The effects of t'ai chi on muscle activity, pain, and balance in females in their 20s with acute low back pain.

[Purpose] This study was conducted in order to examine the effects of t'ai chi on females in their 20s with acute low back pain. The subjects were 30 females in their 20s with acute low back pain. [Subjects and Methods] They were equally and randomly divided into a t'ai chi group and a stretching group. The intervention was applied three times per week, one hour each time, for a total of eight weeks. During the one hour, the subjects conducted warm-up exercises for 10 min, primary exercises for 40 min, and cool-down exercises for 10 min. In order to examine changes in low back pain in the patients according to the intervention method, muscle activity, pain, and balance elements (left and right side movement distance, forward and backward movement distance) were measured. [Results] Muscle activity and the visual analog scale score significantly decreased in both the t'ai chi group and the stretching group. Regarding changes in balance elements, the t'ai chi group's left and right side movement distance decreased, which was statistically significant. However, the t'ai chi group's forward and backward movement distance and the stretching group's forward and backward movement distance and left and right side movement distance did not change. [Conclusion] According to the results of this study, t'ai chi is considered an appropriate exercise program to reduce acute low back pain in females in their 20s. This is because when compared with stretching, it enables posture maintenance with lesser force due to decreased muscle activity, it is more helpful for improvements in balance ability, and it is effective in decreasing pain.

Determination of deoxynivalenol in cereal-based foods and estimation of dietary exposure.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a trichothecene mycotoxin. DON contamination in agricultural food staples such as wheat, barley, and maize due to Fusarium colonization is an increasing problem. In order to provide risk managers with better guidance for regulatory measures, the concentration of DON in cereal-based foods (n = 689), collected from six cities between June 2005 and August 2008, was determined. Further, dietary exposure to DON was estimated by combining data on DON concentration in these foods with their consumption rates. Among 689 samples, 272 samples (39%) were contaminated with DON. Relatively high DON concentrations were found in dried corn, with a mean concentration of 109 microg/kg (n = 74). Daily intake of DON simulated by the @Risk program was estimated to between 0.066 and 0.142 microg/kg body weight (bw)/d for males and between 0.066 and 0.144 microg/kg bw/d for females. The major contributor to DON exposure in the 50th and 95th percentile intake groups was polished rice. For each age class, young children (3-6 yr) showed the highest relative intake, with a mean intake of 0.142 microg/kg bw/d for males and 0.144 microg/kg bw/d for females. However, the estimated daily DON intake did not exceed the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (1 microg/kg bw/d) for any age group or gender. From our risk assessment, it was concluded that the current intake of DON in South Korea may not serve as a serious health hazard.