The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) is a self-reported questionnaire for assessment of physical activity and has been validated in many countries among adults. However, there are few studies about the validity of IPAQ for children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of moderate to vigorous physical activity according to the modified version the IPAQ for Japanese Early Adolescents (IPAQ-JEA). Ninety-two adolescents aged 10-13 years participated in this study. The validity of the IPAQ-JEA criteria was tested using an activity monitor (Active style Pro, HJA-350IT; ASP). Daily physical activity was continuously monitored for one week by ASP. The participants were asked to complete the IPAQ-JEA after wearing the ASP. The epoch length of ASP was set at 1-min in this study (ASP_1-min). According to the minute by minute METs values, time spent on moderate intensity physical activity (MPA, 3 to 6 METs), vigorous intensity PA (VPA, > 6 METs), and moderate to vigorous intensity PA (MVPA, > 3 METs) was calculated. In addition, we also calculated bout physical activity maintained for 10 minutes or longer (ASP_bout). Weekly time spent on MVPA assessed by IPAQ-JEA (MVPA_IPAQ-JEA) was significantly correlated with that assessed by ASP_bout (MVPA_ASP_bout) (ρ=0.359, p<0.01) and ASP_1-min (MVPA_ASP_1-min) (ρ=0.399, p<0.01). However, MVPA_IPAQ-JEA was significantly higher than that of MVPA_ASP_bout and MVPA_ASP_1-min (p<0.001). Although time spent on VPA assessed by IPAQ-JEA (VPA_IPAQ-JEA) was also significantly correlated with that assessed by ASP_bout (VPA_ASP_bout) (ρ=254, p<0.05) and ASP_1-min (VPA_ASP_1-min) (ρ=438, p<0.01), time spent on VPA_IPAQ-JEA was significantly higher than that for VPA_ASP_bout and VPA_ASP_1-min (p<0.001). These results support the use of the IPAQ-JEA as a relative measure of physical activity among 10-13-year-old children.

The purpose of this study is to find a key to clarifying the mechanism of lactic acid production during exercise. Five healthy men performed the grip and wrist flexion exercises at different occasions. Exercise intensities were increased by 5% MVC (maximum voluntary contraction force) per minute from 10% MVC. Intracellular pH, oxygenated hemoglobin/myoglobin (Oxy-Hb/Mb), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and phosphocreatin (PCr) in forearm flexor muscles were measured by ³¹P-MRS and NIRS. The lowest Oxy-Hb/Mb concentrations during the grip and wrist flexion exercises were 40.7± 8.86% (average±SE) and 15.4 ± 2.26%, respectively. These results suggest that oxygen remain sufficient in the muscles at least during the grip exercise. Intracellular pH dropped as exercise intensity rose above 25% MVC for the grip and above 10% MVC for the wrist flexion exercise. These results support the idea that oxygen deficiency is not the only cause for lactic acid production during exercise. On the other hand, intracellular pH fell with either negative or positive relations to Pi/PCr ratio, Pi, and PCr in each exercise. These results support the suggestion that the main causes of lactic acid production during exercise are the changes in ADP, Pi, and PCr.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and coronary risk factor profiles in Japanese women. The subjects were 1, 483 women (ages 30 to 69) who participated in a practical health promotion program. After medical examination, physical fitness was evaluated by conducting a symptom limited maximal exercise test by ergometer to measure maximum oxygen uptake (peakVO2) with an expired gas analyzer. The subjects were classified into 3 groups (high fitness, moderate fitness, and low fitness) according to age and physical fitness level. The results showed that the subjects in higher fitness groups had lower levels in: body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat, waist−hip ratio, resting blood pressure, and atherogenic index, and higher HDL−cholesterol compared to those in lower fitness group. Even after adjustment for the effects of age and BMI, the subjects in the higher fitness groups had better coronary risk factor profiles. These results suggest that among Japanese women a high level of physical fitness is related to favorable coronary risk factor profiles.
Physical Fitness ; Risk Factors ; Japanese language ; Cardio- ; Human Females

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of bicycle ergometer training and prostaglandin E₁ (PGE₁) for patients with intermittent claudication. Subjects were divided into four groups : the medication group (M), the PGE₁ group (P), the exercise group (E) and the PGE₁ and exercise group (PE). The P group was injected with 10μg of PGE₁, the E group performed bicycle ergometer exercise 3 times a week for 6 weeks, and the PE group was injected with PGE₁ and performed exercises. The maximal walking distance (MWD) was evaluated by a treadmill test. Muscle oxygenation level was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy and recovery half time (T_1/2) was calculated. MWD was significantly improved for P (142%), E (216%) and PE (240%) groups. T_1/2 was significantly improved in the E and PE groups. This study indicates that improvement of MWD was a result of development of muscle perfusion in lower limbs and PGE₁ injection may support exercise therapy.

We evaluated regional differences of muscle O₂ dynamics between distal and proximal sites in the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle using near infrared spatial resolved spectroscopy (NIR_SRS). forty-one male subjects performed a 30 W ramp incremental bicycle exercise test until exhaustion. The NIR_SRS probes were attached on each distal and proximal site in the VL. The pulmonary O₂ uptake and heart rate were monitored continuously during the experiment. The TOI at rest was significantly higher in proximal than distal sites (65.0±5.2 vs. 69.7±4.6%, p<0.001). The TOI at exhaustion was also significantly higher in proximal than distal sites (39.5±6.7 vs. 47.5±7.6%, p<0.001). Moreover, a significant correlation was found between VO₂max and the TOI at exhaustion in each proximal and distal site in the VL. Half time reoxygenation, the time to reach a value of half-maximal recovery, was significantly slower in distal sites than proximal sites (27.1±5.6 vs. 25.0±6.1 sec, p<0.01). In conclusion, lower muscle oxygenation at exhaustion in higher VO₂max may be due to enhanced O₂ extraction in high oxidative capacity muscle. In addition, slower reoxygenation and lower muscle deoxygenation at the distal site in the VL may be explained by differences in O₂ supply and/or muscle fiber composition between distal and proximal sites.

The purpose of this study was to determine the age and habitual physical activity on re-oxygenation time in working muscles following maximal cycling exercise (CycEXmax). Twelve sedentary middle-aged (50±6), 13 sedentary elderly (66±3), 13 active middle-aged (53±5), and 20 active elderly (67±5) were evaluated the half re-oxygenation time (T1/2 reoxy) as an index of oxygen delivery, using near-infrared spectroscopy at the vastus lateralis (VL) and lateral head of the gastrocnemius (LG) after CycEXmax. T1/2 reoxys at VL and LG were significantly greater in the elderly subjects than in the middle-aged subjects in both sedentary and active groups. T1/2 reoxys at VL and LG of the active group were smaller than those of the sedentary group, regardless of age. The results of this study suggest that habitual physical activity may attenuate age-related prolongation in T1/2 reoxy in working muscles although ageing delay T1/2 reoxy in working muscles.

  To the best of our knowledge, there are few reports on acquirement of medical skills of infection control using a scenario simulation program. We report the development of a education program using scenario-based simulation named Infection Control Training Course （ICTC）. The three main aims of this course are basic comprehension of standard precautions and contact precautions, acquirement of skills for wearing and removal of personal protective equipment （PPE）, and precise selection of PPE for various situations.
・For the materials and methods, 225 medical staff members taking part in the ICTC at TMU participated in the study. Investigations using a questionnaire about standard precaution, contact precaution and PPE selection were carried out for the pre-course and post-course of the day. In addition, the satisfaction level was evaluated using free score text.
・The return rates of the completed questionnaire for investigating these areas were 88.4% （pre-course） and 95.1% （post-course）. Among all the items investigated, improvements were verified statistically （Wilcoxon signed-rank test）. The satisfaction level was 94.7 ± 9.4 points.
・In conclusion, the ICTC was considered to be effective for acquiring medical skills of infection control, particularly basic comprehension regarding standard precaution, contact precaution and precise PPE selection using a scenario simulation program.