Nutritional Status of Disabled Athletes - Dietary and Supplemental lntakes -

近年,サプリメントと呼ばれる栄養補助食品が,日常生活でもスポーツの世界でも非常に流行し,サプリメントについて正しく認識していくことはスポーツ選手にとって重要である｡また,近年障害者スポーツの人気が高まり,岡山でも全国障害者スポーツ大会を目指し,医科学サポートを展開している｡そこで本研究では,岡山県の身体障害者スポーツ選手を対象に,栄養摂取状況･食生活･サプリメントに関する調査を行った｡その結莱,スポーツ選手 として適切な食事･食生活が送れているとは言えず,サプリメントに関しては積極的に使用していという現状が明らかになった｡今後は単なる食事や栄養指導だけでなく,スポーツ選手の食生活やサプリメントに関する指導も含めた栄養サポートが必要である

R&D Progress of HTS Magnet Project for Ultrahigh-field MRI

Proceedings of the 28th International Symposium on Superconductivity (ISS 2015) November 16-18, 2015, Tokyo, JapanAn R&D project on high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets using rare-earth Ba2Cu3O7 (REBCO) wires was started in 2013. The project objective is to investigate the feasibility of adapting REBCO magnets to ultrahigh field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. REBCO wires are promising components for UHF-MRI magnets because of their superior superconducting and mechanical properties, which make them smaller and lighter than conventional ones. Moreover, REBCO magnets can be cooled by the conduction-cooling method, making liquid helium unnecessary. In the past two years, some test coils and model magnets have been fabricated and tested. This year is the final year of the project. The goals of the project are: (1) to generate a 9.4 T magnetic field with a small test coil, (2) to generate a homogeneous magnetic field in a 200 mm diameter spherical volume with a 1.5 T model magnet, and (3) to perform imaging with the 1.5 T model magnet. In this paper, the progress of this R&D is described. The knowledge gained through these R&D results will be reflected in the design of 9.4 T MRI magnets for brain and whole body imaging

Experiment and Simulation of Impregnated No-Insulation REBCO Pancake Coil

It is important to investigate the stability and behavior of an epoxy-resin-impregnated no-insulation (NI) REBCO pancake coil to implement high-field applications, such as ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging. We have performed sudden discharging and overcurrent tests for the impregnated NI REBCO pancake coil. From the discharging test, the contact resistivity is estimated, and it changes depending on the initial current. From the overcurrent test, the high thermal stability of the impregnated NI REBCO pancake coil is confirmed. The REBCO pancake coil is charged up to 67 A though the critical current is only 46 A, and no degradation has been found. To investigate in detail the electromagnetic behavior of an impregnated NI REBCO pancake coil, the simulation is performed by means of the partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) model. In the sudden discharging test, the simulation results for the case of lower initial current are in good agreement with the experimental data. As can be inferred from the simulation results, the current drastically decreases from the inside of the impregnated NI REBCO pancake coil. The result of the overcurrent simulation is almost identical to the experimental one. However, since the contact resistivity is presumed to be constant in the simulation, the difference is observed in the high current region

Impact of age on left ventricular geometry and diastolic function in elderly patients with treated hypertension

Purpose: Left ventricular (LV) remodelling is observed in numerous patients with hypertension and is a principal cause of heart failure in elderly patients. The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between age and structural/functional LV remodelling observed in elderly hypertensive patients. Methods: A total of 557 elderly hypertensive patients (mean age: 74.0 ± 8.6 years) with preserved LV systolic function underwent echocardiography and 24-hour blood pressure (BP) measurement. Results: Overall, 41.1% of patients had LV hypertrophy, 77.9% had increased relative wall thickness (RWT) defined as RWT >0.42, and 31.8% had both. Logistic analysis of the entire study population showed that increased RWT was associated with both 24-hour systolic BP (odds ratio (OR) 1.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12 to 1.70) and age (OR 1.32, 95%CI 1.08 to 1.61), whereas increased RWT was associated only with age (OR 1.61, 95%CI 1.23 to 2.11) after excluding patients with LV hypertrophy. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses of all patients showed that LV diastolic echocardiographic parameters were consistently associated with age (p ≤ .001) alone, even considering LV structural changes. Conclusions: Age was independently correlated with LV concentric/functional changes regardless of LV hypertrophy, suggesting that ageing is independently involved in the progression of LV remodelling

Project Overview of HTS Magnet for Ultra-high-field MRI System

Proceedings of the 27th International Symposium on Superconductivity (ISS 2014) November 25-27, 2014, Tokyo, JapanA project to develop an ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system based on HTS magnets using (RE)Ba2Cu3O7 (REBCO; RE=rear earth) coils is underway. The project is supported by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and aims to establish magnet technologies for a whole-body 9.4 T MRI system. REBCO wires have high critical current density in high magnetic fields and high strength against hoop stresses, and therefore, MRI magnets using REBCO coils are expected to have cryogenic systems that are smaller, lighter, and simpler than the conventional ones. A major problem in using REBCO coils for MRI magnets is the huge irregular magnetic field generated by the screening current in REBCO tapes. Thus, the main purpose of this project is to make the influence of this screening current predictable and controllable. Fundamental technologies, including treatment of the screening currents, were studied via experiments and numerical simulations using small coils. Two types of model magnets are planned to be manufactured, and the knowledge gained in the development of the model magnets will be reflected in the magnet design of a whole-body 9.4 T MRI system