The effects of water exercise, as a form of daily physical activity (water exercise in a warm water pool), on bone loss in healthy Japanese postmenopausal women have been cross-sectionally and longi tudinally investigated from the viewpoint of preventing osteoporosis. In the cross-sectional study, the bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (Z-score (%)) in the Veterans group (N=27), who had been exercising for 35.2 months on average, was significantly higher than that in the Newcomers (N=40), who had only begun to exercise 3 or 4 weeks before, and that in the Non-exercisers (N=30), serving as a control group. The rate of change in the BMD of the lumbar spine was-0.92%! year in the Non-exercisers (N=30), +1.55%/year in the Veterans (N= 20), and +2.16%/year in the Newcomers (N=15) , based on BMD Z-scores. In the Exercisers groups, it was found that the rate of change in the BMD showed a slight increase rather than a decrease irrespective of the duration of menopause. On the other hand, in the Non-exercisers group, the rate of change in the BMD decreased slightly. The results of questionnaires showed that the subjects' general awareness of health and fitness in daily life was enhanced after starting the water exercise pro gram. These results suggest that consistently participating in water exercise is an important factor in preventing bone loss, and moreover , appears not only to indirectly improve awareness of daily physical activity but also to promote health and improve daily life.

No abstract

The US detection rate of ureteral stones was high in patients with caliceal dilatation. The whole ureter should be scanned in patients with caliceal dilatation for detection of ureteral stones. Even when patients have no caliceal dilatation, it is still considered to be useful to scan the UVJ and the bladder.

The aim of this study was to clarify the factors affecting vertebral bone loss in healthy women classified according to menopausal condition. The subjects were 287 healthy Japanese women aged between 40 and 60 years living in an urban community. Lumbar spine bone mineral density was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry twice at the baseline and at the end of a 5-year period. The subjects were divided into 3 groups according to menstrual status and time after menopause (pre-menopause : PRE, 0-3 years post-menopause : PERI, and 4 years or more post-menopause : POST), and the relationships between the rate of bone loss over 5 years and physical and lifestyle factors were examined among the 3 groups. These longitudinal data indicated that the factors affecting vertebral bone loss differed according to menopausal condition. It was suggested that lifestyle modification to prevent osteoporosis in middle-aged and older women should be considered according to menopausal condition. Key Words lumbar spine bone mineral density, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bone loss, lifestyle, menopause.

No abstract