Search

One form of abnormal scapular alignment is scapular downward rotation (SDR). Changes in muscle function in SDR have not been clearly identified, and SDR exercises also require investigation. Although a diagonal pattern of exercise is commonly used as part of the exercise protocol, a direct comparison of shoulder and scapular diagonal exercises has not yet been conducted. The objectives of this study were to determine the altered activation of the scapular musculature in the SDR group and to investigate which diagonal pattern of exercise effectively activates the scapular musculature.Thirty-two participants (18 in the control group and 14 in the SDR group) volunteered to participate in this study. Electromyographic signals were collected from four muscles, the upper trapezius (UT), lower trapezius (LT), serratus anterior (SA), and anterior deltoid (AD), during standing performance of diagonal shoulder and scapular exercises.The control group showed significantly lower UT activity, UT/LT ratio, and UT/SA values than the SDR group (p .05). Activation of the AD was significantly higher in the SDR than in the control group (p .05). SA and AD activation were significantly higher in shoulder diagonal pattern exercises than in scapular diagonal pattern exercises (p .05). The scapular posterior elevation pattern exercise showed significantly higher UT and LT activities than anterior elevation and shoulder diagonal pattern exercises (p .05).Our findings suggest that reduced activation of the UT could lead to greater activation in the AD in SDR. Scapular posterior elevation exercise is advantageous as selectively activates the trapezius musculature, and shoulder diagonal pattern exercise is advantageous in activating the SA and AD.

Background: In recent years, a three-dimensional ankle exercise has been proposed as a practice for strengthening the intrinsic foot muscles, however this topic still requires further research. This study aimed to compare the activities of the intrinsic muscles in healthy participants during 3D foot&ndash, ankle exercises, namely, short foot (SF), and toe spread out (TSO). Methods: Prior to the experiment, 16 healthy adults were trained on how to perform SF, TSO, and 3D foot&ndash, ankle exercises for an hour. Once all participants passed the foot&ndash, ankle exercise performance test, we randomly measured the activity of the intrinsic foot muscles using electromyography while the patients were performing foot&ndash, ankle exercises. Results: The abductor hallucis (AbH), extensor hallucis longus (EHL), and flexor hallucis brevis (FHB) activities showed significant differences among the exercises for intrinsic foot muscle strengthening (p &lt, 0.01). Additionally, the AbH/AdH (adductor hallucis) ratio showed significant differences among the exercises for strengthening the intrinsic foot muscles (p &lt, 0.01). Conclusions: Our results showed that the 3D extension exercise is as effective as the therapeutic exercise in terms of the AbH and FHB activities, and the AbH/AdH ratio. On the contrary, the 3D flexion exercise showed superiority in terms of the EHL activity.

Background General ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) cannot be flexibly adjusted to volumetric change in the lower leg because the molding is custom-fit. Thus, we developed a flexible assistive device called elastic neutral AFO (EN-AFO) to help stroke patients hold a neutral ankle position. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of EN-AFO and improve gait patterns in stroke patients with rearfoot varus deformity. Methods Fifteen stroke patients with a varus deformity of the foot performed a walking test with and without the use of EN-AFO. Kinematic data were measured with a 3D motion analysis system with inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors. Results In the stance phase, maximal pelvic tilt and maximal ankle dorsiflexion in the affected side changed, and maximal and minimal pelvic tilts and maximal hip abduction in the less-affected limb effectively changed, as well. During the swing phase, minimal pelvic tilt and minimal ankle abduction in the affective limb greatly changed; particularly, the reduction of maximal ankle inversion was significantly cleared. Conclusions The EN-AFO was effective in controlling the tendency of foot inversion in patients with varus deformities. This is suitable for gait training, as it can adjust the orthosis stiffness according to the foot condition.

The present study aimed to investigate lumbar multifidus (LM) thickness and perceived exertion during graded superman exercises (GSE) or GSE with an abdominal drawing-in maneuver (GSE-AD) in young adults. Twelve young adult males and females, who were informed of the purpose and procedures of this study and then gave their voluntary consent to participate, were included in this study. All subjects randomly performed three GSE and GSE-AD over 3 days. Ultrasonography was used to measure the LM thickness to the left and right of the L5 region. Additionally, the issue of whole-body fatigue felt by the subject while performing the GSE or GSE-AD was measured using the Borg scale. The intrarater reliability of the LM measurement was found to be intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC[3,1])=0.97 (0.87–0.99) at resting and ICC(3,1)=0.94 (0.78–0.99) at contraction. Both the left and right LM showed significantly higher contraction during the grade 3 GSE (P< 0.05). The whole-body fatigue was significantly greater following GSE 2 and 3 than following GSE-AD 2 and 3 (P0.05). It is recommended that the abdominal drawing-in maneuver be applied with grade 3 GSE to enhance stability and reduce spinal fatigue.

This study investigated potential for foot dysfunction and plantar fasciitis according to the shape of the foot arch in young adults. Fifty-two participants were required for the present study design to achieve 80% power, 0.8 effect size (η2), and an alpha level of 0.05. This study recruited 52 young adults (30 men and 22 women). All participants voluntarily agreed to participate in the study after hearing explanations about the purpose and process of the study. They were divided into two groups of 26 according to the shape of foot with and without flat foot using the navicular drop test. The participants were measured the foot function index (FFI), range of motion (ROM) of ankle, and four-way ankle strength. Additionally, the thickness of the plantar fascia was measured using ultrasonography. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to verify the inter- and intrarater reliability of ultrasonography. The inter- and intrarater reliability was excellent (ICC2,1=0.88, ICC3,1=0.93). There were significant differences in dorsi-flexion of ankle ROM, FFI, dorsi-flexion and eversion of ankle strength, and the thickness of the plantar fascia between the two groups (P

Many experts have used an indirect method for enhancing strength and performance of muscles in clinical practice. The indirect method, which called an irradiation is a basic procedure of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, there is little research related the effects of irradiation. This study investigated abdominal muscle activity during abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM) combined with irradiation variations. The study recruited 42 healthy, young adults who were divided randomly into three groups according to which intervention they received. The first group performed the ADIM combined with coactivation of the pelvic floor muscle. The second group performed the ADIM combined with the irradiation resulting from dorsiflexion of the ankle. The third group performed the ADIM combined with the irradiation resulting from bilateral arm extension. Electromyography data were collected from the rectus abdominis, external oblique abdominis, and transversus abdominis/internal oblique abdominis (TrA/IO) muscles during ADIM combined with irradiation variations. There were significant differences in the abdominal muscle activity and the preferential contraction ratio of the TrA/IO among the three groups (P

Objectives This study compared foot arch height, plantar fascia thickness, a range of motion assessments of the ankle joint, strength of the ankle joint, plantar pressure, and balance between obese and normal weight young adults. Methods Fifty-two participants were required for the present study design to achieve 80% power, 0.8 effect size (η2), and an alpha level of 0.05. The participants were categorized to normal weight or obese groups based on BMI (≤ 24 kg/m2 and ≥ 25 kg/m2, respectively). The foot and ankle disability index and Sport survey were completed by the participants before the measurements. Foot arch height was measured using the navicular drop test, and plantar fascia thickness was measured using ultrasound. Plantar pressure and balance tests were also conducted, followed by ankle joint range of motion and strength tests. Results Foot arch height and plantar fascia thickness was significantly higher in the obese group compared with the normal weight group (p < 0.01). There were significant differences in eversion of ankle strength, plantar pressure in the big toe and heel and anterior-posterior balance between normal and obese weight groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion Obese young adults had more abnormalities in the medial longitudinal arch, plantar fascia, and plantar pressure as well as weakened ankle eversion strength and balance problems compared with the normal weight group.

BACKGROUND Various forms of trunk exercise have been used for increasing abdominal strength. The plank exercise and bilateral leg raise exercise are one of these trunk exercises. However, there are few studies that compared the effects of these exercise variations. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to investigate how effectively the trunk muscles during plank and bilateral leg raise exercises are activated. METHOD Surface electromyography responses of the rectus abdominis, internal oblique, and erector spinae muscles were investigated during the plank and bilateral leg raise exercise with different hip position. A total of 18 healthy, physically active female volunteers completed the normal plank exercise, plank exercise with placing the lower leg in a horizontal condition, bilateral leg raise exercise, and bilateral leg raise with lower leg as horizontal condition. RESULTS The horizontal condition caused significant increases in activity of the internal oblique muscles compared with the general condition (p< 0.05). The bilateral leg raise exercise showed significantly greater activation in the rectus abdominis compared to the plank exercise (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION The present study showed that the horizontal condition had the advantage of activating the internal oblique muscles, and the leg raise exercise is effective in strengthening global muscle such as the rectus abdominis.

BACKGROUND A high prevalence and incidence of neck and shoulder pain are common problems that require more attention from health service providers and researchers. Recent findings have indicated that the neck stretching is the one of the most effective physical therapy interventions. Although the recovery of the pain through the stretching exercise has been described in a previous study, functional advantages and changes of the neuromuscular control has not been suggested. Additionally, there was a lack of studies that considered methods of stretching. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to examine the long-term effects of stretching methods for cervical neuromuscular dysfunction, disability and pain in a sample of sedentary workers with neck pain. METHODS Twenty-four sedentary workers with neck pain participated in this study and were assigned to the following two groups: static stretching (SS), and diagonal active stretching (DS). Active cervical range of motion (ROM), pressure pain threshold (PPT), self reported questionnaire (Neck Disability Index, NDI), and the flexion - relaxation ratio (FRR) from the cervical erector spinae muscles were measured at pre-treatment, post-treatment (after 4 weeks) and follow-up (after 6 and 8 weeks). RESULTS In both groups, the values obtained for the cervical ROM as flexion, extension, lateral flexion, were significantly increased in comparison to pre-treatment (p< 0.05). Significant increases of the left and right neck rotation, left and right FRR were only observed in the DS group (p

Background We hypothesised that the balance of spastic chronic stroke patients is related to myofascial problems. We performed myofascial release (MFR) with a tennis ball on the affected limb, as suggested by Myers. Purpose This study investigated the benefits of 8 weeks of MFR using a tennis ball on the balance of spastic patients. Methods Eight stroke patients were enrolled voluntarily after providing informed consent. All subjects received 8-week interventions with MFR using a tennis ball three times per week. The patients were evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed ‘Up & Go' (TUG) test before and after 4 and 8 weeks of the intervention. Results There were significant differences in the BBS scores ( p = 0.001). The TUG time decreased significantly at 4 and 8 weeks ( p = 0.034). Conclusion Myofascial release appears to improve the balance of spastic chronic stroke patients; however, further studies should evaluate the effective of MFR on walking in stroke patients and determine the mechanism of the effect of MFR.

The purpose of this study was to identify the changes in the cervical range of motion (CROM), the cervical flexion-relaxation ratio (CFRR), and neck pain after dynamic neck training (DNT) combined with hold-relax technique (HRT) for young college students with video display terminal (VDT) syndrome. For this study, 15 young college students with VDT syndrome were recruited. DNT combined with HRT was applied to all participants in a sitting position for 15 min. Postintervention, the CROM and the CFRR were significantly higher than preintervention, and neck pain had significantly decreased. DNT combined with HRT showed immediate effects on the CROM, the CFRR, and neck pain in young college students with VDT syndrome.

Background and objectives: Obese people have many foot-related disorders and plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common disorder among them. However, research on the role of therapeutic exercises in PF is lacking and there is no evidence to suggest its benefits. As such, a further insight into therapeutic exercises is needed within this group. This case study investigated the effect of three-dimensional (3D) ankle exercises using a combined isotonic (CI) technique on function and balance in an obese subject with PF. Material and methods: The subject in this study was a 28-year-old obese woman who was diagnosed with PF by an orthopedic surgeon. A 3D ankle exercise program was commenced three times a week for 15 min over 4 weeks. The evaluations were conducted at five intervals: pre-test, and at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks from the initiation of the intervention. The tests were conducted in the following order: the patient-specific functional scale test (PSFS), an ultrasound of the plantar fascia, the heel pressure and balance test, the pressure pain threshold (PPT), and the 4-way ankle strength test. Results: The mean score of the PSFS test reduced by 70.55% after 4 weeks of the intervention. The thickness of the plantar fascia and heel pressure measured during single-leg standing decreased by 6.67% and 10.37%, respectively, after 4 weeks of the intervention. The anteroposterior and medial-lateral balance ability showed improvements of 8.29% and 8.61%, respectively, after 4 weeks of the intervention. The PPT improved by 38.01% after 4 weeks of the intervention. In the 4-way ankle strength test, dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion, and eversion increased by 14.46%, 9.63%, 4.3% and 13.25%, respectively, after 4 weeks of the intervention. Conclusion: 3D ankle exercises utilizing the CI technique were shown to be effective in improving foot function, pressure pain, and muscle strength in dorsiflexion and inversion in an obese patient with PF.

Blue honeysuckle (BH, Lonicera caerulea) is used as a traditional medicine in Russia, Japan and China, but is not commonly considered as an edible berry in Europe, USA or Korea. BH has been revealed to decrease serum cholesterol and triacylglycerol (triglyceride or TG) levels through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), thus it is expected to be a health functional food and pharmaceutical agent for the prevention of non-alcoholic liver damage, in addition to effects as a suppressor of hyperlipidemia and as an anti-obesity agent. In the present study, the pharmacological activity of BH extract (BHe) was observed in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Significant increases in fat pad weight, body weight, fat accumulation (body and abdominal fat density, and thickness of the periovarian and abdominal wall) and serum biochemical levels (aspartate transaminase, alanine amino-transferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyltransferase, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and TG, with the exception of high-density lipoprotein) were observed in HFD-fed mice. In addition, increases in adipocyte hypertrophy, the area of steatohepatitis and hepatocyte hypertrophy were observed, whereas decreased zymogen content was identified upon histopathological observation. Increased deterioration of the endogenous antioxidant defense system (liver catalase, glutathione and superoxide dismutase) and hepatic lipid peroxidation was observed. In addition, there were decreases in hepatic glucokinase activity, AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 mRNA expression, adipose tissue uncoupling protein 2 expression, and adiponectin mRNA expression, increases in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase activity, hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 mRNA expression, and the expression of leptin, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) α, C/EBPβ and sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein 1c mRNA in the periovarian tissue. Furthermore, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and obesity were significantly inhibited by the continuous administration of BHe for 84 days. These results revealed that BHe may be a promising novel drug or functional food candidate for the treatment of obesity and NAFLD.

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes of gait pattern, muscle activity, and perceived comfort in response to variations of height-elevating insoles (HEIs) in young adults. The subjects of this study were 30 young adults who voluntarily consented to participate in this experiment after listening to its purpose and method. They were di-vided into 3 groups who wore HEIs height (0, 3, and 7 cm). Each group consisted of 10 young adults and wore the HEIs for 4 hr a day. Electro-myographic signals were collected from the tibialis anterior, the gas-trocnemius, the hamstring, and the right and the left erector spinae (ES) before and after walking with the HEI. Gait pattern was measured be-fore and after walking with the HEI. Perceived comfort was measured after a subject wore the insoles for 4 hr. The activities of ES showed significant differences among the three groups. The activity of the left ES was significantly different between groups 1 (0 cm) and 2 (3 cm) and groups 1 and 3 (7 cm). The activity of the right ES was significantly dif-ferent between groups 1 and 3. The left stride length and the left step length showed significant differences between groups 1 and 3. Per-ceived comfort was significantly different among the three groups. As the HEIs increased, the activities of ES were gradually increased and the left step length and stride were decreased. Using of higher HEIs over 4 hr may be occurred excessive activities of the ES, abnormal gait patterns, and perceived discomfort.

Aim. Kuseonwangdogo is a traditional Korean immunomodulatory polyherbal prescription. However, there are no systemic findings on its complex immunomodulatory effects onin vivomodels. In this study, we observed the immunomodulatory effects of Kuseonwangdogo-based mixed herbal formula aqueous extracts (MHFe) on cyclophosphamide- (CPA-) induced immunosuppression mouse model.Methods. In total, 60 male 6-week-old ICR mice (10 mice/group) were selected based on body weight 24 h after the second CPA treatment and used in this experiment. Twelve hours after the end of the last (fourth) oral administration of MHFe, the animals were sacrificed.Results. Following CPA treatment, a noticeable decrease in the body, thymus, spleen, and submandibular lymph node (LN) weights; white blood cell, red blood cell, platelet number, hemoglobin, and hematocrit concentrations; serum interferon-γlevels; splenic tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin- (IL-) 1β, and IL-10 content; and peritoneal and splenic natural killer cell activities was observed. Depletion of lymphoid cells in the thymic cortex, splenic white pulp, and submandibular LN-related atrophic changes were also observed. However, these CPA-induced myelosuppressive signs were markedly and dose-dependently inhibited by the oral administration of 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg MHFe.Conclusion. MHFe can be a promising, potent immunomodulatory therapeutic agent for various immune disorders.

Exopolysaccharide from Crypthecodinium cohnii (EPCP1-2) is a marine exopolysaccharide that evidences a variety of biological activities. We isolated a neutral polysaccharide from the fermentation liquid of Crypthecodinium cohnii (CP). In this study, a polysaccharide that is derived from Crypthecodinium cohnii were analyzed and its anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated on protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor κB pathways in macrophages. The structural characteristics of EPCP1-2 were characterized by GC (gas chromatography) and GC-MS (gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer) analyses. The molecular weight was about 82.5 kDa. The main chain of EPCP1-2 consisted of (1→6)-linked mannopyranosyl, (1→6)-linked glucopyranosyl, branched-chain consisted of (1→3,6)-linked galactopyranosyl and terminal consisted of t-l-Rhapyranosyl. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity was representated through assay of proliferation rate, pro-inflammatory factor (NO) and expressions of proteins on RAW 264.7, the macrophage cell line. The results revealed that EPCP1-2 exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity by regulating the expression of toll-like receptor 4, mitogen-activated protein kinases, and Nuclear Factor-κB protein.

[Purpose] This study investigated the effects of visual stimulus using central and peripheral vision fields on postural control. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects consisted of 40 young adult volunteers (15 males, 25 females) who had been informed of the study purpose and procedure. The subjects were randomly divided into four groups of differing visual stimulus. Each group was given visual intervention in a standing position for 3 minutes. Postural control was evaluated before and after visual intervention. [Results] The results of the functional reach test and body sway test showed significant differences among the four groups. [Conclusion] The two-way peripheral vision-field group showed significantly more body sway after visual intervention than the other three groups. This finding may suggest two-way peripheral vision field is a more effective visual stimulus for training postural control and balance.

To engineer Escherichia coli for the heterologous production of di-rhamnolipids, which are important biosurfactants but mainly produced by opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The codon-optimized rhlAB and rhlC genes originating from P. aeruginosa and Burkholderia pseudomallei were combinatorially expressed in E. coli to produce di-rhamnolipids with varied congeners compositions. Genes involved in endogenous upstream pathways (rhamnose and fatty acids synthesis) were co-overexpressed with rhlAB–rhlC, resulting in variations of rhamnolipids production and congeners compositions. Under the shake-flask condition, co-overexpression of rfbD with rhlAB–rhlC increased rhamnolipids production (0.64 ± 0.02 g l−1) than that in strain only expressing rhlAB–rhlC (0.446 ± 0.009 g l−1), which was mainly composed of di-rhamnolipids congeners Rha–Rha–C10–C10. Biosynthesis of di-rhamnolipids and variations of congeners composition in genetically engineered E. coli strains were achieved via combiniations of mono-/di-rhamnolipids synthesis modules and endogenous upstream modules.

This study was conducted to examine the influence of the peripheral vision (PV) induced by moving people on postural control in healthy adults. The subjects consisted of 12 healthy adult volunteers (5 males, 7 females) who had been informed of the study purpose and procedure. The visual interventions were composed of three types. PV1 and PV2 were stimulated using a one-way vertical striped pattern and a two-way vertical striped pattern, respectively. To embody the features of moving people reflected in the mirrors, researchers recorded movements of people or objects provided by mirrors on video image. In this study, this was named PV3. The subjects were exposed to each of the visual stimuli for 3 min in a random order, and their postural control was then evaluated. All the subjects were allowed to practice once prior to performing the one leg stand test, functional reaching test and body sway test. All the evaluations were made before and after the visual intervention, and the subjects rested for 30 min between each intervention. PV3 ranked second in before and after differences of trace length and velocity and had no significant difference from PV2, demonstrating that the PV3, as well as PV2, affected the amount and velocity of body sway. In addition, the standard deviation velocity, trace length and velocity values of PV3 were higher than the PV1 values. Therefore, the treatment of those who have difficulty with postural control and balance maintenance should take place in a controlled therapeutic environment.