Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has recently been demonstrated to improve motor function after stroke. However, no study has yet tested the synergetic effects of physical exercise on rTMS in clinical settings. We investigated the effect of a 6-session course of low frequency rTMS on contralesional primary motor cortex combined with range-of motion (ROM) exercise on paretic hand function in female stroke patients. This was a single-blind study of the effects of rTMS with or without ROM exercise in female hemiplegic patients after stroke. All patients underwent rTMS on the contralesional primary motor cortex for 15 minutes and ROM exercise on the paretic hand. The cortical excitability determined by the amplitude and latency of the motor evoked potential (MEP) was measured in both first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscles. We also evaluated arm function using Box and Block, arm reach, 9-hole pegboard, power grip, and pinch grip force tests. The rTMS-induced MEP amplitude of the paretic side significantly increased whereas the non-paretic side showed a decrease through every session. However, the MEP latency significantly increased on the non-paretic hand at post-rTMS with exercise, but a tendency of decrement on paretic hand at same application. Motor function showed improvement in the 9-hole pegboard and arm reach tests at post-rTMS with exercise on the paretic side compared with the non-paretic side. A significant correlation was especially noted between motor function and MEP on the paretic side of stroke patients. Low frequency rTMS with ROM exercise improved hand function after stroke. This may, in part, result in additional rehabilitation in stroke patients.

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[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to show somatotype and physical characteristic differences between elite boxing athletes and non-athletes. [Methods] The somatotypes of 23 elite boxing athletes and 23 nonathletes were measured with the Heath-Carter method. The subjects were divided into four weight divisions as follows: lightweight, light middleweight, middleweight, and heavyweight class. [Results] The endomorphic component values of the boxing athletes were lower than those of the nonathletes. However, the mesomorphic component values of the boxing athletes were higher than those of the nonathletes. There was no significant difference in the ectomorphic component between the two groups. The higher weight divisions tended to have higher values of height, weight, and BMI than the lower weight divisions. The higher weight divisions also tended to have higher values for the endomorphic and mesomorphic components and a lower value for the ectomorphic component than the lower weight divisions. The group of nonathletes consisted of eight endomorphs, four mesomorphs, six ectomorphs, and five central types. Among the boxing athletes, there were 16 mesomorphic, four ectomorphic, and two central types and one endomorphic type. Subdividing the athletes into 13 somatotypes resulted in five balanced mesomorphs, five endomorphic mesomorphs, five mesomorph-ectomorphs, three mesomorph-endomorphs, two mesomorphic ectomorphs, two central types, and one ectomorphic mesomorph type. [Conclusion] The data from this study provides in part physical characteristics of elite boxing athletes that can be used to establish a reference for systemic study of sports physiotherapy.

Abstract.[Purpose] An understanding of smooth muscle contraction is important in the study of specialized physical therapy. In this paper, we summarize the contraction mechanisms of smooth muscle and suggest their applications in physical therapy. [Method] This review focuses on the signaling pathways that control smooth muscle contraction and its mechanisms. We include results reported by our laboratory in a wider literature review. [Results] Our results and the literature show that various mechanisms of smooth muscle contraction exist. [Conclusions] In this review article, we carefully discuss the signal transduction in smooth muscle contraction based on our studies and with reference to physical therapy.

[Purpose] Atrophy is a common phenomenon caused by prolonged muscle disuse associated with bed-rest, aging, and immobilization. However, changes in the expression of atrophy-related myoglobin are still poorly understood. In the present study, we examined whether or not myoglobin expression is altered in the gastrocnemius muscles of rats after seven days of cast immobilization. [Methods] We conducted a protein expression and high-resolution differential proteomic analysis using, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and western blotting. [Results] The density and expression of myoglobin increased significantly more in atrophic gastrocnemius muscle strips than they did in the control group. [Conclusion] The results suggest that cast immobilization-induced atrophy may be related to changes in the expression of myoglobin in rat gastrocnemius muscles.