Although decreased dorsiflexion range of motion (DROM) is linked to ankle inversion sprains and other lower limb injuries, the mechanisms underlying these links are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between DROM and the ankle dorsiflexion and inversion, and the foot progression angles during a sidestep cutting maneuver. Nineteen healthy subjects participated in this study. The loaded DROM in a flexed- knee position was measured. The foot and ankle motions were assessed during the sidestep cutting maneuver using a 3D motion analysis system. The low DROM group displayed smaller dorsiflexion and inversion angles, and greater external foot rotation, and performed the task using a significantly greater percent of their DROM than the high DROM group during the sidestep cutting maneuver. In addition, the smaller DROM was associated with smaller dorsiflexion angles, greater external foot rotation, and greater maximum dorsiflexion angles as a percentage of DROM during the sidestep cutting maneuver. The decreased DROM may prevent the ankle from becoming stable during the sidestep cutting maneuver, therefore the ankle may be vulnerable position to an inversion sprain. The kinematic patterns displayed by individuals with a decreased DROM may be a compensatory strategy for dorsiflexion deficits, which may be associated with ankle and knee injuries.

Case Report: The patient was a 70-year-old man with a chief complaint of impaired consciousness. He had visited a hot spring in Yamagata Prefecture. While he was bathing in a hot spring, he lost consciousness and nearly drowned. There was no eye witness. Other guests discovered him floating in the bathtub. He was not breathing and received chest compression by a guest. Subsequently, the patient resumed spontaneous respiration. When the emergency medical team arrived, and Japan Coma Scale (JCS) was 300 and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was E1V1M1. The patient was transported to our hospital, and JCS was 200 at admission. Plain chest x-ray and CT imaging revealed infiltrative opacities in the bilateral lungs, suggesting pneumonia. Head CT imaging was unable to identify the underlying cause of loss of consciousness and showed no hypoxic changes. He continued to have impaired consciousness after arrival at the hospital, and it was determined that he had postresuscitation hypoxic encephalopathy. He was immediately treated with cerebral hypothermia. Midazolam was used for sedation, fentanyl for analgesia, and vecuronium for prevention of shivering. In the emergency room, the patient underwent gastric lavage with cold water and infusion of cold fluid. An Arctic Sun® was placed on the patient after admission to the ICU. A target body temperature of 34°C was reached approximately 4 hours after arrival. His temperature was maintained at 34°C for 24 hours and warmed to 36°C in the next 48 hours. Lung disorder caused by aspiration of hot spring water was treated with antibiotics (tazobactam/piperacillin and azithromycin) and positive-pressure ventilation by a mechanical ventilator. This treatment prevented the lung disorder from increasing in severity. Sedation was discontinued after the body temperature was warmed. Subsequently, the patient’s state of consciousness was improved to the premorbid level, and he eventually was able to return to his normal life. Discussion: When patients nearly drown in a hot spring, their body temperatures are often elevated because they have been in hot water for a long time. Their body temperatures must be lowered quickly to a target level using various cooling methods. Immunity is lowered in a hypothermic state, and pneumonia will inevitably develop due to aspiration of hot spring water. Thus, appropriate management is necessary, including the use of antibiotics. Conclusion: Cerebral hypothermia was effective for postresuscitation hypoxic encephalopathy caused by near drowning in a hot spring.

Recently, the problem of the high incidence of throwing injuries in young people has been gaining attention. Identifying high-risk players before the onset of the throwing injury is important for prevention. One of the most widely used screening tests for sports-related injuries is the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), which assesses the quality of movement; however, its correlation with throwing injuries has not been established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the FMS score and throwing injuries. The FMS was used during the medical check for two hundred and thirty junior high school baseball players. We allotted those who had experienced throwing injuries multiple times to the injury group and those who had never experienced throwing injury to the control group. We then calculated the FMS cutoff value using the receiver operating characteristic curve. In addition, we investigated differences in the incidence of throwing injury between above and below the cutoff value using chi-square test. The FMS cutoff score was 17. Players who scored ≤17 had a significantly higher incidence of throwing injuries than those who scored ≥18. Conclusion: We believe that FMS score is correlated to throwing injuries. In addition, the results suggest that throwing injuries might be prevented in junior high school baseball players who scored ≤17 on the FMS if they undergo training in the correct movement patterns.

Objective: Although oral health and skeletal muscle status are known to be risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), there is limited information on their combined effects among community-dwelling older adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between oral health and skeletal muscle status among older adults with T2DM in Japan.Participants and Methods: This cross-sectional study included data from individuals aged ≥60 years. T2DM was defined as a glycosylated hemoglobin A1c level ≥48 mmol/mol (≥6.5%) or the use of hypoglycemic agents. For oral health status, dental hygienists assessed the number of teeth (NT) and masticatory function (MF). Skeletal muscle status was assessed using skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and handgrip strength (HGS). Logistic regression analysis examined T2DM in nine-category combinations of oral health status (each of the three categories in NT and MF) and skeletal status (each of the three categories in SMI and HGS).Results: T2DM was prevalent in 83 participants (16.4%) and was significantly associated with low NT and SMI (odds ratio [OR] = 5.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37–25.73) and low MF and SMI (OR = 4.48, 95% CI: 1.23–16.35) compared to high NT and SMI and high MF and SMI, respectively.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that low muscle mass with tooth loss or masticatory dysfunction is associated with T2DM among community-dwelling older adults. This suggests that maintaining oral health and muscle mass may be an effective strategy for the prevention of T2DM.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ingesting yogurt fermented with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (OLL1073R-1) on the immune function of healthy university men track and field athletes. Study design Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. A total of 37 track and field athletes aged ≥18 years were randomly assigned into two groups. For 2 weeks, two bottles of yogurt fermented with OLL1073R-1 and Streptococcus thermophilus OLS3059 or placebo sour milk were ingested daily to the participants. During the intake period, a 1-week training camp was held and participants were subjected to strenuous exercise. Natural killer (NK) cell activity, which is the primary endpoint, was significantly lower in the placebo group after ingestion than that at baseline; however, it remained unchanged during the pre-exercise level of the yogurt group. The two-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed an interaction effect in the NK cell activity change (P=0.018) and a significant difference between the groups after the 2-week ingestion (P=0.015). Among the secondary endpoints, cytokines and chemokines levels involved in activating innate immunity maintained or enhanced only in the yogurt group. ALT, LDH, and CK significantly elevated only in the placebo group. Furthermore, amino acid levels were significantly lower in the placebo group after ingestion than that at baseline; however, it remained unchanged during the pre-exercise level in the yogurt group. Consuming yogurt fermented with OLL1073R-1 prevents the decline in immune function associated with strenuous exercise. Additionally, the yogurt may contribute to stable physical condition.