Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the impact on the body during landing in dancers is less than in non-dancers by using accelerometers and motion analyzer.Method: Eleven ballet dancers and 11 non-dancers participated in this study. Each subject was instructed to perform 3 types of landing from a height of 30cm: landing, silent landing and raise up landing. Markers were put on the iliac crest, greater trochanter, knee joint, lateral malleolus. The peak vertical and horizontal accelerations of the lumbar, peak vertical acceleration of the greater trochanter and the peak flexion angles of the hip and knee joints were measured after the trials.Result: In the raise up landing, the peak vertical acceleration of the lumbar region in dancers was less than that in non-dancers (p < 0.01), and the peak knee-flexion angle in dancers was greater than that in non-dancers (p < 0.01). There were no differences between the peak hipflexion angles of dancers and non-dancers.Conclusion: The impact on the lumbar during raise up landing was less in dancers. In raise up landing, the trunk tends to be fixed when the dancer stands upright. Moreover, dancers attenuated the shock to the lumbar region by increasing the knee-flexion angle to a greater extent than the non-dancers did. This result may indicate the importance of the knee joint flexion in attenuating the shock during landing and show that dancers excel in using their knees flexibly.

Objective：To assess the risk for hyperkalemia caused by treatment with angiotensin Ⅱ Type 1 receptor blockers （ARB） in clinical practice with Japanese medical database.Design：A cohort study in patients treated with ARB alone and those treated with calcium channel blockers （CCB） alone as control.Methods：The Diagnosis Procedure Combination （DPC） database provided by Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd. was used to identify patients who received a diagnosis of hypertension (ICD-10 codes, I10 to I15) and were treated with ARB or CCB from April 2008 to June 2017. A logistic regression model was applied to estimate adjusted odds ratios （OR） and their 95％ confidence intervals （CI） in these patients. The outcome in the logistic model was hyperkalemia （serum potassium≧5.5 mEq/L） and the covariates were sex, age, renal insufficiency, hepatic insufficiency, and baseline serum potassium levels. And, subgroup analysis was also performed in patients with and without renal insufficiency.Results：The incidence of hyperkalemia （per 1000 person-years） with ARB was 39.4 and that with CCB was 32.6. And, median periods from the index date to the date of occurrence of hyperkalemia for both exposure and control groups were 36 days （Min-Max：12-85） and 51.5 days（Min-Max：8-88）respectively. However, treatment with ARB was not associated with occurrence of hyperkalemia （OR 1.26, 95％CI： 0.58-2.75). The risk for hyperkalemia among those with renal insufficiency was higher （OR 3.31, 95％CI： 1.39-7.88）and as baseline serum potassium increased, the risk increased as well （OR 9.20, 95％CI： 3.52-24.10). And, the subgroup analysis also showed that rare occurrence of hyperkalemia by ARB and elevation risk for hyperkalemia by baseline serum potassium.Conclusion：The clinical data showed rare occurrence of hyperkalemia caused by ARB, indicating that renal insufficiency and baseline serum potassium levels affected the onset of the disease in clinical practice. Previous studies also reported the effects of renal insufficiency and other factors on the onset of hyperkalemia. ARB should be prescribed carefully in patients with these factors, as is conventionally done.

Objectives: Increasing activity levels in older people is important for maintaining quality of life and ameliorating the risks of morbidity related to falls, depression, and dementia. This study aimed to clarify the seasonal variation effects on total energy expenditure, number of steps, time spent in low- and moderate- or high-intensity physical activities, and daily activities performed.Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 22 community-dwelling older individuals (3 men, 19 women; mean age, 75.1 ± 7.3 years) living in three districts of Gero, Gifu, who participated in the Gero Salon Project hosted by the Social Welfare Councils. Evaluations were conducted in each season from September 2016 to August 2017. We used a uniaxial accelerometer, the Lifecorder device, which measures physical activity, and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly to evaluate activities of daily living. Data were analyzed using the multiple comparisons (Bonferroni correction) method.Results: Total energy expenditure and time spent in moderate- or high-intensity activities did not show seasonal variations. However, the lowest number of steps was taken during the winter, and the number of steps increased significantly from winter to spring. The time spent in low-intensity physical activities was significantly longer in the spring and summer than in the winter. There was no significant seasonal difference in total Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly score, leisure activities, domestic activities, or work-related activities. However, there was a significant difference between the summer and winter scores in “outdoor gardening,” with the lowest score observed during the winter.Conclusions: With climate changes in the winter months, “outdoor gardening” becomes difficult, thus decreasing the number of steps taken. Therefore, it is necessary to identify other ways for older people to maintain physical activity during the winter season.