The influence of timing and magnitude of arterial wave reflection (WR) on afterload-dependent relaxation was evaluated in patients with a variety of heart diseases (group 1, age < 30 yr; group 2, age > 40 yr) and in dogs. While both femoral arteries were compressed (FC), WR returned just after the dicrotic notch (early diastole) in group 1 but before the dicrotic notch (late systole) in group 2. The time constant of the left ventricular pressure decay (tau) was shortened during FC in group 1, whereas it was prolonged in group 2. In dogs, a constriction of the thoracic aorta induced a late systolic augmentation of WR with a prolongation of tau (cf. group 2), whereas constriction of the lower abdominal aorta induced an early diastolic augmentation of WR with a shortening of tau (cf. group 1). With aortic constriction, coronary flow increased, and there was a close correlation between the peak change in backward aortic pressure and that in coronary flow regardless of the timing of WR. Thus the time at which WR returns during the cardiac cycle may have an important effect on left ventricular relaxation and coronary flow.

In recent years, several published articles have shown that quantitative sensory testing (QST) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) are useful in the analysis of neck/shoulder and low back pain. A valid reference for normal PPT values might be helpful for the clinical diagnosis of abnormal tenderness or muscle pain. However, there have been no reliable references for PPT values of neck/shoulder and back pain because the data vary depending on the devices used, the measurement units, and the area examined. In this article, we review previously published PPT articles on neck/shoulder and low back pain, discuss the measurement properties of PPT, and summarize the current data on PPT values in patients with chronic pain and healthy volunteers. We also reveal previous issues related to PPT evaluation and discuss the future of PPT assessment for widespread use in general clinics. We outline QST and PPT measurements and what kinds of perceptions can be quantified with the PPT. Ninety-seven articles were selected in the present review, in which we focused on the normative values and abnormal values in volunteers/patients with neck/shoulder and low back pain. We conducted our search of articles using PubMed and Medline, a medical database. We used a combination of “Pressure pain threshold” and “Neck shoulder pain” or “Back pain” as search terms and searched articles from 1 January 2000 to 1 June 2022. From the data extracted, we revealed the PPT values in healthy control subjects and patients with neck/shoulder and low back pain. This database could serve as a benchmark for future research with pressure algometers for the wide use of PPT assessment in clinics.

Intraarticular ganglion cyst arising from the cruciate ligament is difficult to diagnose by clinical symptom. In our case, Cyst attached anteriorly to posterior cruciate ligament, and limited both flexion and extension of knee. The cyst was excised in a piecemeal fashion arthroscopically. Knee pain and limitation in knee motion disappeared by the day after surgery. We hypothesize that reason of restriction of extension is impingement between anterior cruciate ligament and intracondylar, and reason of restriction of flexion is stimulation nerve ending in the synovial membrane stretched with knee motion.

Dobutamine improved the afterload mismatch of the LA booster pump function. This effect may have been due to the reduction in LV operational chamber stiffness, resulting in an increase in the LA forward ejection into the LV.