In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of long-term voluntary running exercise and caloric restriction during development on the skeletal muscle mass and intracellular signaling in female rats. Four-week-old female Wistar rats (n = 23) were randomly divided into the sedentary (SED) and voluntary running exercise (EX) groups, and then acclimated to a new environment. At 5 weeks of age, the rats in both groups were further divided into the ad libitum (AD+SED or AD+EX, n = 6) and calorie-restricted (CR+SED or CR+EX, n = 5-6) groups. EX group underwent 12 weeks of voluntary running exercise. CR group was only fed 70% of the food fed to the AD + SED group. After 12 weeks of intervention, soleus and plantaris muscles were removed, and the levels of intracellular signal transduction proteins involved in protein synthesis and degradation were measured by Western blotting. Significant diet × condition interactions were observed in the body, soleus muscle, and plantaris muscle weights. Specifically, plantaris muscle weight in the CR + EX group was significantly lower than that in the other groups; however, their soleus muscle weight was similar to that in the CR + SED group. In the plantaris muscles, significant diet × condition interactions were observed in the phosphorylation levels of 4E-binding protein 1, UNC-51-like autophagy-activating kinase-1, and light chain 3-II/I. Moreover, these factors were significantly altered in the CR + EX group than in the other groups. Notably, no significant interactions were observed in the soleus muscles. Our data suggest that long-term voluntary running exercise and caloric restriction exacerbate skeletal muscle loss, possibly mediated by muscle type-specific intracellular signaling mechanisms involved in protein synthesis and degradation.

This study aimed to elucidate the effects of long-term high-fat diet (HFD) consumption and cage restriction-induced physical inactivity (IN) during youth on skeletal muscle autophagy in rats. Three-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to two dietary groups: the normal diet (ND) and HFD groups. Each group was further subdivided into control (CON) and IN conditions, resulting in four experimental groups (n = 7-8). The HFD group was provided with a diet containing approximately 60% of total calories from crude fat for 16 weeks, from 4 to 20 weeks of age. The ND group received a standard diet for the same duration. The physical inactivity intervention during youth involved restricting the rats’ range of activity by housing them in smaller cages for eight weeks. After 12 weeks of age, the behavioral restrictions were lifted, and all groups of rats were housed in normal-sized cages for eight weeks. The ‘diet group’ and ‘condition’ factors exerted significant effects on the relative muscle weight of the gastrocnemius muscle. The HFD groups exhibited a notable decline in relative muscle weight compared to their ND counterparts. While no significant alterations were observed in LC3-II or p62 expression levels, the ‘diet group’ factor significantly influenced LC3-II/I levels in the white gastrocnemius muscle. These levels were markedly reduced in the HFD group. Our findings suggest that 16 weeks of HFD consumption leads to a reduction in autophagy flux, specifically within the white portion of the gastrocnemius muscle, but this effect is not influenced by cage restriction-induced physical inactivity during youth.

Usually, chronic pain is difficult to treat because this is often accompanied by none-organic factors such as psychiatric symptoms, which complicate the pathological condition. For this reason, the guidelines also call for coping with peripheral symptoms except pain. This time, we report that facial pain as well as peripheral symptoms such as mental anxiety gradually improved by a combination of decoction extract and acupuncture and moxibustion. The case was a man in his 60s, who received all kinds of treatments such as taking Western medicines and blocking trigger points for chronic facial pain of unknown cause with mental anxiety. However, even after one year the side effects were strong and the treatment was ineffective. Acupuncturists and Kampo specialists made the diagnosis and treatment based on a common concept of Kampo medicine. Treatment focused on shin abnormalities and oketsu suppressed the vicious cycle of pain and improved psychiatric symptoms and QOL. It was suggested that Kampo medicine based on the idea “the same in mind and body” is effective for chronic pain in which various symptoms are intricately intertwined.