The effect of the 'One Stretch' exercise on the improvement of low back pain in Japanese nurses: A large-scale, randomized, controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the 'One Stretch' exercise's effect on improvements in low back pain (LBP), psychological factors, and fear avoidance in a large number of nurses. Methods: Between July 2015 and June 2016, we performed a prospective, randomized, parallel-group, multi-center study with central evaluations. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1 ratio) to either the control group (Group A) or an intervention group (Group B: 30-min seminar about the 'One Stretch' exercise, Group C: B + physical and psychological approaches to LBP treatment). The primary outcome was subjective improvement from baseline to 6 months (improved/unchanged/worsened) and overall exercise habits (good/poor). Results: There were 4767 participants: 1799, 1430, and 1548 in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. We collected data on 3439 participants (949, 706, and 751 in Groups A, B, and C, respectively) at the 6-month follow-up. The improvement rates in Groups A, B, and C were 13.3%, 23.5%, and 22.6%, respectively. The worsened pain rates were 13.0%, 9.6%, and 8.1%, which decreased as the intervention degree increased (the Cochran-Armitage trend test: p < .0001). In Groups A, B, and C, 15.6%, 64.9%, 48.8% of the patients, respectively, exhibited exercise habits. Conclusion: The 'One Stretch' exercise is useful for improving LBP.

A norbergenin derivative inhibits neuronal cell damage induced by tunicamycin.

Several chemically synthesized compounds were examined for protective effects against the cell damage in tunicamycin-treated human neuroblastoma IMR-32 cells. Among the compounds tested, an antioxidant, Norbergenin-11-caproate (10 microM), exhibited complete protection against the cell growth inhibitory effect of tunicamycin but did not inhibit the induction of Bip/GRP78 mRNA by tunicamycin. Both norbergenin-11-caproate and alpha-tocopherol completely inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species induced by tunicamycin, however, alpha-tocopherol inhibited tunicamycin-induced cell damage only partially, even at 100 microM. These findings suggest the potential of Norbergenin-11-caproate for therapeutic application in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-dependent diseases implicating a specific mechanism other than anti-oxidative one.

[Rehabilitation for the patients with low-back pain].

The first choice for the treatment of low-back pain should be physical therapy, or rehabilitation. These are mainly divided into two modalities; passive and active modality. The former includes bed rest, hot pack, massage, and brace. The latter includes therapeutic exercise. The modality used should be dependent of the stages in each patient. Bed rest is indicated in the acute stage within a week after the occurrence low-back pain. The rest longer than a week is basically contraindicated, because of disuse syndrome such as muscle weakness, osteoporosis, and soft tissue contracture. Therapeutic exercise is the mainstay in the chronic stage. It includes trunk muscles strengthening exercise and stretching. Lumbar stabilization exercise has currently drawn attention for the treatment of low-back pain. Patient education such as back-school also plays an important role to manage low-back pain.

Quantitative evaluation of long sitting in paraplegic patients with spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the characteristics of long sitting (ie, sitting with legs extended) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare these results with able-bodied control subjects. DESIGN: A kinematic study using a video camera and forceplate with a strain-gauge type load cell. SETTING: A referral center for patients with SCI in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four subjects, including 11 able-bodied, matched control subjects and 13 SCI patients with complete paraplegia. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sitting posture in the sagittal plane as well as the movement pattern and distance of the center of pressure (COP). RESULTS: Patients with SCI kept their pelvis tilted posteriorly and the lumbar spine was less lordotic during long sitting. The changing COP pattern during long sitting differed in able-bodied subjects as compared patients with SCI. During long sitting with arms outstretched over the thighs, COP movement in the subjects with SCI was significantly greater than that in the able-bodied subjects. When the arms were outstretched over the thighs, the COP shifted anteriorly in the able-bodied subjects and posteriorly in the patients with SCI. CONCLUSIONS: Long sitting in the paraplegic patients with SCI was unstable compared with the able-bodied subjects. The COP distribution pattern differed significantly between the 2 groups. The support and function of the upper extremities may influence balance during long sitting in the patients with SCI. The method of seating evaluation using a video camera and gravicorder was easy to use and appeared to provide an objective measurement of dynamic seating function in the patients with SCI.