Association between perceived exertion and executive functions with serve accuracy among male university tennis players: A pilot study

Serve in tennis is a very important strokes and is positively correlated with the rankings of the Association of Tennis Professionals ranking. This study investigated the associations between time-course changes in the ratings for perceived exertion, executive function, and second serve accuracy during 30-min tennis exercise sessions. Eleven Japanese male tennis players participated in the study, and their executive function and second serve performance were evaluated using the paper version of the Stroop Color and Word Test, followed by a serve performance test. The participants took part in a 30-min tennis exercise program and performed the Stroop Color and Word Test, heart rate (HR) check, and second serve accuracy test before and after the tennis exercise. Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationships between the ratings for perceived exertion, interference scores on Stroop Color and Word Test performance, and second serve performance. Post exercise, the rating of perceived exertion tended to correlate with serve accuracy (r = −0.57, p = 0.07) and interference score (r = 0.65, p = 0.03). The pre-to-post changes in second serve accuracy were negatively associated with the changes in interference score (r = −0.54, p = 0.08) and interference score in the posttest (r = −0.73, p = 0.01). The results suggest that time-course changes in executive function when playing tennis are positively associated with the accuracy of the second serve. These findings expand the previous knowledge regarding the positive association between time-course changes in executive functions and percentage of points won when playing tennis by including more specific skills (i.e., second serve accuracy)

Spontaneous Subcutaneous Sarcoma in a 50-week-old Male Wistar Hannover GALAS Rat

A subcutaneous mass was noted in the abdomen of a 50-week-old male Wistar Hannover GALAS rat. Histologically, the tumor was composed of vimentin-positive small round cells with scant cytoplasm arranged in a trabecular, sheet or pericytoma-like pattern and spindle cells arranged in a bundle pattern and vimentin-negative round cells proliferating in an island-shaped pattern. Argentophilic thin fibers were observed to wrap up the individual cells, and some of the tumor cells showed coexpression of vimentin and cytokeratin that formed juxtanuclear globes in the cytoplasm by double immunohistostaining. Transmission electron microscopy did not reveal any characteristic features suggesting cellular differention toward a specific cell type. Based on these findings, it was difficult to specify the origin, and the tumor was diagnosed as a poorly differentiated mesenchymal tumor and classified as a sarcoma, NOS (not otherwise specified)

Pathways and variability of the Antarctic Intermediate Water in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean.

In the western equatorial Pacific the low-salinity core of Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) is found at about 800 m depth between potential density levels σθ = 27.2 and 27.3. The pathways of AAIW and the degradation of its core are studied, from the Bismarck Sea to the Caroline Basins and into the zonal equatorial current system. Both historical and new observational data, and results from numerical circulation model runs are used. The observations include hydrographic stations from German and Japanese research vessels, and Eulerian and Lagrangian current measurements. The model is the JAMSTEC high-resolution numerical model based on the Modular Ocean Model (MOM 2). The general agreement between results from the observations and from the model enables us to diagnose properties and to provide new information on the AAIW. The analysis confirms the paramount influence of topography on the spreading of the AAIW tongue north of New Guinea. Two cores of AAIW are found in the eastern Bismarck Sea. One core originates from Vitiaz Strait and one from St. George’s Channel, probably arriving on a cyclonic pathway. They merge in the western Bismarck Sea without much change in their total salt content, and the uniform core then increases considerably in salt content when subjected to mixing in the Caroline Basins. Hydrographic and moored current observations as well as model results show a distinct annual signal in salinity and velocity in the AAIW core off New Guinea. It appears to be related to the monsoonal change that is typically found in the near-surface waters in the region. Lagrangian data are used to investigate the structure of the deep New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent, the related cross-equatorial flow and eddy-structure, and the embedment in the zonal equatorial current system. Results from 17 neutrally buoyant RAFOS floats, ballasted to drift in the AAIW core layer, are compared with a numerical tracking experiment. In the model 73 particles are released at five-day intervals from Station J (2.5°N, 142°E), simulating currents at a moored time series station north of New Guinea. Observed and model track patterns are fairly consistent in space and season. Floats cross the equator preferably north of Cenderawasih Bay, with a maximum range in eddy-motion in this region north of New Guinea. The northward route at 135°E is also reflected in a low-salinity tongue reaching up to 3°N. At that longitude the floats seem to ignore the zonally aligned equatorial undercurrents. Farther to the east (139 145°E), however, the float observations are consistent with low-latitude bands of intermediate currents

ダパグリフロジン投与における肥満２型糖尿病患者の治療満足度への影響：a patient reported outcome study (PRO study).

Background: The benefits of sodium glucose cotransporters 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus include plasma glucose control, reduction in body weight and blood pressure, and low risk of hypoglycemia, although they may also cause genitourinary infections, polyuria, or volume depletion. It is not clear whether dapagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, improves treatment satisfaction among patients in a comprehensive way despite the negative side effects. This study assessed the effect of dapagliflozin on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body weight, and treatment satisfaction in overweight patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with oral hypoglycemic agents. Methods: This multicenter, open-label, single-arm observational study included patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus administering dapagliflozin 5 or 10 mg per day for 14 weeks. Changes in treatment satisfaction were evaluated using a new version of the Oral Hypoglycemic Agent-Questionnaire (OHA-Q ver. 2) consisting of 23 items. Correlation between treatment satisfaction and HbA1c levels and body weight were analyzed using the Spearman's rank-correlation coefficient. Results: Of the 221 patients enrolled, 188 completed the study. Mean HbA1c decreased from 7.8 ± 0.7% (62.1 ± 7.5 mmol/mol) to 7.3 ± 0.8% (55.9 ± 8.7 mmol/mol) (change - 0.6 ± 0.7%, P < 0.001) and body weight decreased from 82.5 ± 14.6 to 80.7 ± 14.8 kg (change - 2.3 ± 2.8 kg, P < 0.001). OHA-Q ver. 2 was validated as well, the mean OHA-Q ver. 2 total score increased from 44.3 ± 9.4 to 46.6 ± 9.8 (best score 69, worst score 0; change 2.3 ± 6.6, P < 0.001). The change in body weight significantly correlated with the OHA-Q ver. 2 total score (Spearman's ρ = - 0.17, P = 0.035). The change in HbA1c levels significantly correlated with the satisfaction subscale score (Spearman's ρ = - 0.19, P = 0.011). Conclusions: Dapagliflozin significantly improved treatment satisfaction among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus for 14 weeks. Body weight loss significantly correlated with treatment satisfaction.Trial registration UMIN-CTR: UMIN000016304.博士（医学）・甲第694号・平成31年3月15日© The Author(s) 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated

Does Degree of the Pelvic Deformity Affect the Accuracy of Computed Tomography-Based Hip Navigation?

Although some navigation systems have been used for improvement of component positioning, there have been few reports regarding cases of severe pelvic deformity. We performed a retrospective review of 25 cases of total hip arthroplasty with a computed tomography-based navigation system in patients with severe pelvic deformities and estimated acetabular component position and angle between severe deformity group and mild dysplastic group as a control. There were no significant differences in accuracy of navigation system between 2 groups in terms of 3-dimensional component position or angle. Accuracy of computed tomography-based hip navigation does not depend on the degree of pelvic deformity, and this system is also useful to identify acetabular orientation and for precise component implantation in cases of pelvic deformity. © 2012 Elsevier Inc

Screening of sperm velocity by fluid mechanical characteristics of a cyclo-olefin polymer microfluidic sperm-sorting device

The microfluidic sperm-sorting (MFSS) device is a promising advancement for assisted reproductive technology. Previously, poly(dimethylsiloxiane) and quartz MFSS devices were developed and used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. However, these disposable devices were not clinically suitable for assisted reproduction, so a cyclo-olefin polymer MFSS (COP-MFSS) device was developed. By micromachining, two microfluidic channels with different heights and widths (chip A: 0.3 x 0.5 mm; chip B: 0.1 x 0.6 mm) were prepared. Sorted sperm concentrations were similar in both microfluidic channels. Linear-velocity distribution using the microfluidic channel of chip B was higher than that of chip A. Using confocal fluorescence microscopy, it was found that the highest number of motile spermatozoa swam across the laminar flow at the bottom of the microfluidic channel. The time required to swim across the laminar flow was longer at the bottom and top of the microfluidic channels than in the middle because of the low fluid velocity. These results experimentally demonstrated that the width of microfluidic channels should be increased in the region of laminar flow from the semen inlet to the outlet for unsorted spermatozoa to selectively recover spermatozoa with high linear velocity

S-Nitrosated alpha-1-acid glycoprotein exhibits antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria strains and synergistically enhances the effect of antibiotics

Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) is a major acute-phase protein. Biosynthesis of AGP increases markedly during inflammation and infection, similar to nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis. AGP variant A (AGP) contains a reduced cysteine (Cys149). Previously, we reported that S-nitrosated AGP (SNO-AGP) synthesized by reaction with a NO donor, possessed very strong broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity (IC50 = 10−9-10−6 M). In this study, using a cecal ligation and puncture animal model, we confirmed that AGP can be endogenously S-nitrosated during infection. Furthermore, we examined the antibacterial property of SNO-AGP against multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to investigate the involvement of SNO-AGP in the host defense system. Our results showed that SNO-AGP could inhibit multidrug efflux pump, AcrAB-TolC, a major contributor to bacterial multidrug resistance. In addition, SNO-AGP decreased biofilm formation and ATP level in bacteria, indicating that SNO-AGP can revert drug resistance. It was also noteworthy that SNO-AGP showed synergistic effects with the existing antibiotics (oxacillin, imipenem, norfloxacin, erythromycin, and tetracycline). In conclusion, SNO-AGP participated in the host defense system and has potential as a novel agent for single or combination antimicrobial therapy