Effects of regular water- and land-based exercise on physical function after 5 years: A long-term study on the well-being of older Japanese adults.

AIM: To investigate the effects of 5 years of physical exercise on functional parameters among older Japanese adults who carried out water- or land-based exercise. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated data from 5707 medical examinations and enrolled 77 older adults into the study. Eligible participants had to be aged ≥60 years, and engaged in water-based exercise (n = 38) or a combination of water- and land-based exercise (n = 39) for at least 80% of their total exercise time for over 5 years at our fitness center. In statistical analysis, a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was carried out to examine the effects over time and by exercise type, and the changes in each parameter over 5 years were also compared between the two groups. RESULTS: We found significant main effects and an interaction between time and exercise type for gait speed, with an early decline in the combined exercise group, as well as significant main effects of time, showing a functional decline in grip strength, one-leg standing time and step/height ratio in both exercise types at the 5-year follow up. The 5-year changes in each parameter did not differ between the two groups despite the frequency of exercise, even though we found a negative correlation between changes in one-leg standing time and total amount of water-based exercise. CONCLUSION: Contrary to expectations, these results suggest that regular engagement in water-based exercise, even combined with land-based exercise, might have poor long-term benefits for maintaining physical performance in older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2116-2123.

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound therapy stimulates callus formation between host femur and cortical onlay strut allograft.

Cortical onlay strut allografting is a promising surgical option to reconstruct and reinforce the deficient femur in a hip arthroplasty. However, the union of the allograft to the host bone takes a long time. To accelerate the process of cortical onlay strut allograft healing, we studied the effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on callus formation. From 2 wk after the operation, LIPUS was given for 20 min/d at each end of the strut allograft. The LIPUS treatment group was assigned 14 allograft transplantations, while 21 control patients were treated without LIPUS. The LIPUS treatment group formed calluses and had complete bridging between the host femur and the allograft faster after operation (16.9 and 29.4 wk after operation, respectively) compared with the control group (40.7 and 82.0 wk after operation, respectively). Our findings showed that LIPUS stimulated bone bonding between the host femur and the cortical onlay strut allografts.

Intravenous lidocaine and magnesium for management of intractable trigeminal neuralgia: a case series of nine patients.

Most patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia (TN) benefit from medical therapy, for example carbamazepin, gabapentin, and pregabalin, individually or in combination. Nonetheless, some patients experience severe and intractable pain despite such medication, or the medication eliminates their pain but they experience intolerable side effects sufficient to warrant discontinuation. Intravenous magnesium and lidocaine have been used for management of intractable neuropathic pain. We treated nine patients with TN by using an intravenous infusion of a combination of 1.2 g magnesium and 100 mg lidocaine for 1 hour, once a week for 3 weeks. All patients experienced sound pain relief after the combined intravenous infusion therapy. Two patients experienced short and mild dizziness after the therapy, but no severe side effects were reported.

The effect of celiac plexus block on heart rate variability.

BACKGROUND: Celiac plexus block (CPB) can be used for treating intra-abdominal visceral pain syndromes. The celiac plexus is the largest plexus of the sympathetic nervous system. Several nerve blocks have a marked effect on autonomic nervous activity. Furthermore, stellate ganglion block changes cardiac autonomic nervous activity. Thus, CPB could influence the sympathetic activity of the cardiac plexus. The aim of the present study was to see whether CPB modulated heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Twelve patients received neurolytic CPB using 14 ml absolute alcohol. Data recorded in a palm-sized electrocardiographic unit were analyzed for HRV. RESULTS: CPB using a neurolytic solution did not induce any significant changes in the low-frequency (LF)/high-frequency (HF) ratio of HRV (LF/HF, P = 0.4642). Furthermore, the procedure did not induce any significant changes in blood pressure (systolic, P = 0.5051; diastolic, P = 0.5180). CONCLUSION: CPB did not induce any significant changes in HRV or hemodynamics.