No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Facial Nerve*

No abstract available.
Neural Conduction*

The oropharyngeal swallow of 26 patients with dysphagia was studied quantitatively and qualitatively using videofluoroscope. Videofluoroscopic examination was done with head in neutral position, and with three different c onsistency of test meals; thin liquid, thick liquid, and solid, When aspiration or laryngeal penetration was noted in neutral position, the study was repeated with different head positions, We compared them with each other and with 25 normal subject(previously presented). 11/26(42%) patients revealed laryngeal penetration or aspiration at least with one consistency of test meal. Aspiration occurred more frequently in thin liquid than thick liquid or solid, Head position change successfully eliminated aspiration in 10/10 patients(100%). Other one patient could not change his head position. 9 numerical parameters were derived and calculated for quantitative examination, Liquid meal oral discharge time, pharyngeal delay time, and pharyngeal transit time were significantly increased in patients with aspiration than in patients without aspiration. Also significantly increased than those of normal controls. Because different test meal consistency gave different values, direct comparison of values regardless of meal consistency was fruitless. And because all the process of swallowing cannot be expressed as numerical parameters qualitative examination of videofluoroscopic result was essential. In conclusion, liquid meal oral discharge time, pharyngeal delay time, and pharyngeal transit time were useful parameters in differentiating and quantifying dysphagia. Aspiration can be reduced when appropriate position assumed. Calculated values were different a according to the consistency of the test meal. Quantitative analysis was helpful, but qualitative examination of videofluoroscopy was essential.
Deglutition Disorders* ; Deglutition* ; Head ; Humans ; Meals ; Posture* ; Viscosity*

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a complicated clinical condition related with pathologic pain generators in the spinal column, weakened and deconditioned muscles in the trunk and extremities that control the motion and stability of the spine and pelvis, faulty biomechanics caused by connective tissue contractures, and behavioral problems such as fear-avoidance beliefs and emotional distress. Since it is initiated and maintained by these complicated causal factors, CLBP could not be successfully treated by one or two specific rehabilitative treatment options. A multidisciplinary approach with an appropriate individualization to each patient is known to be more successful than simple and passive physical therapeutic agents. Among the rehabilitative therapeutics, sustained exercise for 2 to 3 months appears to be the most effective, providing CLBP patients with significant pain relieves and functional improvements that last for a long-term period. There have been several different types of low back exercises including strengthening, flexibility training, aerobic exercise, lumbar flexion exercise, and McKenzie's extension exercise, with which favorable outcomes were reported. Recent advances in the field of spine biomechanics introduced a principle, the core stabilizing exercise, to stabilize the spine and pelvis by strengthening and improving the control of the several specific truncal muscles. Although supported by some reports showing excellent results, the core stabilizing exercise in itself may not be the most effective therapeutic exercise for CLBP. Instead, it could be a useful adjunctive measure to the exercises that have been used to date. A novel rehabilitative therapeutic modality is anticipated to be developed in the near future to theat the spine more specifically, addressing its particular pathologic conditions.
Connective Tissue ; Contracture ; Exercise ; Extremities ; Humans ; Low Back Pain* ; Muscles ; Pelvis ; Pliability ; Rehabilitation ; Spine

Vanadate is a trace element in animal tissues and has been known to inhibit NA(+)-K(+) ATPase in various tissues including skeletal and cardiac muscles and smooth muscles. Vanadate shows contractile actions on various types of smooth muscles. Prolonged dietary administration of vanadate has been shown to cause arterial hypertension, increased peripheral resistance, and a marked reduction of coronary, visceral and renal blood flow.In isolated vascular smooth muscle of aorta, application of vanadate caused contraction. These studies have been conducted the preparation of vascular smooth muscles from which endothelial cell were removed. It has been reported that endothelial cell releases relaxing factor(s) (endothelium-derived relaxing factor, EDRF) in response to acetylcholine and a number of other stimuli and also produces vasoconstrictor substances (endothelium-derived contracting factor, EDCF). The aim of this present experiment is to elucidate whether vascular response of isolated rabbit aorta induced by vanadate are endothelium dependent or not. The result obtained were summarized as follows ; 1) When endothelium was intact, vanadate induced vascular relaxation of aorta precontracted with norepinephrine. But K+ induced contraction was augmented by vanadate in the aorta with or without endothelium. Whereas relaxation produced by vanadate precontracted with angiotensin II was endothelium-independent. 2) Hemoglobin, methylene blue, hydroquinone, and verapamil inhibited vanadate-induced vascular relaxation. But indomethacin and quinacrine had no effect on vanadate induced vascular relaxation. From the above results, it is speculated the vanadate act on endothelium, modifies the synthesis or release of endothelium-dependent relaxing factor and thus changes the contractile responses to norepinephrine in rabbit aorta.
Acetylcholine ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Angiotensin II ; Animals ; Aorta ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors ; Hypertension ; Indomethacin ; Methylene Blue ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; Myocardium ; Norepinephrine ; Quinacrine ; Relaxation ; Vanadates* ; Vascular Resistance ; Verapamil

variety of sports activities can result in shoulder injuries either by an accidental strong trauma or by repetitive but cumulative stress for a long period. Based on the huge amount of basic or clinical researches, several mechanisms of repetitive injuries have been suggested: subacromial (external) impingement, internal impingment, and scapular dyskinesia, which are believed to cause or, at least, contribute to the development of rotator cuff injuries, superior labrum anterior posterior lesions, and shoulder intabilities. It has been reported that the pain and disabilities of the shoulder injuries could be prevented or minimized by an appropriate rehabilitation program especially undertaken in the early phase of dysfunctions or injuries. The core components of the rehabilitation program include stretching of the posterior glenohumeral joint capsule, scapular stabilizing exercise, and strengthening the rotator cuff muscles. It is crucial to proceed onto the proper steps of the rehabilitation program as the functional recovery progresses. To gain a strong and sound biomechanics not only on the shoulder but also for the whole body kinetic chain would be the most important factor for the injured athlete to regain his or her previous athletic activities.
Athletes ; Athletic Injuries ; Biomechanics ; Dyskinesias ; Humans ; Muscles ; Rotator Cuff ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Joint ; Sports

variety of sports activities can result in shoulder injuries either by an accidental strong trauma or by repetitive but cumulative stress for a long period. Based on the huge amount of basic or clinical researches, several mechanisms of repetitive injuries have been suggested: subacromial (external) impingement, internal impingment, and scapular dyskinesia, which are believed to cause or, at least, contribute to the development of rotator cuff injuries, superior labrum anterior posterior lesions, and shoulder intabilities. It has been reported that the pain and disabilities of the shoulder injuries could be prevented or minimized by an appropriate rehabilitation program especially undertaken in the early phase of dysfunctions or injuries. The core components of the rehabilitation program include stretching of the posterior glenohumeral joint capsule, scapular stabilizing exercise, and strengthening the rotator cuff muscles. It is crucial to proceed onto the proper steps of the rehabilitation program as the functional recovery progresses. To gain a strong and sound biomechanics not only on the shoulder but also for the whole body kinetic chain would be the most important factor for the injured athlete to regain his or her previous athletic activities.
Athletes ; Athletic Injuries ; Biomechanics ; Dyskinesias ; Humans ; Muscles ; Rotator Cuff ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Joint ; Sports

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic significance of H reflex and somatosensory evoked potential(SEP) in the diagnosis of S1 radiculopathy, and to explore the possible interpretations on the discrepancies of the test results. METHOD: Twenty-eight patients who were diagnosed as a S1 radiculopathy by the clinical and radiological correlations, and thirty-five controls with no evidence of S1 radiculopathy by the clinical or radiological studies were studied by the H reflex, sural SEP, and needle electromyography. RESULTS: The sensitivity of H reflex study was 64% for the S1 radiculopathy, and the specificity was 86%. The sensitivity and the specificity of the sural SEP study for the S1 radiculopathy were 50% and 80% respectively. Within 1 month from the onset, the sensitivity of H reflex increased to 75%. The needle electromyography showed 19% for the sensitivity and 100% for the specificity. The probability of the S1 radiculopathy was 70% in 10 cases who had the abnormal H reflex and normal SEP values and 36% in 8 cases who had the normal H reflex and abnormal SEP values. CONCLUSION: H reflex study was the most sensitive test in the electrodiagnosis of the S1 radiculopathy and the electrodiagnostic significance of sural SEP was obscure.
Diagnosis ; Electrodiagnosis ; Electromyography ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; H-Reflex* ; Humans ; Needles ; Radiculopathy* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The understandings of the characteristics of eccentric exercise are very important because all sports and daily activities under the gravity force should be well coupled between concentric contraction and eccentric contraction as accelerator and decelerator respectively. We tested 40 knee flexors and extensors of 20 normal young persons at different anglular velocities of 60o/sec and 120o/sec using Cybex 6000 (A division of Lumax, New York) isokinetic dynamometer in order to know the characteristics of eccentric isokinetic contraction parameters by comparing with concentric isokinetic parameters. Compared to the concentric isokinetic contraction, eccentric isokinetic the peak torque and average power values of knee extensor and flexor muscles showed negative values which means that eccentric contractions were coupled with concentric contractions as decelerator and energy absorptioner. The peak torque values of eccentric contraction were 38 - 61%, 44 - 79% higher in flexor and extensor, respectively than those of concentric contraction and not so decreased as the peak torque of concentric contraction decreased in high angular velocity. The average power values of knee flexor and extensor muscles were definitely low in eccentric contracton than those of concentric contraction but were increased simultaneously with high angular velocity contraction. Further studies about the velocity dependency, muscle soreness, methodology to measure real eccentric activities and other parameters of eccentric contraction are needed imminently.
Absorption ; Exercise Test* ; Gravitation ; Humans ; Knee ; Muscles ; Myalgia ; Sports ; Torque