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Chronic ankle instability (CAI) causes impairment in proprioception, such as ankle joint position sense and plantar cutaneous sensation. Although plantar vibration stimulation may be effective as a means of enhancing proprioception, its efficacy remains ambiguous. This study aimed to clarify the immediate effects of plantar vibration stimulation on healthy athletes and athletes with CAI. Eight healthy and eight CAI athletes participated in this study, and their joint position sense and cutaneous sensation were evaluated before and after the intervention of plantar vibration stimulation or non-intervention, designed as a cross-over study. There were no significant differences between the healthy group and the CAI group in both joint position and plantar cutaneous sensation. Also, there were no statistically significant changes in either group before or after the intervention. One possible explanation for the absence of differences between the healthy and CAI groups could be attributed to a high Foot and Ankle Ability Measure score. Neither group exhibited any changes in joint position or plantar cutaneous sensation following the vibration intervention. The frequency and amplitude of the vibration stimulation affecting proprioceptors may be different, and the joint position and plantar cutaneous sensation of CAI groups may be comparable with those of healthy participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ankle brace is commonly used to treat and prevent ankle sprain. Its main aim is to restrict supination of the ankle. However, some braces restrict ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion. In addition, loosening and loss of restriction after exercise have also been reported. The purpose of this study was to reveal if thin-type ankle brace for ankle sprain restricts ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion and its effect of exercise. Five male adults (average age of 30.8 ± 5.2 years) were included in the study. Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of subjects' right ankle was measured before and after wearing the brace, and before and after exercises. Exercises consisted of performing 20 times of calf raise, full squat, maximum vertical jump, and 5-minute running on a treadmill. Measurement was performed thrice, and their average was statistically analyzed between with and without the brace, and before and after each exercise. The results showed that there was no significant difference between all measured angles of with and without the brace and before and after each exercise. Thin-type ankle brace for ankle sprain have been reported to restrict supination. Considering our results, this brace does not restrict ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-transcriptional maturation with the presence of vitamin K(2) promotes gamma-carboxylation of osteocalcin, enabling further binding to hydroxyapatite, from which one could infer that vitamin K(2) increased the quality of bone matrix. For instance, vitamin K(2) rescued the impaired collagen mineralization caused by Mg insufficiency, by promoting a re-association of the process of collagen mineralization with mineralized nodules. Sodium warfarin, which antagonizes the function of vitamin K(2), reduced the binding of osteocalcin to bone matrices, and consequently resulted in crystalline particles being dispersed throughout the osteoid without forming mineralized nodules. Therefore, gamma-carboxylated Gla proteins mediated by vitamin K(2) appear to play a pivotal role in normal mineralization in bone.

In 39 patients with idiopathic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF group), the incidence of the abnormal P wave morphology (prolonged P wave and mitral P in lead II and increased P terminal force in lead V1: PTF V1) was examined, and the relationships to the electrophysiologic findings of the atrial muscle were investigated. The control group consisted of 42 patients with various cardiac arrhythmias other than sick sinus syndrome. P wave duration was significantly longer in the PAF group than in the control group (112 +/- 12 vs 98 +/- 10 msec, p < 0.0001). PTF V1 was greater in the PAF group than in the control group (0.051 +/- 0.018 vs 0.028 +/- 0.010 msec, p < 0.0001). P mitrale occurred in only 5 patients (12%) in the control group as compared to 25 patients in the PAF group (64%, p < 0.0001). The longest duration of the right atrial electrograms was longer in the PAF group than in the control group (101 +/- 17 vs 85 +/- 10 msec, p < 0.0001), as was the maximal number of the fragmented deflections (8.0 +/- 2.5 vs 5.8 +/- 1.4, p < 0.0001). Repetitive atrial firing zone and also fragmented atrial activity zone were longer in the PAF group than in the control group (34 +/- 24 vs 12 +/- 19 msec, p < 0.02 and 47 +/- 27 vs 24 +/- 19 msec, p < 0.001, respectively). Interatrial conduction delay zone was longer in the PAF group than in the control group (55 +/- 25 vs 38 +/- 18 msec, p < 0.001). P wave duration and PTF V1 had significant and/or borderline correlations with the longest duration of the right atrial electrocardiograms (r = 0.75, p < 0.0001 and r = 0.68, p < 0.0001, respectively), and the maximal number of its fragmented defections (r = 0.50, p < 0.002 and r = 0.40, p < 0.05, respectively). Furthermore, P wave duration had a correlation with the repetitive atrial firing zone (r = 0.55, p < 0.01). Prolonged P wave duration and increased PTF V1 are electrocardiographic indicators for the coexistence of electrophysiologic abnormalities in patients with idiopathic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Clinical and statistical investigations were performed on 157 patients with prostate carcinoma in the Third Teaching Hospital, Normal Bethune University experienced between January, 1950 and June, 1986. The number of patients with prostate carcinoma among other hospitalized patients showed a recent gradual increase. The patient's age at the time the disease was first diagnosed was most frequently between 60 and 69 years old with an average age of 63.3 years. Dysuria was the most prominent symptom, followed by frequency, retention and macroscopic hematuria. Duration between initial symptom and diagnosis was one to two years in most patients. The prostatic abnormality could be detected by rectal examination in all patients. Elevation of serum acid phosphatase was found in 24.4%. Such elevation was evident in 52.2% of the patients with metastatic lesions, compared to 14.4% of those without metastasis. Fourteen patients had metastasis to bone (8.9%), 13 to lymph nodes, 2 to lung and one to liver. According to the staging diagnosis, 19 patients (12.1%) had stage A, 78 patients (49.7%) had stage B, 20 patients (12.7%) had stage C and 40 patients (25.5%) had stage D carcinoma. Histological findings in 57 patients indicated adenocarcinomas; 39 cases (68.4%) were poorly differentiated, 12 cases (21.2%) were moderately differentiated and 6 cases (10.5%) were well differentiated. Modality of treatment was total prostatectomy in 2 cases (1.3%), antiandrogen therapy (orchiectomy and/or Stilbestrol) in 122 cases (77.7%), subcapsular prostatectomy in 7 cases (4.5%), symptomatic treatment in 5 cases and no treatment in 23 cases (14.6%).