Protraction of RA induces joint function disorders resulting in a deterioration in the activities of daily living (ADL), which can cause a change in the patient's household role and limit their social participation. As there is not at present a curative treatment for RA, once functional disorders develop, they cannot be recovered easily or completely. However, it was recently reported that disorders progress rapidly within a few years from RA disease onset in terms of the changes wrought by joint damage and the resulting functional disorder inflicted on the patient. Therefore, it is proposed that adequate administration of methotrexate should be started initially and that RA treatment should be based on the recommendations under the regime of Treat to Target (T2T). Rehabilitation for RA patients includes various kinds of exercises and approaches such as physical therapy in the early stage and nursing home service with caregiver insurance in the terminal RA phase. In terms of the principles of T 2 T, the aim of the RA treatment is to improve the patients' long-term QOL as much as possible during their lifetime through the restoration of body functions and their participation in social activities. The ultimate aim of rehabilitation is the same as that of T 2 T because it is to let people with disabilities live normal lives by diminishing the difficulties RA patients face in daily life and improving their QOL. It is therefore very important to keep in mind that RA is a complex condition that includes people with various afflictions and difficulties in meeting their daily living tasks and not just one disease.

In stroke patients, excessive oxidative stress impairs brain nerve cells and leads to arteriosclerosis. On the other hand, rehabilitative exercise is necessary for the functional improvement and maintenance after stroke, and exercises themselves increase reactive oxygen species production simultaneously. Therefore, it is essential to elucidate how exercises influence oxidative stress in stroke patients. We assessed the effects of exercises on 29 Japanese subacute-phase stroke patients (exercise group, 20; control group, 9), in terms of oxidative stress by examining changes in reactive oxygen metabolite (ROM) level (i.e., oxidative stress) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) level (i.e., antioxidant capacity) in blood plasma. The exercise group performed two sets of 1-hour exercises 6 days/week for 56 days. The control group performed the same 1-hour exercises, but only on days 1 and 56. ROM and BAP levels in blood plasma in both groups were measured immediately before and after the exercises and at rest on days 1 and 56. ROM level significantly decreased and BAP level significantly increased at rest from days 1 to 56 in the exercise group. However, no significant change was observed in these levels in the control group. Conclusion: Regular rehabilitative exercise can improve antioxidant capacity and attenuate oxidative stress even in stroke patients.
Oxidative Stress ; Stroke ; Arteriosclerosis