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Background: Telework has been widely discussed in several fields; however, there is a lack of research on the health aspects of teleworking. The current study was conducted to determine the health effects of teleworking during an emergency statement as evidence for future policy development. Method: This was a cross-sectional study in which we administered an online questionnaire to 5,214 general workers (response rate = 36.4%) from June 2020 to August 2020. Based on working methods during the pandemic, workers were categorized into the office group (n = 86) and telework group (n = 1597), and we characterized their demographics, changes in lifestyle, telework status, physical symptoms, and mental health. Results: The results showed that the workers' residence, marital status, management positions, and employee status affected the choice of the work method. During the emergency, teleworkers experienced more changes in their habits than office workers. In terms of exercise habits, 67.0% of the individuals belonging to the office-telework (OT) group exercised less. Approximately half of the teleworkers were satisfied with their telework, and those in the OT group were less satisfied with their telework than those in the telework-telework (TT) group, and they reported an increase in both working hours and meeting hours. Work-family conflict was more pronounced in the TT group than in the two other groups. Only 13.2% of individuals did not experience any stress in the past 30 days, and all three groups showed varying degrees of anxiety and depressive tendencies. In addition, all teleworkers experienced adverse physical symptoms before and after the emergency. Conclusion: Health issues associated with teleworking should be given adequate attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is known to cause various disorders compared with acute LBP. However, there was no study evaluating presenteeism due to LBP divided into subcategories by the duration of LBP. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between acute or chronic LBP and presenteeism in hospital nursing staff. Methods: Overall, 1100 nurses filled in a questionnaire on basic attributes, LBP symptoms, depression symptoms, and work productivity. The subjects were divided into three groups based on the period of LBP and the compared work productivity. Work Limitation Questionnaire Japanese version (WLQ‐J) was used for the assessment of work productivity. The effects of acute and chronic LBP on presenteeism were evaluated through multiple regression analysis models. Results: In total, 765 subjects, without missing values, were included. The overall prevalence of LBP was 64.6% (acute LBP 47.5%, chronic LBP 17.1%). On multiple regression analysis, acute pain and presenteeism were not associated. Conversely, chronic LBP was associated with time management (adjusted β = −2.3, 95% CI: −4.5 to −1.1), mental‐interpersonal relationship (adjusted β = −2.8, 95% CI: −5.1 to −0.6), and output (adjusted β = −2.7, 95% CI: −5.4 to 0.0) after adjustment for sex and career years. When depression was included in the adjustment factors, chronic LBP and WLQ subscales were not associated. Conclusions: It became obvious that Chronic LBP in nurses was significantly related to time management, mental‐interpersonal relationship, and output. The importance of preventing a decline in work productivity by taking precautions to prevent chronic LBP and depression was suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-sectional study investigated (i) the association of varus thrust during gait with the presence of patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA) in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) and (ii) patellar alignment in the knees with varus thrust. Participants from orthopedic clinics (n=171; mean age, 73.4 years; 71.9% female) diagnosed with radiographic medial knee OA (Kellgren/Lawrence [K/L] grade ≥1) were included in this study, and underwent gait observation for varus thrust assessment using 2D video analysis. A radiographic skyline view was used to assess the presence of medial PFOA using the grading system from the Osteoarthritis Research Society International Atlas. The tibiofemoral joint K/L grade, patellar alignment (i.e., lateral shift and tilting angle), and knee pain intensity were also evaluated as covariates. Thirty-two (18.7%) of 171 patients exhibited varus thrust and they presented significantly higher knee pain (46.0±3.04mm vs. 32.4±2.73mm; P=0.024), a lower patellar tilting angle (P=0.024), and a higher prevalence of PFOA compared with those without varus thrust. A logistic regression analysis with adjustment of covariates showed that varus thrust was significantly associated with higher odds of the presence of mixed and medial PFOA, and trended to significantly associate with any PFOA, including lateral PFOA. This indicates that varus thrust was associated with PFOA in a compartment-nonspecific manner in patients with medial knee OA. Varus thrust may represent a clinical disease feature of more advanced and multicompartmental disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:This study aims to evaluate the effects of Capacitive and Resistive electric transfer (CRet) and hotpack (HP) on haemoglobin saturation and tissue temperature. Materials and methods:The participants were 13 healthy males (mean age 24.5 ± 3.0). They underwent three interventions on different days: (1) CRet (CRet group), (2) HP (HP group) and (3) CRet without power (sham group). The intervention and measurement were applied at the lower paraspinal muscle. Indiba®active ProRecovery HCR902 was used in the CRet group, and the moist heat method was used in the HP group. Oxygenated, deoxygenated and total haemoglobin (oxy-Hb, deoxy-Hb, total-Hb) counts were measured before and after the 15-min interventions, together with the temperature at the skin surface, and at depths of 10 mm and 20 mm (ST, 10mmDT and 20mmDT, respectively). The haemoglobin saturation and tissue temperature were measured until 30 min after the intervention and were collected at 5-min intervals. Statistical analysis was performed for each index by using the Mann–WhitneyUtest for comparisons between all groups at each time point. Results:Total-Hb and oxy-Hb were significantly higher in the CRet group than in the HP group continuously for 30 min after the intervention. The 10mmDT and 20mmDT were significantly higher in the CRet group than in the HP group from 10- to 30 min after intervention. Conclusions:The effect on haemoglobin saturation was higher in the CRet group than in the HP group. In addition, the CRet intervention warmed deep tissue more effectively than HP intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To examine the clinical impact of coexisting lateral osteoarthritis (OA) in knees with mild medial OA.Design: In patients with Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) grade 2 OA in the medial compartment (n = 100; age: 56-89 years; 80.0% female), anteroposterior knee radiography was used to assess the presence of lateral OA, using grading systems from the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) atlas and the K/L classification. The Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM), knee range of motion (ROM), and performance-based functional measures (10 m walk, timed up and go and five repetition chair stand maneuvers) were evaluated. The outcomes were compared between patients with and without lateral OA using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) or nonparametric rank ANCOVA. Furthermore, ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed, with responses on individual JKOM pain questionnaires as the outcomes and lateral OA as the predictor.Results: Knees with coexisting lateral OA had a significantly worse score of JKOM pain question compared with those without, after adjusting for covariates. The presence of lateral OA was significantly associated with knee pain while ascending/descending stairs and standing. These results were consistent between different definitions of the K/L and OARSI grading systems. The knee ROM and performance-based functional measures were not significantly different between patients with and without lateral OA.Conclusion: Knees with concomitant lateral and mild medial OA may be more symptomatic compared to those without lateral OA. These findings might help to define a clinically distinct subgroup based on a simple radiographic finding in mild knee OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The present study explored the association between comprehensive health literacy and frailty level in community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. We enrolled 517 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 73.2 ± 6.3 years; 410 women). We divided the cohort into two groups, non-frail and any-frail, based on Fried Frailty Index scores. We assessed comprehensive health literacy using a 14-item health literacy scale, and classified the participants as having high or low health literacy. We carried out multivariate logistic regression analysis in which the dependent variable was the presence of non-frailty and the independent variable was the presence of high health literacy. The analysis was adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, educational history and cognitive function. Results There were 132 (25.5%) and 385 (74.5%) participants in the non-frail and any-frail groups, respectively. The analysis showed that high health literacy was independently associated with the non-frail group (odds ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval 1.03-2.61). Conclusions The results showed that high health literacy was associated with non-frailty. This result implies that comprehensive health literacy might play a salient role in maintaining good health status in community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 804-809. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This 1-year prospective cohort study aimed to compare the changes in clinical symptoms and functional disability between patients with coexisting patellofemoral (PF) and tibiofemoral (TF) osteoarthritis (OA) and those with isolated TFOA.Methods: Seventy-two patients with medial knee OA were enrolled. Knee pain and functional disability were assessed at baseline and at 1-year follow-up using the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) and a visual analog scale (VAS). We performed two-way analysis of covariance for the clinical outcome variables to examine, time (baseline and follow-up), group (coexisting PFOA and isolated TFOA), and time-group interaction effects. Furthermore, we conducted post-hoc exploratory analysis to address the possibility that dividing patients according to location of PFOA (i.e., isolated lateral, isolated medial, and mixed [bilateral]) may identify a distinct subgroup with different changes in clinical outcomes at 1-year follow-up.Results: We detected group effects only in scores of the JKOM pain subscale (P = 0.012) and VAS (P = 0.033), adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. Patients with coexisting PFOA have stable moderate level knee pain and functional disability throughout the year which is significantly worse than that in those with isolated TFOA. Post-hoc subgroup analysis demonstrated that change of knee pain likely varied with location of PFOA. Patients with isolated lateral PFOA had mild/moderate level knee pain, and their VAS scores were likely to improve, whereas those with mixed PFOA exhibited stable to worsening moderate/severe knee pain.Conclusions: Although we did not detect differences in changes in clinical symptoms and functional disability between patients with coexisting PFOA and those with isolated TFOA, our findings indicate that patients with coexisting PFOA had worse clinical symptoms and functional disability than those with isolated TFOA. The results of the exploratory analysis suggested that patients with coexisting PFOA might have heterogeneous clinical outcomes, and presence of mixed PFOA might be an indicator of severe clinical knee OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact in knee osteoarthritis (OA) of coexisting patellofemoral (PF) joint OA (PFOA) in Japanese patients with medial tibiofemoral (TF) joint OA (TFOA).Methods: Patients with medial knee OA (n = 143) were enrolled. The radiographic severity of the TF and PF joints, anatomic axis angle of the TF joint, patellar alignment, trochlear morphology, patellar height, and passive range of motion (ROM) of the painful knee were evaluated. Additionally, the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) was used to investigate the association between the presence of PFOA and clinical symptoms.Results: PFOA was present in 98 of 143 patients (68.5%) with medial knee OA. Quantile regression analysis revealed that coexisting PFOA was associated with the pain-related subcategory of the JKOM. Furthermore, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that coexisting PFOA was associated with higher odds of reporting knee pain on using stairs while ascending (odds ratio [OR] 4.81 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.73, 14.3]) and descending (OR 3.86 [95% CI 1.44, 10.8]). A more varus knee alignment and lower knee flexion ROM, which are features of patients with coexisting PFOA, were associated with knee pain while ascending/descending stairs. However, patellar alignment, trochlear morphology, and patellar height were not significantly associated with knee pain.Conclusion: PFOA coexisting with medial knee OA was associated with worse clinical symptoms, particularly while ascending/descending stairs, although patellar alignment did not contribute to reporting knee pain. Further studies that include evaluation of the PF joint are warranted to develop a basis for an optimal intervention based on compartmental involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:Maintenance of physical activity significantly affects quality of life, and the frequency of physical activity depends upon exercise tolerance. However, there is minimal information on the external factors that contribute to exercise tolerance. The aim of this study was to examine the association between exercise tolerance and shoe-fit in community-dwelling elderly people. Methods:Subjects were 155 elderly, healthy, community-dwelling Japanese volunteers. Exercise tolerance (Shuttle Walk Test [SWT]), 10-m walking time (10mWT), and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were measured. Shoe-fit was assessed and participants were divided into three groups according to the heel-fit of their shoes (Too Loose, Loose, Fit). Group scores in the above variables were compared. Further, a multivariate logistic regression model using a stepwise method was performed to investigate which shoe-fit factors were independently associated with SWT. Results:No significant differences in age, gender, body mass index, 10mWT, FEV1, or presence or absence of pain sites were observed between the three groups. The Fit (p = 0.001) and Loose (p = 0.008) groups had significantly higher SWT score than the Too Loose group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that poor heel-fit was significantly correlated with a low SWT score, even following adjustments for age, gender, 10mWT and FEV1 (odds ratio: 0.25, 95% confidence interval: 0.07–0.95, p = 0.04). Conclusions:This study demonstrates that heel-fit is associated with exercise tolerance in community-dwelling elderly people. It is important for elderly people to wear adequate fit shoes in order to enhance physical functions and prevent declining physical functions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective To examine the association between pedometer-based ambulatory physical activity (PA) and physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Design Cross-sectional observational study. Setting Institutional practice. Participants Participants in orthopedic clinics (N=207; age, 56–90y; 71.5% women) with diagnosed radiographic knee OA (Kellgren/Lawrence [K/L] grade ≥1). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Ambulatory PA was objectively measured as steps per day. Physical function was assessed using the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) functional subcategory, 10-m walk, Timed Up and Go (TUG), and 5-repetition chair stand (5CS) tests. Results Patients walking <2500 steps/d had a low level of physical function with a slower gait speed, longer TUG time, and worse JKOM functional score compared with those who walk 2500 to 4999, 5000 to 7499, and ≥7500 steps/d adjusted for age, sex, body mass index [BMI], and K/L grade. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that steps per day (continuous) was associated with better physical function adjusted for age, sex, BMI, and K/L grade. These relationships were still robust in sensitivity analyses that included patients with K/L grades ≥2 (n=140). Conclusions Although increased ambulatory PA had a positive relationship with better physical function, walking <2500 steps/d may be a simple indicator for a decrease in physical function in patients with knee OA among standard PA categories. Our findings might be a basis for counseling patients with knee OA about their ambulatory PA and for developing better strategies for improving physical function in sedentary patients with knee OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foot is speculated to play a role in knee joint kinematics. This exploratory cross-sectional study examined the association between static foot posture and the presence of varus thrust visualized during gait in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). Patients (n = 88 patients and 134 knees; age, 61-91 years; 68.2% female) with Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) grade ≥1 in the medial compartment were included in this study and underwent gait observation for varus thrust. These patients' three-dimensional static foot posture while standing was evaluated and their tibiofemoral joint K/L grades and anatomical axis angles were also assessed as covariates. Knees with varus thrust (22 knees, 16.4%) on average had a 4° more inverted calcaneus relative to the floor than those without varus thrust (P < 0.001). A logistic regression analysis showed that an increased calcaneus inversion angle was significantly associated with higher odds of the presence of varus thrust with adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, K/L grade, and anatomical axis angle. The other predictors, such as navicular height, navicular height/foot length, and rearfoot angle relative to the lower leg, were not significantly associated with varus thrust. These results suggest that patients with varus thrust had a different static rearfoot posture as compared with those without varus thrust, a finding that may indicate an important role of static rearfoot posture in the pathogenesis of varus thrust. Furthermore, investigating the potential influence of foot posture on the efficacy of biomechanical interventions, such as lateral wedge insole use, on varus thrust would be of particular interest in the further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate which spatial and temporal parameters of the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test are associated with motor function in elderly individuals.Methods: This study included 99 community-dwelling women aged 72.9 ± 6.3 years. Step length, step width, single support time, variability of the aforementioned parameters, gait velocity, cadence, reaction time from starting signal to first step, and minimum distance between the foot and a marker placed to 3 in front of the chair were measured using our analysis system. The 10-m walk test, five times sit-to-stand (FTSTS) test, and one-leg standing (OLS) test were used to assess motor function. Stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis was used to determine which TUG test parameters were associated with each motor function test. Finally, we calculated a predictive model for each motor function test using each regression coefficient.Results: In stepwise linear regression analysis, step length and cadence were significantly associated with the 10-m walk test, FTSTS and OLS test. Reaction time was associated with the FTSTS test, and step width was associated with the OLS test. Each predictive model showed a strong correlation with the 10-m walk test and OLS test (P < 0.01), which was not significant higher correlation than TUG test time.Conclusion: We showed which TUG test parameters were associated with each motor function test. Moreover, the TUG test time regarded as the lower extremity function and mobility has strong predictive ability in each motor function test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This 1-year prospective cohort study aimed to compare the changes in clinical symptoms and functional disability between patients with coexisting patellofemoral (PF) and tibiofemoral (TF) osteoarthritis (OA) and those with isolated TFOA., Methods: Seventy-two patients with medial knee OA were enrolled. Knee pain and functional disability were assessed at baseline and at 1-year follow-up using the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) and a visual analog scale (VAS). We performed two-way analysis of covariance for the clinical outcome variables to examine, time (baseline and follow-up), group (coexisting PFOA and isolated TFOA), and time-group interaction effects. Furthermore, we conducted post-hoc exploratory analysis to address the possibility that dividing patients according to location of PFOA (i.e., isolated lateral, isolated medial, and mixed [bilateral]) may identify a distinct subgroup with different changes in clinical outcomes at 1-year follow-up., Results: We detected group effects only in scores of the JKOM pain subscale (P = 0.012) and VAS (P = 0.033), adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. Patients with coexisting PFOA have stable moderate level knee pain and functional disability throughout the year which is significantly worse than that in those with isolated TFOA. Post-hoc subgroup analysis demonstrated that change of knee pain likely varied with location of PFOA. Patients with isolated lateral PFOA had mild/moderate level knee pain, and their VAS scores were likely to improve, whereas those with mixed PFOA exhibited stable to worsening moderate/severe knee pain., Conclusions: Although we did not detect differences in changes in clinical symptoms and functional disability between patients with coexisting PFOA and those with isolated TFOA, our findings indicate that patients with coexisting PFOA had worse clinical symptoms and functional disability than those with isolated TFOA. The results of the exploratory analysis suggested that patients with coexisting PFOA might have heterogeneous clinical outcomes, and presence of mixed PFOA might be an indicator of severe clinical knee OA.

Background: Plantar heel pain (PHP) is a common complaint, and is most often caused by plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is reported to be associated with running surfaces, however the association between PHP and running surfaces has not previously been revealed in an epidemiological investigation. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the association between PHP and running surfaces., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 347 competitive long-distance male runners participated in this study. The participants completed an original questionnaire, which included items assessing demographic characteristics, training characteristics focusing on running surfaces (soft surface, hard surface and tartan), and the prevalence of PHP during the previous 12 months. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the effect of running surfaces on PHP., Results: We found that 21.9% of participants had experienced PHP during the previous 12 months. The multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for demographic and training characteristics, revealed that running on tartan was associated with PHP (odds ratio 2.82, 95% confidence interval 1.42 to 5.61; P<0.01)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that running more than 25% on tartan is associated with PHP in competitive long-distance male runners.

[Purpose] This study investigated the association between floating toe and toe grip strength. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 635 Japanese children aged 9-11 years participated in this study. Floating toe was evaluated using footprint images, while toe grip strength was measured using a toe grip dynamometer. All 1,270 feet were classified into a floating toe group and a normal toe group according to visual evaluation of the footprint images. Intergroup differences in toe grip strength were analyzed using the unpaired t-test and logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, and Rohrer Index. [Results] There were 512 feet (40.3%) in the floating toe group. Mean toe grip strength of the feet with floating toe was significantly lower than that of normal feet (floating toe group, 12.9 ± 3.7 kg; normal toe group, 13.6 ± 4.1 kg). In addition, lower toe grip strength was associated with floating toe on logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age, gender, and Rohrer Index (odds ratio, 0.954; 95% confidence interval, 0.925-0.984). [Conclusion] This study revealed that lower toe grip strength was significantly associated with floating toe. Therefore, increasing toe grip strength may play a role in preventing floating toe in school age children.

Background: Increasing evidence highlights potential associations between varus thrust and health domains associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA)., Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between varus thrust and 2 subcategories-"pain and stiffness" and "activities of daily living (ADL)"-of the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM)., Design: This was a cross-sectional study., Methods: In total, 296 outpatients with knee OA visiting orthopedic clinics were enrolled. The inclusion criteria were age ≥50 years, medial knee OA and Kellgren-Lawrence (K/L) grade ≥1 in one or both knees, and the ability to walk independently. Standard posterior-anterior knee radiographs were measured for varus alignment. Participants were video recorded while walking and were evaluated for the presence or absence of varus thrust. Pain and stiffness of the knee joint and ADL were evaluated using the JKOM. Multivariate regressions (outcomes: pain and stiffness and ADL; predictor variable: varus thrust) were performed., Results: Varus thrust was present in 46 (16.2%) of 284 patients. Multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that varus thrust is independently associated with pain and stiffness, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, K/L grade, and varus alignment (β=.17, P=.005). However, the association between varus thrust and ADL was not significant (β=.11, P=.058). Based on sensitivity analyses, including participants of K/L grade 1 had little influence on this analysis., Limitations: Only 16.2% of participants had a varus thrust. Moreover, a cause-effect relationship between varus thrust and pain and stiffness remains unknown due to the cross-sectional design of this study., Conclusions: Varus thrust was associated with pain and stiffness in patients with medial knee OA. However, the association between varus thrust and ADL did not reach significance., (© 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.)

[Purpose] This study investigated the relationship between toe grip strength and foot posture in children. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 619 children participated in this study. The foot posture of the participants was measured using a foot printer and toe grip strength was measured using a toe grip dynamometer. Children were classified into 3 groups; flatfoot, normal, and high arch, according to Staheli's arch index. The differences in demographic data and toe grip strength among each foot posture group were analyzed by analysis of variance. Additionally, toe grip strength differences were analyzed by analysis of covariance, adjusted to body mass index, age, and gender. [Results] The number of participants classified as flatfoot, normal, and high arch were 110 (17.8%), 468 (75.6%), and 41 (6.6%), respectively. The toe grip strength of flatfoot children was significantly lower than in normal children, as shown by both analysis of variance and analysis of covariance. [Conclusion] A significant difference was detected in toe grip strength between the low arch and normal foot groups. Therefore, it is suggested that training to increase toe grip strength during childhood may prevent the formation of flat feet or help in the development of arch.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the functional movement screen (FMS) could predict running injuries in competitive runners. Eighty-four competitive male runners (average age = 20.0 ± 1.1 years) participated. Each subject performed the FMS, which consisted of 7 movement tests (each score range: 0-3, total score range: 0-21), during the preseason. The incidence of running injuries (time lost because of injury ≤ 4 weeks) was investigated through a follow-up survey during the 6-month season. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to investigate which movement tests were significantly associated with running injuries. The receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the cutoff. The mean FMS composite score was 14.1 ± 2.3. The ROC analysis determined the cutoff at 14/15 (sensitivity = 0.73, specificity = 0.54), suggesting that the composite score had a low predictability for running injuries. However, the total scores (0-6) from the deep squat (DS) and active straight leg raise (ASLR) tests (DS and ASLR), which were significant with the U-test, had relatively high predictability at the cutoff of 3/4 (sensitivity = 0.73, specificity = 0.74). Furthermore, the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the DS and ASLR scores of ≤3 significantly influenced the incidence of running injuries after adjusting for subjects' characteristics (odds ratio = 9.7, 95% confidence interval = 2.1-44.4). Thus, the current study identified the DS and ASLR score as a more effective method than the composite score to screen the risk of running injuries in competitive male runners.

Context: Chest wall mobility is strongly related to respiratory function; however, the effect of aging on chest wall mobility-and the level at which this mobility is most affected-remains unclear., Objective: To investigate age-related differences in chest wall mobility and respiratory function among elderly women in different age groups., Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was performed in Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture and Ayabe City in Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Inclusion criteria were female sex, age 65 years or older, community resident, and ability to ambulate independently, with or without an assistive device. Thoracic excursion at the axillary and xiphoid levels and at the level of the tenth rib was measured with measuring tape. Respiratory function, including forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), was assessed by spirometry, and FVC percent predicted (%FVC), FEV1 percent predicted (%FEV1), and FEV1/FVC were calculated. Chest wall mobility and respiratory function were compared among 4 age groups., Results: Of 251 potential participants, 132 met the inclusion criteria. Participants were divided into 4 age groups: group 1, 65 to 69 years; group 2, 70 to 74 years; group 3, 75 to 79 years; and group 4, 80 years or older. Statistically significant differences were found in thoracic excursion at the axillary level between groups 1 and 4 and between groups 2 and 4 when adjusted for height and weight (F4.52, P=.01). In addition, statistically significant differences were found in the FVC and FEV1 values between groups 1 and 3 and between groups 2 and 3 (FVC: F4.97, P=.01; FEV1: F6.17, P=.01)., Conclusion: Chest wall mobility at the axillary level and respiratory function decreased with age in community-dwelling women aged 65 years or older. Further longitudinal studies are required to clarify the effects of aging on chest wall mobility and respiratory function.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine whether arterial stiffness can be used to predict one-year changes in the cognitive function in Japanese community-dwelling elderly subjects., Methods: A total of 103 Japanese community-dwelling elderly patients joined this study. Information regarding the age, height, weight, gender and past medical history of each participant was obtained. Additionally, arterial stiffness was determined according to the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), and the cognitive function was assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). One year later, we performed the MMSE in the same subjects. After dividing the cohort according to the 80th percentile of the CAVI (normal and arterial stiffness [AS] groups), we examined whether the degree of cognitive decline, as determined using the pre- and post-MMSE, was significantly different based on the severity of arterial stiffness, adjusted for age, BMI, gender and the pre-MMSE scores., Results: Of the 103 subjects who participated in the pre-data collection, 74 (38 men and 36 women, 73.4±4.0 years) joined the post-data collection. We found a significant difference in the change in the post-MMSE scores between the normal and AS groups (pre-MMSE: normal group [27.4±2.1] and AS group [26.9±2.4] and post-MMSE: normal group [27.2±2.1] and AS group [25.5±2.3], F=5.95, p=0.02). For each domain of the MMSE, the changes in MMSE-attention-and-calculation (F=5.11, p=0.03) and MMSE-language (F=4.32, p=0.04) were significantly different according to an ANCOVA., Conclusions: We found that arterial stiffness predicts cognitive decline in Japanese community-dwelling elderly subjects regardless of the initial level of the global cognitive function. This finding indicates the potential use of the degree of arterial stiffness as an indicator for preventing or delaying the onset of dementia in the elderly.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the cross-sectional relationship between the cognitive function and cardio-ankle vascular index(CAVI) in Japanese community-dwelling elderly subjects., Methods: A total of 179 Japanese community-dwelling elderly subjects were recruited for this study. The age, height, weight, gender and past medical history(cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia) of each participant was recorded. In addition, the degree of arterial stiffness was determined according to the CAVI, while the cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE). After dividing the cohort into two groups according to the MMSE score(≤26, ＞26), we used a multiple regression analysis to assign the level of the cognitive function as a dependent variable., Results: The data were statistically analyzed for the 174 participants(84 men and 90 women) who completed the data collection process without omissions. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a higher weight(Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.05, 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI]: 1.00- 1.11, p=0.03), male gender(OR: 3.13, 95% CI: 1.05-9.34, p=0.04) and lower CAVI(OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.48-0.96, p=0.03) were significantly correlated with a higher MMSE score. We also found significant correlations between the MMSE and weight(OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.03-1.19, p=0.01) and CAVI(OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.33-0.98, p=0.04) in elderly men only using a gender-specific analysis., Conclusions: We found that the elderly subjects with a high CAVI exhibited a worse cognitive function even after adjusting for age, height, weight and gender. This finding therefore indicates the usefulness of the CAVI in the early detection of dementia.