THE EFFECT OF HIP JOINT MUSCLE STRENGTH AND SIZE ON HIP JOINT ANGULAR VELOCITY DURING 110 M HURDLING MOTION

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hip joint flexor/extensor strength andsize on hip joint angular velocity during 110 m hurdling motion. To achieve this goal, we determined hip joint angular velocity during hurdling motion with high speed camera. We also measured isokinetic hip joint torque with a dynamometer, and measured the muscle volume of the psoas major muscle and hamstrings of the lead leg side with MRI. There were significant correlations between isokinetic hip joint flexor torque at 0.52 and 1.05 rad/s and hip joint flexion angular velocity (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively). There were no statistically significant correlations between muscle volume andjoint angular velocity. These results suggested that hip joint flexor strength ispossibly an important factor to swing up the lead leg quickly during hurdling motion

大腿四頭筋の等尺性収縮は、膝蓋上外側アプローチによる膝関節内注射の正確性を向上する

Background: Intra-articular injection is an important technique for treating rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee. However, medication is often inaccurately injected outside of the joint. We devised an intra-articular injection method in which the needle is inserted into the suprapatellar bursa while the patient maintains isometric contraction of the quadriceps. This isometric contraction method is based on the concept that isometric contraction of the quadriceps induces contraction of the articularis genus muscle, thus expanding the lumen of the suprapatellar bursa. Methods: Intra-articular injections were performed on 150 osteoarthritic knees without effusion. The knees were alternately assigned to the isometric quadriceps method group (75 knees) and non-activated quadriceps method group (75 knees). Prior to joint injection, the anterior-posterior dimension of each suprapatellar bursa was measured to ascertain its expansion. The isometric quadriceps method was performed with the quadriceps and the articularis genus muscle maintained in a contracted state. The non-activated quadriceps method was performed in a relaxed state. Ultrasound guidance was not used for either method. Subsequently, an ultrasonic probe was used only to confirm whether the intra-articular injections were successful. We compared the accuracy of injections performed between the 2 groups. Results: Suprapatellar expansion was significantly larger (p < 0.001) using the isometric quadriceps method (2.1 ± 1.4 mm [range, 0 to 5 mm]) than using the non-activated quadriceps method (0.8 ± 0.7 mm [range, 0 to 2 mm]). The percentage of accurate intra-articular injections was significantly higher (p = 0.0287) using the isometric quadriceps method (93%) compared with the non-activated quadriceps method (80%). Conclusions: In comparison with the non-activated quadriceps method, the isometric quadriceps method led to a larger expansion of the suprapatellar bursa, which should lead to more accurate intra-articular injections. The isometric quadriceps method is effective in reducing inaccurate injections into the synovium or surrounding fatty tissues. Clinical relevance: Putting force on the quadriceps muscle increases the success rate of intra-articular injection of the knee. The results of this study could provide a clinically relevant injection technique for future treatment.博士（医学）・乙第1448号・令和元年12月5日Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated. All rights reserved. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal

No association of the Trp 64 Arg mutation of the β3-adrenergic receptor gene with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in Japanese patients with schizophrenia

This study was conducted to address the question of whether the β3-adrenergic receptor gene mutation (Trp 64 Arg) is associated with metabolic disease in Japanese patients with schizophrenia. Methods : In a cross-sectional study, 89 participants were grouped into three genotypes. The 64 Arg allelic frequency in patients with or without metabolic disease was analyzed. Anthropometrics variables and biochemical parameters were compared among the genotypes. Results : The 64 Arg allele, which had a frequency of 0.22, was not associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemias, or hypertension. No significant differences among the genotypes were found in current age, age at diagnosis with schizophrenia, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, plasma glucose, plasma insulin, triglycerides, free fatty acids. Patients with the 64 Arg allele had greater 24-h excretion of norepinephrine than those lacking the variant (p=0.019). Conclusion : The 64Arg allelic mutation is not associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, lipid metabolism dysfunction, or hypertension in Japanese patients with schizophrenia

The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna; DECIGO

DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) is the future Japanese space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to open a new window of observation for gravitational wave astronomy especially between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz, revealing various mysteries of the universe such as dark energy, formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and inflation of the universe. The pre-conceptual design of DECIGO consists of three drag-free spacecraft, whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry– Perot Michelson interferometer. We plan to launch two missions, DECIGO pathfinder and pre- DECIGO first and finally DECIGO in 2024

DECIGO pathfinder

DECIGO pathfinder (DPF) is a milestone satellite mission for DECIGO (DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) which is a future space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to provide us fruitful insights into the universe, in particular about dark energy, a formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and the inflation of the universe. Since DECIGO will be an extremely large mission which will formed by three drag-free spacecraft with 1000m separation, it is significant to gain the technical feasibility of DECIGO before its planned launch in 2024. Thus, we are planning to launch two milestone missions: DPF and pre-DECIGO. The conceptual design and current status of the first milestone mission, DPF, are reviewed in this article

Transcription and Translation Products of the Cytolysin Gene psm-mec on the Mobile Genetic Element SCCmec Regulate Staphylococcus aureus Virulence

The F region downstream of the mecI gene in the SCCmec element in hospital-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) contains two bidirectionally overlapping open reading frames (ORFs), the fudoh ORF and the psm-mec ORF. The psm-mec ORF encodes a cytolysin, phenol-soluble modulin (PSM)-mec. Transformation of the F region into the Newman strain, which is a methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strain, or into the MW2 (USA400) and FRP3757 (USA300) strains, which are community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) strains that lack the F region, attenuated their virulence in a mouse systemic infection model. Introducing the F region to these strains suppressed colony-spreading activity and PSMα production, and promoted biofilm formation. By producing mutations into the psm-mec ORF, we revealed that (i) both the transcription and translation products of the psm-mec ORF suppressed colony-spreading activity and promoted biofilm formation; and (ii) the transcription product of the psm-mec ORF, but not its translation product, decreased PSMα production. These findings suggest that both the psm-mec transcript, acting as a regulatory RNA, and the PSM-mec protein encoded by the gene on the mobile genetic element SCCmec regulate the virulence of Staphylococcus aureus