Habitual exercise is important for improving or maintaining the arterial function with age. However, the role of functional fitness on arterial stiffness in the elderly is unclear. This study was conducted to examine the relationships between functional fitness and arterial stiffness in elderly woman. Four hundred and seventy-nine elderly woman participated in the present investigation. The systolic/diastolic blood pressure and brachial to ankle pulse wave velocity were obtained in the supine position using an automatic pulse wave form analyzer. Four items of functional fitness (standing/sitting, walking, hand working, and self-care working) were assessed. The measurement variables were calculated for five chronological classifications (60~64, 65~69, 70~74, 75~79 and 80 yrs or over). The four items of functional fitness and brachial to ankle pulse wave velocity increased linearly with age. A multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that systolic blood pressure (β= 0.366), age (β= 0.225), heart rate (β= 0.188), body mass index (β= -0.102), and standing/sitting (β= 0.098) were independent contributors to brachial to ankle pulse wave velocity, accounting for 29.6% of the variability. The physical function, especially standing/sitting, influences the arterial function in elderly women.

High-intensity interval exercise (IE) leads to greater improvements in the arterial function than continuous exercise at moderate intensity (CE). However, few studies have been performed on the effects of the repetition exercise (RE) on the vascular endothelial function. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of CE vs. IE vs. RE during aerobic exercise on the vascular endothelial function determined by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). Ten healthy male subjects randomly performed 3 trials as follows: CE (20-min cycling at 50%W_max), IE (10 × 1-min intervals cycling at 75%W_max interspersed with 1-min intervals cycling at 25%W_max), and RE (30 × 20-sec intervals cycling at 100%W_max interspersed with 20-sec intervals at rest). FMD was assessed at rest and 30 and 60 min after each exercise, and then the normalized FMD (nFMD) was calculated from the peak shear rate. The nFMD (a.u.) significant increased 30 min after IE (1.2 ± 0.2 to 3.0 ± 1.0, p<0.05) and increased 30 min after CE (1.0 ± 0.2 to 1.4 ± 0.2, n.s.) and returned to baseline at 60 min after both exercises, while the nFMD decreased 30 min after RE (1.3 ± 0.2 to 1.2 ± 0.1, n.s.) and was sustained at 60 min. The nFMD value at 30 min after IE was significantly greater than that at 30 min after RE (3.0 ± 1.0 versus 1.2 ± 0.1, p<0.05). These results suggest that RE may lead to a less improvement in the vascular endothelial function than CE and IE.

Westernization of lifestyles among Japanese, in particular among young generations, is a matter of concern for future increase in coronary heart disease. We surveyed a total of 349 male university students to examine changes in lifestyles and coronary risk factors in campus life. We compared dietary habits and serum fatty acid compositions as well as other coronary risk characteristics between freshmen (n=171) and fourth-year (senior) students (n=178). Serum fatty acid compositions and dietary intakes of selected foods as well as serum lipids, blood pressures and physical characteristics were examined at the 1996 and 1997 annual health examinations. Compared to freshmen, senior students had a lower frequency of fish, vegetable, milk and egg intake, and a higher frequency of oil and fat intake. The proportions of serum saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were significantly higher among senior students than among freshmen, whereas the proportion of serum polyunsaturated fatty acids was significantly lower among senior students than among freshmen. Senior students also had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures, percent body fat, smoking rate and alcohol usage than freshmen. Mean body weight and mean body mass index were not different between the two groups. Senior students generally showed Westernized dietary habits and higher coronary risk profiles than freshmen as indicated by the change of serum fatty acid compositions. Modification of these dietary habits and lifestyles may be important for the prevention of future CHD among Japanese young adults.
Serum ; Fatty Acids ; seconds ; Cardio- ; Risk

OBJECTIVESTo prepare a dietary recommendation for young Japanese for the prevention of coronary heart disease, we surveyed the dietary habits, serum lipids, serum fatty acids and blood pressure levels among male and female students.

METHODSIn this study, 175 male and 246 female university students were interviewed for the frequency of consumption of selected food items and the habit of skipping breakfast. Serum fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatography.

RESULTSThe frequencies of consumption of dishes cooked with oil and intake of vegetables were higher in female students than in male students. Serum n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids were slightly higher in females students than in male students while that of serum n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was 6.4% in both sexes. For both males and females, those who skipped breakfast at least once a week were less likely to consume vegetables and fruits than those who did not. Female students who skipped breakfast were also less likely to consume fish and had lower composition of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels than males. For female, the intake of milk and dairy products correlated inversely with systolic blood pressure levels and the intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids correlated inversely with diastolic blood pressure levels. For males, the intake of fruits and consumption of dishes cooked with oil correlated inversely with systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels.

CONCLUSIONOur findings suggest that increased intake of fish, milk and dairy products, fruits and vegetables from early adulthood and a regular dietary pattern are important to reduce the risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Methods: Patients with degenerative lumbar diseases, whose MRIs detected BME, were enrolled. On a T2-weighted fat-saturated MRI, BME appeared as a high-intensity region adjacent to the vertebral endplate. We calculated the contrast ratios (CRs) of BME and normal bone marrow using the signal intensities of BME, normal bone marrow, and the spinal cord. On computed tomography, we calculated Hounsfield unit (HU) values in the same area as BME, the sclerotic endplate, and normal bone marrow to assess bone density. Results: There were 16 men and 14 women, with an average age of 73.5 years. The mean CRs of BME and normal bone marrow were −0.015±0.056 and −0.407±0.023, respectively. BME’s CR was significantly higher than that of normal bone marrow (p<0.01). The HU values in the same area as BME, the sclerotic endplate, and normal bone marrow were 251.9±24.6, 828.3±35.6, and 98.1±9.3, respectively; these values were significantly different from each other (p<0.01). Conclusions The CR on MRI is a useful quantitative assessment tool for BME in patients with degenerative lumbar diseases.

High-intensity interval exercise leads to greater improvements in the vascular endothelial function than continuous exercise at moderate intensity. However, few studies have been performed on the effects of repetition exercise consisting of high-intensity exercise followed by complete rest on the arterial function. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of repetition exercise on the vascular endothelial function determined by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). Eleven healthy male subjects completed two exercise sessions on a cycle ergometer in a counterbalanced order. The exercise sessions were 20 min cycling at 50% maximal work rate (Wmax) (continuous exercise, CE) and 20 × 20-sec intervals at 100%Wmax interspersed with 40-sec intervals at complete rest (repetition exercise, RE). Before and after each protocol, the brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured in the supine position. Relative FMD was assessed at rest and 30 and 60 min after each exercise regimen, and then the normalized FMD (nFMD) was calculated from the peak shear rate. The FMD significantly increased 30 min after RE (8.2 ± 1.5% to 11.5 ± 3.1%, p<0.01) and non-significantly increased 30 min after CE (7.5 ± 1.6% to 8.1 ± 2.1%, n.s.) before returning to baseline at 60 min after both exercise regimens. The FMD value at 30 min after RE was significantly greater than that at 30 min after CE (p<0.01). The nFMD (a.u.) significantly increased 30 min after RE (1.38 ± 0.64 to 2.00 ± 0.94, p<0.05) and non-significantly increased 30 min after CE (1.20 ± 0.54 to 1.49 ± 0.57, n.s.) before returning to baseline at 60 min after both exercise regimens. These results suggest that repetition exercise may lead to an acute improvement in the vascular endothelial function.

A 76-year-old man who suffered from consistent back pain was admitted for anti-hypertensive therapy to strictly manage the early thrombosed acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD). On admission, his blood pressure could not be controlled well ; soon he complained of recurrent severe back pain. The second thoracoabdominal enhanced computed tomography revealed the progression of AAAD from DeBakey type II to type I with thrombosed pseudolumen at the descending thoracic aorta ; therefore, emergent surgical intervention by primary central repair was conducted. Paraplegia was diagnosed eight hours after surgery, then cerebrospinal fluid drainage and intravenous administration of Naloxone were started immediately followed by keeping the systemic blood pressure more than 120 mmHg. However, paraplegia had never improved and been persistent with neurological deficit of the lower extremities. We herein report a complicated surgical case of an AAAD patient with paraplegia and review the complex clinical settings.