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A 55‐year‐old Japanese woman with a history of hypertension and right putaminal hemorrhage developed simultaneous hemorrhages in the left thalamus and putamen and died 24 h later. There were no vascular anomalies in the brain. Synaptophysin immunostaining combined with eosin azure 50 (EA50) staining clearly identified the hematoma and the surrounding brain structures. In the right cerebral hemisphere, a cystic lesion as a sequela of the usual type of hypertensive putaminal hematoma was evident. In the left cerebral hemisphere, two fresh hematomas were evident. One was a thalamic hematoma, which had destroyed the dorsal and medial structures of the thalamus, and the other was an unusual putaminal hematoma, which had destroyed the entire putamen and crossed the internal capsule and caudate nucleus. α‐Smooth muscle actin immunostaining combined with EA50 and Victoria bleu staining demonstrated three ruptured arteries associated with fibrin aggregates in the anterior thalamic nucleus and anterior putamen. Some circular structures composed of fibrin, suggesting the presence of ruptured arteries in the neighborhood, were evident in the thalamus and putamen. In the putamen, ruptured arteries and circular structures were present in the lateral to medial areas. Fibrin aggregates in the anterior thalamic nucleus were more numerous than those in the putamen. On the basis of these findings, we concluded that: (i) the artery with numerous fibrin aggregates in the anterior thalamic nucleus had ruptured first, followed by the arteries distributed in other parts of the thalamus and putamen; (ii) the unusual putaminal hematoma was attributable to rupture of the arteries around the center of the putamen, which are not responsible for the usual type of hypertensive putaminal hematoma; and (iii) it is suggested that even if hypertensive hemorrhage occurs simultaneously in the ipsilateral putamen and thalamus, the usual type of hypertensive mixed‐type hematoma does not form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, children in Japan were restricted from sports and outdoor activities. Regular physical activity is essential for healthy growth and development in children, with recommendations advocating for activities such as strength training. However, the long-term effects of the restrictions have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an "exercise class", specifically a dance program, designed to improve motor function in elementary school children affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which may have compromised their motor function. Methods: The dance program was developed by a sports science teacher, a professional dancer, and a physical therapist, and it was evaluated in a community-based participatory study. Trained dance instructors conducted one-hour dance sessions in a medical center, held once a week for two months from June to August 2023. A physical therapist and dance instructors led the elementary school children. Outcome measures included grip strength, lower extremity muscle strength, back muscle strength, dynamic balance function during movement, physical activity time, and body fat percentages. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results: Twenty-four children aged 6–9 years participated in the exercise class over a two-month period. Improvement was observed in grip strength, lower extremity muscle strength, and dynamic balance function during movement. However, physical activity time, body fat percentages, and back muscle strength did not change. Conclusions: The results indicated a significant improvement in motor skills. Dance is an inexpensive program that elementary school children can enjoy while improving their motor skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Proprioceptive function declines with age, leading to falls, pain, and difficulties in performing activities of daily living among older adults. Although individuals with low back pain (LBP) exhibit decreased lumbosacral proprioception in various postures, the mechanism by which reduced proprioceptive function causes LBP remains uncertain. Vibratory stimulation may enhance proprioceptive function; however, its efficacy in treating LBP has not been investigated. Thus, we investigated the feasibility of improving proprioceptive function and its effect on alleviating chronic LBP in older patients through targeted vibratory therapy (TVT) administration. Methods: This single arm designed trial included older patients aged >65 years with non-specific chronic LBP. TVT involved applying vibratory stimulation, matching the frequency of dysfunctional receptors, for 1 min daily over 14 days to activate proprioceptors; patients performed TVT three times daily at home. In cases of reduced proprioceptive function at multiple sites, TVT was aimed at the lowest frequency band value. LBP and proprioceptive function were evaluated at 2 weeks after TVT and at 2 weeks after the end of TVT in patients with declined proprioception in the trunk or lower extremities. Results: Overall, 56 patients with chronic LBP were enrolled; 32 patients were recruited for treatment based on a proprioceptive dysfunction diagnosis and 24 patients were recruited with a normal diagnosis with no significant differences observed between the two sets of patients in sarcopenia-related factors and clinical proprioception-related characteristics. No patient had any adverse events. Two weeks after TVT, the numerical pain rating scale score improved to <3 points in 78.1% of patients, with 73.1% of patients achieving a score of ≤ 3 points. Proprioceptive function improved in 81.3% of cases, and engagement in activities of daily living improved significantly. Conclusions: TVT demonstrated efficacy in improving proprioception and alleviating LBP in older patients with impaired proprioceptive function without affecting non-targeted proprioceptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]