The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cervical traction on the soleus H reflex amplitude. Young healthy men were recruited as the subjects. In experiment 1, cervical traction under three conditions, i. e. at an intensity of 3 kgf, 6 kgf or 9 kgf was applied to the subjects in the experimental group for a duration of 1 minute in the second minute of each trial. In experiment 2, cervical traction at an intensity of 3 kgf for a duration of 1 minute, 2 minutes, or 3 minutes was applied to the subjects in the experimental group. Cervical traction was not applied to the subjects in the control group. The soleus H reflex amplitude was measured before, during, and after cervical traction.
The H reflex amplitudes under the 9kgf condition were largest and positive for every block, whereas those under the 3 kgf condition were smallest among the three experimental conditions employed. Significantly smaller H reflex amplitude compared to that in the control was observed under the 3 kgf condition.
In experiment 2, the H reflex amplitudes under every experimental condition employed were smaller than that in the control. However, the differences in degree of depression of the soleus H reflex amplitudes among the three duration conditions were not significant.
This study shows that cervical traction at an intensity of 3kgf depresses the gain of the soleus H reflex pathway. The cause of this depression may be an “after-effect” or flexor reflex afferents. A difference in the duration of cervical traction didn't result in any difference in the soleus H reflex amplitude.

A study was conducted to investigate the neural connection between the afferents of the upper extremity and the motoneurons innervating the extensors of the lower extremity. Healthy young males and females were recruited. The median nerve was cutaneously stimulated, and the soleus H reflex, reflecting the excitability of motoneurons, was evoked. The C-T interval and intensity of the conditioning stimulus were modulated. A conditioning stimulus with an intensity of 1.4 xMT and a C-T interval of 69 ms inhibited the soleus H reflex pathway (I_1.4) . Additionally, a conditioning stimulus with an intensity of 2.1 xMT and a C-T interval of 13 ms inhibited the soleus H reflex pathway (I_2.1) . The conduction velocity of the afferents responsible for I_1.4 was 19m/s and that for I_2.1 was 39 m/s. The conduction velocity of the afferent fiber type responsible for I_1.4 was similar to that of the group III afferents, and the conduction velocity for I_2.1 was similar to that of the group II afferents. However, further investigation is needed to identify the afferents responsible, because the results conflict with those of previous studies in terms of inhibition thresholds.

Background: /Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of ablation and surgery in solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) measuring ≤5 cm with a large HCC cohort database. Methods: The study included consecutive 2,067 patients with solitary HCC who were treated with either ablation (n=1,248) or surgery (n=819). Th e patients were divided into three groups based on the tumor size and compared the outcomes of the two therapies using propensity score matching. Results: No significant difference in recurrence-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS) was found between surgery and ablation groups for tumors measuring ≤2 cm or >2 cm but ≤3 cm. For tumors measuring >3 cm but ≤5 cm, RFS was significantly better with surgery than with ablation (3.6 and 2.0 years, respectively, P=0.0297). However, no significant difference in OS was found between surgery and ablation in this group (6.7 and 6.0 years, respectively, P=0.668). Conclusion The study suggests that surgery and ablation can be equally used as a treatment for solitary HCC no more than 3 cm in diameter. For HCCs measuring 3-5 cm, the OS was not different between therapies; thus, ablation and less invasive therapy can be considered a treatment option; however, special caution should be taken to prevent recurrence.