The authors hypothesized that habitual physical exercise and aortic distensibility would be the major factors which influence systolic blood pressure. This study was designed to analyze the relationships among systolic blood pressure (SBP) and parameters determined at medical checks, including age, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), aortic pulse wave velocity (APWV) index (APWVI : APWV standardized by the diastolic blood pressure), plasma lipid profiles (IC, TG), plasma glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test (2 h-OGTT), percentage body fat (%Fat), cigarette smoking habit (Cigarettes), alcohol consumption (Alcohol), and physical activity index (PAI) using a questionnaire, in 678 males aged 30 to 69 years, who visited a hospital for a thorough medical check-up. For analysis of factorial structure in the subjects, principal factor analysis was applied to the correlation matrix which was calculated with 12 variables. Correlational analysis and path analysis were applied to confirm the hypothetical model. The results demonstrated that DBP and APWVI were the major factors which significantly affected the SBP. The PAI was significantly and inversely correlated not only with the APWVI, but also with %Fat, which was significantly and positively correlated with the DBP. In conclusion, aortic wall stiffness may be an independent factor in the manifestation of systolic hypertension, and habitual physical exercise may decrease the SBP through direct reduction of aortic wall stiffness and indirectly decreasing the DBP.

Objective : This study aimed to investigate the changes in the functioning of users of visiting rehabilitation services and related factors. Methods: Among 107 users in 22 visiting rehabilitation centers, we analyzed the data of 80 who completed the 6-month study. Their Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Life-Space Assessment (LSA), and level of caregiver burden (J-ZBI_8) were compared at the commencement of this study, and at 3 and 6 months afterwards. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the factors related to the variables, which changed over 6 months. Results : Over a period of 6 months from the commencement of the study, we found that FIM and LSA scores significantly improved from 82.4 to 87.3 (p=0.016) and from 9.9 to 12.3 (p=0.05), respectively, in the group who were still within 1 year from the time since onset/injury. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the period of time since onset/injury, independence degree of daily living for the demented elderly, and presence of goal setting for activities of daily living/domestic work significantly influenced changes in total FIM scores (p=0.001, R²=0.32). Furthermore, the change in LSA scores was significantly influenced by gender, presence of cerebrovascular diseases, period of time since onset/injury, number of occupations involved in visiting rehabilitation services, and J-ZBI_8 scores (p=0.0001, R²=0.36). Conclusion : Effective visiting rehabilitation requires having appropriate goals set for daily living activities and the establishment of interprofessional collaboration within visiting rehabilitation centers.

From the viewpoint of atherosclerosis prevention, it is important to examine the effects of exercise on the lipoprotein fraction in the postprandial state. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a single period of low-intensity exercise on serum lipoprotein triacylglycerol (TG) after an oral fat load (50g/body surface area) as exogenous TG. Seven normolipidemic men aged 23.1±1.1 years (mean ± SEM) took part in two trials. The subjects were all young students at a university graduate school. In the exercise trial (Ex), they exercised for 1.5 h on a bicycle ergometer at 35-40% of their maximal oxygen uptake, starting 2 h after ingestion of the fat, and then rested for a further 2 h. In the control trial (Co), they rested for 5.5 h after ingestion of the fat. Lipoprotein and lipid levels were measured in venous blood taken during the fasted state and at different intervals between the two trials for 5.5 h after the fat load. Serum total TG and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) TG decreased significantly in Ex from 3.5 to 5.5h (p<0.05, p<0.01) in comparison with Co. These results indicate that a single period of low-intensity exercise reduces exogenous serum total TG and HDL-TG.