Cardiovascular and Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Response During Repeated Static Grip Exercise / 体力科学

The aim of this study was to reveal the mechanism of exaggerated blood pressure rise during resistance exercise. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and grip force were measured during static handgrip exercise. After a 3-minute control period, intermittent static handgrip exercises (10 30-sec contractions with a 30-sec pause between contractions) at 30% of maximum voluntary contraction (HG 30) or with maximum voluntary effort (HGMX) were performed in nine healthy volunteers who gave their consent in advance to participate in this study. In the HG 30 study, MSNA did not increase compared with the control value until the fifth grip exercise, and BP rose during the third HG exercise. HR was elevated in the first grip exercise and remained elevated up to the 10th grip exercise. During HGMX, MSNA, HR and BP increased significantly during the first grip exercise compared to the control rest, and MSNA and BP rose even further as the contractions accumulated; while HR response remained almost constant throughout the contractions. Mean handgrip force decreased progressively with the increasing number of grip exercises.<BR>These results indicate that exaggerated BP rise during static muscle contraction dose not seem to be muscle reflex, at least, during the first several contractions; but rather other factors such as central command or mechanical compression of vessels. However, muscle reflex, for instance metaboor mechanoreflex may contribute to elevated BP when the number of contractions accumulate or muscle fatigue develops.

Anticipation of exercise and response in skin and muscle sympathetic nerve activity / 体力科学

A study was conducted to determine whether anticipation of exercise alters the responses of sympathetic nerve activity to muscle contraction. Sympathetic nerve activity leading to the skin (SSA) and muscle (MSA) was recorded from the tibial nerve in the left and right legs using tungsten microelectrodes. Heart rate and blood pressure (oscillometric method) were also measured during the experiment. Seven healthy subjects, who gave informed consent, participated in the experiment. They were asked to exert a static handgrip (SHG) for 2 min at a tension of 30% of maximal voluntary handgrip. Two different situations were set before the commencement of exercise. One was that after several minutes of controlled rest, a countdown was started 2 min before the exercise, and then the handgrip was applied (Cond. 1) . The other was that a preparation time of between 7 and 5 min was set prior to the handgrip exercise while no information regarding the starting time of exercise was given to the subjects (Cond. 2) . SSA for 30 s just before the exercise was increased in comparison with the control value at rest in Cond. 1, but not in Cond. 2. There was no difference in the SSA response patterns to SHG between the two conditions. Before the commencement of SHG, MSA did not alter from the control value at rest in either condition. The magnitudes of the increase in MSA during SHG were almost identical under both conditions. Heart rate for 30s before SHG in Cond. 1 was increased significantly from the control value, whereas there was no significant change in Cond. 2. The magnitude of the heart rate response to SHG was the same in both conditions. The mean blood pressure showed no significant change before SHG, but increased significantly during SHG in both conditions. The increases in SSA and heart rate prior to the commencement of exercise may be related to the anticipatory response to the exercise, although this response was not significant in MSA. These results confirm that anticipation of exercise increases sympathetic outflow to the skin. This may be advantageous in adapting the body to exercise.

Relation between drinking and liver function in cases of a thorough physical examination / 日本農村医学会雑誌

Liver function influenced by drinking were studied in cases of a thorough physical examination. Objects of our study were 172 cases who entered in our clinic during past two years. 172 cases were divided into three groups. 1st group was 70 cases who had drunk less than 20 grams of ethyl alcohol a day, 2nd group was 49 cases who had drunk 20 grams a day and 3rd group was 53 cases who had drunk 40 grams a day.<BR>GOT, GOT/GPT, γ-GTP, CHE and LAP were changed significantly with the increase of drinking as a result of study of these three groups. Especially it was thought that GOT/GPT, γ-GTP and LAP reflected most sharply the grade of alcoholic liver injury.

Clinical consideration of patients with chronic liver diseases / 日本農村医学会雑誌

Patients with chronic liver diseases who were hospitalized into our clinic were studied. Chronic liver diseases consisted of three groups, namely chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients with peptic ulcer were studied as a control group. The mean age was the difference of 8.4 years between a group of chronic hepatitis and that of liver cirrhosis, but only 3.0 years between a group of liver cirrhosis and that of hepatocellular carcinoma. HBs antigen positive ratio was almostly same between a group of chronic hepatitis and that of liver cirrhosis, but about twice in a group of hepatocellular carcinoma. Ratio of hard drinker was lowest in a group of hepatocellular carcinoma, and therefore we considered that the effects of alcohol upon carcinogenesis were little. HBs antibody positive ratio was no difference among groups of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Clinical study of patients with fatty liver diagnosed by computed tomography / 日本農村医学会雑誌

Patients with fatty liver diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) were studied clinically. Diagnostic criteria of fatty liver by CT was that the ratio of CT value of the liver to that of the spleen was less than 0.90. In cases of fatty liver, hepatic volume was significantly more increased (p<0.01) than normal controls, but volume of the spleen was not more increased. Fatty liver was diagnosed by CT in thirty eight cases. These cases were divided into four groups according to causes of fatty liver.The first was obesity group (fifteen cases), the second was alcohol group (fourteen cases), the third was DM group (four cases) and the fourth was group of unknown origin (five cases). Values of GOT/GPT (OP ratio), γ-GTP, CHE, LAP and ALB were significantly different (p<0.01) between obesity and alcohol group. Many cases of obesity group showed hypercholinesterasemia, but in many cases of alcohol group values of cholinesterase were lower than normal range.