Levodopa improves physical fatigue in Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

We quantitatively investigated the effect of carbidopa/levodopa (25/100) on physical fatigue during finger tapping and force generation in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Parkinson's disease (PD) subjects were randomly assigned to carbidopa/levodopa or placebo for Visit 1 or 2 and participated in the following two studies: (1) Finger tapping. Twenty-five PD patients used their index fingers to strike two keys 20 cm apart on a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) keyboard. The slopes of the regression line of dwell time and movement time were used to assess the rate of fatigue development. (2) Force generation. Twelve PD patients contracted the wrist extensors maximally to obtain a baseline maximum voluntary contraction (BMVC) force. Then they repetitively contracted the wrist extensors at 50% of the BMVC for 7 seconds and rested for 3 seconds. An interval maximum voluntary contraction (IMVC) was measured every three repetitions. Fatigue was defined as an IMVC of less than 60% of the BMVC. The slope of the regression line of IMVC was used to assess the rate of force decline. These two studies were repeated 1 hour after carbidopa/levodopa (25/100) or placebo. Subjects filled out the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) at the beginning of the first visit. Results showed that the slope of dwell time decreased with levodopa but not with placebo (P = 0.004). The rate of force decline also decreased with levodopa but not with placebo (P = 0.01). The subscores in the dimension of physical fatigue in the MFI did not correlate with the rate changes in dwell time or the rate changes in force decline. We concluded that (1) levodopa improves physical fatigue in finger tapping and force generation, (2) physical fatigue in Parkinson's disease is at least partially related to dopamine deficiency, and (3) the MFI measures different aspects of physical fatigue compared with those measured by finger tapping and force generation.     

运动性中枢疲劳及乳酸对大鼠大脑皮质神经细胞MCT mRNA表达的影响

目的:探讨运动性中枢疲劳时大鼠大脑皮质MCT1、MCT2mRNA表达的变化以及乳酸对大鼠大脑皮质神经元MCT2mRNA表达的影响。方法:12只Wistar大鼠随机分为对照组和力竭训练1周组,每组6只。通过7天力竭训练建立中枢疲劳模型,观察中枢疲劳时大鼠大脑皮质MCT1、MCT2mR-NA表达变化;采用原代培养的大鼠大脑皮质神经元,观察不同浓度乳酸作用后大鼠大脑皮质神经元MCT2mRNA表达的变化。采用Trizol法提取大脑皮质和神经元总RNA;用SYBRAgreenI荧光定量RT-PCR测定MCT1及MCT2mRNA表达变化。结果:整体水平:力竭训练1周组MCT1mRNA表达无明显变化,而MCT2mRNA表达较对照组显著升高6·35±3·54倍(P<0·05)。细胞水平:乳酸作用后,神经元MCT2mRNA表达在pH=7·25时较对照组(pH=7·35组)升高3·08±2·38倍(P<0·05)。但随着乳酸浓度进一步升高,MCT2mRNA表达无明显增加。结果提示,中枢疲劳可能引发大脑皮质神经元MCT2mRNA表达升高,MCT2基因表达可能与乳酸在中枢疲劳中的作用有关。     

改良松解术式治疗耻骨直肠肌综合征的临床观察(附31例报告)

目的:观察改良松解术式治疗耻骨直肠肌综合征的临床效果。方法:2004~2005年采用肛门后横切口耻骨直肠肌全束部分切断术治疗耻骨直肠肌综合征31例。结果:手术总有效率为96·8%。平均住院时间(10·58±2·35)d,平均切口愈合时间(12·16±2·08)d。结论:采用肛门后横切口耻骨直肠肌全束部分切断术的方法疗效确切,具有并发症少、切口愈合时间快和住院时间短的优点。     

Douleurs musculaires post-effort

DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) occurs frequently in sport. DOMS usually develops 12-48 hours after intensive and/or unusual eccentric muscle action. They can be associated with decreased proprioception and range of motion, as well as maximal strength. DOMS disappears 2–10 days before complete functional recovery. Inflammation appears to be the most common explanation. DOMS should not be considered as an indicator of muscle damage but, rather, a sign of the regenerative process, which is well known to contribute to be increase muscle mass. If some treatments are well known to attenuate DOMS, none has been demonstrated to accelerate either structural or functional recovery.     

环指屈肌腱损伤吻接术前、后力学性能测试研究

研究正常环指屈肌腱拉伸力学性能和模拟屈肌腱损伤后吻接术后屈肌腱的力学性能,为临床提供生物力学参数。取10个手环指标本,解剖后暴露环指,将标本固定于电子万能试验机底座上,由钢丝绳吊钩沿屈肌腱纵行方向钩住、钢丝绳上端固定于试验机上夹头上,驱动机器,对标本进行拉伸实验,施加拉应力,直至屈肌腱断裂。对断裂后的屈肌腱模拟临床手术进行移位吻接,对10个标本做了腱与腱移位吻接。再对吻接后的标本进行拉伸实验。分别得出了正常组标本和吻接术后标本的拉伸最大载荷、应力、应变等数据。表明:屈肌腱腱与腱吻合组最大载荷、应力、应变均小于正常对照组,但模拟末端编织法吻接术腱与腱吻合组标本,仍具有较好的拉伸力学性能指标。     

Muscle cross-section measurement by magnetic resonance imaging

Summary Muscle cross-section areas were measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the thigh of a human cadaver,. the results being compared with those obtained by photography of corresponding anatomic macroslices. A close correlation was found between MRI and photographic evaluation, differences between the methods ranging from nil to 9.5%, depending on the scan position and the muscle groups. In vivo MRI measurements were performed on 12 female and 16 male students, the objectivity, the test-retest reliability and the variability of the MRI measurements being studied by fixing the scan position either manually or by coronary scan. The latter method appeared to be more objective and reliable. The coefficients of variation for muscle cross-section areas measured by MRI were in the range of those for the planimetry of given cross-section areas. Allowing for differentiation between several small muscle bundles in a given area, MRI proved to be a suitable method to quantify muscle cross-sections for intra- and interindividual analysis of muscle size.     

Effect of Psoas Training on Postmenopausal Lumbar Bone Loss: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study

The present study completed a previous randomized trial that demonstrated the protective effect of 1-year psoas training on lumbar bone loss in postmenopausal women. Computerized tomography had been carried out at the beginning (CT1) and at the end (CT2) of this trial. In the present study, 67 women having completed the first trial were asked to practice psoas exercises (60 hip flexions in sitting position with a 5 kg weight on the knee) for 2 additional years with a third CT control at the end of this period (CT3). The aim of this complementary study was to assess the compliance rate and long-term effect on bone of daily psoas muscle training over a longer period. Twenty-one women performed this daily psoas training for 3 years from CT1 to CT3, and 14 acted as controls during the same period. Fourteen women were controls during the first year (from CT1 to CT2) but practiced psoas training during the following 2 years (from CT2 to CT3). Four women were psoas trained during the first year (from CT1 to CT2) and subsequently crossed over to the control group for the last 2 years. The compliance rate was 42%, with an attendance rate of 88%. The lumbar bone loss was lower in the 21 women trained over the 3 years (−3.26 ± 28.45 mg/cm³) than in the 14 untrained women (−16.79 ± 8.51 mg/cm³) (P= 0.02). The bone loss was not significantly reduced between the two periods of the study in the 12 women having been controls from CT1 to CT2 and having crossed over to the active training group from CT2 to CT3. Psoas training may be effective against lumbar bone loss. We conclude that specific training may play a contributing role in the preventive strategy to avoid osteoporosis. Received: 23 February 1996 / Accepted: 25 October 1996     

Influence of muscle activation dynamics on reaction time in the elderly

The aim of this investigation was to determine whether age-related changes in the dynamics of muscle activation were, in part, responsible for longer reaction times (RT) in the elderly. A group of 12 young (mean age, 20.6 years) and 12 elderly (mean age, 64.3 years) women performed a series of ballistic forearm supination movements in response to an auditory stimulus while using a simple reaction time test. Surface electromyographic waveforms from biceps brachii (agonist) and pronator teres (antagonist) muscles were recorded, together with the angle-time curves representing the motion of the forearm, on to an IBM compatible microcomputer. The results showed that an age-related increase (P<0.05) in motor reaction time (MRT) contributed to longer RT in the elderly. In addition, the longer (P<0.05) MRTs in the elderly were associated with a significantly slower rate (P<0.05) of biceps brachii muscle activation and a significantly increased proportion (P<0.05) of the initial biceps brachii muscle burst required to initiate the movement. This data suggested that an important part of the slowing of motor behaviour, commonly observed with increasing age, may be due to either decreases in the ability of aged skeletal muscle to rapidly generate tension or to a reduction in motor drive.     

Bone Mass in Female Volleyball Players: A Comparison of Total and Regional Bone Mass in Female Volleyball Players and Nonactive Females

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate bone mass in female athletes participating in an impact loading sport (volleyball), and especially to investigate whether any changes in bone mass might be related to the type and magnitude of weightbearing loading and muscle strength. The volleyball group consisted of 13 first division players (age 20.9 ± 3.7 years) training for about 8 hours/week, and the reference group consisted of 13 nonactive females (age 25.0 ± 2.4 years) not participating in any kind of regular or organized sport activity. The groups were matched according to weight and height. Areal bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in total body, head, lumbar spine, femoral neck, Ward's triangle, trochanter, the whole femur, and humerus using dual-energy-X-ray absorptiometry. Isokinetic concentric peak torque of the quadricep and hamstring muscles was measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. Compared with the controls, the volleyball players had a significantly (P < 0.05–0.01) higher BMD of the total body (6.1%), lumbar spine (13.2%), femoral neck (15.8%), Ward's triangle (17.9%), trochanter (18.8%), nondominant femur (8.2%), and humerus (dominant 9.5%, nondominant 10.0%), but not of the head and the dominant whole femur. The dominant humerus showed significantly higher BMD than the nondominant humerus in both the volleyball and nonactive group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in muscle strength of the thigh between the two groups. In the nonactive group, muscle strength in the quadriceps, and especially hamstrings, was correlated to BMD of the adjacent bones (whole femur, hip sites) and also to distant sites (humerus). However, in the volleyball group there were no correlations between muscle strength and BMD of the adjacent bones, but quadricep strength correlated to BMD of the humerus. These results clearly show that young female volleyball players have a high bone mass. The demonstrated high bone mass seems to be related to the type of loading subjected to each BMD site. Muscle strength of the thigh seems to have little impact on BMD in female volleyball players. Received: 18 June 1996 / Accepted: 31 October 1996