore, we classified IgE-positive mast cells into two groups: membrane IgE-positive cells and cytoplasmic IgE-positive cells. The amount of membrane IgE-positive mast cells was significantly increased in moderate ECRS. A positive correlation was found between the membrane IgE-positive cells and the radiological severity score, the ratio of eosinophils, and the total serum IgE level. The number of cytoplasmic IgE-positive mast cells was significantly increased in moderate and severe ECRS. A positive correlation was observed between the cytoplasmic IgE-positive cells and the radiological severity score, the ratio of eosinophils in the blood, and the total IgE level. These results suggest that the process of mast cell internalization of antigens via the IgE receptor is involved in ECRS pathogenesis

Significance of IgG4-positive cells in severe eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis

Background: IgG4 production is regulated by type 2 (IL-4 and IL-13) and regulatory (IL-10) cytokines involved in the pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). We sought to determine the pathophysiological characteristics of IgG4-positive cells in sinonasal tissues in CRS, especially eosinophilic CRS (ECRS). Methods: IgG4-positive cells in uncinate tissues (UT) and nasal polyps (NP) were examined by immunohistochemistry. Associations between the number of IgG4-positive cells and clinicopathological factors were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the cut-off value of IgG4-positive cells in tissue that can predict the post-operative course. Results: IgG4 was mainly expressed in infiltrating plasma and plasmacytoid cells, and the number of IgG4-positive cells was significantly higher in NP, especially those from severe ECRS patients, than in UT. In CRS patients, the number of IgG4-positive cells significantly and positively correlated with blood and tissue eosinophilia, radiological severity, and serum level of total IgE. The number of infiltrating IgG4-positive cells was significantly higher in patients with a poor post-operative course (sustained sinus shadow 6 months after surgery) than in those with a good one. The number of IgG4-positive cells in NP could discriminate patients with a good or a poor post-operative course (area under the curve: 0.769). Also, 73.3% sensitivity and 82.5% specificity were achieved when the cut-off value was set at 17 cells/high-power field. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the local expression of IgG4 on cells may be used as a biomarker that reflects the pathophysiology of CRS, including the post-operative course

A Spectral Study of the Black Hole Candidate XTE J1752-223 in the High/Soft State with MAXI, Suzaku and Swift

We report on the X-ray spectral analysis of the black hole candidate XTE\ J1752--223 in the 2009--2010 outburst, utilizing data obtained with the MAXI/Gas Slit Camera (GSC), the Swift/XRT, and Suzaku, which work complementarily. As already reported by Nakahira et al. (2010) MAXI monitored the source continuously throughout the entire outburst for about eight months. All the MAXI/GSC energy spectra in the high/soft state lasting for 2 months are well represented by a multi-color disk plus power-law model. The innermost disk temperature changed from $\sim$0.7 keV to $\sim$0.4 keV and the disk flux decreased by an order of magnitude. Nevertheless, the innermost radius is constant at $\sim$41 $D_{3.5}(\cos{\it i})^{-1/2}$ km, where $D_{3.5}$ is the source distance in units of 3.5 kpc and $i$ the inclination. The multi-color disk parameters obtained with the MAXI/GSC are consistent with those with the Swift/XRT and Suzaku. The Suzaku data also suggests a possibility that the disk emission is slightly Comptonized, which could account for broad iron-K features reported previously. Assuming that the obtained innermost radius represents the innermost stable circular orbit for a non-rotating black hole, we estimate the mass of the black hole to be 5.51$\pm$0.28 $M_{\odot}$ $D_{3.5}(\cos{\it i})^{-1/2}$, where the correction for the stress-free inner boundary condition and color hardening factor of 1.7 are taken into account. If the inclination is less than 49$^{\circ}$ as suggested from the radio monitoring of transient jets and the soft-to-hard transition in 2010 April occurred at 1--4% of Eddignton luminosity, the fitting of the Suzaku spectra with a relativistic accretion-disk model derives constraints on the mass and the distance to be 3.1--55 $M_{\odot}$ and 2.3--22 {\rm kpc}, respectively. This confirms that the compact object in XTE J1752--223 is a black hole.Comment: 12 pages including 7 figures and 4 tables, accepted for publication in PAS

Identification of prophylactic drugs for oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy using big data

Background: Drug repositioning is a cost-effective method to identify novel disease indications for approved drugs; it requires a shorter developmental period than conventional drug discovery methods. We aimed to identify prophylactic drugs for oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy by drug repositioning using data from large-scale medical information and life science information databases. Methods: Herein, we analyzed the reported data between 2007 and 2017 retrieved from the FDA’s database of spontaneous adverse event reports (FAERS) and the LINCS database provided by the National Institute of Health. The efficacy of the drug candidates for oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy obtained from the database analysis was examined using a rat model of peripheral neuropathy. Additionally, we compared the incidence of peripheral neuropathy in patients who received oxaliplatin at the Tokushima University Hospital, Japan. The effects of statins on the animal model were examined in six-week-old male Sprague–Dawley rats and seven or eight-week-old male BALB/C mice. Retrospective medical chart review included clinical data from Tokushima University Hospital from April 2009 to March 2018. Results: Simvastatin, indicated for dyslipidemia, significantly reduced the severity of peripheral neuropathy and oxaliplatin-induced hyperalgesia. In the nerve tissue of model rats, the mRNA expression of Gstm1 increased with statin administration. A retrospective medical chart review using clinical data revealed that the incidence of peripheral neuropathy decreased with statin use. Conclusion and relevance: Thus, drug repositioning using data from large-scale basic and clinical databases enables the discovery of new indications for approved drugs with a high probability of success

Drug Repositioning for Cardiac Arrest

The survival rate of cardiac arrest patients is less than 10%; therefore, development of a therapeutic strategy that improves their prognosis is necessary. Herein, we searched data collected from medical facilities throughout Japan for drugs that improve the survival rate of cardiac arrest patients. Candidate drugs, which could improve the prognosis of cardiac arrest patients, were extracted using “TargetMine,” a drug discovery tool. We investigated whether the candidate drugs were among the drugs administered within 1 month after cardiac arrest in data of cardiac arrest cases obtained from the Japan Medical Data Center. Logistic regression analysis was performed, with the explanatory variables being the presence or absence of the administration of those candidate drugs that were administered to ≥10 patients and the objective variable being the “survival discharge.” Adjusted odds ratios for survival discharge were calculated using propensity scores for drugs that significantly improved the proportion of survival discharge; the influence of covariates, such as patient background, medical history, and treatment factors, was excluded by the inverse probability-of-treatment weighted method. Using the search strategy, we extracted 165 drugs with vasodilator activity as candidate drugs. Drugs not approved in Japan, oral medicines, and external medicines were excluded. Then, we investigated whether the candidate drugs were administered to the 2,227 cardiac arrest patients included in this study. The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that three (isosorbide dinitrate, nitroglycerin, and nicardipine) of seven drugs that were administered to ≥10 patients showed significant association with improvement in the proportion of survival discharge. Further analyses using propensity scores revealed that the adjusted odds ratios for survival discharge for patients administered isosorbide dinitrate, nitroglycerin, and nicardipine were 3.35, 5.44, and 4.58, respectively. Thus, it can be suggested that isosorbide dinitrate, nitroglycerin, and nicardipine could be novel therapeutic agents for improving the prognosis of cardiac arrest patients