IS PASSIVE PLANTAR FLEXION TORQUE DETERMINANT OF LOWER LIMB STIFFNESS?

It has been supposed that leg stiffness affect repeated jump performance, such as hopping. Previous study indicated that ankle joint stiffness is important in leg stiffness (Arampatzis et al. 2001). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that Achilles tendon properties could contribute to the total mechanical work during hopping (Lichtwark and Wilson 2005). On the other hand, it is known that passive plantar flexion torque (PT) is determined by tendon properties (Kawakami et al. 2008). However, no study has been focused on the effect of PT on leg stiffness in hopping. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between passive plantar flexion torque and leg stiffness

FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTIC OF ACHILLES TENDON MOMENT ARM LENGTH MEASURED USING ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN VIVO

INTRODUCTION: Moment arm is known as the perpendicular distance from the joint center to the line of pull in the muscle-tendon, and it effects the development of joint moment. Computer simulation study clarified effects of moment arm length on kinetic outputs in ankle joint(Nagano et al,.2003). However, no study have been investigated the sports specific characteristics of moment arm length and its effect of functional performance like jumping or running. The purpose of this study was to compare the moment arm length and jumping height of volleyball players and distance runners

ELONGATION OF ACHILLES TENDON REPRESENTS JUMP HEIGHT DURING HOPPING

INTRODUCTION: It is well known that ultrasonography gives directly, but non-invasively, an image of tendon and/or aponeurosis during joint motion (Fukunaga et al.,1996). And the compliant aponeurosis is known to make it possible to jump higher (Kubo et al.,2000). Therefore the purpose of present study is to investigate the relationship between elongation length in the Achilles' tendon during ankle joint motion and jumping height during foot jump

STUDY ON DEVELOPMENTS OF BODY COMPOSITION AND PHYSICAL FITNESS FOR A YEAR IN JAPANESE ADOLESCENT TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES

It is well known that physical fitness develops with the increased muscle thickness in adolescent boys especially from 16 to 18 years. Fukunaga et al. (1989) investigated the developments of body composition in Japanese boys and girls, and revealed that the muscle and fat cross sectional area increased with age from 16 to 18 years. Seefeldt et al. (1986) had reported that vertical jump height and maximal running velocity improved linearly with age from 5 to 18 years in boys who had no habitual physical training. However, no studies have investigated development of physical fitness of adolescent athletes. In addition, duration of measurement of longitudinal studies was a year basically. It is necessary to assess physical fitness several times within a year.The purpose of this study was to investigate developments of body composition and physical fitness in Japanese adolescent track and field athletes

COMPARATIVE STUDIES ABOUT KINEMATICS OF MAXIMAL SPRINT RUNNING AND RUNNING UP IN HORSE VAULTING

INTRODUCTION: Effective running up is known as an important factor for successful completion of horse vaulting. Some examined the relationship of mechanical parameters of pre-flight and/or post-flight with gymnasts’ performance. However, running up kinematics and its running velocity have been neglected. So the purposes of present study were 1) to compare the kinematics of running up during horse vaulting with that of sprint running, and 2) to investigated the relationships of running velocities and scores of horse vaulting

Surgery for acute type A aortic dissection in pregnant patients with Marfan syndrome

ArticleEuropean journal of cardio-thoracic surgery. 28(2): 280-283 (2005)journal articl

Cadmium accumulation and interactions with zinc, copper, and manganese, analysed by ICP-MS in a long-term Caco-2 TC7 cell model

The influence of long-term exposure to cadmium (Cd) on essential minerals was investigated using a Caco-2 TC7 cells and a multi-analytical tool: microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Intracellular levels, effects on cadmium accumulation, distribution, and reference concentration ranges of the following elements were determined: Na, Mg, Ca, Cr, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, and Cd. Results showed that Caco-2 TC7 cells incubated long-term with cadmium concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 lmol Cd/l for 5 weeks exhibited a significant increase in cadmium accumulation. Furthermore, this accumulation was more marked in cells exposed long-term to cadmium compared with controls, and that this exposure resulted in a significant accumulation of copper and zinc but not of the other elements measured. Interactions of Cd with three elements: zinc, copper, and manganese were particularly studied. Exposed to 30 lmol/l of the element, manganese showed the highest inhibition and copper the lowest on cadmium intracellular accumulation but Zn, Cu, and Mn behave differently in terms of their mutual competition with Cd. Indeed, increasing cadmium in the culture medium resulted in a gradual and significant increase in the accumulation of zinc. There was a significant decrease in manganese from 5 lmol Cd/l exposure, and no variation was observed with copper. Abbreviation: AAS – Atomic absorption spectrometry; CRM– Certified reference material; PBS – Phosphate buffered saline without calcium and magnesium; DMEM – Dubelcco’s modified Eagle’s medium

INSIG2 gene rs7566605 polymorphism is associated with severe obesity in Japanese

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs7566605 in the upstream region of the insulin-induced gene 2 (INSIG2) is associated with the obesity phenotype in many Caucasian populations. In Japanese, this association with the obesity phenotype is not clear. To investigate the relationship between rs7566605 and obesity in Japanese, we genotyped rs7566605 from severely obese subjects [n = 908, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2] and normal-weight control subjects (n = 1495, BMI < 25 kg/m2). A case–control association analysis revealed that rs7566605 was significantly associated with obesity in Japanese. The P value in the minor allele recessive mode was 0.00020, and the odds ratio (OR) adjusted for gender and age was 1.61 [95% confidential interval (CI) = 1.24–2.09]. Obesity-associated phenotypes, which included the level of BMI, plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and blood pressure, were not associated with the rs7566605 genotype. Thus, rs7566605 in the upstream region of the INSIG2 gene was found to be associated with obesity, i.e., severe obesity, in Japanese

Mn bioavailability by polarized Caco-2 cells: comparison between Mn gluconate and Mn oxyprolinate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Micronutrient inadequate intake is responsible of pathological deficiencies and there is a need of assessing the effectiveness of metal supplementation, frequently proposed to rebalance poor diets. Manganese (Mn) is present in many enzymatic intracellular systems crucial for the regulation of cell metabolism, and is contained in commercially available metal supplements.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared the effects of two different commercial Mn forms, gluconate (MnGluc) and oxyprolinate (MnOxP). For this purpose we used the polarized Caco-2 cells cultured on transwell filters, an established in vitro model of intestinal epithelium. Since micronutrient deficiency may accelerate mitochondrial efficiency, the mitochondrial response of these cells, in the presence of MnGluc and MnOxP, by microscopy methods and by ATP luminescence assay was used.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the presence of both MnOxP and MnGluc a sustained mitochondrial activity was shown by mitoTraker labeling (indicative of mitochondrial respiration), but ATP intracellular content remained comparable to untreated cells only in the presence of MnOxP. In addition MnOxP transiently up-regulated the antioxidant enzyme Mn superoxide dismutase more efficiently than MnGluc. Both metal treatments preserved NADH and βNADPH diaphorase oxidative activity, avoided mitochondrial dysfunction, as assessed by the absence of a sustained phosphoERK activation, and were able to maintain cell viability.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, our data indicate that MnOxP and MnGluc, and primarily the former, produce a moderate and safe modification of Caco-2 cell metabolism, by activating positive enzymatic mechanisms, thus could contribute to long-term maintenance of cell homeostasis.</p