The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of trig˗ ger points(TrPs) on athletes with various sporting background. To achieve the purpose, a study was carried out through a survey from 180 athletes involved in 6 selected sports at Yong-In University. Selected sports included Judo, Taekwondo, Kendo, Ssi-reum(Korean traditional wrestling), Boxing, and Golf. An interview type survey and physical examination were conducted with each thirty athletes from each of the selected sports groups. Technical statistic(SPSS 15.0) was used to analyze the distribution of TrPs on these athletes. The most common TrPs observed in muscles of Trapezius, Quadratus Lumborum, Quadriceps in Judo. In Taekwondo, it was on the trapez˗ ius and triceps surae. Kendo athletes had TrPs at sites of trapezius, brachioradialis and triceps surae. Ssirem athletes were found to have TrPs on trapezius, deltoid and quadrates lumborum. In boxers, TrPs appearing at trapezius and brachioradialis were observed. Finally, Golf players were seen to have TrPs at trapezius, quadrates lumbo˗ rum and brachioradialis. Hence, the analysis shows that there are significant differences of the distribution of TrPs according to the different sport items of the athlete.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of heat appli˗ cation on the immune activities of the human body. To exam, further˗ more, the immune effect from the healthy volunteer(male:15, female:15) by monitoring changes of immune substances such as various leukocytes[total white blood cell(WBC), eosinophil, neutrophil, basophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte], a comparative study with warm water immersion(40.8±0.3℃) and infrared(250W) was carried out. The plasma analysis showed that the count of white blood cell, eosinophil, and neutrophil were elevated in warm water immersion- or infrared˗ stimulated group compared with control group. However, the count of basophil was decreased in both warm water immersion- and infrared-stimulated group than control group. Therefore, these results suggest that the thermostimulation improved immune activity.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seeds have long been clinically used in Korea to promote bone formation and prevent osteoporosis. In addition, the safflower buds (SB) were found to have more useful functional ingredients than safflower seed. Thus, we investigated the preventive effects of SB diet in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The rats were divided into five groups; sham operated group, OVX alone group, OVX plus 17β-estradiol (E2 10 ㎍/㎏, i.p.) and OVX plus SB diet feeding group (0.3% or 1%). Feeding of SB diet (0.3% or 3%) to OVX rats markedly increased trabecular formation in femur compared to OVX rats. Feeding of SB diet (0.3% or 3%) to OVX rats also decreased TRAP activity compared to OVX rats. These results suggest that SB diets have bone sparing effects by the decrease of osteoclast activity. We also observed that OVX rats fed with SB diet (0.3% or 3%) exhibited the decrease of calcium and phosphorus in serum compared to OVX-induced rats. Therefore, SB may be beneficial for the patients of osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women.