Relationship between the Application of TENS to the Lower Limbs and Balance of Healthy Subjects.

[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of TENS applied to the skin overlying the bellies of the gastrocnemius muscles of the lower limbs on balance and plantar pressure of healthy adults. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-eight healthy college students were the subjects of this study. Adhesive transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) electrodes were attached to the medial and lateral belly of the gastrocnemius muscle. Before and after the application of the TENS, subjects' balance ability and maximum plantar pressure were measured and compared. [Results] The scores improved in the balance tests, including the fall risk test and the stability limit test, after the application of TENS, and a statistically significant difference was noted in the stability limit test. The maximum plantar pressure after the application of TENS decreased except beneath the big toe, and statistically significant difference was found under the forefoot. [Conclusion] The results of present study suggest that TENS applied to the skin overlying gastrocnemius muscles is useful strategy that improves the balance ability of healthy adults.

Isoliquiritigenin Reduces LPS-Induced Inflammation by Preventing Mitochondrial Fission in BV-2 Microglial Cells.

Excessive microglial cell activation in the brain can lead to the production of various neurotoxic factors (e.g., pro-inflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide) which can, in turn, initiate neurodegenerative processes. Recent research has been reported that mitochondrial dynamics regulate the inflammatory response of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a compound found in Glycyrrhizae radix with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In this study, we investigated the function of ISL on the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory response in BV-2 microglial cells. We showed that ISL reduced the LPS-induced increase in pro-inflammatory mediators (e.g., nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines) via the inhibition of ERK/p38/NF-κB activation and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, ISL inhibited the excessive mitochondrial fission induced by LPS, regulating mitochondrial ROS generation and pro-inflammatory response by suppressing the calcium/calcineurin pathway to dephosphorylate Drp1 at the serine 637 residue. Interestingly, the ISL pretreatment reduced the number of apoptotic cells and levels of cleaved caspase3/PARP, compared to LPS-treated cells. Our findings suggested that ISL ameliorated the pro-inflammatory response of microglia by inhibiting dephosphorylation of Drp1 (Ser637)-dependent mitochondrial fission. This study provides the first evidence for the effects of ISL against LPS-induced inflammatory response related and its link to mitochondrial fission and the calcium/calcineurin pathway. Consequently, we also identified the protective effects of ISL against LPS-induced microglial apoptosis, highlighting the pharmacological role of ISL in microglial inflammation-mediated neurodegeneration.

Evaluating bloom potential of the green-tide forming alga Ulva ohnoi under ocean acidification and warming.

The occurrence of green-tides, whose bloom potential may be increased by various human activities and biogeochemical process, results in enormous economic losses and ecosystem collapse. In this study, we investigated the ecophysiology of the subtropical green-tide forming alga, Ulva ohnoi complex (hereafter: U. ohnoi), under simulated future ocean conditions in order to predict its bloom potential using photosynthesis and growth measurements, and stable isotope analyses. Our mesocosm system included four experimental conditions that simulated the individual and combined effects of elevated CO2 and temperature, namely control (450 µatm CO2 & 20 °C), acidification (900 µatm CO2 & 20 °C), warming (450 µatm CO2 & 25 °C), and greenhouse (900 µatm CO2 & 25 °C). Photosynthetic electron transport rates (rETR) increased significantly under acidification conditions, but net photosynthesis and growth were not affected. In contrast, rETR, net photosynthesis, and growth all decreased significantly under elevated temperature conditions (i.e. both warming and greenhouse). These results represent the imbalance of energy metabolism between electron transport and O2 production that may be expected under ocean acidification conditions. This imbalance appears to be related to carbon and nitrogen assimilation by U. ohnoi. In particular, 13C and 15N discrimination data suggest U. ohnoi prefers CO2 and NH4+ over HCO3- and NO3- as sources of carbon and nitrogen, respectively, and this results in increased N content in the thallus under ocean acidification conditions. Together, our results suggest a trade-off in which the bloom potential of U. ohnoi could increase under ocean acidification due to greater N accumulation and through the saving of energy during carbon and nitrogen metabolism, but that elevated temperatures could decrease U. ohnoi's bloom potential through a decrease in photosynthesis and growth.

Prolonged anti-bacterial activity of ion-complexed doxycycline for the treatment of osteomyelitis.

The main purposes of the present study are the fabrication of an ion-complexed antibiotic which allows for the continuous release of the drug for sufficient periods of time without any additional matrix leading to unfavorable tissue responses, and the feasibility study of the ion-complexed antibiotic as a therapeutic system for osteomyelitis using an animal model. An ion-complexed doxycycline (icDX) as an antibiotic was prepared by simple mixing of positively charged doxycycline hyclate (DX) and negatively charged multivalent Na2HPO4 (2Na(+) HPO4(2-)) aqueous solutions. The icDX showed a controlled release of the DX up to 6 weeks. From the in vivo feasibility study using an osteomyelitis rat model, the icDX group showed a more effective therapeutic effect for the osteomyelitis, at 3 and 6 weeks, compared to the non-treated control and free DX groups. This was due to the sustained release of DX from the icDX in the osteomyelitis bone (medullary cavity) without migration. These findings suggest that the icDX may be a promising local delivery system in the clinical field for the treatment of the osteomyelitis.