Background.Decreases of strength and speed of muscle contraction are considered major causes of functional impairments in older people. However, the age-related changes in grip force–generating capacity are not clear. The purpose of this study was to measure the parameters of the explosive grip force test and to compare the differences between young and older women.
Recent advances in adjuvant chemotherapy for malignant bone tumor have been improving the survival rate and making limb-salvage surgery a reliable technique. Ewing's sarcoma is treated by multiple agent chemotherapy. We treat Ewing's sarcoma by Rosen's T-11 protocol (CYT.ADM.MTX.VCR.ACT-D.BLM). This protocol is very effective, but results are poorer than for osteosarcoma. Newly developed protocols such as EICESS (European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study)-92, including new drugs, should be investigated. The results with malignant fibrous histiocytoma are comparable to those for osteosarcoma. We have performed an original chemotherapy protocol, called "K-1 protocol." Patients were treated with three courses of intraarterial infusion of cisplatin (120 mg/m2) and caffeine (1.0-1.5 mg/m2/day for three days continuously) at two-week intervals. If the effect was insufficient, ADM (30 mg/m2/day for two days continuously) is added to this protocol. We treat malignant lymphoma in collaboration with a hematologist and radiologist. The 5-year survival rate of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in our series was 56% in clinical stage III and 34% in clinical stage IV. We are trying third-generation chemotherapy to improve the survival rate.
1) The reaction time of the avoidance movement of jumping off toward a given place, which was regarded as an indicator of the quickness of movement of the group of muscles of the lower limbs, was measured and compared with the quickness of these of the upper limbs.2) The reaction time of movement of placing one's hand from one to the other of the two pushing-plates, by pushing which the electric circuits were closed, was measured. The reaction time of the commencement of the movement was similar to the simple reaction time, and its correlation with age was not high. The time taken to place one's hand on the other plate tended to be a little longer with subject of middle and high ages.3) The dispersion of the values of reaction time of both the commencement and the termination of movement when measured repeatedly was similar to that of the simple reaction time, but the dispersion of the difference between these two kinds of reaction times, that is, that of the time taken to move one's hand was smaller than that of the simple reaction time.4) Concerning one-step jumping aside to the right hand side, the reaction time of the commencement of movement under the condition that the legs were moved one by one was longer than the simple reaction time, and was also longer than that of the simultaneous movement of the both legs. The reaction time of both the commencement and the termination of movement was longer with higher ages, and was longer with women than with men. This relation was more evident in the successive movement of each legs than in the simultaneous one. The frequency distribution curve obtaind by repeating the measurement of the reaction time of jumping off showed a nearly normal distribution curve. The correlation between the reaction time of hand movement and that of jumping off was not so high.5) The scattering of the landing position of one-step jumping aside to the right hand side did not show any correlation with the values of the time taken to move one's legs.There was, however, a high correlation (r=+0.96) between the scattering of the landing position and that of the reaction time.6) There was no large difference between the reaction time of one-step jumping aside to the right hand side and that to the left hand side. With respect to forward jumping, the period of time during which the pressure at the first pushing-plate remained equal to the body weight was longer when the both legs were not simultaneously moved. There was no large difference between forward and backward jumping.7) The variation of the reaction time of two-steps jumping with respect to age was similar to that of one-step jumping.8) The results mentioned above indicate that one-step jumping aside is to be adopted as an indicator of the quickness of movement of the group of muscles of the lower limbs, and that it is practically useful to measure the time taken for one's one leg to tread on the second pushing-plate.
1) The time course of nearly isometrical tension development of human voluntary muscular contraction was analyzed for the purpose of finding some desirable indicators of the capability of human body to exert maximal muscle force as fast as possible.2) The isometric tension curves of maximal exertion of hand gripping, arm and indexfinger bending recorded, the linear relation between Pmax-P, which is a difference between its maximal tension and each value of tension in the time course, and log t, which is the logarithm of time corresponding to each value of tension, was found in each of three portions of a whole curve of time course of tension, the three portions being a range from P0 (log t0) to P1 (log t1), from P1 (log t1) to P2 (log t2) and from P2 (log t2) to Pmax (log tmax.) respectively.3) The range from P1 (log t1) to P2 (log t2) is a phase in which the tension increases most rapidly from an initial small tension to a large tension and is, therefore, regarded as a most characteristic one with respect to the time course of muscle force development exerted voluntarily as fast as possible.4) The angles of intersection of the line connecting P1 (t1) with P2 (t2) or P1 (log t1) with P2 (log t2), with the abscissa in the tension-time or tension-log t curve, which are denoted as or respectively, were found to be able to be adopted as indicators of the capability of human body to exert maximal muscular force for a short period of time.5) The tension curves were found to be nearly the same each other when they were recorded three or four times in the interval of 30 seconds with one and the same subject. If the difference is small between the first and the second record of the time course of a given subject, either of them may be adopted, but if not so, one have to only record the third curve and adopt either of the two resembling each other among the three records.6) Concerning the subjects of the same age, the difference between Pmax and P2 was small and the tan was large with a subject whose P was large. The tan ψ or tanθ was as a rule smaller with subjects of middle and high ages than with younger ones.7) The Pmax decreased with lapse of time when the maximal effort of contraction whose duration was one second was repeated in the interval of three seconds for two minutes. Under this condition the tan ψ increased in some cases, but did not in other cases. Also there were some cases in which t1 remained constant in spite of a decrease in the Pmax with subjects of middle and high ages, P1 of them decreased with decreasing t1. In short the change of the characteristics of the tension curves due to fatigue showed some individual variation.8) The decrease in the Pmax during a continuation of maximal effort of contraction was more remarkable than in the case of repeated contraction mentioned above, but the changes of the values of indicators were nearly the same in both cases.9) The Pmax of hand gripping and index-finger bending decreased to some extent when examined immediately after the effort of contraction had been continued under the condition that the blood stream in the fore-arm was stopped by applying the maximal blood pressure by a manchette of sphygnomanometer. The change of the values of the indicators under this condition was nearly the same as under the condition without the application of pressure, but under the former condition there were some cases in which a portion of the tension curve corresponding to P1 (log t1) deviated from the intersection of the lines, or some cases in which the records of one
The problems on the physical development of children in primary schools and middle schools were followed up from the view of Rohrer Index and Step Test Score, which was continued from our last experiment. The results are in the following1) In the first year students of the middle school step test score did not decrease, even in the height of the step was enhanced and the subjects was made to have some load.2) In the third year students of the middle school step test score decreased when the load increased.3) The number of the subjects who showed over the sum (The average Rohrer Index+twice as much as the standard deviation), was more in the range of plus than in that of minus, and it was no relationship the with difference of a year.4) Generally Rohrer Index had the decreasing tendency recently, but sometimes tremendously large Rohrer Index has been found.5) The Rohrer Index in the latter of a third grade student of the middle school being compared with his former Rohrer Index, in the case of male students the corelation efficiency was found not in 7 years of age, but from 11 years of age, On the other hand, in the case of female students it was highly found in 9 years of age.6) In the group that had had a circuit training programmed especially for them, the average Rohrer Index decreased in comparison with that of the control group. The degree of its decreasing was greater in the group that began to have their training at the time of the entrance to the middle school than in the group that began after the second year. Furthermore, training efficiency was much greater in the group of the small Rohler Index than in the group of the large Rohrer Index.7) Concerned those three groups in the third year of a middle school, the group under Rohrer Index 100, the group of the Standard Rohrer Index and the group over Rohrer Index 100, comparison of step test score with blood pressure, there existed no significant difference in blood pressure. The group of the standard Rohrer Index was best at step test score, and the group under Rohrer Index 100 and the group over Rohrer Index 150 were inferior to the former group of the standard Rohrer Index. There was no difference between both two groups of the latter.
