[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to devise a new urinary incontinence exercise using co-contraction of both the transverse abdominal muscle (TA) and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) and examine the intervention effect in middle-aged women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). [Subjects] The subjects were fifteen women with SUI who were divided into two groups: the TA and PFM co-contraction exercise group (n=9) and the control group (n=6). [Methods] Participants in the exercise group performed TA and PFM co-contraction exercise. The thickness of the TA was measured before and after 8 weeks of exercise using ultrasound. The thickness of the TA was measured under 4 conditions: (1) at rest, (2) maximal contraction of the TA, (3) maximal contraction of the PFM, and (4) maximal co-contraction of both the TA and PFM. [Results] There were no significant differences among the results of the control group. In the exercise group, the cure rate of SUI was 88.9% after the intervention. There were significant differences in the thickness of the TA during maximal co-contraction of both the TA and PFM after the intervention. [Conclusion] The TA and PFM co-contraction exercise intervention increases the thickness of the TA and may be recommended to improve SUI in middle-aged women.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated nuclear receptors controlling many important physiological processes, including lipid and glucose metabolism, energy homeostasis, inflammation, as well as cell proliferation and differentiation. In the past decade, intensive study of PPARs has shed novel insight into prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. Recently, a large body of research revealed that PPARs are also functionally expressed in reproductive organs and various parts of placenta during pregnancy, which strongly suggests that PPARs might play a critical role in reproduction and development, in addition to their central actions in energy homeostasis. In this review, we summarize recent findings elucidating the role of PPARs in female reproduction, with particular focus on evidence from gene knockout and transgenic animal model study.

[Purpose] The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate chronic low back pain by determining the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the lumbar multifidus of the unaffected and affected sides at the L5 level using the ultrasound imaging. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 24 young people (10 males, 14 females) with chronic low back pain lasting for more than 6 months on one side. The visual analog scale (VAS) value of pain was assessed and the cross-sectional areas of the bilateral multifidus muscle were measured with the subjects in a supine position in a resting state using ultrasound imaging. Correlation and linear regression analysis were performed on the VAS and the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the lumbar multifidus of the unaffected and affected sides. [Results] The VAS and the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the lumbar multifidus were linearly correlated. [Conclusion] The results of this research indicate that when the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the lumbar multifidus of the unaffected and affected sides increases, the symptom of chronic low back pain deteriorates.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors. Three isoforms of PPAR, i.e., PPAR-a, -d, and -?, have been identified and are differentially expressed in various tissues, including the kidney. The target genes of PPARs are involved in diverse biological processes, including adipogenesis, lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, inflammatory response, reproduction, and cell growth and differentiation. PPARs have been reported to protect against renal injury through indirect systemic effects and/or direct renal effects in diabetic nephropathy, glomerulonephritis, renal cell carcinoma, acute renal failure and chronic renal disease. In this review, we summarize the role of the three identified PPAR isoforms, PPARa, -d, and -?, in renal physiology and discuss the renoprotective effects of PPAR ligands in various kidney diseases.

The main pathological change in radiation-induced heart disease is fibrosis. Emerging evidence has indicated that sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) was used for treating fibrosis diseases. The present study was undertaken to characterize the effect of STS on radiation-induced cardiac fibrosis (RICF) on cultured cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). CFs were irradiated with 1 or 2 Gy X-rays, and the expression of TGF-β1 and collagen I (Col-1) increased, indicating that low-dose X-rays promoted fibrosis damage effect. The fibrosis damage was accompanied by morphologic changes in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), as well as an increase in the expression of the ER stress-related molecules, GRP78 and CHOP. Administration of STS reduced ROS production and decreased the expression of Col-1, TGF-β1, p-Smad2/3, GRP78, and CHOP in irradiated CFs, thus weakening the radiation-induced fibrosis damage and ER stress. Radiation-induced fibrosis damage was observed on a cellular level. The involvement of ER stress in radiation-induced fibrosis damage was demonstrated for the first time. STS attenuated the fibrosis damage effect in CFs and this effect may be related to its antioxidant action, and also related to its inhibition of ER stress and TGF-β1-Smad pathway. These results suggest that STS shows a good prospect in clinical prevention and treatment of RICF.