Muscular endurance and blood flow of the forearm were measured in 65 healthy male and 53 healthy female subjects, all aged 19-75 years. Muscular endurance was measured using a hand-ergometer with a load equal to 1/3 of the maximum grip-strength of the subject. The blood flow in the forearm was determined before and immediately after exercise using mercury-in-rubber strain-gauge venous occlusion plethysmography.
The following results were obtained
1) The muscular endurance of both the male and female subjects was observed to increase with age (p<0.05) .
2) The forearm blood flow before exercise by the male and female participants was did not change with age (p>0.05) . However, the forearm blood flow immediately after exercise showed a tendency to increase with age in both groups (p<0.05) .
3) A close relationship was found between muscular endurance and forearm blood flow immediately after exercise in both the male group (r=0.584, p<0.001) and the female group (r=0.776, p<0.001) .
4) In forearm blood flow (both before and immediately after exercise) and muscular endurance, differences between male and female subjects in the same age group were not significant (p>0.05) .
5) These results agree with some of the changes seen in the morphorogical muscle characteristics with aging.

  Various kinds metals are present in varying concentrations in living bodies. They play important roles in the preservation of life functions. Owing to the recent advances in multidisciplinary research on biochemical and nutritional functions of trace elements, their deficiency and excess, etc., close attention is being paid to the importance of trace elements. During nutritional therapy, it is important to check for shortage of trace elements as nutritional indicators. It is known that prolonged nutritional therapy is associated with the risk of developing trace element deficiency.  We recently encountered patients suspected of having trace element deficiency. For a case of selenium deficiency, we added a selenium solution (homemade parental solution) to the solution for intravenous hyperalimentation. For a case of zinc deficiency accompanied by pressure ulcer, polaprezinc (a zinc-containing preparation for the treatment of gastric ulcers) was used. In both the cases, the serum trace element level improved, and the outcome was favorable.  Adequate precautions need to be exercised when the methods of medication, test, etc., are decided upon in the cases of trace element deficiency. Herein, we also discuss problems associated with tests and treatment of patients with trace element deficiency.