OBJECTIVE We studied balance control in patients with cervical spondylosis, on the hypothesis that ataxia and changes in postural responses occur concurrently as a consequence of structural problems in the cervical cord. SUBJECTS AND PATIENTS Seventeen patients and 17 healthy subjects were recruited. Based on magnetic resonance imaging, the patients were divided into 2 groups, with (n=9) and ...

Bone marrow-derived stem cells have the ability to migrate to sites of tissue damage and participate in tissue regeneration. The number of circulating stem cells has been shown to be a key parameter in this process. Therefore, stimulating the mobilization of bone marrow stem cells may accelerate tissue regeneration in various animal models of injury. In this study we investigated the effect of ...

Two new species of Itagonia Reitter, 1887, Itagonia tibialis sp. n. and Itagonia litangensis sp. n. are described from Sichuan, China. A key to the known species of Itagonia from China is given.

[Purpose] This study examined the relationship between toe grip strength and its associated factors by focusing on factors that were suggested to have a relationship with toe grip strength in previous studies, aiming to clarify the factors influencing the toe grip strength of healthy women. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve healthy young women were selected for this study. Their toe grip strength, ...

The genus name Limnobaris Bedel is applied in a restricted sense to baridine weevils with a covered pygidium and non-prominent, decussate mandibles which occur on sedges in the Palaearctic Region and immediately adjacent parts of tropical Southeast Asia. Calyptopygus Marshall and Pertorcus Voss are syn. n. of Limnobaris. Some species from Africa and the Americas are maintained provisionally in ...

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the effects of multisensory dynamic balance training on muscles thickness such as rectus femoris, anterior tibialis, medial gastrocnemius, lateral gastrocnemius in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy by using ultrasonography. [Subjects and Methods] Fifteen children diagnosed with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy were divided randomly into the b...

Recently, an ultrasound-based elastography technique has been used to measure stiffness (shear modulus) of an active human muscle along the axis of contraction. Using this technique, we explored 1) whether muscle shear modulus, like muscle force, is length dependent; and 2) whether the length dependence of muscle shear modulus is consistent between electrically elicited and voluntary contractio...

Intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) has been inversely associated with insulin sensitivity in some, but not all, studies. This study utilized fast, high-resolution, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) to: investigate relationships between muscle lipids (IMCL and extramyocellular lipid (EMCL)) and insulin sensitivity in muscles of varying oxidative capacity, explore ethnic differences in t...

Professional cyclists often adopt a competition-start standing posture, which has been shown to improve performance. The biomechanical basis of this is unclear, and might be due to a greater mechanical advantage or increased key muscle activity. Previous observations in steady state cycling showed greater activation of the tibialis anterior, erector spinae, and biceps brachii when adopting a st...

Background Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a lethal, progressive, muscle-wasting disease caused by mutations in the DMD gene. Structural remodelling processes are responsible for muscle atrophy and replacement of myofibers by fibrotic and adipose tissues. Molecular interventions modulating catabolic pathways, such as the ubiquitin-proteasome and the autophagy-lysosome systems, are under developm...