PURPOSE : The purpose of the present study was to clarify the effect of static stretching on muscular performance with concentric isotonic muscle actions under various loads.METHODS : Concentric isotonic leg extension power outputs were assessed in 12 healthy male subjects after two types of pre-treatment. The pre-treatments included 1) static stretching (SS) treatment performing static stretching of leg extensors, and 2) non-stretching (NS) treatment by resting in a sitting position. Loads during the assessment of the power output were set to 5%, 30% and 60% of the maximum voluntary contractile (MVC) torque with isometric leg extension in each subject.RESULTS : The peak power output following the SS treatment was significantly (P<0.05) lower than that following the NS treatment under each load.CONCLUSION : The present study demonstrated that static stretching significantly reduces power output with concentric isotonic muscle actions under various loads. This result suggests that static stretching decreases power performance.

Background/Aims: Application of polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets using fibrin glue in post-endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) ulcers to prevent bleeding has been reported to be difficult with the conventional delivery method because of gravity. This study assessed the usefulness of the envelope-based delivery system with and against gravity in living pigs. Methods: PGA sheets were applied on post-ESD ulcers with and against gravity six times each using the conventional and envelope methods, respectively. The PGA sheet delivery time and the endoscopic and histological findings of the treated ulcer floors were compared. Results: With gravity, the median PGA sheet application time was 1.00 (0.68–1.30) min/cm2 and 0.32 (0.18–0.52) min/cm2 with the conventional and envelope techniques (p=0.002), respectively, and against gravity, it was 1.20 (1.13–1.63) min/cm2 and 0.50 (0.39–0.58) min/cm2 (p=0.002), respectively. Against gravity, the endoscopic and histological findings revealed that the conventional group had insufficient fixation of the PGA sheets, but the envelope groups had sufficient fixation. The results with gravity were similar between the groups. Conclusions The envelope method makes it possible to deliver PGA sheets to the stomach quickly and cover ulcers appropriately both with and against gravity in living pigs.

A 60-year-old man underwent open surgery for chronic dissecting abdominal aorta accompanied with a horseshoe kidney. Through open laparotomy, the abdominal aortic aneurysm was exposed without revision of the horseshoe kidney. Cold ringer solution was infused to accessory renal arteries for renal protection. After supra-renal clamping, proximal anastomosis was then performed at the level just below the renal arteries. Abdominal cross clamp time at the level of the supra-renal arteries was 23 min. Median and right accessory arteries were reattached with an ischemic time of 73 and 103 min, respectively. Although serum creatine was elevated a preoperative level of 1.17 mg/dl to 3.63 mg/dl at postoperative day 2, that was gradually decreased to nearly preoperative level of 1.25 mg/dl at discharge. Postoperative enhanced CT demonstrated patency of the reattached accessory arteries. The patient was discharged without major complication on postoperative day 21. One year postoperatively, his follow-up course was uneventful without deterioration of renal function.