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Objective: To examine the resistance effect of using an exercise band on the lower extremity venous velocity during active ankle flexion. Methods: Twenty healthy young adult men performed active ankle flexion every 2 s either with no band or with two exercise bands, marked red and silver in the order of increasing tension. They held the band in its natural length with an elbow in extension and an ankle in maximal dorsiflexion at initiation of each active plantar flexion in each posture. The peak velocity in the right superficial femoral vein was measured in each condition. Results: Holm's multiple comparisons revealed significant increases in the mean (individual 95% confidence intervals) peak velocities (cm/s) with no, red, and silver bands (35.8 (28.9–42.7), 46.5 (38.8–54.3), and 56.9 (47.0–66.8), respectively, in the sitting posture, and 50.7 (39.2–62.3), 60.7 (46.8–74.6), and 69.0 (55.3–82.7), respectively, in the supine posture; all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Resistance with the exercise bands efficiently enhanced the femoral venous velocity during active ankle plantar flexion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Studies on the relationship between serum sclerostin, a Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitor, and atherosclerosis have yielded inconsistent results. We aim to longitudinally investigate the relationship between serum sclerostin levels and the risk of increased arterial stiffness in Japanese community-dwelling women., Methods: Of 1044 women aged ≥50 years whose brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) value was available in a baseline survey in 2011-2012, we excluded 374 whose baPWVs were ≥1800 cm/s, set as the cutoff for increased arterial stiffness, and eight with missing data. Of the remaining 662 women, we included in the analysis 556 followed in the 4- to 5-year follow-up study. The coefficient of variation of the sclerostin measurement was 3.45%. We obtained odds ratios (ORs) for sclerostin at baseline categorized by tertiles, with the high tertile as reference for increased arterial stiffness., Results: Ninety-four women showed increased arterial stiffness during a mean follow-up of 4.0 years. The increased arterial stiffness rates in the low, medium, and high tertiles were 22.2%, 16.1%, and 12.4%, respectively (trend test p = 0.013). The ORs for the medium and low tertiles for increased arterial stiffness were 1.58 (p = 0.205) and 2.16 (p = 0.027), respectively, after adjusting for age and baseline baPWV. After further adjustment for baseline BMI, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, eGFR, and BMC at whole body, the ORs for the medium and low tertiles were 1.65 (p = 0.181) and 2.50 (p = 0.014), respectively., Conclusion: Lower serum sclerostin levels were associated with elevated risks for increased arterial stiffness in Japanese community-dwelling women., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com. See the journal About page for additional terms.)

Background: The hypotensive effects of high-intensity interval training have been reported; however, studies on older adults are few. This study aimed to examine whether interval-walking training (IWT), a home-based program of high-intensity interval training, reduces blood pressure (BP) levels when compared with a non-intervention group in community-dwelling older adults., Methods: An intervention study was conducted with 55 men (age, 75±5 years; IWT/control groups, N.=27/28) and 100 women (75±5 years; N.=47/53). The IWT regimen was as follows: fast (high-intensity) walking at 70-85% of the peak aerobic capacity and normal (light-intensity) walking at approximately 40% of the peak aerobic capacity for 3 min each, ≥5 times/walking day, and ≥4 days/week for 5 months. Systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BPs (SBP, DBP, and MAP, respectively) were measured in the supine posture., Results: The mean baseline SBP/DBP was 132/78 mmHg in men and 131/72 mmHg in women. Five-month changes in SBP, DBP, or MAP did not significantly differ between the IWT and control groups in either sex. The weekly fast-walking time in the IWT group was negatively correlated with changes in DBP (Spearman's ρ=-0.383, P=0.049) and MAP (ρ=-0.444, P=0.021) only in men., Conclusions: Though present findings did not indicate significant hypotensive effects of IWT in community-dwelling older adults, men with longer fast-walking times experienced greater BP decreases. Further studies with sufficient sample sizes are needed to determine the factors modulating the effects of the proposed training program.

Tissue flossing aims to improve range of motion (ROM), reduce pain, and enhance injury prevention. However, evidence is lacking regarding its effects. Therefore, this study examined the effects of flossing on hamstring muscles function in comparison to dynamic stretching (DS). Seventeen healthy young men ([mean ± SD] age, 23.2 ± 1.1 years; height, 1.72 ± 0.08 m; body mass, 63.5 ± 9.3 kg) volunteered as subjects in this randomized crossover trial. The subjects received flossing, DS, and control interventions in random order at least 1 week apart to eliminate the influence of the previous intervention. Flossing involved passive twisting and active movement using a floss band (Sanctband COMPRE Floss Blueberry, Sanct Japan Co., Ltd.). DS was performed for 4 minutes in 30-second sets consisting of 15 repetitions of 2 seconds stretching. The following were measured before and after each intervention: straight leg raise (SLR) test, passive knee extension (KE) test, passive torque, passive stiffness, fascicle length in the biceps femoris long head as an indication of hamstring muscles flexibility, and maximal isometric knee flexion contraction, maximal eccentric knee extension/flexion contraction, rate of force development, and muscle activity. Flossing yielded significant improvements in the SLR test (mean difference in post-intervention changes between interventions: 5.4°, percentage change from pre- to post-value: 13.4%, p = 0.004), passive KE test (6.2°, 4.5%, p < 0.001), passive torque at end-ROM (3.8 Nm, 4.7%, p = 0.03), and maximal eccentric knee flexion contraction (14.9% body weight, 8.2%, p = 0.03) than control. Moreover, flossing yielded 2.1-fold greater improvements in the passive KE test (3.8°, 4.5%, p = 0.03) and yielded significant improvements in the maximal eccentric knee extension contraction (29.9% body weight, 13.8%, p = 0.02) than DS. Therefore, flossing on hamstring muscles is more beneficial than DS with respect to increasing ROM and muscle exertion., (© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.)