From 1998 to 1999, 25 patients were operated to repair the secondary nasal deformity after initial congenital cleft lip and palate reconstruction. Age of patients ranged from 11 to 23, 6 males, 19 females, inwhich 11 patients have upper cleft lip alon and 14 patients have cleft lip with cleft palate. This is an adjunctive surgery for nasal deformity recontruction using cartilage interventions. Criteria of evaluation: good: the vestibular membrane disappeared, nasal ventilation is good. Moderate: the vestibular membrane is still, nasal ventilation is good. Poor: there was not improvement. Result: good result was achieved in 11 patients (44%), moderate in 8 patients (32%) and poor result in 24%
Muscle Contraction ; Abnormalities

This is the first report of a case of painless moving toes syndrome with radiculopathy. The patient presented with bilateral painless moving toes and unilateral subclinical sacral (S1) radiculopathy. Bilateral movements with the unilateral lesion, and fluctuation with postural changes and distant muscle contraction suggest that the underlying pathomechanism was a central reorganization in the spinal level.
Humans ; Muscle Contraction ; Radiculopathy ; Toes

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the proper hand position during driving by measuring of the wheel rotation strength according to the wheel angle and hand position to the wheel. METHOD: BTE Work Simulator was used to measure the clockwise and counter clockwise static wheel rotation force of twenty healthy men in three different hand position (2~10 spot, 3~9 spot, and 4~8 spot) and two different wheel angle (45 degrees and 60 degrees), average and peak force were measured during maximal isometric contraction. RESULTS: The average and peak force was significantly different by the wheel angle, and hand position (p<0.01), but the direction of rotation didn't an effect on the rotation force. The hand position was the most significant factor, especially wheel rotation force at 2~10 spot hand position was significantly lower than that of 3~9 spot and 4~8 spot (p<0.05). The rotation force by the wheel angle was influenced by hand position, and lower in 60 degrees wheel angle in the 2~10 spot (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The rotation force of wheel was influenced by the hand position. Therefore proper hand position is recommended during driving to reduce muscle fatigue.
Hand* ; Humans ; Isometric Contraction ; Male ; Muscle Fatigue

Injuries and pains of musculoskeletal joint in human body is common onset in industrialized world. However, muscle fatigue plays a very significant role in contributing causes of many pains associated with musculoskeletal joints. Based on this hypothesis, degree of muscle fatigue was investigated using electromyography measurement technique during isometric and concentric/eccentric muscle contractions. Different response of the muscle fatigue between two different muscle contractions (isometric and concentric/eccentric contractions) was examined by comparison of parameters which were median frequency, median power and RMS value. Healthy 16 young persons without previous musculoskeletal diesease history were tested with Noraxon Myosystem 2000 EMG measurement system. In this study, two different exercises were performed. First exercise was concentric/eccentric exercise. Second exercise was isometric muscle contraction. In the case of the isometric exercise, median frequency was decreased, but median power and RMS were increased. However, during the concentric/eccentric exercse, median frequency was increased, but median power and RMS were decreased. Both of those revealed that the pattern of the median frequency was W type, but median power and RMS were M type as time passed. In this study, the patterns of the muscle fatigue during concentric/eccentric exercise as well as isometric exercise were identified. It will be helpful to prevent musculoskeletal injury from over-working andexercising.
Electromyography* ; Exercise ; Human Body ; Humans ; Joints ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle Fatigue*

In this paper, a new surface electromyography (sEMG) signal decomposition method based on spatial location is proposed for the high-density sEMG signals in dynamic muscle contraction. Firstly, according to the waveform correlation of each muscle motor units (MU) in each channel, the firing times are extracted, and then the firing times are classified by the spatial location of MU. The MU firing trains are finally obtained. The simulation results show that the accuracy rate of a single MU firing train after classification is more than 91.67%. For real sEMG signals, the accuracy rate to find a same MU by the "two source" method is over (88.3 ± 2.1)%. This paper provides a new idea for dynamic sEMG signal decomposition.
Action Potentials ; Computer Simulation ; Electromyography ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Skeletal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of distant muscle contraction on the sensory and motor nerve conduction and F-wave studies in stroke patients. METHOD: During isometric contraction of contralateral hand, sensory nerve action potential (SNAP), compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and F-wave of median nerve were recorded at submaximal and supramaximal stimulus intensity. The subject group consisted of 15 stroke patients and 10 control subjects. RESULTS: At submaximal stimulation, the amplitude and area of SNAP were significantly increased during muscle contraction in both groups (p <0.05). However there were no changes in parameters of SNAP and CMAP at supramaximal stimulation in both groups. The latency of F-wave was prolonged, and the amplitude was increased in the stroke group than those in the control group at resting state (p <0.05). The shortening of F-wave latency and increment of F-wave amplitude were observed in the control group during distant muscle contraction, but not in the stroke group. CONCLUSION: The distant muscle contraction might facilitate the nerve conduction. In addition F-wave elicited during voluntary contraction can be used as a monitor of upper motor neuron disorders.
Action Potentials ; Hand ; Humans ; Isometric Contraction ; Median Nerve ; Motor Neurons ; Muscle Contraction* ; Neural Conduction* ; Stroke*

BACKGROUND: Neostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, is known to reverse the neuromuscular blocking action induced by nondepolarizing muscle relaxants at the end of general anesthesia. Some authors, however, reported that neostigmine has the properties of a neuromuscular block in skeletal muscles while others reported that neostigmine caused the smooth muscles such as the diaphragm to relax rather than to contract. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of neostigmine at different doses on the tracheal smooth muscle in rabbits. METHODS: Isolated tracheal ring preparation in rabbits was used. Groups were divided into 7 groups; acetylcholine group (acetylcholine cumulative administered at doses of 10 8, 10 7, 10 6, 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M), neostigmine group (neostigmine cumulative administered at doses of 10 8, 10 7, 10 6, 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M), acetylcholine 10 6 M + neostigmine group (acetylcholine 10 6 M prior to neostigmine administered at doses of 10 8, 10 7, 10 6, 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M), acetylcholine 10 4 M + neostigmine group (acetylcholine 10 4 M prior to neostigmine administered at doses of 10 8, 10 7, 10 6, 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M), neostigmine 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M groups (neostigmine administered at doses of 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 M). Smooth muscle contraction was evaluated in isometric tension per gram of tissue. RESULTS: In the acetylcholine group, the contractions increased as the dosage increased (10 8 10 3 M). In the neostigmine group, the contractions increased as the dosage increased (10 8 10 4 M), but at 10 3 M of neostigmine, contractions suddenly decreased. In addition when acetylcholine 10 6 M was given as a pretreatment, there was a sudden decrease in muscle contractions induced by neostigmine at 10 3 M. Also the contractions induced by 10 3 M neostigmine were less than that of 10 4 and 10 5 M. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that neostigmine caused smooth muscle contraction at low concentrations by blocking acetylcholine metabolism, but at high concentrations, smooth muscle contractions were decreased and this might be due to direct action at the acetylcholine receptor.
Acetylcholine ; Anesthesia, General ; Cholinesterases ; Diaphragm ; Metabolism ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Neostigmine* ; Neuromuscular Blockade ; Rabbits*

BACKGROUND: The contraction of smooth muscle depends on an increase in the concentration of intracellular calcium ion and the source of this increase to various stimuli is different according to organs or species. Nevertheless, there have been only a few studies on human stomach smooth muscle. This study was designed to identify the source of the calcium utilized in the muscle contraction induced by carbachol, which is an important factor among various stimuli. METHODS: After the administration of carbachol with various conditions in cultured human stomach smooth muscle cells, fura-2-acetoxymethyl ester was used to measure the increase in the intracellular calcium concentration. RESULTS: (1) The carbachol-induced increase in the intracellular calcium concentration was not attenuated after removal of extracellular calcium. (2) Carbachol induced a small increase in the intracellular calcium concentration even after the depletion of intracellular calcium store. (3) Repeated histamine administration blocked the carbachol-induced increase in the intracellular calcium concentration in calcium-free extracellular solution. CONCLUSION: The main source of calcium utilized in human stomach smooth muscle contraction by carbachol is intracellular calcium store, particularly inositol triphosphate(IP3)-sensitive calcium stores. However, extracellular calcium also contributes to the carbachol-induced increase in the intracellular calcium concentration.
Calcium* ; Carbachol* ; Histamine ; Humans* ; Inositol ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle* ; Stomach

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of bruxism on masticatory muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity.

METHODSTwenty-four bruxers and sixteen asymptomatic control subjects were included through questionnaire and clinical examination. EMG activity was recorded by placing surface electrodes on bilateral anterior temporalis (TA), masseters (MM), anterior digastrics (DA) and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles. EMG activities at rest, during maximal voluntary clenching in intercuspal position and swallowing were recorded by means of Bio PAK system.

RESULTSEMG activities of TA and MM at rest were significantly higher in bruxism group than in control group (P<0.05). When subjects clenched their teeth in intercuspal position, the activities of TA and MM were much lower in bruxism group than in control one (P<0.05). EMG activity during swallowing was no significant difference between the two groups. The asymmetry index of bilateral TA and MM in bruxism group was a little higher than the control group, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONMasticatory muscle dysfunction of bruxers is mainly represented as higher potential in postural position and lower potential during maximal voluntary clenching in intercuspal position of anterior temporalis and masseters.

Adult ; Bruxism ; Electromyography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Masseter Muscle ; Masticatory Muscles ; Muscle Contraction ; Temporal Muscle

The early studies of cardiac and smooth muscle cells provided evidence for two different calcium channels, the L-type (also called high-voltage activated (HVA)) and the T-type (low-voltage activated (LVA)). These calcium channels provided calcium for muscle contractions and pace-making activities. As might be expected, the number of different calcium channels increased when researchers studied neurons and the identification of the neuronal calcium channel has proven to be much more difficult than with the muscle calcium channels. There are two reasons for this difficulty; (1) a larger number of different calcium channels in neurons and (2) many of the different calcium channels have similar kinetic properties. This review uses the N-type calcium channel to illustrate the difficulties in identifying and characterizing calcium channels in neurons. It shows that the discovery of toxins that can specifically block single calcium channel types has made it possible to easily and rapidly discern the physiological roles of the different calcium channels in the neuron. Without these toxins it is unlikely that progress would have been as rapid.
Calcium ; Calcium Channels ; Calcium Channels, N-Type* ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myocardium ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Neurons