Background: Lower trapezius muscle function is important for the prevention and treatment of shoulder injuries. However, scapular posterior tilt movement has been overlooked in lower trapezius strengthening exercise programs.
Objective: To examine the effects of prone arm lifting with scapular posterior tilt (PALSPT) on trapezius muscles.
Design: Crossover study
Methods: 17 healthy males were recruited for participation in this study. Participants performed backward rocking diagonal arm lifting (BRDAL) and PALSPT. To train participants in scapular posterior tilt movements for PALSPT, visual biofeedback of scapular movements was provided using a motion sensor. Electromyography (EMG) activities of the middle and lower trapezius were recorded using a surface EMG system. Differences in middle and lower trapezius muscle activity between BRDAL and PALSPT exercises were analyzed.
Results: Lower trapezius muscle activity was significantly greater during PALSPT than during BRDAL (p=.006). Although greater EMG activity was observed in the middle trapezius during PALSPT than during BRDAL, this difference was not significant (p=.055).
Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate that scapular posterior tilt movements must be considered in lower trapezius muscle strengthening programs.
The aim of this study to provide basic reference data for the development of video contents used in pattern drafting education and to explore the possibility of utilizing YouTube videos in such education. Subject videos were selected using the number of views. A total of 596 videos and 28 channels were analyzed for the period July to September 2019 and the results are as follows. With regard to content, there were 27 pattern drafting items, the majority being dress, pants, skirt, blouse and sleeve drafting, although high-level content such as cowl, bustier, corset patterns were also available. Therefore, there is a high likelihood that YouTube videos could be used as educational material, especially as supplementary references to provide specific examples and easy explanations for difficult concepts or method, for students majoring in this field. However, as most videos currently focus on a few items, expanding video content to features a wider variety of clothing items at different levels is necessary. With regard to video length, it mostly ranged from 10 to 15 minutes. It is not advisable to create lengthy lecture-style videos expounding on different principles or variations in pattern drafting when developing educational video material.
Reproductive potential decreases with age. A decrease in male fertility is due to a combination of morphological and molecular alterations in the testes. Transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor-1 (TRPV1) is associated with aging and lifespan, and its activation causes apoptotic cell death in various cell types. However, the effect of TRPV1 on testicular apoptosis in aged mice has not yet been reported. TRPV1 knockout (KO) mice had a longer lifespan than that of wild-type (WT) mice. Lifespan was increased by 11.8% in male TRPV1 KO mice compared to that in WT mice. TRPV1 KO males lived approximately 100 days longer than WT males on average, and the maximum lifespan was markedly extended in TRPV1 KO mice compared with that in WT mice. The TRPV1 expression levels were highly increased in the testes of older mice. TRPV1 was expressed in the entire testes region of the old mice. In addition, old TRPV1 KO mice had lower testicular apoptosis than that of WT mice. Our results show that TRPV1 induces testicular apoptosis and suggest that TRPV1 may be associated with testicular aging.
Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Tannerella forsythia (Tf), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), and Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) are major periodontal pathogens. Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) from periodontal bacteria play an important role in periodontal pathogenesis by stimulating host cells to produce inflammatory cytokines. In this study, highly pure LPSs from the five major periodontopathogens were prepared, and their monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-inducing activities were compared in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and THP-1 macrophagic cells, respectively. In HUVECs, LPSs from Aa and Fn were potent stimulators for MCP-1 induction; however, LPSs from Pg, Pi, and Tf were much weaker MCP-1 inducers. In THP-1 cells, LPSs from Pg, Aa, and Fn were relatively strong inducers of TNF-α, whereas LPSs from Pi and Tf produced little activity. The Toll-like receptor (TLR)2/TLR4 dependency of various LPSs was also determined by measuring NF-κB reporter activity in TLR2- or TLR4-expressing 293 cells. LPSs from Aa, Fn, and Tf stimulated only TLR4; however, LPSs from Pg and Pi stimulated both TLR2 and TLR4. These results suggest that LPSs from major periodontal bacteria differ considerably in their cell-stimulating activity.
The oral care probiotic strain Weissella cibaria CMU (oraCMU) inhibits volatile sulphur compounds associated with halitosis, presumably by inhibiting the growth of associated oral pathogens. In the present study, we investigated whether oraCMU inhibits the production of these compounds by suppressing the expression of mgl . This gene encodes L-methionine-α-deamino-γ-mercaptomethane-lyase (METase) and is involved in the production of methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) by Porphyromonas gingivalis . Therefore, we specifically investigated the effects of oraCMU on the growth, CH3SH production, METase activity, and mgl expression of P. gingivalis . The minimum inhibitory concentrations of cell-free supernatant and secreted proteins from oraCMU were 125 mg/mL and 800 µg/mL, respectively. At sub-minimum inhibitory concentration levels, these metabolites inhibited CH3SH production, but they also reduced P. gingivalis viability. Only heat-killed oraCMU decreased CH3SH production without affecting P. gingivalis viability. Heat-killed oraCMU also inhibited METase activity toward L-methionine and mgl mRNA expression (p < 0.05). In summary, we demonstrated the inhibition of volatile sulphur compounds via the antimicrobial action of oraCMU and, for the first time, the inhibition of such compounds by heat-killed oraCMU, which occurred at the molecular level.
A 7-year-old, intact, female Siberian husky was presented to the Veterinary Medical Center of Chungbuk National University because of vomiting and diarrhea after a fight with a cohabiting dog. Physical examination, radiography, abdominal ultrasonography, and laboratory examination were performed. The dog was diagnosed with pyometra and 10% dehydration. On electrolyte, Na and Cl ion concentration were lower than normal values and Ca ion concentration was slightly lower than normal values. On blood chemistry, blood urea nitrogen and alkaline phosphatase value were extremely higher than normal values. Neutrophil was observed as hypersegmentation. On ultrasonography, enlarged uterine body was observed. Uterus was enlarged and filled with echogenic fluid that is seemed to be pus. Uterine horn was rubbing the bladder. In bacterial culture, the colony morphology was smooth, mucoid, and hemolytic. Also, on molecular diagnosis test, both samples from uterine and abdominal fluid were confirmed to be E. coli. This case describes that uterine pus was leakage to abdominal cavity through oviduct, and pus leakage from uterus may be cause septic peritonitis and death. Also, this case must be considered that physical event such as fight against cohabiting dog, strenuous exercise and kiss-off can cause uterine rupture or pus leakage through oviduct from uterus in dog with pyometra.
This study aimed to examine the effect of a mild elevation in serum cholesterol level in a porcine coronary overstretch restenosis model using a balloon angioplasty catheter or drug-eluting coronary stent. Pigs were divided into two groups and were fed a commercial normal diet (CND, n = 4) or a high-fat diet (HFD, n = 4) for 5 weeks. Coronary overstretch injury by balloon angioplasty or stent implantation was induced in the left anterior descending and left circumflex artery after 1 week of feeding. Histopathological analysis was performed at 4 weeks after coronary injury. During the experiment, the total cholesterol level in the HFD group increased by approximately 44.9% (from 65.9 ± 3.21 mg/dL at baseline to 95.5 ± 9.94 mg/dL at 5 weeks). The lumen area in the CND group was reduced in comparison with that in the HFD group after balloon angioplasty. After stent implantation, the injury score showed no significant difference. There were significant differences in the neointimal area (2.7 ± 0.33 mm2 in the CND group vs. 3.3 ± 0.34 mm2 in the HFD group, p<0.05), lumen area (2.6 ± 0.54 mm2 in the CND group vs. 2.0 ± 0.33 mm2 in the HFD group, p<0.05), and percent area stenosis (52.0 ± 7.96% in the CND group vs. 62.4 ± 5.15% in the HFD group, p<0.05). Body weight change was not different between the two groups. Increased serum cholesterol level activated vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in the porcine coronary overstretch model.
In this study, steric height variability in the East Asian Seas (EAS) has been analyzed by using ocean reanalysis intercomparison project (ORA-IP) data. Results show that there are significant correlations between ocean reanalysis and satellite data except the phase of annual cycle and interannual signals of the Yellow Sea. Reanalysis ensemble derived from 15-different assimilation systems depicts higher correlation (0.706) than objective analysis ensemble (0.296) in the EAS. This correlation coefficient is also much higher than that of the global ocean (0.441). For the longterm variability of the thermosteric sea level during 1993-2010, a significant warming trend is found in the East/Japan Sea, while cooling trend is shown around the Kuroshio extension area. For the halosteric sea level, a dominant freshening trend is found in the EAS. However, below 300 m depth around this area, the signal-to-noise ratio of the linear trend is generally less than one, which is related to the low density of observation data.