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OBJECTIVE: Cerebral metabolism may play a significant role in neurobehavioural disability following traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, we examined the relationship between intelligence quotient (IQ) and the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) in the lateral prefrontal cortex, which was measured by 15O-labelled gas positron emission tomography (PET), in patients with TBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects were 12 patients (eight males and four females) who suffered from neurobehavioural disability following TBI. Their mean age was 33.3 years. The cause of injury was traffic accidents in all patients and the mean period after injury was 44.8 months. These patients underwent 15O-labelled gas PET and tests using either the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Pearson's correlation between CMRO2 and total IQ (TIQ) was calculated. RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was observed between TIQ and CMRO2 in the right Brodmann areas (BAs) 44 and 45. The lower the WAIS score, the higher the CMRO2 in both areas. CONCLUSION: Neurological function negatively correlated with the metabolism of oxygen. It was possible that changes in brain networks increased the neuronal activity in the undamaged areas and that the increased activity compensated for the function decline.

DOI： 10.1080/02699052.2018.1496478

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BACKGROUND: Vestibular rehabilitation is useful to alleviate chronic dizziness in patients with vestibular dysfunction. It aims to induce neuronal plasticity in the central nervous system (especially in the cerebellum) to promote vestibular compensation. Transcranial cerebellar direct current stimulation (tcDCS) reportedly enhances cerebellar function. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: We investigated whether vestibular rehabilitation partially combined with tcDCS is superior to the use of rehabilitation alone for the alleviation of dizziness. METHODS: Patients with chronic dizziness due to vestibular dysfunction received rehabilitation concurrently with either 20-min tcDCS or sham stimulation for 5 days. Pre- and post-intervention (at 1 month) dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) scores and psychometric and motor parameters were compared. RESULTS: Sixteen patients completed the study. DHI scores in the tcDCS group showed significant improvement over those in the sham group (Mann-Whitney U test, p = 0.033). CONCLUSION: Vestibular rehabilitation partially combined with tcDCS appears to be a promising approach.

DOI： 10.1016/j.brs.2017.02.005

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PURPOSE: We investigated the combined effects of repeated sauna therapy and exercise training on subjective symptoms, cardiac function, daily activities and ambulation capacity in patients with chronic heart failure. METHODS: Fifty four patients including 26 patients with repeated sauna therapy and exercise training (combined therapy group) and 28 patients with repeated sauna therapy (monotherapy group) participated in the study. Repeated sauna therapy and exercise training were performed once a day, 5 days a week. Clinical symptoms, brain natriuretic peptide concentration, cardiac functions evaluated by echocardiography, cardiac size on chest radiography, Barthel Index (BI) and ambulation capacity were examined and compared between the time of hospital admission and the time of discharge. RESULTS: Both the groups showed significantly improved New York Heart Association functional class, cardiothoracic ratio, brain natriuretic peptide concentration, left ventricular ejection fraction, BI score and ambulation capacity grade. The changes of New York Heart Association functional class, BI score and ambulation capacity in the combined therapy group were a higher level of statistical significance than those in monotherapy group. Notably, significant between group difference was observed in the changes of BI score. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of exercise training programs to repeated sauna therapy may be efficient and effective for improvement of cardiac function and daily activities for patients with chronic heart failure. IMPLICATIONS OF REHABILITATION: Repeated sauna therapy is an effective means of improving cardiac, vascular function and mental health in CHF patients. Exercise training is an effective means of improving exercise capacity, thus improving ADL. Combination of repeated sauna therapy and exercise training may be recommended as a comprehensive treatment to improve cardiac function, ambulation capacity, and ADL in CHF patients.

DOI： 10.3109/09638288.2015.1044032

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[Purpose] This study aimed to use a thermograph to observe temperature changes caused by different distances between an ultrasound transducer and bone during 1 MHz and 3 MHz continuous ultrasound emission on a phantom. [Materials and Methods] We observed the distribution of temperature elevations on a phantom consisting of pig ribs and tissue-mimicking material. One megahertz and 3 MHz ultrasound were delivered at 2.0 W/cm(2) for 5 minutes. To record the temperature changes on the phantom, we took a screenshot of the thermograph with a digital camera every 20 seconds. [Results] With 1 MHz ultrasound at the distances of 2 and 3 cm, the temperature elevation near the bone was higher than that near the transducer. However, with 3 MHz ultrasound, the temperature elevation was higher near the transducer rather than near the bone. At this point, we consider that there is a possibility of heat injury to internal organs in spite of there being no elevation of skin temperature. [Conclusion] When performing ultrasonic therapy, not only should the frequency be taken into consideration, but also the influence of the absorption coefficient and the reflection of the tissue. We visually confirmed the thermal ultrasound effect by thermography. Special attention to the temperature elevation of the internal organs is necessary to avoid injuries.

DOI： 10.1589/jpts.27.205

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Gastric and adipose tissue secrete a number of hormones that are involved in energy metabolism. The biological functions of these hormones, including their effects on aging, are currently under investigation. Adiponectin was shown to be directly involved in appetite and the control of body weight. However, the effects of aging of nesfatin-1, an appetite-suppressing peptide that was recently identified, have not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of aging on the plasma levels of nesfatin-1 and adiponectin. Our results demonstrated no significant differences in the nesfatin-1 plasma levels among three age groups (2, 6 and 24 months) of female BALB/c mice. The plasma nesfatin-1 levels/visceral fat (VF) ratio in the 24-month-old mice was significantly lower compared to that in the 2- and 6-month-old mice. In addition, there were no significant differences in the plasma adiponectin levels among the three age groups. The plasma adiponectin levels/VF ratio in the 24-month-old mice was significantly lower compared to that in the 2- and 6-month-old mice. In conclusion, there were no age-related changes in the plasma levels of nesfatin-1 and adiponectin, although the ratio of plasma levels of nesfatin-1 and adiponectin per VF was decreased with advancing age. Our results indicated that nesfatin-1 and adiponectin may be involved in controlling energy balance during aging.

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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Rat models of photochemically induced cerebral infarction have been readily studied, but to date there are no reports of transcranial photochemically induced infarctions in the marmoset. In this report, we used this non-human primate as a model of cerebral thrombosis and observed the recovery process. METHODS: Five common marmosets were used. Cerebral ischemia was produced via intravascular thrombosis induced by an intravenous injection of Rose Bengal and irradiation with green light. After inducing cerebral infarction, we observed the behavior of marmosets via a continuous video recording. We evaluated maximum speed, mean speed, and distance traveled in 1 min. In addition, we evaluated scores for feeding behavior, upper limb grip, and lower limb grip. We confirmed the infarct area after cerebral infarction using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining in a separate marmoset. RESULTS: We found functional decreases 2 days after creating the cerebral infarction in all measurements. Total distance traveled, average speed, upper limb score, and feeding behavior score did not recover to pre-infarction levels within 28 days. Maximum speed in 1 min and lower limb score recovered 28 days after infarction as compared to pre-infarction levels. We confirmed the infarct area of 11.4 mm × 6.8 mm as stained with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. CONCLUSION: We were able to create a primate photothrombosis-induced cerebral infarction model using marmosets and observe functional recovery. We suggest that this is a useful model for basic research of cerebral infarction.

DOI： 10.1371/journal.pone.0060037

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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The use of novel rehabilitative approaches for effecting functional recovery following stroke is controversial. Effects of different but effective rehabilitative interventions in the hemiplegic patient are not clear. We studied the effects of different rehabilitative approaches on functional recovery in the rat photochecmical cerebral infarction model. METHODS: Twenty-four male Wistar rats aged 8 weeks were used. The cranial bone was exposed under deep anesthesia. Rose bengal (20 mg/kg) was injected intravenously, and the sensorimotor area of the cerebral cortex was irradiated transcranially for 20 min with a light beam of 533-nm wavelength. Animals were divided into 3 groups. In the simple-exercise group, treadmill exercise was performed for 20 min every day. In the expected for acquisition movement-training group, beam-walking exercise was done for 20 min daily. The control group was left to recover without additional intervention. Hindlimb function was evaluated with the beam-walking test. RESULTS: Following cerebral infarction, dysfunction of the contralateral extremities was observed. Functional recovery was observed earlier in the expected for acquisition training group than in the other groups. Although rats in the treadmill group recovered more quickly than controls, the beam-walking group had the shortest overall recovery time. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise facilitated functional recovery in the rat hemiplegic model, and expected for acquisition exercise was more effective than simple exercise. These findings are considered to have important implications for the future development of clinical rehabilitation programs.

DOI： 10.1186/2193-1801-2-517

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The role of the contralateral cerebral cortical plasticity in functional recovery after cerebral infarction is controversial. To clarify this role, we made a second contralateral cortical infarction after recovery from the first cerebral infarction. To produce the first infarction, Wistar rats were intravenously injected with Rose Bengal to the sensorimotor area of the right hemisphere of the cerebral cortex under green-light irradiation. Two weeks after the first hemiplegia, a secondary infarction was induced in the left cerebral cortex. Functional recovery was evaluated in a beam-walking test. Hemiplegia observed 1 day after both the first and second infarctions was given a score of 1. At 14 days after the first infarction, the average recovery score (± standard error) was 6.8 ± 0.1. In contrast, functional recovery was slower after the second infarction, reaching an average score of only 3.5 ± 0.5 after 14 days. Therefore, recovery after the contralateral secondary infarction was slower than that from the first, and received a lower recovery score compared to the recovery after the first infarction. These results suggest that the undamaged contralateral cortex plays an important role in motor recovery after hemiplegia caused by cerebral infarction.

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Stretching is a stimulation of muscle growth. Stretching for hours or days has an effect on muscle hypertrophy. However, differences of continuous stretching and repetitive stretching to affect muscle growth are not well known. To clarify the difference of continuous and repetitive stretching within a short duration, we investigated the gene expression of muscle-related genes on stretched skeletal muscles. We used 8-week-old male Wistar rats (N = 28) for this study. Animals medial gastrocnemius muscle was stretched continuously or repetitively for 15 min daily and 4 times/week under anesthesia. After stretching, muscles were removed and total RNA was extracted. Then, reverse transcriptional quantitative real-time PCR was done to evaluate the mRNA expression of MyoD, myogenin, and embryonic myosin heavy chain (MyHC). Muscles, either stretched continuously or repetitively, increased mRNA expression of MyoD, myogenin, and embryonic MyHC more than unstretched muscles. Notably, repetitive stretching resulted in more substantial effects on embryonic MyHC gene expression than continuous stretching. In conclusion, passive stretching for a short duration within a week is effective in increasing myogenic factor expression, and repetitive stretching had more effects than continuous stretching for skeletal muscle on muscle growth. These findings are applicable in clinical muscle-strengthening therapy.

DOI： 10.1155/2013/493656

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Edaravone is a free radical scavenger that protects the adjacent cortex during cerebral infarction. We created a hemiparetic model of cerebral thrombosis from a photochemically induced infarction with the photosensitive dye, rose bengal, in rats. We examined the effects of edaravone on recovery in the model. A total of 36 adult Wistar rats were used. The right sensorimotor area was irradiated with green light with a wavelength of 533 nm (10 mm diameter), and the rose bengal was injected intravenously to create an infarction. The edaravone group was injected intraperitoneally with edaravone (3 mg/kg), and the control group was injected with saline. The recovery process of the hemiplegia was evaluated with the 7-step scale of Fenny. The infarcted areas were measured after fixation. The recovery of the paralysis in the edaravone-treated group was significantly earlier than that in the untreated group. Seven days later, both groups were mostly recovered and had scores of 7, and the infarction region was significantly smaller in the edaravone-treated group. Edaravone reduced the infarction area and promoted the functional recovery of hemiparesis from cerebral thrombosis in a rat model. These findings suggest that edaravone treatment would be effective in clinical patients recovering from cerebral infarction.

DOI： 10.1155/2013/175280

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Exercise has been considered to affect the functional recovery from central nervous damage. Neurotrophic factors have various effects on brain damage. However, the effects of exercise for expression of GDNF on functional recovery with brain damage are not well known. We investigated the difference in functional recovery between non-exercise and beam-walking exercise groups, and the expression of GDNF in both groups after photochemical infarction. Adult male Wistar rats (N = 64) were used. Animals were divided into two groups: non-exercise (N = 35), and beam-walking exercise (N = 29). All rats underwent surgical photochemical infarction. The rats of the beam-walking group were trained every day to walk on a narrow beam after a one-day recovery period and those of the non-exercise group were left to follow a natural course. Animals were evaluated for hind limb function every day using a beam-walking task with an elevated narrow beam. The number of GDNF-like immunoreactive cells in the temporal cortex surrounding the lesion was counted 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after the infarction. Functional recovery of the beam-walking exercise group was significantly earlier than that of the non-exercise group. At 3 days after infarction, the number of GDNF-positive cells in the temporal cortex surrounding the infarction was significantly increased in the beam-walking exercise group compared with that in the non-exercise group. In the exercise group, motor function was remarkably recovered with the increased expression of GDNF-like immunoreactive cells. Our results suggested that a rehabilitative approach increased the expression of GDNF and facilitated functional recovery from cerebral infarction.

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BACKGROUND: Stretching of skeletal muscle induces expression of the genes which encode myogenic transcription factors or muscle contractile proteins and results in muscle growth. Anabolic steroids are reported to strengthen muscles. We have previously studied the effects of muscle stretching on gene expression. Here, we studied the effect of a combination of passive stretching and the administration of an anabolic steroid on mRNA expression of a muscle growth factor, insulin-like growth factor-I autocrine variant, or mechano-growth factor (MGF). METHODS: Twelve 8-week-old male Wistar rats were used. Metenolone was administered and passive repetitive dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the ankle joint performed under deep anesthesia. After 24 h, the gastrocnemius muscles were removed and the mRNA expression of insulin-like growth factor-I autocrine variant was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Repetitive stretching in combination with metenolone, but not stretching alone, significantly increased MGF mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: Anabolic steroids enhance the effect of passive stretching on MGF expression in skeletal muscle.

DOI： 10.1155/2013/313605

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OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of menthol, an activator of the temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential family member TRPM8, on detrusor smooth-muscle contraction and the micturition reflex in rats. METHODS: We evaluated the effect of intravesical infusion of 1 or 3 mM menthol by cystometry in conscious female Sprague-Dawley rats. Some of the animals were pretreated with 125 mg/kg capsaicin subcutaneously 4 days earlier. The parameters measured were voided volume (VV), residual volume (RV), volume threshold for inducing micturition (VT), voiding efficiency (VE), micturition pressure (MP), and pressure threshold for inducing micturition (PT). Strips of detrusor muscle were mounted in organ baths to study the effect of menthol on the contractile response to 0.01 mM carbachol. RESULTS: Intravesical infusion of 3 mM menthol reduced VV by 20%, VT by 19%, and PT by 31%. RV, VE, and MP were unaltered. Capsaicin pretreatment had no effect on baseline cystometric parameters, and 3 mM menthol caused similar reductions in VV (24%), VT (22%), and PT (30%), while having no effect on RV, VE, and MP. Menthol at 0.1, 0.3, and 1 mM inhibited carbachol-induced contractions by 10.7%, 36.7%, and 97.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that intravesical infusion of menthol facilitated the micturition reflex, and capsaicin pretreatment had no effect on this response. Menthol inhibited carbachol-induced contraction of the detrusor smooth muscle. This suggests that intravesically infused menthol cannot relax detrusor muscle, and acts on capsaicin-resistant afferents (probably through TRPM8 in urothelium or sensory nerve endings) to facilitate the micturition reflex.

DOI： 10.1016/j.urology.2007.11.137

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Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a potent neurotrophic factor involved in the survival and proliferation of neurons. However, there have been few reports examining the relationship between GDNF and functional recovery after cerebral infarction. The authors investigated the change in the expression of GDNF proteins during functional recovery in rats following photochemically induced cerebral infarctions. Functional recovery for the first 14 days after the infarction was evaluated using a beam-walking test. The number of GDNF-like immunoreactive cells around the infarction were counted at various times (24 h, 72 h, 7 days, and 14 days) post-infarction. Immunohistochemical analysis of brain sections showed that the expression of GDNF-like immunoreactive cells was significantly increased in the temporal cortex until 7 days on the side ipsilateral to the infarction, and had decreased by 14 days. Likewise, the functional recovery of paralysis was substantial until 7 days post-infarction, after which the improvement was mild. Therefore, the expression of GDNF protein might have some relationship with the functional recovery of paralysis. There are great hopes that GDNF could be used as a therapeutic agent for cerebral infarction.

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Thermotherapy is generally considered appropriate for post-stroke patients with spasticity, yet its acute antispastic effects have not been comprehensively investigated. F-wave parameters have been used to demonstrate changes in motor neuron excitability in spasticity and pharmacological antispastic therapy. The present study aimed to confirm the efficacy of thermotherapy for spasticity by evaluating alterations in F-wave parameters in ten male post-stroke patients with spastic hemiparesis (mean age: 49.0+/-15.0 years) and ten healthy male controls (mean age: 48.7+/-4.4 years). The subjects were immersed in water at 41 degrees C for 10 min. Recordings were made over the abductor hallucis muscle, and antidromic stimulation was performed on the tibial nerve at the ankle. Twenty F-waves were recorded before, immediately after, and 30 min following thermotherapy for each subject. F-wave amplitude and F-wave/M-response ratio were determined. Changes in body temperature and surface-skin temperature were monitored simultaneously. The mean and maximum values of both F-wave parameters were higher on the affected side before thermotherapy. In the post-stroke patients, the mean and maximum values of both parameters were significantly reduced after thermotherapy (P<0.01). Hence, the antispastic effects of thermotherapy were indicated by decreased F-wave parameters. Body temperature was significantly increased both immediately after and 30 min after thermotherapy in all subjects. This appeared to play an important role in decreased spasticity. Surface-skin temperature increased immediately after thermotherapy in both groups and returned to baseline 30 min later. These findings demonstrate that thermotherapy is an effective nonpharmacological antispastic treatment that might facilitate stroke rehabilitation.

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To study the motor skills of the unaffected lower limb of patients with stroke, the visuo-motor skills of the unaffected lower limb in patients with stroke was compared with those in healthy control subjects using a computerized motor skill analyzer that calculated the accuracy in the tracking task in terms of lap time and trajectory error. Trajectory errors in the task by the unaffected lower limb in the patients with stroke were significantly greater than those in the lower limb of healthy control subjects. These results suggest that patients with stroke have impaired visuo-motor skills of the unaffected lower limb.

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：W B SAUNDERS CO  

Ikeda S, Yoshida A, Matayoshi S, Horinouchi K, Tanaka N. Induction of myogenin messenger ribonucleic acid in rat skeletal muscle after 1 hour of passive repetitive stretching. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:166-7.
Objective: To investigate the effect of repetitive passive stretch of living rat muscle on myogenin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression.
Design: Case-controlled study.
Setting: University laboratory.
Animals: Seventeen female 8-week-old Wistar rats.
Interventions: Repetitive stretch (15 times/min) was performed manually on gastrocnemius muscle of anesthetized rats for 15, 30, and 60 minutes.
Main Outcome Measures: Total RNA was extracted, after the animals were killed, from the gastrocnemius muscle, and Northern blotting was performed using oligonucleotide complementary to myogenin.
Results: Repetitive stretch to gastrocnemius muscles of anesthetized rats for 1 hour induced a 21.5% increase in the expression of myogenin mRNA.
Conclusions: Repetitive passive stretch of the rat skeletal muscle for 60 minutes induced the expression of myogenic transcription factor myogenin mRNA. These findings suggest the clinical utility of passive repetitive stretch to maintain muscle strength in patients who are unconscious or paralyzed.

DOI： 10.1016/S0003-9993(03)00406-4

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DOI： 10.11477/mf.1552109904

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Language：Japanese   Publisher：社団法人日本リハビリテーション医学会  

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)   Publisher：MEDIMOND S R L  

Mechanical stretch has been considered to be a growth stimulation for muscle cells. We have shown repetitive stretch induced c-fos and myogenin mRNA in the removed muscle tissues. In the present study we investigated the effect of repetitive passive stretch to rat muscle on myogenin mRNA in vivo. Seventeen female Wister rats aged 8 weeks were used. Repetitive stretch (15 times / min) to gastrocnemius muscles were performed in vivo. Stretch was done for 15, 30, 60 minutes. Twenty-four hours after stimulations, RNA was extracted from the muscle and northern blotting was done using myogenin oligonucleotide as plobes. Increased expression of myogenin mRNA was observed in the gastrocnemius muscles by repetitive stretch for 1 hour. The increased expression of myogenin mRNA is thought to indicate muscle cell growth by repetitive passive stretch for one hour.

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Spinal cord transection at the middle thoracic level induced the expression of c-Fos protein in the rat motor cortex detected with the immunohistochemical study. At 1 h after transection, maximal expression of c-Fos was seen in the frontal cortex and hindlimb area of the cortex. c-Fos-like immunoreactive neurons were recognized in the second to sixth layers of these cortices, although the axotomized neurons were located only in the fifth layer of these cortices. A significant difference of c-Fos-like protein expression was observed between the spinal transected group and the sham operated group 1 h after the operation. These results indicate that each layer of the motor cortical column is activated and that there is a correlation between alteration of the neuronal network and functional plasticity.

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